BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 JAN 0 2 1990 65 AREA FORM NO. 97 Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5', black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form. Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north (see attached map) Swansea, Mass. MRA Town SWANSEA Address 1074 Sharps Lot Road Historic Name Simcock House Use: Present Original DESCRIPTION residence/farmstead residence/farmstead Date Source ca. 1765 visual analysis; oral tradition Style Architect unknown Exterior Wall Fabric Georqian vernacular shingle Outbuildings _ barn (ca. 1890), well house (ca.
1890), altered milk house Major Alterations (with dates) rear ell (early 19th century) Condition good Moved no Date less than one acre (nominated); Acreage approximately 63 acres total SettingRural setting in northeastern Swansea; market gardening currently in operation on property UTM REFERENCE USGS QUADRANGLE SCALE 19 319490 4627450 Somerset, MA 1985 1:25000 Recorded by K. Flynn, K. Valente/K. Broomer Organization Swansea Historical Commission Date May 1986/November 1989 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The Simcock House, 1074 Sharps Lot Road, retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association and is significant on the local level. The house meets Criterion C as a unique form of vernacular Georgian house in Swansea.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community. This asymmetrical, three-bay, center-entry house is unusual in Swansea. The house's more typical features include the 2½-story height, center chimney, and three-room plan. The facade consists of an entry located right of center and flanked by irregularly spaced windows. Second-story windows are similarly arranged, although the window over the entry is narrower than the others. All windows retain plain surrounds topped with drip boards and contain 2/2 sash. Other finishing details include a narrow frieze and rakeboards. The entry surround, trimmed with a simple molding, contains a five-light transom and a six-panel door from the Federal period. On the west side (rear) is a two-story gabled ell. There are six fireplaces on the interior.
Outbuildings are frame and include a 1½-story barn and one-story well house (both ca. 1890) and an altered milk house. (see continuationsheet) HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. Little is known about the history of this farmhouse before the second half of the 19th century, when the farm was owned by the Simcock family. The Simcocks came to the United States from England in the mid-19th century to work in the textile mills in nearby Fall River. It appears that members of the family settled in Swansea at that time. George A. Simcock owned this house and James B. Simcock owned a house on adjacent property to the south by 1895.
The farm was oriented toward dairying and market gardening, two important aspects of Swansea's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and market gardening continues on the property today. Verbal boundary description and justification Comprising a large, irregularly shaped lot of approximately 63 acres, 1074 Sharps Lot Road consists of a building cluster at the property's narrow frontage along the road with farm acreage extending west. The property is nominated for its architectural significance, and therefore is confined to the building cluster on less than one acre adjacent to Sharps Lot Road and excludes the farm acreage. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES 1849 map of Swansea, 1871 and 1895 atlases of Bristol County, Swansea Public Library. Mrs. Cora Silvia (40-year owner of house), interview, 5/20/86. Mrs. Helen Pierce, Swansea Historical Society, interview, 11/89. Mass. Hist.
Conm. State Survey Team. Historic and Archaeological Resources in SE Mass.. 198: Swansea Town Report and Inventory, 1978/1986, Mass. Hist. Cormission. 8/85 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Cammmity : SWANSEA Form No: 97 Property Name: 1074 Sharps Lot Road Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Architectural Significance (continued) The architectural evolution of this house has not been definitively determined. Although three-bay houses are an anomaly, both five-bay houses and three-quarter (four-bay) cottages from the Colonial (to 1775) and Federal (1775-1830) periods are extant in Swansea. The Simcock House approximates the center-chimney, center-entry form with three major rooms, the most commonly employed house plan in southeastern Massachusetts during the Colonial period.
[MHC, 134] However, these houses typically had five-bay facades. A detailed structural investigation could address the possibility that the Simcock House was originally a two-bay half-house with end chimney, extended one bay to the south later in the 18th century. Intact examples of the half-house (normally three-bays) are comparatively rare, most such houses having been enlarged or demolished for more substantial dwellings. [MHC; 135] Staple to Inventory form at bottom Npe om 10000g United States Department of the Interior NationalPark Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page - Swansea MRA Bwistol County, MASSACHUSETTS 21. Luther, William, House OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 1/2/90 Entered in the Natlonal Reglater 221 Norton House Entered 1n tne Natlonal Reglates 23.
Short's Tavern Entered in the National Registes Date Listed Ikeoper Aebue Bapus 2/10/90 Attest KReeper Aulauestigan 2/10/40 Attest iKeeper Ailunßgun 2/10150 924. Simcock House! Entered in tbe National Reglates Attest Reeper HuluuBzen 2/16k0 25. Smuggler's House 26. South Swansea Union Church Entered in the Attest Reeper SulurBga 2/16/50 Batlonal Beglstes Attest Entered in the vassoaz Baglotapkcoper Atelmmpyan 2/6150 Attest 27. Swansea Willage Historic Distfiftred 1n the Hatlonad Register Keeper AeluuBjus 2/10/50 28.
Walkden Farm Mason, William P., House Attest Entered in the National Registet fusceper AelauByar 2/1640 Attest shsteinbern Moede forReeper PitSavage 7840 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Simcock House NAME: MULTIPLE Swansea MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Bristol DATE RECEIVED: 1/02/90 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/02/90 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 1/1$/90 2/16/90 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 90000063 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: PEU N BEAOPAPE HAPEBAA HAPPKOBEB: # REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SIR DRAFT: N COMMENT WAIVER: N LACCEPT RETURN REJECT 9/10/90 DATE Entered 1n the Natlonal Regiater ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./CRITERIA_ REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketchmaps _USGS maps photographs OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone presentation Signed Date 1074 SharpsLotRd SwjanseaimA simcock House (MHC#91) 1074 Sharps Lot Road Swausea, Mass.
MRA 1986 View NW ,ITE ACCESS 680' 21 63.5 AC. 20 224.94 1.48 AC. 200 300 ROAD 300.00' 001 (U.s. GOV'T) 21 B 220.00' 23 150 391' 220.00 300.00' 1100' 22 ,962 565' 850' MHC#97 1074 SHARPS LOTROAD ,07) 391 126.62 16 35° 13ª 2.08 AC 200 380 ,SOL avoy ,002 15 117 200' 231 300 ,96+ 21C 2.18 AC. OEE 231 340' 140' 120' 150 817° 150 PROPERTY MAP TOWN OF SWANSEA BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS IES W. SEWALL COMPANY SCALE 1 INCH = 200 + FEET KEY: N D= house E = barn - = wellhouse N = milkhouse OLD TOWN, MAINE POR ARREISINÙ PURPOSZE ONLY 30 3967 1050 13 70 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000296