Wheeler Family Farmstead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wheeler Family Farmstead
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 817 S. Main St., Great Barrington, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | c. 1733 |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000614 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 2011 |
The Wheeler Family Farmstead is a very old farm complex located at 817 South Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Some parts of the farmhouse were built as early as the 1730s. It even shows building styles used by Dutch settlers from the Hudson River valley. Over the years, the house was changed and added to in every century, with the last big updates happening in the 1920s.
All the farm buildings still standing today are at least 90 years old, and some are even from the 1800s. This special property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. Today, it is a museum and the main office for the Great Barrington Historical Society.
Exploring the Wheeler Farmstead
The Wheeler farm complex sits on a piece of land about 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) in size. It is located between United States Route 7 and the Housatonic River. This land is just a small part of what used to be a much larger farm. That original farm stretched from the river on one side to beyond the road on the other.
The farmstead, which is on the east side of the road, includes the main house. It also has several barns, stables, a carriage house, and a silo.
The Historic Farmhouse
The main farmhouse is a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof and wooden shingles on the outside. The front of the house looks balanced with five window sections and a door in the middle.
Even though it looks balanced, the house is actually a mix of many parts added over more than 150 years. The oldest part of the house, a room on the northwest side, was built around 1733. It was built using special methods from Dutch builders. The house got its current main shape after many additions in the 1800s. Most of these changes were made by members of the Wheeler family, who bought the farm in 1747.
Who Lived Here?
Before European settlers arrived, Native American people lived on this land. Truman Wheeler, who was from Connecticut, bought the property in 1764. He ran a store right in the house until he passed away in 1815. Truman Wheeler was also important in local government. He even served as a leader in the local army during the American Revolutionary War.
Members of the Wheeler family continued to live on the farm until 1988. In 2008, the people who inherited the farm gave it to the Great Barrington Historical Society. Now, it helps everyone learn about the past!
See also
