Peak House
In Medfield, Massachusetts, the first town settled west of the Charles River, stands one of the oldest surviving homes in the state: The Peak House.
Medfield was established in 1651, marking the inland expansion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony beyond the coastal settlements. It was a farming community, modest but growing. That same year, the original Clark Family home was built on this site.
In 1676, during King Philip’s War, one of the most devastating conflicts between English settlers and Native tribes, Medfield was attacked and burned. Nearly half the homes in town were destroyed in a single day. The Clark house was among them.
The owner, Beth Clark, suffered significant loss. In the aftermath of the war, she received indemnity from the colonial government and in 1680 rebuilt the house that stands today.
Medfield is a town that pushed westward in the 17th century, endured conflict and persisted for nearly four centuries. The Peak House stands today not as a grand monument, here stands a timber-framed home that witnessed survival and the courage to rebuild.
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