The Oldest Houses in Becket
142 resources stand on the state's historic inventory here: 82 of them buildings, with 13 recorded as demolished and excluded below. The assessors' rolls corroborate the age: about 10 parcels in town carry pre-1800 construction dates.
The Oldest on the Inventory
- 1775Higley, Joseph House · 1658 Main St · Colonial; Georgian
- 1780Canterbury Farm · 1986 Fred Snow Rd · Federal
- 1780Snow, Fred House · 1377 Fred Snow Rd · Federal; Greek Revival
- 1786Brewster, Dr. Oliver House · 9 Camp Becket Rd · ColonialNational Register
- 1788Whalen House · 712 George Carter Rd · Federal; Georgian
- 1789Chaffee, Thomas House · 230 George Carter Rd · Colonial; Greek RevivalNational Historic Landmark
- 1790Jacob's Pillow - Bakalar, Sandra and David Studio · 358 George Carter RdNational Historic Landmark
- 1790Baird Tavern · 54 Otis Rd · Colonial; Greek Revival
- 1790McLoughlin House · 260 YMCA Rd · ColonialNational Register
- 1790Carter, Stephen House · 358 George Carter Rd · FederalNational Historic Landmark
- 1790Phelan Place · 549 George Carter Rd · Colonial; Georgian
- 1790Messenger House · 492 County Rd · Federal
Dates are the surveyor's attribution, often approximate. Names are the inventory's own historic designations. These are private homes unless a museum says otherwise, admire from the road.
What Becket Is Built In
- Greek Revival17
- Federal4
- Colonial Revival3
- Colonial3
- Craftsman2
- Victorian Eclectic2
- Colonial; Greek Revival2
- Altered beyond recognition; No style2
Inventoried buildings by recorded style, the survey's lens, not a census of every roof in town.
What Listing Actually Means Here
91 of the town's inventoried resources are on the National Register, an honour that, for a private owner, restricts almost nothing. No local historic district binds owners here. 40 are National Historic Landmarks. The inventory maps 7 historic areas in town: Becket Center Historic District; West Becket; Dish Hollow….
Old Houses Nearby
The nearest towns, and the age of their housing stock.
From the Desk
RE413 News: what to check before you buy an old house here. Built from the same public record as the figures on this page.
Sources
- Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory; assessors' parcel rolls for the age corroboration. Checked 2026-08-05.
"Figures through" is the period the publisher's data describes; "checked" is only when we last asked. The full sourcing: sources and method.