Coffin House facts for kids
The Coffin House is a very old house in Newbury, Massachusetts. It is thought to have been built around 1678. Today, it is a museum run by a group called Historic New England. You can visit the house on the first and third Saturdays from June to October.
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What is the Coffin House?
The Coffin House started as a simple building in 1678. It had only two or maybe three rooms. It was built on land owned by Tristram Coffin, Jr., whose father, Tristram Coffin, had moved to Nantucket.
How the House Grew
Around 1713, the house became much bigger. Its size more than doubled, and new walls were added inside. Later, in 1785, two brothers from the Coffin family decided to split the house. They made it into two separate homes, each with its own kitchen and living areas.
Who Lived There?
The Coffin family owned and lived in this house for a very long time. The last person with the Coffin name to live there was Lucy Coffin. The house stayed in the Coffin family until 1929. That's when Historic New England bought it to preserve its history.
How Old is the Coffin House?
For many years, people thought the Coffin House was built in 1654. This date came from a book written in 1845 about Newbury's history.
Finding the Real Age
But in 2002, scientists used a special method called "tree-ring analysis" to find the true age of the house. They looked at the wooden beams inside the building. By studying the tree rings, they could tell exactly when the trees were cut down. They found that the wood for the first part of the house was cut in the winters of 1676–1677 and 1677–1678. The wood for the addition was cut in the winter of 1712–1713. This means the house is a bit younger than people first thought. Even so, it is still one of the oldest houses of its kind that we can still see today!
