Farnum, William and Mary, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1821 on Albee Road in Uxbridge, this brick house is a local example of Federalist design. It rests on a hammered granite foundation under a steep hip roof with two interior chimneys. The south facade is laid in Flemish bond and is symmetrical around a center entry with sidelights and a blocked elliptical fanlight. Windows have brick surrounds with splayed granite lintels, the cornice carries fret moulding, and a half-hip porch with fluted pilasters shelters the door. Some changes occurred between the 1940s and 1960s, including replacement sash, a new front door and removal of the original porch columns. The house is associated with William and Mary Farnum, who owned it in the later nineteenth century, and probably with the Farnum family descended from Cornet John Farnum, a founder of Uxbridge, and Moses Farnum, a local Quaker. It is valued as a surviving example of Uxbridge's high-quality early nineteenth-century Federalist brick houses.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the house a good local example of Federalist architecture and an important survivor of a moderate number of high-quality Federalist brick houses built in Uxbridge in the early nineteenth century. It is also linked to the locally prominent Farnum family. The form states it meets 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 84002914, listed January 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Albee Rd., Uxbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | January 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002914 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federalist |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as a present residence in private ownership, with replacement sash and door and removed original porch columns (1940s-1960s). |
| Acreage | 35 |
| Coordinates | 42.04343, -71.60551 (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 84002914.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8020729
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.