Massachusetts House

Hopestill Bent Tavern // 1710

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The Hopestill Bent Tavern is a historic First Period tavern, now a private residence, in Wayland, Massachusetts, on the Old Connecticut Path, a Colonial postal road. The tavern was owned and occupied by Hopestill Bent (1672–1725), a veteran from the King William’s War (one of the French and Indian Wars). Hopestill Bent was the great-great-grandfather of Charles Bent, a fur trader and first territorial Governor of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War, who was later scalped and killed by Pueblo warriors, during the Taos Revolt. The Bent Tavern served as a tavern until about 1780, was moved to the present site farther back from the street in 1800, and enlarged to the current size.

Grout-Heard House // c.1743

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The Grout-Heard House on Cochituate Road in Wayland, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest extant residences in the community and architecturally significant as it shows the evolution of architectural tastes throughout the centuries. The house was built around 1743 for Jonathan Grout (1701-1748), a grandson of an original settler in the area, by the time of his marriage to Hannah Heard in 1743. Early records suggest that the house was originally just one bay deep and two-stories tall with a central entry. The property was sold in 1744 to Richard Heard, Jonathan’s brother in-law. In 1787, Silas Grout (1755-1820), a blacksmith, purchased the house and likely added rooms on the rear of the house. In 1822, Silas’ descendants added the side ell and the residence became a double-house in the mid-19th century. The house was moved from the site to make room for the 1870s Town Hall, and the rounded two-story side bay was added. After the Town Hall was razed in the 1950s, the Grout-Heard house was moved back to its original site in 1962. Since that date the Grout-Heard House has been the offices, research center, artifact repository and house museum of the Wayland Historical Society, who added a two-story Modern addition at the rear.

Ames-Mellen House // c.1823

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This house in Wayland Center was built for Dr. Ebenezer Ames (1788-1861) who had a medical practice treating patients in East Sudbury (later named Wayland) and other surrounding communities. Dr. Ames is believed to have built this house in about 1823, which is a five-bay, two-story Federal style house under a hipped roof. Dr. Ames moved to another home in the village by 1830 and this old residence was purchased by Judge Edward Mellen (1802-1875) who lived in the house from 1831 until his death in 1875. Judge Mellen was appointed Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas in 1855, and practiced law in Wayland from a small office that still stands in the center of the village. Mellen’s widow Sophia Mellen remained here after her husband’s death in 1875 until her death in 1893. The front porch was likely added in the early 20th century, but does not at all detract from the architectural significance of the 200 year old residence.

Warren Gould Roby House // 1888

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The Warren Gould Roby House at 11 Concord Road in Wayland is located just north of the town’s public library building and is one of the community’s finest examples of the Colonial Revival style. The Roby family occupied this land going back to 1725, when Ebenezer Roby (1701-1772) came to Wayland and built a house on this site. His son, Dr. Ebenezer Roby, Jr. (1732-1786), inherited the large Georgian house which also had an office for his medical practice. The old homestead passed to Dr. Roby’s son, William Roby, and eventually to his grandson Warren Gould Roby who lived in Cambridge and worked as a metal merchant and would spend summers at the family homestead. The old colonial Roby House burned in 1886 which is when Warren Gould Roby (1834-1897) rebuilt a Queen Anne residence on the site. Before his death in 1897, Warren Roby donated a half-acre of his land to the south and $25,000 to the town for the purpose of constructing a library that would be as fireproof as possible, the result is the Wayland Public Library. After his death, the Roby heirs, who lived in Cambridge, sold the family estate to Daniel Brackett, a lawyer who also served as the Wayland Town Clerk and Assessor. It was likely Mr. Brackett who expanded the home in the early 20th century in the Colonial Revival style and form we see today.

James H. Small House // c.1898

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After the completion of the Wayland Railroad Depot in 1881, suburban development in Wayland Center increased, where the village saw dozens of large homes built in the late 19th and early 20th century. On Bow Road, the James H. Small House was built around 1898 by and for its namesake, who worked as a carpenter and builder in town. James Henry Small (1847-1913), while not a trained architect, built this home as a late example of the Queen Anne style, as the Colonial Revival style began to proliferate in the village, showing a changing of architectural taste. The James Small House consists of a main gable-front block with a side wing that includes a square tower. The use of clapboards, differing shingles, and diagonal sticks provide variety and texture to the house and serves as a unique contribution to the village which is largely dominated by rigid symmetry and vernacular of Colonial-era homes.

Elisha Rice House // c.1800

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Elisha Rice (1784-1841) moved to Wayland, Massachusetts in 1800 and built this charming house on Bow Road for himself and his family. Elisha worked as a wheelwright, a craftsman who builds and repairs wooden wheels, and was able to build this home near the village. While built and later occupied by later artisans, the community has become an exclusive and wealthy Boston area suburb, which has subsequently made it so many “working class” citizens can no longer afford such a house, but has also allowed many of these great old homes to be lovingly preserved and maintained for future generations.

White-Dickey Cottage // c.1844

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Located in the Wayland Center village, this c.1844 Greek Revival style cottage stands out not for flourish or scale, but for its excellent design, proportions, and state of preservation. The three-bay facade has a recessed first story set under the pediment extending over the open porch. The pediment is carried by squared, tapered columns with dentils and the facade retains its unique flush-board siding and triple-hung first-story window sash. The house was built by 1844 for Warren Hunt, who operated a small dry goods store near the town common. Not long after he had the house built, Hunt sold the property and store to Luther B. White (1822-1884), who lived here for at least two decades. In 1888, Mrs. Alice Dickey and her husband, Charles F. Dickey, a carpenter, purchased the house and expanded it at the rear.

Pousland House // c.1865

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Built around 1865, this stately residence in Wayland, Massachusetts, was originally owned by sea captain, Edward Pousland who came to Wayland with his family around 1859. Interestingly, Mr. Pousland continued working as a sea captain, travelling to Salem and Beverly, where he would be at sea for months at a time. Likely due to his profession, the house features a ‘widow’s walk’, a common feature of houses by the sea where folklore holds that the wives of ships’ captains looked out for the return of their husbands. Edward, his wife Hannah W. (Langmaid) Pousland lived in this house at least until Edward’s death. After successive ownership, the property was purchased by Jonathan Maynard Parmenter (1831-1921), who gifted the house to the First Parish Church across the street, for use as a parsonage a use that continued until 1984 when the church sold the house back into private ownership. The house, designed in the Italianate style, was “modernized” in the early 20th century with Colonial Revival alterations, which added the portico and likely removed the brackets at the eaves.

Captain Caleb Moore House // c.1795

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This stately Federal style residence constructed of brick sits atop a lovely hill in the town of Bolton, Massachusetts, and has been lovingly maintained by its owners for over 225 years. The home was built by Caleb Moore (1768-1826) just before his marriage to Achsah Whitney in 1796. Caleb was a merchant and later a shareholder and president of the Lancaster & Bolton Turnpike Corporation, chartered in 1805, to collect tolls for travellers from or to Boston from central Massachusetts. Caleb and Achsah had eight children, sadly, five of their children died as teenagers or young adults. The farmhouse was inherited by Alpheus Moore (1802-1882), who operated his late-father’s store and held a liquor license, possibly running the home as a tavern along the turnpike.

Coolidge-Burnham House // 1822

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This charming old home on Burnham Road in Bolton, Massachusetts, was built in 1822, but as a one-story three-quarter cape house with the additional story added later in the 19th century. The residence was built for William Coolidge, a Revolutionary War veteran. After successive ownership, the property was sold in 1855 to Reuben Burnham, a carpenter, who soon after added the second floor onto his new home, keeping the original cornice which now serves as a visual reminder of the home’s changes. Sadly, around 100 years later, the highway cut through the town, bisecting this property, which now abuts the busy road, but owners have maintained and preserved this stunning property which is evocative of the early days of Bolton.