John Balch House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John Balch House
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John Balch House, Beverly, Massachusetts.
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| Location | 448 Cabot St. Beverly, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1679 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000275 |
| Added to NRHP | February 23, 1973 |
The John Balch House, located in Beverly, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest wooden houses in the United States. It stands at 448 Cabot Street. Today, it works as a historic house museum for Historic Beverly. You can visit it during certain seasons.
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A Look Back: The History of the Balch House
John Balch received the land for this house on November 11, 1635. This happened through something called the "Thousand Acre Grant." It seems he was living on this property by 1636. The Beverly Historic Society once thought the house was built in 1636.
Experts who study old buildings, like Abbott Lowell Cummings, knew it was from the 1600s. But they weren't sure of the exact year. In 2006, scientists used a method called dendrochronology. This method studies tree rings to find out when wood was cut. They found that the oldest part of the house, the right side, was built in 1679. The southern part of the house was added later, in 1721.
How the Balch Family Kept the House
The Balch family owned this house for a very long time. They kept it in their family until 1916. Sometimes, they rented it out to other people. After 1916, the Balch Family Association bought the house.
They hired an architect named Norman Isham. He was known for helping to save old buildings. He looked at the house and found original wooden beams in the attic. He suggested some big changes to restore it.
Restoring and Preserving the House
The original plan was to remove the back lean-to section. They also thought about taking apart the southern half of the house. This plan was later changed. Instead, they decided to show and rebuild the original roofline. This roofline was from the first story-and-a-half structure.
Because of this work, the house you see today looks much like it did long ago. It was carefully restored to show its history. In 1932, the house was given to the Beverly Historical Society. This group is now called Historic Beverly. They still take care of the house and operate it as a museum today.
More to Explore
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts
- List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
