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William Haskell House
(pre-1693, as early as 1652)
My 8th great grandfather William Haskell purchased the 10 acres of "improved land" this house is built on in Gloucester from Richard Window in August of 1652(though some references point to the sale as late as June of 1663). The home is not referenced in the deed, but that was the norm for deeds of that era, which were based on land not buildings and the phrase "improved land" suggests that the home may have been there. The home is referenced in William's will of 1693, dating it definitely as a 17th century structure, making it one of the oldest surviving homes in New England. For over its first 200 years of existence, until 1872, the land and house was owned by members of the Haskell family, and except for a short period of time in the mid 20th century has been used as a private residence. In June of 2010 I had a chance to meet the then owner of the home and discuss the history of it at length. His theory, and it seems a sound one to me, is that the home was used as a residence for Haskells only in William's lifetime and upon his death, when ownership of the property was split between William's children, it was rented out as a tenant farm for the remainder of it's ownership by members of the Haskell family. The visit to the William Haskell House that I took was written up by my cousin Rchard E. Haskell in issue 81 of the Haskell Journal, the article includes several current photos of the house.
The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been featured in various magazines and books over the decades, some of which I have detailed below. Simply click on the title or image to call up the complete article.
"According to tradition, William Haskell did not become a permanent resident of Gloucester until circa 1652, when he settled on the westerly side of Walker's Creek on a ten acre lot with house and barn which he bought from joiner Richard Window on 4 August 1652." "The date of the proper transaction is uncertain and may have occurred as late as 16 June 1663. The William Haskell house still exists, although greatly altered, on Lincoln Road in West Gloucester, MA."
References: "Haskell Journal: Journal of the Haskell Family Association"; Issue #32(V8,#4, 1992) and Issue #23(V6,#2 1989}
"House Beautiful" The February, 1927 issue of this magazine features interior photos of the William Haskell house along with explanatory paragraphs. |
"Beyond New England Thresholds" This 1937 book features nine interior photos of the home(with captions) among it's more than 200 photos of various New England homes dating from 1638 through 1810. |
"Pencil Points Monograph Series" February 1939 Vol. XXV #1, pp 113-128. This magazine article goes into more detail about the architectural designs of the house, as well as featuring some exterior photos. |
If you're interested in the Haskell surname you may want to consider membership in the Haskell Family Association, a non-profit group dedicated to research of the Haskell surname, membership is relatively inexpensive and they offer a quarterly newsletter.
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Member of the Haskell Family Association
Email: carey@haskells.net
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