Reverend James Keith Parsonage
| Reverend James Keith Parsonage | |
|---|---|
 Reverend James Keith Parsonage | |
| General information | |
| Town or city |
223 River Street West Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02379 |
| Country | United States |
| Completed | 1662[1] |
| Client | Duxborough Plantation proprietors[1] |
| Management | Old Bridgewater Historical Society |
The Reverend James Keith Parsonage, sometimes simply called the Keith House, is a 17th-century church parsonage preserved and maintained by the Old Bridgewater Historical Society (OBHS) in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.[2] According to the OBHS, the Keith House "was built in 1662 by the proprietors of what was originally called the Duxborough Plantation, later called Old Bridgewater, purchased from the Indian Chief Massasoit. The House was built for the first settled minister James Keith, who served the area from 1664 to 1719. Because the area was a colonial outpost, the house also served as a garrison and it was in this house that the wife and son of King Philip were held during the King Philip's War in 1676."[1] The King Philip's War was proportionately one of the bloodiest and costliest in the history of America.[3] More than half of New England's ninety towns were assaulted by Native American warriors.[4] The war is named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, Metacom, or Pometacom, known to the English as "King Philip."
According to the OBHS, the building is the oldest parsonage and garrison house in the Americas."[1]
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Coordinates: 42°0′50.9″N 71°0′56.3″W / 42.014139°N 71.015639°W