Morse-Tay-Leland-Hawes House
Why it's listed
Located very close to the road on a two-acre lot at 266 Western Avenue in Sherborn, this clapboard house dates to about 1700, when James Morse built it on land his father, Capt. Joseph Morse, drew in a division of common land. It likely began as a small half house with a lean-to and grew through the later addition of parts from other structures. In the 1770s Dr. Jonathan Tay, a physician who came from Salem, bought it and kept an extensive practice in western Sherborn; nearby Brook Street was long known as Dr. Tay's Lane. The east-facing facade has a late Georgian entryway with Doric pilasters, a dentilated broken pediment and a fanlight with Gothicized tracery. The south side, with a lean-to, shows Federal-period window pediments. Its asymmetrical windows and chimney placement, combined with Georgian and Federal detailing and good integrity, support its recognition for architecture, local history and potential research value.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a well-preserved, finely detailed 18th-century house showing both Georgian and Federal detailing (Criterion C). It is tied to Sherborn's early development and to Dr. Jonathan Tay, a physician (Criterion A), and may hold information on early building practices because of its alterations (Criterion D).
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 86000506, listed January 3, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 266 Western Ave., Sherborn |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 3, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000506 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | James Morse (builder, born 1686) |
| Architectural style | Georgian/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; the barn northwest of the house burned about 1950 and is no longer extant. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.22343, -71.40027 (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 86000506.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6914235
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.