[MassHistPres] endangeered house

[jworden at swwalaw.com]

>From experience, I know that town officials can act like idiots, but this takes the cake.Possible ideas - why not move the house intact to the other lot?  That's got to be cheaper than taking it apart & putting it back together.In another town last year, a special town meeting was called and created a one-house historic district, which was swiftly approved by the Attorney General.Is the house on the state or national register?  If so, MHC may weigh in to halt demolition.John Worden, Arlington Historic District Commissions.



------- Original Message -------
>From    : RafaelRobertDelfin[mailto:rafadello at gmail.com]
Sent    : 2/21/2020 8:30:21 AM
To      : masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Cc      : 
Subject : RE: [MassHistPres] Another Endangered Historical House in Dighton(built in 1790)

 Hello everyone,

I am reaching out to you to humbly seek your assistance. Another historical house (James Briggs House) in Dighton, my hometown, will be demolished after the six-month demolition by-law expires in August. My fellow concerned citizens and members of the Dighton Historical Commission are trying desperately to save the 250+ year-old house, after the Town voted to NOT save it because it would cost at least $60,000 to maintain it. The town bought the property on which the house stands (they claim that the land could be used to build more town buildings, even though the town only has approximately 8,000 people and we have enough town offices to accommodate town employees). 
For more information about the house, and to see photos of the outside and inside of the house, please visit this link: https://jamesbriggshouse.blogspot.com/2019/10/free-historical-house-in-dighton.html
Anyway, the town does not want the house, and they are purposely letting it rot. A tarp was placed over the roof last summer but it has now been shredded. Two out of the three "progressive" Selectmen voted NOT to replace the tarp. Meanwhile, water has been penetrating into the house and much of the ceiling and some of the walls on the second floor have been damaged by mold.

The house is being offered to anyone who is willing to dismantle it and move it to their property. A woman has expressed interest in the house, but she cannot afford to have it dismantled, moved and rebuilt to her property. I know that it is easy to just advise her to resort to fundraising, but I hardly doubt that she will be able to reach $100,000 (the approximate cost of dismantling, moving and rebuilding) within six months.

I would appreciate if anyone could provide us with any guidance as to what to do next, as we are more or less running out of options. Simply put, most of the citizens (including 2 of the 3 Selectmen) do not care about preserving Dighton's past, especially its colonial one.
Thank you for you attention and I hope to hear from you soon.
-- 
Rafa DelfinVice-Chairman, Dighton Historical Commission774-766-2928
rafadello at gmail.com


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