[1] The Russell-Colbath House stands on the north side of the Kancamagus Highway, between the Jigger Johnson Campground and Oliverian Brook Road.

It is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof, central chimney, and clapboarded exterior.

It has a symmetrical five-bay facade, with a center entrance flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters, and topped by a simple peaked entablature.

[2] The house was built in 1831-32 by Thomas and Amzi Russell, and is the only surviving 19th-century homestead in the Swift River valley.

The Russells operated a sawmill on Oliverian Brook, and were part of a small farming and logging community in the immediate area, which constituted the best farmland in the valley.