The Peak House Heritage Center in Medfield, Massachusetts, holds the record for the highest pitched roof in Massachusetts for a colonial American house. It is one of the oldest houses in Medfield and stands as one of the earliest surviving examples of post-medieval English architecture in the United States.
Benjamin Clark built an original house in 1651, which was burned during King Philip's War in 1676. Clark rebuilt the house between 1677 and 1680. The current Peak House was built in 1711 as an ell to that rebuilt house. In 1762, the house was moved to its current location on Main Street because the rebuilt house had begun to deteriorate.
The building has served as a dwelling, an historical site, an artist's studio, and a workshop. It was deeded to the Medfield Historical Society by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Mason Smith on October 18, 1924, and received a down-to-the-frame restoration shortly after.
Today, the site is preserved as a museum. Some original panes of imported English glass are still visible in the windows. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and in 2019, the Peak House Heritage Center was granted autonomy for its facilities, operations, and programs.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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