The c. 1757 Thomas Smith House is one of the few remaining resources from the 18th century agricultural past of Feeding Hills. The history of its residents represents the long history of farming this section of Agawam and the shift into working outside the community by its later owners is representative of the pattern of suburban development that occurred in the town and throughout the country in the early twentieth century. The history of the land ownership – its assembly by grant and purchase, its speculative trade and familial division - is a model for the history of typical land transfers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The house is an unusually intact example of 18th century building practices and an unusually unaltered example of mid-to-late 18th century Connecticut River Valley design and materials, and of vernacular Georgian style.
The house has is architecturally significant and retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.
Adapted from the National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Thomas Smith House
The Thomas Smith House is located at 251 North West Street in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts.
The 1920s garage at the Thomas Smith House illustrates the link between the property's 18th and 19th century agricultural past and the 20th century. The garage was rehabilitated in 2019-2022 with a grant from the Town of Agawam Community Preservation Committee.
Take a Virtual Tour of The Thomas Smith House
HISTORY OF THE THOMAS SMITH HOUSE
The Thomas Smith House has been owned by just a handful of families since it was built, and has managed to survive more than two centuries with no central plumbing, no central heat, and only basic electric service. When you visit, the many original features will ensure you leave with a true sense of what home life was like in mid eighteenth century.
The property was purchased by the Agawam Historical Association in 2002.
On June 2, 2005, the Thomas Smith House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Preservation efforts at the property were funded with generous support from Association members, local businesses and organizations, and the Town of Agawam Community Preservation Committee, and the house was opened to the public in 2010.
The Agawam Historical Association is proud to own this unique historical property and we invite you to visit and take part in events hosted here during the warmer months.
