Location Acton, Massachusetts NRHP Reference # 03000682 Area 4,370 m² Added to NRHP 25 July 2003 | Built 1800 Opened 1800 Architectural style Federal architecture | |
 | ||
The John Robbins House is a historic house at 144 Great Road in Acton, Massachusetts. Built in 1800, it is a well-preserved example of a late Georgian/early Federal country house, and was the farmhouse for one of Acton's largest 19th-century farms. The interior includes well-preserved period details, including stencilwork by the itinerant artist Moses Eaton, Jr. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Description and history
The house is located on the south side of Great Road (Massachusetts Routes 2A and 119), which is now predominantly commercial. It is a two story wood frame structure, five bays wide, with a hip roof, twin interior chimneys, clapboard siding, and a stone foundation. Prominent features include the wide Doric pilasters at the corners, and the centered entrance, which is flanked by pilasters and topped by a transom window and entablature. The interior retains high-quality original woodwork, in the broad central hall and the front rooms. The main stairwell includes original and unrestored stencilwork by Moses Eaton, Jr.
The house is notable as one of four built in Acton as the result of a lottery sponsored by Harvard College in 1794-95. The lottery was one of several run by the college to raise funds for the construction of buildings and acquisition of land. One of the grand prizes in this lottery was awarded to a ticket shared by four Acton residents, who divided the $5000 prize, and each built a house. This house, built by Joseph Robbins, is the best-preserved of the four.