Saturday, February 09, 2013 at 12:21 AM

 

Inventory No: HRV.174   

Historic Name: Whitney, Cyrus House and Farm

Common Name: Whitney Lane Farm

Address: 14 Whitney Ln

City/Town: Harvard

Village/Neighborhood:

Local No: 23-18,22

Year Constructed:

Architect(s):

Architectural Style(s): Federal

Use(s):Agricultural; Dairy; Horse Or Cattle Farm; Orchard; Single Family Dwelling House

Significance: Agriculture; Architecture

Area(s):

Designation(s):

 

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Commonwealth of MassachusettsMassachusetts Historical Commission

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This file was accessed on:

FORM B - BUILDING A s s e s s o r s # 23-18,22 +

USGS quad Hudson

area o u t l y i n g

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 Boylston S t r e e t Boston MA 02116

N

Recorded by: Dempsey & F i t z P a t r i c k

O r g a n i z a t i o n : Harvard H i s t o r i c a l Commission

i L Date: March 1994

1 w iZ ; V tZ

JUN 1 5 1994

form # HH

Town Harvard

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

Address

014 Whitney Lane

H i s t o r i c Name

Whitney Farm

Use: P r e s e n t farm O r i g i n a l farm

Date of c o n s t r u c t i o n 1802

Source Scourgie

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

Form double 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 :

Roof s l a t e W a l l / t r i m b r i c k Foundation g r a n i t e

O u t b u i l d i n g s m u l t i p l e See r e a r of form f o r

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

A l t e r a t i o n s e l l s See r e a r of form f o r . d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

C o n d i t i o n good

Moved no

Acreage 94.53 a.

S e t t i n g r u r a l See r e a r of form f o r

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

m MASS. HiST. COMM.

( * - (

BUILDING FORM 14 Whitney Lane, O u t l y i n g

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION x s e e c o n t i n u a t i o n s h e e t

L o c a t e d i n the Oak H i l l s e c t i o n of Harvard, near the Boxborough border, the Whitney Lane Farm encompasses an i r r e g u l a r l y - s h a p e d 94-acre p a r c e l near the j u n c t i o n of Massachusetts Avenue and L i t t l e t o n County Road. Whitney Lane, an a c c e s s road which u n i t e s t h e s e two r u r a l roads a q u a r t e r m i l e n o r t h of t h e i r j u n c t u r e , p a s s e s to the r e a r of the house. The b r i c k F e d e r a l house f a c e s s o u t h - e a s t a c r o s s an expansive lawn and a meadow beyond. T h i s double house measures t w o - a n d - a - h a l f - s t o r i e s i n h e i g h t , f i v e bays i n width, and two p i l e s i n depth. Two s l e n d e r b r i c k chimneys r i s e from e i t h e r gabled end. The facade i s s y m m e t r i c a l l y f e n e s t r a t e d w i t h 8/12 s a s h a c r o s s the s e c o n d - s t o r y and 12/12 s a s h a c r o s s the f i r s t - s t o r y ; wooden l i n t e l s and s i l l s adorn t h e s e openings. The r e a r facade i s s i m i l a r l y f e n e s t r a t e d w i t h the e x c e p t i o n of the c e n t e r bay which i s a u s t e r e l y l i t by a s i n g l e o f f - c e n t e r , s l e n d e r 6/6 s a s h window i n the f i r s t - s t o r y . 8/12 sash windows a r e c e n t e r e d i n e i t h e r gabled end. The c e n t e r e n t r y i s e l a b o r a t e l y ornamented w i t h a F e d e r a l door surround, c o n s i s t i n g of a p i l a s t e r - s u p p o r t e d pedimented e n t a b l a t u r e w i t h an e l l i p t i c a l f a n l i g h t .

S e v e r a l c l a p b o a r d - s i d e d l a t e r a l masses were added to the 1802 b r i c k house; t h e s e i n c l u d e : a s i n g l e - s t o r y , f l a t - r o o f e d e x t e n s i o n which p r o j e c t s from the m i d - s e c t i o n of the r i g h t l a t e r a l w a l l ; a s m a l l "L"-shaped gabled e l l , which p r o j e c t s from the r e a r p i l e of the r i g h t l a t e r a l w a l l ; and a long gabled e l l which extends from the r e a r p i l e of the l e f t l a t e r a l w a l l . The f l a t -

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE x s e e c o n t i n u a t i o n s h e e t

The Whitney Lane Farm i s an e x c e p t i o n a l l y w e l l - p r e s e r v e d 19th-century farm, which i n a d d i t i o n to m a i n t a i n i n g i t s acreage, has as i t s c e n t e r p i e c e one of Harvard's h a l f dozen e a r l y - R e p u b l i c b r i c k houses. I n t h e l a t e - 1 9 t h c e n t u r y , t h i s farm was among a number of Harvard farms t o c o n v e r t i t s p a s t u r e s i n t o apple o r c h a r d s . T h i s s h i f t from g e n e r a l farming i s c r e d i t e d to the i n c r e a s e d p r e d i c t a b i l i t y of f r u i t p roduction f o l l o w i n g the i n t r o d u c t i o n of i n s e c t i c i d e s , new equipment f o r s p r a y i n g , improved knowledge of the hormones which p r e v e n t apples from dropping e a r l y , and the development of commercial s p e c i e s . By the 1920s, t h i s farm had 1,000 apple t r e e s which produced 6,000 b u s h e l s a n n u a l l y .

R E F E R E N C E S

Abbot,"The Apple I n d u s t r y i n Harvard from 1890 to 1940," 1940. Nourse, History of Harvard, 1894. Savage, Memoirs of Old Harvard Days, 1924. S c o r g i e , Notes on Harvard p r o p e r t i e s , undated. Holman, Afap of Harvard, 1831. B e e r s , A t l a s of Worcester County, 1870. R i c h a r d s , Atlas of Worcester County, 1898. W a l l i n g , Afap of. Worcester County, 1857 .

•

Recommended f o r l i s t i n g i n the N a t i o n a l R e g i s t e r of H i s t o r i c P l a c e s .

MHC INVENTORY F O R M CONTINUATION S H E E T MACRIS No. H I MHC Inventory scanning project, 2008-2012

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community P r o p e r t y Address Harvard 14 Whitney Lane, O u t l y i n g

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 B o y l s t o n S t r e e t Boston, Massachusetts 02116

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ( c o n t i n u e d )

r o o f e d e x t e n s i o n i s l i t w i t h 6/9 s a s h windows and i s f r o n t e d by a p o s t -supported i n s e t porch. The e l l , s i t u a t e d t o i t s r e a r , p r o j e c t s beyond the b r i c k s t r u c t u r e ' s r e a r facade. The e l l ' s r e a r e n t r y i s s h e l t e r e d beneath a chamfered post-supported porch. C i r c a 1970, t h i s e l l was extended 10 f e e t t o t h e west; i t s new l a t e r a l w a l l was embellished w i t h a l a r g e arched window wi t h ornamental t r a c e r y and the e l l ' s r e a r gabled p r o f i l e was changed to a s a l t - b o x form which was e m b e l l i s h e d w i t h a polygonal bay window. Due to a s l o p e i n the p r o p e r t y , t h e l e f t l a t e r a l e l l , which measures s i x bays i n width, expands from o n e - a n d - a - h a l f - s t o r i e s to t w o - a n d - a - h a l f - s t o r i e s a t i t s gabled end. A shed-r o o f e d l e a n - t o p r o j e c t s from the r i g h t h a l f of the e l l ' s facade. T h i s p r o j e c t i o n c o n t a i n s a s i d e e n t r y , s h e l t e r e d by an i n s e t porch supported by a b r a c k e t e d p o s t . A l a r g e multi-paned p i c t u r e window spans the e l l ' s l e f t t h r e e bays. The e l l ' s gabled end i s l i t w i t h a six-paned window i n the tympanum and 12/12 s a s h i n the f i r s t - and s e c o n d - s t o r i e s . A chamfered post-supported porch t r a v e r s e s the l e f t h a l f of the e l l ' s r e a r facade. A s i n g l e gable-roofed dormer l i g h t s the a t t i c space above t h i s porch. The grade drops to the r i g h t of t h i s r e a r porch, r e v e a l i n g an e l e v a t e d foundation, which i s f e n e s t r a t e d w i t h a b a t t e n door and two 12/12 sash windows. The l e v e l above i s l i t w i t h 8/12 s a s h windows.

A h i p - r o o f e d p i c n i c p a v i l i o n i s l o c a t e d i n the f r o n t lawn. T h i s open s t r u c t u r e , supported by r u s t i c p o s t s , has a wood-shingled r o o f . L a t e - 1 9 t h -c e n t u r y photos r e v e a l the presence of an ornate greenhouse s t r u c t u r e i n t h i s spot (no longer e x t a n t ) . The t r i a n g u l a r - s h a p e d f r o n t lawn and meadow beyond, encompassing 13 a c r e s , are e n c l o s e d by a d r y - l a i d stone w a l l . The 31-acre f i e l d l o c a t e d on the e a s t s i d e of L i t t l e t o n County Road was used as an apple o r c h a r d i n the l a t e - 1 9 t h c e n t u r y . Although the t r e e s have been removed, t h i s f i e l d c o n t a i n s two apple c u l t u r e remnants: a g a b l e - f r o n t e d , v e r t i c a l planked c i d e r m i l l , l o c a t e d along the road; and a s m a l l c r o s s - g a b l e d s t r u c t u r e used f o r making apple boxes, which stands i n the middle of t h e f i e l d . The c i d e r m i l l has a c e n t r a l arched opening w i t h a s l i d i n g barn door.

The f o l l o w i n g four farm s t r u c t u r e s a r e l o c a t e d on the n o r t h e r n s i d e of Whitney Farm Lane: a 1970s four-bay gable-roofed garage; two gable-roofed o u t - b u i l d i n g s ; and a l a r g e "T"-shaped barn. Both the house and the farm s t r u c t u r e s have s l a t e r o o f s . A wide ramp l e a d s from Whitney Farm Lane to the barn; the two g a b l e - f r o n t e d , clapboard-sheathed o u t - b u i l d i n g ' s a r e l o c a t e d on e i t h e r s i d e of t h i s ramp. These s m a l l f l a n k i n g s t r u c t u r e s measures one-and-a-h a l f - s t o r i e s i n h e i g h t , are l i t by s h u t t e r e d 6/6 s a s h windows, and r e s t on stone f o u n d a t i o n s . The l e f t o u t b u i l d i n g has a shed-roofed l e a n - t o along i t s l e f t l a t e r a l w a l l which c o n t a i n s a garage; i t s r i g h t l a t e r a l w a l l c o n t a i n s an e n t r y and a s l i d i n g barn door. The r i g h t o u t b u i l d i n g has an e n t r y i n i t s gabled end and i n the c e n t e r of i t s r i g h t l a t e r a l w a l l . The southern exposure of t h e l a r g e barn has a gabled p r o j e c t i o n which c o n t a i n s a l a r g e s l i d i n g barn door w i t h a multi-paned transom above. The gabled wing t o t h e r i g h t c o n t a i n s

V\(i\/.m

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community Harvard

P r o p e r t y Address 14 Whitney Lane, O u t l y i n g

M a s s a c h u s e t t s H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 B o y l s t o n S t r e e t Boston, Massachusetts 02116

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ( c o n t i n u e d )

a s i m i l a r e n t r y and a s m a l l e r s l i d i n g barn door. T h i s wing i s surmounted by a cupola v e n t . The t h r e e - l e v e l barn has a s l i d i n g barn door opening onto L i t t l e t o n County Road. Both the gabled p r o j e c t i o n and t h e l e f t l a t e r a l wing of t h e barn's n o r t h e r n e l e v a t i o n c o n t a i n a l a r g e s l i d i n g barn door w i t h m u l t i -paned transom above. Twenty one a c r e s of p a s t u r e are l o c a t e d to t h e north of t h e barn. An a d d i t i o n a l 41 a c r e s of wooded land are l o c a t e d on t h e western s i d e of Massachusetts Avenue.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ( c o n t i n u e d )

The farm's b r i c k r e s i d e n c e was c o n s t r u c t e d i n 1802 by Cyrus Whitney, who s e r v e d two terms as a Harvard selectman and was appointed deputy s h e r i f f of Worcester County i n 1&13. P r i o r to h i s death i n 1841, Cyrus d i v i d e d the farm and t h e house between h i s two sons, I s a i a h and I s a a c . According t o l o c a l h i s t o r i a n , Frank P. Abbot,

This division caused much confusion, since i t became quite a problem to keep track of the property rights of the various parties concerned. I t so happened that both brothers died i n 1867, Isaac leaving his share to his two sons, Walter H. and Charles E.; and Isaiah leaving his to his children. One of these was Harry, who bought from his brothers and s i s t e r s the whole of his father's half of the property. This relieved the congestion to such an extent that the three remaining families lived i n peace and harmony i n the house for some time (Abbot,1939:4) .

Two o t h e r l o c a l h i s t o r i a n s , S c o r g i e and Savage, h i g h l i g h t t h e c o n t r i b u t i o n I s a a c Wright made to t h i s p r o p e r t y . Wright, who m a r r i e d I s a a c Whitney's widow, i s c r e d i t e d w i t h expanding the farm o p e r a t i o n by i n c r e a s i n g t h e number of cows and the production of m i l k . Wright a l s o " s e t out s e v e r a l a c r e s of b l a c k b e r r i e s and took a g r e a t i n t e r e s t i n h i s l a r g e apple orchard" (Savage,1924 :14) . I n 1922 the e s t a t e was c o n s o l i d a t e d under the ownership of Walter H. Whitney's widow, Georgia. F o l l o w i n g Georgia Whitney's death i n 1925, t h e p r o p e r t y was bequeathed to her two s i s t e r s , Miss J e n n i e A. T u t t l e , who d i e d i n 1936, and Mrs. Sarah Watson, who maintained the p r o p e r t y through World War I I .

J?

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

Community Harvard Property Address 14 Whitney Lane Form # 1 7 4

Augmented by CWD 1996/97

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

The complex ownership of the Whitney p l a c e i s more simply r e p r e s e n t e d i n the t a x v a l u a t i o n s . I n 1866 Dorcas Whitney, widow of I s a a c , and I s a i a h Whitney shared a house, and each owned separate out b u i l d i n g s , land, and animals. I s a i a h had a barn, a c a r r i a g e house, and a shed on h i s 44-acre farm, w i t h two a d d i t i o n a l a c r e s of woodland, a horse, two oxen, seven cows, and two swine. Dorcas had a barn, a c a r r i a g e house, and a f r u i t house on her 51-acre farm, w i t h two a d d i t i o n a l a c r e s of woodland, a horse, f i v e cows, and two swine. Three y e a r s l a t e r Mary A. Whitney, I s a i a h ' s widow, and I s a a c F. Wright, married t o Dorcas, continued to share the house but otherwise r e p o r t s e p a r a t e farms. Mary's farm i n 1870 and 1882 i n c l u d e s 46 a c r e s of land, w i t h a barn, a c a r r i a g e house, and a shed, w h i l e her farming o p e r a t i o n i n c l u d e d a horse, t e n cows, and a swine, and a buggy and a c a r r i a g e provided t r a n s p o r t . Wright h e l d f i f t y - f o u r a c r e s , as w e l l as four-and-a-half a c r e s of sprout land i n 1870, an a d d i t i o n a l 26 a c r e s of Whitcomb pa s t u r e i n 1882, and twenty a c r e s of Sawyer sprout land i n 1900. Wright's p l a n t was s i m i l a r t o Mary Whitney's, i n c l u d i n g a barn, c a r r i a g e house, and wood house, but h i s herd was l a r g e r , i n c l u d i n g two h e i f e r s , two y e a r l i n g s , and a b u l l . Mary app a r e n t l y d i e d l a t e i n the 19th century and I s a a c between 1900 and 1910.

The t r a n s f e r t o the next generation during the e a r l y decades of the 20th century brought a c o n s o l i d a t i o n of the property. I s a a c ' s property descended through h i s grandsons to Georgie E. Whitney, widow of Walter Whitney; Georgie a l s o a c q u i r e d I s a i a h ' s share, through h i s g r a n d c h i l d r e n . By 1920, Georgie Whitney h e l d a farm of one-hundred-and-three-quarter a c r e s , but no longer kept farm animals i n l a r g e numbers. The farm yard was f u l l , however, i n c l u d i n g as w e l l as the house, a barn, a cottage, a small cottage, a shed and c a r r i a g e house, a wood shed, a c a r r i a g e house, and a hen house, e s s e n t i a l l y r e p r e s e n t i n g the j o i n i n g of the two separate o p e r a t i o n s . One of t h e s e c o t t a g e s i s l i k e l y the gambrel-roofed house a t 56 L i t t l e t o n County Road, d e s c r i b e d i n the a r c h i t e c t u r a l d e s c r i p t i o n attached. By 1930, Georgie Whitney's h e i r s h e l d the property, her s i s t e r s Jennie T u t t l e and Sarah A. Watson. They owned t h r e e horses and a cow and a h e i f e r , and had added an engine house to the complex. F i f t e e n y e a r s l a t e r only Sarah s u r v i v e d , and by 1955, she had a c q u i r e d another seventeen a c r e s with a d w e l l i n g , i t s l o c a t i o n not now known.

U n t i l r e c e n t l y , the Whitney Lane Farm was held by H a r t l e y D. and Karen S. Webster who a c q u i r e d i n the e a r l y 1960s. The b u i l d i n g s t o c k remained s i m i l a r , i n c l u d i n g the d w e l l i n g , o l d barn, cottage, a wood shed, and a c h i c k e n house, the t o o l shed and garage may be the shed and c a r r i a g e house, but the s m a l l c a r r i a g e and the c a r r i a g e house were gone. Add i t i o n s to the p l a n t i n c l u d e d the c i d e r m i l l and the new barn, as w e l l as t e n more a c r e s of land. The Websters were one of s i x town farms which kept horses, e i g h t i n 1974, and a l s o h e l d four b u l l s , t h i r t y - n i n e beef c a t t l e , and e i g h t y e a r l i n g s , making i t the l a r g e s t meat ope r a t i o n i n town.

Whitney Lane Farm i s a p a r t i c u l a r l y c r i t i c a l Harvard property because of i t s prominent p o s i t i o n along Route 111, Massachusetts Avenue, a popular e n t r y i n t o t h e town from the e a s t and Route 495. The s i g n i f i c a n t acreage of the farm, on both s i d e s of Massachusetts Avenue, provides a wide v i s t a a f t e r the wooded s t r e t c h n e arer the e x i t . Augmenting the landscape are a d j a c e n t open p a r c e l s , i n c l u d i n g Westward Orchard land on the south s i d e of the road. The property has r e c e n t l y been s o l d and the new owners hope t o c l o s e Whitney Lane as a p u b l i c way.

JUL 9 5 1997

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

Community Harvard Property Address 14 Whitney Lane Form # 174

Augmented by CWD 1996/97

A r c h i t e c t u r a l D e s c r i p t i o n , continued.

I t seems l i k e l y t h a t one of the cottages added e a r l y i n the 20th century i s the house t h a t s u r v i v e s a c r o s s from the Whitney Lane farmstead, on land a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h a t farm a t 56 L i t t l e t o n County Road. The gambrel b l o c k of the house i s o r i e n t e d to the west with i t s narrow end to the road, w i t h gambrel-roofed bays extending from the r e a r p i l e on each s i d e . Covered i n s h i n g l e s on i t s w a l l s and i t s roof, the house s i t s on a f i e l d stone foundation exposed as a lower s t o r y a t the ground l e v e l as the land s l o p e s o f f s h a r p l y away from the road. The simple c l a s s i c d e t a i l i n g of the house i n c l u d e s the b a l u s t r a d e of the porch and deck which s t r e t c h a c r o s s the house's facade and the turned p o s t s which support the hip-roofed porch over the e n t r y i n t h e l e f t bay. Behind the house a shed-roofed s i n g l e - s t o r y a d d i t i o n covers the r e a r of the b u i l d i n g and extends beyond the s i d e w a l l on the north t o provide a second e n t r y reached by a s e t of s t a i r s . A single-bay f l a t - r o o f e d garage extends from the lower l e v e l f a c i n g south, and above i t i s a modern deck.

R e f e r e n c e s , continued.

S c o r g i e , E l v i r a . Research f i l e s a t the Harvard H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y . Harvard Tax V a l u a t i o n s , 1866, 1870, 1882, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1945,

1960, 1969, and 1974.

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 # 11<4

Area

Property Address

Massachusetts Historical Commission 80 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Community Harvard

Property Address 14 Whitney Lane

Area Form# 174

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.

The Whitney Farm is a well-preserved farmstead that retains both its agricultural outbuildings and much of its surrounding farm land. The farm was established early in the Federal period and remained in the Whitney family and their heirs well into the 20th century. The house is a brick double house, one of a small cluster of related houses that testify to the area's prosperity early in the 19th century. Built by a prominent town citizen, the farm is also noted for its shift from general farming to apple culture late in the 19th century. The Whitney Farm meets criteria A and C at the local level. It retains integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.