federal house

Sibley-Bennett House // c.1818

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One of the many great old houses in Wayland, Massachusetts, is this well-proportioned Federal style residence at 30 Cochituate Road. The house was built sometime between 1818 and 1821 when owner Mark C. Sibley (1792-1876) married his first wife, Nancy Rice. Mark Sibley was the innkeeper at the Pequod Inn (no longer extant) that had served as an inn and stagecoach stop from when it was built in 1771. Mark Sibley remarried after Nancy died in 1839 and relocated to Weston. The Sibley House was acquired numerous times by real estate speculators. From 1886 until 1922, the property was owned by Anna Bennett, a widow. The five-bay, two-story Federal style house has a center entrance and six-over-six double-hung windows, all with a historically appropriate color scheme.

Dr. Amos Parker House // 1801

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Built in 1800-1801, this house on Main Street in Bolton, Massachusetts, had multiple owners in quick succession until 1806, when it was purchased by Dr. Amos Parker. Amos Parker (1777-1861) was born in Hubbardston and later moved to Bolton to work as the town’s doctor, and also served as Bolton’s first Postmaster, from an ell that was once attached to this residence. Dr. Parker and his wife, Elizabeth (Whitney,) had at least four children, who of which died as infants and two daughters remained unmarried. Elizabeth Lydia Parker (1809-1882) and Louisa Jane Parker (1812-1900) inherited their parent’s home and lived here until their deaths. Louisa worked as a teacher in Bolton schools, and was forced to remain unmarried to keep her teaching position by law. In 1904, the Parker home was acquired by the local Baptist church and occupied as a parsonage and was later sold to private owners who restored the home to its near-original condition.

Willard-Stedman Mansion // c.1760

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This stately Federal period mansion in Lancaster, Massachusetts, was originally constructed as a Georgian, two-story, five-bay house for Levi Willard (1727-1775), the son of a major landholder and descendant of one of the earliest settlers in the town. The residence is said to have been built by Levi’s cousin, Aaron Willard around 1760. Sometime after Levi’s death in 1775, the property was acquired by William Stedman (1765-1831), a notable attorney who served as town clerk of Lancaster 1795-1800, later becoming a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1802-1810. It was during Representative Stedman’s ownership that the house was remodelled into the fashionable Federal style appearance we see today, with the third floor added with shallow hip roof and classical entrance with pilasters and fanlight. In the mid-19th century, the house was operated as different boarding schools, though more information is needed. Today, the residence has been preserved and maintained as a single-family home, contributing to the charming Lancaster Center Village.

Mason C. Richardson House // c.1839

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1839, the Mason C. Richardson House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. Designed in the Federal style, the Richardson House is a vernacular, five-bay, two-story residence with central entrance and arched fanlight transom over the front door. Mason Richardson (1811-1881) was a merchant who lived here with his family while operating a store nearby.

Amos Heald House // 1803

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This large brick Federal period house in Chester, Vermont, was built in 1803 and is said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The large residence was built for Amos Heald (1767-1849), who was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and when just a boy of nine years, Amos witnessed the Battle of Concord kicking off the American Revolution. In about 1777, his father, Daniel Heald, moved the family to Chester, Vermont, which was then named New Flemstead, to escape the conflict. Daniel Heald acquired land near the Williams River and built a large Federal style home. He later deeded his son, Amos, land on which he too would build a residence. Amos Heald lived in this brick home and served in many positions in town until his death. The estate was bequeathed to his son, Amos Heald Jr. (1804-1873), who also served in the town offices. Locals state that Amos would shelter escaped enslaved people from the south on their way north to Canada. After his death, his son Prescott took over the property and built a wood-frame addition off the rear stables and barns, which became the town clerk’s office during his tenure, as well as the office for his insurance business. Sometime in the 19th century, the house was renovated with the addition of porches, and later, the building became the Weathervane Inn.

Daniel Heald House // c.1785

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Daniel Heald (1739-1833), one of the earliest settlers in the town of New Flamstead (later renamed Chester) Vermont, established his farm on the west side of the upper Williams River. He moved to rural Vermont from Concord, Massachusetts, where he was one of the Patriot soldiers who at the Concord bridge, fought against the British troops while his wife and children who had fled from their home viewed the battle from a neighboring hill. He, with his family, emigrated to Vermont in about 1776 and eventually would serve as town clerk from 1779 to 1799 and as town representative from 1783 to 1797. Around 1785, he built this residence, oldest wood-frame house in North Chester, a two-story, central-chimney house with saltbox roof sloping to the rear. When his son, Amos Heald, was of age, some of the property was deeded to him, where he built a stately Federal style residence that stands across the street to this day. Both of the Heald houses tell the early history of Chester through well-preserved houses.

Jaquith Homestead // c.1820

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Erected in the 1820s by Joshua Jaquith, a prosperous mill owner who operated a sawmill and grist mill on the river directly behind his house, this residence in Andover, Vermont, exemplifies vernacular Federal period residential architecture in rural New England. The residence is said to have been carved up inside into apartments in the mid-1800s but was restored by Alden Jaquith, the third generation of the family later in the 19th century back into a single-family residence. The handsome brick home is symmetrical with a five-bay facade, 12-over-12 sash windows, and large end chimneys. Of particular note are the relief arches above first floor windows and above the door and the attached sidelight windows.

John Larchar House // c.1820

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The John Larchar House at 282 Benefit Street in Providence is one of the many stately Federal period homes in the city designed by great architect, John Holden Greene. John Larchar (also spelled Larcher), was born in Providence in 1787 and worked in local businesses, eventually becoming a bank director that was involved in many mercantile pursuits. The residence remained in John’s family long after his death in 1863, and has been maintained so well by subsequent owners. The 2½-story, brick Federal house features stone trim, four chimneys, a central elliptical fanlight doorway, modillion cornice and amazing 12-over-12 windows. The cupola at the roof appears to be a is a mid-19th-century addition, possibly after John’s death. The garage and two-story side addition dates to the 1960s but does not detract from the architectural integrity of the home. 

Benoni Cooke House // 1828

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The Benoni Cooke House at 110 South Main Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the finest examples of an architect-designed Federal style residence in the state. A fine and somewhat-typical example of architect, John Holden Greene’s 1820s work in the Federal style, the residence is actually the remaining half of what was originally a pair of mirror-image houses, built for two brothers-in-law and business partners, which once faced one another across a driveway leading to a large, well-preserved service court defined by connected stables (most of which remain). The mirror house, built for Rufus Greene, was demolished in 1895 for the expansion of the Old Stone Bank next door. The Benoni Cooke House was built in 1828 and sits atop an arcaded basement on the street elevation, which historically was used for commercial use. The Cooke House retains its iconic hipped roof with monitor (common for John Holden Greene’s works), an Ionic portico sheltering the entry with sidelights and fanlight transom, and elaborate stairhall window above. The building was later occupied as offices for the Old Stone Bank, and along with the Old Stone Bank, was acquired by Brown University, who sold the property in 2009 to an LLC, but its current use is unclear.

Tillinghast House // c.1800

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The Tillinghast House at 10 James Street in Providence, Rhode Island, was built around 1800 by Captain Joseph Tillinghast (1734-1816), and it was occupied by a number of his children in the early 19th century. By 1818, with Joseph already deceased, the Federal style home was owned by two of his daughters, Mary, and Amey Tillinghast, who operated a small store from the basement. The two-and-a-half-story, brick Federal house is set on a high basement all with brownstone trim at the stringcourse (between first and second stories) and at the entrance. The house was restored in the late 1970s, along with a new clapboard addition by designers, Luigi Bianco and Georgia Patterson Boomer, of Bianco/Boomer. Without nearly as much ornate detail as many other Federal style homes in the East Side area of Providence, this residence proves that high-quality materials and strong proportions can make a home truly stand out!