Hill, Deacon Samuel, House
Why it's listed
This two-and-a-half-story, five-bay clapboarded house at 33 Riverhurst Road in Billerica dates to about 1725 and was probably built by Deacon Samuel Hill, who inherited the family farm in 1695 and died in 1755. It was originally one room deep, and a rear lean-to was added later. Around 1840 the house was remodelled in the Georgian manner. The central chimney was removed and replaced by a central stair and two interior chimneys between the front and lean-to rooms, a typical way of turning a center-chimney house into a center-hall one. Inside, late First Period features survive, including exposed summer beams with quirk beading, horizontal sheathing, brick nogging in the end walls and original rear wall, and sawmill-sawn rising braces. A second-floor chamber also holds rare marbleized raised-field paneling, with nine panels in three ranks. These surviving features of design and workmanship are the basis for its listing under Criterion C.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to retain integrity of design and workmanship in its transitional First Period frame under Criterion C. Removing the central chimney during the remodelling is cited as a common way of converting a center-chimney house into a center-hall Georgian house. Notable features include beaded summer beams, brick nogging and rare marbleized raised-field paneling.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000165, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 33 Riverhurst Rd., Billerica |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000165 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Probably built by Deacon Samuel Hill; architect unknown |
| Architectural style | First Period (remodelled to Georgian ca. 1840) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; in use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.53630, -71.30276 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000165.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5245039
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.