Inside the Historic Parson Barnard House (1715)
"The Parson Barnard House (1715) retains many of its original features, based on a documented history of this significant 18th Century building. The first owners and inhabitants of the house were ministers of the North Parish Church of North Andover, including Rev. Thomas Barnard, Rev. John Barnard and Rev. William Symmes. Towards the end of the 18th century the house was used as a summer home at which time the carriage barn was built. The North Andover Historical Society purchased the Parson Barnard House in 1950 in order to preserve a typical house built in the town during the early 18th century.
Architectural features: Abbott Lowell Cummings describes the Parson-Barnard House as a 'progressive' example of timber-frame construction for its time, with its vertically divided front door, plastered walls and chimney, covered lintels and piers, and underlying ground-sill which was built to support the frame of the house. Cummings cites the house as a 'transitional' example of juxtaposing traditional frame methods with 'a rich display' of ';applied finished trim.' The right-hand parlor chamber preserves 'dramatic evidence' of transitions between two major architectural styles. Today the house is interpreted through four periods of architecture to show its evolution over the centuries.
Designations: National Register of Historic Places (1974); National Historic District (1979)."
SOURCE:
essexheritage.org/attractions/parson-barnard-house-1715 