Towne Farm
Why it's listed
Towne Farm is a farmstead of 16.9 acres in the southwest corner of Boxford, Massachusetts, split by Towne Road. Its centerpiece is a two-story, five-bay Federal-style farmhouse built in 1790 by Asa Towne, with a central chimney and an interior that retains wide floorboards, hand-split lath and horse-hair plaster. Nearby stand an 1858 carriage house, a barn enlarged in the late 19th century from a ca. 1790 tie-beam frame, and a garage built in phases around the early 1900s. South of the road are a 1902 pumphouse with windmill frame and a 1907 water tower, which once supplied the house by gravity. Hiram N. Towne, who built a large lumber business while keeping the farm active, added many of these improvements. Stone walls frame the yard and road. The surrounding land was once Towne property, and the site may also hold archaeological remains of an earlier farmstead.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the farm as a long-held Towne family property with a surviving 1790 farmhouse and a collection of agricultural and water-system outbuildings. It shows how the farm changed under Hiram N. Towne, who added a windmill, water tower and other improvements while running a lumber business. The property also has high potential for historic archaeological resources and moderate to high potential for Native American sites.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12000455, listed August 1, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 55 Towne Rd., Boxford |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | August 1, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000455 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Asa Towne (builder of the 1790 farmhouse) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic / Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Farmhouse and related buildings remain in domestic and agricultural use; the waterworks are currently unused. |
| Acreage | 16.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.65709, -71.02604 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12000455.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15637685
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.