In the center of Newington, NH sits the Adams Homestead, home to a lineage of American royalty - yes, that Adams family. And now that history will be preserved for all time.

 

June 30, 1770

Future President of the United States, John Adams, wrote the following in his diary:

“. . . and then set off for Newington. Turned in at a Gate by Colonel March’s, and passed thro two Gates more before I came into the Road that carried me to my Uncles. I found the old Gentleman in his 82d. Year, as hearty and alert as ever, his Son and daughter, well—their Children grown up, and every Thing strange to me. I find I had forgot the Place. It is 17 Years I presume since I was there. My Reception was friendly, cordial, and hospitable, as I could wish. Took a chearfull, agreable Dinner, and then Sat off for York, over Bloody Point Ferry, a Way I never went before. . . . (Founding Families 2016).”

January 19, 2021

The sound coming out of the old farmhouse is unmistakable - a cacophony of hammer impacts and pop music from a Top 20 radio station. It is the universal soundtrack to home construction.

A look inside the structure reveals an extensive labyrinth of wood framing. Robert Siede is on the second floor, driving in nails and laying out floor planks. This farmhouse-in-process has been Robert’s home away from home for the past several months as works on a soup-to-nuts-joists full rehabilitation.

If you look closely, nestled between the new wood you can see evidence of the history of the venue; the 300 year-old posts that propped up the farmhouse are still present, supporting the next iteration, borne of the once-dominant chestnut trees that used to dot the land. Peer closer and you’ll see the roman numerals etched into the roof joists and purlins, vestiges of when the building was assembled with joinery and wooden pegs. There is a cider house, and if you look out into the easement area you can see the remnant apple trees from a long-ago orchard when the family made and sold cider.

History radiates from this property in waves. You feel it when you make the turn into the center of Newington village: the Adams Homestead is one of the first sights to meet you. The elementary school located across the street offers children a front-row seat to living history.

“It’s the heart of Newington,” Robert says. “It truly represents the history and character of the town.”

What makes the Adams Homestead particularly special is the surname attached to the property - Adams, as in the family that boasted two American presidents. Built in 1717, the homestead was constructed for Reverend Joseph Adams, the first minister in Newington. He preached in Newington for 68 years, eventually retiring in January 1783; he died five months later.

“It’s the heart of Newington. It truly represents the history and character of the town.”

Throughout his time, he welcomed his nephew, President John Adams, several times into his home. Robert points to the original mantle he found while taking down the old fireplace (now sitting in the barn ready for a new life as a conversation-starter in the new home), and envisioned that President Adams likely shared a drink or two with his uncle Joseph, leaning on that mantle in front of a roaring fire.

“You notice the transition in the craftsmanship over the years,” Robert says. “As you peel back different things, you find how much has changed over 300 years. It’s a labor of love.” He pauses and says, smiling - “But it still is labor.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is the family ties. The Adams Homestead has been part of Robert’s wife Deirdre’s family since the beginning. Originally granted to Reverend Adams as a 16-acre property, over the course of time the Adams’ ownership grew to 200 acres, but it has come full circle and is now at just over 20 acres). When it was time for the family to make a decision about the next step, it was a binary choice: 1) rehab the farmhouse and preserve the homestead or 2) explore the possibility of subdividing and selling off the lots.

The Adams family descendants along with Robert and Deirdre chose the first option - and part of that choice included placing a conservation easement on 16.9 acres. The Town of Newington was, of course, enthusiastic about preserving such an important piece of history, and provided the funding needed for SELT to complete the conservation easement.

“The preservation of this property was so important to the Town of Newington for two primary reasons,” says John Krebs, Newington’s Town Planner. “Its history through the connection to John Adams, and its open space values. The proximity of the parcel immediately adjacent to Nimble Hill Road, the primary gateway to Newington, is extremely valuable to the Town, from both an aesthetic and conservation perspective.”

The conservation easement purchase agreement was signed in August 2020 and the project was closed on May 13, 2021 - ensuring that the sprawling, picturesque fields of the Adams Homestead were protected for all time.

“Our family feels it is important to conserve the Adams property to help preserve the rural character and openness of our small town,” said Jeanne Haskins, Deirdre’s aunt. “Conserving the property will also honor the 300 year history of our family homestead by keeping the land available for agricultural use in perpetuity.”

As much of a relief as it is for Robert and Deirdre and Jeanne and the rest of the family to know that their ancestral homestead will endure, the true value of the property has revealed itself in the antique posts and beams that have the history of a town - and a country - hewn into its timber.