Beginnings:  Early American Homes
Most of these homes were built in the mid-to-late 1600's and a few actually belonged to the
Pilgrims or Merchant Adventurers.  As you may know, the Adventurers, or "Strangers," as the
Pilgrims called them, were a group on The Mayflower quite separate from the Pilgrims.  The
Pilgrims didn't have the wherewithal to finance the trip, so enlisted the help of people in
London who were interested in settling the new world strictly as a financial investment.  The
two groups were very different in their habits and the differences made the long sea journey
in close quarters somewhat uncomfortable for both groups.  But they overcame their
differences enough to form a strong bond once they arrived and started facing the hardships
of life in New England.  My ancestor, Edward Doty, was a young man who came to the new
world as a servant/apprentice to Stephen Hopkins, one of the Adventurers.  -- Nancy
I recently found the photos above, bearing the description:  "Old Doten House, Plymouth, MA."  The photos
were taken in 1892, but didn't list the date of construction.  Since Edward Doty's name was often listed as
"Doten" in early records and the house is in Plymouth, it's likely that it once belonged to a member of his
family.  I don't know if it's still standing.  John Alden's house survives in Duxbury, MA, and a part of the
Myles Standish home was used to build a house for one of his sons.
Above and below, John Alden house, built 1653, Duxbury, MA;  photo above, right,
was taken in 1904; two below are photos of modern day Alden house interior.
Standish house, built mid-1600's, Duxbury, MA
Above, Fairebank house, built in 1636, Dedham, MA, oldest surviving timber frame house in America.
Above and below:   Parson Capen house, built in 1683, Topsfield, MA.
Above and right, items from Jabez Howland house,
built in 1667, Plymouth, MA.   Above, right:  Old
Plymouth tales tell of an ordinary up on Cole's Hill,
where the gentlemen congregated in the evening
and drank some brews.  Story has it that, at the end
of the evening, the barkeep would tally up the P's and
Q's---or count the pints and quarts consumed.   
Above, left:  The weasel would turn 40 times and
then pop; after 7 pops, a skein of yarn would have
been measured. Then the children would sing the
song "Pop goes the weasel," as they worked the
weasel.
Jethro Coffin house, 1686, oldest house in Nantucket, MA
Hoxie house, 1665, Sandwich, MA
Maj. Gen. Artemas Ward house, 1710, Shrewsbury, MA; barn,
above, is 4 stories high and is supported by tree trunks
House in Saugas, MA, built in 1680
Captain Lee house, mid-1600's, East Lyme, Connecticut
House in Sudbury, MA, mid-1600's
Whipple house, late 1600's, Ipswich, MA
Judge Jonathan Corwin house, 1675, Salem, MA; home of
judge who presided over the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
.