Historic New England: Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm

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The fourth stop on my trip to the Newbury and Newburyport area was Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, a Historic New England (HNE) property on the National Register of Historic Places with a late 17th century house and a 230-acre farm, including a flock of animals supported by Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), which has partnered with HNE since 2003. The property is adjacent to Bay Circuit Trail & Greenway, a “230+ mile, multi-use trail in Greater Boston” according to its website. The farmhouse itself has been a museum since 1992 after a six year, over $1 million restoration project. In the previous three hundred years, the property was owned by multiple distinct families, on a few of which lent their names to the house.

Front of Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a long, two-story, First Period building made of stone and brick. In front of the house is a flat, green lawn. Trees stand on either side of the house. Back of Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; corner of a two-story, First Period, L-shaped building made of stone and brick with a Federalist style wooden two-story addition on one side of the L. Front of Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, another view
Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm sign; official black and blue Historic New England sign on the metal pole with the HNE logo on the lower right Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm National Historic Landmark Sign Bay Circuit Trail marker; a round metal marker with a white background. In the center of the marker is a black and white circular map of the Greater Boston and Cape Cod in Massachusetts. A series of blue dots on the map represents the trail. In side a box overlaid on top of the map are the words BAY CIRCUIT TRAIL. Below the map is a black arrow pointing left. At the very bottom is the phrase baycircuit.org
Spencer-Pierce Little Farm informational sign; a broken sign with a map of the Newbury area, written description of the area, and photographs of past residents Map of Area near Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm; a black and white walking map on a trail kiosk representing Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and Rowley Preservation Works Sign; a red sign with white text explaining a roof replacement project at Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm
Chicken Coop at Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm; inside a large chicken coup with a dirt floor, wire walls, about eight to ten chickens Donkey at Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm; a shy donkey hides behind fencing Lighthouse on the Bay Circuit Trail; a small wooden lighthouse behind a wooden fence and across a golden grassy field.

John Spencer

Wealthy cattle investor John Spencer was the first English colonist to own the land, which he received as a 400-acre grant in 1635. But as a supporter of Anne Hutchinson, a well-educated woman who promoted religious freedom, Spencer did not last long in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1637, he and sixty other colonists, including his business partner Richard Drummer, fled Newbury and were later banished. He never returned to his land parcel and died in England about ten years later in 1648.

Looking up at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a red brick exterior of a First Period building with Georgian style updates, including windows with rectangular glass panes and a lantern holder over the door. Inside the barn at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; A wooden barn with a hayloft. The barn is filded with antiques, including metal horseshoes lining the rafters, a saw, block and tackle, rugs, and a rocking chair. Georgian Style Window at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a window with rectangular glass panes and a pair of inside wooden shutters Pewter Plates and a Peek at the Original Beam in Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; plates line the top of a wooden mantel. A hinged door on the ceiling beam reveals wood underneath the whitewashed plaster.

The Peirce Family

After growing up in England and then moving to Watertown, MA, twenty-seven year old Daniel Peirce Sr. arrived in Newbury in 1638, the same year that Spencer left. By November 26, 1651, he had purchased 300 acres of land from a nephew of Spencer. Peirce Sr. made a name for himself as a farmer, and his son, Daniel Peirce Jr., inherited a valuable property upon his father’s death in 1677. Peirce Jr. further improved the space in 1690 by constructing an enormous stone and brick house in the shape of a cross, using an unusual material to signify his social status as a colonel in the militia and justice of the peace. His oldest son, Benjamin Peirce, inherited the entire property in 1704. The house was inherited by Peirce descendents until 1778.

The Bedroom of Two Eras at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; to the right is plain, unpainted floor and 18th century style furnature. To the left, the floor is pained three shades of green in a 19th century style. Pantry of the Stekioski Family at Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm; a walk-in closet with four shelves and lower cabinets. The shelves hold examples of early to mid 20th century kitchen products and cooking utencils The Peirce Family Chamber informational sign; light green sign with SPNEA branding describing the members of the Peirce family, including reproduction paintings of the family

Tracy, Boardman, & Pettingell Families

Born into wealth, a graduate of Harvard, a friend of Thomas Jefferson, and a privateer during the American Revolution, Nathaniel Tracy was the ridiculously rich and flamboyant next owner of the property. Tracy had so much money that he loaned $167,000 (over $5.7 million in 2023) to the young government and later served as a delegate during the Constitutional Convention. Unfortunately, the government never paid back Tracy, and he was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1786 at the age of thirty-five. He lived on the farm for another ten years. During this time, he remodeled the house into a Georgian style. His widow quickly sold the house upon his death in 1796.

Fireplace in Boardman Family Parlor; a Federalist style fireplace painted mustard yellow with a pair of Oriental style vases on the mantle. The Wallpaper depicts bird feeders, red birds, and plants. 18th century chairs sit on either side of the fireplace. China Cabinet in Boardman Family Parlor; hidden closet with five shelves of English and delft china. Split Sitting Room at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; the left half of the sitting room represents the mid 20th century, with a plain gray carpet and modern heading unit; the right side of the room represents the Victorian era, with elaborate bronzed wallpaper, thick green curtains, an ornate gilt mirror, and early factory produced chairs. Archeology Room at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a pair of tables set up in a plain room with three windows. The tables contain artifacts excavated from the grounds

Like the home’s previous owner, lifelong Newbury and Newburyport resident Captain Offin Boardman (the fourth of that name in his family) was a privateer during the American Revolution and was imprisoned by the British two times. Although he shares a surname with William Boardman who built Boardman House in Saugus around 1690, the men are unrelated, as Offin’s ancestor originated in Oxfordshire, England and immigrated to Ipswich, MA in 1634, while ancestor originated in Cambridgeshire, England and immigrated to Cambridge, MA William’s in 1638. From his purchase 1796 to his death in 1812, Boardman renovated the house to include a Federal style parlor, a sleeping chamber, and an attached farmhouse used as servants’ quarters. The financial tragedy of the Boardman family came during the Newburyport Fire of 1811, as their wharf was destroyed, leaving them in significant debt.

Dining Room at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; corner of a dining room table, a tall clock in the corner, and large Georgian style windows on each wall. A mid 20th century camera and lighting are set up near the wall. Sign for the Boardman Family Parlor; a light green sign describing members of the Boardman Family, including reproduction portraits. Wallpaper in the Split Bedroom at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; to the left is 18th century pink reproduction wallpaper and the corner of the poster bed with white and pink floral bedclothes. To the right is 19th century light reproduction wallpaper with a blue and white floral pattern.

Another wealthy, lifelong Newbury resident, John Pettingell bought the estate during an auction and rented the property to farmers, a practice continued today by HNE with local growers like Tendercrop Farms. His descendents continued to own and lease the property from Pettingell’s death in 1827 until 1861.

Metal Beam and Layers of Wall at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a metal beam painted deep green holds up the wall and roof. On either side of the beam, the wall has been torn away in layers. Black, oval signs with white text labels the date of each level, from the original stone wall in 1690, the wooden wall from 1820, a layer of wallpaper from 1880, and the beam from 1989. Sign for Tendercrop Farm, including the motto 'Your Local Grower of the Food You Deserve', with contact information Curio table with touchable items; a book with family photographs, a 19th century stereoscope, a kaleidoscope, and a booklet

The Little Family

Edward Henry Little and his wife Catherine Adams Little Little (a distant cousin; Edward’s mother was also a Little) began renting the farm in 1851 and bought it from the Pettingell family ten years later. The family made Victorian style modifications to the house by adding a window and changing the decor. After Edward Henry’s death in 1877, two of his sons, Edward Francis and Daniel Noyes turned the property into a dairy farm and draft horse training facility. In 1912, Daniel hired Lithuanian handyman Jacob Stekionis and his wife Dorothy Janusevic Stekionis to manage the farm and live in the farmhouse with their three daughters: Olga, Nancy (who currently lives in Newburyport), and Mary (who currently lives in West Newbury). Tragedy followed this generation of Littles, as both brothers, their wives, and three of their children soon died. Their sister, Eliza Little, raised the three surviving children: Agnes, Amelia, and Margaret. The women did not marry and lived frugally to afford the house, deeding it to HNE with life rights to the residents in 1971. Amelia live on the farm until her death in 1986, while Dorothy lived on the farm until 1993.

Hessian Andirons in the Dining Room Fireplace; a pair of hiron little soldiers made to hold up burning logs Cast Iron Stove in the Kitchen; a 19th century stove set in a red brick fireplace. The mantle above the fireplace holds cooking and cleaning utencils. Side Angle of the Walker & Pratt Cast Iron Stove in the Kitchen; the name of the company 'Walker & Pratt Mfg. Co., Boston.', is bressed into the side of the stove. A pressure cooker sits atop the stove. Mid 20th Century Living Room in the Farmhouse; a black upright piano sits in the far corner. Three mismatched sitting chairs are set around a large decorative rug. A black, cast iron stove sits on the right near the wall. The wallpaper is yellow with a geometric pattern. View of the Farmhouse Kitchen from the Inside; a mid 20th century kitchen with a white Frigidaire int he corner, a plain kitchen table set, and a little TV on a side table. View of the Farmhouse Kitchen from the Outside through the Screen Door

300 Years of Decor

Because the house contains architectural and decorative elements — including the First Period or early Colonial style, Georgian, Federal, Victorian, and modern — rooms are decorated in multiple eras, with distinct lines on the floor to compare differences in design styles and technology. The restoration work is clearly denoted by green-painted beams and signage. In one room, the wall has been torn away in layers with black, oval signs labeling the date of each level, from the original stone wall in 1690, a wooden wall from 1820, a layer of wallpaper from 1880, and the beam from 1989. A curio table with touchable items — including a book with family photographs, a 19th century stereoscope, a kaleidoscope, and an illustrated booklet — brought interactivity to the space, allowing visitors to better imagine entertainment options in the age before computers.

Unrestored Room; an empty room with the subflooring ripped up to reveal the joists underneath Water Pump at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; a metal water pump about three and a half feet (1.2 meters) high, with the Farmhouse in the background. Corner of the Original Building and the Farmhouse; looking up at the stone and brick chimney of the original building in front, with the light gray clapboard farmhouse on the left
Closeup of the Furniture in the Split Bedroom at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; the chair on the left is wooden with a white and pink floral seat cushion. The Chair on the right is fully upholstered with the same material. A round table with a matching tea set sits between them. Four Poster Bed in the Split Bedroom at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; the bed curtains use the same fabric as the chairs Detail of the Main Staircase; a whitewashed stair with carved embellishments on the side Closeup of the Floor in the Split Bedroom at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm; the left side is painted three shades of green, while the right side is plain Reproduction 17th Century Window with three sections of diamond-shaped glass panes Tie Rod with sign explaining its purpose to stabilize dining room summer beam from the steel brace in the attic.

Conclusion

Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm is open from June through mid-October on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with tours on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets are standard HNE small house admission at $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for students and children, and $0 for HNE members (like me!). Like most historic house tours, the building is not wheelchair accessible, and the stairways are difficult to navigate for those with limited mobility. No virtual tour is available at this time. While the tour is best for children over ten, the expansive outdoor space, complete with farm animals and an old-fashioned baseball field, make this a great stop for families with young children.



Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 7/10

Accessibility: 6/10