Westford Town Farm
Also known as: Poor Farm; Westford Home; Westford Infirmary
Why it's listed
Westford Town Farm, at 35 Town Farm Road, is a brick poor farm building raised in 1837 on the site of an older farmhouse that the town had bought with the John Read farm in 1824. The five-by-six-bay main block shows Greek Revival features, including granite lintels and sills, while a wood-frame Victorian Eclectic addition of about 1900 gives the building an L-shaped plan. The cellar of that addition holds a former town lock-up with two brick cells. The property served as the town's home for paupers, the mentally ill and others unable to support themselves until 1959, longer than most Massachusetts town farms. Social reformer Dorothea Dix visited in the early 1840s and described the restraint of a resident. The nomination presents the building as a local example of nineteenth and twentieth century public assistance, and as a representative of the architecture of such institutions. It is currently vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a prime local example of the town's social safety net in the 19th and 20th centuries, and it remained in use as a town farm until 1959, later than most others in the state. It is eligible under Criteria A and C for its role in social history, health and welfare, and its Greek Revival and Victorian Eclectic architecture. Its cellar also holds the former town lock-up.
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 08000167, listed March 14, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 35 Town Farm Rd., Westford |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 14, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000167 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1837-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Daniel W. Hartwell, builder; H.M. Francis, architect of 1900 block |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Victorian Eclectic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Community Planning and Development, Architecture, Health/Medicine, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the form notes vinyl siding on the secondary addition and modern interior finishes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.58657, -71.47851 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 08000167.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7988793
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.