He began work as a bricklayer when he was 13, but needed to leave Massachusetts in the 1830s to pursue better economic opportunity.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1976, as an example of a typical modest home of the mid-19th century, and is open for free (with a suggested donation) to the public by the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley.

The basement has a fieldstone wall, but its dirt floor had to be covered with concrete to accommodate a heating unit.

A keeping room was added to the basement during the Peterson renovation, and now features a staircase leading to the exterior.

The third original room needed to be reconstructed, as it had been remodeled to function as a garage at some point.