Lear House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lear House
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Province Rd., Goshen, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Built | 1810 |
| MPS | Plank Houses of Goshen New Hampshire TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001317 |
| Added to NRHP | June 21, 1985 |
The Lear House is a very old and special home located on Province Road in Goshen, New Hampshire. It was built around 1810. This house is one of the oldest buildings in the area that was made using a unique building style called "plank-frame."
The first person to own this house was Robert Lear. He was one of the very first settlers to arrive in Goshen a long time ago. Because of its history and special design, the Lear House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This means it's an important place worth protecting!
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What Makes the Lear House Special?
The Lear House sits in a quiet, natural area in northern Goshen. You can find it on the north side of Province Road. It's about half a kilometer east of where Province Road meets Messer Road.
How the House Looks
The house is a one-and-a-half-story wooden building. It has a pointed roof, which is called a "gabled roof." The outside walls are covered with overlapping wooden boards called "clapboards." The house sits on a strong foundation made of granite stone.
The front of the house has five sections, or "bays," with windows placed evenly around the main front door. All the windows and the door have simple frames. A special window section, called a "shed-roof dormer," sticks out from most of the front roof.
Unique Plank-Frame Construction
What makes the Lear House truly special is how it was built. Its walls are made from thick wooden planks, about three inches (7.6 cm) thick. These planks stand straight up and are held firmly in place by wooden pegs, called "dowels."
This way of building, known as "plank-frame," was common in Goshen. The town has many houses built this way, making it a unique collection in the region.
Who Lived Here?
The Lear House was built around 1810. It is one of the oldest plank-framed homes in the Goshen area. The person who likely built and first owned the house was Robert Lear. He was one of the first European settlers to come to Goshen.
Robert Lear came from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Some people think he might have been related to Tobias Lear. Tobias Lear was a very important person who worked as the private secretary for George Washington, the first President of the United States!
