Waters Farm
Why it's listed
Overlooking Manchaug Pond in southwest Sutton, Waters Farm is a 104-acre farmstead centered on a farmhouse built in 1757 by Stephen Waters. The five-bay, two-story Georgian-period house has a central chimney and has grown through additions made in 1830, 1840 and 1925, with the east end restored in 1983 from nineteenth-century photographs. Interior details such as an open stringer staircase, chair rails and a remnant of stenciled border survive. The Waters family were early Sutton settlers who farmed here for seven generations, selling apples and cider while growing food crops and keeping livestock. Most outbuildings, including a barn, carpenter's shop and blacksmith shop, were lost, many in the 1938 hurricane, but their foundations and ruins hold archaeological value. The pond shoreline is also a known prehistoric site. The property was bequeathed to the Town of Sutton, which plans a museum of eighteenth-century rural life.
Significance in brief: The farm supported seven generations of the Waters family in a self-sufficient rural way of life, and documents over 150 years of agricultural history in Sutton, a center of agricultural prosperity in Worcester County. The ruins of lost outbuildings offer archaeological potential for eighteenth- and nineteenth-century farm life. The property also overlaps a known prehistoric archaeological site along Manchaug Pond.
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 85000695, listed April 4, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 53 Waters Rd., Sutton |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | April 4, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000695 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | various members of the Waters family |
| Architectural style | Georgian-period farmhouse |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Bequeathed to the Town of Sutton, to be managed by a preservation committee that plans a historical museum of eighteenth-century rural New England culture, plus hiking trails and a wildlife sanctuary. The form marks it as occupied. |
| Acreage | 104 |
| Coordinates | 42.10690, -71.78268 (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 85000695.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7974401
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.