House and Home – Clothespin Farm is a part of Dublin history

The red barn at Clothespin Farm was constructed partly from wood salvaged after the Hurricane of 1938. One of three 18th-century millstones is visible in the walkway. 

The red barn at Clothespin Farm was constructed partly from wood salvaged after the Hurricane of 1938. One of three 18th-century millstones is visible in the walkway.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

A historic photo of Clothespin Farm under construction around the turn of the century, when dormers were added. 

A historic photo of Clothespin Farm under construction around the turn of the century, when dormers were added.  COURTESY PHOTO 

Hank MacIntrye in the field at Clothespin Farm. 

Hank MacIntrye in the field at Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The dining room in the original house at Clothespin Farm, which was built in 1812. 

The dining room in the original house at Clothespin Farm, which was built in 1812.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The original dining room at Clothespin Farm. 

The original dining room at Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The original 1812 part of Clothespin Farm. 

The original 1812 part of Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

A guest room in the new addition at Clothespin Farm. 

A guest room in the new addition at Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

One the three millstones from Dublin’s Twitchell Mill, which was located on Stanley Brook in Dublin. 

One the three millstones from Dublin’s Twitchell Mill, which was located on Stanley Brook in Dublin.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Archie and Nina MacIntrye in their renovated Cape house overlooking Mount Monadnock. 

Archie and Nina MacIntrye in their renovated Cape house overlooking Mount Monadnock.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The original portion of the house, which dates to 1812, includes rare original growth floorboards. 

The original portion of the house, which dates to 1812, includes rare original growth floorboards.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Hank MacIntyre with one of the three millstones from the Twitchell Mill. 

Hank MacIntyre with one of the three millstones from the Twitchell Mill.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The view from the red barn. 

The view from the red barn.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Hank follows Nina MacIntrye down the hallway connecting the original part of the house with the newer addition. 

Hank follows Nina MacIntrye down the hallway connecting the original part of the house with the newer addition.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The view from the back patio overlooking Clothespin Farm’s fields, with Mount Monadnock in the distance. 

The view from the back patio overlooking Clothespin Farm’s fields, with Mount Monadnock in the distance.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

A historic photo of Clothespin Farm shows the 1936 addition on the right. 

A historic photo of Clothespin Farm shows the 1936 addition on the right.  COURTESY PHOTO

The original Morse house was moved to the top of the hill by horse in 1936. 

The original Morse house was moved to the top of the hill by horse in 1936.  COURTESY PHOTO 

A guest bed headboard made from salvaged original paneling at Clothespin Farm. 

A guest bed headboard made from salvaged original paneling at Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The doorstep to the back patio was made from one of the Twitchell Mill millstones. 

The doorstep to the back patio was made from one of the Twitchell Mill millstones.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

A view from the second floor of Clothespin Farm. 

A view from the second floor of Clothespin Farm.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

The floorboards in the barn were made from wood salvaged from the Hurricane of 1938. A table made from a chestnut tree  dating from the same era is at left. 

The floorboards in the barn were made from wood salvaged from the Hurricane of 1938. A table made from a chestnut tree  dating from the same era is at left.  STAFF PHOTO BY JESSECA TIMMONS

Historic photos show the Morse farmhouse prior to renovations and expansion in 1936. 

Historic photos show the Morse farmhouse prior to renovations and expansion in 1936.  COURTESY PHOTO 

By JESSECA TIMMONS

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Published: 10-11-2024 10:11 AM

Modified: 10-11-2024 12:05 PM


Tucked away on one of the many dirt roads winding around the base of Mount Monadnock, Archie and Nina MacIntyre’s antique Cape house has an unusual name and a long and storied history, including ties to the founding of Dublin. 

“It’s called Clothespin Farm because they used to mill clothespins at the mill just down the road,” Nina MacIntyre explained on a tour of the property. “The mill shut down when the Civil War came around.”

The mill, originally a grist and sawmill, was built on Stanley Brook in 1768 by William Twitchell, who was the third European settler in Dublin. According to the National Register of Historic Places, the Twitchell Mill was the second mill built in Dublin, after a mill built by Eli Morse. 

Remnants of the foundation of the Twitchell Mill can still be seen among the stones and ledge lining Stanley Brook, which flows out of Thorndike Pond down the valley to Mud Pond. 

According to the history of Dublin, the original portion of the MacIntyres’ home was built in 1812 by Samuel Morse, who was descended from Capt. Thomas Morse, the first English settler in Dublin. Thomas Morse’s ancestor, Samuel Morse, immigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1635. 

Samuel Morse built his home in a sheltered spot on the south side of the brook.  At the time, the house and the mill were separate properties. In 1936, the Morse house was moved from its original location to its current site on the hill facing Mount Monadnock. 

“We have the historic photos which document how they moved the house up to the top of the hill in 1936,” Nina MacIntyre said. “You can see in the pictures how the crew slid railroad ties under the old cottage to slide it off its original foundation.  Then they used a turnstile, pulled by a horse,  to move the house one rope length at a time until they got it up to the top of the hill!  You can see Monadnock in the old photos. The whole hillside was clear then and was used to graze cattle.” 

After the house was moved to the top of the hill, the new owners added a large addition, and it was used as summer home for decades. When the MacIntyres renovated the property in 2017, they kept the original Cape house and replaced the newer addition.

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“We kept the 1812 part and knocked down the 1936 part,” Nina MacIntyre said. 

The MacIntyres, who have deep ties to Dublin,  worked with architect Sheldon Pennoyer to design an addition to the house that would be in keeping with the historic scale and aesthetic of the home. Landscape designer Laura Trowbridge created the gardens.

Nina, who has a background in design, was fully involved in the creation of the new addition.

“We tried to be as true as we could to the site, and to the original house,” she said. “We just love the history of the house and the property. There is so much history of parts of the house being reused and recycled, and we wanted to continue that tradition.”

As tribute to the history of both the house and the mill, the MacIntryes incorporated three original millstones from the Twitchell Mill into their landscaping. One millstone is now a doorstep to the hallway between the original part of the house and the new addition, whlie one is the focal point of the patio and the third welcomes visitors to the red barn just across from the house. 

Nina MacIntyre pointed out stray marks on the millstone incorporated into the entryway to the red barn, just across the circular driveway from the house.

“According to the story in the Dublin history book, a boy named Amos Twitchell, who was the son of Samuel Twitchell, was studying to become a doctor, and sometimes he would get so wrapped up in his studies, he would stop paying attention to the millstone, and the grain would run out and the stone would start to get worn down. Apparently that’s what these marks are,” Nina MacIntyre said.

The studious Amos Twitchell graduated from Dartmouth and became a surgeon. He later served in the state Legislature, and founded the Dublin library. 

Walking through the red barn, Nina MacIntrye pointed out the unusually wide floorboards and a long trestle table. She said the most-recent owners, the Harris family, were ardent conservationists who repurposed as much wood and materials as they could.

“These big pine boards were from blow-downs from the hurricane of 1938,” she explained. “This table is a single board from a chestnut tree, which was lost, like so many others in the region, during that hurricane. The framing of this barn, which was built in 1939, was created from an older barn frame moved to the site.  You can see the original barn's mortise and tenon joints from its original structure.” 

The MacIntryes continued the tradition of repurposing older material inside the house. 

“We love that that is the tradition of the house, and we salvaged and reused much as we could when we renovated. We used some of the old wood paneling to make some of the beds; there are bits of the older structures throughout the house,” Nina MacIntyre said. “It’s just a really special place, and we’re really fortunate to be here in the beautiful spot. ”