Submitted by the Bedford Historical Society
A three-year effort on the part of the Bedford Historical Society has culminated in the sale of the Farley-Hutchinson-Kimball house and adjacent barn on North Road. The proceeds of the sale — $750,000 for the house plus potential future income if building lots adjacent to the historic home are developed – will be used to create a fund to support the Society and a possible future museum for Bedford’s history.
The Farley-Hutchinson-Kimball house was left to the Historical Society by the late Lawrence and Wilhelmina (“Mina”) Kimball, who shared a vision with other Bedford residents of establishing a museum in Bedford for the thousands of historic papers and artifacts that are part of the Town’s history, and are preserved and protected by the Society. The house, ca 1732, is architecturally significant for its display of elements of timber-frame construction and associated decorative treatments in the main block as well as its incorporation of a rear ell addition, ca 1775, explained Frank Gicca, Chairman of the Society’s Board of Directors.
The house, which has been a significant presence in Bedford for over 250 years, reflects the evolution of farming activity in Bedford from the 18th through the 20th centuries, when haying and subsistence farming gave way to poultry farming and egg production. Larry Kimball – the donor of the property, was born in the farmhouse, and grew up at a time when eggs were shipped to Boston by train from the Boston & Maine Railroad depot at South Billerica, about a quarter-mile north of the farm.
Larry Kimball’s parents purchased the property in 1911, and established the Red Feather Farm, first running a poultry and egg business, and then selling handmade candy. The candy operation, which became substantial and ran through 1942, took advantage of the transient populations of streetcar and automobile-borne consumers, and was a unique operation among agricultural properties in Bedford.
Since taking ownership of the Farley-Hutchinson-Kimball house in 2010, the Historical Society’s Board of Directors considered numerous possible future uses for the house and adjacent barn. It concluded, as is the case with many other historic buildings, that the best current and future use is for the property to remain a private family home. Larry and Mina Kimball’s two sons, Paul and Nathan, were interested in acquiring the property. The Massachusetts Historical Commission approved an Historic Preservation Agreement prepared by the Society, which enabled the Attorney General’s office to approve changes necessary to the Kimball’s will, thereby allowing the Society to sell the property to the Kimball sons. “The Society is pleased that the property will remain a home for Larry and Mina’s two sons and their families,” said Gicca.
During the Society’s possession of the house for the past three years, it worked to protect it in perpetuity by successfully placing an Historic Preservation Restriction on the home’s exterior. The Society also succeeded, working with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, to get the house listed by the National Park Service onto the National Register of Historic Places.
“Of the 16 homes in Bedford that pre-date 1750, the Kimball house is the 8th to be listed on the National Register,” said Historical Society President Jan van Steenwijk. “The Society is proud to have played an important role in making this happen,” he added.
According to Selectman Chairman William Moonan, “The Bedford Selectmen accepted the Preservation Restriction Agreement and authorized the Town’s Historic Preservation Commission to monitor and enforce the restriction on the home’s exterior. By this action, the Town continues to demonstrate its desire to preserve the historic fabric of Bedford.”
Don Corey, Chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, noted that “the Kimball house will have permanent protection similar to the historic buildings in Old Bedford Center that are under the jurisdiction of Bedford’s HDC (Historic District Commission).”
The Society’s Board of Directors believes that Larry and Mina Kimball’s dream of a museum to house Bedford’s artifacts can now become a reality, since income from the fund can help support the Society and a possible future museum. Because all the historical Bedford documents and artifacts protected by the Society tell the history of Bedford, not the Society, the Society’s Board of Directors will be seeking a partnership with the Town for a permanent museum, Gicca added.
“My parents would be pleased that their bequest will help the Bedford Historical Society fulfill its mission for generations to come,” said Paul Kimball.
If you would like additional information, you may wish to read the Historical Society’s Kimball property timeline or The Bedford Citizen’s coverage when the Kimball house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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