81 Massasoit Street
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
FORM B − BUILDING
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Photograph
Topographic or Assessor's Map
Recorded by: Bonnie Parsons
Organization: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Date (month / year): March, 2011
Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
24C-98 Easthampton NTH.299
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village)
Address: 81 Massasoit Street
Historic Name: Peter Murphy House
Uses: Present: Single-family residence
Original: Single-family residence
Date of Construction: c. 1885
Source: visual evidence
Style/Form: Queen Anne
Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material:
Foundation: brick
Wall/Trim: vinyl
Roof: asphalt
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Garage
Major Alterations (with dates):
Siding applied and windows replaced, ca. 2005
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 0.207 acres
Setting: This is a west-facing house on a slightly
raised lot.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [81 MASSASOIT STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH. 299
_x__ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form.
Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community.
This is a two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style house under a side-gable roof. Its proportions are those of a house built at the
end of the 19th century. The house has a front-gabled pavilion centered on its three bay façade and an angled bay window of
two stories on its south elevation. The center entry is through the pavilion. There are two interior chimneys on the roof ridge. A
full-width porch on slender turned posts crosses the west façade. It has jigsaw-cut railings and continuous arched brackets at
the eaves for an arcaded effect. The vinyl siding obscures details that would enhance the character of the house.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the
owners/occupants played within the community.
From Form B of 1980: “In 1870, Peter Murphy, a mason, bought lot no. 26 from Henry Maynard’s subdivision plan for Massasoit
Street. This plan had been filed the year previous. Mr. Murphy made this his homestead and his house is shown on the 1873
atlas. However, through visual analysis of the present house and building outline comparison on the 1873, 1884, and 1895
atlases, it would appear that this house was constructed in the late 1880’s or early 1890’s.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873.
Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831.
Miller, D. L. Atlas of the City of Northampton and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895.
Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts, Boston, 1884.
Walling, Henry F. Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860.
Registry of Deeds: Bk. 454-P. 217, 276-449
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [81 MASSASOIT STREET]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 2
NTH. 299
National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form
Check all that apply:
Individually eligible Eligible only in an historic district
Contributing to a potential historic district Potential historic district
Criteria: A B C D
Criteria Considerations: A B C D E F G
Statement of Significance by _____Bonnie Parsons___________________
The criteria that are checked in the above sections must be justified here.
The Murphy House would contribute to a potential historic district that extends north of Northampton’s primary
corridor, Elm Street, encircling and encompassing the primary feature of that landscape, Round Hill. The potential
historic district is significant for its 19th century development from a few gentlemen’s farms to a neighborhood dense
with the homes of its most prominent residents and educational institutions that shaped the character of Northampton
for several hundred years to the present.
Architecturally the potential historic district is significant for the mix of high style late Gothic Revival, Italianate, and
Queen Anne style houses, the Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles of the 20th century that were often architect-
designed by the region’s most well-known designers. The Murphy House is a fair example of the Queen Anne style
despite its vinyl siding and would contribute to the historic district. This potential historic district has integrity of
workmanship, feeling, setting, design and materials.