The William Clapp House (1806) is a

historic house A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...

located at 195 Boston Street,

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester ...

. It is the headquarters of the Dorchester Historical Society and contains many items from the society's collections, including 19th century furnishings and local historical items. It is one of two Clapp Houses owned by the society that are listed on 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 v ...

. The house was built in 1806 for the marriage of William Clapp (March 3, 1779 - February 29, 1860), son of Capt. Lemuel and Rebecca (Dexter) Clap who built the nearby

Captain Lemuel Clap House The Captain Lemuel Clap House (1767) is a historic house located at 199 Boston Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts. It is now owned by the Dorchester Historical Society, which opens the house for tours two afternoons per month. It is one of two ...

. The younger Clapp followed his father's business with the largest tannery in Dorchester. Later in life, Clapp devoted his time to his farm and the development of many varieties of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...

s. The most notable was Clapp's Favorite, developed in 1820 and marketed by 1860. It remains in wide commercial use today.

References

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External links

William Clapp House
- Dorchester Historical Society Houses completed in 1806 National Register of Historic Places in Boston Clapp, William Museums in Boston Houses in Boston Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Dorchester, Boston Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts