Hale-Boynton House

The Hale-Boynton House (1764) is a Georgian period dwelling located on the campus of Governor Dummer School in Byfield, a subsection of the town of Newbury, Massachusetts. It is situated on a small rise, rolling east across Middle Road, formerly the Old Bay Colony Road. The Governor Dummer campus, an informally arranged group of domestic and moderate scaled institutional buildings, occupies a rural setting on the south bank of the Parker River. The house rises two-and-one-half stories high from a low rubble stone foundation. Above the symmetrical five bay main facade, two twin interior chimneys punctuate an expansive, steeply pitched gable roof. A one story addition, fifteen feet deep, extends across the rear of the house.

post and beam construction, the house is clapboarded on the main (east) and rear (west) elevations, and shingled on the side elevations.Decor- ative shingles in the gables date this alteration to c. 1890-1900, when the house changed ownership for the first time. Other extensive woodwork details such as the cornice and window casings are simple and restrained in design. The original six light transom above the wide central doorway is characteristic of late 18th century rural designs. Other elements of the entrance have been modified, although a c. 1951 view indicates that a simple surround existed even before 1960 rehabilitation, which also enlarged the earlier 6/6 sash to the existing 12/12 double hung sash.

While the exterior is Istrikingly handsome for its generous proportions and dignified simplicity, it is the interior which has drawn the most comment from architectural historians. From the traditional four room plan with back to back fireplaces, the plan departs significantly, arranging five rooms around a double and a triple fireplace chimney. The southern stack is rectangular with a shallow west room.

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Hale-Boynton House possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Completed in 1764, it is significant for both its historic associations and the excellent preservation of its fine period architectural detailing. The house was built and owned for 133 years by the Hale family who were closely associated with Governor Dummer Academy, the oldest boys' boarding school in the U.S. Subsequently, it was owned by E. Moody Boynton, inventor of the M-toothed speed saw and the first working monorail system in the country. Architecturally, as noted by Abbott Lowell Cummings in 1956, "(the house) contains in an unusually unaltered condition, considerable typical woodwork and hardware of its period.

In addition, it exhibits out of the ordinary arrangement of the fireplaces."! Thus, the property meets criteria B and C of the National Register of Historic Places. The history of the property began for the English in 1634 when Richard Dummer, Richard Saltonstall, and Henry Sewall contracted for the importation of cattle and selected this territory along the Parker River for settlement. By 1658, they had built a bridge across the river and a road, which was an important segment of the highway from Boston to Ports- The Hales were among the first settlers in the area.

By 1733 Joseph Hale had built and was operating a tavern on this Bay Colony Road; he was also a cordwainer and "gentleman." His son, Captain Joseph Hale began keeping family ledgers in 173°, which were maintained for over a century and are a source of information on the Hale-Boynton House. An entry of 1764 states that the tavern was taken down in that year and the new Hale house begun on the same site.