This post was brought to you by Stewart Young (syoung@landvest.com). Whether it’s an elegant Greek Revival in Lincoln, a 130 acre farm in Medfield, or a waterfront summer estate on Stage Harbor in Chatham, Stewart advises buyers and sellers of some of the most distinctive properties in Massachusetts with a focus on the Metro West area of Boston and Cape Cod.
Just 12 miles from Boston, Lincoln, Massachusetts is a town steeped in history and culture and has a rich heritage in agriculture and land preservation. Lincoln has over 51 miles of conservation trails, 1617+ acres of conservation land, and over 200 acres of fields rented for farming.
Lincoln was incorporated in 1754 with its land area taken from the surrounding towns of Concord, Lexington, and Weston. In the late 19th century, the town center had grown substantially and rural properties, especially those at higher elevations, were purchased by wealthy Bostonians. By 1900, Lincoln had become a popular site for country estates and summer homes and many stand today as icons of the town’s ability to attract a sophisticated and upscale crowd. Several of these estates have been repurposed for public use. Louise Hathaway bequeathed her Drumlin Farm estate to the Massachusetts Audubon Society for use as its headquarters; Julian deCordova’s castle now holds the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the Carroll School was once the estate of James Storrow, financier of railroads and automobiles; John Pierce’s Georgian Revival house and land have become the centerpiece of the historic district; and The Grange, the country seat of the Codman family, is now a house museum administered by Historic New England and the family farm is now Codman Community Farm where legions of Lincoln children have served as Farmer’s Helpers.
The historic district of Lincoln is a 161 acre area in the geographic center of Lincoln and originally part of the six-mile-square tract granted in 1635 to form the town of Concord. The Historic District is defined by several roads, Old Trapelo, Lincoln, Weston, Bedford, Old Lexington, and Sandy Pond.
The architecture of the Lincoln Historic District dates mostly from the early and mid-nineteenth century and consists of Federal and Greek Revival styles. There are also fine examples of the mid-nineteenth century Second Empire style and the late-nineteenth century Queen Anne, Georgian Revival, and Colonial Revival styles.
LandVest has experience assisting both buyers and sellers find antique homes and sell properties in Lincoln’s Historic District. Below are a few examples.
The Codman-Hager or Elisha Hagar House, ca. 1828, replaced an earlier farmhouse built by John Codman. Hagar was a cordwainer and tanner. In 1816, he bought the 65 acre farm and then replaced the farmhouse with a large two-story, hip-roofed Federal style house. In the 1930s, the house was completely renovated into a grand summer home with ornate millwork, sleeping porches, and even one of the first residential air-conditioning systems. The adjacent fields were landscaped by noted architect Fletcher Steele who added terraces, stone staircases, and a pool with a pool house and pergola. In 2008, the houses had a second complete renovation by Belmont builder, Tom Blake.
Codman-Hager House in Lincoln's Historic District
The Weston-Bemis House is a Greek Revival built in 1844 by George Weston (1800-1888), a Lincoln native and housewright. The house is a classic gable-to-road, side hallway, three bay design with an entrance flanked by sidelights. A wrap-around covered front porch is a later nineteenth century addition. At the rear of the house, a large garden room with sliding glass doors along the full face of three sides is a twentieth century addition that nicely blends the contemporary use of glass with the more classic use of trim and divided lights.
George Francis Bemis (1809-1890), the third owner, was a significant benefactor of the town. A publisher of newspapers, he also invented an improved system of type setting, and was a successful investor in copper mining companies. He gave the town 10 acres for a cemetery and willed to the town $20,000 to build a new town hall, now a community center known as Bemis Hall. With $30,000 he also endowed annual public lectures that continue to be a popular event in the town.
For Sale, The Lincoln Estate in Lincoln, MA Historic District
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Contact Stewart Young (syoung@landvest.com), in our Boston, Massachusetts office if you’d like to talk about real estate in Lincoln, MA or distinctive properties on Cape Cod or in the metro west area of Boston.
