Follansbee House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Follansbee House
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Location | 459 Lowell Street, Andover, Massachusetts |
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Built | 1835 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
MPS | Town of Andover MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 82004485 |
Added to NRHP | June 10, 1982 |
The Follansbee House is a special old house in Andover, Massachusetts. It was probably built around 1835. This house is a great example of the Greek Revival style of architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it is an important building worth protecting.
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The Follansbee House: A Historic Home
The Follansbee House is located on the north side of Lowell Street. It sits a bit further back from the road than other houses nearby. This gives it a unique look.
What Does It Look Like?
The Follansbee House is a rectangular building made of wood. It has two and a half stories, meaning it has two full floors and an attic space. The roof is a hip roof, which slopes inward from all four sides. Two chimneys stick out from the roof towards the back.
The corners of the house have flat, decorative columns called paneled pilasters. A decorative band, known as an entablature, runs just below the roof line. The front of the house has three sections, called bays. These sections are also separated by similar pilasters.
The main entrance is in the middle section. It has a beautiful porch, called a portico. This portico is held up by tall, elegant columns known as Ionic columns. These columns have a special scroll-like design at the top.
Who Lived Here?
The house was likely built by Paul Bailey Follansbee. He bought the land in 1834. Paul Follansbee was originally from West Newbury, Massachusetts. It's not clear if there was already a house on the land when he bought it. He might have built it himself, or it could have been built earlier by John Crosby, who sold him the land.
Paul Follansbee was a very interesting person. He was a nursery farmer and a florist. This means he grew plants and flowers to sell. He also had a hobby as an amateur archaeologist.
An Amateur Archaeologist's Discoveries
As an amateur archaeologist, Paul Follansbee loved to search for old things. He collected ancient Native American artifacts. He found many of these items right on his own property.
Because of his discoveries, professional archaeologists became interested in the site. In 1951, experts came to investigate the property further. This shows how important the Follansbee House and its land were, not just for its architecture, but also for its history.