The Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts is a historic house built between 1637 and 1641 making it the oldest surviving timber-frame house in North America. This fact has been verified by dendrochronology testing. Puritan settler, Jonathan Fairebanke constructed the farm house on their 12 acre allotment for his wife Grace (Lee Smith) and their family. The house was occupied and then passed down through eight generations of the family until the early 20th century. Over several centuries the original portion was expanded as architectural styles changed and the family grew.
Today the Fairbanks house is owned and operated by the Fairbanks Family in America, a member-based non-profit organization, as a historic house museum. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.