This one’s a super oldie! While the exact build date of the Eaton-Prescott House appears to be unknown, evidence found in 1913 by architect Willard P. Adden suggested its origins began around 1757.
At that time, the house in Reading, Mass., had a lean to before becoming much bigger and wider later.
Thomas Eaton bought this land around 1712-1713, and he either built or added on to an earlier structure. The property was shown to have a cider mill at that time, and it still remained here in the early 1900s.
A long line of Eatons lived here after Thomas, who was a tanner and farmer. The Joshua Eaton School was named for one of his grandsons, who was the only Reading soldier to die during the Revolutionary War. He died during the battle of Saratoga.
In 1813, Abigail Eaton married Joshua Prescott, a spirited lawyer and Harvard graduate. He helped establish what is now Main Street. Another Prescott was a judge, and a shoemaking facility stood on this property, too, which was common on many Reading farms.
When the Prescott women died, architect Adden purchased the house in 1910 and remodeled it. Since then, owners have used the original rear door as the main entrance.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Place in 1984.
