The French House

The French House, or the Asa French House, as it is sometimes called, is one of the oldest houses in Braintree. The original house was built by Thomas French in 1699. Much of the house was rebuilt in 1820 and the property remained within the French family until the 1970s. The Braintree Town Center grew around this house, which served as the Town’s first post office in 1825.

The French House

It was during this time that the house’s most famous occupant, Asa French, lived there. Asa French was the Town Clerk as well as the Treasurer. The French’s would remain one of the most prominent families in Braintree. Little of the original structure of the house, besides the chimney, still stands. The house was donated to Thayer Academy in 1976 and then in 1999 the Academy turned it over to the Braintree Historical Society.