BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING AAIVI ALAIUU VUNYEI 242 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 Photos 39:10 exterior 39:11 detail S corner clapboards 39:24 Ist floor left summer at front wall Sketch Map: JAN 2 4 1990 - FORM NO. 75 009 Town Middleton. Address Oid South Main Street Historic Name Lieut. Thomas Fuller House Use: Present Residence Original DESCRIPTION Residence Date ca. 1684 documents; Watkins' Middleton Source History, visual analysis Style First Period Architect Unknown Exterior Wall Fabric Clapboards Outbuildings None AIN TM REFERENCE SGS QUADRANGLE Z E N 19 / 334-750 / 4717-270 Reading CALE 1:25,000 Major Alterations (with dates) Learto adde before 1700; leanto raised To Z sTorTe 19th c,; additions east and west of leanto, roof rebuilt, rearranged Tem= estration and bow window added to fion late 19th c. (!).
Condition .Good Moved No Date N/ A Acreaçe 1.08 acre Setting Faces south at an angle off 01 South Main St., now by-passed by new commercial highway, abutting the Full family cemetery and modern residences Recorded by Richard Candee Organization Date May 1986 Boston University INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commumity: MIDDLETON Form No: 75 Property Name: It. Thomas Fuller House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. SIGNIFICANCE The Thomas Fuller House retains integrity of location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association. In its structural carpentry it embodies distinctive framing and decorative characteristics of seventeenth century construction that make it eligible under Criterion C.
The same characteristics also indicate that further research may yield additional information important to the history of First Period architecture in Massachusetts, thus the property is also eligible under Criterion D. The use of transverse summers supported with posts and acting as binding beams on the first floor can be found in a smaller number of Massachusetts First Period houses than those with summers acting as bridging beams running in a longitudinal direction from end to chimney g1rts. These include the 1680s addition to the Whipple House in Ipswich, the pre-1681 Pickman House in Salem, the Balch House in Beverly, and the later c.1715 Parson Barnard House in North Andover [1]. This is significant for the 1684 Fuller House is the earliest in Middleton with feature and located at the northerly end of the road later extended from Salem to Andover.
In the following year Thomas Fuller was appointed "an overseer of the highways from his house to Andover bounds." Other documents confirm the hall and parlor plan of the house and the existence of a leanto by 1690. [2] Thus the house contributes to the continuity of that pattern both in date and geographic location. The chamfer stop is of an unusual (perhaps unique) combination of elements related to type B but with a wide coliar like those in type C normally associated with quarter round chamfers. If the boxing of the west side were removed for investigation, the house might yield more information about the decorative treatments of late seventeenth century framing members and the spacing of ceiling joists in the 1680s.
SETTING The house faces south at an angel off Old South Main Street, now bypassed by a new commercial highway, abutting the Fuller family graveyard and modern residential properties. EXTERIOR DESCRIPTION The Thomas Fuller House is a two and one half story, central chimney plan, house with evenly spaced fenestration in the five-bay facade to which a projecting one-story gabled entry lobby was later added. The end walls originally had one window on each floo, although a Victorian bow window was added to the western first floor room and window Staple to Inventory form at bottom INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Coumunity : MIDDLETON Form No: 75 Property Name: It. Thomas Fuller House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. openings enlarged on the first floor facade and the second story west end.
Behind the two original front rooms, a leanto was added, perhaps as early as 1690 or possible replacing one of that period. It was Later raised to a second story in the 19th century. Perhaps at the same time the roof was rebuilt, probably reusing six old principal rafters and purlins. Two shed roofed additions extend from raised rear leanto off the western end, the nearest incorporating a hipped roof porch covering the side door. A small gabled addition projects to the east end of the rear leanto. The wooded clapboards survive having recently been re-exposed after the removal of synthetic siding. The brick chimney stack is either original or of later First Period construction.
MAJOR FIRST PERIOD FEATURES The First Period framing of the rooms on either side of the central chimney is unusual for having transverse summers on the first f1oor, matching the position of those acting as ties on the second floor- These are supported by two-story posts centered between the corner posts of each room, creating two bays approximately l' wide in each room. The summer and tie beam is the western half are exposed beneath the plastered ceilings hiding the joists: both are about 8 1/2 wide and t.hus depthwise beams typical of the Salem area. They are decorated with 2" wide flat chamfers terminating with a collar 1 3/4 " long and a 3" long raised cove stop with reported crosscuts on the cove. [1] This unusual combination appears at both stories. On the second story all the posts are flared to a shoulder have a l 1/4'" bevel and taper stop.
The upper end girt also has a simple bevel, as do the first floor and rear plates where exposed. Wide winder stairs are sheathed with plain pine vertical boards in front of the brick chimney stack. The eastern rooms, extant in 1690 according to documentary Ieference, now have later boxing over the second DenEove denc2ca1 floor flare and shoulder and the summer and tie may be identical beneath the later boxing. The kitchen fireplace has been opened on the east side and is 10' wide between the old jambs with a rear beehive oven at the north corner. "The cellar contains the massive stone chimney base and the first floor is supported by wide squared sleepers running longitudinally. REFERENCES 1. Cummings, Framed Houses, P.54. 2. Watkins, Middleton, PP.153-4,155-159. 3.
Lura Woodside Watkins, Middleton, Massachusetts, A Cultural History, (Salem: Essex Institute, 1970), p.154 based on visit by Abbott Lowell Cummings and John Cole. Staple to Inventory form at bottom - (ops rom 10-8000 United States Department of theInterior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page OMB Aoproval No. 10240018 1/24190 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts TR Nomination/Type of Review Date/Signature 21. Foster, Stephen, House Entered in the National Register - Keeper C AeluaBgun319/50 S422. Foster, William, House Attest Subatant1va Borlor føkeeper Attest 23. Fowler, Rea Putnam, House Entered in the Hational Regiater JKeeper BethL Sarzge 71/a DelareaBgen 3/4/20 Attest 24.
French--Andrews House Entered in the Het1onal Rogistor f Reéper AelaretAgen 3/9/20 Attest J125. Friend, James, House 26. Frye, Samuel, House jN27. Fuller, Joseph, House Subatantiza Beriew fr Keeper Bctf. Savage 7/45 Entered in the Attest Hationad Begistex kbeper SelaneBgu 3/4/90 Attest Aontate rin eoper Beth fl- Seuase 3140 Attest 128, JULLer, Lieut. Thomas, House intered in tne Latlonal RegisterKeeper Attest 29.Giddings, George, House and Barn Entered in the Natlonal Register Attest AeloresByen311/2 deluresbgue 3/9/90 30.Giddings--Burnham House Subatantiva Sertos Jkeeper Attest fithX. Sevase 3/480 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Fuller, Lieut.
Thomas, House NAME: MULTIPLE First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts TR NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Essex DATE RECEIVED: 1/24/90 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/23/90 DATE OF ASNH DA LTST:3/10/90 3/10/90 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 90000242 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: OPHERE N PDTA PROBIEM : N PERSCAPE C TRAN S DEA NU PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N LACCEPT RETURN REJECT 3/4/20 DATE Entered in the Natlonal Register ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketchmaps _USGS maps photographs presentation OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed Date Thomas Fuller House Odd South Main St.
Middleton, MA Extevor pom S. toaing N. Ast perad Buldings of Et 39:10 Thoinas Fulle House Old South Mainst Inadleton, MA Exleiior SE corna 1st Perid Baldings of E. Me l 39:11 Thomas Fulla House Sed saith Main s Middlaton, MA detail 15t floor l Jumme, sEroon Ist Percd Buldrgs of E. Ma. M 39:24 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000281