Richard Jackson House, Historic house museum in Portsmouth, United States
The Richard Jackson House is a two-story wooden structure with a central chimney and two rooms on each floor, featuring a sloped lean-to extension at the back. The building displays construction details and wood joints typical of mid-17th century craftsmanship.
Carpenter Richard Jackson built the house in 1664, making it the oldest surviving residential building in New Hampshire. The structure received National Historic Landmark designation in 1968, acknowledging its importance to early American architectural history.
The Jackson family's long residence in the house helped preserve traditional colonial New England building styles and craftsmanship techniques. Visitors can observe these methods in the wooden structural elements and construction details that remain intact.
Visiting requires advance planning since the house is only open during scheduled guided tours offered in the warmer months. Accessibility inside may be limited due to the age of the structure, so appropriate footwear and physical mobility are helpful.
The house faces North Mill Pond rather than the street because water transport was more critical than roads for colonial commerce and travel. This orientation reflects how differently people once organized their daily movement and trade in early settlements.
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