Goodspeed House

Goodspeed House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Goodspeed House
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Location	Barnstable, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°39′32″N70°25′10″W / 41.65889°N 70.41944°W / 41.65889; -70.41944
Built	c. 1653 (traditional) c. 1708 (assessed)
MPS	Barnstable MRA
NRHP reference No.	87000235 [1]
Added to NRHP	March 13, 1987

The Goodspeed House is a historic house in Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is believed to have been built by Roger Goodspeed, Marstons Mills' first settler. ^[2] The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. ^[1]

Description and history

The Goodspeed House is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, five asymmetrical bays in width, with a side-gable roof and central chimney. Exterior trim is minimal, with simple surrounds around the windows, and a lintel shelf above the main entry. An ell extends to the rear of the house toward a barn. ^[2]

While the house is traditionally claimed to have been built by local settler Roger Goodspeed in 1653, this has since been disputed. The Marstons Mills Historical Society has claimed that the residence is "proven" to have been built before 1708 by Roger's son Ebenezer. ^{[3] [4]} The house remained in the hands of Goodspeed's descendants for five generations. Its asymmetrical facade suggests that it was at first built as a "half house", only three bays wide.

See also

• List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barnstable County, Massachusetts

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. "MACRIS inventory record for Goodspeed House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
3. "The oldest house in the village, once thought to have been the first house of pioneer Roger Goodspeed. It was proven to have been built by before 1708 by Roger's youngest son Ebenezer Goodspeed (1655-1746)". Digital Commonwealth. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
4. James Gould, Vivian Cushing (2013). Images of America: Marstons Mills. Arcadia Publishing. p. 111. ISBN   9780738598208.