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F O R M B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.
B
'Mi�SSACiIUSETTS HISTORICAL COIA1NIISSION 55
Office of the Secretary; State House
r. in Lexington
ress 5 Harrington Rd.,
4 - LC./vf
fE Harrington 4.6 uSe
>ent use Private Residence
Kazis
{ -
Vent owner_
- ription:
c 1799
urce F.S. Piper.Lexington: A Handbook
-
9 Dbyle-- ---- - f.
4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect
in relation to nearest cross streets and
other buildings. ; I dicate north. Exterior wall fabric
� _-C_]_ah�
_ rd,Brickends
l Outbuildings (describe)- Barn. Rear Of Property
Other features
2 Chimney>� in T-Tiprnof GArti nri
/r t
Granite F udat-;rn,, rent-pr FntranCp
6 on 6 Windows, 5 bays Wide
Altered End Porches Added
Date
. ther Changes In rear
Moved Date
5. Lot size:
- Less than one acre Over one acre X
Approximate frontage 75 '
Approximate distance of building from street
20'
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE 6. Recorded by E.W. Reinhardt
USGS Quadrant
Organization Lex. Hist. Comm.
MHC Photo no.
Date August 20,1975
(over)
7. Original owner (if known)
Original use
Subsequent uses (if any) and dates
8. Themes (check as many as applicable)
Aboriginal Conservation Recreation
Agricultural Education Religion
Architectural Exploration/ Science/
The Arts settlement invention
Commerce Industry Social/
Communication military Humanitarian
Community development Political . Transportation
9. Historical Significance (include explanation of themes checked above)
Descrip. cont. Rear addition w. field stone foundation (2 chimneys in this section of
house) Front entrance porch 4 square columns, 4-pilasters on facade.. grk. door, . side
lights, heavy entablature.
Historical significance
Home of Levi Harrington, an eyewitness to the battle on April 19, 1775.
The Harrington family was always active in town politics. The last Harrington
descendant, May S. Harrington, died in this house in 1946.
See correspondence in files of the Lexington Historical Society.
At one time, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the
Gershom Swan family and the George D. Harrington family occupied the house
simultaneously, the Swans living in the west portion and the Harringtons in
the east. (See also Hudson, Volume II.) The two families were related.
S. Lawrence Whipple, 1984
10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
early maps, etc.)
Piper, Fred S. , Lexington - Birth place of American Liberty. A Handbook
pub. by Lex. Hist. Soc. , 1971
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address
LEXINGTON 5 HARRINGTON ROAD
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 55
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
According to the present owner(Carla Fortmann),the house was built in 1794. The owners have a copy of the contract to
build the house. The builder was Jonathan Loring. Loring(1749-1849)was a member of Captain Parker's Company and
was with it on the Common on the morning of April 19, 1775.
As originally constructed,the house was a Federal style, clapboarded structure with hip roof and brick ends. The right
front room has an original fireplace with beehive oven,many original floor boards and some hand wood-blocked wall
paper dating to about 1830.
A major addition to the rear was constructed c.1830, at which time this became a two-family residence. The front and
side porches were added in the early 1900s.
The property was conveyed by Carolyn Phelps to Jane Foley in 1949. Howard Foley sold the house to Tom and Carla
Fortmann in 1980.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Fortmann, Carla(present owner). Information on history of house, Sept. 2007.
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington. Cambridge: The Riverside Press Co., 1913, vol. 2, p. 384.
Middlesex County Registry of Deeds, Cambridge, Mass.
Supplement prepared by:
Lisa Mausolf
July 2009