The "Youngest Old" House
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Historic Name: The “Youngest Old” House.
Address: 3 Church Road, Bedford
Use: Residential use
Construction Date: 1898
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The "Youngest Old" House was built in 1898 (Click to Enlarge)
Style: Queen Anne Victorian
Builder: John F. Gove
The "Youngest Old" House pictured in 1898 (Click to Enlarge)
Features:
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Original stone foundation
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Clapboard wood siding
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Asphalt roof
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Two brick chimneys
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3 Story
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Original windows​
The "Youngest Old" House pictured in 2012 (Click to Enlarge)
Outbuildings:
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Small Horse Barn (1 stall) - Restored and used as Maple Sugar Shack & Storage.
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****Attached barn - No longer standing. This was burned down.
Image of House in winter of 1898 before the attached barn burned down (Click to Enlarge)
Landscape:
The large open land space between the house and cemetery was formerly occupied by the Presbyterian Church’s Vestry (aka the “Parish House”). The Parish House was removed in 1951 and relocated to its current location behind the church. The “Cornerstone” of the Parish House remains on the property and is incorporated into the patio of the house.
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Alterations:
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1985: Kitchen addition
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2013: Connected to town water.
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​Updates/Restoration (2012-2018):
Repairs such as heating system & insulation; new water system; new leach/septic; Maple Shack; porches and aesthetics.
History:
Burleigh Dam/Easement - In 1952 the owner of the property, John Riddle Burleigh, constructed a small dam at Riddle Brook (Note* that dam is not on the property). He then donated it to the Town of Bedford to provide fire protection to the church. Mr. Burleigh granted the Town an easement deed in which will forever permit the town to lay pipe across the property and draw water from the dam. The town installed the first and for a long time, the only fire hydrant in Bedford.
Burleigh-Dam Hydrant (Click to Enlarge)
Fun Facts:
Maple Trees: Street lined and throughout property. The property produces approximately 10 gallons of syrup annually.
1898 picture of the "Youngest Old" house
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