Friday, February 08, 2013 at 11:43 PM

 

Inventory No: HRV.212   

Historic Name: Whitney House and Farm

Common Name:

Address: 165 Littleton County Rd

City/Town: Harvard

Village/Neighborhood:

Local No:

Year Constructed: C 1831

Architect(s):

Architectural Style(s): Federal

Use(s): Agricultural; Orchard; Single Family Dwelling House

Significance: Agriculture; Architecture

Area(s):

Designation(s):

 

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Commonwealth of MassachusettsMassachusetts Historical Commission

220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc

This file was accessed on:

FORM B - BUILDING A s s e s s o r Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125

s # USGS Quad Area Form # Z\2.

Sketch Map tftitKCfreA

RECEIVED m ? 5 1997

MASS. HIST. COMM

Recorded by C l a i r e W. Dempsey

Organization Harvard H i s t o r i c a l Commission

Town Harvard

P l a c e o u t l y i n g

Address 165 L i t t l e t o n County Road H i s t o r i c Name Whitney Farm

Use: Present r e s i d e n c e

O r i g i n a l farm

Date by 1831

Source appearance, maps & a t l a s e s

S t y l e F e d e r a l

Form e l l house

A r c h i t e c t N/A

E x t e r i o r M a t e r i a l :

Foundation stone

Wall/Trim wood clapboard

Roof a s p h a l t

Outbuildings garage

Major A l t e r a t i o n s none

Condition good

Moved no

Acreage 2 7.706 a c r e s here, 16 a c r e s and 74.99 a c r e s to the eas t

Date May 1997 S e t t i n g r u r a l

( BUILDING FORM 165 L i t t l e t o n County Road

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The Whitney Farm i s l o c a t e d on the north s i d e of L i t t l e t o n County Road j u s t e a s t of i t s i n t e r s e c t i o n w i t h Old Schoolhouse Road. The house i s a w e l l - p r e s e r v e d and f i n e l y - d e t a i l e d F e d e r a l e l l house, screened from the road by a high hedge. The s i n g l e - p i l e , hip-roofed main block has b r i c k end w a l l s and chimneys and a symmetrical f i v e - b a y facade. I t s c e n t r a l e n t r y i s screened by a pedimented porch supported by attenuated columns, w h i l e t h e door i t s e l f i s topped by a louvered fan and flanked by t h r e e - q u a r t e r s i d e l i g h t s . Extending to s i x bays, the long r e a r e l l i s l o c a t e d on the b u i l d i n g ' s e a s t s i d e and i s the same height as the main mass of the house. A lower e l l , a s i n g l e s t o r y i n height with a gable roof, extends f u r t h e r behind the house. The a s p h a l t d r i v e on the e a s t s i d e of the house extends to the modern two-bay garage. T h i s gable-roofed b u i l d i n g has two auto doors and a s m a l l e r door to t h e i r r i g h t .

The house i s now s i t e d on a l a r g e l o t of over twenty-seven a c r e s , but as r e c e n t l y as t h e l a t e 1970s, the house s a t on a p a r c e l of f o r t y - t h r e e a c r e s . The s e p a r a t e 16-acre l o t to the e a s t of the house and i n c l u d i n g a l a r g e pond accounts f o r t h i s l o t - s i z e change. Up u n t i l 1945 when the land was farmed i t i n c l u d e d a t o t a l of over a hundred a c r e s , l i k e l y the l a r g e s e v e n t y - f i v e a c r e l o t f u r t h e r t o the e a s t of the house and extending f a r from the roadway t o the north.

HISTORIC NARRATIVE See c o n t i n u a t i o n sheet, attached.

Throughout the 19th century t h i s property was he l d by members of the Whitney f a m i l y , Aaron noted i n 1831, Samuel i n 1857, Samuel F. i n 1870, and S. F. Whitney's h e i r s i n 1898. Aaron Whitney (1777-1864) was known as Ca p t a i n and married Susanna H a r t w e l l F l e t c h e r (1738-1848). They and t h e i r t h r e e sons, Samuel F l e t c h e r Whitney (1821-1895), D a n i e l H a r t w e l l Whitney (1825-1874), and Abel Whitney (1830-1840), had t h e i r p o r t r a i t s p a i n t e d by W i l l i a m Thompson i n about 1841; th e s e p o r t r a i t s s u r v i v e i n the c o l l e c t i o n s of the Harvard H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y and copies are attached here. The farm descended t o t h e i r o l d e s t son, Samuel F l e t c h e r Whitney. I n 1866, Samuel F. Whitney's home farm i n c l u d e d 105 a c r e s and 15 a c r e s of wood l o t , and he a l s o owned a s m a l l l o t w i t h a H a s k e l l house and barn on i t . His own farmstead i n c l u d e d h i s dwellinghouse, a barn, a slaughterhouse, a shed, and a s t o r e house, and h i s

, l a r g e d i v e r s i f i e d farm in c l u d e d four horses, two oxen, nine t e e n cows, f i v e swine, and e l e v e n sheep. The H a s k e l l land was l o c a t e d to the west of Old Schoolhouse Road on Old L i t t l e t o n Road, and Whitney e v e n t u a l l y owned the schoolhouse as w e l l (see form f o r Schoolhouse # 2 , 9 Old Schoolhouse Road, form #81) . I n a d d i t i o n t o h i s l a r g e a g r i c u l t u r a l holdings, Samuel i n v e s t e d i n bank st o c k .

Abbott, Frank P. "The Apple I n d u s t r y i n Harvard from 1890 t o 1940," an unreferenced

newspaper a r t i c l e i n c l u d e d i n Ida H a r r i s , Harvard H i s t o r y , 1894-1940. Savage, Memoirs of Old Harvard Days 1924. Harvard Tax V a l u a t i o n s 1866, 1870, 1882, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1945,

1955, 1960, 1969, 1974. Holman A t l a s of 1831 Beers A t l a s of 1870. Ri c h a r d s A t l a s of 1898.

X Recommended f o r l i s t i n g on the National R e g i s t e r o~f H i s t o r i c P l a c e s . See NR C r i t e r i a Statement Form at t a c h e d .

REFERENCES

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 M o r r i s s e y Boulevard Boston MA 02116

\r\UX\1 Community Harvard Property Address 165 MaecaohuseLLs Avenue Form #212.

H i s t o r i c N a r r a t i v e , continued.

I n 1900, Samuel F. Whitney's h e i r s held the property, which had l o s t the slaughterhouse and s t o r e house and gained a c a r r i a g e house and i c e house; no animals were re p o r t e d on the l a r g e 190-acre farm. A decade l a t e r the farm was he l d by Harry F. Whitney, who held e x t e n s i v e other r e a l p roperty as w e l l ; H a r r i e t T.G. Whitney, probably h i s widow, held the property i n 1920. By 1930 t h i s farm was hel d by E l i z a b e t h Denney; a 150-acre farm w i t h a d w e l l i n g , barn, i c e house, pump house, and shed, but no animals. I n 1939, t h i s land i s i l l u s t r a t e d as orchard i n the v i c i n i t y of the house, pa s t u r e t o the west and near north, and dense merchantable f o r e s t t o the f a r north. Denny a l s o owned se v e n t y - t h r e e a c r e s of S t r a t t o n land with a cottage. The c u r r e n t owners of a l a r g e s e c t i o n of land i n t h i s area, the l a r g e s e v e n t y - f i v e a c r e p a r c e l t o the west, share t h i s surname. The farm was owned by C h a r l e s and E s t e l l e Linehan i n t h e 1950s and 1960s, a p a r c e l i n c l u d i n g the e a s t e r n f o r t y - t h r e e a c r e s of the farm and i n c l u d i n g a dwe l l i n g , p a r t of a barn, and a hen house. The farm was owned by John J . and Cath e r i n e Post i n the 1970s. The c u r r e n t owners of the s i x t e e n - a c r e c e n t r a l p a r c e l share t h i s surname.

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 M o r r i s s e y Boulevard Boston MA 02125

Community Harvard

Form #212-

Area

Property Address

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 M o r r i s s e y Boulevard Boston MA 02125

Community Harvard

Form # 212.

Area

Property Address i b5 L i t t l e t o n (iimftf ft/.

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston MA 02125

Community Harvard

Form #

Area

Property Address lfc>5 UrrUro^&Wtthvj&j.

SMYWJJL $bMJw i/JMne

->ortrcuV bvu will Warn Tk^AA|)4im

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INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission Massachusetts A r c h i v e s B u i l d i n g 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston MA 02125

Community Harvard

Form #212.

Area

Property Address . jb5 UtrU-rtkw ccun^ Kdi.

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Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125

Community Harvard

Property Address

Area Form # 2.1 Z.

Check all that apply:

X Individually eligible. Contributing to a potential district.

Eligible only in a historic district. Potential historic district.

Criteria: X A B X c D

Criteria Considerations: A _ B _ _ C D E F G

Statement of Significance by Claire W. Dempsey

This property is an important component in Harvard's catalogue of surviving historic resources, a cluster including a historic house and outbuildings within significant stretches of open space which preserves the traditional agricultural landscape of the town. Harvard was founded as a farming town and its agricultural economy remained strong well into the 20th century; it survives in a small number of locations today. Surviving buildings here are well preserved and include types and styles popular on the region's farmsteads. The property retains integrity of materials, design, workmanship, location, setting, feeling, and association, and is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C at the local level.