National Register of Historic Places

Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead

Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 3, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000308

About this property

The General Artemas Ward House is a historic house at 786 Main Street in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Commonly known as the "Artemas Ward House", it was the lifelong home of Artemas Ward, American Major General in the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built by Ward's father, Nahum, in 1727 to house tenants on his farm; Artemas Ward moved into the house in 1763. Its location is along the original Boston Post Road, and an original mile marker of that road is still visible across Main Street on the Dean Park side. The building was enlarged by the General in 1785, raising the roof and nearly doubling its size, to accommodate the family of his son Thomas Walter Ward alongside his own household. It was enlarged again in 1820 by Thomas Walter Ward, adding a two-story ell to the rear. The main structure was occupied by Ward family members until 1909. From 1909 until 1954 descendants of the general lived in a second structure situated behind the colonial home. The property was donated by the family to Harvard University in 1925. The home is now operated by Harvard as a museum and is open to the public for limited hours during the summer months. The property also includes a four-story barn. The barn was created by joining two separate barn structures in 1848.

Location

Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts
42.29528, -71.69666

Categories

MILITARYPOLITICS/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

Shrewsbury Historic District
Listed
0.9 mi
District No. 5 School
Early Republic
2.3 mi
Ash Street School
Industrial
2.6 mi
Barlin Acres
Industrial
3 mi
Lyman School for Boys
Listed
3.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead listed on the National Register?

Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead?

Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead?

The period of significance for Ward, Gen. Artemas, Homestead is recorded as the industrial era.

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