The Rundlet-May House is one of the best-preserved Federal-era houses in New England. Built in 1807 by the merchant James Rundlet, it sits in a large garden on Middle Street and retains its original layout, much of its original furniture, and the kitchen equipment that Rundlet installed when the house was built. The property is owned and managed by Historic New England.
Tours are offered on Friday and Saturday afternoons in summer. The house is not as well publicised as the John Paul Jones House or the Governor Langdon House, but for anyone interested in early 19th-century domestic life — what a prosperous Portsmouth merchant's house actually looked, felt, and functioned like in the Federal period — the Rundlet-May House is the most complete picture available.