Wyman, Francis, House
Why it's listed
Sitting on a small knoll in Burlington, Massachusetts, the Wyman Homestead is a clapboard farmhouse of about 1730 with eight rooms and a central chimney. It was built by a third-generation Wyman on the cellar foundation and chimney base of the 1666 farmhouse of Francis Wyman, who bought the surrounding 500 acres from Henry Dunster, first president of Harvard College. The house is valued as a transition between First Period construction and the style of the mid-18th century. Heavy posts, summer beams and braces remain partly exposed, alongside beaded casing, sheathing and reverse-curve moldings. Other notable features include an 18th-century staircase, a nine-panel front door, an unfinished second-floor northwest room and a rare surviving puncheon stairway to the cellar, each step cut from oak and pegged to the stringers. The house was used as a garrison before 1740 during Indian attacks and recalls the Wyman family's role in early settlement.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be a fine example of a transition-period house, showing the shift from heavy First Period framing to the joiner-finished style of the mid-18th century. It also retains rare features such as a puncheon cellar stairway and an untouched unfinished room. Historically, it is one of the few reminders of the first settlers in the Woburn-Billerica area and was used as a garrison before 1740.
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 75000255, listed March 17, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Francis Wyman St., Burlington |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 17, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000255 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition and owned by a Wyman family association; the inventory sheet records its present function as a museum. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.51839, -71.22468 (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 75000255.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5482855
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.