Stephen Barker House

{{short description|Historic house in Massachusetts, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Stephen Barker House

| nrhp_type =

| image = Stephen Barker House.jpg

| caption = Stephen Barker House c. 2008

| location = Methuen, Massachusetts

| coordinates = {{coord|42|42|24|N|71|11|57|W|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Massachusetts#USA

| area =

| built = 1839

| architect =

| architecture = Greek Revival

| added = January 20, 1984

| mpsub = Methuen MRA

| refnum = 84002307

{{NRISref|2008a}}

}}

Stephen Barker House is a historic house at 165 Haverhill Street in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Built in 1839, it is one of several handsome houses built at the periphery of the Methuen settlement in the mid-19th Century, and remains a well conserved "country Residence". Reportedly, surveyor Stephen Barker built "Woodland Cottage" in imitation of antebellum mansions he had seen in the South.{{cite web|url=http://www.methuenhistory.org |title=Methuen History.org |access-date=2009-05-11 |last=Gagnon |first=Dan |year=2001 }}

Image:Stephen Barker Place Methuen.jpgBarker, from one of Methuen's original families, had gone to seek his fortune in Tennessee and sent home enough money to build a house. The old farm house was moved and on its site was built this imitation of a Southern mansion. The details of the house, such as the entrance, the Doric columns and frieze board above, classify it as Greek Revival. The builder freely adapted traditional elements: rows of dormers, triangular windows in the gable end, and railing above the porch mimicking gingerbread fretwork.{{cite news | first=Jane Griswold | last=Radocchia | title=Sunday Drives - Barker Homestead, Woodland St., Methuen, c1830 | date=May 20, 1990 | url =http://sundaydrivemerrimackvalley.blogspot.com/2008/05/38-barker-homestead-woodland-st-methuen.html | work =Eagle Tribune | access-date = 2009-05-21 }}

It was added to the National Historic Register in 1984.