John Paul Jones House

Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

United States historic place
John Paul Jones House
U.S. National Historic Landmark
43°04′31″N 70°45′37″W / 43.075198°N 70.760334°W / 43.075198; -70.760334
Built1758
ArchitectCapt. Gregory Purcell
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.72000084
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 28, 1972[1]
Designated NHLNovember 28, 1972[2]

The John Paul Jones House is a historic house at 43 Middle Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Now a historic house museum and a National Historic Landmark, it is where American Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, resided from 1781 to 1782 when it was operated as a boarding house. He also lived in a home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Caroline Street, owned by his brother.

History

The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house was built in 1758 by the master housewright Hopestill Cheswell, a successful African-American builder in the city.[3] The house was built for Captain Gregory Purcell, who owned it with his wife Sarah until his death in 1776.[4]

After Purcell's death his wife took in boarders, until her own death in 1783. The American naval hero John Paul Jones rented a room at the widow Purcell's during 1781–1782, while supervising construction of the ship America.[4][5]

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972.[2][4]

Description

The house is 2+1⁄2 stories high, with a gambrel roof, and two chimneys projecting from the interior. A two-story addition to the northeast was added in the early 19th century. The five-bay main facade has a central entry topped by a segmented arch pediment, supported by flanking pilasters. The first floor windows of the main facade are topped by triangular pediments. The interior of the house follows a typical Georgian center-hall plan, with rooms flanking a central hall with stairs. To the left of the hall are a parlor in front, and a counting room or office in the rear, while to the right is a large dining room with what was originally the kitchen behind. Upstairs there are four bedrooms; that of Jones was in the southeast corner. The third floor has five bedrooms.[4]

The downstairs rooms now contain museum exhibits, and the dining room has been decorated to early 19th-century taste. The house has belonged to the Portsmouth Historical Society since 1919, and is open to the public.[4]

See also

  • flagNew Hampshire portal

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "John Paul Jones House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Mark J. Sammons and Valerie Cunningham, Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African-American Heritage, (2004), pp. 32-33, accessed 27 July 2009
  4. ^ a b c d e Charles W. Snell (February 14, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: John Paul Jones House / Purcell-Jones-Langdon House" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1971. (805 KB)
  5. ^ Jones died in Paris in the house at 19 Rue de Tournon in 1792.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Paul Jones House.
  • "John Paul Jones House", Portsmouth Historical Society
  • "John Paul Jones", Seacoast New Hampshire
  • Mario de`y Cocom, "Cheswell", The Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families, PBS Frontline, 1995-2012
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