subject: Porter

Hartshorne House [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.

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– 3 pictures :
– "The Col. James Hartshorne House was built around 1681 on Church Street, the only road from Reading Common (now Wakefield Common) and the Square. The one 'small house' named in the original deed probably contained the southwesterly corner rooms, downstairs and up. In 1681, the house was owned by Thomas Hodgman who may have built the house on land purchased by his wife Mary from William Hooper in 1664. In 1725, the house was sold to the widow Paterson, who left it to her son. He sold it in 1757 to Jonathan Cowdrey who may have enlarged the home to a 'saltbox' with two rooms in the front center section with a sloping roof over the kitchen in the back. A barn and another building, most likely a smith shop, were added to the property during this time. Dr. John Hart purchased the house in 1792 and again enlarged the house to inlude two large rooms near the Old Cemetery, and removed the east wall to make a lodge room for the Mount Moriah Lodge of Freemasons. He may have also raised the sloped roof to make a room over the kitchen. Under Dr. Hart's ownership, the house was rented and used as an inn named for General Lafayette. Two owners followed Dr. Hart, but they only owned the house for six months before selling it to James Hartshorne, Jr. in 1803. (The house was still known as the Lafayette House for many years to follow). Col. Hartshorne and his first wife, Abigail Coggin purchased the house in 1803 and the Colonel resided there until his death in 1870. Active in local affairs, he was a Wakefield Selectman and served as the Town Treasurer for 15 years. His second wife Mary continued to live in the home with her daughter Mary and her husband John Rayner who later sold the house to J. Reed Whipple of Boston and John G. Morrill of Wakefield who later joined with Frank H. Atwood in forming the Morrill-Atwood Ice Company. The property was purchased as a location from which ice from Lake Quannapowitt would be shipped to Boston customers over the Boston&Maine railroad tracks. The owners were primarily interested in the property and the icehouses were built on Hartshorne's meadow (now Veterans' Field). Because of their lack of interest in the house, only a minimum amount of work was performed on the house which functioned as tenements for the men employed at the icehouse. On September 26, 1929, around the same time electric refrigeration began replacing home ice boxes, a general alarm fire consumed all the property, except the Col. James Hartshorne House. During a special town meeting, residents voted to purchase the house and meadow from the Porter-Milton Ice Company for $14,999. The Town of Wakefield's deed to the property is dated October 30, 1929, the day after the 'Crash' of 1929, the day the Great Depression officially began. Yet, in March 1930, concerned Wakefield citizens convinced the town to appropriate $2000 to restore the house. The work was done under the supervision of the Park Board and a sub-committee of the 1930 Tercentenary Committtee as Wakefield's project in observance of the 300th observance of the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Col. James Hartshorne House Association was formed on July 30, 1930 for the purpose of preserving and maintaining the hosue which is still leased from the town. In the restoration's early stages, much of the work was done by clubs and organizations who contributed to specific rooms or improvements. Over the years, necessary structural repairs were made and a kitchen and bathroom, both with second-hand fixtures, were added in the 1930s. In 1935, a second-hand heating system was added, making it possible for Mr.&Mrs. Archibald Hume to live in the house and keep it open year-round. Mrs. Hume was the hostess until her retirement in 1967. It was Mrs. Hume who created the famous Hartshorne House gardens. Today, the money needed to maintain and repair the home comes from fundraising activities, Association members' dues, and gifts from individuals. The Col. James Hartshorne House is open to visitors by appointment only and is available for private parties. Arrangements can be made by contacting Mr.&Mrs. Gaudet 245-3935." -- Text from calendar.
– Captions: 1. The hearth at the Col. James Hartshorne House. -- 2. The Col. James Hartshorne House in 1930 shortly after it was purchased by the Town of Wakefield. -- 3. Sometime during the 1930s these Wakefield women reenacted the early days of the Hartshorne House in full costume.

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