2 Woburn St., Medford, MA 02155

$549,900

The Jonathan Brooks House:
An Overview As Told By The Current Owners

The wood shingled, gambrel roofed home is one of the few remaining 18th century houses in Medford. It was placed on the National Historical Register in 1975 and is located in Medford's “Marm Simonds Historic District.”

The oldest part of the house, now the dining room and bedroom above it, was thought to have been built as early as 1692 as a simple wooden frame building with a large fireplace for cooking and a staircase up to the bedroom above. A blanket-warming cupboard now facing the kitchen helped to cut the bedtime chill. In 1781, Jonathan Brooks, a member of the wealthy Brooks family, bought the building and may have used it as part of his tanning business, perhaps as a shop. By 1791, the year of his marriage, a three and a half story gambrel roofed timber house had been built around the original structure, creating a large, comfortable house.

Jonathan Brooks (1765-1847) was part of the large and wealthy Brooks family, which owned most of Medford in the 18th century. His relative, John Brooks (1752-1825), was governor of Massachusetts from 1816-1823 and built the house two doors down as his "country home". Jonathan Brooks married Elizabeth Albree in 1791 and their five children all spent time in this house. Their son, Charles Brooks (1795-1872), became a well known educational reformer and wrote "The History of Medford" in 1886 which is in the local library.

Local lore has it that Lafayette spent the night in this house, that George Washington took tea here. Who knows? Certainly, however, Paul Revere rode by the home on his famous ride. The house remained in the Brooks family until 1979 -- almost 200 years!

*Photographs taken from Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur C. Haskell, Photographer.

This Site Courtesy Of
 

Charlotte Alto Scuderi
ERA Andrew Realty
12 High St.
Medford, MA 02155
781-866-1269
Email:  Charlotte.Scuderi@ERA.com
www.CScuderi.com

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