USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Bolton > History of Bolton, 1738-1938 > Part 11
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Six fireplaces are grouped around the two large old chim- neys. In the dining room, originally the kitchen, there is a brick oven. The boards in the sheathing of this room are from 14 to 19 inches in width. In most of the other rooms the floors are of wide boards. These rooms also have Christian doors, but the hinges must have been changed at some time, for the present ones are modern. An interesting old door, hung on strap hinges, is double boarded. The boards running in opposite directions on the two sides are held together with hand-wrought nails. Wherever the beams or posts are exposed, one can see the wooden pegs which hold the building together. An un- usual feature is the porch which is paved with great flat stones, some of them five feet in width.
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THE BACON-DAKIN HOUSE
The house now owned by Herbert J. Dakin on Long Hill was built in 1785 by Noah Bacon. Four acres more or less, with house and blacksmith shop, were sold by Mr. Bacon on April 2, 1792, to Peter Tenney. The place was then sold successively to Thomas Osborne, February 28, 1794; to Beriah Oaks, a wheelwright, November, 1814; to John Burnham, a carpenter, July 8, 1815; to Oliver Barrett, April 4, 1839; to Silas Fairbanks, January 17, I842; to George W. Whitney, January 26, 1842; to Charles A. Sawyer, March 16, 1861 ; to Albert Goodrich, 1864; and on March 13, 1865, Albert Goodrich sold it to Reverend Kilburn Holt, the Baptist minister.
In 1866, the place was purchased by Curtis Bagley of Rockingham, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Bagley made it their home as long as they lived, and in 1882, it passed to their daughter, Rebecca Bagley Dakin. Mrs. Dakin's husband, Joseph, died in 1887, and in 1889, she married Henry L. Balcolm, who died in 1933. Mrs. Balcolm died on April 6, 1937, at the age of ninety-three years. About 1910, Herbert Dakin, who had always lived with his mother, built several large sheds, repaired the barn, and planted about 500 apple, peach, cherry, pear, and plum trees. Since then raspberry and other small fruits have been planted.
This house is a two-story structure, with eight rooms, and shed attached, and a big center chimney, supported by a large stone arch in the cellar. In the big old- fashioned kitchen is a huge fireplace with the brick oven used in olden times for baking. Eight doors open from this kitchen. The dining room contains a fireplace, and there are some H hinges and old-fashioned latches in the house.
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THE PHINEAS WRIGHT HOUSE
In 1785, Doctor John Barnard sold about forty acres of land, with the exception of a strip on the Harvard Road, to Reverend Phineas Wright, third minister of Bolton, upon which land the latter erected the buildings now stand- ing. Later, in 1810, the widow of Reverend Phineas Wright, Susanna Wright, made a transfer of the property to Reverend Isaac Allen, fourth minister of Bolton. In 1844, Doctor Robert Thaxter of Dorchester bought the property from the estate of Reverend Mr. Allen. In 1862, the buildings and the land, including the strip of land and what was left of the tan yard, on the Harvard Road, formerly owned by Rufus O. Nourse, passed into the hands of Doctor Thaxter's niece, Mrs. Richard Edes, wife of the fifth minister of Bolton. From 1862 until the present time the property has been in the Edes family. It is now owned by Mrs. Francis Edes.
There were originally eight fireplaces, two large ones with built-in ovens. As in so many of the old houses, most of the fireplaces are cemented or bricked up. In one room, although the fireplace is not open, the oven is still intact. Old latches are still in use on the six-paneled doors. Several of the doors swing on cross-bar hinges, with heavy bolts to lock them. When the old David Nourse place was burned, some of the H hinges were saved, and placed on doors in the Edes house.
THE NOURSE HOUSE
The brick house at Nourse's Corner, owned by Richard E. Nourse, was built by David Whitney about 1810. Be-
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fore that date, it is probable that the owners of the property lived in the Nourse cottage, which was built before 1770.
This place has been in the Nourse family for sixty-four years, having been bought by Andrew L. Nourse in 1874. In 19II, it was purchased by Richard E. Nourse, the present owner.
Bolton bricks were used in the construction of the large house, which is a fine Colonial type. Original paneling, stairway, fireplaces and hardware may be found in the house. Inside shutters are an unusual feature. A fine fanlight over the door adds charm to the entrance.
THE KIMMENS HOUSE
Between the home lots of Eleazar Whitcomb and Ichabod Smith on the Bay Road, or Great Road, was a two-acre plot which was a part of the original three acres set out to Eleazar by the administrator of his father. In 1764, Eleazar Whitcomb sold the two acres to his neighbor. In the old deed the beaver dam in the brook is mentioned. Until 1793, this plot remained a part of the property now owned by Mrs. Charles Burns. At that time, Elnathan Polly, a blacksmith, bought it from Peter Tenney and Isaiah Leighton. In the meantime, a barn and blacksmith shop had been built on the land.
Elnathan Polly built the house now owned by Mrs. Charles Kimmens. In 1797, Polly sold the place to Elijah Sawyer, blacksmith, and in 1808, Elijah, having become, according to the deed, a gentleman, conveyed it to his brother, Captain Oliver Sawyer, who is called a blacksmith.
The house at the time Captain Oliver bought it was a one-story building, probably with a twenty-five foot ell on the east side. Captain Oliver did a great deal of remodel-
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ing, raising the main house and adding another twenty-five feet to the ell.
After Captain Oliver's death in 1836, the place was sold at public vendue. It was bought by Benjamin Bailey, and later sold to various owners, all blacksmiths. The deeds always except "a certain small piece of land given by Oliver Sawyer to the Town of Bolton, for school accommodations." This is the walled-in lot opposite the house. On March 25, 1858, Amos P. Kimmens bought this property, and it has remained in the Kimmens' name for eighty years.
The house has a nine-foot chimney, two fireplaces, one with hearth of square bricks, a brick oven, ceiling beams, and exposed corner beams in all the rooms. In two rooms the framing beams are also exposed. On the lower floor are ten doors with strap hinges. All the inside doors, some of them batten type, have hand-forged latches and door handles. One of these handles is unusual, being a silhou- ette of a periwigged gentleman, which design is reversed on the lower side of the handle.
"BRAECROFT"
"Braecroft" was built in 1795 by Captain Caleb Moore, a prominent man of affairs in his day. It remained in pos- session of his descendants for many years, but about 1863 it was conveyed by Christopher Moore to Nathan Sawyer. John H. Sawyer, son of Nathan, lived in the house, and raised his family there. It was sold by him, in 1895, to Edward D. Emerson, and is still owned by Mrs. Emerson.
"Braecroft" is a brick house, the outside walls being constructed of three layers of bricks. All the windows on the first floor originally had inside shutters, but only those in the dining room remain, the others having been removed
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by a former owner. All the doors are the so-called Chris- tian doors. The interior woodwork is hand-made. Of the six fireplaces, two have unusually beautiful mantels, one carved with urns and the other in the rare Sheraton Tam- bour design. The floor in the living room is stenciled in color, a process now considered a lost art. The room used today as a living room is the original kitchen, and has a brick oven beside its huge fireplace.
THE HOUGHTON-WHEELER HOUSE
The house situated on Sugar Road in the eastern part of the town, now owned and occupied by Amos C. Wheeler, was probably built in 1795. A deed was given by Jona- than Priest Houghton, who lived in a house at the corner of Sugar Road and the Golden Run Road, to Jonathan Priest Houghton, Jr., in 1794. This was for eighty acres of land with the west boundary a small brook. No buildings are mentioned. In 1796, Jonathan Priest Houghton, Jr., married Beulah Whitcomb. Therefore it seems likely that the house was built in 1795.
There have been many changes both inside and out, but the outside door is doubtless the original one. It is a Christian door, batten-boarded on the inside, with heavy hand-wrought hinges sunk level with the boards. There are a few H L hinges and unusual latches left, the brick oven is still in the kitchen, and one fireplace is still in use.
THE FIRST PARISH PARSONAGE
The house now owned by the First Parish was built in 1798 by Stephen Partridge Gardner, who was for many years one of Bolton's leading citizens. To this house, Mr. Gardner brought his bride, Achsah Moore, in 1798,
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and here his large family of children were born. The Gardner family were musical and literary, and the cultural life of the community centered around their hearth. Three of the Gardner daughters married ministers, one married a lawyer, and one a doctor. Stephen P. Gardner died in 1841, and the place passed through the hands of a rapid succession of owners. In 1873, it was bought by the First Parish, and was used until about 1925 for a parsonage. Since then it has been rented.
This house, a fine square Colonial, has five fireplaces, a brick oven, most of its original hardware, corner beams, and wainscoting in all the rooms. In one front room, evi- dently the old parlor, the mantel is beautiful, being trimmed with a hand-carved molding, which is also used between the ceiling and walls and at the top of the wainscoting. In the same room are deep window-seats, with a molding trimming the window-frames.
THE DAVID HOLDER HOUSE
Just south of the Joseph Holder place is the one known as the "David Holder place," standing back from the road, up a narrow lane. Evidently built at some date previous to 1799, it was owned by twelve or more different people between 1799 and 1931, but was longest occupied by David Holder, brother of Joseph Holder, from 1828 to 1852. It did not return to the Holder family until it was purchased by George E. Dow in 1899, from Edward Burrill, who had owned it for seventeen years. In 1904, Francis T. Holder, youngest son of David Holder, wished to buy back the home of his boyhood. There was a tree made of pebbles on one end of the plaster house, which he had helped to construct. The date, 1841, was just beneath the tree.
STAIRWAY IN THE JOHN WILDER HOUSE
THE HOLMAN MANSION, BUILT IN 174I
THE PHINEAS WRIGHT HOUSE
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(Francis T. Holder will be remembered as the giver of Holder Hall and a barn, constructed on the grounds of Bolton Friends Meeting House.) Mr. Holder sold the home place back to George E. Dow two years later, and in 1917, it passed out of the Holder family again to Eleanor W. Trevitt, who sold it in 1931 to the present occupant, Roscoe Tansey.
In the David Holder house are the old six-paneled doors, with their quaint hand-forged hinges and latches. The low ceilings, heavy beams, brick oven, and fireplaces make this house interesting.
THE BAPTIST PARSONAGE
The house now known as the Baptist Parsonage has been called that since 1904. On March 1, 1800, Peter Clarke bought about half an acre of land from Joseph Sawyer, but no mention was made of any buildings. In 1801, Clarke sold the property, consisting of house, barn, and land, to Joseph and Benjamin Stone. The Stones sold it to John Peck of Newton on December third of the same year. Peck kept the place about five years, selling it in 1806 to William B. Merriam, who in turn sold it, almost immedi- ately, on March 14, 1806, to Amos Parker, a physician.
The property remained in the Parker family for the next ninety-one years, and the house became known as the "Parker House." On June 14, 1897, Miss Louisa Jane Parker, daughter of the doctor, deeded the property to Edward L. Potter for "one dollar and other considerations."
On April 26, 1904, he sold the place to Deacon and Trustee Aaron Powers of the First Baptist Church of Bolton, for "one dollar and other considerations," and it has remained in the possession of the Baptist Society ever since.
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The house has been remodeled to some extent during the course of the years, but the fireplaces, many of the wide floor boards, and some of the original hand-wrought hinges and latches still remain.
THE REUBEN NEWTON HOUSE
The house at Newton's corner on the Pan between Marl- borough Road and the Great Road is still occupied by one of the descendants, a great granddaughter of the Newtons.
The house was built in 1800 by Peter Moore. We know it was a small one-story, plastered building and it must have remained so, except for an added ell, until between 1857 and 1861. At that time, Reuben Newton clapboarded the outside, rearranged the rooms inside, built a Salem stairway, and widened the ell. In the room in the ell Mr. Newton and his two sons made shoes. About once a week he drove his horse to Lancaster to take back finished shoes and get cut shoes for himself and his neighbors.
During the days of 1860 and 1861 the men of the neigh- borhood would get together at evening mail-time over the newspaper to discuss the war. Capt. John Sawyer, James Sawyer, Dexter Bailey, and Elcanah Caswell were the usual guests of Mr. Newton, but promptly at nine o'clock they locked the door and went home.
In 1894, Mr. and Mrs. Legrand L. Brigham had the roof raised seven feet and built four rooms and a large hall on the second floor. They also put in new windows down- stairs and removed the side-lights at the front door, making the building as it stands today.
Most of the original features of the old interior and exterior have been destroyed. There still remain a few old latches, some walls of Bolton lime, and a large brass set
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kettle which could make about 40 gallons of apple sauce in the old days all in one cooking. The barn which is now standing is the original.
THE RANDALL HOUSE
The house on Randall Road now owned by Rufus Randall was built prior to 1805, but the exact date is not known. It is of the Cape Cod type, with three fireplaces, a brick oven, strap hinges, and a unique front door, hinged in the center because the hall was too narrow to allow a door to swing inside.
This house has been in the Randall family for 120 years, and is the only one in town owned by the same family that owned it when the 1831 map was made.
THE DANIEL SAWYER HOUSE
"Maple Lodge," now the property of Frank A. Paine, was built in 1805, by Obededom Brown, a carpenter. The land had been a part of the farm of Beriah Oak, who lived in the Hamilton house. A few years later the house was purchased by Daniel Sawyer, a wheelwright, who carried on his busi- ness and ran the farm. He was killed in 1847 by his own horse which had been frightened by a drove of cattle.
Several years later, the property was purchased by Joel Dakin, and transferred to Aaron Powers, who had married Mrs. Dakin's niece. This place was the Powers home for many years, but about 1904 it was sold to Charles Giddings. He remodeled the interior, installing modern conveniences.
There are three fireplaces, one having the old crane and a brick oven in excellent condition. One of the two Christian doors has long strap hinges.
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HISTORY OF BOLTON
THE LONGLEY-VON BLOMBERG HOUSE
In 1808, Nathaniel Longley, Jr., bought from Martin and Polly Houghton, "about nine Acres of land lying in Bolton on the westerly side of the road leading by the Friends Meeting House ... with the privilege to drain the same across my land, not discommoding travel."
Nathaniel Longley, Jr., yeoman, and Abigail, his wife, sold to Williard Walcott, housewright, in 1818, two parcels of land "about four acres and an half of land with the buildings thereon." No exact date for the erection of the buildings is obtainable.
This place changed hands many times. It was known for many years as the "Solon Wheeler" place, but is now the property of Baron Frary von Blomberg.
THE DAVID BABCOCK HOUSE
In 1809, John Frye deeded to Calvin Gates, cordwainer, twenty-two and one-half acres of land, without buildings. In 1835, Calvin Gates deeded to David Babcock, shoemaker and cobbler, the same land, with buildings. No one knows the exact year when the buildings were erected. Part of this land included the "Roper Meadow," of three acres.
Calvin Gates and David Babcock married sisters, Lydia and Elizabeth Walcutt, of Stow. The house is a story-and- a-half structure, with two ells, the northern one having been a shoe-shop. There are two fireplaces; and the strap hinges, old latches, and corner beams of the original house remain.
This house is situated on the Berlin road, where it winds across the meadows, and it is now owned by William Prachnick.
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THE SQUIRE JOSEPH SAWYER HOUSE
In 1810, Joseph Sawyer and his wife, Ruth, sold to Nathan Corey, trader, "54 Rods of land situated in Bolton on the Southerly side of the post road leading from Lancaster to Boston, near my dwelling house." Nathan Corey of Stow had married Eunice, the daughter of Joseph and Ruth Sawyer, in 1802, and they had lived in Stow until they bought this place.
In 1812, Nathan Corey gave a mortgage deed of this same plot of land "with the buildings thereon, consisting of a dwelling house, store and barn thereon standing." In 1814, it was deeded to John Haskell, goldsmith, and in 1815, it was deeded to Joseph Sawyer, Jr. It changed hands three more times, until finally it became the property of Emma Sawyer, and has remained the property of the Sawyers ever since.
The house has fourteen rooms and five fireplaces. There is a central hall, through which one may walk into the garden at the rear of the house. The kitchen is unusual, having ten doors which give the effect of paneling. There one sees the huge fireplace and brick oven.
One bedroom is especially interesting, with wainscoting and a mantel that projects beyond the chimney several inches at one end. There are brass door knobs, and deep window sills, and throughout the house may be seen strap and H and L hinges, with old latches and bolts. On the whole, this house has been "modernized" less than most houses of its period.
THE POLLARD-BACON HOUSE
Although the Pollard or Century Mills are the oldest mills in Bolton, the house now standing near them is not the original house referred to in Joseph Sawyer's will. The
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house now owned by the Bacon estate was built by Captain Amory Pollard. The date, 1811, is painted on the back of the house, where it has been carefully preserved. Situated on a knoll overlooking Wataquadock Brook and Meadows, with the old mills and mill-pond in the foreground, this rambling old house presents a charming picture of the traditional Colonial. Inside, the best of the old has been preserved, although conveniences for modern living have been installed.
The fine entrance doorway is original. A Christian door opens into a square hall with a three-turn stairway. The center chimney has one very large fireplace and two Frank- lin fireplaces. Above all three are substantial and interest- ing mantels, one having a fluted molding which is also used as trimming above the wainscoting.
THE JAMES N. FRY HOUSE
John Fry owned much land in the south part of Bolton, some of which he deeded to his sons as they became ready to establish homes of their own. To his son, James Neal Fry, he deeded in 1812 a parcel of land "being the southerly part of my farm." On this plot, James built a house, in which he and his wife, Ruth, lived. They had no children, and in their old age, Thomas A. Wheeler and his wife, Susan, cared for them. On the death of the Frys, Thomas A. Wheeler inherited the place, which is now in the possession of his youngest son, Jesse A. Wheeler.
THE JOSEPH HOLDER HOUSE
The house long known as the Joseph Holder homestead was evidently built between 1809 and 1813 by Stephen Pope, tanner, who operated a tannery at the edge of "Beman Brook," on the road "leading by Bolton burying yard to
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Marlborough." In 1813, the place was sold to Joseph and David Holder, brothers and cordwainers (shoemakers). For many years Joseph Holder operated his own shoe-shop, which was built on the north end of the house, and in 1863, he sold the property to his son-in-law, Greeley Dow, yeo- man, who had married Lydia B. Holder. Twenty-seven years later it was sold to their son George E. Dow who operated it as a farm until 1917. The next year it was sold by his heirs to Stanley Marsh, the first time it had been out of the Holder family for one hundred and five years. It is now owned and occupied by Frances E. and Charles H. Jones, formerly of Lexington.
THE J. AND J. BARNARD HOUSE
In 1810, Ame Adams bought from her husband some wood land which had been conveyed to him by his father, Oliver Adams, in 1809. In 1817, Ame Adams sold to Joel and Joab Barnard, housewrights, all the Adams farm ex- cept two small pieces of land. One of these pieces was deeded to Jacob Fisher, whose land bordered the farm on the east. Joel and Joab Barnard operated a sawmill on the creek running through this property, and built the present wooden frame Colonial house, about 1817. They married sisters, and all lived together.
This house is one of the finer Colonial houses, and has five fireplaces in constant use, with two others not open. It is believed that the house was built adjoining the "Bark House" mentioned in the deed as there is, in an ell, a very interesting old oven and chimney that will be restored sometime.
Within recent years, this house was the home of Edward A. Hackett, who was manager of the Bolton Fruit Company. It is now occupied by Arthur H. Brown.
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THE DOW HOUSE
Doctor Amos Parker, the first Postmaster of Bolton, owned a plot of four acres, thirty-two rods, directly opposite his house, which he sold in 1817 to William B. Chaplin, cordwainer. This lot was bounded on the south by the Great Road, on the west by Captain Caleb Wheeler's land, and on the north and east by land of Haven Newton. Chaplin built a house and other buildings, and in 1822 he sold the property to Joseph Houghton. Chaplin lived there for some time, as he rented the property from Houghton.
In 1835, Coffin Chapin purchased the property, and immediately resold it to William Goodale. Before the year was out, it had come back into the hands of Joseph Hough- ton, in whose possession it remained until his death in 1847. In his will, the eastern part of the land was left to the town of Bolton as a school lot.
The house was owned for a number of years after 1868 by Deacon Aaron Powers and Joel Proctor, and was used as a parsonage for the Baptist ministers.
Joel Proctor bought the share of Deacon Powers in this house, and in 1888 sold the place to William and Ella Dow. Mr. Dow occupied the house for about thirty-four years until 1922, when it was purchased by John L. Smith.
THE ASA WHEELER, JR., HOUSE
The house now owned by Mrs. Jessie Beach was built in 1819. In July of that year, Asa Wheeler, Jr., bought from Calvin Gates an acre of land near the Gates's house, and on the road to Berlin. Asa Wheeler's wife was Mary Fry, daughter of William, and granddaughter of John Fry. In 1828, Asa sold the place to Thomas Fry, schoolmaster.
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In later years, this place was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Greeley Dow. They had lived on the Joseph Holder place, where Mr. Dow had been a farmer, but they preferred a smaller place for their declining years. Mrs. Mary Graves was another owner of this place, living there about ten years. Mrs. Jessie Beach has been the owner for nine years.
The house itself is a quaint Cape Cod cottage, with a large unspoiled center chimney. It has fireplaces, a brick oven, and some of the original hardware.
THE SAWYER-KITTREDGE HOUSE
Reverend Isaac Allen owned the farm which for many years has been called the Edes place. He also owned many acres beyond the farm and on the west side of the road. In January, 1820, he sold thirty-seven rods of land to Luther Sawyer for twenty dollars. No buildings are mentioned. Sawyer very soon erected a dwelling, as in November of the same year he mortgaged for fifty dollars "37 rods of land with the bldg. thereon." A few years later, in 1824, Sawyer sold to David Southwick. Two years after he had bought the place, David Southwick was killed by a blast at the lime- quarry.
Widow Southwick and her ten children lived in the little house for sixteen years, when it was purchased by Abraham Holman, who probably bought for investment. He held it for about a year, selling to Phineas Clark in 1841. For fifty-six years it remained in the Clark family, the heirs of Mary E. Clark in 1897 selling it to Arthur B. Miner. Sev- eral others owned and occupied the place before 1909, when it was purchased by Alpheus Otterson. The present owner, Darwin A. Kittredge, is a nephew of Mr. Otterson.
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