Washburn, Nahum House
23 Church St
1845
Architectural Style
Greek Revival
Significance
Architecture
Use Type
Multiple Family Dwelling House
Neighborhood
Bridgewater Town Center
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
This double house blends form and elements of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles, stands close to the street with a wide end wall gable. Possessing a T-shaped plan its edges exhibit wide Doric corner boards. Entrances are located on the north and south of the main block. Particularly noteworthy is its late 19th c. Victorian porch addition which features champfered posts and punched and cut Eastlakian bracket decoration.
Historical Significance
This house was built c. 1845 and for many years was owned by the family of Dr. Nahum Washburn. Dr. Washburn was a pioneer in the practice of dentistry in Southeastern MA. He was a graduate of Bridgewater Academy and Dartmouth College. He became a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1835. From c. 1844-1880's he practiced dentistry in Bridgewater—his office was located in the Greek Revival/Italianate building on the northeastern side of the Central Square Congregational Church. His patients traveled from beyond the limits of the state for appointments with this "inventive genius". He produced "most of the delicate instruments used in his profession as well as a mill for grinding rock crystal for the manufacture of teeth."