Samuel Ruggles House
Samuel Ruggles House
| Also Known As | John Parker House |
| Address | 19 Concord Rd |
| MACRIS ID | BIL.53 |
| Built | 1710 |
| Moved | 1972 |
| New Address | 5 River St |
The Samuel Ruggles mansion was presumably built around 1710 by Billerica's second minister, Reverend Samuel Ruggles at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Whiting, daughter of the first minister. The mansion and homestead of 16 acres were appraised at 2300 pounds after his death in 1749. Only his son Joseph remained in town, but he moved to the north part of town where he started the first fulling mill.
Soon after 1755, the mansion house and 12 of the 16 acres were acquired by John Parker, who came to Billerica a little before 1750, married Abigail Kidder and established a very prosperous tanning business along the brook south of the common. John Parker built his own house of the south side of the common (now gone), and at his death in 1803, it was inventoried in his estate as the "Ruggles Farm".
Nevertheless, local references establish that his son Stephen occupied the house from 1790 to 1805. It is likely that the extensive remodelling was undertaken at the time of Stephen's marriage to Mary Duren, daughter of the architect, Reuben Duren. After 1800, Stephen moved to the ancestral Kidder homestead and his brother occupied the place until 1832. The Parker family was influential in Billerica affairs from 1750 until after 1900.
In 1972, the house was moved to River Street in order to make room for the new public library, which has since become the Billerica COA.
