National Register of Historic Places

Bancroft, Samuel, House

Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
July 18, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84002471

About this property

The Samuel Bancroft House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. With an estimated construction date of 1748, it is one of the town's older surviving houses, and one of a small number from the late colonial period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Samuel Bancroft House stands in a residential area of western Reading, on the west side of West Street a short way north of its junction with Wescroft Road. Unlike later infill residential construction which surrounds it, the house is oriented with its main facade facing south instead of toward the street. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and exterior of clapboards (on the front) and wooden shingles (on the sides and rear). It has a symmetrical five-bay facade, with a center entrance that is sheltered by a 20th-century hip-roofed vestibule. The second-floor windows are set high, butting against the top plate in a typical Georgian fashion. The right side has a 20th-century bay window replacing one of the window bays. The house was built about 1748, and may incorporate portions of an even older building. It was built by Samuel Bancroft, a locally prominent civic leader, who purchased the property, then extending all the way to County Road, in 1748. The house was later owned by Ephraim Weston, a businessman who built another house nearby and turned this house over to his son. It is the oldest home located in Reading's West Street Historic District. National Register of Historic Places listings in Reading, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Location

232 West St.
Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.51884, -71.12049

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

House at 206 West Street
Industrial
0.1 mi
Durgin House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Kemp Place
Industrial
0.3 mi
House at 242 Summer Avenue
Industrial
0.3 mi
House at 77 Howard Street
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

King Philip's War – Raid on Woburn MA 1676
1676Colonial
2.8 mi
Battle of Lancaster (King Philip's War)
1676Colonial
5.2 mi
Raid on Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
7.4 mi
Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
7.4 mi
Battle of Lexington – Parker's Stand
1775Revolutionary War
7.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bancroft, Samuel, House listed on the National Register?

Bancroft, Samuel, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Bancroft, Samuel, House?

Bancroft, Samuel, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bancroft, Samuel, House?

The period of significance for Bancroft, Samuel, House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bancroft, Samuel, House?

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