USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Bolton > History of Bolton, 1738-1938 > Part 10
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OLD HOUSES
DAVID WHITCOMB'S INN
Josiah Whitcomb, whose garrison stood where Sugar Road joins Golden Run, owned several hundred acres of land, the greater part of it to the north and east of his home- stead. In 1708, he deeded to his second son, David, a part of his lands "on ye East side of ye brook that runneth through my field and it is land on which my sd son, David, hath built and now dwelleth." Eight years before, David Whitcomb had married Mary (Hayward) Fairbank. She was called "Doctress" Mary Whitcomb, because of a knowledge of roots and herbs gained during two years captivity among the Indians. It is probable that David built his house about the time of his marriage in 1700. The place is now owned by Philip Phillips, an architect, who is connected with Harvard University.
In 1717, David Whitcomb applied for an inn license, becoming thereby the first innholder of Bolton. Upon his death in 1730, Doctress Mary became the owner of the homestead, which by her will in 1733 was divided among her five sons.
The eldest of these sons, Deacon David Whitcomb, one of the founders of the Bolton Church, became the sole owner of the property, and in 1765 deeded it to his son, Tille. The deed states that "it is the place where my son John formerly dwelt." John Whitcomb had left Bol- ton about 1763 for Swanzey, New Hampshire, where he was one of the first settlers. His household goods were packed on one of his horses; on the other rode his wife, who carried their youngest child, a mere infant, in her arms. A pair of pannier baskets was also carried by the second horse, and in each of these rode a child.
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
The heirs of Tille Whitcomb sold the place out of the family in 1785. It passed through several hands and in 1792 was bought by Samuel Wheeler, a cooper. Four generations of Wheelers lived on the farm, but, in 1885, after nearly one hundred years, it was sold to others. Sev- eral subsequent owners lived there, Mrs. Barbara Zink for about twenty years, and Nathan Carville for nearly as long.
For more than ten years this old homestead which had seen one generation pass away and another generation come stood vacant and at the mercy of the elements. Its doors stood ajar ; its windows were broken ; its whole appearance was forlorn and dejected. But in 1937, it was purchased by Mr. Phillips who could see, beneath the neglected appear- ance, the beautiful lines and mellow charm of the old building.
The restoration of this house has been remarkable, although perhaps not as difficult as it appeared at first, due to the soundness of its essential timbers. The idea of Mr. Phillips has been to put the house into its original condition, without violence to its lines or interior arrange- ment. The latter is somewhat unusual, owing to its hav- ing been two houses joined together, with separate cellars, stairways, and attics. There were two kitchens, each with its fireplace and brick oven. All these features have been kept intact.
There is some very beautiful pine paneling and wain- scoting of wide boards in the older part of the house. All the doors in the house are old, and in some cases they are the original doors, made when the house was built. Everything original has been preserved, as far as possible, and the house is slowly but surely coming into its own once more.
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OLD HOUSES
THE KEYS-BONAZZOLI HOUSE
In 1710, "in the ninth year of the reign of Queen Anne," James Keys bought from Hezekiah Whitcomb a certain large tract of land, on what is now the Hudson Road. On this tract, James or Mathias, his brother, built the house which is now owned by Giacomo Bonazzoli. The date, 1728, was found chiseled in a beam in the house. William Keys, son of James, sold the place in 1745 to Samuel Bruce, and a rapid succession of owners followed, until 1796, when John Sawyer bought it. He lived on the property until his death in 1812, after which his heirs were the owners until 1839. One of these heirs was Thomas Houghton, who was a blacksmith and had a shop on the place for a number of years. The Widow Ballard was another heir, and to her was set off one room, a chamber, and the use of the kitchen for cooking.
Nahum Stratton purchased the farm from Thomas Houghton and the other heirs of John Sawyer, and lived there for many years. Mr. Stratton was a shoemaker, and his old shop stood near the house until recently. The property passed from him to Mrs. Lucy Stratton Sawyer, of Boylston, but on her death in 1871 she left a will bequeathing the place to Nahum's daughters, Mary Mason and Elizabeth Mackenzie, and giving Nahum a life right in the house.
For ten years or more before 1900, the house stood vacant and neglected. It was purchased by Mrs. Mary Keefe and put in living condition. In 1907, it was sold to Giacomo Bonazzoli, the present owner, who has greatly improved it. Many of the old features have been retained, such as the huge fireplaces, the old hardware, doors, wain- scoting, and heavy beams.
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
THE MOORE-BONAZZOLI HOUSE
The place in South Bolton now owned by Giacomo Bonazzoli and occupied by Dante E. V. Bonazzoli, was in the Wheeler family for more than one hundred years before its purchase by the present owner. Miss Roena Wheeler was the last of the family to own it, and it had previously been the property of her father, Thomas W., her grand- father, Asa, and her great-grandfather, Abel.
Doctor John Sprague owned the place from 1758 to 1780. As there was no town road to the property until after 1831, it is rather remarkable that a doctor should have considered it a suitable place to live. However, it is probable that private cart-paths were not much more impassable than the town roads of a hundred years ago.
The owner before Doctor Sprague was James Minot, who had purchased the property from John Moore in 1749. Search has failed to reveal a deed to John Moore between 1731, when the Registry of Deeds in Worcester came into existence, and the time he sold the place. It seems likely that it must have been built before 1731, although the actual date of building is unknown.
This house has been modernized very little, with the exception of modern conveniences. The old doors with their quaint hand-forged latches and strap hinges are nearly all intact. There are several fireplaces, a brick oven, corner beams, and many other interesting reminders of an earlier day.
THE WILDER MANSION
The Wilder Mansion is by far the most interesting, his- torically, of any house in Bolton. Its story is interwoven with the history of the town. Tradition says that it was
A ROOM IN THE WILDER-CLAPP HOUSE
INTERIOR OF THE WHITCOMB-MENTZER HOUSE
THE ENTRANCE HALL AND DOUBLE STAIRCASE IN THE WILDER MANSION
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built by Josiah Richardson, the year the town was incor- porated. He kept it only three years. In 1741, he sold it to John Richardson of Dorchester, a distiller, whose son, Caleb, conducted an inn there for seventeen years. Although the main highway to Boston at that time ran by the door, Caleb did not make a success of his business, and, to save the property, his brother, James, who had become wealthy in the distilling business of his father, took it over.
James Richardson, in the thirty years he was owner, improved the place, adding greatly to its acreage. The Richardsons were active in Bolton, and their name appears often in the records.
James Richardson was a bachelor, and the place passed out of the family on his death. After a number of years, about 1814, it was bought by S. V. S. Wilder, its most famous owner, who remodeled the house to resemble a French château. Under Wilder's ownership, the acreage became enormous; his holdings extended into Lancaster, and nearly to the Harvard line. Dozens of persons were employed to work the farm, take care of the stock of vari- ous kinds, and to carry on the numerous projects in which Mr. Wilder was interested. The Wilders entertained exten- sively, and necessarily employed a large domestic staff.
After Mr. Wilder left Bolton, Jonathan Forbush pur- chased the estate and carried it on somewhat as before. He was especially interested in pedigreed cattle, and imported many from Europe. Mr. Forbush's daughter, Miss Harriet Forbush, now makes her home in Lancaster, and her remi- niscenses about the old mansion are many and valuable.
In the fall of 1897, every Boston paper carried a story of the purchase of the Wilder Mansion by J. Wyman
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
Jones and his wife, who was Mark Hanna's sister. It was suggested that the place had been bought for use as a summer White House, due to Mark Hanna's close connec- tion with the President. Nothing of the kind ever material- ized, although Mr. and Mrs. Jones lived in Bolton almost fifteen years.
Richard Saltonstall and Howland Russell were later owners. In 1924, Mr. Frederick M. Burnham of Boston bought the place for a summer home, and his family spend much time here, on "beautiful Bolton hill."
The mansion itself probably little resembles "Caleb Richardson's Inn." In J. Wyman Jones' day, porches and wings of the Victorian type were added. Mr. Saltonstall had these unsuitable additions removed, and much restora- tion was accomplished inside. So far as it is possible to determine, the mansion is now as it was in the days of its greatest glory - when the Bolton Militia guarded the slumbers of the great Lafayette.
THE WILDER-CLAPP HOUSE
The house now owned by Lowell T. Clapp was once the property of John Wilder, one of the early settlers of Bolton. The exact date when Wilder built his house is not known, but in March, 1738/9, he was living here, as a town meeting voted to place the meetinghouse on his land, "the place being a pine bank near the cellar place called John Wilder's cellar," which vote was later rescinded. A few years later, in 1748, Wilder deeded to his youngest son, William, thirty-one acres of land and the homestead. The will of the elder Wilder, who died in 1756, devised the remainder of his home property to William.
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OLD HOUSES
Micah Bush was the next owner of the Wilder property, the purchase being made in 1781. Bush came from Marl- borough, and soon became prominent in town affairs. His name appears in the records as an office holder and member of committees. Amory Holman bought the entire property from Bush, but later owners divided it, selling only eight acres with the homestead.
In 1890, Andrew L. Nourse sold the house and three acres of land to Doctor J. Wilkinson Clapp, whose son is the present owner. Doctor Clapp used the place as a summer home, and he was probably Bolton's first "summer resident." He took a very active interest in the town, particularly in the library. He served as a member of the Board of Library Trustees for many years, and occa- sionally served on other committees. He was always ready with financial aid in town projects, often preferring to remain anonymous.
The Clapp house has retained its Colonial exterior, although it has been remodeled extensively inside. In the nine-room house there are three chimneys in which five open fireplaces are used, two of them having the old cranes. The charming old doorway reflects the Colonial spirit to be found within.
THE MOORE-CLAPP COTTAGE
On the lawn of Mr. Clapp's estate is a quaint cottage, once the store of Caleb Moore, who built it about 1795. It was later owned by his son, Christopher C. Moore. The living-room, which was formerly the store itself, has a Franklin fireplace built in the center of the room, away from the wall. Doctor Clapp bought the store building from the Moore estate in 1909.
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
Christopher C. Moore, the last owner of the store, in- herited the Emerson place from his father, but, being a bachelor, he sold the homestead to Nathan Sawyer. The story is told that Moore made arrangements to board with the Sawyers but after a while decided to board himself at the store as he considered the $2.00 a week they charged him excessive. He cooked his own meals and slept on the counter at night. The townspeople rather pitied him in his apparent poverty and were shocked when he was found dead in his lonely dwelling. The safe, never locked, much to every- one's surprise, yielded nearly $250,000 in government bonds !
THE WILDER-WORTHEN HOUSE
On the thirty-one acre estate of John Wilder, beside his homestead, there was another house probably occupied by William, his youngest son. As William Wilder's name appears in a list of voters in 1740, he doubtless had estab- lished his home before that time. No roads then sepa- rated the two Wilder houses, William's being just across the valley from his father's.
John Wilder deeded both houses to his son on the same day, and William later sold the place as one piece of prop- erty to Micah Bush, but after Bush's ownership the estate was divided. Later owners included Amory Holman, Josiah Goss, and William E. Fife. Richard Haggerty owned and occupied the place for over forty years, and after his death in 1912 it was purchased by Dana E. Rollins.
The present owner, Mrs. Eva Miller Worthen, who bought it in 1929, has remodeled and restored extensively. Workmen found hand-split lathes, and wooden pegged oak beams. There are several fireplaces in use, and in the old kitchen is a beehive oven.
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OLD HOUSES
THE HOLMAN MANSION
The house now known as "The Country Manor" was built by Reverend Thomas Goss when he settled in the Bolton parish in 1741. Besides his salary, which was gen- erous for the times, the town voted to give him £400 "for encouragement." Without doubt, that amount paid for building his house.
During the "Goss Controversy " the "Gossites" met each Sunday at the home of their minister, this practice continu- ing for nearly ten years. After the death of Mr. Goss, in 1780, the place was sold by his heirs to General Silas Holman. It was later owned by General Amory Holman, son of General Silas, and remained in possession of the Holman family until 1907. At that time it was purchased by James P. Gilbert.
The place was sold in 1935 to Mrs. Gertrude Lorway of Belmont, who had formerly been connected with the Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Boston. The place is now called "The Country Manor," and is operated as a tea room, with an atmosphere of hospitality and dignity becoming the old mansion.
THE THOMAS HOUGHTON HOUSE
Hezekiah Whitcomb owned a large amount of property in the Bolton section of Lancaster. When he died in 1733, the administrator of his estate set out to his nine-year-old son, Eleazar, besides several other parcels of land, a plot containing about three acres, bounded on the south by the Bay Path or the Great Road. In 1749, Eleazar Whitcomb married Mary Putnam and built a house on his three-acre plot. This is the house now owned by George Maynard.
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
In 1776, Eleazar and Mary Whitcomb sold the place to John Jewett, a cooper, who transferred it, about a month later, to Israel Whitcomb, a brother of Eleazar. Israel Whitcomb lived there for twelve years, and then sold it back to John Jewett for £240, the original price. Jewett resided there the rest of his life, and on his death it passed into the hands of Stephen P. Gardner, who dealt in real estate. Mr. Gardner probably rented it until 1819, when he sold it to Nathan Ellinwood, a cordwainer, this time for $240.
Ellinwood increased the value of the property during the twenty-one years he lived on it, as he sold it in 1840, for $700, to Arah Ellinwood, yeoman. Four years later, in 1844, Thomas Houghton, gentleman, became the owner.
From that time until the present, the place has been in the same family. It passed from Thomas Houghton to his son, Sherman W. Houghton; then to Sherman's brother-in-law, George H. Eastman. He sold it to Eunice Houghton, his wife's mother. From Eunice Houghton it descended to her daughter, Susan Houghton Eastman, and from her to her grandson George E. Maynard, who is the great-grandson of Thomas Houghton.
THE CAPTAIN SAMUEL BAKER HOUSE
In 1750, Samuel Baker bought thirty acres of land on the County road " near West's pond," and on the plot he erected a house, a tan yard, and a sawmill. This is the farm now owned by John Hopkins which is, today, between the Great Road and the Long Hill Road.
Samuel Baker was one of Bolton's most influential citi- zens, holding many town offices. He was a selectman for twenty years, and during the Revolution he was a member
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OLD HOUSES
of the town's Committee of Correspondence. For several years he was sent as Representative to the General Court. In later years he was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Judge Baker, in 1765, sold his place in Bolton, and bought the stone house on Baker Hill in Berlin.
Benjamin Sawyer bought the house and mill in 1791, and for nearly one hundred years it was in possession of the family. After the death of John Sawyer, it was sold, and Amos Bryant, Gardner Willard, and Richard Fitzger- ald were later owners. The house was for a year or two used as a barrack for the State Police, and in 1931, it was bought by John Hopkins, the present owner.
The house has two chimneys and seven fireplaces. The rooms are wainscoted and have other fine woodwork. H L hinges are to be found on every inside door, while the outside doors have strap hinges. The most interesting and unusual feature of this house is a beveled ceiling in the living room.
THE BARRETT-GODING HOUSE
The house now owned by Mrs. Charles Burns stands on land which was once the property of Hezekiah Whitcomb, and was a part of the portion of his second son, William. After William sold this parcel of land, it passed through the hands of several owners. Some of the deeds are inter- esting ; one mentions "ye old beaver dam," one gives as the north bound "the upper end of Bay Path Meadow," one is from Benjamin Houghton and Zerviah, "my new married wife," to Nathaniel Holman.
It appears that in 1750, Oliver Barrett bought the piece of land "for One hundred Seventy nine pounds in old Tenor Bills or money equivalent thereto." On this land Lieu-
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
tenant Barrett erected a house which he sold in 1764 to Ichabod Smith, a cooper. From that time on either a cooper shop or blacksmith shop is mentioned in each deed.
Eliakim Atherton and Thomas Atherton, both black- smiths, John Temple, a cordwainer, Jonas Bruce, a silver- smith, Noah Bacon, a blacksmith, Peter Tenney and Isaiah Leighton, coopers, and Thomas Osborne, gentleman, were some of the owners. Ephraim Osborne, son of Thomas, sold the place to Captain Oliver Sawyer, reserving the cooper shop, which "Brooks Wheeler may move off of said premises." On Captain Oliver's death in 1836, it passed into the hands of Thomas Houghton, and remained in the Houghton family for many years, Thomas' son, Luther, and Luther's son, George, owning it successively. The blacksmith shop stood between the house and the burying ground. Luther Houghton was a shoemaker and used as his workshop the ell on the east of the house.
Charles Houghton was the last of the name to reside there. Everett B. Rowe, Robert Clark, William Hanscom, and George Hanscom owned the place for short lengths of time. In 1910, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Goding bought the property. Mrs. Goding lived there until 1938, when she died in her ninety-fifth year. By her will, the house was left to Mrs. Burns, who had given her faithful and loving care in her declining years.
The chief claim to distinction of this house is its unusu- ally heavy beamed construction, and the fact that the back of the house is made of two-inch plank with loop-holes. Batten doors with strap hinges are found throughout, and on one door is to be seen what is probably unique in Bolton, a latch-string.
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OLD HOUSES
THE JOHN FRY HOUSE
In 1740, Jonathan Moore gave to his sons their share of his estate. To his son Jonathan was given a tract of land bordering on what is now the Berlin Road. On this land, Jonathan Moore, Junior, erected a house which is now owned by Merwin Porter Hall. In a beam in the attic is cut the date, 1757. John Fry purchased the property in 1767, and after his death, his son, Thomas Fry, owned it. A boarding school was conducted there, which is said to have been the first in Massachusetts.
After the removal of the Fry family to Chicago, Arthur V. Wheeler lived in the house for many years, selling it to his brother, Doctor Homer Wheeler. The present owner bought the place in 1922.
This house has a large center chimney, with six fireplaces and two brick ovens. The pine-sheathed library with its hand-hewn beams in the ceiling has been restored. Many of the windows have the original small panes, - twenty- four to a window. A number of the doors have the old latches, hinges, and bolts. The front stairway is very quaint, being extremely narrow.
THE JONATHAN FRY HOUSE
The house owned by Reverend and Mrs. Albert Syze was at one time the property of Jonathan Fry, a son of John Fry. In 1826, Nathaniel Longley deeded to Jona- than Fry "all the new part of the house and half of certain chambers, half the barn, granary, etc., and land at south of house." Longley had received this house, or at least the old half of it, from his father, Nathaniel, Senior, a Revolutionary soldier, who had purchased it in 1762, from
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
Jabez Fairbank, "it being all my homestead." As there are no deeds of the place to Jabez Fairbank, it is probable that he built it in the early days of the town.
THE HOUGHTON HOUSE
Joseph and Sanderson Houghton, brothers, owned all their property in common. When Joseph died in 1789, the administrators of his estate laid out to his heirs many acres of land, "} a cyder mill, ¿ an old barn and linter, } the newest barn; ¿ an old house; kitchen, bedroom, garrett and chamber so far as to a perpendicular line from the ridge to the summer girt over the front room." One of the heirs to receive this property was Joseph Houghton, who later, by inheritance and purchase, acquired the entire estate. His son, Quincy A., left the place to his children, Daniel W. Houghton, Sarah Houghton, and Josephine Houghton Fletcher. Sydney Fletcher, son of Josephine and nephew of Daniel and Sarah, in 1936, became sole heir to the property, and the next year sold it to Robert Forbes of Boston. Mr. Forbes is at present restoring the house to its original beauty.
Because of the complete absence of deeds, it has been impossible to trace this house beyond 1789, when it was called "an old house." In a town record of a road in 1721, Henry Houghton, who was the father of Joseph and San- derson, is noted as having a house in the same location, which may have been the same house.
The Houghton house is very old. It has probably the largest chimney of any house in town. The foundation of the chimney is built in two parts, each about twelve by eight feet, with a space between the two nearly as great. Two little stone cupboards, once used as "wine coolers,"
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OLD HOUSES
are built into the base of this chimney. There is a fine old doorway on the front of the house, and inside is much interesting woodwork, all fashioned by hand.
THE AARON POWERS HOUSE
Nathaniel Oak owned many tracts of land. On Febru- ary II, 1768, he sold to Joseph Keys "I acre and 50 rods with the house where said Keys now lives." It would seem that Oak had sold Keys a part of a much larger tract, on which either he or Keys had already built.
October 13, 1773, Joseph Keys sold to Mary Russell, tailor, the above dwelling house and "all other cultiva- tions." January 17, 1786, Mary Russell sold to Thomas Osborne "I acre, 50 rds, house, fencing, orcharding and all timber standing or lying thereon."
Thomas Osborne, "gentleman," sold in 1804 to Beriah Oak, wheelwright, a tract of land bounded on the south by the Great Road, on the west by Oliver Barrett's (now the cemetery), and on the east by Thomas Miles' shoe- shop and house. On the north the lot extended across the meadow to the upland and to the road by Oak's house. Beriah Oak, who was a Revolutionary soldier, sold the place on March 14, 1807, to Abel Whitcomb, who still owned it in 1831, and for many years thereafter.
Meantime, John Powers purchased two parcels of land adjoining the Whitcomb land. About 1870, he purchased the home place of Abel Whitcomb, and lived there until his death in 1875. Soon after, the place was sold to Aaron Powers, who lived there the remainder of his life until 1905. In 1894, he sold the property to his daughter, Mrs. Flora Powers Hamilton, who is the present owner.
The house has several H or Christian hinges, and one
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
door with a very large strap hinge. All of the rooms have corner posts; the lower rooms all are wainscoted, one having deep molding.
THE HOUGHTON-ROWE HOUSE
The house owned by Everett B. Rowe is more than 150 years old. Early records show that in 1825, Paul Whitcomb purchased the place at auction, when Caleb Moore sold it for the minor children of Eleazar Houghton.
Jonas Houghton, father of Eleazar, left a will which divided his property among his several children. Eleazar thus inherited part of the "homestead" but bought the rest from Caleb Moore who had purchased it from the other son Silas. This part included one half a pew on the lower floor of the meetinghouse. Jonas had in turn been willed the property by his father, Jonas. Though it is hard to tell exactly when the house was built, it must have been standing in 1775.
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