John Balch House
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The John Balch House (circa 1636), located at 448 Cabot Street, Beverly, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest wood-frame houses in the United States. The date of the house is based solely on documentary evidence and is strongly in doubt, though dendrochronological research currently being done should determine when each part of the house was built. Most experts do not believe the house was built in 1636, though all agree it is an early structure, with the oldest portion clearly dating to the 17th century. It is now operated as a non-profit museum by the Beverly Historical Society, and open June 1 to October 15, Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..
[edit] 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. His original house was a story and a half high, with one room on the main floor and a loft upstairs. After his death in 1648, his will specified that his widow be provided the "roome newly built". Thus either the oldest part of today's house was built around 1648, or more likely a lean-to had been added recently.
His son Benjamin probably altered the family home into today's general layout. Architectural historians agree that the older section (the right side, viewed from the street) was "married" to another, newer building (the left side). Historians Abbott Lowell Cummings and Gary Wheeler Stone both date the "new" section to about 1700. It seems possible that the original "Balch House" was moved slightly to its current site, based on the way the chimney brings the two parts together.
The house remained within the Balch family until 1916, though with periods of tenant rental. It was then acquired by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England). The Society 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.
