The Benjamin Osborn House was a historic house off West Street in
Mount Washington, Massachusetts
Mount Washington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. It lies at the very southwestern corner of Massachusetts, bordering New York State and Sali ...
. Built about 1759, it was a modest vernacular Georgian Cape style house. It was notable as a site where
Shaker
Shaker or Shakers may refer to:
Religious groups
* Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect
* Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination
Objects and instruments
* Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone
* Cock ...
founder
Mother Ann Lee
Ann Lee (29 February 1736 – 8 September 1784), commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the Shakers, later changed to United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing following her death. She was born during ...
stayed in 1781. The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1987.
It was owned by the state, and located in
Mount Washington State Forest
Mount Washington State Forest is a state forest in Mount Washington, Massachusetts, Mount Washington, Massachusetts. The forest conjoins with New York (state), New York state and the state of Connecticut in the southern Taconic Mountains of the ...
.
Description and history
The Osborn House was located down a long, wooded (and now abandoned) drive on the east side of West Road in Mount Washington, just to the east of a more modern, abandoned house. It was a -story wood-frame structure, three bays wide, with a side-gable roof, clapboard siding, and a central chimney. Its exterior was devoid of significant stylistic elements. The interior had mainly 20th-century finishes, although the building's post and beam structure was visible. Its original two fireplaces had been replaced by a single one. The property includes an unmaintained orchard with trees estimated to be over 150 years old, and the Osborn family cemetery, located near West Street.
The house was probably built not long after Benjamin Osborn bought a large tract of land here in 1759.
[ ]Shaker
Shaker or Shakers may refer to:
Religious groups
* Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect
* Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination
Objects and instruments
* Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone
* Cock ...
founder Mother Ann Lee
Ann Lee (29 February 1736 – 8 September 1784), commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the Shakers, later changed to United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing following her death. She was born during ...
stayed at the farmhouse during her May 1781 missionary journey to Tucconack Mountain (renamed Mount Washington, following the American victory 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
). She is reported to have stayed in the area for about ten days, attracting large numbers of both sympathizers and detractors.
The house was acquired by the state in 1958, and was part of Mount Washington State Forest.[
The Osborn House, and the other nearby building, were struck by fire on December 15, 2019, as was a private residence in the vicinity. The historic Osborn House was totally destroyed, and the fires are regarded by the state Fire Marshal's office as suspect.]
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Mount Washington, Massachusetts