Here, before us, lies a place touched by time and revolution the Samuel Hartwell House. It stands as a poignant reminder of early America. Today, only the central chimney stack remains. But imagine the stories these stones could tell.
The Samuel Hartwell House was built around 1694. Samuel Hartwell and his first wife, Abigail Stearns, called this place home. Abigail passed away in 1709. Samuel remarried three times. His later wives were Rebecca, Margaret Tompkins, and Experience Tarbox.
Richard Rice sold the land to Samuel in 1694. This plot would become a part of history. The Samuel Hartwell House stood here for generations. It witnessed the birth of a nation.
Let’s jump ahead to April 19, 1775. The battles of Lexington and Concord were about to unfold. British soldiers marched past the Samuel Hartwell House. They were headed to Concord and back to Boston.
Three of Ephraim and Elizabeth Hartwell’s children, Samuel, John, and Isaac, were ready. They were Lincoln minutemen. They fought bravely at Old North Bridge and along the battle road. All three served in the Revolutionary War.
Paul Revere and William Dawes rode through the night. British soldiers detained them nearby. Samuel Prescott, also on horseback, escaped. He jumped his horse over a wall and into the woods. Prescott arrived at Hartwell Tavern. He awakened Ephraim. Prescott told him about the approaching British soldiers.
Ephraim sent his black slave, Violet, to warn his son. She ran down the road to alert his family. Mary then informed Captain William Smith. He commanded the Lincoln minutemen. Smith lived west of here. The minutemen received the warning. They arrived at Old North Bridge before the British. Prescott reached Concord.
The Samuel Hartwell House remained in the Hartwell family for years. Samuel’s grandson, also named Samuel, married Mary Flint in 1769. His father, Ephraim, gifted them the house. The Hartwells lived here until 1785.
The property was originally part of Concord. In 1754, it became part of the newly incorporated town of Lincoln.
In 1926, Marion Fitch and Jane Poor purchased the Samuel Hartwell House. Fitch was a Boston schoolteacher. Poor was an architect. They transformed it into a restaurant called Hartwell Farm.
When Samuel died in 1744 at age 78, Ephraim inherited the family farm. By 1749, it was one of the most productive farms in Concord. It spanned 141 acres.
Sadly, fire destroyed the Samuel Hartwell House in February 1968. The fire left only the central chimney stack standing.
Today, the site is part of Minute Man National Historic Park. It serves as a reminder of the past. The Samuel Hartwell House may be gone. Its story lives on. It reminds us of the courage and resilience of those who fought for freedom.