Wright, Philemon/Asa Locke Farm
Why it's listed
Set at the northwest edge of Winchester, this twenty-acre farm combines cultivated fields, woodland, an 1828 farmhouse, six outbuildings and a house from 1967. Asa Locke built the farmhouse in a conservative Federal style, and it received Colonial Revival changes around 1910, including pedimented dormers and porticos. The 1827 barn, an ice house, a ca. 1915 produce storage barn with shelving for blue hubbard squash, and a gravity-fed irrigation system complete the working complex. The land was first held by the Wright family, early Woburn settlers. Philemon Wright sold it in 1800 and led a party to Canada, where he founded a settlement in the region around Ottawa. The Locke family then farmed it for four generations, expanding it into market gardens that supplied Boston. It is the sole surviving farm building complex in Winchester and the last market garden in the area still in agricultural use.
Significance in brief: The farm is tied to two prominent Woburn (later Winchester) families, the Wrights and the Lockes, each of whom held it for long periods. Philemon Wright later founded a settlement in Canada that became part of the National Capital Region. Architecturally, it is the only surviving complex of farm buildings in Winchester and one of few intact early 19th-century farms in the Boston area.
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 83000838, listed March 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 78 Ridge St., Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000838 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1827-1915 |
| Architectural style | Federal Period farmhouse with ca. 1910 Colonial Revival modifications |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in agricultural use; nine acres were in cultivation at the time of nomination, producing fodder and vegetables. |
| Acreage | 20 |
| Coordinates | 42.44152, -71.17581 (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 83000838.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7183027
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.