Elisha Williams was the original proprietor of the 15th lot in the Third Division, but he held the lotment a very short time before selling it in its entirety to Ebenezer Marsh on 16 March 1738 for £250 with the condition that by 8 March 1739 a house not less than 18’ square with 7’ of interior clearance be built there and furnished.
The silhouette of the original post-medieval English saltbox is still plainly visible. Marked by steeply pitched, side-gabled roof with little or no eave overhand and a large central chimney of stone, the house would have had unpainted, untreated siding and proportionally small paned windows just as it has today.
Ebenezer Marsh retained ownership until 1754 and the next owner held the property for just 5 months before selling it to Samuel Whitlock whose family retained ownership well into the 19th Century.
Until 1905 the land was farmed and the house itself has been lived in continuously for more than two and a half centuries. Given its venerable history it’s not surprising that the Marsh – Whitlock House has its share of legends. From 1937 until 1969 the property was owned by “Granny” Florence Doyle Carey. During the cold of winter, it was alleged that she would bring her horse, Connie, inside to help keep the house warm. Since the house was not insulated nor electricity installed until 1975, the body warmth of a large mammal would have been very welcome, indeed.