Griffin-Malloy House // 1720

This First Period Home on in Wayland, Massachusetts, can be found at 184 Glezen Lane and is one of the community’s oldest residences. The Griffin-Malloy Homestead dates to about 1720 and is a large, single-family farmhouse that is just over 300 years old! Records state that the house was built by early settler, Samuel Griffin and possibly expanded later by his son, Deacon Jonathan Griffin. After generations of Griffin Family ownership, the old farmhouse was purchased in 1877 by Timothy Malloy (1839-1909) an Irish immigrant who settled in Wayland and operated a farm here. The house as of the 20th century, retained much of its original wood paneled walls and fireplaces, and has been lovingly preserved by generations of great stewards. 

Benjamin Adams Farmhouse // 1775

Benjamin Adams (1750-1843) was born in Milton, but relocated to East Sudbury (later renamed Wayland) and purchased property here from a Bezaleel Moore, a tanner and farmer. Soon after moving to town, in 1775, he mustered with the minutemen under the command of Capt. Nathaniel Cudworth. After the conclusion of the war, Benjamin married Elizabeth “Betsy” Adams and they expanded the old farmhouse (today at 34 Lincoln Road) and raised their children here. The property remained in the family until 1873 when it was purchased and operated as a dairy farm. In the 1920s, the farmhouse was expanded with Colonial Revival additions and a renovation for use as a summer residence and gentleman’s farm. It is believed that some of the interior wood paneling inside the house was added at this time and was salvaged from the Pequod Inn, which was razed around that time.

Osborne Homestead // c.1840

This Greek Revival style farmhouse in Derby, Connecticut, was originally built around 1840, though little is known about its first occupants. In 1867, Wilbur Osborne (1841-1907), who owned and ran several industries in Derby, Ansonia and Bridgeport, and his wife, Ellen Lucy Davis, moved to the house, who together, also ran a dairy farm on their farmland. Their only daughter to survive to adulthood, Frances E. Osborne (1876-1956) took over the farm after her father’s death and became a prominent businesswoman. At age 16, Frances lost the vision in one eye due to an accident, and, as a result, never completed her public school education. Frances Osborne, in an era when women were denied leadership opportunities in the business world, succeeded through pure determination and an excellent business sense. Her achievements included becoming president of Union Fabric Company, vice president of Connecticut Clasp, and treasurer of the F. Kelly Company. She was also a founding partner of Steels and Busks of Leicester, England. She married Waldo Stewart Kellogg in 1919, and he took charge of the dairy, using selective breeding to make the herd “famous throughout New England for quality milk production.” Waldo and Frances Kellogg enlarged and remodeled the house to its current form between 1919 and 1925 adding wings and renovating the interiors in the Colonial Revival style. Waldo Kellogg died in 1928, but Frances stayed in the house until her death in 1956. Just before she died, she deeded her entire 350-acre (140 ha) estate, including Osbornedale, to the State of Connecticut. The state now operates the house and grounds as the Osborne Homestead Museum; the surrounding land comprises Osbournedale State Park.

Whitcomb Inn and Farm // c.1708

The Whitcomb Inn and Farm in Bolton, Massachusetts, is believed to be the oldest extant building in the rural community and is believed to have been built around 1708. The oldest portion of the farmhouse, the three-bay, two-story, side-hall house, was likely built when David Whitcomb (1668-1730) acquired the land from his father. David married Mary Hayward in 1700 and the couple had many children, necessitating additions to the old farmhouse, including the rear saltbox with a “Beverly jog” (a section of the rear addition projecting beyond the side of the original structure) that was built in the 1710s. The building underwent stylistic changes in the 19th century, most of which were removed during a major restoration in 1937–38 by Philip Phillips, a Harvard professor in Archaeology, who drew the plans for the restoration of the old house and 1850s barn. Professor Phillips was also a conservationist, and donated some of his land, which directly abuts the highway (built in 1962) was donated to the town and is now known as Split-Rock Trail. The Old Whitcomb Inn and Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, ensuring that any future highway expansion or re-routing would require preservation of this significant home.

Captain Samuel Blood House // c.1793

This grand federal-period house was built around 1793 by Capt. Samuel Blood (1749-1834), who had served in the American Revolution. He came to Bolton from Lancaster by 1788, and purchased a farm here, where he began working as a hat manufacturer, building a large shop where he made beaver and silk hats. The land As his business grew, his original house was demolished to make way for this more stately, Federal-period home which dates to around 1793. Samuel Blood and his wife, Lucretia (Heywood) had twelve children. Their eldest son, Thomas (1774-1848) became a doctor and settled in Peterborough, New Hampshire, but returned to Bolton to take charge of the factory as his father got older. The family sold the home and the property, then about 120-acres, operated as a farm by subsequent owners. In 1916, the property was sold to Howard Atwood, who had been a successful Boston wool merchant, and he raised pedigreed cattle, thoroughbred horses, and sheep on this property, possibly as a gentleman’s farm. He and his wife, Rose, built a large new barn near the main house where they held many parties and barn dances over the years. The couple also renovated the old house, adding the dormers, porticos and side additions, creating the current composition we see today. The property has been owned by a corporation and appears to be offices today.


Marie Hill Farmhouse // c.1810

Located in the charming rural town of Andover, Vermont, the Marie Hill Farmhouse is one of the most interesting and charming residences in the area. Built around 1810, the brick farmhouse was designed in the Federal style, with a symmetrical five-bay facade, brick end chimneys, and a fanlight over the front door. The property was purchased by New Yorkers, Laurence Pfluger and his wife Mary “Marie” Pfluger, who operated the farm, raising dairy cows. Laurence would ship eggs, dairy and meat to his market in New York from this farm, which did quite well financially. The farmhouse was “modernized” by the turn of the 20th century with the addition of the two-story octagonal towers on the facade, front and side porches, along with the decorative slate spelling out “Marie Hill Farm” after his Marie Pflueger. The residence was later converted into a guesthouse, a use that remains to this day, still retaining the iconic name and branding in the southern gable.

James Adams Farmhouse // c.1785

This handsome New England farmhouse is located in rural Canterbury, Connecticut, and showcases the type of farmhouses available to local wealthy residents in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The construction dates to about 1785, just after James Adams, a Lieutenant in the American Revolution, purchased land here. The property remained in the Adams Family until 1859. The structure rests on
a fieldstone foundation and is sheathed with clapboards. The Georgian farmhouse incorporates a five-bay facade with central entry with five-light transom and a large stone central chimney and jettied gable ends on the sides.

Asa Bacon Farmhouse // 1783

Located in northern Canterbury, Connecticut, this rural farmhouse was built following the American Revolution, showcasing the emergence of the Federal style from the Colonial Georgian type farmhouses before. The house dates to 1783 and was built by Captain Asa Bacon (1735-1819), a wealthy farmer and captain in the Revolutionary War. The home was also occupied by his son, Asa Bacon Jr. (1771-1857) a Yale educated lawyer who practiced law in town before moving to Litchfield. Asa Jr. was a turnpike promoter, advocating for turnpikes through the formerly sleepy agricultural town, opening it up to trade and commerce. The early Federal-period home features a five-bay facade and central entry with triangular pediment and fluted pilasters. The house appears much like it would have when originally built besides the Victorian-era two-over-two window sashes installed in the late 19th century. The farm even retains a few 19th century barns, likely built when the windows were replaced by later owners.

Jackson-Richards Farmhouse // c.1768

This historic home at the edge of Newton Centre is believed to have been built by 1768 by Abraham Jackson, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers in what would become Newton. Abraham took out a mortgage on three acres of land and woodlands, a dwelling house and barn. In 1782, the property was acquired by Aaron Richards (1750-1823), a Revolutionary War veteran and carpenter, who likely modified the residence into the Federal style form and design we see today. Aaron Richards would farm the land here until his death. The farmhouse would be bought and sold and the property subdivided in the 19th and 20th centuries, diminishing the farm and woodland which once surrounded the residence. For a period after the Civil War, the property was owned by the Boston Children’s Aid Society as a Girl’s Home, used as a boarding house to raise orphaned girls from the Boston area, teaching them skills to increase their hopes of adoption or moving out on their own. The property was reverted to a residence by the 20th century and is significant as one of Newton’s few extant 18th-century farmhouses.

Bailey Farmhouse // c.1767

One of the oldest homes in Weare, New Hampshire is this large, Georgian farmhouse apparently constructed around 1767 by Samuel Bailey. Samuel’s father, Ebenezer Bailey, had purchased a property called “Lot 54, Range 1” in Weare, New Hampshire, which he then divided among his sons, Daniel, Samuel and Ebenezer Jr. for their own settlement in about 1767. Samuel received this lot in South Weare, upon which, the twenty-two-year-old and his wife established a farm and a family of at least eight children. Samuel died in 1824 and the farm was inherited by his son, Amos Wood Bailey, who continued operations here. Today, the large five-bay Georgian farmhouse is connected to a massive barn. It is a really spectacular property.