Coronet John Farnum, Jr., House

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Coronet John Farnum, Jr. House

(HQ of Uxbridge Historical Society, and site of the first Uxbridge Town Meeting )
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: Mendon Street at Capron Street, Massachusetts Route 16

Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Built/Founded: 1710
Added to NRHP: November 7, 1983
NRHP Reference#: 83004135 [1]
Governing body: Private

Cornet John Farnum Jr. House, built circa 1710, is one of the oldest homes in the historic Blackstone Valley town of Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On November 7, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

[edit] The house and its historic significance

Uxbridge is in the heart of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which is the oldest industrialized region in the United States. The Coronet John Farnum, Jr., House was the site of the first Uxbridge Town Meeting in 1727. The house today is a museum and headquarters of the Uxbridge Historical Society. It is an excellent example of early New England colonial architecture.

[edit] Builder and original owner

John and Mary (Tyler) Farnum may may have moved to the Chockalog section of Uxbridge, then Mendon because of the "witchcraft controversies" that involved Mary's family in Andover.[2]. John Farnum, Jr. was a "coronet", a now obsolete military position similar to an ensign. He was elected a constable in Mendon in 1703.[2] He had his house built about 1710 in a part of Mendon that is now Uxbridge. Son Moses Farnum's house still stands on Massachusetts Route 146A.

[edit] The Town of Uxbridge becomes separate

On June 27, 1727 a petition was granted to form the town of Uxbridge. The first town meeting was held in the Coronet John Farnum House. One of the first official acts of the town on July 8, 1728, was to appropriate funds for "ÿe good rum for ye raising of ye meeting house.".[3]

[edit] Significance in early American history

The significance of the house, the town and Coronet John Farnum, Jr., is now linked to American history as part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  2. ^ a b John Farnum, Jr.. Doug Sinclair. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  3. ^ Marvin, AP (1879). History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Embracing a Comprehensive History of the County from its earliest beginnings to the present time; Vol. lI. Boston, MA: CF Jewitt and Company, 146. 
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