John Balch House
Encyclopedia
The John Balch House located at 448 Cabot Street, Beverly, Massachusetts
, is one of the oldest wood-frame houses in the United States
. It is now operated as one of the historic house museums of the Beverly Historical Society
, and open June 1 to October 15, Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..
Historians Abbott Lowell Cummings
and Gary Wheeler Stone dated the "new" section to about 1700, but dendrochronology has provided the date of 1679. Cummings has stated emphatically his faith in the dendrochronology work being done in Massachusetts.
The house remained within the Balch family until 1916, though with periods of tenant rental. It was then acquired by the Balch House Associates. They hired Norman Isham
, a popular preservation architect, to evaluate the house. After finding original rafters in the attic, he recommended that the back lean-to be ripped off and the southern half of the house be dismantled. This plan was eventually modified to expose and recreate the roofline of the original story and a half structure. Thus today's house has been heavily shaped by intentional restoration. In 1932, the home was turned over to the Beverly Historical Society, which maintains and operates it today.
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
, is one of the oldest wood-frame houses in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is now operated as one of the historic house museums of the Beverly Historical Society
Beverly Historical Society
"It is the mission of the Society to preserve, interpret, and disseminate Beverly's regional artistic, cultural, social, and transportation history."...
, and open June 1 to October 15, Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..
- According to the Beverly Historical Society, the house was built from timbers harvested in 1678/1679. "... the entire northern end of the Balch House was most likely constructed during 1679."
Balch history
John Balch gained title to the land on November 11, 1635 through the "Thousand Acre Grant" and apparently was living on this property by 1636. This was the date assigned to the house by the Beverly Historic Society, but the date was based exclusively on the historical record. Architectural historians, including Abbott Lowell Cummings, the leading expert on early New England architecture, were only sure that the Balch House was a seventeenth century house.Historians Abbott Lowell Cummings
Abbott Lowell Cummings
Abbott Lowell Cummings is a noted architectural historian and genealogist, best known for his study of New England architecture. He currently lives in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.Cummings was born in St...
and Gary Wheeler Stone dated the "new" section to about 1700, but dendrochronology has provided the date of 1679. Cummings has stated emphatically his faith in the dendrochronology work being done in Massachusetts.
The house remained within the Balch family until 1916, though with periods of tenant rental. It was then acquired by the Balch House Associates. They hired Norman Isham
Norman Isham
Norman Morrison Isham was a prominent architectural historian, restorationist, author, and professor at Brown University and RISD.-Biography:...
, a popular preservation architect, to evaluate the house. After finding original rafters in the attic, he recommended that the back lean-to be ripped off and the southern half of the house be dismantled. This plan was eventually modified to expose and recreate the roofline of the original story and a half structure. Thus today's house has been heavily shaped by intentional restoration. In 1932, the home was turned over to the Beverly Historical Society, which maintains and operates it today.