The Samuel Dexter House is a historic house at 699 High Street, Dedham, Massachusetts. It was built, beginning in July 1761, by

Samuel Dexter Samuel Dexter (May 14, 1761May 4, 1816) was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinets of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Dexter was an 1881 graduate of Harvar ...

, a member of the

Massachusetts Provincial Congress The Massachusetts Provincial Congress (1774–1780) was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution. Based on the terms of the colonial charter, it exercised ''de facto'' control over the ...

. Dexter purchased the property on which the house stands on March 18, 1761. The house was next door to the parsonage of the

First Church and Parish in Dedham First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, where he grew up. The house was the childhood home of the Secretary of the Treasury

. Dexter hosted Governor Thomas Hutchinson at the house in 1771. The building was remodeled in 1901 following the design of J. Harleston Parker, using

Colonial revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

elements. The Samuel Dexter House is a contributing property to the

Dedham Village Historic District The Dedham Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic center of Dedham, Massachusetts. Its principal focus is a stretch of High Street between Bridge and Ames Streets; it extends south along Bridge Street to H ...

, added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in September 2006.

Other uses

The home was the site of the funeral of

Faith Huntington Faith () Huntington (January 25, 1742 - November 24, 1775) was an early American woman. Early and personal life Huntington was born in 1743 in Lebanon, Connecticut, the daughter of Governor Jonathan Trumbull and his wife, Faith . She was the sist ...

, who had been living there, on November 28, 1775. The house served as the headquarters of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

for a night following the evacuation of Boston. Washington paid £9.18.7 for use of the home on April 4 to 5, 1776. Dexter had retired to Connecticut by this point, but his fellow Governor's Councilor Joshua Henshaw was living at the house. The house also contained all but two books of records from the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds. They had been removed from Boston to protect them during the

military occupation Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...

of the capital.

References

Works cited

* * {{Dedham Buildings and structures in Dedham, Massachusetts History of Dedham, Massachusetts Houses in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts 1761 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay

Other uses

See also

References

Works cited