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November 29, 1944 Town Meeting Articles

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Photo of the Five Gardner Brothers - Alexander, Samuel, Preserved (lower left), Job, Peleg

(from SHS photo archives)
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Photo of Thomas Covel

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Preserved Gardner Estate

- NHR listing for the Preserved Gardner House

Preserved Gardner House

Preserved Gardner (1794-1873) was the great grandson of one of the founders of our town, Samuel Gardner. Preserved was instrumental in the establishment of the Christ Church that stands on Main Street today and his efforts are documented on a plaque that is displayed at Christ Church. He was very active in town politics, the development of our town's by-laws as well as our school system.

TIMELINE for the Preserved Gardner land ownership:

90 Milford Road Swansea purchased, developed and built by Preserved Gardner, 1820
Willed to son Ira Gardner 1873 upon Preserved Gardner's death
Ira Gardner began selling off parcels of land starting in 1894 due to financial difficulties
December 28, 1894 - First parcel sold to the Town of Swansea known as the Mount Hope Cemetery
May 13 1895 - Parcel sold to William Wellington
September 3 1895 - parcel sold to Henry F. Hope
June 1 1897 - parcel sold to Josephine E.S. Chase
February 15 1917 - Mercie Gardner( Ira's wife) upon Ira's death sold remaining acres with buildings to Thomas Covel gentleman farmer
June 28 1926 - Covel Estate willed to Mable Chace(family member)
January 4 1944 - Mable Chace sold all her holdings of the property at 90 Milford Road in Swansea. House, barn, other buildings with 83 acres to the Grey Chevrolet Co., Percy Grey and his partners Jeremiah and Franklin Grey and their wives
November 29 1944 - at Swansea Town meeting voted to purchase 90 Milford Road and all it's acreage for $22,300.00
November 30 1944 - reported in the Somerset Spectator, The Town of Swansea Selectman voted to purchase the Percy Grey Estate for $22,300.00
December 21,1944 - Town of Swansea voted at a special town meeting, 149 to 51, 2/3 vote to purchase Percy Grey Estate Comprising of all buildings, all 83 acres for $22,300.00. Paid for by Grant money from the State of Massachusetts. The house, buildings and 83 acres were purchased for the development of a playground/park, town office: (police department building and highway building), to enlarge the Mount Hope Cemetery, enlarging school yard of Stevens School, and athletic field, park for the purpose of a gravel bank and for the purpose of a yard for the keeping of town road equipment and for any other municipal purpose.

90 Milford Road was developed and owned by the Gardner family for forty-four years. Mr. Thomas Covel owned the estate for ninr years before his death. His family member owned the property for eighteen years before selling it in it's entirety to the Grey Chevrolet family who owned it for less than a year before selling the property to the Town of Swansea.

Historically, this property is known as the Preserved Gardner Estate.

Added to the Historic National Registry on February 16,1990 as the Preserved Gardner House (Reference no. 90000061)

Preserved Gardner House Preserved Gardner House 2018 from contributor Rracecarr on Wikipedia