Avant House (Mashpee, Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Avant House
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 Location in Cape Cod
Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | MA 130 at Mill Pond, Mashpee, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 0.58 acres (0.23 ha) |
| Built | 1830 |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001382 |
| Added to NRHP | December 3, 1998 |
The Avant House, also known as the Timothy Pocknet Homestead, is a very old house in Mashpee, Massachusetts. It is located on Massachusetts Route 130 right by Mill Pond. This house was built a long time ago, either in the late 1700s or early 1800s. It is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Mashpee.
Today, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe owns and runs the house. It is now the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum. The Avant House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This means it is an important historical place.
What the Avant House Looks Like
The Avant House is on the south side of MA 130. It is just west of the Mashpee River, where the river flows out of Mill Pond. It is a small, one-story house made of wood. It has a pointed roof and three sections on the front. The main door is on the right side. The door and windows have simple frames around them.
There is also a smaller, one-story part of the house that sticks out to the left. Even though the house is now a museum, many of its original parts are still inside. For example, the living room has a fancy fireplace from the Greek Revival style.
A Look Back: The House's History
People have different ideas about when the Avant House was built. Some say it was built around 1793. They believe it was built by the great-grandson of Richard Bourne. He was an early European settler in Mashpee who taught about his religion.
However, the official record for the National Register of Historic Places says the house was built around 1830. This is because laws about the Mashpee land made it hard to build many houses before 1819. If it was built in 1830, it was likely built by John Phinney. He was one of the few white residents in Mashpee at that time.
In 1863, Timothy Pocknet, a Wampanoag man, bought the house. Timothy Pocknet was an important person in Wampanoag history. He was one of the people who signed a request in 1833 for the tribe to govern themselves. This request helped the state give the tribe some control over their own affairs.
For many years, the house belonged to Mabel Avant. She was a respected older person and a historian of the Wampanoag tribe. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the tribe became worried about how fast Cape Cod was developing. They started to fix up the house. In 1973, they proudly opened it as a museum. Amelia Peters Bingham was the first director and a big reason it opened.
However, the town of Mashpee soon closed the museum. This happened during a disagreement about land. The tribe was trying to get back thousands of acres of land that had been sold illegally a long time ago. In 1998, the building was given back to the tribe. Now, the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum is open again for the Mashpee community and visitors.
See Also
