Adams, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Set on North Main Street in Uxbridge, this two-storey timber-frame house was built before 1792 and received its Federalist decorative details between about 1800 and 1815. It rests on a hammered granite foundation. The symmetrical west facade centers on a doorway with a panelled door, sidelights and an elliptical fanlight, sheltered by an open porch with paired columns and a half-hip roof. A cornice decorated with mutules runs the length of the facade. Aluminum siding and replacement sash have altered the exterior, but the form judges that the house keeps its integrity of location, design, setting and workmanship. The house is linked to Benjamin Adams, born in Mendon in 1764 and a Brown University graduate. He became Uxbridge's second lawyer, served in the General Court from 1809 to 1813, represented Worcester South in Congress, and helped found the Blackstone Bank in 1825. By the mid-1850s the property had passed to the Gunn family, and it remains a residence.
Significance in brief: The house keeps several fine elements of its original Federalist design, including an elliptical-fanlight doorway, a porch with paired columns and a mutule cornice. It is also tied to Benjamin Adams, a locally prominent lawyer who served as a state representative and a U.S. Congressman. The form says it meets criteria A, B 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 83004101, listed October 7, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 81 N. Main St., Uxbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | October 7, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004101 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federalist |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered with aluminum siding and replacement 2/2 sash in the 20th century, and a side porch added about 1900-1920. It remains a residence, the same as its original use. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.08034, -71.63374 (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 83004101.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4888180
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.