Charles S. Hall House


The Charles S. Hall House is a historic house at 1740 Dover Road in Epsom, New Hampshire. Built c. 1890, it is the only Second Empire building in the town, adorned further with Queen Anne features. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Description and history

The Charles S. Hall House is located near the western end of Epsom's elongated village center, on the north side of Dover Road near its junction with Black Hill Road. The house consists of a two-story mansard-roofed main block, which is connected to a large carriage barn by a kitchen ell. The steep portion of the main block's roof is covered in decoratively cut wood shingling, while the lower-pitched top section is clad in asphalt. There are dormers with projecting lintels on each of the main elevations. The front and east elevations of the house each have projecting polygonal bay windows topped by a cornice with paired brackets, a feature that is repeated in the main roof line. A gazebo with Stick style decoration is attached to a porch that extends across the east elevation.
The house was either built or extensively altered for Charles S. Hall in about 1890. Hall, a native of Epsom, had engaged in a number of businesses, and eventually became the town's largest taxpayer. He was also involved in civic affairs, donating funds for the construction of the public library, serving as town clerk, and serving in the state legislature. By the 1920s, he had moved out of the house, which was eventually sold to his brother and nephew.