Johnson-Thompson House
Why it's listed
Built around 1750 at 201 Ridge Street, this farmhouse is the oldest surviving structure in Winchester. It has a gambrel roof, boxed eaves, a two-room central hall plan and a three-run stair, features that show the shift from Colonial to Georgian building practices in a rural setting. A framed opening in the cellar marks where a massive central chimney once stood before twin rear-wall chimneys replaced it. A kitchen ell and shed were added in 1837, and rooms were built over the kitchen in 1916. Deeds refer to a house on the land as early as 1713, but the present building shows no physical evidence of an earlier date. The Johnson family, led by early Woburn figure Major William Johnson, held the property for generations. It passed to the Thompson family in 1858 through marriage, and the owner's descendants have kept it since. Only one other eighteenth-century house survives in Winchester.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the earliest surviving structure in Winchester and a good example of the transition from Colonial to Georgian building practices. It is also tied to the Johnson and Thompson families, prominent in local affairs from the earliest settlement, and has stayed in the same family's descendants for generations.
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 89000604, listed July 5, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 201 Ridge St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 5, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000604 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Early Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good, and the property is in use as a dwelling. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.44845, -71.17611 (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 89000604.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6268154
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.