Baker-Merrill House
Also known as: Content
Why it's listed
Known as "Content," this two-story frame house at 38 Grove Road sits in Barker's Grove, a small agrarian hamlet in the Town of Easton, Washington County, New York. The timber-framed dwelling has a gable-fronted main block with a one-and-a-half-story south wing, a rear lean-to, a woodshed, a privy and a coal bin, all forming a roughly T-shaped footprint. Walls are clapboard over brick nogging, on a fieldstone foundation, and the main roof is slate laid over original wooden shingles. The recessed front entrance with pilasters, sidelights and transom reflects Greek Revival design, while the porch has scrollwork brackets. Original glass, louvered blinds and muntins survive, and old gas piping remains from an acetylene lighting system. The 1.8-acre lot includes a barn/garage, a hand-dug well, a filled cistern and a dry-laid stone wall. The house is still used as a single dwelling. The text provided does not include the nomination's significance statement.
Significance in brief: The provided text covers only the Section 7 description and not the Statement of Significance. It presents the house as a well-preserved mid-19th-century dwelling combining Greek Revival and Picturesque/Italianate features, with original windows, blinds, glass, brick-nogged timber framing and period utilities such as acetylene gas piping. The reasons for listing are not stated in the text provided.
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 06000650, listed July 26, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 38 Grove Rd., Easton |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | July 26, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000650 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Mid 19th Century: Greek Revival, Picturesque/Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is single dwelling; the house is described as retaining original features, with some replaced sashes and a later coal bin. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.99122, -73.55132 (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 06000650.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4849100
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.