Mercelia Evelyn Eldridge Kelley House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mercelia Evelyn Eldridge Kelley House
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 Location in Cape Cod
Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chatham, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1877 |
| Architect | Ambler, Thomas |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000080 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 2005 |
The Mercelia Evelyn Eldridge Kelley House is a special old house located at 2610 Main Street in Chatham, Massachusetts. It was built in 1877 and shows off a style called Italianate. This house is important because it belonged to the Eldridge family. They owned a lot of land in South Chatham and helped the area grow. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, which means it's recognized as a historically important building.
About the Kelley House
The Kelley House stands on the north side of Main Street in South Chatham. This street is also known as Massachusetts Route 28. The house is made of wood and has two and a half stories. It has a roof that slopes down on the front. The outside is covered with wooden clapboard siding, and it sits on a brick foundation.
The front of the house has three main sections. The front door is on the left side. On the right side, there is a bay window that sticks out. Upstairs, there are three windows that are not perfectly lined up. Two are above the bay window, and one is above the front door. A round window is placed high up in the pointed part of the roof.
The front door has a small roof over it, decorated with fancy curved supports. You can see similar decorations on the bay window. These details are typical of the Italianate style. The edges of the roof also have these paired supports. On the right side of the house, there is a porch. It has turned posts and geometric designs, which are part of the Queen Anne style.
History of the House
The Eldridge family was very important in South Chatham in the early 1800s. They owned a lot of land and helped develop the area. Mercelia Eldridge's father, Levi, ran many businesses. He was also a bank president and a town leader in Chatham.
Mercelia and her second husband, Cyrus Kelley, built this house in 1877. They built it on land that belonged to her family. The house was not overly fancy for its time. It was probably built using wood from her father's own lumber yard. This house is one of the best-preserved homes built along Main Street after the American Civil War.
The house stayed in Mercelia's family until 2002. Then, it was sold to David M. Valdez. He worked to get the house added to the National Register of Historic Places. He also completed a special restoration of the house. This restoration was approved by the government. It carefully kept the original layout of the house. All the original windows, painted wooden doors, and trim from 1877 were saved. These painted finishes made the wood look like more expensive types of wood. Similar painted wood finishes can be seen inside the Captain Penniman House, which is nearby.
