Pequitside Farm

Almost 188 Years Old

By: Chris Brindley

James Draper, son of Charles N. & Martha
(Gill) Draper enjoys a ride in a "Goat Cart"
at Pequitside Farm in the 1890's.
(Courtesy of the Canton Historical Society)

In this Canton's Bicentennial year, it is also fitting to pay tribute to Pequitside Farm that will be one hundred and eighty-eight years old this summer.

The story of Pequitside Farm as we know it began on May 20, 1809, when the Reverend William Ritchie purchased a parcel of land on Pleasant Street. The land was sold by Martha Howard, widow of Reverend Zachariah Howard, for the sum of $2,230 for thirty-six acres. Mr. Ritchie built at least the front portion of the present Main House. Ritchie was the pastor of the First Congregational Church at Canton Corner. It was during his ministry here that the Separation of Church and State took place in Massachusetts. He married Miss Clarissa Kimball of Bradford, Mass. They had three sons, William, James and Daniel Kimball Ritchie, one of which became the Mayor of Roxbury. The Ritchies left Canton in 1821 to settle in Needham, Mass., where Rev. Ritchie was installed as Minister of the First Parish. He died in Needham in 1842, his wife Clarissa passed away in 1855.

In June of 1822, Mr. Ritchie sold his Pleasant Street parsonage to the Reverend Benjamin Huntoon. The house and property amounted to about twenty acres and cost $2,250. Reverend Huntoon and his wife had five children, one of whom was Daniel T. V. Huntoon. Daniel was the author of The History of Canton, published in 1893, after his death. In January 1822, Benjamin Huntoon was ordained as pastor of the First Congregational Church. In the winter of 1829 he left Canton to preach in Bangor, Maine. After the death of his wife in 1839, he returned to Massachusetts in 1840. In the spring of 1842 he returned to his old congregation in Canton. He died April 19, 1864. Before going to Bangor, he sold his Pleasant Street home with twenty acres to Phineas Miller Crane for $1,800. Huntoon later married Susan Lewis of Canton whose father had been a long time Selectman and had signed the documents incorporating the Town in 1797.

Phineas Miller Crane was the son of Major General Elijah and Desire (Withington) Crane. He graduated from Harvard in 1824 and received his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1828. He was married in the winter of 1833. He practiced medicine in Canton before moving to East Boston where he died in 1882. He sold his Canton home to James Dunbar for $1,800.

Dunbar was the son of the Honorable Elijah Dunbar and was the youngest of nine children. He married Sarah Kinsley, the daughter of Adam and Sarah Kinsley. Adam Kinsley was a partner with Jonathan Leonard in the manufacture of iron implements. Later the partnership dissolved and Kinsley started the Kinsley Iron and Machine Company.

James Dunbar was the president of the Neponset Bank and in 1814 was the custodian of the Powder House which was built behind Pequitside in 1809. He was, also, a partner with James Bent in the manufacture of swords. He owned property with James Sumner in Sharon which was a source of timber and hay. Dunbar sold the Pleasant Street home with twenty acres to Benjamin R. Nichols for $2,100 on April 22, 1843. From 1846 to 1852, Nichols purchased other parcels on the easterly side of Pleasant Street. After his death the property remained with his heirs until April 8, 1854, when Thomas Ward purchased the original twenty acres for $7,600. It was at this time that Pequitside began to acquire its present boundaries. In May 1857, Ward bought the Little Red House parcel of six and a quarter acres for $2,600 and another twelve acres for $1,000. This brought his estate to thirty-eight and a quarter acres. He also, purchased another forty-five acres for $9,000 on the easterly side of Pleasant Street. Thomas Ward spent over $40,000 beautifying his estate. He built a greenhouse, grape arbor and planted forest and fruit trees as well as shade trees along Pleasant Street. Much of the existing landscaping and large trees were probably the doing of Ward. He was wealthy and the American agent for an English banking house. He also owned three other homes in Boston. Thomas Ward died early in 1858, leaving his wife, Lydia, and four children. He was interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

In March 1876 Ward's estate sold the property to Colonel George Higginson. He paid $16,750 for the thirty-eight and a quarter acres. On the same day he also purchased for $1.00, the two and a quarter acres comprising what is now the parcel at 55 Pleasant Street. Higginson's gardener resided in the Red House.

On May 18, 1885, title passed to Charles N. Draper for the sum of $1.00. The reason for this low price, was that Charles Draper assumed two mortgages that Higginson had on the property. It was during Charles Draper's ownership that Pequitside acquired its name. Charles in previous years acquired other surrounding parcels. By September 1890, the farm had reached ninety-five acres in size.

Charles Norris Draper was the son of Thomas, who was born in England in 1808 and came to Canton around 1851. Thomas also had a younger brother, James, who also arrived in town. After the death of Thomas in 1856, Charles Draper and Charles French operated two knitting mills in town. Seven years later, Charles and Matthew Townsend formed the partnership of Draper and Townsend. In 1864, Charles purchased part of the Billing's Farm at Washington and Dedham Streets. Then a year later, he incorporated his mills as the Canton Woolen Mills. In 1869, the Canton Woolen Mills failed and were sold at auction to James Draper and Charles Sumner. In 1870, Charles built the Springdale Mill on Pleasant Street, where the Creekside Condominiums are today. In October 1888, through a taking of the Canton Board of Water Commissioners, Charles lost part of his Springdale Mill parcel. The original Water Works structure still exists today on the south side of Pine Street at the railroad crossing.

The main barn at the rear of Pequitside was completed by Charles N. Draper in July of 1893. The weather vane bears the initials C.N.D. and was originally plated with gold leaf. Charles N. Draper died on July 1, 1903, leaving his wife Martha (Gill) Draper and sons Joseph, John, Paul and James. Martha Draper in her younger days was a great friend to Martha (Crafts) Howard, sometimes referred to as "Patty" Howard, widow of Reverend Zachariah Howard. Martha Draper, at some point acquired Mrs. Howard's "Mourning Ring", which contained a lock of Rev. Howard's hair. It would be nice to see this artifact donated to the Historical Society.

The property was now under a trusteeship of the Martha and son Joseph until August 1915, when it was sold to John H. Draper for $6,000. In October 1919, Joseph and John Draper, as joint tenants, purchased the parcel at 10 Sumner Street, and built the house that still stands today. This property is at the rear of the main barn at Pequitside. In October 1923, Pequitside and the Sumner Street lot were transferred to Paul and Marjorie Draper. In the following years, parcels were sold off, and the farm went from ninety-five acres to its present thirty-four +/- acres. The so called "Tavern" building was probably built in the 1870's. This structure was where the gardener kept his supplies, this was also the laundry. In the 1920's, Paul Draper remodeled the tavern building as well as most of the main house.

As well as being a partner in the Draper Brothers Company, Paul also had half interest in the Stockton Wool Company, a limited partnership of Bradco Oil and Gas Company. He also had one-sixteenth interest in a Texas oil well. Paul A. Draper passed away on July 24, 1969, leaving his wife Marjorie and two children, Phyllis and Donald. Marjorie Draper passed away on April 6, 1970.

On June 15, 1971, the Town of Canton purchased Pequitside Farm from the Estate of Marjorie Draper. The town received matching grants from the Federal and State governments to acquire the property for $260,000. Today, Pequitside Farm is managed by the Canton Conservation Commission and most of the programs and events held there are under the direction of the Recreation Department.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief history of Pequitside. This column will also be posted at the Canton Historical Society's Web Page at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496, there are also many other items relating to Canton's history posted here as well.

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