Winthrop, Deane, House
Why it's listed
At 40 Shirley Street in Winthrop, Massachusetts, stands a 2 1/2 story timber-framed house with a steep roof, five bays across and one room deep, with a lean-to added in the 18th century. It began as a single-room-plan building and was soon widened with a second set of rooms to the east. The first survey dated it to about 1638-1650, but tree-ring testing in 2001 pointed to 1675 for the west section and 1696 for the east. Inside, it keeps chamfered beams, jowled posts, original shadow-molded wall sheathing and a principal rafter roof, while cuts in the roof sheathing show where gables once rose on the facade. The site was granted to Captain William Pierce in 1638 and later passed to Deane Winthrop, youngest son of Governor John Winthrop. A local historical association bought and restored the house in 1907 for use as a house museum, an early preservation effort in New England.
Significance in brief: The form argues the house keeps its First Period frame, floor plan and finish, and shows the growth from a single-cell to a double-cell plan within the First Period. It retains rare evidence of 17th-century facade gables, two kinds of original shadow-molded sheathing, and an intact principal rafter/common rafter roof. It was also restored in 1907 by a local historical society for use as a house museum, an early example of preservation.
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 90000162, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 34 Shirley St. (formerly 40 Shirley St.), Winthrop |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000162 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in good condition in 1986 and in residential use; a late 20th-century tool shed stands on the lot. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38253, -70.97754 (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 90000162.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5246720
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.