The site on which Parsons House stands is said to have been purchased by Conet Joseph Parsons from Native Americans in 1645, before the first settlement of Northampton. Smith College acquired the property in 1921, and the house, renamed after the old Northampton family, has served as a Smith residence ever since. Parsons House is home to about 60 Smith students in a mix of singles and doubles. Parsons and Parsons Annex function as a unit, holding joint social events, fielding joint intramural teams and electing one set of house officers.