I am asking for help in saving the Sarah (Towne) Clayes house in Framingham > at 657 Salem End Road. Sarah Clayes escaped hanging for witchcraft and moved > to Salem End Road in Framingham on the Danforth estate (Danforth was one of > the witchcraft judges). Sarah's two sisters, Rebecca Nurse and Mary Easty, > were not as fortunate and were hung. Although the house was purchased by a > group of people who planned on restoring it and we all breathed a sigh of > relief, it seems that the cost of > restoration exceeded their expectations, and once again, the house is being > sold at auction by Wells Fargo Bank. The auction was to be held on July > 15th, but was postponed to August 1 by Wells Fargo Bank. A deposit of $5,000 > (must be in cash, certified check, or bank cashier's check) must be paid by > the purchaser at time of sale, balance due in 30 days. At the last auction, > only people who had the $5,000 were allowed to bid. > > If you would like to read more, see below; for photos of the house, go to: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~walkersj/Clayeshouse.html > > I am hoping to gather a group of people interested in combining our > knowledge, talents, and whatever else it takes, to save the historic Sarah > Clayes house on Salem End Road in Framingham. Sarah's sisters, Mary Easty > and Rebecca Nurse, were hung as witches during the Salem Witch trials. Sarah > was scheduled for hanging, but managed to escape, to live on the grounds of > the Danforth property. Remarkably, her home has survived, virtually intact > (with some additions) as have many other homes of family members and others > who escaped the Salem madness. I often wondered why this area was not made > into a "Salem End Historic District." At any rate, the house is up for > auction, and I would like to try to preserve it. I do not have the means > myself, but I do have the ability to contact people and get them together, > and have found some organizations interested in helping, and free legal > assistance. Please email me if you are interested in helping, attending a > brainstorming meeting, or if you have any suggestions. Also, please forward > this to anyone you think might be interested in/able to help. I don't have > an email for the Framingham Historical Commission - can someone forward this > to them, or send me their email? Thanks! > > > Historic home on its last legs > > By Laura Crimaldi / News Staff Writer > Wednesday, July 16, 2003 > > FRAMINGHAM -- A piece of Framingham history is headed back to the auction > block. > > On March 22, 2001, Bellingham developer Fred DaPrato bought the 310-year-old > Peter and Sarah Clayes house at auction with the promise of restoring the > historic home on Salem End Road. > > But after two years of stalemate, the 1693 colonial, once the home of a > woman accused of being a witch in Salem, will be auctioned off to the > highest bidder on Aug. 1, according to Historical Commission Chairwoman > Laurie Evans-Daly. > > The auction was initially scheduled for yesterday, she said, but was > rescheduled at the last minute. The receptionist at the law firm of > Michienzie and Sawin LLC in Boston, which is involved in the auction, said > he could not say why. > > Harry Castleman, a lawyer for the firm, did not return telephone messages > for comment. > > For whatever reason, the auction can't come too soon. "There's a hole in the > roof. There's water coming in. We're very concerned about it. It's one of > the most historic houses in Framingham," Evans-Daly said yesterday. > > Sarah Towne Clayes was accused of being a witch in Salem in the early 1690s. > While Clayes survived, her sisters, Mary Easty of Topsfield and Rebecca > Nurse, were put to death during the infamous Salem witch trials. > > Clayes actually watched Easty being hauled off to Gallows Hill in September > 1692, according to "Framingham: An American Town" by Stephen Herring. > > Sarah and her husband, Peter Clayes, lived in the 2 1/2-story colonial at > 657 Salem End Road after leaving Salem for a remote settlement called > Danforth's Plantation, later Framingham. > > While DaPrato's promise delighted local historians and preservationists who > feared a demolition crew might be headed for the house, the auction deal was > marred with problems. > > "I still have an interest, but there's no way I would be willing to get > within a hundred feet of it without a clear title," DaPrato said. > > DaPrato's bid of $260,000 clinched the property at an auction conducted by a > Minnesota-based Wells Fargo Bank. DaPrato immediately ponied up a $5,000 > foreclosure sale deposit, but problems with the property's title stalled > negotiations. > > Wells Fargo Bank said it held first mortgage interest on the property, > DaPrato said. It was later discovered that Capital Bank and Trust and Ruah > Donnelly, now of western Massachusetts, also held liens on the property, he > said. > > "Evidently someone must have dropped the ball when they did title on the > property... and didn't pick up on all these interests that were > outstanding," DaPrato said. > > Donnelly, who lived at the house until 1991, also holds the right of first > refusal for the auction in this disputed ownership case. Her ex-husband, > John J. Lahey of Worcester, could not be reached for comment. He is listed > in assessor's office records as the last owner of the house. > > Reached at her new home, Donnelly confirmed that she is lien-holder and > holds the right of first refusal for a property auction. She declined > further comment, but said she was "distressed" by what's happened to the > Salem End Road home since the bank took it over two years ago. > > DaPrato said lawyers for Wells Fargo Bank stopped returning his calls about > a year ago. He said the case changed hands among many lawyers during a > two-year period. > > "I'd still be interested in it. I have to see how bad off it is, but I kind > of have my heart in there. There's only so much you can do. I certainly > don't want to buy problems," DaPrato said. > > Today the house is in desperate need of attention. A chipmunk scampered into > a home it built under the house's front steps yesterday afternoon. Plastic > sheets guard some of the windows, and the peeling white paint on the house > stands out. > > A gutter hangs off the roof on the right side of the house, which does not > have the same green shutters that frame windows on the front and left sides > of the property. > > A broken-down BMW sits in a white garage, which is littered with old > newspapers, a shovel and rake. > > The roof has been ripped off a shed at the rear of the property, and > neighbors say the roof of the main house also leaks. > > Neighbors are crossing their fingers the next owner will restore the home. > > "It looks to me they have a lot of work to do -- whoever buys it. Otherwise > a wrecking ball is going to come and we're going to see a new house there," > said Bridget Council who lives next door at 725 Salem End Road. > > Council and her husband, Ed, said the house has been falling apart since > they moved to the neighborhood about five years ago. > > "Hopefully, there'll be someone who'll buy it to restore it and do the right > thing. It's a phenomenal place. It's sad. But it's a lot of work," said Ed > Council. > > Assessors' records show the house sits on a 55,495-square-foot lot worth > $295,600. The house is worth another $149,500, according to the fiscal 2003 > property revaluation. > > Evans-Daly said she knows of some potential buyers, but did not want to name > any hopeful bidders. > > "Several people have expressed interest, but I think it's confidential," she > said. > > The house is on the Historical Commission's "watch list," along with the > president's house at Framingham State College, Eastleigh Farms and the Main > Street Bridge. > > "We don't want it torn down. That would be the worst-case scenario. It's a > very nice piece of property in a nice area of town. At this point, it's > almost at demolition by neglect," Evans-Daly said. > > _________________________________________________________________ > MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus >
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