The fate of the Parson Smith House, a historic landmark in Windham, now lies in the hands of the voters this June.
Tuesday night, the Windham Town Council unanimously approved a referendum question that asks whether the town should invest “seed money” to help the Windham Historical Society buy the 18th century homestead.
If approved by voters, $30,000 out of town surplus would be put aside for a visitor’s center next to the Parson Smith House at 93 River Road. But the issuing of the surplus money would be contingent on whether the Windham Historical Society is able to purchase the property.
“The Parson Smith House is the showcase of Windham history, and we can’t let it fade away,” town historian Walter Lunt told councilors Tuesday.
If voters agree to put the $30,000 aside, the historical society would gain better leverage in securing grants and donations from historic preservation foundations. Foundations want to see some sort of evidence that a community embraces its heritage and earmarking $30,000 would help in demonstrating that, Lunt said.
The visitor’s center would act as an “on-site history education” resource where the Windham Historical Society could lead tours and hold lectures about the historic home and Windham’s history tied to the landmark. This would generate revenue for the upkeep of the house if the Windham Historical Society were to purchase it.
Before councilors made their vote, Rep. Gary Plummer, D-Windham, talked of the extensive history associated with the homestead.
In 1737, Plummer said, settler Thomas Chute established the Windham settlement, then known as “New Marblehead.”
In 1747, settlers built Province Fort, next to where the Parson Smith House now stands, fearful of the native tribes in the area.
In 1764, settlers ordained Peter Thatcher Smith as its minister and began building what is now known as the Parson Smith House.
Smith’s family and descendants occupied the house for nearly 200 years after it was built. In 1952, the house was then entrusted to the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities now known as “Historic New England.”
The preservation society ran the homestead as a museum with its original furnishings until the mid-1990s when the town decided to begin taxing the property. The preservation society then sold it to private citizens, Donald and Elaine Dickinson.
The Dickinsons have worked to preserve the homestead and have allowed school children to tour the house each fall and spring to learn about Windham history.
Now the house is up for sale again and public access is threatened, says real estate agent Linda Griffin, who represents the Dickinsons. The Dickinsons are willing to keep the house off the market for this summer to give the Windham Historical Society a chance to purchase the property. And Griffin has joined the Windham Historical Society in its effort to put this historic landmark back in the public’s hands.
“We want to put Windham on the map from a historic point of view,” Griffin said.
If voters authorize the $30,000 this June, the Windham Historical Society will immediately begin applying for grants to purchase the Parson Smith House.
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