Front View showing the Old Well
At that time it was a small and unpretentious building about twenty feet long and showing in the interior fine examples of hand-hewn timbers. Even in its dilapidated state it was most attractive, with its many fireplaces and old woodwork. This particular house has two values, the one relating to its historical record and the other to its old-time construction. Through two centuries this little farmhouse had been the home of the Adams family, a branch that was near in kin to the presidential line of Adams who lived at Quincy, Massachusetts.
Before Remodeling
At the time of its building, a stream wound in and out through the meadow land that was a part of the property. It was such a large stream that it afforded sufficient power to run an old mill that originally stood on the estate and which for many years ground the neighbors' grain. On a ridge opposite the house, worn stone steps lead up through pastures to a sturdy oak which stands nearly opposite the front of the house and is known in history as the "whipping tree." Here, in Colonial days, wrong-doers were tied to be whipped. Just before we reach the stone wall, which was laid probably by the slaves held by the landowner of that period, we find an old mounting-block. On the side of one of the stones are the figures 1652; and it was from this block that many a Colonial dame mounted to her pillion to ride in slow and dignified style behind her worthy squire. Even in those days the grounds were very extensive and reached for many acres. These to-day have been reclaimed and laid down to grass land and garden.
Across the Lawn