This Massachusetts house from 1637 is an authentic snapshot of 17th-century life

The Fairbanks House

The Fairbanks House is the oldest wooden house still standing in North America. Built between 1637 and 1641, scientists confirmed its age by studying tree rings in the wood.

Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks came to Massachusetts in 1633 with their six children. After living briefly in Watertown, they helped start the town of Dedham in 1636.

The colonial government gave them 12 acres of land where they built their home. Eight generations of Fairbanks family members lived in this house, keeping many original features intact until the early 1900s.

Jonathan Fairbanks Builds a Home in the New World

Jonathan Fairbanks brought useful skills from England to Massachusetts. He made spinning wheels, tools every family needed to create cloth.

The main support beam of the house was cut from an oak tree in 1637. Unlike many settlers who built their own houses, Jonathan hired experts – a master carpenter and a mason.

Their skilled work explains why the house survived for almost 400 years. By 1648, tax records showed the Fairbanks house was the ninth most valuable in town, showing the family was doing well financially.

Original Construction Techniques That Stood the Test of Time

The builders used freshly cut oak for the frame. They joined pieces with wooden pegs called “trunnels” instead of iron nails that would rust.

As the green wood dried, it shrank and tightened the joints, making the structure stronger. For walls, they wove wooden strips and covered them with clay from the nearby Charles River.

The first house had a simple design with two rooms downstairs and two upstairs. A large central chimney provided heat throughout both floors of the house.

From Father to Son: The First Inheritance

Jonathan Fairbanks died in 1668 after living in Dedham for over 30 years. Following English custom, he left the house to his oldest son John.

His widow Grace kept her right to live in the home until she died in 1673. Around 1654, John had already built an addition called the “new house” for his own family.

This allowed multiple generations to live together while maintaining some privacy. Wood testing proves this expansion happened between 1652 and 1654, showing how science helps date historical buildings.

The Second Generation Transfer of Ownership

When John Fairbanks died in 1684, he split the property between his younger sons Joseph and Benjamin instead of giving everything to his oldest son.

After dividing the property, Joseph kept the main house. He lived there for 50 years, from 1684 until 1734.

During this time, the house became the center for the growing Fairbanks family in Dedham. Joseph started the branch of the family that would keep the house for many more generations.

The Third and Fourth Generations Continue the Legacy

Joseph left the house to his son, also named Joseph, in 1734. This second Joseph later gave the property to his son, creating a third Joseph Fairbanks to own the home.

The third Joseph sold the family house to his four brothers in 1755. Eventually, his brother Ebenezer bought out the others to become the sole owner.

From 1755 to 1812, Ebenezer made major changes to the house. His vision shaped much of what visitors see today when they tour the building.

Ebenezer Fairbanks Expands the Family Home

Ebenezer Fairbanks greatly enlarged the family home during his ownership. He added two wings, a workshop, and several smaller rooms, more than doubling its size.

The east wing came from two separate buildings that Ebenezer moved and joined to the main house. This expansion made room for multiple family members to live together.

While earlier generations made few changes to the original house, Ebenezer transformed it into a much larger home. His additions met the needs of a growing extended family.

The Fifth Generation’s Prosperity and Decline

Before dying in 1812, Ebenezer passed the house to his son Ebenezer Jr. The family reached peak prosperity during this time, with land holdings growing to nearly 200 acres.

Then fortunes changed. Ebenezer Jr. made bad investments that put the family in debt. Making matters worse, his brother Jason was convicted of murder in 1801.

Jason’s public trial and hanging brought scandal to the family name. These events marked the beginning of a long financial decline for the Fairbanks family.

Financial Decline Preserves the Historic Home

After Ebenezer Jr. died in 1832, his wife Mary lived in the house until 1843. She left it to their three unmarried daughters: Prudence, Sally, and Nancy.

The sisters maintained the house as their money dwindled. Unable to afford updates, they made no significant changes to the building.

The house never got electricity, running water, or central heating. This lack of modernization preserved many original features. Financial problems accidentally created a perfect historical time capsule.

The Last Fairbanks to Live in the Family Home

When Nancy died in 1879, she left the house to her niece Rebecca, who became the eighth and final Fairbanks to live there.

Money troubles forced Rebecca to sell the house to a developer in 1895. She also sold family treasures, including a wooden chest made in 1658 that had been in the house for centuries.

Despite selling the property, Rebecca arranged to stay as a tenant until 1904. Her departure ended 267 years of continuous Fairbanks family ownership.

Preserving the Ancestral Home for Future Generations

In 1897, the new owner announced plans to tear down the house. A newspaper appeal alerted people to the danger facing this historic building.

Mrs. J. Amory Codman and her daughter stepped in to buy and save the house. They let Rebecca continue living there while planning its future.

In 1904, Fairbanks descendants formed an organization to protect their ancestral home. They opened it as a museum in 1905. In 2003, they even bought back the 1658 chest that Rebecca had sold.

Visiting Fairbanks House Historical Site

You’ll find Fairbanks House at 511 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts, just 10 miles southwest of Boston. The museum offers guided tours that take you through rooms where eight generations of the same family lived.

Don’t miss the original timber framing, period furnishings, and the 1658 Houghton chest – a family heirloom returned to the house. Photography is permitted, but tripods aren’t allowed inside the

The museum opens seasonally from May through October. Accessibility is limited due to the house’s authentic historic features, with some areas accessible only by stairs.

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