Peak House (Medfield, Massachusetts)
Peak House | |
 Peak House | |
   | |
| Location | Medfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°11′23″N 71°17′50″W / 42.18972°N 71.29722°W |
| Built | ca. 1711 |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000288 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 5, 1975 |
Peak House is a historic house located at 347 Main Street in Medfield, Massachusetts.
According to tradition, the original house on this site was built in 1651 by Benjamin Clark, burned during the King Philip's War in 1676, and was rebuilt ca. 1677-80 by Seth Clark, the owner of the original house.[2] The current Peak House, however, was built in 1711,[3] and is one of the oldest houses in Medfield and one of the earliest surviving examples of Post-medieval English (Elizabethan) architecture in the United States.[4] Some of the original panes of glass in the windows, which were imported from England, can still be seen today.
On October 18, 1924, the Peak House was deeded to The Medfield Historical Society, by its then-owners, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Smith, after which the house received a down-to-the-frame restoration.[4] The house has served both as a dwelling and a historical site, as well as an artist's studio and workshop. The Medfield Historical Society's Annual Peak House Pantry, which occurs during the Saturday before Thanksgiving, showcases the Peak House and raises money for its ongoing maintenance. The event offers visitors the opportunity to see both the lower floor with its impressive fireplace and the separate "borning" room, as well as the upstairs sleeping loft that features the original ceiling beams and gunstock posts. In past years at the event, there has been Medfield Historical Society memorabilia for sale, including cup plates in a variety of colors, embossed with the Peak House, refrigerator magnets, and postcards.[5]
The house is currently open every Sunday from 2pm to 5pm from June to September and by appointment at other times. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and may have the highest pitched roof on record in Massachusetts for a colonial American house.
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ http://www.kellscraft.com/EventsBoston/EventsBoston08.html
- ^ Medfield Historical Society web site
- ^ a b http://www.medfieldhistoricalsociety.org/
- ^ http://www.wickedlocal.com/medfield/news/x687822989/Peak-House-Thanksgiving-Sale-Nov-21
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