Fairbanks House (Dedham, Massachusetts)
The Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts is a historic house built c. 1637, making it the oldest surviving timber-frame house in North America that has been verified by dendrochronology testing. Puritan settler Jonathan Fairbanks constructed the farm house for his wife Grace (née Smith) and their family. The house was occupied and then passed down through eight generations of the family until the early 20th century. Over several centuries the original portion was expanded as architectural styles changed and the family grew.
Fairbanks House | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
Fairbanks House in 2013 | |
Interactive map showing the location of Fairbanks House | |
| Location | 511 East Street, Dedham, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°14′36″N 71°10′04″W |
| Built | ca. 1637 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000367 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Today the Fairbanks house is owned and operated by the Fairbanks Family in America, a member-based non-profit organization, as a historic house museum. The Family Association has preserved, studied and interpreted their ancestral home and its collections for over 110 years. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.