Matthew Harvey House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Matthew Harvey House
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | west side of Harvey Rd., 0.25 mi. north of junction with Keyser St., Sutton, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1784 |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001082 |
| Added to NRHP | September 4, 1992 |
The Matthew Harvey House is a really old and important house in North Sutton, New Hampshire. It's also called the Harvey Homestead. This house is the main part of Muster Field Farm, which is a working farm that's also a museum! Built in 1784, it shows off a special building style called Federal architecture. This house was once home to a very influential family in the area. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 because of its history.
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What the House Looks Like
The Matthew Harvey House is in northern Sutton. It's in a country area on the west side of Harvey Road. The house is part of a bigger farm. This farm has many other buildings for farming. These buildings are on both sides of the road.
The house sits high up on a ridge. From here, you can see all the farm fields. It's a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides. The outside is covered with wooden boards. There's a big chimney in the middle.
The front of the house faces south. Another side faces the road. The main front has five sections. The front door is in the middle. The door has special windows on its sides. These windows can even slide open! Fancy pillars stand next to the door.
The other windows are rectangular. They have delicate designs around them. The windows on the second floor are smaller. This house was built in 1784. Back then, Harvey Street was a very busy road.
History of the Harvey Family
Matthew Harvey first settled this land in 1772. He built this house in 1784. He also ran a tavern from the house. This might have been the first tavern in Sutton. When he passed away in 1799, he owned the most land in town.
The house has a very strong wooden frame. This suggests it was built by someone skilled. Perhaps someone who built larger buildings like meeting houses. Matthew Harvey's cousin, John, was known for this kind of work. He might have built the house.
Important Harvey Family Members
After Matthew Harvey died, his oldest son, Jonathan Harvey, lived in the house. Both Jonathan Harvey and his younger brother Matthew Harvey were important. They both served in the government of New Hampshire. They also served in the United States Congress in Washington D.C.
In 1820, Jonathan was the leader of the New Hampshire Senate. At the same time, his brother Matthew was the Speaker of the House. This shows how powerful the family was.
Military Musters at the Farm
The place where the Matthew Harvey House stands is now called Muster Field Farm. This is because military musters happened here. A muster was when soldiers gathered for inspection. These events took place between 1787 and 1851.
Muster events were very important. They were for both politics and fun. Hundreds of men would come with their army groups. They often brought their wives and children too. Vendors would sell things. Musicians would play music. It felt like a country fair!
During these big events, the ballroom in the Matthew Harvey House was used. It was a place to entertain the army officers. The house stayed in the Harvey family for eight generations. That's a very long time!
Muster Field Farm Museum
In 1941, the Bristol family from Massachusetts bought the property. Robert S. Bristol created the Muster Field Farm Museum. He wanted to save the Matthew Harvey Home for the future. He made sure the property would always stay a working farm.
See also
