Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. 18 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1886.
“The Hart House is a historic First Period house in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. The two story, three bay wood-frame house was built in stages.”
Wikipedia article Hart House (Lynnfield, Massachusetts), CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 480 National Register listings published here for Essex County · listed in 1990 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on Lynnfield Town in History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888 names Lynnfield. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The early history of Lynnfield is, of course, interwoven with that of Lynn, and their natural features are in a large degree similar. Its woody hills form a part of the extensive range that sweeps up from old Plymouth County, varying in height, but never reaching an altitude that entitles them to the name of mountains. They present irregularities of shape, diversities of soil and modifications of geological construction, and follow the line of the coast at dis- tances varying from half a mile to eight miles from the shore, in many places bearing strong evidence of having once been the boundary of the tide. Anciently, for the whole extent they were well wooded ; but as population increased, the axe in many places laid them bare, and orchards and arable fields began to appear. At intervals the chain now seems much broken, as most portions likely for the present to repay the expense have been reclaimed. Some sections, however, still retain much of their primeval aspect, - a fact eminently true of several of the remoter parts of Lynnfield.
Passage source: History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888.
But Lynnfield possesses many attractions for the lover of nature, in her lonely glens and pleasant heights, in her lakelets and busy streams. She has good highways and romantic byways, green meadows and sunny plains. But she has not the ocean views that so charm, and the ocean breezes that so invigorate. Many, however, come hither for temporary homes during the vacation season, and in the quiet enjoyment of rural sights and rural sounds, in the breathing of uncontaminated airs, in the use of fresh and simple food, and in freedom from the restraints of fashionable life, find a medicine that revivifies their jaded energies, and enables them to return to their homes again to enter with zest the accustomed routine.
Passage source: History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Lynnfield Town - 11,216 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 103 fires within 5 miles of Hart House between 2003 and 2020, burning about 139 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 27 |
| Smoking | 20 |
| Debris and open burning | 19 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 6 September 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 28 September 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 25 September 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | SAUGUS |
| 23 September 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 21 September 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 15 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | LYNNFIELD |
| 12 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | DANVERS |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 9,568 specimens collected within 10 miles of Hart House between 1800 and 1975: 4,545 Plantae, 3,050 Animalia, 1,230 Fungi, 367 Chromista, 265 Bacteria, 94 Unrecorded, 17 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by ?, A B. Proper, A E Preble and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.
| Image | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Corylus americana Walter | 1900 | E. F. Williams | |
 | Populus grandidentata Michx. | 1900 | E. F. Williams | |
 | Rhodocollybia prolixa var. distorta (Fr.) Antonín, Halling & Noordel. | 1800 | R. B. Mackintosh | Peabody |
| Erysiphaceae | 1803 | A. B. Seymour | ||
 | Hamamelis L. | 1816 | Boott, J. | Andover Turnpike [=Northern Expressway?], 6 miles from Boston. |
 | Viola labradorica Schrank | 1816 | not recorded | Andover Turnpike, 6 miles from Boston U.S.A. |
 | Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel. | 1821 | not recorded | Pleasant Pond, Wenham, Mass. |
 | Amaranthus cannabinus (L.) Sauer | 1822 | not recorded | |
 | Diphyscium foliosum (Hedw.) D.Mohr | 1822 | ALCOTT | |
 | Arcyria oerstedii Rostaf., 1875 | 1826 | F. A. Gilbert | |
 | Eleocharis robbinsii Oakes | 1829 | B. D. Greene | |
 | Potentilla argentea L. | 1830 | A. P. Bhute |
All 9,568 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 23 workings within 5 miles of Hart House: 13 past producers, 7 producers, 1 occurrence, 1 unknown. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Iron, Titanium, Metal. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferro Ceramic Grinding--Wakefield | Silica | Plant | ||
| Heffron Asphalt Co--Wilmington, Ma. | Titanium | Past Producer | ||
| Heffron Asphalt Corp | Titanium, Metal | Past Producer | ||
| Saugus Deposit | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Danvers Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Essex Bituminous Concrete Products | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Marlborough Plant/Polishing Plates | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| North Wilmington Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Peabody Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Richardson Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lynnfield, the town this property stands in, in 13 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 6 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 2 lightning, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Lynnfield | $570,000 | Pillings Pond |
| July 2008 | Lightning | South Lynnfield | $100,000 | An apartment copmlex on Dearborn Road caught fire after being struck by lightning. A firefighter fighting the fire suffered minor injuries (indirect) after a ceiling collapsed on him. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | $15,000 | Trees were downed by thunderstorm winds destroying a shed on Timberhill Lane. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | $10,000 | Trees on Main Street, Conant Street, and Wang Road were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | $5,000 | At 133 PM EST, power lines were reported down on Orchard Lane in Lynnfield. |
| March 2020 | Lightning | Lynnfield | $1,000 | At approximately 8 PM EST in Wakefield, MA a Lakeview Avenue home was struck by lightning. One small area of vinyl siding and some insulation were burned. Quick action by the homeowner, neighbors, and the Fire Department prevented more serious damage. |
| June 2017 | Flood | Lynnfield | $1,000 | At 445 PM EST, rain flooded Main Street near Wing Road in Lynnfield. The water reached a depth of six to twelve inches. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | $1,000 | A four inch diameter tree limb on Salem Street was downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2023 | Flash Flood | Lynnfield | - | In Lynnfield, Durham Dr near Grey Ln had a car stuck in street flooding. |
| June 2012 | Flood | South Lynnfield | - | The Lynnfield tunnel on Route 1 was closed due to flooding. |
| July 2012 | Hail | Lynnfield | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lynnfield | - | no account filed |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is reproduced in full on its own page, word for word and never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.
The whole case file for this property - 1,320 words, 11 pages, reproduced complete.
Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 90000239, 11 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Henfield House | 0.4 miles | 1991 |
 | Meetinghouse Common District | 0.7 miles | 1976 |
 | Breakheart Reservation Parkways-Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston | 4.0 miles | 2003 |
 | Lieut. Thomas Fuller House | 4.3 miles | 1990 |
 | Flint Public Library | 4.4 miles | 2002 |
 | Estey Tavern | 4.5 miles | 1989 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 90000239 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Essex County | All 480 listed properties in this county. |
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