John H. Broughton House

The John H. Broughton House is located at 586 Middle Street, on the northeast corner of Middle and Cass Streets.

This elaborate house reportedly cost John H. Broughton $8,000 when built in 1874. Broughton, a Portsmouth native, was a wholesale and retail dealer in building supplies, particularly lumber, lime, cement, plaster, and slate. Broughton’s wharf once jutted into the Piscataqua River from the eastern end of Daniel Street.


His company, originally called Samuel Adams & Company, started in 1841. John Broughton joined the firm in 1845 and became the sole owner in 1881.

A successful businessman, Broughton was also a director of the First National Bank and the Piscataqua Savings Bank. He was a staunch Republican and member of the Republican State Committee, served as the mayor of Portsmouth from 1876-1877, and State Senator in 1879 and 1880.

The vintage photograph above was published in the 1895 book, New Hampshire Homes, by James A. Wood. Although the outer appearance of the mansion has barely changed after more than a century, the John H. Broughton House is now a four-family home.