Briar Hill House site at Appleton Farms - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Originally established as a land grant to Samuel Appleton in 1638, Appleton Farms is one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the United States. It was owned and operated by nine generations of Appletons until 1998, when it was transferred to the current owner, The Trustees of Reservations. This Farm, now over 900 acres, is widely known, and has figured prominently in local economy, history, social life, and politics for over 350 years.

This plaque reads as follows:
BRIAR HILL
----------
THE SITE OF
BRIAR HILL HOUSE
1868 - 1926
SUMMER RESIDENCE OF
REVd. JOHN COTTON SMITH D.D.
HIS CHILDREN AND
GRANDCHILDREN

Briar Hill was located on the west side of the RR, just opposite the Old House, where Daniel Fuller Appleton [1826-1904], the Farms then current owner, lived. John Cotton Smith [1826-1882] married Harriet Hooper Appleton [1828-1905], who was Daniel's sister. In the 1920's, the house was sold back to Daniel's son, Francis R Appleton, Sr [1854-1929], who had inherited the farm from his father. Francis had the house demolished. Today there is only the plaque at the side of the road coming over the overpass from the main farm complex.

In addition to this one, there are two more Historical Plaques at the Farms. They are the John Appleton house site, and the Farms 300th Anniversary plaque.

The Briar Hill House site can be reached by well maintained trails from either of the two visitor parking areas: one on Highland Street just north of the Cutler Road intersection, and one at the corner of Waldingfield Road and Route 1A. Be sure to get a trail map, either from the web sites above, or at the parking area. There are many more waymarks on the Farms property. See the "Nearest Waymarks" link near the bottom of this page. There are also at least four geocaches. Enjoy the "Farms". Its a great place to visit.

Group that erected the marker: The Trustees of Reservations URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 219 County Road Ipswich, MA USA 01938

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   08/29/2017 RickAnn visited it