17 MAIN STREET
052-002
HD Map# 10

Overview of Historic District and Source of following text.

10.  House, 17 Main Street, early 19th century?/moved here in 1878.  Contributing building.

The house at 17 Main Street is a 1 1/2-story gablefront dwelling with an L-shaped plan.  Resting on a granite foundation, the house is sheathed in vinyl siding and is capped by an asphalt-shingled roof.  The projecting eaves end in returns.  The sidehall entrance contains a four-panel door with the upper two panels glazed.  The door is capped by a flat door hood with curvilinear brackets with pendants.  Adjacent to the entrance is a 2/2 replacement window and a single-story, three-sided bay window.  The upper story of the gablefront is punctuated by two 2/2 windows.  The lateral ell is fronted by a single-story porch supported by thin, square posts.  Under the porch there is a door and three windows.  A gable wall dormer with returns breaks through the eaves above. 

A paved driveway to the south of the ell leads to the gablefront attached barn which also displays cornice returns.  The first floor opening has been replaced by a double-wide garage door.  Upstairs there is a four panel door filled with vertical boards with a 2/2 sash lighting the attic.

In the early 19th century this site was occupied by a store, said to have been built by John Hale and kept by Sarah Eastman.  It was later owned by Squire Mark Farley and others but burned in 1855 or 1857.  The present house, originally known as the William Courtney place, was subsequently moved here from Hayden Road by Henry Flagg in the late 19th century.  Flagg purchased the land, described as “the Sarah Eastman lot” from Sarah Dow in 1878 for $300.  Two years later, Flagg sold the land with buildings to Charles D. Bell for $1600.  After Charles Bell was lost at sea in Florida, his widow, Anna Parker Bell lived out the rest of her life in this house.  After her death the house was purchased by the Poole Heirs (see 19 Main Street) in 1938.  The property was sold by Caroline Poole to Charles and Bianca Lewis in 1949.