Ball-Tarbell-Benson House Photographs, 2001
Vault B5, Unit 30
Extent: 1 box, 173 images
Organization and Arrangement: This collection arrived in a photograph album. The photographs are numbered in the order they were originally arranged.
History: The property at 265 Ball’s Hill Road in Concord, Massachusetts, was purchased around 1723 by Caleb Ball and his wife Experience Flagg Ball. Current research dates construction of the house and outbuildings between 1726 and 1740. The house was owned by the Ball family, their in-laws the Tarbells, and finally the Benson family before it was sold to the Town of Concord in 2001. Family histories and genealogy are available with the related collection, Concord Historical Commission Collection of Documentation Regarding the Ball-Tarbell-Benson House formerly located on Ball's Hill Road, Concord, Mass., 1723-2005 (Bulk 2000-2005), Vault A50, Unit 7. The house and barn were dismantled by September of 2001. At the time of deconstruction, few structural changes had been made to the house, making it a strong example of first period New England architecture. The land where the house and barn were originally located is now privately owned. Half of the remaining land was marked for conservation. The other half is marked to be used for a new town well. According to the 2005 printed Concord town report, work on the Brewster well (situated on the former Benson property) was placed on hold due to new State Water Management Act policies. The deconstruction project was initiated and supported by Concord native Jeri Bemis.
Scope and Content: This collection is made up of 173 images taken by Pam Swing in 2001. Images include the interior and exterior of the house with significant details. By the time the house was deconstructed, it was in significant disrepair, and the photographs capture the details of the state of the house, barn interior and exterior as well as the surrounding property and views of the pond.
Source of Acquisition: Donated by Sarah Wilbur, July 2019.
Associated Materials:
Concord Historical Commission Collection of Documentation Regarding the Ball-Tarbell-Benson House formerly located on Ball's Hill Road, Concord, Mass., 1723-2005 (Bulk 2000-2005). Vault A50, Unit 7
Concord Pamphlets, 76, Item I1
Notes and Comments: Accessioned July 2019, #282
Processed By: Jessica Steytler, August 2019
Mounted 21/8/2019.
c2019 Concord Free Public Library. Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the Curator of the William Munroe Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library, Concord., Mass.