Thayer, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1790 by farmer Benjamin Thayer, this house at 200 Farm Street in Blackstone is a five-bay, 2½-story Georgian-style farmhouse with a single-story side wing. It has a fieldstone and granite foundation, clapboard siding, and a central brick chimney set slightly off center. Inside, the plan has a shallow front stair hall with parlors on each side. Early features survive, including raised-panel doors, Suffolk latches, feathered-edge paneling, exposed beams, a beehive bake oven and a pegged rafter system in the attic. Thayer assembled a farm of more than 100 acres, and the property stayed in Thayer hands until 1920 apart from a six-year gap. A garage from the 1950s, granite stepping stones, a roadside stone wall and a meadow behind the house contribute to the property. The house is valued as an example of a late 18th-century farmhouse adapted by later generations and set in an area shaped by Thayer family farming.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a representative late 18th-century farmhouse that was adapted over time by succeeding generations of Thayers and kept in continuous use as a homestead. It keeps much of its early framing, paneling, fireplaces and hardware. It also reflects the agricultural past of the upland farms of Blackstone, once part of Mendon's South Parish.
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 09001174, listed December 30, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 Farm St., Blackstone |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | December 30, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001174 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Benjamin Thayer (1756-1811) |
| Architectural style | Colonial: Georgian, Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single-family dwelling; the form describes continuous use as a homestead. |
| Acreage | 9.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.04401, -71.52665 (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 09001174.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16901474
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.