The Putnam House is a colonial home at 211 Putnam Hill Road,
Sutton, Massachusetts
Sutton, officially the Town of Sutton, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 9,357 in the 2020 United States Census. Located in the Blackstone Valley, the town was designated as a Preserve America community in 2004.
H ...
built in 1737.
History
The two-story, wood-frame, post-and-beam house sits on top of Putnam Hill. It was built by Edward Putnam (1710-1800) who came to Sutton in 1737 and established a 100-acre farm there. Edward Putnam was a first cousin of
Rufus Putnam
Brigadier-General Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company of Associates, he was instrumental ...
and a first cousin once removed of
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
, both of whom were generals in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
The house has a large central chimney, and a triple-run staircase which circumscribes the oven and chimney. The house has five fireplaces, five windows in each room, and five trees planted in front of the house to break westerly winds. The farm's large barn is close to the house and situated to break northeasterly winds.
What is now the breakfast room was previously known as the death room. After a family member's death, caskets were brought through the door of this room because the design of the house made it almost impossible to navigate caskets through the front door.
Edward and Ruth Putnam had 12 children, all but one of whom were born in the house. The home remained in the Putnam family for the next 200 years.
[Benedict, William A. and Tracy, Hiram A. ''History of the Town of Sutton, Massachusetts from 1704 to 1876,'' pp. 223-4, 702-5, Sanford & Co., Worcester, Massachusetts, 1878.] The current owners are operating the house as a historic
B&B.
References
External links
Putnam House Official Site
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Houses in Worcester County, Massachusetts
Sutton, Massachusetts