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Home My WebLink About14 Homer Ave MACRIS 2024Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System Scanned Record Cover Page Inventory No: YAR.422 Historic Name: Chase, Capt. Theophilus and Sarah K. Crowell House Common Name: Woodruff, Robert and Clara Frances Wolfe House Address: 14 Homer Ave CitylTown: Yarmouth Village/Neighborhood: South Yarmouth Village; Bass River; Local No: Year Constructed: Architectural Styls(s): Architect(s): Use(s): Significance: Area(s): Designation(s): Building Materials: bemolished 257; R 1850 Colonial Revival; Greek Revival; Hopkins, George; Secondary Dwelling House; Single Family Dwelling House; Architecture; Recreation; YAR-H Nat'l Register District (05129/1990); Roof: Asphalt Shingle; Wall: Wood; Wood Shingle; Foundation. Brick; No The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has converted this paper record to digital format as part of ongoing projects to scan records of the Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth and National Register of Historic Places nominations for Massachusetts. Efforts are ongoing and not all inventory or National Register records related to this resource may be available in digital format at this time, The MACRIS database and scanned files are highly dynamic; new information is added daily and both database records and related scanned files may be updated as new information is incorporated into MHC files. Users should note that there may be a considerable lag time between the receipt of new or updated records by MHC and the appearance of related Information In MACRIS. Users should also note that not all source materials for the MACRIS database are made available as scanned images. Users may consult the records, files and maps available in MHC's public research area at its offices at the State Archives Building, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, open M-F, 9-5. Users of this digital material acknowledge that they have read and understood the MACRIS Information and Disclaimer (htta:llmhe macris. netlmac-15di s ,la ime r.htm) Data available via the MACRIS web interface, and associated scanned files are for information purposes only. THE ACT OF CHECKING THIS DATABASE AND ASSOCIATED SCANNED FILES DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. IF YOU ARE REPRESENTING A DEVELOPER AND/OR A PROPOSED PROJECT THAT WILL REQUIRE A PERMIT, LICENSE OR FUNDING FROM ANY STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY YOU MUST SUBMIT APROJECT NOTIFICATION FORM TO MHC FOR MHC'S REVIEW AND COMMENT. You can obta n a copy of a PNF through the MHC web site $www.sec.state.ma.uslmhu'j under the subject head.ng 'MHC Forms," Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc This file was accessed on: Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 3:24 PM FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photo 1. 14 Homer Avenue, looking east. Locus Map Recorded by: V. Adams, M. Andrade, M. Johnstone, G Pineo; PAL Organization: Cape Cod Commission Date (month /year): December 2018 Assessor's Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 60/225 Dennis YAR.H YAR.522, NRDIS 5/29/1990 Town/City: Yarmouth Place: (neighborhood or village): South Yarmouth Village/Bass River Address: 14 Homer Avenue Historic Name: Captain Theophilus Chase House Uses: Present: Single Family Dwelling Original: Single Family Dwelling Date of Construction: Between 1858 and 1880 Source: Walling 1858; Walker 1880 Style/Form: Greek Revival, Colonial Revival Architect/Builder: Unknown Exterior Material: Foundation: Brick Wall/Trim: Wood shingle/Wood Roof: Asphalt shingle Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: Barn (between 1858 and 1880) (YAR.755) Major Alterations (with dates): Roof altered, 1920s; Ell off southeast and northeast (rear) elevations constructed, before 1938; Ell off northwest elevation constructed, post 1979; Southeast ell replaced, post 1979; Windows replaced, post 1979 Condition: Fair Moved: no ® yes ❑ Date: Acreage: 0.39 acres Setting: The building occupies a rectangular parcel at the north comer of Homer Avenue and Pleasant Street, with Homer Avenue to the southwest and Pleasant Street to the southeast. It is set slightly back from Homer Avenue with a flat, manicured lawn surrounding it. A wood picket fence lines the property boundary where it meets Pleasant Street. A paved driveway extends northward from Pleasant Street, east of the house, to the barn at the north comer of the property. RECEIVED FEB 15 2019 MASS. HIST. COMM. 12112 Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET YARMOUTH 14 HOMER AVENUE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL, COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETrS 02125 YAR.H I YAR,422, 755 ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. This form is an update to an MHC Form created in 1979 (Greene 1979). This updated documentation expands the description and history of the building and discusses alterations made to the property since the original form was created. The property is included in the National Register as a contributing resource in the South Yarmouth/Bass River Historic District, listed 1990. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The Captain Theophilus Chase House, 14 Homer Avenue (between 1858 and 1873, YAR.422) is a southwest -facing, altered, Greek Revival -style, two-story, five -bay -by -four -bay, wood -frame building with one-story, two -bay -by -four -bay, shed roof ells off of the southeast and northwest elevations and a one -and -one-half story ell off of the northeast (rear) elevation. The building has a brick foundation and a front -gambrel roof with a wide cornice and gable returns. A brick chimney pierces the southeast slope of the roof of the main block, close to the center of the ridgeline. Five -bay -wide shed -roof dormers are on the northwest and southeast slopes of the roof of the main block. The walls are covered in wood shingle with paneled, Doric comer pilasters, and the roof is clad in asphalt shingle. The main entrance is in the center bay of the facade, flanked by two windows. The entrance is a historic, but not original, paneled and glazed wood door in a wood surround flanked by narrow pilasters and sheltered by a front -gambrel roof that is supported rectangular porch supports. Fenestration consists of six -over -six and six -over -one, double -hung, replacement vinyl or wood sash with splayed lintels. A semicircular fanlight is in the gambrel peak of the facade. The house likely originated as a full Cape, or possibly a wide front -gable Greek Revival house that was altered with Colonial Revival style elements in the early twentieth century. In the 1920s, the roof, which was formerly a gable roof that was parallel to the street, was rotated to be perpendicular to the street and replaced with the current gambrel roof (Jenkins and Friedberg 1990; Greene 1979). Prior to 1938, the ells off the southeast and northeast (rear) elevations were constructed. Since 1979, the ell off the northwest elevation has been constructed, and the fenestration pattern in the ell off the southeast elevation has been altered. The windows were replaced post 1979. The building retains characteristic features of the Greek Revival style, including the corner pilasters, center entrance and surround, and facade fenestration pattern and trim. Northeast of the house is a southeast -facing, New England -type, two-story, two -bay -wide, wood -frame Barn (between 1858 and 1873 YAR.755). It has an attached, one-story, two -bay -wide, side -gable garage off its southwest elevation. The foundation is not visible, and the building is topped with an asphalt shingle -sheathed front -gambrel roof. The walls are clad in wood shingle. The main entrance is central, double -leaf, exterior -sliding paneled and glazed wood doors with two windows above. Fenestration consists of six -over -six, double -hung, original wood sash. The attached garage has a two -bay -wide, overhead, rolling garage door on the southeast elevation. The barn retains characteristic features indicative of a New England type barn, such as its massing, cladding materials, fenestration pattern, original doors and windows. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE This property is in the southern portion of the South Yarmouth/Bass River Historic District, which was set aside between 1713 and 1714 as a Native American reservation. By 1778, the land was divided into large lots and sold to settlers of European descent. This southern area initially primarily developed as saitworks along the Bass River when South Yarmouth rose in prominence in the late eighteenth century due to its maritime industries, including coastal and deep sea shipping, whaling, shipbuilding, ropemaking, and saltmaking. The area did not develop for residential use until the mid -nineteenth century, which continued with the growth of summer tourism in the mid -nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Jenkins and Friedberg 1990). Between 1858 and 1880, the Captain Theophilus Chase House, 14 Homer Avenue (between 1858 and 1873, YAR.422) was constructed as a residence for Captain Theophilus Chase (Walling 1858, Walker 1880). Theophilus Chase (1831-1893) was the son Sylvester Chase and Sarah (nee Kelley) Chase. He was married to Sarah K. Crowell (1832-1916), the daughter of Freeman Crowell. The couple had seven children, with two surviving to adulthood (Historical Society of Old Yarmouth; FindaG rave. com). Continuation sheet I INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET YARMOUTH 14 HOMER AVENUE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETrS 02125 YAR.H YAR.422, 755 Captain Chase was a master mariner, with a career spanning 30 years. After her husband's death, Sarah Chase retained ownership of the house and barn until her own death in 1916 (Walker 1905, 1910; Greene 1979). In 1921, the house was purchased by Robert Woodruff of Rochester, NY, as a summer residence (Greene 1979). Robert Woodruff (b. 1881) was born in New York, the son of Charles P. and Helen Woodruff. In 1908, he married Clara Frances Wolfe (b. ca. 1879) of Clinton, MA, the daughter of Henry E. and Agnes (nee Glauzel) Wolfe. They had one daughter, Jeanette (b. ca. 1914). Robert worked in the advertising field in the 1920s and as an economic adviser by 1930 (U.S. Census 1900, 1920, 1930, 1940; New England Historic Genealogical Society). The alterations to the house in the 1920s were commissioned by Woodruff and completed by builder, George Hopkins. After the 1929 stock market crash, Woodruff retired here (Greene 1979). In 1952, Clara Woodruff, the widow of Robert, conveyed the property to herself and her daughter, Jeanette Fischer (BCRD 1952:813/521). Jeanette retained ownership of the property until 1993, when she conveyed it to her own daughter, Linda Ann Fischer (BCRD 1993:8854/200). In 2000, the property was sold out of the Woodruff family when it was purchased by its current owner, Jeffrey S. Granville (BCRD 2000:132431146). BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Anonymous. South Yarmouth or Quaker Village. Map. Washington, D.C: United States Coast Survey, 1851. On file, National Archives at College Park, Maryland. From the personal collection of Robert D. Kelley. Barnstable County Registry of Deeds (BCRD), Book/Page. Electronically accessible, https://www.barnstabledeeds.org/free-public- access/, accessed October 2018. FindaGrave.com, "Sarah K. Crowell Chase," 2012. Find a Grave Memorial 95717019. Electronic resource, https://www.frnd agrave.com/memorial/95717019, accessed December 2018. "Theophilus Chase," 2012. Find a Grave Memorial 96714238. Electronic resource, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial 195714238, accessed December 2018. Greene, Susan. MHC Inventory Form — Captain Theophilus Chase House, Yarmouth (YAR.435). Boston, MA: Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1979. On file, MHC, Boston, MA. Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. A Brief History of Old Yarmouth_ Yarmouth, MA: Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, n.d, Electronically accessible, http:/Iwww.hsoy.org/. Accessed October 2018. Collection of Historic Photographs of South Yarmouth. Yarmouth, MA: Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, 1850-2000. Electronically accessible, https:liwww.digital commonwealth.org. Accessed October 2018. Genealogy collection. Yarmouth, MA: Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, n.d. Jenkins, Candace and Betsy Friedberg. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. South Yarmouth/Bass River Historic District (YAR.H). 1990. Kelley, Robert D. Quaker Village Walking Tour. Unpublished, n.d. On file, Yarmouth Historical Commission, Yarmouth, MA. Longfellow, Abraham W. Topographical Sheet No. 184, United States Coast Section 1. Washington, D.C: United States Coast Survey, 1847. On file, National Archives at College Park, Maryland. From the personal collection of Robert D. Kelley. Sanborn Map Company. Fire Insurance Map. Yarmouth, Barnstable County, MA, Sheet 1. New York, NY, 1932. . Fire Insurance Map. Yarmouth, Barnstable County, MA. Sheet 7. Correction of 1932 map. New York, NY, 1938. Sears, John III and Priscilla Sears White. Images of America: Yarmouth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2018. Swift, Charles. History of Old Yarmouth: Comprising the Present Towns of Yarmouth and Dennis, from the Settlement to the Division in 1794, With the History of Both Towns to 1876. Yarmouth Port, MA, 1876. United States Bureau of the Census (US Census). Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900 (T623, 1,854 rolls). National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., ancestry.com database. _ Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. (T624, 1178 rolls). National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., ancestry.com database. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (T625, 2076 rolls). National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., ancestry.com database. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. (T626, 2,667 rolls). National Archives and Records Administration Washington, R.C., ancestry,com database. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940 (T627, 4,643 rolls). National Archives and Records Administration Washington, D.C., ancestry.com database. Vuilleumier, Marion. The Town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts: A History, 1639-1989. Yarmouth, MA: Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, 1989. Continuation sheet 2 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET YARMOUTH 14 HOMER A`/F\�9'F MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BosTON, MASSACHUSET rs 02125 YAR.H I YAR.422, 755 Walker, George H. Atlas of Bamstable County Massachusetts. South Yarmouth. Boston, MA, 1880. Walker Lithograph & Publishing Co. Atlas of Bamstable County Massachusetts. South Yarmouth. Boston, MA, 1905. Atlas of Bamstable County Massachusetts. South Yarmouth. Boston, MA, 1910. Walling, Henry Francis. Map of the Counties of Bamstable, Dukes and Nantucket, Massachusetts. South Yarmouth. New York, NY: D.B. Smith & Co., 1858. Yarmouth, Town of. 2018. Yarmouth Assessor's Database. Electronically accessible, http://gis.vgsi.com/yarmouthma/. Accessed October 2018. Yarmouth Historical Commission. Building files. On file, Yarmouth Historical Commission, Yarmouth, MA. PHOTOGRAPHS Continuation sheet 3 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET YARMOUTH 14 HOMER AVENUE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 YAR.H I YAR.422, 755 Continuation sheet 4 FORM B - BUILDING h40 -h i 1 '� iq In Area no. Form no. 111ASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION a-_ Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston ' h Yarmouth ss Homer Avenue - nt use Residence --- Y - -- — nt owner Jeanette Fischer iption- rce Oral and books 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north. Vk N LJ J Homer Avenue P 1 e a s a n t S t r e e t North (3ove banding Architect Exterior wall fabric Unpainted shingles Outbuildings (describe) Other features Gembrel roof is 1921 additions it was a gable. In residential area, B Altered Date im a s Moved Date s 5. Lot size- R i one acre or less Over one acre v e Approximate frontage qpo r Approximate distance of building from street - 50' - - 6. Recorded by Susan Greene Organization y{h Historical Sitrvev Date b r (over) 3714-7-77 7. Original owner (if known) Captain Theoophilus Chase Original use Residence Subsequent uses (if any) and dates: 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts Commerce Communication Community development Conservation Education X_ Exploration/ settlement industry Military Political Recreation Religion Science/ invention Social/ humanitarian Transportation 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) The original owner was Theophilus Chase who was born in Bennis in 1831. His sea career began at age nine and lasted until 1887. From a visit with his grand —daughter Shirley Chase, it seems he stayed so long at sea to avoid any social contents on land. Other than joining the Masonic Lodge, he had little association with the town or his family. As a mamariner for thirty years, he traveled around the world. Most Yarmouth men retired from the sea after ten or fifteen years. His widow, Sarah -lived to be 99 and remained in the house. 8f his three children, only Lafayette went to sea (see building foam # ). Lafayette lived across the street from his father's house. In 1921 Hobert Woodruff of Rochester bought the house for a summer residence. After the stook market crash of 1929P he retired here. The thorough restoration he gave the house is admirable. He had builder George Hopkins change the roof from a gable to a gambrel, added a gambrel front entranosway, put two dormers on each side, added a new kitchen in back and removed the porch on the left side of the house. 1~btoh of this can be noted by studying the photograph Mre. Woodruff's daughter, Jeanette Woodruff Fischer (the present owner) showed me. She states her father also moved the stairs back and attached the old barn and the new garage to the house. The bay window was allowed to remain on the left side of the house and a screen porch on the right side. The inside of the house is spacious and well decorated. The outside is beautifully landscaped. Set in a residential area, it stands out as an extremely attractive house because of the coherency produced by the gambrel rooflines of the barn, house and entranoeway. 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) 1. Maps of Barnstable County 2. "Yesterday's Tide", Florence Baker, 1941 3. Oral from owner and Shirley Chase, September 1979