“A History of Old Houses” by Atherton Parsons
This page includes descriptions of the 71 houses mentioned in “A History of Old Houses” by Atherton Parsons and a brief history of their ownership, and photographs if available, by the Howes Brothers. The Southampton collection of all Howes photographs of Southampton is available on flash drive for in-library viewing. Please ask a librarian for assistance. Flash drives may not be borrowed, edited or copied.
Use the following link and the ‘find’ option in the document to locate persons who might be mentioned in several places in the “History of Old Houses” by Atherton Parsons. “A History of Old Houses” Guide to Names Mentioned.
Use this Guide to access the sketch for a house if you know the current address. It will guide you to the sketch on this website, and also indicate the name of the file to be found on the flash drives.
Howes Brothers’ Photographs
The Howes Brothers’ Photographs taken in Southampton also contain many dwellings and businesses during that time that were not included in “A History of Old Houses.” These can be found in their entirety on the flash drives, but a selection is available on this site, especially those where the persons depicted are known.
Southampton Historical Districts and Houses
Southampton Center National Register District: “The State Register of Historic Places is an historic preservation planning reference tool. It alerts property owners, planners, and project proponents to the presence of significant historic properties and sites that need to be taken into consideration in both public and private undertakings. Additional information on properties listed in the State Register is available in the files of the [Massachusetts Historical] Commission.” — From The State Register of Historic Places
Southampton Center Historic District and The Lockville Historic District
Southampton has two National Register Historic Districts – The Southampton Center Historic District and the Lockville Historic District. These areas and properties are architecturally or historically significant and worthy of preservation. A listing in the National Register recognizes the area or structures as important to the history of the community, state or nation…See more.
Further Resources at the library
Arthur H. and Emily B. Allen – High Street
(no photograph available)
The original house on this property stood on the east side of the road and had a great historical interest because it is believed it was one of the first houses built in Southampton…See more.
Edward and Stella Bashista- Pleasant Street
Gaius Searle, born in 1772, bought this property in 1804 from his father Gideon Searle, …See more.
Clement R. and Mary Burr – East Street
In 1828 Timothy Clark III purchased from Henry Parsons for $125, a lot of land described as 3 acres and 4 rods (south on Springfield Road)…See more.
George and Mary Clark – Main Street
Sardis Chapman, born in 1803, married Dolly Searle (daughter of Cornelius and Dolly (Clark) Searle Nov. 22, 1827…See more.
David H. and Ellen L. Claxton – East Street
The first settler on this property was Waitstill Strong who came here from Northampton in May 1733…See more.
The Helen Judd Coleman Place – College Highway
According to Sardis Chapman, Eleazer and Mehitabel Coleman came to Southampton from Coventry, Conn., in 1761… See more.
Frank P. and Ruby B. Conant – College Highway
Ebenezer Kingsley was one of the first setters in Southampton. Probably one of the rooms in this house was the first house that he built. In “History of the Connecticut Valley” published in 1879 Louis E. Everts, the author, writes “after the drawing of lots on June 8, 1730, …See more.
Walter Crabtree Place – 74 Russellville Road – Flat Hill
The land on which this house stands was sold by Job Searle the second to Silas Sheldon in 1799 (11 acres for 67 dollars). This transaction also included about three-quarters of an acre on the east side of the road….See more.
Julia Crowell Place – Now Herbert and Nancy Waldmann – Maple and High Streets
In 1853, Edwin Kingsley sold to Josiah A. Gridley one-third acre of land at this location, (151-450). The deed made no mention of any buildings. Price $100…See more.
Residence of Ida Olds David – College Highway
(No photo available)
The first settler on this place was Nathan Lyman, the son of John (son of Richard). Nathan was born in Northampton in 1706, married Sarah Webb in 1733 and settled here the same year. Nathan and Sarah had no children...See more.
Edwin and Marion Doty – East Street
(No photo available)
The first deed registered at the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds in Northampton, regarding this property, is dated 1787 and is a transfer from Hopestill Welch to David Chapman, “One piece of land with dwelling house and blacksmith shop on the same”...See more.
Weslie and Cora Ewig Place – Pleasant Street
Nathaniel Searle Jr. settled at the south end of Bedlam Rd. probably where Mr. Chevalier now lives…See more.
Charles and Shirley Fisher-Pomeroy Meadow Road
Eleazer Hannum was the first settler on this place, probably building the house in 1734. He had married in 1728, Martha Root, so probably his first two children were born in Northampton. However, according to the records, he had 14 children…See more.
Clifford J. and Dorothy M. Forster – Foamer Rd.
Bildad Searle had a house in this vicinity in the 1760’s, just where has not been determined…See more.
Joseph I. & Ethel M. C. Gaskill
King Bascom presumably built the first set of buildings on this property about the time of his marriage to Mary Clark (daughter of Oliver Clark) in 1796…See more.
Franz W. & Elaine Goepfert-Formerly Norton Farm-Valley Road
Samuel Clapp Jr., born 1711, died 1755. He married Mindwell Strong in 1732 and came to Southampton in 1750…See more.
Charles and Agnes Goral – Moose Brook Road
In 1818 Phineas Strong bought the land, and in 1833 built the house here. The land formerly belonged to the John Clark farm (later owned by Charles L. Lyman.)…See more.
George W. and Aurora M. Gosselin – Main Street
This house was built in 1822 by Asahel Chapman, Jr. whose father lived in the house next south, (Willard and Dorothy Howland). Asahel Chapman Jr. married in 1822 Louisa Bates, daughter of Stephen Bates…See more.
Kenneth and Margaret Gunn – Pleasant Street
This farm was originally the homestead of Gideon Searle, one of the nine sons of Nathaniel Searle, one of the first settlers in Southampton…See more.
Henry N. and Mary Hatch – Maple Street
Known as the Jonathon Judd Place
On June 8, 1743, a church was organized in Southampton and Jonathon Judd was ordained as first minister…See more.
House on East Street- Owned by Theodore L. Hendrick
Former residence of W. J. Lyman
(no photograph available)
In 1833 (71-310) Sheldon Bascom sold to Josiah A. Gridley the following described parcel of land. Beginning at the south west corner of the homestead of J. A. Gridley on the highway…See more.
Richard and Miriam Howland – College Highway
The land on which his house stands was sold to John Strong Jr. by his father in 1803 (22-8). Apparently the house was built in 1828 as the construction of it was awarded by contract to Stephen Wolcott in that year…See more.
Willard F. and Dorothy P. Howland – Main St.
The historic Chapman house on Main Street, now occupied by the Willard F. Howland family was built on land originally owned by Timothy Clark in the 1730’s…See more.
The Michael Kelly House – Valley Road
(no photograph available)
Lemuel Searle, born 1759, appears to have been the first settler on this farm. He was a son of Moses Searle and Rebecca (Danks) Searle. He married Deborah Owen in 1780. They had three children, the first being Rebecca, born 1782, who married Moses Clapp of the Benjamin Norton Farm…See more.
Georgia and Edith Kingsley
This house was built about 1846 by King Pomeroy. King was born in 1805, the son of Samuel Pomeroy who lived farther north on this street… See more.
Paul and Alice Kokoszyna – High Street
(no photograph available)
In 1836 (77-419) Lemon Gridley sold five acres of land to Lysander Bates, part of which was the land on which this house was built. Price – $160…See more.
Henry and Aurora Labrie – Valley Road
The farmstead now (1966) owned by Henry Labrie was first settled by Aaron Searle, son of Nathaniel and Priscilla Webb. Aaron Searle, born in 1727, married Hannah Pomeroy in 1752. They had nine children: four of their sons went to Vermont. Hannah Pomeroy Searle died in 1793, and Aaron died in 1810…See more.
Romaine and Luella Lambert Home – Center Street
In a deed dated April 23, 1830 (71-539) Stephen Wolcott bought from Jesse Searle and Rufus Clark one acre of land described in part at follows: Beginning at a point on the recently constructed road leading from County Road to Back Lane, easterly 21 rods to land of James K. Sheldon …See more.
Richard and Jane Lancto – Foamer Rd.
The land where this house stands belonged originally to Nathaniel Searle and remained in the Searle family through generations. Zophar Searle the second, and two of his sons, Ansel and Edmund operated mills on Red Brook in the rear of the property and Ansel may have had a shop building near where the house now stands…See more.
Winifred Madsen – Main Street
The land where this house stands was part of the homestead of Phineas King who came as one of the earliest settlers in Southampton. In 1807 Lemon Gridley bought this and other lands adjoining from Douglas King son of Phineas…See more.
Adolph Maslowski – Brickyard Road
(No photograph available)
This house is on Brickyard Road about 300 feet west of the railroad tracks (first crossing going in from the Mill Pond)…See more.
John Norris Homestead – High Street
The land here and adjoining land was originally owned by Nathaniel Searle one of the first settlers in Southampton. He must have sold 9 acres here to Simeon Waite though the deed is nor recorded in Northampton…See more.
Ruth S. Norton – Maple Street
On the 24th of October in 1842, Miletus Parsons bought a building lot from Heman Searle fronting on what is now Maple Street. This lot was described as follows: Beginning at north west corner of the Parsonage lot,…See more.
Atherton W. and Edith P. Parsons – Pomeroy Meadow Rd.
Originally the Leon Fowles land and the land now owned by Atherton W. and Edith P. Parsons was one piece…See more.
Joseph Raymond House – First House South of the Cemetery
(No photograph available)
The north end of this house is part or all of the schoolhouse which was built about 1752 near where the soldier’s monument now stands on the center green. About 1805, this schoolhouse, not being adequate for the number of scholars, was moved to a spot just south of the cemetery…See more.
Ethel Searle – Main Street
When this town was first laid out, the land here belonged to Mr. Phineas King. According to Miss Caroline Edwards, Mr. King’s house stood between the present house and the street. Miss Edwards also wrote that Lemon Gridley built the back part of the present house…See more.
Homestead of Captain Silas Sheldon, called Silas II – Russellville Road
(Burned – No photograph available)
This Silas Sheldon was called Silas Sheldon II even though his parents were Israel Sheldon Jr. and Keziah (Bates) Sheldon…See more.
Homestead on Flat Hill where Henry Skudzienski lives (1965)
(No photograph available)
Silas Sheldon, son of Israel and Naomi (Warner) Sheldon probably built the first set of buildings on this property about the time of his marriage. Silas was born in 1749 and married Elizabeth Bates in 1772…See more.
Anthony and Catherine Skrodski – Gilbert Road
(No photograph available)
Bildad Searle, son of Nathaniel Searle and Priscilla (Webb) Searle born December 16, 1733 was the first settler on this place. He married 1758, Mary Hannum, daughter of Eleazer and Mary (or Martha) Root Hannum…See more.
Ethel A. Tiffany’s Residence – High Street
The land where this house stands was owned by Phineas King in the 1730’s. ..See more.
Clarence and Barbara Tolson Jr. – Elm Street
This property was owned by Moses Danks Jr. It is probable that he inherited it from his father, Moses Danks, a son of Samuel Danks, one of the first settlers in Southampton…See more.
Robert and Jocelyn Tyson – High Street
(No photograph available)
The land where this house stands was laid out by Timothy Clark in the 1730’s. It remained in the Clark family until 1827 when it was sold to Quartus Searle…See more
Russellville Factories and Mills as Pertaining to Horace Williams House
This description concerns the first set of buildings on the Old County Road (Manhan Road) north of the Russellville bridge.
Zophar Searle sold to John Robinson, 1/2 interest (Book 30 p. 398) in 1810. The price was $40…See more.
Woodbridge Hall – East Street
It is on record that the voters of Southampton, Mass., in the year 1775, appointed a committee of three “to treat with some likely man to come and settle with us as a doctor, and to report to the town at the fall meeting.” The following spring the same committee was directed to “inform Mr. Sylvester Woodbridge of South Hadley that the town of Southampton would be glad that he would come and settle with them as a doctor.” .See more.
Walter M. and Beatrice H. Howland – Elm Street
This property was the homestead of Jonathon Wolcott Jr., who married Clarissa Pomeroy of Easthampton in 1800…See more.
Mrs. Esther P. Nichols – East Street
This house reportedly was built in 1772 by Phineas King for his daughter Clarinda. It was located first on the green in front of the present Center School…See more.
Martin Norris Farm – College Highway
John Strong Jr., apparently built the buildings on this property in 1796 for his son John Strong Jr. On Feb. 18, 1802 John Strong deeded to son John Jr. for $500 “the property where he now lives, with dwelling, barn, and 55 acres.” …See more.
James H. and Myrtle C. Parker – East Street
(No photograph available)
This property with adjoining land was owned by Waitstill Strong in 1733. By 1866 it belonged to Harris Nimocks. Harris Nimocks sold the land where this house stands to Albert Atkins in 1879. Probably Albert Atkins built the house either in that year or the next. Mr. Atkins had accumulated considerable property in the lumber business and in real estate speculation…See more.
Abner Peck Place – Main Street
In 1770 Paul Sheldon, a blacksmith, bought one acre of land here from Bildad Searle. He probably built this house in the same year or in 1771, as he was married in the latter year to Anna Boyington…See more.
Myron and Jewell Searle – Russellville Road – The Old Searle Homestead
(No photograph available)
This property was first settled by Zophar Searle in 1764. Zophar Searle, son of Nathaniel Searle and Priscilla (Webb) Searle was born in 1735 and he married Anna Clark, daughter of Selah Clark in 1764…See More.
Robert R. Ackley, Jr. and Sharon (Premo) Ackley – Foamer Road
The first deed of this property that can be found in the Northampton Registry of Deeds is a deed of transfer from Artemas Loomis, Jr. to Fred Day in 1828. However, judging from the construction of the house-hewed timbers, fireplaces, etc. it seems that it must have been built in the 1700’s…See more.
Arthur L. and Mildred (Colbath) Brown
The original part of this house was probably built about 1828 by Artemas Loomis, Jr. In 1836 he sold this property to Daniel Morgan for $310 (77-292).…See more.
The Homestead of Oliver Clark, Jr. – Cold Spring Road
The first settler on this farm was Elisha Clark about 1733. He was one of the six Clarks who were early settlers of the town.
Elisha was born in 1714, married Hanna Bartlett in 1737, and on the afternoon of August 27, 1747, was surprised by the Indians while working in his barn…See more.
Dr. Josiah A. Gridley, now (1968) Richard and Dorothy Frary – East Street
This house was built sometime between 1828-1830 by Henry Bascom and his brother. They sold it to Dr. Josiah A. Gridley in 1830. ..See more…
Harry and Leah (Klopfenstein) Gorton – College Highway
This farm was one of four that Ichabod Strong owned when he died in 1798. He willed this farm to his son John…See more…
Charles and Helen (Matuszek) Kaleta – Maple Street
On the 18th of February 1835 Gad C. Lyman bought this property from Heman Searle. The deed reads in part “a piece of land near meeting house being the same whereon said Lyman has erected a cooper shop.”…See more.
Norman and Therese Langlois – Former Congregational Church Parsonage – Maple Street The first two ministers in town, Jonathon Judd and Vincent Gould owned their own residences, but when Morris White became our third minister (in 1832) it seemed advisable for the church to provide a home for him…See more.
Robert and Alice Lowe, Effie Lowe – College Highway
In 1845 Cyrenius Wolcott bought a small piece of land here from Abner and Charity Sheldon for $102 (109-176). Cyrenius built part of the present house and probably a shop as he was said to be a wagon maker...See more.
Albert J. and Gertrude T. Miles – College Highway
The land where this house stands was bought by Lewis Hannum from Elisha Edwards February 1, 1866 (472-251). Later in 1889 Lewis Hannum bought other land adjoining from Charles Goodrich (472-249)…See more.
William I. and Ann (Slattery) Moore – Main Street
(No photograph available)
The land where this house stands was originally part of the Jonathon Bascom Homestead, and later owned by Appolae Metcalf. Stephen Wolcott bought a small piece of land here from Metcalf in February, 1834 for $85…See more
Albert N. and Patricia (Hatch) Morrier – Strong Road
(No photograph available)
This was the homestead of Ichabod Strong and part of the house standing today may be the original house. According to early town records Ichabod Strong came here from Northampton in May, 1733…See more.
Popielarz Family, Formerly Henry Parsons – Clark Street
This property was first settled by Timothy Clark and owned successively by his son Timothy Clark, II and his grandson Timothy Clark, III. Timothy Clark was born in 1720 (son of Noah and Eunice Dickenson Clark) and was the first settler on this place. He married in 1747 Freedom Edwards, daughter of Benjamin Edwards, Jr. Timothy Clark kept a public house or tavern. In Jonathon Judd’s diary he was called Landlord Clark and it also was mentioned that court proceedings were sometimes held at his house…See more.
William J. Puza, Jr. and Ruth (Meagher) Puza
Simeon Sheldon bought one half acre of land from Asa Searle in 1853 (141-119). Simeon Sheldon was a prominent member of the Methodist Church and built this house in 1854 to be used as a parsonage…See more.
Louis A. and Lois (Smith) Sefranka – College Highway
The land where this house stands was part of the John Clark farm (now in part the Golf Course). The first deed on record regarding this property as a separate parcel from the rest of the John Clark farm is dated 1828 (60-133)…See more.
Southampton Congregational Church Parsonage
The land where this house stands belonged to Timothy Clark in the mid 1700’s. After passing through several ownerships it became, in 1841, the property of Stephen D. Clapp. Presumably he built the house in 1841 or 1842… See more.
Clarence and Lena (Marcotte) Tolson – former Methodist Church Parsonage
The land where this house stands was purchased by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Southampton from Albert Atkins January 18, 1883; one-fourth acre for $200 (407-218). The house (to be used as a parsonage) was evidently built soon after the purchase of the land…See more.
George S. and Erma M. Veighey – College Highway (no photograph available)
Paul Chapman (son of David and Abigal Willett Chapman) is the first recorded owner of a house at this location. He bought the land from Elisha Edwards and probably built the house about the time of his marriage, 1799, to Ruth Pomeroy (daughter of Elijah and Ruth Phelps Pomeroy)…See more.
Miss Margaret Zoudlick – Pomeroy Meadow Road
(No photograph available)
This house both inside and out gives the appearance of being a very old house, but kept in excellent repair. There seems no records available by which the exact date of construction can be determined, but it should be considered one of the oldest houses in Southampton. It is situated in what was called Lower Pomeroy’s Meadow…See more.
–From “history of Old Houses” by Atherton Parsons
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