Caleb Whittaker Place facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Caleb Whittaker Place
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Perkins Pond Rd., Weare, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Built | 1765 |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001143 |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1983 |
The Caleb Whittaker Place is a really old house in Weare, New Hampshire. It was probably built around 1765 by one of the first people to settle in the area. This makes it one of the oldest buildings still standing in the town! What's super cool is that the inside of the house hasn't changed much over the years. Because it's so special, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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Exploring the Caleb Whittaker Place
This historic house is found in a quiet, country part of Weare. It sits on the west side of Perkins Pond Road. The oldest part of the house is a simple, one-and-a-half-story building. It has a classic "Cape-style" look. There's an unfinished attic space upstairs.
A Glimpse into the Past
The house has a central chimney, but it's a bit off-center. On one side of the chimney, another section was built. This part was probably added soon after the first section. But here's the interesting part: this newer section was never fully finished!
Inside the finished parts of the house, you can see really old wooden floors. They are worn down from hundreds of years of footsteps. The walls have horizontal wood panels. Even the doors are old, held together with leather strap hinges! It's like stepping back in time.
Who Lived Here?
People believe that Caleb Whittaker built this house. He was the son of one of the very first settlers in Weare. His family might have arrived as early as 1753.
The unfinished side of the house was likely used for storage. Maybe even for animals in the early days! It stayed unfinished for a very long time, until 1977. When it was finally worked on, people were careful to keep the original hand-cut wooden beams.
Why is it So Well Preserved?
In 1902, the outside of the house got new siding. At that time, some dormer windows and a porch were added. But the inside remained mostly untouched.
For many years in the 20th century, the house was involved in a legal case about its ownership. Because of this, it wasn't updated or changed much. This is why so many original features inside the house are still there today. Often, old houses get modernized, and these unique details are lost. But not at the Caleb Whittaker Place! It's a true piece of history.
