The Samuel Chase House is a historic
First Period
First Period is an American architecture style originating between approximately 1626 and 1725, used primarily by British colonists during the settlement of the British colonies of North America, particularly in Massachusetts and Virginia. ...
house in
West Newbury
West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 census.
History
Originally inhabited by Agawam or Naumkeag peoples, West Newbury was settled by Eng ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. Built c. 1715, it is a rare example of a brick house built during the transition between First Period and Georgian styling and construction methods. A story passed down through the Chase family says that bricks for the house were made on the family's farm and were carried to the homesite by Hannah Chase in her apron. The brick is laid in
English bond
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.
Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by s ...
, and the building is seven bays wide and two stories high. The outermost window bays have been bricked over, leaving the front facade with five windows on the second floor, and two on either side of a central front door in the first floor. The first floor windows and doorway are in arched spaces in the brickwork, while those on the second floor are rectangular. The house underwent a major restoration in 1986.
The house was listed on the
National Historic Register
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1990.
The home of his son,
Amos Chase, in Saco, Maine, also still stands.
References
See also
*
List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
This article lists the oldest buildings in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in Massachusetts and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate (indicated with a "") and b ...
*
Houses in West Newbury, Massachusetts
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts
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