Williams-Linscott House
Why it's listed
Located at 357 Williams Street in Stoneham, this clapboard house now appears as a large, two-story, three-bay Italianate residence. Tradition dates it to 1712, a date that may refer to the one-story, slate-roofed ell on the west side or to a heavily rebuilt inner core. Originally it had four rooms around a huge central chimney. The Richardson family arrived from Woburn in 1787 and built three houses on the property, and the roof was later rebuilt as a hipped roof with two chimneys. In the mid-nineteenth century, Micah Williams, a prosperous farmer, remodeled the house in the fashionable Italianate manner, adding a projecting, enclosed two-story entrance porch, segmented-arch windows and diamond-pane sidelights. The remodeling reflects Stoneham's general prosperity at that time. An early twentieth-century owner brought in a Scottish gardener who planted many unusual trees. Most of the original hundred-acre site has since been subdivided.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as an early 18th-century dwelling remodeled into a fashionable Italianate home in the mid-19th century, reflecting Stoneham's general prosperity at that time. It is said to retain integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. The form cites criterion 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 84002853, listed April 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 357 William St., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002853 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; original house built ca. 1712 by an early Stoneham settler; remodeled by owner Micah Williams |
| Architectural style | Georgian house with Italianate facade (ca. 1850) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; most of the original hundred-acre site has been subdivided. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.49081, -71.10701 (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 84002853.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8020961
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.