History of Atkinson's 1700s Houses
Still Standing Today
(Plus selected historical location sites)
History of Atkinson's 1700s Houses
Still Standing Today
(Plus selected historical location sites)
In celebration of our nation's 250th anniversary, AHS is highlighting Atkinson homes standing today that date back to the Revolutionary War Era. The following is a listing of Atkinson homes built in the 1700s. This listing also includes a few historical location sites. Research on these 1700s houses is ongoing, and we will share any future findings on this page. The histories posted below are relevant to the Revolutionary War Era and do not extend into the ensuring centuries.
1. 1710 8 Crown Hill Rd. - NOYES HOMESTEAD ("Crown Hill") - Home of Amos Noyes and believed by many to be the oldest house in today's Atkinson.
2. 1727 107 Main St. - JOHN DOW HOUSE - Home of John Dow & Mehitable Haynes Dow, among the first settlers of the North Parish of Haverhill (future Atkinson). Their home was the site of Atkinson's first town meeting on October 6, 1767.
3. 1730 19 N. Broadway - Built on the site known as the Walker Place (Salem Rd.), moved by oxen in 1853.
4. 1730 132 Maple Ave. - JONATHAN PAGE HOME - Home of Jonathan Page & Ruth Johnson Page, who were among the first settlers of the North Parish of Haverhill (future Atkinson). Their sons served in the Revolutionary War. Jonathan and Edmund (House #6) were brothers.
5. 1735 26 East Rd.
6. 1737 129 Main St. - PAGE HOMESTEAD (PAGE FARM) - Edmund and Abigail Page were among the first settlers of the North Parish of Haverhill (future Atkinson). Their son, Captain Jesse Page, served in the Revolutionary War and trained Atkinson's militia on the field across the street from the Page homestead. Edmund and Jonathan (House #4) were brothers.
6A. ATKINSON'S MILITIA TRAINING FIELD - across the street from 129 Main St. During the Revolutionary War, Atkinson’s training field for its militia was in the field across the street from the Page homestead, (129 Main St.) Captain Jesse Page conducted the training.
7. 1738 29 East Rd. - HUMPHREY NOYES HOMESTEAD - Occupied by a member of the Noyes family until 1855.
8. 1740 95 Main St. - COGSWELL HOUSE, was originally a tavern in Haverhill, MA.
9. 1740 36 Salem Rd. - PETTENGILL FARM
10. 1740 160 Main St. - KNIGHT HOUSE, served in Revolutionary War.
11. 1750 68 East Rd.
12. 1756 139 Maple Ave.
13. 1757 60 Sawyer Ave. - WEBSTER-PAGE-MERRILL HOME - In 1757, Israel Webster sold his property to Joseph Page, who erected a forty-by-forty house on a sweeping circular driveway. The property was sold to James Merrill in 1768, Merrill subsequently serving in the Revolutionary War. Granted a tavern license in 1791, the house was the site of Atkinson's first tavern, conveniently located on the road to Londonderry.
14. 1757 88 Main St. - "TRISTRAM FARM" - Knight purchased 300 acres of land at this site. He had a dry bridge (tunnel) for his cows to pass under the road into the pasture, the dry bridge having since been filled with dirt and gravel.
15. 1766 92 Main St. - NATHANIEL COGSWELL HOUSE - Home of Nathaniel Cogswell and Judith Badger Cogswell. Eight of their sons served in the Revolutionary War. Atkinson Academy students boarded here.
16. 1768 12 Westside Dr. - BELKNAP HOUSE - Built by Moses Belknap. His son, Ezekiel, served in the Revolutionary War.
17. 1768 18 East Rd.
18. 1769 1 Academy Ave. - SITE OF FIRST MEETINGHOUSE - This was a shared meetinghouse for town governance and religious worship. Site of today's Atkinson Fire Department.
19. 1770 52 Island Pond Rd. - SITE OF CHANDLER'S SAWMILL - North side of Island Pond Road, on Hog Hill Brook, south of Hodges Pond - Owned by Joseph Chandler and Moses Poor. Both men served in the Revolutionary War. Moses Poor was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
20. 1770 Poverty St. (Shannon Rd.) - SITE OF WATTS' GRISTMILL - .09 miles SE from intersection of Shannon Rd. & Westside Dr. - Nathaniel Watts operated the mill in 1767 and subsequently sold the mill to Dudley Currier, who served in the Revolutionary War. Currier sold the mill to Isaac Hale.
21. 1770 Westside Dr./Shannon Rd. - SITE OF WHITTIER'S GRISTMILL
22. 1770 98 Main St.
23. 1772 102 Main St. - JOHN ATWOOD HOUSE - Home built by John Atwood, who, subsequently fell into debt in 1773 and lost his house to Samuel Flagg of Salem, NH. Atwood served in the Revolutionary War.
24. 1772 3 Academy Ave - PEABODY HOUSE (KIMBALL HOUSE)
Reverend Stephen Peabody built this home with his first wife, Mary Haseltine Peabody. The house also served as the Congregational Church's parsonage. Peabody served as chaplain in Colonel Enoch Poor's NH Second Regiment during the Revolutionary War and was stationed at Winter Hill, today's Somerville, MA, during the Siege of Boston. Beginning in 1787, Atkinson Academy students boarded here, including six grandchildren of John & Abigail Adams (at various times). Peabody's second wife, Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody, was Abigail Adams' sister. The First Lady visited the house on several occasions. President John Adams visited the house in 1806. The house is today's Kimball House Museum and home of Atkinson Historical Society.
25. 1773 Main St. - OLD ATKINSON CEMETERY - The cemetery was laid out in 1773 by a vote taken at the March 13 town meeting "to accept land of John Dow for use as a burying yard."
26. 1776 165 Main St. - STEPHEN DOLE HOME - Dole served in the Revolutionary War.
27. 1777 9 East Rd. - AMOS NOYES HOUSE
28. 1780 32 Maple Ave. - LITTLE FAMILY HOME - Built by a member of the Little family as a two-family house.
29. 1780 3 Jericho Rd.
30. 1780 54 East Rd.
31. 1780 26 Maple Ave. - LITTLE FAMILY
32. 1780 58 Maple Ave.
33. 1780 13 Academy Ave. - ANNA KNIGHT HOUSE - Built by her husband Enoch Knight, who served in the Revolutionary War. The home served as one of the town's taverns, known as Enoch's Inn, established 1790. Anna donated a portion of the Knight land in 1803 for the rebuilding of Atkinson Academy (where it stands today).
34. 1783 14 East Rd. - PETER CLEMENT HOUSE - Clement served in the Revolutionary War. A private boys school was established in the house by General Nathaniel Peabody in 1785. It is said that this school was the motivation for the founding of Atkinson Academy in 1787.
35. 1787 Corner of Main St. & Meditation Ln. - FIRST ATKINSON ACADEMY - When founded, the Academy was the second oldest coeducational school in the U.S. The building burned down in November 1802 and was rebuilt at its present location (17 Academy Ave.) in 1803.
36. 1788 Corner of Main St. & Stone Pound Ln. - TOWN POUND - Built in 1788, the Town Pound addressed the serious problem of stray domesticated animals wreaking physical and economic havoc on crops and property. Owners were obligated to pay a fine to retrieve their impounded animals.
37. 1788 103 Main St. - JOHN BASSETT HOME
38. 1790 105 Main St. - JOHN GILBERT HOUSE - A dance hall was held upstairs and was used temporarily for classes after the first Atkinson Academy burned in November 1802.
39. 1790 178 Main St.
40. 1793 34 Maple Ave. - SAMUEL LITTLE HOUSE known as "The Little Mansion" - The original property deed was a land grant from the King of England. Samuel Little served in the Revolutionary War. Cheese from the old cheese room was sent to President John Adams while he was in office. President John Quincy Adams visited this house, unknown year.
41. 1794 64 Maple Ave. - LT. JAMES NOYES HOUSE - Noyes served in the Revolutionary War.