Stone Houses

Amory-Richards House // 1865

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Built in 1865 along with its neighbor and later renovated in the Colonial Revival style, the Amory-Buckingham House on Colchester Street stands as an altered, yet historically significant residence in Brookline’s important Longwood neighborhood. A large lot on Colchester Street was purchased by Dr. Robert Amory (1842-1910), who in 1864, married Marianne Appleton Lawrence (1843–1882), daughter of Amos Adams Lawrence, a major developer of the nearby Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline. This stone cottage, one of two neighboring homes built at the same time for Dr. Amory was likely his main residence when not residing at his Boston townhouse or summer residence in Bar Harbor, Maine. The property was sold by the end of the 19th century to Edwin Buckingham and in 1902 to George L. Richards, who had the home expanded with an additional floor added with gambrel roof. A detached stable was also constructed around this time.

Amory-Boit House // 1865

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Built in 1865, the Amory-Boit House on Colchester Street in Brookline‘s exclusive Longwood neighborhood, is a stunning Second Empire style home with connections to prominent local families. The residence has a one-story stone base which meets the slate mansard roof providing two-and-a-half stories above which are crowned by iron cresting at the peak of the roof. The property was one of the early homes built in the area, developed by David Sears, one of the wealthiest property owners in Boston, who recognized the potential for development of this marshy area of Brookline due to its close proximity to the city. A large lot on Colchester Street was purchased by Dr. Robert Amory (1842-1910), who in 1864, married Marianne Appleton Lawrence (1843–1882), daughter of Amos Adams Lawrence, a major developer of the nearby Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline. This stone cottage, one of two neighboring homes built at the same time for Dr. Amory, was likely rented to friends and family with the other as his primary country house. This home was later sold to real estate and insurance businessman and author Robert Apthorp Boit (1846-1919). Robert Boit published the novel, Eustis in 1884 and his family history, Chronicles of the Boit Family and Their Descendants, in 1915. The home and its neighbor had been undergoing renovations for a while and are located within a local historic district.

Stoneholm Manor // 1865

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Stoneholm Manor is a historic estate tucked away in Sharon, Massachusetts, that remains one of the finest examples of a Second Empire style mansion and carriage house built of stone in New England. Stoneholm was built in 1865 for Horace Augustus Lothrop (1828-1898) within a year of his marriage to second wife, Sarah Gorham Swain. Horace A. Lothrop was a manufacturer and businessman with factories in Sharon and nearby towns and he invented innovative tools like hoes and wooden shanks for foot support in shoes and boots. He was also engaged in politics, serving in the state legislature and on the local school board. His country estate in Sharon is unique for its construction of locally quarried rock-face granite walls, fine mansard roof with cupola, and matching L-shaped carriage house, all in great condition. Stoneholm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains a private residence.

Darius Lothrop House // c.1830

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Located on North Main Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, the Darius Lothrop House stands as a unique late-Georgian style residence built of locally quarried stone. Darius Lothrop (1777-1841) is said to have built the large, two-story house in the 1830s and resided here until his death in 1841. The Lothrop House retains its large gambrel roof, center entry set within the stonework, splayed lintels over the first floor windows, and twin shed dormers.

Dr. Byron Brown House // c.1930

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Dr. Byron Freeman Brown (1902-1962) was born in Maine and was educated at Bowdoin College before moving to Boston for medical school. After he graduated, he married and accepted a position as a doctor at Milford Hospital, not far from Hopedale, Massachusetts. Dr. Brown and his wife, Veronica, had this cottage on Adin Street built around 1930. Distinguished by its stone veneer walls and steeply pitched red clay tile roof punctuated by dormers and symmetrical facade, the Dr. Brown House is a great example of a Colonial Revival style house with Arts and Crafts flair built in the inter-war period.

Dow-Starr House // c.1850

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A big departure from the less ornate, yet classically proportioned Georgian and Federal style homes in Warren, Rhode Island, this Gothic Revival beauty on the town’s Main Street stands out for its detail and materiality. Built as a quintessential Gothic “cottage,” the facade of the Dow-Starr House in Warren has also been graced by a three-sectioned Gothic Revival porch as illustrated in Alexander Jackson Downing’s plan books from the 1840s. As completed, this house followed almost exactly Andrew Jackson Downing’s Design II as illustrated in Cottage Residences 1842 ; it differed only in its use of speckled fieldstone over coursed ashlar. The house was later acquired by and used as a convent for the St. Jean Baptiste Church in Warren, who also built a school building behind. The house has seen some alterations, but remains an important architectural landmark of the town.

Southworth House – Deep River Historical Society // 1842

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The Southworth House, also known as the Old Stone House, in Deep River, Connecticut, is a significant example of a stone, Greek Revival style house built for an important local family. The Southworth House was constructed in 1842 for Deacon Ezra Southworth (1803-1859) from stone harvested from one of the Southworth family’s quarries. Ezra was the son of local shipbuilder, Job Southworth who began building ships at the Deep River landing in the 1790s. Ezra Southworth branched off into manufacturing, becoming a partner and patent holder producing ink wells. His son, Ezra Job Birney Southworth (1844-1919), went into business with his father-in-law in shipping and served as a member of the State Legislature twice. In 1882, Ezra Jr. added the wooden ell onto the rear of the Stone House along with the wrap-around veranda and likely the rear barn as well. Ada Gilbert Southworth Munson was Ezra J. B. Southworth’s only child to live to adulthood and inherited the family home. She was a founding member of the Deep River Historical Society and bequeathed her family home to the Society in 1946, who have maintained the significant home here ever since. 

Captain Calvin Williams House // c.1820

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This Federal period stone house with a later Victorian-era porch, is located on Kirtland Street in Deep River, Connecticut, an area dominated by homes built for sea captains and ship builders in the 19th century. Calvin Williams (1785-1833) married Eunice Southworth of Deep River in 1809, and in 1820, built this stately home from granite from the Southworth family quarry. Captain Williams did not get to enjoy his home much as he was often out at sea commanding shipping vessels out of New York. Likely due to failing health, in 1832, Capt. Calvin Williams retired from the sea and returned to his home on Kirtland Street before he died in August of 1833. Federal style features of the house, like the elliptical fanlight and modillons in the gable and a fanlight over the main entry remain, while later alterations after his death include the spectacular enclosed porch from the late 19th or early 20th century. 

Randall House // 1927

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This handsome stone mansion in Derby, Connecticut, was built by industrialist Walter Randall (1868-1949) and his bride, Olive Vouletti Whitlock Randall (1870-1938), in 1927 on a tract of about 200 acres of farmland. Olive was a granddaughter of Isaac Merritt Singer, the inventor of the first practical sewing machine for home use, which made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. It is unclear as to who the architect was, but the stone residence was built in an English Tudor/Arts and Crafts style, possibly from stones taken from the 200-acre estate. The property was sold in 1950 to Harold and Ida Yudkin, who developed much of the land into a shopping center and housing development, but maintained this stone house and a smaller parcel surrounding it. That smaller parcel was purchased in the 2010s by a developer who restored the old house, and developed a small cul-de-sac of “green” homes on the aptly named, Singer Village Drive.

Sherwin-Goldsmith House // 1844

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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 1844, the Sherwin-Goldsmith House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using 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. The Sherwin House is one of three near-identical houses built around the same time that are colloquially known as the “Three Sisters” because they were built for members of the same family. The Greek Revival form is toned down in this smaller side-hall house, which playfully uses large blocks of schist and mica which read as quoins at the corners. Simeon Sherwin (1813-1874) was a farmer, postmaster, and justice of the peace in Chester. Later owner, Olivia Goldsmith, wrote her bestseller, First Wives Club when she lived here. 

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.

Granville and Aurora Spaulding House // 1838

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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 1838, Granville and Aurora Spaulding 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. The Spaulding House is unique in that the main entrance does not face the street, as it fades the south east (side) facade. The couple married in 1839 and moved into this recently completed house to raise their family and work their farm. Like many other early stone houses built nearby in the 1830s, the Spaulding house blends Federal and Greek Revival motifs from the gable end facing the street and eaves returning to serve as a pediment as a nod to the emerging Greek Revival style, while retaining an arched entry off the street which echoes Federal period taste. 

Gideon M. Lee House // c.1836

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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 1836, the Gideon Lee 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. The first residence besides Dr. Edson’s home built this way in the village was this home, built nextdoor for Dr. Edson’s friend, Gideon Merrick Lee (1811-1880). Designed in a more vernacular version of the Federal style with emerging Greek Revival side-hall form, the Lee House features a charming entry with sidelights and a blind fan over the door.

Dr. Ptolemy Edson House // 1834

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built in 1834, the Dr. Ptolemy Edson 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 Edson House is a vernacular, five-bay, two-story residence with central entrance and arched fanlight transom over the front door.

Leland Homestead // 1843

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The small, rural Town of Baltimore, Vermont, was originally a part of Cavendish but due to the geography and a mountain separating the village from the main town, residents here voted in 1793 to set off as its own town. The nomenclature of the town name, Baltimore is not clear, as the city in Maryland was named for George Calvert, first Baron Baltimore, who was granted that colony in 1632, but there is no evident connection between the two communities. The word Baltimore itself is Celtic for “large town”; appropriate for Calvert’s colony, perhaps, but hardly for this Vermont town, which is one of the smallest in the state in terms of population or square miles. The town has always been a community without a distinctive village center and has long been primarily farmland, with properties bounded by stone walls and forests. This stone house on Harris Road in Baltimore was built in 1843 by Joshua Leland and his wife, Betsy Boynton. A history of the town speaks of the house, “It was one of the most attractive houses ever built in Baltimore, a well-built front hall and stairway, four fair-sized pleasant rooms downstairs, three well-arranged chambers and a convenient back stairway, all well-finished”. The home, with its date of construction over the front door, remains one of the most historic and well-preserved buildings in the town of just over 200 residents.