Blake (James) House is built.

Built for James Blake and his wife, the former Elizabeth Clap, it is located initially on today’s Massachusetts Avenue (then 210 West Cottage Street). The oldest building in today’s Boston, it is located on a 10-acre farm and remains owned by the family until 1825. The property is purchased in 1895 by the city, which, in one of the first instances of historic preservation in Boston, turns it over to the Dorchester Historical Society, which moves it to its 400 yards to its current location at 735 Columbia Road. The building is partially restored by architect Charles Hodgdon and subsequently restored to its 1895 appearance in 2007.