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Deacon J. Foote House

Introduction

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The Deacon J. Foote House was built circa 1760, and is part of the Rocks Village Historic District of Haverhill. One of the only brick buildings constructed in the village, it is also one of the oldest buildings still standing. Built originally as a grocery store, that is what it has remained as for most of its existence.

Backstory and Context

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Deacon J. Foote not only ran the grocery store, but also lived above it while he maintained proprietorship. Currently the store is a private residence. 

The brick of the building is laid in a pattern so as to make the building as sturdy as possible, in a 1, 5 common bond pattern. This means that there are five rows of stretchers (longer side of the brick) for header row (short end of the brick) of brick. This allows for bricks to form a sturdier pattern of interlocking rows. Observing the type of bond pattern the brick is laid in is helpful in determining when a building was constructed.

Although knowing the pattern does not give an exact date of construction, it can narrow the time frame down as certain brick patterns were used before concrete was invented, and vice versa.

Sources

Krenzer, Samantha. Rocks Village Historic District Architectural Walking Tour. Haverhill, Massachusetts. Buttonwoods Museum.

Rocks Village in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Accessed June 9th 2020. http://www.rocksvillage.org/.

Rocks Village Historic District. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. Published December 12th 1976.

Senter Digital Archive, Haverhill Public Library. Accessed June 9th 2020. https://haverhill.pastperfectonline.com/.

Additional Information