Wilder, Homestead, The
Why it's listed
Set back from Route 112 in Buckland, the Wilder Homestead is a farmstead built around a ca. 1775 house, a barn of similar date, a shoe shop moved to the site in 1991, and a granite hitching post. The house is a 2½-story, center-chimney saltbox with clapboard siding and a slate roof. It combines a Georgian form and small-paned windows with Federal touches, including a tall, narrow door surround, a widely projecting cornice and carved fans on the parlor fireplace. Inside, the post-and-beam frame uses scribe-rule joinery, and wide-board floors and original fireplaces survive. The English-style barn, with its threshing bay, was likely built before 1798 and later extended. Generations of the Wilder family farmed here, raising grains and livestock. The shoe shop was built by shoemaker and farmer Dan Townsley between 1812 and 1820. Surrounding open fields remain in agricultural use and make the farm a landmark along the floodplain. The Buckland Historical Society has owned it since 1981 and operates it as a museum.
Significance in brief: The house is a good example of a transitional Georgian/Federal farmhouse in western Massachusetts, with conservative framing and Federal details. The ca. 1775 English barn and surviving fields show how a local farm family worked the land over generations. The relocated early 19th-century shoe shop adds a record of local trades, though it is noncontributing.
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 10001178, listed January 24, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Ashfield Rd, Buckland |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | January 24, 2011 |
| Reference number | 10001178 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Georgian; Early Republic/Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Buckland Historical Society since 1981 and operated as a historic house museum; the fields remain in agricultural use. |
| Acreage | 58.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.60050, -72.77790 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 10001178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7774933
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.