Hartwell Farm

Hartwell Farm
The restaurant in the 1960s
Map
Restaurant information
Established1925 (100 years ago) (1925)
ClosedFebruary 1968 (56 years ago) (1968-02)
Previous owner(s)Marion A. Fitch
Jane Hamilton Poor
Street addressVirginia Road
CityLincoln
CountyMiddlesex County
StateMassachusetts
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42°27′10″N 71°17′28″W / 42.4527°N 71.2910°W / 42.4527; -71.2910

Hartwell Farm was a restaurant in Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1925 by Marion Abbie Fitch,[1] a Boston schoolteacher, and Jane Hamilton Poor, an architect,[2][3] it occupied the 1733-built Samuel Hartwell House, on Virginia Road in today's Minute Man National Historical Park.[4] The building was destroyed by fire in February 1968,[5] and all that remains is its central chimney stack.[3]

The restaurant's name preserved that of the property owned by Samuel Hartwell (1742–1829).[3][6]

Recipes from the restaurant have been published in several books, including Adventures in Good Eating (1940s and 1950s), Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen (1974),[7] The Great American Cookbook (2011) and Adventures in Good Cooking (2014).[8][9][10] It was described as serving "country fare."[11]

The dining table of the restaurant, which served the same 25 luncheon and dinner options each day,[5] was placed in a "moon" arrangement so as not to have the guests sitting uncomfortably close to the fireplace.[12]

Poor died of edema in October 1961.[13] Thirteen years later, Fitch published Hartwell Farm – A Way of Life, a book which documented the running of the property, including the introduction of running water.[13]

Dining table

  • The dining room's "moon" table
    The dining room's "moon" table

Building remains

  • The remnants of the building
    The remnants of the building
  • Chimney and hearth
    Chimney and hearth

References

  1. ^ Documents of the School Committee of the City of Boston. 1923. p. 16.
  2. ^ The Great American Cookbook, Clementine Paddleford (2011)
  3. ^ a b c Lincoln – Lincoln Historical Society (2003) ISBN 9780738511467
  4. ^ Polumbaum, Judy (2021). All Available Light: The Life and Legacy of Photographer Ted Polumbaum. p. 68. ISBN 9781476686608.
  5. ^ a b "The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts". Newspapers.com. 1968-02-19. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  6. ^ Yankee (1956), volume 21, p. 63
  7. ^ Kent, Louise Andrews (1974). Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen. Keats Publishing. p. 262. ISBN 9780879830922.
  8. ^ Paddleford, Clementine (2011-10-11). The Great American Cookbook: 500 Time-Testes Recipes: Favorite Food from Every State. Rizzoli Publications. ISBN 978-0-8478-3747-2.
  9. ^ Hines, Duncan (2014-03-27). Adventures in Good Cooking. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-4470-2.
  10. ^ Adventures in Good Eating. Adventures in Good Eating, Incorporated. 1943.
  11. ^ Polumbaum, Judy (2021). All Available Light: The Life and Legacy of Photographer Ted Polumbaum. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 9781476686608.
  12. ^ Chamberlain, Narcissa G. (1953). Old Rooms for New Living: Being a Collection of Early American Interiors, Authentic in Design, Various in Period, and Suitable for Today's Living; this is a Treasury of Tradition for the Home Decorator. Hastings House. p. 54. ISBN 9780803853461.
  13. ^ a b Fitch, Marion (1974). Hartwell Farm - A Way of Life. George H. Jacques, Inc.