Parker, Capt. Nathaniel, Red House
Why it's listed
Captain Parker's Red House is a vernacular Georgian dwelling at 77-83 Ash Street in Reading, standing before 1765 on an old coaching road. It has a five-bay facade, a center entrance and a center chimney. Its south doorway is more refined than usual, with pilasters showing entasis on pedestals and a four-light transom. Later additions include a north ell, a south porch and a west extension. The house was already a landmark on the 1765 map, partly because it was painted, which was uncommon then. The land had long belonged to the Parker family. Captain Nathan Parker owned the house in 1765, and his son Colonel Nathan, the town's first postmaster, began keeping a tavern there in 1781. After a turnpike opened in 1806-07, the tavern lost its place on the main road. James Davis and his wife Caroline, a Parker descendant, lived here from 1831 to 1888. They were Abolitionists and may have sheltered runaway slaves. These links to tavern history, local families and abolition, together with the intact architecture, support its listing.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as an 18th-century tavern on a major north-south coaching road and for its special designation on the 1765 map. It is also linked to the locally important Parker family and to Reading's Abolition movement, and it survives as a largely intact example of vernacular Georgian architecture.
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 84002772, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 77-83 Ash St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002772 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as largely intact, retaining integrity of location, general design, materials, workmanship and feeling. Alterations include a two-story ell to the north, a two-story porch to the south and a one-story extension to the west. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.52220, -71.10405 (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 84002772.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5036459
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.