America's Oldest Buildings
If you love history, architecture, or both, this article is for you! We're recapping America's oldest buildings, including where they are, what they're called, and when they were built. Some you may have heard of before, others have been hidden away, unfortunately relegated to the dustbin of history. Let's recap some of America's oldest buildings as the country enters its 249th year.
The Baranov Museum
The Russians built the oldest building in Alaska, the Baranov Museum, in 1743. Alaska was part of Russia until October 18, 1867, when the Alaska Purchase came into effect. Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million—less than two cents per acre. The Baranov Museum used to be a storage facility in Kodiak, but it was turned into a museum detailing the history of Kodiak and the Aleut Peninsula.
National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons
González-Alvarez House
The González-Alvarez House is located in St Augustine, Florida, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Construction began on the dwelling in 1723, adopting the traditional Spanish colonial architecture. It is now open to the public as part of the St Augustine Historical Society.
Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Gilman Garrison House
Built by American counselor John Gilman in 1709, the Gilman Garrison House in Exeter, New Hampshire, was constructed during the First Period of American architecture—typified by log homes with defensive additions. It was restored in the 1960s and now functions as a house museum.
Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Middleburg Plantation
The oldest building in South Carolina is the Middleburg Plantation, built in 1697 by Benjamin Simmons, a French immigrant. The sprawling 5,000-acre plantation is listed as a National Historic Landmark, offering a museum and tours.
Frances Benjamin Johnston, Wikimedia Commons
The Oldest Wood-Framed House In New Hampshire
Using the English style of wood-framing in construction, the oldest wood-framed house in New Hampshire was built by Richard Jackson in 1664. Although seven generations of Jacksons have lived in the house, it was restored in 1920 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lower Swedish Cabin
Located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the Lower Swedish is the oldest residential building in the state. It is believed to have been built as a private residence between 1640 and 1650 by immigrants to New Sweden, a colony of the Swedish Empire from 1638 to 1655. In 1980, after a restoration project, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Richard Sparrow House
Using leaded glass windows, paneled walls, and cross-beams, Richard Sparrow constructed the Richard Sparrow House (not one for ingenuity, it must be said) in 1640 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It's the oldest surviving house in Plymouth, a town steeped in history as one of the first settlements in the United States by arrivals from The Mayflower vessel.
Swampyank, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Henry Whitfield House
The stone dwelling, built by Henry Whitfield in 1639 in Guildford, Connecticut, has high stone walls meant to be a fortress to protect the community from the same religious persecution Whitfield had experienced in England. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark and the Henry Whitfield State Museum.
Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
CA Nothnagle Log House
Built in Gibbstown, New Jersey, between 1638 and 1643, the CA Nothnagle Log House was built by Finnish or Swedish settlers using all wooden logs. Today, it's a privately owned home with tours offered by appointment.
San Juan Capistrano Mission
Constructed in 1638 by Spanish settlers hoping to spread Christianity to Native Americans, the San Juan Capistrano Mission is located in San Juan Capistrano, California, a city founded in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was signed. The San Juan Capistrano Mission site is now a historical, cultural, and religious landmark.
William Henry Jackson, Wikimedia Commons
The Fairbanks House
Originally built by Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks from 1637 to 1641, the home is among the oldest in the country and is the oldest building in Massachusetts. After staying in the Fairbanks family for eight generations, it is now a museum and National Historic Landmark.
Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
San Miguel Mission
Spanish colonizers built the Saint Michael's Mission, or San Miguel Mission, between 1610 and 1626 and rebuilt it in 1710 following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Mission still offers Sunday Mass, and its original adobe walls stand.
Elf, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Palace Of The Governors
The oldest building in New Mexico, the Palace of the Governors, was built in 1610 to house Spanish governors overseeing the colonization of the Americas. It is now part of the New Mexico History Museum and is one of the top three oldest buildings in the United States.
Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is one of the oldest Native American structures in the United States, constructed between 1000 and 1450 AD. It belongs to the Puebloan people, a tribe from the southwestern United States. About one mile from Taos, New Mexico, Taos Pueblo is one of the oldest inhabited communities in the US. The Puebloans' land comprises about 95,000 hectares, attached to this pueblo, and houses about 4,500 people.
John Mackenzie Burke, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Acoma Pueblo
The Acoma Pueblo is the oldest building in the United States. Built between 1000 and 1200 AD, the Acoma Pueblo is 60 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Acoma Pueblo village comprises four communities: Sky City, Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. The Acoma Pueblo is recognized as a Native American by the federal government whose historical lands once totaled more than 5,000,000 acres. Interestingly, the pueblo sits on a 365-foot hillside, likely constructed there as a protective measure against raids from neighboring tribes like the Navajo and Apache peoples.
Karla Kaulfuss, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Loss Of The Extravagant San Francisco Cliff House
The San Francisco Cliff House might not be as old as the Acoma or Taos Pueblos. Still, its seven-story chateau-style design, nestled on a clifftop, is built to resemble a fine European Chateau like those of Quebec City, Canada. However, the Chateau was destroyed by a fire in 1907 and replaced by the Third Cliff House, now a two-story restaurant.
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Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), Wikimedia Commons
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