Saw Mill Road, west side

[Nothing listed]

• Record ID: 168
• Address: Saw Mill Road, west side
• Current Owner: Tubby, Frances and Joyce
• Name of Building:
• Historic Name: Benjamin Prout House
• Download PDF of Original Record

Notable Features

Reminiscent of the earlier Greek Revival-style farmhouse,the 3-bay side-hall-plan facade features broad overhanging eaves and large cornice returns. The gable displays a set of long vertical paired windows. Highlighting the facade is an elaborate Queen Anne-style wraparound, balustraded veranda with delicately carved posts, scroll-saw brackets, a decorative frieze, and lattice work. The north elevation exhibits a 2 1/2 story, single-bay crossgable. A single-story, 3-sided bay extends from the south elevation
and the original two-over-two sash are featured throughout.

Historical or Architectural Importance

Oriented gable-to-street, this 2 1/2 story, late nineteenth-century house was built in 1896 by Benjamin Prout. Supported by a brick foundation, the asbestos~sided balloon frame is capped by an asphalt-shingled roof.
In 1896 Benjamin R. Prout (b. 1870) built this house on a piece of land owned by his father, Ransom Prout. In 1908 Ransom sold his son the lot “reserving to myself the life
use of the barn and carriage.” Benjamin was the eighth child of Margaret (Eckler) and Ransom Prout and as an adult operated the sawmill on the nearby brook. The house remained in the Prout family until 1921.
The Benjamin R. Prout House is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of a late nineteenth-century dwelling and historically notable for its association with
the industrial activity along Saw Mill Brook.