;II••• ~~~JS£_E!!!!!II!I---------------.FORM B - BUILDING

MASSACHUSETTSHISTORICAL COMMISSIONr: -'~ce of the Secretary, State House, Boston

, .-J

2.

.......~.

\\

-~ ..

4. Map. Draw sketch of building locationin relation tonear-e st cross streets andother buildings. Indicate north.

RDWeeKS'S \c.eo,.." ;-

D

o NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACEUSGSQuadrant----~--

'-.. ',"

C Photo no.

•• I ~

-,'\\ (over)"\..

\\5M-2-75-R061465-\: (20M-2o;76) ~.

rIn Area no. Form no.'

51

,

I.I.

1. Town Marlborough

Address 768 HemenwayStreet

Name Supply Weeks Homestead

Present use Residence

Present owner Randolph Dyer

3. Description: 2~ Story Central Hall

Date 1787

Source Pub. Local Histories

Style GeorgianArchitect --...,....-------------Exterior wall fabric Clapboard

Outbuildings (describe) 1 Barn.---------Other features East ell built 1700 C.

Altered Date

Moved Date

5. Lot size:

One acre or less Over one acre_2 __--Approximate frontage 200 Feet

Approximate distance of building from street

100 Yards

6. Recorded by Ernest GinnettiMarlborough H~stor1cal

Organization Commission

Date 12/29/76

7. Original owner (if known) Supply Weeks------=-:------~----:--Original use Farm--------------------Subsequent uses (if any) and dates Residence------------------

8. Themes (check as many as applicable)

AboriginalAgriculturalArc1titecturalThe Arts .CommerceCommunicationCommunity development

ConservationEducationExploration/

settlementIndustryMilitaryPolitical

RecreationReligionScience/

inventionSocial!

humanitarianTransportation

-x-X-

--rX )

}-x-

9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)

The Weekes were not among the first settlers of Marlborough, thoughthey have been prominent. Supply \.oleeks the first of the name in Marl-borough was the son of Arniel and Abigail Weeks of Dorchester, and wasborn aug. 26, 1671. He married Susanna Barnes an adopted daughtier- ofDeacon John Barnes of Marlborough June 4, 1699. He died September 22,1755 at the age of 84.

In 1805 Deacon William Weeks left the Farm to his nephew Henry Weekswho contributed greatly toward the construction of the Methodist Churchin Hudson. Before this building was built their meetings were held onthe Week's farm. At the time of the Civil War this was the finest farmin Marlborough, with large herds of cattle, horses, sheep and a smallarmy of hands to maintain it.

). Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,ear ly maps, etc.j

History of ~lborough Mass. Charles Hudson, Boston 1862Historical Reminiscences of Marlborough, Ella Bigelow, Marl. 1910M4rlborough Engineering Dept.

7. Original owner (if known) Supply WeeksOriginal use Fann-----------------------------------...;;,Subsequent uses (if any) and dates---------------------------

8. Themes (check as many as applicable)

AboriginalAgriculturalArchitecturalThe ArtsCommerceCommunicationCommunity development

RecreationReligionScience/

inventionSocial!

humanitarianTransportation

xX

ConservationEducationExploration/

settlementIndustryMilitaryPoliticalx

9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)""lhat will the coun t r-y do if suppdl.iesdo not arrive?" "Let us have faithi pray God for the required aid," was the reply. Shortly after the news

v~ the arrival of the desired arms and ammunition came, and as was the cus-tom in the above time of the Revolution, to prove patriotic enthusiasm, thelittle new-born son was named tTSupply" to commemorate. the day of the coun-try's rejoicing in 1671. Supply Weeks was the first of the name in Marl-borough and was the son of Arniel and Abigail Trescott Weeks of Dorchester.Supply married Susanna Barnes, an adopted daughter of Deacon John Barnes,and a daughter of John Barnes of Marlborough. Supply built this old home-stead where he lived with his son, John weeks, who married Dinah Keyes, .daughter of Deacon Thomas and Elizabeth Howe Keyes. It was after the lat-ter's capture by the Indians that Elizabeth Howe married Thomas Keyes andthe two :eamilies, Supply Weeks· and Thomas Keyes, lived here for a while.Solomon Weeks was the great grandson of Supply and married Sally Warren in1809. The latter was the. daughter of Thaddeus \-1arrenwho married LucyStevens. As years went on Deacon William Weeks, hts nephew, came into pos-s~sBion of this fine old farm which in 1805 was left to Henry Weeks (thegrandson of Solomon) who was an enthusiastic Methodist, and they tell uscontributed most generously toward the erection of the "Old Bri'ck Church"on Gospel Hill in Hudson. The original camp meetings. were held on.thisfarm. which was the home of the itinerant Methodists of which Uncle and AuntWeeks were prominent members. Although they never bore any children of theirown the farm had many of them brought up by this memorable couple. thefarm was rich with crops, cattle, sheep, and many outbuildings, which werewell supplied and furnished.

). Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,ear ly maps, etc.)All Homestead names are taken from the Oct. 24, 1803 map of Marlboroughby Silas Holman Surveyer. Which also includes the town of Hudson.Histories are taken from the Historical Reminisces of Marlborough byElla Bigelow 1910.

f/~:i~;'j.,1;~,.I

.11

Ii'

". :~.

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community Property

Supply Weeks House768 Hemenway St.

Marlborough

Massachusetts Historical Commission80 Boylston StreetBoston, Massachusetts 02116

Area(s) Form No.49,51

Additional information by Anne Forbes, consultant to Marlborough Historical Commission,7/5/95:

ASSESSOR'S #22-12A 2.84 acres PHOTO #95-16: 29

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION.This house, which apparently contains a small house of ca. 1700 (probably the two-story east wing),is also one of Marlborough's best-preserved early Federal, twin-chimney farmhouses. It retains itsclapboard siding, and stands on a fieldstone foundation. It is a large, two-story, 5- by 2-bay"double-pile" house. A second, 1 I12-story wing extends west from the main house, and a short 1-story ell extends to the rear of the east wing.

The east wing has 6-over-6-sash windows in projecting enframements; the windows of the mainblock are large 6-ver-6's, in slightly projecting frames. The main entry is a high-style Federal type,with leaded elliptical fanlight, 3-pane divided sidelights above wood panels, and a six-panel door.An entry in each ell also has a six-panel door, with glass in the top two panels. Other architecturaldetail includes a molded, boxed cornice at the roofline, with flat returns.

This house has very few alterations-sa front porch on square posts spans most of the east wing, anda polygonal bay window projects from the north ell. The west ell has a pair of dormer windowson its front roof plane.

A low, shingled gable-end bam stands in front and to the southeast of the house. Directly behindthe house, now converted to a dwelling, 786 Hemenway Street, is a huge gable-end "New England"barn, with louvered cupola.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, cont.This property is remarkable for having been owned by one old Marlborough family for over twohundred years. The farm also has a long, close association with the development of the MethodistChurch in Marlborough.

Supply Weeks (ca. 1671-1755), generally acknowledged to be the owner of the first section of thehouse, came to Marlborough from Dorchester by 1699, the year of his marriage to his first wife,Susanna Barnes, and may have built the first part of the building shortly afterward. It would thusdate to about the same time as the house believed to be the home of his contemporary, ThomasKeyes, at 1126 Concord Road. (See Form 55). Supply Weeks is said to have lived here for a time"with his son, John" (Bigelow), but if, as Hudson says, John and his wife, Dinah (Keyes) lived onher parents' farm, then another son or daughter must have inherited this one--which one, however,is not known. (cont.)

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community Property

Supply Weeks House768 Hemenway St.

Marlborough

Massachusetts Historical Commission80 Boylston StreetBoston, Massachusetts 02116

Area(s) Form No.49,51

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, cont.Later in the eighteenth century the farm came into the possession of John and Dinah's son, Capt.Jonathan Weeks (1741-1805), who married Thankful Bigelow in 1767 and Lucy Newton in 1777.A soldier during the Revolution, he marched to Cambridge with Capt. Barnes' company of militiaon April 19, 1775; he was later chosen for the Committee of Correspondence in 1780. After thewar he served as a Selectman for six terms in the 1780's and '90's, as town assessor in 1789, andwas elected to represent Marlborough in the General Court for three terms, from 1800 to 1802.

Of his eleven children, the farm passed to the sixth son, Solomon Weeks (1785-1866). Like hisfather, he also served as a Selectman, in 1815, and again from 1832 to 1838. Although he startedout in the Congregational Church on Spring Hill, he became a devout Methodist, and was the firstclerk of the First Methodist Society in Marlborough at its founding in 1821. By that time he hadcome into the possession of this farm, and, with the first services of the society held in "barns andgroves" (Hurd, 830), some of them were undoubtedly held here on this property. A brick churchwas later built in 1827-28 in today's Hudson. When that building burned down in 1852, SolomonWeeks was the primary force behind establishing a new Methodist Church in Marlborough center.(See Form #97). He donated land on Church Street for both the church and parsonage, andlargely financed the building of both. He was known affectionately as "Uncle Weeks", and his wife,Sally (Warren), whom he married in 1809,was called "Aunt Sally." They accumulated considerablewealth, and developed a large farm here, with cattle, horses, and sheep. They "adopted" severalchildren, opened their home to less fortunate members of the church, and used the farm as aMethodist retreat for many years.

Solomon and Sally Weeks died within a day of each other in 1866. The next owner of the farmwas apparently their nephew, William Lyman Weeks, son of Solomon's brother, Francis. The mapsof 1875 and 1889 show L.W. Weeks as the owner, which may be a reversal of William L.'s initials.He was apparently the owner until his death in 1902. By 1927 the owner of the farm was EdgarCrocker, who was evidently the one who gave it the name "Ravenwood", which it retained fordecades.

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY.Maps and atlases: 1803, 1830, 1835, 1856/57, 1875, 1889, 1900.Marlboro vital records.Marlboro directories and tax valuations.Ambler, John. "History of the First Methodist Church of Marlboro." 100th Anniversary of the

First Methodist Church in Marlborough. 1953.Bigelow, James. "Photographs and Descriptions of Some Old Houses in Marlborough". 1927.Hurd, D.H. History of Middlesex County, Mass. 1890.

[X] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, a completedNational Register Criteria Statement form is attached.

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community Property

Marlborough SupplyWeeks House768 Hemenway St.

Massachusetts Historical Commission80 Boylston StreetBoston, Massachusetts 02116

Area(s) Form No.49~51

Massachusetts Historical Commission80 Boylston StreetBoston, Massachusetts 02116

Community Property Address

Marlborough 768 Hemenway Street

Area(s) Form No(s).51

National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form

Check all that apply:

[x] Individually eligible [ ] Eligible only in a historic district[ ] Contributing to a potential historic district [] Potential historic district

Criteria: [x] A [] B [x] C [] D

Criteria Considerations: [] A [] B [] C [] D [] E [] F [] G

Statement of Significance by _An__ ne_F_o_r_be_s _The criteria that are checked in the above sections must be justified here.

One of the most significant and well-preserved properties in the outlying sections of Marlborough,the Supply Weeks House is eligible for the National Register under both Criteria A and C. As theoriginal homestead of the Weeks family, from the first of the family in Marlborough ca. 1700, throughRevolutionary soldier and patriot Capt. John Weeks, to the two people who are considered the"father" and "mother" of the local Methodist Church in the nineteenth century, this house has hada close connection with the community's development. It is also an extremely well-preserved earlyFederal, twin-chimney "double-pile" farmhouse which updates the late Georgian version of this houseform as seen in the Solomon Barnes House at 19 Ash Street, (Form #11), and thus meets CriterionC.

The property retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, andassociation.

I FORM B - BUILDING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number

Massachusetts Historical Commission I 47-8 _.~ §rlb~l~UghJ 1 63_8 J80 Boylston StreetBoston, Massachusetts 02116

Sketch MapDraw a map of the area indicating properties withinit. Number each property for which individualinventory forms have been completed. Label streets,including route numbers, if any. Attach a separatesheet if space is not sufficient here. Indicate north.

o

N

'ecorded by Anne Forbes

Organization for Marlboro Hist CQID_ID__

Date 715/95

Town Marlborough

Place (neighborhood or village) _

Address 271 Hemenway Street

Historic Name Richard and LawrenceHemenway House

Uses: Present dwelling

Original dwe1]jng

Date of Construction ~c~a l_8~50~ _

Source maps; visual assessment

Style/Form formerly Greek Revival

Architect/Builder unknown

Exterior Material:

Foundation fieldstone

Wanffrim wood clapboard

Roof asphalt shingle

Outbuildings/Secondary Structures _

none

Major Alterations (with dates) enclosed

porch and exterior chimney added; much

.Mndo~lacement See p 2

Condition fajr

Moved [X] no [ ] yes Date N/A.

Acreage less than nne acre

Setting At corner of Wilson S! in area of

modem houses; modern cbllTch opposite

...stone retaining wall...arollnd corner _

BUILDING FORM

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION [ ] see continuation sheetDescribe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of otherbuildings within the community.

This house, although extremely altered, is unusual in Marlborough as a "twin house"--two parallelhouses joined by an ell. Each main section is a two-story, side-gabled building with a molded,boxed cornice. A long gable-roofed bam, covered with beveled or "drop" siding abuts the rearhouse. An enclosed, added porch today obscures most of the first story of the building, but a fewearly windows are visible at the second story, including several 6-over-6-sash windows with flatsurrounds, and one 6-over-9-sash under a north gable. A pair of small gabled dormers on the )southernmost roof plane are probably twentieth-century additions. )

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE [ ] see continuation sheet (Explain history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of (the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. .

This house is today the main reminder of the family for which Hemenway Street is named. Thefirst part of the house, at least, belonged to farmer Richard Hemenway in 1856. By 1860, theproperty belonged to farmer Lowell W. Hemenway, who was the owner through 1900.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES [] see continuation sheetMaps and atlases: 1856/57, 1875, 1889, 1900.Marlborough Vital Records.Marlborough Directories and Real Estate valuations.

[ ] Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, acompleted National Register Criteria Statement form is attached.