Grand Re-opening of the 1666 Francis Wyman House

The Francis Wyman 1666 House

 The Francis Wyman Family Association recently completed Phase II of the restoration project of the 1666 house, following a devastating fire in 1996. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at the homestead. Wyman descendants, Burlington residents, history buffs and curious on-lookers all viewed the newly restored stairwell, flooring and wall panels on the first floor.  You can read more about the house, Francis Wyman, the fire and the restoration project at the website http://www.wyman.org/

Wyman Association President
Virginia Mucciacio, and her restoration team!

From left to right, historical architect John Goff, restoration carpenter Paul Ham, Burlington Historical Commission member Richard Hosford, and Wyman Association President Virginia Mucciacio.  Behind the front row are Jonelle and John Kenagy, descendants of Francis Wyman and members of the Wyman Association board.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by one of Virginia Mucciacio's grandson's who helped to cut the  ribbon at the  ceremony in 1996 for Phase I of the restoration.

Jonelle Kenagy shows a trap door in the back parlor floor.  Under the floor this interesting lump made of celing plaster, black cloth, glass pieces and newspaper scraps was found.  There was evidence of also on the floor boards of a fire from the 1930s.   The newspaper articles were about Boston Mayor Curley's re-election, which helped to date the fire.



the main stairwell was restored



a hidden hinge was added to a panel
at the side of the kitchen door
to allow wheelchair access

As you can see, there is still much restoration work
to be done on the interior paneling,
fireplace mantels, and trim work around doors and windows

 

The basement stairs are interesting
formed out of large beams sliced on the diagonal.
They were undamaged in the recent fire.

http://www.wyman.org/  The Francis Wyman Association

http://www.burlington.org/clerk/archives/pubs/histcomm/barn.pdf  Plans for Phase III of the Francis Wyman Homestead in Burlington, Massachusetts

http://www.saveourhistorichome.com/House/House.htm  The Francis Wyman House Restoration Fund

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo