Paddock Farm
Why it's listed
Paddock Farm in Holden, Massachusetts, is a farmhouse complex on Salisbury Street beside Dawson Pond. The 1 1/2 story main house, built about 1840, has a five-bay, center-entrance form, a Greek Revival doorway with cornerblocks, and small kneewall windows above the first floor. A rear ell, thought to date from about 1780, may be the earliest structure on the site. The barn was rebuilt in 1953 after a tornado, and a boathouse was added about 1966. The farm was listed as a well preserved example of the kneewall cape with eyebrow windows, a house type found in only a handful of Holden buildings from roughly 1800 to the 1840s. Deed research traces the land to Reuben Paddock Jr., who bought it in 1780, and his descendants farmed it for generations. In 1913 the house was divided into apartments for mill workers, and it returned to single-family use after 1942. The landscape, stone walls and mature trees support its setting.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is a well preserved example of the locally popular 1 1/2 story kneewall cape with eyebrow windows, in a vernacular Federal-Greek Revival style. It represents early 19th century rural domestic architecture in Holden. It is one of a handful of such houses built there from about 1800 through the 1840s, and it retains good integrity.
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 96000143, listed February 23, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 259 Salisbury St., Holden |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 23, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000143 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1780 - 1945 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (vernacular Federal-Greek Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and retaining integrity; current use is a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 5.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.33392, -71.84869 (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 96000143.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7123363
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.