Olive Stow House, Minute Man National Historical Park: Historic Structure Report
Yocum BA. 2003. Olive Stow House, Minute Man National Historical Park: Historic Structure Report. Historic Structure Report. Concord, Massachusetts
This historic structure report on the Olive Stow House presents the findings of a research project described in a project agreement between Minute Man National Historical Park and the Building Conservation Branch of the Northeast Cultural Resources Center. Phase I of the project focused on the architectural history, ownership, occupancy, and development of the Olive Stow House and property. Of particular interest was the question of whether or not the house had been constructed by April 19, 1775, or at some later date. This study determined that the original (now missing) house on the site had been constructed between 1684 and 1689 by Nathaniel Stow, Olive Stow's father-in-law. It was likely this house that the widow Olive and her two children were occupying in 1775. The old dwelling appears to have been replaced by the existing wood-framed house sometime between 1784 and 1798, based (m tax records; a more precise date of "circa 1786" is provided by dendrochronological dating of the attic-framing members. This new house was constructed by Ebenezer Hardy, who married Olive Stow's daughter Sarah circa 1781-82. Olive Stow continued to live with her daughter and son-in-law in this house, along with her disabled son Nathaniel, and 13 grandchildren, until her death in 1811. It is this circa-I 786 house that stands today: a survivor of at least two fires, multiple owners, and 20th-century renovations. A concrete-block barn located north of the house replaced an earlier bam in 1945. The house and barn have sat vacant since October 2000, when the National Park Service took possession of the property. Phase II of the project incorporated the following information into the final draft historic structure report: exterior paint analysis (Appendix B), wallpaper survey (Appendix C), dendrochronology study (Appendix D), architectural drawings (Appendix E), and a conditions assessment (Appendix F). Descriptions of exterior and interior architectural elements, character-defining features, and treatment recommendations have also been included in the final draft report.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Yocum, Barbara
- Date of Issue
- 2003-02
- Units
- HIST , MIMA
- Keywords
- Assessment, Background, Chronology, Condition, context, Development, ehistory, History, Maintenance, physical description, Planning, Preservation, Preservation , Use
- Subjects
- CRIS-HS: 023166: Stow-Hardy House