National Historic Landmark

Headquarters House

Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
66000765

About this property

William Hickling Prescott House, also known as the Headquarters House, is an historic house museum located at 55 Beacon Street on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the western portion of a double townhouse at 54–55 Beacon Street. The townhouse, built in 1808 to a design by Asher Benjamin, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 for its association with William Hickling Prescott (1796–1859), one of the nation's first historians. The house is now a museum operated by the Massachusetts chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, which purchased it for its headquarters in 1944.

Location

55 Beacon St.
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
42.35667, -71.06822

Categories

LITERATURE
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Parkman, Francis, House
Early Republic
0 mi
Sears, David, House
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0.1 mi
Appleton, Nathan, Residence
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0.1 mi
Otis, (Second) Harrison Gray, House
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0.1 mi
Howe, Samuel Gridley and Julia Ward, House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston
1775Revolutionary War
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Headquarters House listed on the National Register?

Headquarters House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Headquarters House?

Headquarters House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Headquarters House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Headquarters House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Headquarters House?

The period of significance for Headquarters House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Headquarters House?

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