 The house, a two-story wood frame structure with clapboard siding, was built in 1774 for John Haggins, a successful merchant.It is surmised from the modest exterior and elaborate interior that Haggins did exceptionally well during the American Revolutionary War, and was thus able to afford a higher quality of workmanship for the interior.The main block of the house is five bays wide and two deep, with a hip roof pierced in front by three gabled dormers.