Farnum House Uxbridge, MA

The Cornet John Farnum House is among the oldest and best-known landmarks in Uxbridge, originally thought to have been constructed before 1715 and purported to have housed the community’s first Town Meeting. Today, it is owned by the Town, who rents it to the local Historical Society for storage and meetings.

In 2019, the Uxbridge Historical Commission received a grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) in support of a feasibility study for comprehensive restoration of the house. Our firm was engaged shortly thereafter and immediately began research and in-field assessment. As part of the study, we engaged a dendrochronologist – that is, a preservationist who dates timbers using tree rings – who determined that the structure actually dates to ca. 1770, more than five decades later than the long-held construction date of 1715.

Over $1 million of improvements, including recreation of the house’s former ell, were identified in the report. Phase I will include critical stabilization measures and is slated to begin in 2022.