Wilder-Holton House

The Wilder-Holton House is a historic house museum at 226 Main Street in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Built in 1780, this two-story timber-frame house is believed to be the first two-story house built in the area, and to be the oldest surviving house in Coos County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1] The house is now owned by the Lancaster Historical Society, which operates it as a museum.

Wilder-Holton House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	226 Main St., Lancaster, New Hampshire
Coordinates	44°30′11″N 71°34′41″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1780 (1780)
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	75000231[1]
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1975

Description and history

The Wilder-Holton House is prominently located at the northern end of Lancaster's Main Street, on the north side of the triangular junction of United States Routes 2 and 3. It is a two-story wood frame structure, covered by a hip roof and finished in wooden clapboards. It is roughly square in shape, presenting five-bay facades in two directions. The main entrance faces east, sheltered by a single-story porch extending across three bays. There are presently three chimneys, although the remains of a large central chimney are found in the basement. The interior is presently arranged as a center-hall plan, and includes a large ballroom space on the second floor.[2]

The house in 2016

The house was built in 1780 by Jonas Wilder, and is believed to be the first two-story building to be erected in what is now Coos County. It is also the oldest known surviving house in the county, earlier single-story buildings having succumbed. The house was a prominent local meeting point, serving in the 1790s for religious services before a church was built, and as the site of town meetings. In the early 19th century it probably also served as a boarding house, primarily serving visitors to the nearby county courthouse. It was originally associated with a much larger agricultural land-holding, and was associated with farming until the early 20th century. It has been owned by the Lancaster Historical Society since at least the 1960s.[2]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Coos County, New Hampshire
• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 84: Wilder-Holton House

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "NRHP nomination for Wilder-Holton House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-04-23.