Located at 165 Wall Street, the Potter-Williams house shows true history. The home was built in 1827 by Nathaniel Potter and is one of the few buildings in Huntington that incorporate the four-bay plan. The home is an excellent example of settlement architecture of the early 19th century.

The clapboard house sits on the side of a steep hill quite close to the street. It has a central chimney, three-pane frieze windows and a gable roof. The home also has a number of six over six double hung windows and an elevated porch which was replaced for a more decorative structure in 1870 with a lattice base, posts and a balustrade.

Both entrances as well as the windows have a simple wood trim and a rear one story addition was constructed midcentury. The property has one contributing building to the right of the home. The clapboard springhouse is brick-lined with a gable roof. It was built midcentury as well.

Nathaniel Potter was a successful silversmith and had a shop on Mill Lane since 1787. In 1824 he partnered with George Wood Platt to manufacture thimbles in New York City but still lived in Huntington. During the 1830s he became a judge and state assemblyman. After his death in 1841, the house was given to his mother’s family, the Williams’, and remained their estate until the 20th century. You can find the house across from the Huntington Fire Departmentsurrounded by wooded areas.

The cream-colored home lives on, spreading memories of the families who lived there and telling the story of Mr. Potter himself. A creative, skillful man who played his part in the evolution of Huntington.