The 1775 House
	Our house is in a small, rural town west of Boston. It was most likely constructed in 1775, and it was originally built as an el on a much larger house. It was used as a dormatory for young men who were preparing to attend Harvard College (it wasn't a university then) under the tutilage of a Harvard College President, who lived in the larger house. In the mid-1800s, a new owner renovated his house, and moved this part of his house to the current site, about a quarter of a mile from the main house. At the same time, another el of the main house was moved to a parallel street, and both houses were given to daughters of the owner. While it seems unusual for houses to be moved, it was apparently fairly common; wood was in such high demand, that it was more cost effective to move a house than to tear one down and build a new one. While the central core of the house is original (the front of the house, in the photos), the back of the house consists of two additions, which were probably added as amenities changed: a kitchen, a bathroom, and a laundry room were added. The last owners added a deck to the back. We have focused on structural issues: a concrete floor was pouring in the basement, and new, modern lolly columns were installed to replace the rotting wooden ones. (Although we knew this was necessary when we bought the house, the project was accelerated when we came home one day and the dining room floor was sagging about a foot on one side.) Additionally, significant work in the attic has been done to reinforce the attachment points. Several interesting features: a hand dug, stone-lined well in the basement, horse-hair and plaster lathe walls, some windows with original panes, a 'dump' in the backyard (one corner of the yard produces glass, pottery, metal pieces every time it rains, or someone digs there). We are currently updating the kitchen. The project is about half done. We removed a chimney that hasn't been used for years, replaced the flooring in that area, widened the doorway into the dining room, replaced the electric stove with a propane one, installed an over-the-range microwave, installed a new wrought-iron pot rack, painted the cabinets yellow (it was a dark green), and installed undercounter lighting and new light fixtures. WeÕve also installed new birch butcherblock countertops (replacing a black laminated counter), a white ceramic farmer's apron sink, new faucet, and decorative tile backsplash. What's left? A butcherblock table for under the pot rack, a new carpet for in front of the stove, and a cover for the steam radiator.
	Copyright H. Littlefield, 2006