Fobes-O'Donnell House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fobes-O'Donnell House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1221 Old Turnpike Rd., Oakham, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | c. 1773 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002197 |
| Added to NRHP | March 7, 2018 |
The Fobes-O'Donnell House is a really old and important house in Oakham, Massachusetts. It's located at 1221 Old Turnpike Road. This house was built a long time ago, probably in the late 1700s.
It used to be a busy place! It was a tavern where travelers could stop and rest. It even held Oakham's very first post office. Today, this historic house is a museum. The local historical society takes care of it. In 2018, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a special place in American history.
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What is the Fobes-O'Donnell House?
The Fobes-O'Donnell House sits in a quiet, country part of northern Oakham. It's a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down on the sides and a big chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
This house is now a museum. It helps people learn about what life was like long ago. The Oakham Historical Society works hard to keep it open and share its stories.
A Peek Inside: What Does It Look Like?
The front of the house has five windows and a door in the middle. A porch with pretty columns stretches across the front. Inside, the house has a classic old layout. There's a small entryway, with the kitchen on one side and a living room on the other. An extra room extends from the left side of the house.
The house sits on about one acre of land. This is much smaller than the huge property it used to be part of. Back then, it was connected to over 100 acres!
Who Lived Here? A Journey Through Time
We don't know the exact year the house was built. But experts think it was in the second half of the 1700s. It was probably built by a rich landowner named John Murray. He lived in nearby Rutland, Massachusetts.
During the American Revolution, John Murray supported the British. People who supported the British were called Loyalists. He eventually had to leave and went to Canada. The state then took his property.
In 1799, a man named Joseph Fobes bought the house. He turned it into a tavern. It was a popular stop for people traveling between Boston and Hadley. In 1813, Joseph Fobes became Oakham's first postmaster. He ran the town's post office right out of this house!
The Fobes family owned the house until 1894. Then, the O'Donnell family bought it. Both the Fobes and O'Donnell families were very involved in their town. They helped run local government. In 1994, the O'Donnell family gave the house to the Oakham Historical Society. This made it possible for the house to become a museum for everyone to enjoy.
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