Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 - State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National x Local government Register - University - designated a National Historic Landmark - Other - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: #. Dalton Historical Commission _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #. NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 1 8.
Narrative Statement of Significance OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA neighboring Cheshire, but he moved to Dalton, and most likely The Gulf, by 1830, where he and his wife, Hannah, raised a large family. Philip Hoose's grandson Charles Hoose bought the Hoose House from farmer John Curtis in 1868. The house had been occupied by different black families since it was built in 1846 by William H. Bogart, a Dalton cotton manufacturer, and sold to Henry Fitch, an African American born in Connecticut. The Hoose family occupied the house for three generations, and represents an important African-American presence in the town. The 1½- story wood-frame house has changed little, except superficially, in its more-than-160-year history.
Its transitional wood frame, with principal timbers and secondary sawn components, is intact and typical of its mid 19"'-century construction period. The two-room floor plan is a common size and arrangement for a laborer's dwelling. The shed-roof rear extension was probably built after Charles Hoose purchased the property to add kitchen space. Such small dwellings are rare, especially without transformative additions and alterations. The property meets National Register Criteria A and C at the local level. Under Criterion A, it has historical significance for its association with the origin and development of the African-American community in Dalton and its neighboring towns. It also is a landmark of community planning in the era when blacks were physically as well as socially marginalized on poorer quality lands on the fringe of white settlements.
In terms of Criterion C the house is a rare, distinctive, and well-documented example of a 19th-century African-American dwelling with continued use through the entire 20"h century. Background Charles Hoose purchased the original one-acre Dalton parcel that contains the "Fitch-Hoose House" from John Curtis on December 9, 1868.' Curtis was a farmer living in Dalton at the time. Charles Hoose was an African move into the house. In the 1870 U.S. Census he was recorded as a farmer in Hancock, with a household containing his wife, Deanna, son Charles (age 2 years), infant daughter Grace, and father Algernon (all mulattos), as well as two white French-Canadian male farm laborers.
(The presence of French-Canadians in an African American household is unusual, perhaps indicating their lowered status in the period.) Charles was credited as owning $1,500 of real estate, which possibly included the Dalton property. The 1874 Berkshire County Directory locates Charles Hoose in Dalton, and, on August 30, 1880, he filed a Declaration of Homestead in the Pittsfield Registry for the land he purchased from John Curtis in 1868? The 1880 U.S. Census records him as a resident of Dalton. He was listed as a widower with three children, Charles, Grace, and Henry J. Hoose. Charles A. Hoose was the first of three generations who would inhabit the little house on High Street in Dalton for the next century and more. (continued) ' Berkshire County Deeds, Adams Registry, 114:417. 2 240:449 NPS Form 10-900 (Rev.
10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 2 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Dalron ch. Hoie nsS Charles A.
Hoose was the grandson of Philip Hoose, whose name first appears in the 1820 census in Cheshire, a monthly reported that "many of these slaves came to the western mountain fortresses of this county from New Zork state, as well as farther beyond, and pressed on to Vermont and north, [but] quite a number fled no farthel and were immune from capture by pursuing masters through the friendship of the early settlers and througt hiding away in primitive cabins on the Greylock, Hoosac, or Taconic mountains and among their foothills." The name Hoose was likely derived from a Dutch master's surname, such as Hoes, Goes, or Van Hoesen, which were prominent farming families in Albany County on the west side of the New York border.* Other black families in Berkshire County had more obvious Dutch names, such as Van Alstyne and Van Duzer.
Philip Hoose was under 45 years of age in 1820, which placed his birth around the time of the American Revolution. No Hoose is listed in any census prior to 1820 for any of the western Berkshire towns. According to New York State law, he would not have been legally manumitted until 1827 unless freed by certificate or will. ' Philip Hoose was either freed by a sympathetic master or fled across the border into Massachusetts. The fact that he kept his master's name and provided it to a census taker raises the question of to what extent he was hiding. Eight African Americans were enumerated in Dalton in the 1790 census. Three of them were living in white households: one in Benjamin Chamberlain's, and two in Jared Foot's. The other five comprised the household of John Johnson, the only independent black listed in the town. In neighboring Lanesborough, fifteen African Americans were counted.
There were four independent heads of households: Benager Hill, William Johnson, Cud John and Joseph Robinson. Each of the entries totaled two persons, suggesting that these were young married couples establishing themselves and their families. All of those enumerated in Dalton and in Lanesborough could have been residing in The Gulf, which was located along the boundary between the two towns. Notably, none of the surnames recorded can be construed as being Dutch in origin, raising doubts as to these individuals' origins in New York. No blacks were recorded in Cheshire, the town in which Philip Hoose would later settle. Pittsfield contained five independent African-American families in 1790, which amounted to 23 of the 45 blacks enumerated in the town.
It is possible that Philip Hoose had arrived in Berkshire County and was an unnamed "other free person" in a white household in 1790; however, it is impossible to determine this from the available vital records. (continued) " A transcription of this article is contained in "The Story of the Hoose House," a booklet of documentation prepared by the Dalton Historical Commission. 4 Present day Columbia and Greene counties were then part of Albany County. David M. Ellis, et al., A History of New York State (Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, 1967), 186. New York had the largest slave population among all the northern states. In 1790 over 11,000 African Americans lived in the state, mostly in rural areas in the Hudson Valley where Dutch and English farmers relied on them for their labor.
Legislation was passed in 1785 that prohibited the importation of slaves for sale and permitted their release by certificate or will. Under pressure from abolitionists, the state established a complicated process for ending slavery. The children of slaves born after July 4, 1799 would have the status of bond servants and obtain full freedom when they reached age 28 years for males and age 25 for females. This law was expanded in 1817 so that all African Americans born before 4 July 1799 also would be declared free on July 4, 1827. NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA Americans in the town.
Pittsfield counted fifteen African-American households in 1800, with one head, Jacob Van Duzer, having a Dutch name. There were 80 people of color living in Pittsfield in 1800; by 1810, that number had increased to 128 (including one individual recorded as a slave). In 1810 there were 45 blacks in Lanesborough and 18 in Cheshire, but only one in Hinsdale. Dalton counted 37 African Americans, with 20 of them spread among four independent households headed by Stephen Thompson, John Tucker, Augustus Deming and Prince Danforth. Philip Hoose was the head of one of three black households living in Cheshire in 1820. (Aaron Williams and Henry Vancycles [Van Syckles?] were the heads of the others). Only at this time do Dutch surnames begin to be associated with African Americans in Berkshire County.
Philip was 26 to 45 years of age, and his wife (whose name was Hannah based on later vital records) was aged 14 to 26 years. They had four sons under 14 years of age. In addition, there were an older male and female over 45 years of age who were probably Hannah's parents. The final member of the household was a white male aged 14 to 26, perhaps a farm laborer. Based on Hannah's and the children's ages, the Hooses were not married for more than ten years, which would explain why Philip did not appear as a head of household prior to 1820 in Massachusetts. However, he and Hannah were likely married after he obtained his freedom, as slave families were routinely broken up in New York. It would be unusual if Philip escaped slavery together with a wife and small children, or, for that matter, his parents.
This suggests that Hannah was a member of one of the black families already living in the Cheshire area and that she married Philip and bore their children in Massachusetts. This scenario also supports the contention that Philip Hoose was a fugitive when he arrived in Berkshire County from New York. There were also four black households in Lanesborough in 1820, one headed by Peter Kip, another African American using a Dutch surname. Hinsdale reported no African Americans, but Dalton enumerated 36 blacks, with five independent households headed by Prince Huntington, John Tucker, Benjamin Spires, John Handler, and Frank Arnum (perhaps from the Dutch name Van Arnum). In the 1830 census, Philip Hoose (spelled Hoos) and his household are recorded as living in Dalton, where the family remained, in one form or another, thereafter. Philip was still the head of a three-generation family.
The Hooses were one of three African-American families, and thirteen of the 29 blacks living in Dalton that year. (Philip and Hannah had nine children.) John Tucker and Squire Gardner were the other two heads of households. Thomas Hoose and his family were enumerated in the town of Lenox, and, based on their comparative ages, Thomas could have been Philip's older brother, but their actual relationship is unknown. In 1840, Philip Hoose and family still resided in Dalton and Thomas Hoose and family in Lenox, while Sally Hoose, a free colored female 55 to 100 years of age, lived alone in Pittsfield. By this time, the grandfather in Philip's household was deceased and half of the eight children living at home had been born since the last census, indicating that five others had moved out.
Since none of them are listed as heads of household, the sons were probably unmarried and boarding with other white or black families, and the daughters were either boarding or married. (continued) NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 4 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA nother, Hannah, age 52 years, and brothers, Richard, Stanley, and Edwin. Philip Hoose evidently had diec A nother son, John A. [Algernon] Hoose (age 35 years), his wife, Sylva, and their children, John W., Caroline S. and Charles A., (ages six, four and two years, respectively,) lived in Hinsdale. John is listed just before Squires P. Hoose (27 years), yet another of Philip's sons, and his family. Alonzo Hoose (30 years) was a fourth son.
H Roberis, Amntm, Tucker, lackson, and Midore. This rem af kable groupin mrely represenis taeiedommal bsyke, probably on the portion of The Gulf within the bounds of the town of Dalton. Amos Hoose was credited with owning real estate in Dalton valued at $500 in 1850. His entry followed that of William Van Alstein (Alstyne), a 60 year-old African American born in New York and bearing a Dutch name. Both men were farmers, as was Henry Fitch, who was listed two entries previous to them. Although not identified as black in the 1850 schedule, Henry Fitch was an African American. (He was identified as free colored male in the 1840 census for Stockbridge.) On September 15, 1846, Fitch bought a 1½-acre parcel from William H. Bogart, a Dalton cotton manufacturer.® It was bounded on the south by the "county road leading to Lanesborough," on the north by the lands of O.P.
Dickenson and Henry Chamberlain, and on the east by "Abby Road, so called." Bogart had purchased the parcel but one month earlier for $15 from Henry Chamberlain. Fitch was identified as a resident of Pittsfield, and he paid $75 for the property, for which he gave a mortgage to Bogart.? The increase in value suggests that in the intervening month a dwelling was built. Three years later, before moving to Cummington, Bogart conveyed Fitch's mortgage to paper manufacturer Zenas M. Crane.® Henry Fitch died soon after the 1850 census was taken (there is no document indicating that the mortgage was paid), and Crane held onto the property until 1856 when he sold it for $125 to Celestine Barnard of Dalton? The deed noted that it had been "recently occupied by Charles Hambleton," likely another African American.
Nithin months Barnard sold the property to his wife, Margaret, "to her sole and separate use free from the interference or control of her husband."IC Details about the Barnards or their use and eventual disposition of the property are not known. A twelve-year gap exists in the records between the Barnhard transfer in 1856 and the deed by which John Curtis conveyed the dwelling to Philip Hoose's grandson, Charles A. Hoose, in 1868." John Curtis was a white farmer from Dalton; his name appeared just before Henry Fitch's in the 1850 Dalton census schedule. Hoose paid $150 for the property, giving Curtis a $100 mortgage to be paid in two equal payments of $50 plus 7% interest on November 9, 1869, and November 9, 1870.2 From this point on, the Hoose family was the occupant of the house on Gulf (continued) - Berkshire County Deeds, Adams Registry, 64:83. Ibid., 91:499. Ibid., 61:500.
Ibid., 83:297 1°Ibid., 83:299. "Ibid., 114:147. 12 Ibid., 114:419. NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA Section number 8_ Page5 American living in Pittsfield. Perhaps this was in anticipation of his impending second marriage to Ellen Hamilton, who was born in 1861 in New Jersey. Charles and Ellen Hoose went on to produce 13 children in th small house at 475 High Street (formerly Gulf Road). Charles Hoose died in the 1930s, and his wife, Ellen ived until 1945, at which time various of their children and grandchildren occupied the house. Their granddaughter, Charlayne Hoose, the daughter of their son Charles A. Hoose, resided there until her death.
Th last family members to occupy the house were Charlayne's cousins Florence and Hannah Richards, who both lived until 1998, and Helen M. Madison, who died in 2001 A 1903 article stated that "many of these slaves remained in their wilderness homes especially in the Saddleback range and in Lanesboro Gulf."13 A 1926 item stated: "From 1800 to 1820 or later, the Lanesboro Gulf was full of Negro cabins.... Some of these cabins had their patches of gardens where they cultivated corn, potatoes, berries, roots and fish. On these folks lived comfortably but humbly, but in the enjoyment of the freedom which they had thus isolated themselves to procure."!4 In reality, the settlements of these A frican Americans had been restricted to this and other marginalized areas by the white community, rather than them choosing these mountainous waste areas as hiding places.
They evidently were permitted to squat in The Gulf because it was separate and had no better use. A 1905 account in Berkshire Hills Monthly described the scene in a highly romanticized and racially stereotyped manner. "At this time Sambo [no such name appears in the census] and Dinah, a colored couple well along in years, had a little shanty of their own construction in the Gulf, to which was attached an ell which was made of white birch poles and thatched with weeds and ferns which they had athered from the woods.
Here they lived in contentment, supporting themselves by selling berries in their season as well as herbs and roots to the white women of the town for medicinal purposes and for making homemade beer, while for their own use and comfort they raised potatoes and vegetables and were very successful in the growing of watermelons, in which they took especial pride."!s While no physical or photographic evidence of these rude dwellings seems to survive, it is indeed likely that the first homes built by African Americans were constructed of logs cut to clear garden spaces in the woods, and/or scrap lumber scavenged or bartered from their white neighbors. By the 1840s, as their numbers increased and their work and income became steadier, living conditions improved and permanent dwellings became possible.
Their work had earned them the ability to borrow money to pay for their own property and build legitimate houses. However, they were still generally impoverished, and only the most basic of houses were available to them. The Fitch-Hoose House is a distinctive example of this house type, surviving largely intact from 1846, when it was constructed for another African American, Henry Fitch. The simple wood frame building is built in an economical method with principal posts, sills, girts, and plates hewn from timber and joined, with the rest of the frame (joists, studs, and rafters) having been sawn. There is a full stone basement under the front section, with two rooms finished on the main floor and attic. These rooms were unheated, although a rough shed appended to the rear of the building may have contained a cook stove of some sort.
These five rooms were home to Charles and Ellen Hoose and most of their 13 children for many years. The house is an authentic illustration of the living conditions of poorer people during the mid to late 19t century, as well as representing the improved domestic standards of African Americans in the same period. (continued) 13 "The Story of the Hoose House." 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid. NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 6 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA The Fitch-Hoose House was abandoned and derelict when the Town of Dalton acquired the property through tax dwindling number of historic African-American dwellings in the neighborhood enhanced the significance of th property.
Gulf Road has been included in an African-American Heritage Trail within the Upper Housatoni Valley National Heritage Area. The historical commission intends to restore the house and interpret it as an historic property. Archaeological Significance Since patterns of ancient Native American settlement in Dalton are poorly understood and few sites are recorded, any Native sites could be significant. Ancient sites in this area could be important, contributing information related to Native American settlement and subsistence in the Berkshire uplands of western Massachusetts and interior tributary streams and ponds at the headwaters of the Housatonic River drainage.
Ancient sites in this area can also be important by contributing information related to the extent of Native American socio/political relationships and socio/economic relationships with other Native peoples to the west in the New York area, to the south in Connecticut, or more eastern locales in Massachusetts, including the Connecticut River Valley. The Fitch-Hoose House lies within the Housatonic River drainage, which flows southerly through Connecticut. The district is also close to New York, which lies two towns to the west. The Hudson River drainage is present in the northern portion of Dalton. Major Native American core areas are also present along the Connecticut River to the east. Native American sites in this area can help test the importance of drainage system boundaries versus geographic proximity, and their influence on Native American subsistence and settlement systems.
Historic archaeological resources described above may contribute important information related to the origins and evolution of the African-American community in Dalton and African-American history in Massachusetts. Important information may also exist related to the social, cultural, and economic lives of the Hoose family who occupied the house for three generations during the 19t century. Comparative study of architectural features of the house, combined with archaeological evidence of construction features, renovations to the house, structural evidence of barns, stables, and outbuildings, and the location and contents of occupational-related features, may identify spatial and structural characteristics similar to those in other areas of Massachusetts or the American South.
The evidence described above might be used to characterize dwellings built for and occupied by freed and fugitive slaves in Massachusetts and possibly the northeastern region. The Fitch-Hoose House is a rare, distinctive, and well-documented example of a 19" century African American dwelling with continued use through the entire 20# century. Detailed analysis of the contents of occupational-related features may also contribute important social, cultural, and economic information related to the Hoose occupancy of the house, and the occupancy of residential buildings by freed and fugitive slaves in general. Cultural artifacts and macro-fossil evidence may exist that documents associations between the African-American community in Dalton and in Massachusetts with West African culture or the American South.
In addition to material culture artifacts, evidence of dietary habits and pathologies may also exist. The information described above may help identify characteristics of freed and fugitive slave- occupied dwellings independent of documentary sources. Archaeological research at the Fitch- Hoose House may contribute significant new information about the living patterns of African Americans in the marginal sections of western Massachusetts communities. (end) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 9 Page Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA 9. Major Bibliographical References U.S. Census. Population schedules, 1790 to 1930. Digital versions obtained on www.ancestry.com. Pittsfield MA, Berkshire Atheneum. Local History Collection. Dalton directories, 1874-1960.
Historic atlases and maps, 1876, 1904. Pittsfield Birth & Marriage Records. Pittsfield & Adams MA. Berkshire County Registry, Deeds and Mortgages. Smith, J.E.A. History of Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts From the Year 1800 to 1876. Springfield MA: C.W. Bryan & Co., 1876. "The Story of the Hoose House," a booklet of documentation prepared by the Dalton Historical Commission, ca. 2005. (end) Fitch-Hoose House Name of Property Berkshire, MA County, State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 18 Zone 649920 4704560 Eastin Northing 2. Zone Easting Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Soundary Justificatiol Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet 11.
Form Prepared By name/titleNeil Larson, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organizationMassachusetts Historical Commission street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard city or town_ Boston _ stateMA Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: _ zip code 02125 Continuation Sheets Zone "Zone Easting Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Northing .dateMay, 2010 telephone617-727-8470 A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Town of Dalton street & number _Town Hall, Main Street _ telephone _ 413-684-6111 city or town Dalton _ stateMA _ zip code 01226 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Inited States Department of the Interic ational Park Servic National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 10 Page 1 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA Verbal Boundary Description The 100 x 150 foot property is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of High Street/Gulf Road and ridle Road, which extends north from Park Street and leads to the town landfill. See attached assessors m r a more detailed descriptic Boundary Justification The parcel containing the house was created by the Town of Dalton, which owns the property and intends to resided, and a one-story ranch-type house north of the intersection built ca. 1960, the residents of which are not (end) OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number photos Page 1 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA PHOTOGRAPHS Digital photographs by Neil Larson, 2008 PHOTO 1: View from southeast PHOTO 2: View from northeast PHOTO 3: View from southwest PHOTO 4: View of parlor from north; front entrance on right PHOTO 5: View of partition between parlor and chamber from east; doorway to stairs on right PHOTO 6: View of chamber from east; note corner post. PHOTO 7: View of east attic room from west; roof PHOTO 8: View of kitchen from west NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number images, plans Page OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA Fig.1: View of Fitch-Hoose House from southeast, c. 1900. Source: Ashfield Historical Society Photograph Collection. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number images, plans Page _2 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton (Berkshire), MA DN Fig.2: Floor Plan, first floor. Drawing by Larson Fisher Associates, 2007. Fig.3: Floor Plan, second floor. Drawing by Larson Fisher Associates, 2007. Feb 02 10 11:41a Town Of Dalton REMAINING LAND OF TOWN OF DALTON BK. 1686, PG. 112 (32,300 SQ. FT.+) HOUSE SHED - DH- S61'02'53"E SHED 131.53' _4" PVC VENTPIPE 28:57:07E HOUSE N50 24'24"W 13'+ OH GULF 278.93) ROAD (FORMER COUNTY WAT) 413#684#6107 ZONE R-i ZONE R-3 91.95 241.95 a8.281 54.01 13,835 SQ. FT.
# 475 HOUSE 100,00 -10- /30 OH p.2 ROAD 150.00 S28707 BRIDLE OH.
COMF IRON SURV DRAL - DH- UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Fitch-Hoose House NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Berkshire DATE RECEIVED: 5/11/10 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 6/23/10 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 10000390 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 6/08/10 6/25/10 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: N PDIL: PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN _REJBCT 6.34.1BATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : Entered in The National Register Hlbtortd Places - RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE TELEPHONE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPS.
||I| MA-DALTON- (BERKSHIRECO)- FITCH-H NEIL LARSON PHOTO 2 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton, Berkshire Co., MA PHoTo 1: View frau southeast MA_DALTON-(BERKSH(RECO)-FI NEIL LARSON PHOTO titch-Hoose House Dalton, Beskslure Co., MA PHoTo 2: View fram hortheast MA_ DALTON- (BERKSHRECO)-FITCH-110 NEIL LARSON PHOTO 20 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton, Berkshire Co., MA PHoTo 3: Viao from southwest MA-DALTON-(BERKSHRECO)- FITCH-HOC NEIL LARSON PIOTO 2008 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton, BerkshureCo, MA PHoTo 4: Vieo of parlor fmm nortn, f on right. MA-DALTON- (BERKSHIRECO) - FITCH-I NEIL LARSON PHOTO 2008 Fitch-Hoose House Dalton, BerkshiteCo., MA PHOTO 5: Viau of portition betucen p fram east, doorway tostairs MA-DALTON- (BERKSHIRECO) - FITCH-14 NÊIL LARSON PHOTO 20 Fitch-Hoose House Daltm, Berkshire Co., MA.
PHOTO 6: View & chamber from east MA_DALTON-(BERKSHIRECO) - FITCH-HOC NEIL LARSON PHOTO 2i Fitch-Hoose Honse Dalton, Berkshire Co, MA PHoTo 7: View of east attic room from MA_DALTON-(BERKSHIRECO)-FITCH-H NEIL LARSUN PITOTO Fitch.Hoose House Dalton, Berkshire (o, MA PHOTO 8: Viei of kitchen frau west RECEIVEDBF APR 2 2 2008 MASS. HIST. COMM UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE TRAIL A project of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area www.AfricanAmericanTrail.org April 16, 2008 Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Dear Ms. Friedberg; On behalf of the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, I support the Hoose House at 6 Gulf Road in Dalton MA for inclusion for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
In the Hoose House lies a tangible connection to the lives of working class African Americans prior to the 1850s when manufacturing began to replace farming as the dominant industry in the region, and when several Blacks owned substantial farms, among them the Hall and Hoose families in Lanesboro. The home of the late Ellen M. Hoose, at the edge of the Glen at 471 Gulf Road, is believed by members of the Dalton Historical Commission to be one of the last surviving of the old Black community. Hoose acquired her home in 1909, but the building dates to Charles Hoose's purchase in 1868. The Dalton Historical Commission has worked vigorously to preserve this important part of our African American culture and acquaint the public with its history through heritage walks and other programs.
It is efforts like these that make the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail a testament not only to the lives of luminaries such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Rev. Samuel Harrison, but to the perseverance of ordinary African Americans as well. The Hoose House provides a rare opportunity to learn about the rich African American heritage that resides in New England. It deserves this recognition. Sincerely, eamlY Rachel Fletcher Co-Director, Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail Cc: Gail Pinna, Dalton Historical Commission Partners - Arrowhead/Berkshire Historical Society - Berkshire Athenaeum - Berkshire Community College Berkshire Publishing Group - Clinton A.M.E.
Zion Church - The Du Bois Center of American History & Culture Friends of the Du Bois Homesite - Great Barrington Historical Society - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts National Evaluation Systems - Pittsfield Historical Commission - Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development - Pittsfield Second Congregational Church - Samuel Harrison Society - Sheffield Historical Society - Simon's Rock College Stockbridge Library Association Historical Collection - The Trustees of Reservations - University of PO Box 472 - GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230 - 413-528-3391 - info@AfricanAmericanTrail.org RECEIVED 2280 MAY 1 1 2010 NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERMCE The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commissior May 4, 2010 Mr. J.
Paul Loether, Chief National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW gth floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr. Loether: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Fitch-Hoose House, 6 Gulf Road, Dalton (Berkshire), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. One letter of support has been received. Sincerely, betsy tredtey Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure CC: John F.
Boyle, Chair, Dalton Selectboard Mary Jane Caliento, Dalton Historical Commission Neil Larson, Larson Fisher Associates, Consultant Richard Ladd, Dalton Planning Board Rachel Fletcher, Upper Housatonic Valley African-American Heritage Trail 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
Block