[MassHistPres] Oliver Prescott Jr. House, Groton

[Peter K Johnson]

Here in Hanover we were faced with the same issue in 2021 - and we found
someone interested in taking on the project.  We located a new, appropriate
plot of land one mile from the location of the house. Then we began
discussions with all of the appropriate town departments and the utility
companies about what would be required for the move of the house (cut into
two pieces and mounted on flat-bed trailers) on two public streets.
Although everyone in the town departments was supportive of the idea, the
list of requirements eventually set out for the move became so onerous that
the person who agreed to take on the project decided moving it "whole" had
become impossible.  The solution? Dismantling the house entirely (with the
assistance of preservation carpenters,) numbering all of the pieces, and
moving it that way to the new site. It still awaits reassembly - septic and
wetland issues still to be resolved.

It's a much more complicated story than that (but interesting!) and if
anyone wants to know more, I'm happy to elaborate.

So, a bit of a cautionary tale, which I feel pretty confident will have a
semi-happy ending: we believe we've "saved" the house, but  Commission
members would have preferred that the house had remained in place on its
original site. That was not possible.

Peter Johnson
Chair
Hanover Historical Commission


On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 8:53 AM heartwood via MassHistPres <
masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:

> sorry to hear this....
> criminal........
>
> jade mortimer
> heartwood window restoration
> po box 114 1605 mohawk trail
> charlemont, ma 01339
> 413-625-8680
>
> *From:* aubrey theall via MassHistPres
> *Sent:* Monday, November 6, 2023 9:44 AM
> *To:* masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* [MassHistPres] Oliver Prescott Jr. House, Groton
>
> Please share this to anyone in your network that might be interested in
> moving all or part of the historic Oliver Prescott Jr. House in Groton.
> Unfortunately we will have to issue a demo permit to the owner in November
> of ‘24 at the end of our demo delay.
>
> Aubrey Theall
> Chair
> Groton Historical Commission
>
> [image: IMG_0957-scaled.jpeg]
>
> Oliver Prescott Jr. House, One of the Most Historic Homes in Groton, MA.
> Must be Moved.
> <https://circaoldhouses.com/property/oliver-prescott-jr-house-one-of-the-most-historic-homes-in-groton-ma-must-be-moved/>
> circaoldhouses.com
> <https://circaoldhouses.com/property/oliver-prescott-jr-house-one-of-the-most-historic-homes-in-groton-ma-must-be-moved/>
>
> <https://circaoldhouses.com/property/oliver-prescott-jr-house-one-of-the-most-historic-homes-in-groton-ma-must-be-moved/>
>
>
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