Benjamin Abbot House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Benjamin Abbot House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 9 Andover St., Andover, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1711 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000242 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 1975 |
The Benjamin Abbot House, also called the Abbot Homestead, is a very old and important house. It is located at 9 Andover Street in Andover, Massachusetts, USA. This house was built in 1711. It is one of the oldest buildings in Andover. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Contents
What is the Benjamin Abbot House Like?
The Benjamin Abbot House is found southwest of downtown Andover. It sits on the north side of Andover Street. This road is quite busy and connects the town center to Interstate 93. The house faces south. Its front corner is quite close to the road.
How Was the House Built?
The main part of the house is a two-and-a-half-story building. It is made of wood and has a pointed roof. There is a chimney in the middle of the house. The outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards. A smaller section extends to the west. This part connects the house to a barn. The barn is now used as a garage.
The front of the main house has five window sections. The windows on the sides have eight small glass panes on the top and eight on the bottom. The window above the front door has six panes on the top and six on the bottom. The front door is special. It is inside a small, gabled entryway that sticks out. This entryway has small windows on its sides. The door itself is made of vertical wooden planks. It has old-fashioned iron hinges. Inside the house, you can still see the original large wooden beams. Some of these beams are about 15 inches thick! Many parts of the house still look as they did long ago.
Who Was Benjamin Abbot?
The house is named after Benjamin Abbot. He was a carpenter. His father was one of the first people to settle in Andover. For a long time, people thought the house was built in 1685. There is even a plaque above the door that says 1685. However, Benjamin Abbot died in 1703. This means he did not live in this specific house.
When Was the House Really Built?
In 2004, the house was featured on a TV show called History Detectives. Experts from the Oxford Dendrochronology Lab studied the wood in the house. They found out that the right side of the house was built in 1711. The left side, near the front door, was built a little later, in 1713. So, the house is still very old, but not quite as old as the plaque suggests!
The Abbot Family and the House's History
The Abbot family owned this house for many generations. They kept it in their family until 1933. In 1692, Benjamin Abbot believed that Martha Carrier had used witchcraft. He claimed that his foot swelled up because of her. He also said his foot got better after she was arrested. This shows how people thought about things like witchcraft in those times.
In 1950, the house was offered to the local historical society. However, they could not afford to take care of it properly. So, they did not buy it.
See also
In Spanish: Casa de Benjamin Abbot para niños
