Browne House

Watertown, Massachusetts
c. 1698

More images of Browne House

Constructed between 1694 and 1701 for a farming family, Browne House contains rare surviving architectural features from the late seventeenth century. In a near ruinous state when it was acquired by Historic New England founder William Sumner Appleton in 1919, the house was painstakingly restored in what is acknowledged to be the first fully documented restoration in America.

Browne House is a modest “one-over-one” dwelling with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century additions. Prominent features include a steeply pitched roof, diamond-patterned casement windows, and early door and window placements and styles. During the restoration, an impressive amount of seventeenth-century finish detail was uncovered.

Visitors learn about the way a late seventeenth-century family lived in what was termed a “mansion house” at the time. There is one large room on the first floor, which incorporated living, cooking, and sleeping space. The upper chamber contains an extremely rare three-part casement window frame.

Visit Browne House

Open

2013 Schedule
June 1, free admission
September 21
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tours on the hour. Last tour at 4:00 p.m.

Admission
$5 adults
$4 seniors
$2.50 students
Free for Historic New England members and Watertown residents. Become a member.

Location and directions
Browne House
562 Main Street
Watertown, Mass. 02472

Map and directions

Directions detail: Main Street, also known as Route 20, is accessible via MBTA public transportation.
Parking: Parking is located along Main Street.