Proctor, John, House
Why it's listed
Built about 1720-1740 by John Proctor II, this timber-frame house at 218 Concord Road in Westford began as a five-bay, center-chimney dwelling. In 1827 the western section was sold to a neighbor, Henry Fletcher, who apparently dismantled the chimney and western bay, leaving the surviving half-house. The remaining owners adapted it with a new chimney, a west addition around 1840-1870, enlarged windows, a boxed cornice and a balloon-frame rear ell added about 1900. The house keeps its side-gabled roof, sparse window arrangement, clapboard siding, fieldstone foundation and oak framing with flared posts, all typical of late First Period work. It was listed for its architecture, as an unusual full-width center-chimney house reduced to a half-house, and for its link to the family of Robert Proctor, an early Westford settler. The 1.16-acre site also has high potential for archaeological remains.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house retains surviving elements of late First Period architecture along with well-preserved mid-nineteenth-century interior finishes and exterior changes. It is also tied to the family of Robert Proctor, one of Westford's first settlers. It is judged significant locally under Criteria A and C.
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 93000011, listed February 4, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 218 Concord Rd., Westford |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | February 4, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000011 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1720-1930 |
| Architect / builder | John Proctor |
| Architectural style | COLONIAL: Post Medieval English; New England Colonial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owners rent the house to residential tenants; it survives remarkably intact on 1.16 acres, with a modern garage and a barn cellar hole nearby. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.55216, -71.42843 (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 93000011.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15713040
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.