A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. 17 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1888.
One of 480 National Register listings published here for Essex County · listed in 1966 · category: Building · a National Historic Landmark.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The ground this property stands on, surveyed 109 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 70 fires within 5 miles of Parson Capen House between 2006 and 2020, burning about 292 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 10 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 20 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 10 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 5 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | BEVERLY |
| 18 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 13 September 2020 | Smoking | 1.2 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 7 August 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | TOPSFIELD |
| 21 August 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 11 August 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 28 July 2016 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | DANVERS |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Parson Capen House: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sulfur. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harriman Mine | Sulfur | Past Producer | ||
| R W Drinkwater Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Topseal Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the middle of the area the National Park Service maps for this listing, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Topsfield Town Common District | under 500 feet | 1976 |
 | French-Andrews House | 0.6 miles | 1990 |
 | Zaccheus Gould House | 0.9 miles | 1990 |
 | Capt. Joseph Gould House | 0.9 miles | 1990 |
 | Stanley Lake House | 0.9 miles | 1990 |
 | River Road-Cross Street Historic District | 1.2 miles | 2005 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 66000139 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Essex County | All 480 listed properties in this county. |
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