National Register of Historic Places

Fowle, Edmund, House

Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
November 11, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77000189

About this property

The Edmund Fowle House is a historic house and local history museum at 28 Marshall Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, USA. Built in 1772, it is the second-oldest surviving house in Watertown (after the Browne House, built c. 1698), and served as the meeting place for the Massachusetts Executive Council in the first year of the American Revolutionary War. Now owned by the local historic society, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Edmund Fowle House is located northeast of Watertown Square, on the south side of Marshall Street between Spring and Mount Auburn Streets. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof, central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. It has a five-bay front facade, with a center entrance sheltered by a projecting enclosed flat-roofed vestibule. The vestibule entry is flanked by sidelight windows and framed by fluted moulding. The house was built by Edmund Fowle (1747–1821) in 1772, and was originally located on Mount Auburn St., then called Mill St. Watertown was the seat of Massachusetts Provincial Congress, its de facto government, during the British occupation of Boston during the American Revolution. The committees of the 2nd and 3rd Provincial Congress met in this house from April 22 to July 19, 1775, and the Executive Committee met here from July 19, 1775, to September 18, 1776. In 1776, the Treaty of Watertown, the first treaty signed between the newly formed United States of America and a foreign power, the St. John's and Mi'kmaq First Nations of Nova Scotia, was signed in this house. Sturgis and Brigham Architects (Charles Brigham and John Hubbard Sturgis) purchased the house in 1871, moved it to its present Marshall St. address and converted it into a two family residence. The Historical Society of Watertown purchased the house in 1922. The Historical Society was awarded $500,000 in 2004 and another $200,000 in 2006 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the restoration of the Edmund Fowle House. The grand re-opening of the house took place in May 2008. National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Location

26-28 Marshall St.
Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.36841, -71.18027

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
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

Pratt, Miles, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Watertown High School, Old
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0.5 mi
House at 68 Maple Street
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0.6 mi
House at 60 William Street
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0.6 mi
Bigelow, Henry, House
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0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
3.4 mi
Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
3.5 mi
Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
3.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fowle, Edmund, House listed on the National Register?

Fowle, Edmund, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 11, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Fowle, Edmund, House?

Fowle, Edmund, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fowle, Edmund, House?

The period of significance for Fowle, Edmund, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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