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Inventory No: YARA72
Historic Name: Baker, Laban House
Common Name:
Address: 286 Old Main St
CitylTown: Yarmouth
Village/Neighborhood: South Yarmouth Village; Bass River
Local No:
314
Year Constructed:
c 1780
Arch itect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
Colonial; Georgian
Use(s):
Single Family Dwelling House
Significance:
Architecture
Area(s):
YAR.H: South Yarmouth - Bass River Historic District
Designation(s):
Nat'l Register District (05129/1990)
Building Mlaterials(s):
Roof: Wood Shingle
Wall: Wood; Wood Clapboard
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This file was accessed on: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 1:33: PM
FORM B - BUILDING
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL .COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston
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i Akin Avenue
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Wing Avenue
In Area no. Form no.
334 '
Yarmouth
wn (Pass ilrer,�
,= esent use Residence and wholesale
t business (in barn)
resent owner Edward Parker 111
scription;
ate c. 1780
'4" Source Books, sight deeds
yle Georgian
Architect
Exterior wall fabric White clapboard
Large b-e:Fn with
Outbuildings (describe) additions
Other features Residential area, very
large house contains rental apart-
ment. Good condition.
Altered --X Date
Moved Date
5. Lot size -
One acre or less X Over one acre
Approximate frontage 65,
Approximate distance of building from street
15'
6. Recorded by Susan Greene
Yarmouth Historical
Organization Suryeyy -
Date aT Decezmbg.._"979
7. Original. owner (if known)
Original use
Subsequent uses (if any) and dates
8. Themes (check as many as applicable)
Aboriginal
Conservation
Recreation
Agricultural
Education
Religion
Architectural X
Exploration/
Science/
The Arts
settlement
invention
Commerce X .
Industry
— Social/
Communication
Military
humanitarian
Community development
Political
Transportation
9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)
This is one of Bass River's oldest houses but our courthouse fire nre-a
cludes a complete title search. Edward Parker III now lives in the
house, rents part of the house and sells wholesale art from the barn
under the nave of "Canvasback". Joah Hastings lived in the house w11E?n
his pother, Kate Hastings, owned it in the 1940's. lie is in the busi-
ness of making machines which pierce peop_le's ears but did not operate
his business from here. His mother, who a1.so owned. the Douse neat
door, tore down a stall old building on this property which shows up
on the old maps. From this now--torr,-down building Amos C. Ryder scala
fireworks and tires when he owned the proper -y in the 1930'x. Amos
Nyder was in a wheel chair but that did not prevent hire from manning
a shoe repair -business in that part of the house which is now a rental
apartment. Melville Baker had previously owned the house along with
Ryder Crowell. From 1900 backwards we found complications because the
house was owned for many decades by two separate families, some of them
being Ryde.rs and some of them being Crowells.
in 1915 Jenkins wrote, 11T do not know how cold the 1 -lemon Crowell house
is, which when. 11r. Wing eras a boy, was occupied by 1"inerva Crowell who
had three children; Laban Baker owned the other half of the house."
Deeds constantly refer to this as the "Laban Baler Homestead" even as
late as 1940. Laban, who was born to Laban and. Rebecca Baker in 1810,
had bZ-others we constantly run into in our historical survey: Orlando,
obecl, Selem, Benjamin and Joseph. Laban sold groceries and repaired
shoes from this house in the mid 1800's. lie donated money to help build
the Methodist Church in 1352. like all good Yarmouth families he named
10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
early maps, etc.)
1. "Yesterday's Tide", Plorence Baker, 1941, n. 275
2. "old Quaker village", E.L. Jenkins, 1915, p. 36
3. oral from John Sears of Great Western Road, John Hastings, Irving
Ryder, owner, and others
n. Atlases of Barnstable County
5. needs, book 378, p. 310
Office of the Secretary, Boston
P
south Yarmourn
i
Property Nam: i
Indicate each item on inventory foam which is being 'continued below.
his son after himself. His son Laban was a carpenter here in the. late
1800's. Of the Crowells who lived in the other half of the house, no
history Was written.
The author of "Yesterday's Tide" mistakenly identified this house as
being the location of Mary Jane"s Icecream Emporium but so many oral
sources disagree that I conclude that the icecream parlor was actually
across the street in a building which is now torn dawn.
This house is a full. Cape with an old 3/4 Cape extension and an old
ell. The wide board atop the door has some dentil work in it. There
are four chimneys, 1.2 over 8 windows and a wide trimbvard under the
eaves. The house is in good repair and nicely decorated. The keel
ceiling in the kitchen is very attractive. The spacious yard includes
a huge barn. Any date from 1750 to 1800 is possible, but the neighbor-
hood was Indian owned till the late 17801s. Hence a speculative date
of 1780 for the house.
COMMENTS FOR "B" FORMS I'OR SOUTH YARMOUTH/BASS RIVER HISTORIC DISTRICT
HISTORIC SITE ADDRESS:
OWNER'S NAME:
MAILING ADDRESS:
(if other than above)
TELEPHONE:
COMMENT'S
C•/ 19$' `f
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