Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Rundlet May House

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NRHP Reference #
  
76000133

Area
  
8,000 m²

Architectural style
  
Federal architecture

Opened
  
1807

Phone
  
+1 603-430-7531

Added to NRHP
  
7 June 1976

Rundlet-May House

Location
  
364 Middle St Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Address
  
364 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA

Similar
  
Governor John Langdon, Richard Jackson House, Moffatt‑Ladd House, Wentworth‑Gardner House, MacPheadris‑Warner House

The Rundlet-May House is a historic house at 364 Middle Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The three story wood frame house was built in 1807 by James Rundlet, who acquired his wealth in the textile trade. Rundlet imported his wallpapers from England and purchased his furniture from local cabinetmakers, whose work was noted for its fine craftsmanship and striking use of veneer. Rundlet also saw to it that his house was equipped with the latest technologies. The kitchen boasts both a Rumford roaster and a Rumford range, as well as a set kettle and an elaborate venting system that services a smoke room on the third floor. There is an early coal-fired central heating system and an indoor well. Details of the house's construction are well-documented, because Rundlet and his heirs retained detailed records of work done on it.

Ralph May, a descendant of Rundlet, gave the property to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now Historic New England. The house contains many of its original furnishings, as well as some pieces added by later generations. The formal gardens, orchard, and attached outbuildings (including two privies) remain as first used by Rundlet, and there is also a small pet cemetery on the grounds.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is open to the public on weekends between June and October.

References

Rundlet-May House Wikipedia