TROY VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT TOUR #2By Marion Austin Photos by Lynne Monroe (12-1-01) Our first stop is 59 Main Street. This small farm property (now 3.25 acres) was established on South Main Street c.1900. The house is 1½ stories with a knee wall frame and a lit attic above the 2nd floor. The foundation is covered with cement and the walls in asbestos shingles. The gable roof has projecting eaves with returns. Two brick stove chimneys pierce the ridge. The original porch with turned posts and balusters spans the facade. Windows contain original 2/2 sash. A long, narrow ell projects from the rear of the house, with an enclosed porch along its southeast elevation.  58 South Main Street, Rev. Townsend House, c. 1800. This early 19th century house is a 1½ story, 5x2 bay cape. The foundation is granite, the walls sheathed in clapboards with narrow corner boards, frieze, and slightly projecting eaves with returns. The small windows retain historic 9/6 sash. A 1½ story ell, with modern porch addition, projects from the rear. Historically there was an attached barn in the vicinity of the modern garage. This was gone by the 1940s. The front yard is defined by granite curbing and mature trees. For many years this was the residence of Rev. L. Townsend who served as pastor of the Congregational Church from 1845 to 1860. Into the late 19th century this house was owned by Mary Whittemore, widow of stone mason Levi Whittemore Jr.  54 South Main, J.W. Beers House, c.1837-1856. This structure was the hat shop of Benjamin Grosvenor, built in 1837 at the south end of the common. It was moved here and converted into a dwelling in 1856. The 2 story structure has a gable roof, oriented gable end to the road. The foundation is granite. The roof has overhanging eaves with no returns. A 20th century screen porch with balcony above spans the facade. The walls are sheathed in vinyl siding. A 2 story ell with 2 story sun porch projects from the rear. Attached to the ell is an early 20th century garage with shed roof extension. Benjamin Grosvenor came to Troy in 1831, and with Edward Tolman, made fur hats for almost 20 years in his hat shop. After the buildings were relocated to this site in the 1850's, they became the residence of John Beers, a tanner. By 1892 this was the residence of Mary Whittemore who had previously lived next door.  53 South Main, Farrar Pottery/Whittemore house, c. 1812/1850s. Part of this house was formed by a structure that had served as a pottery shop. It was built in 1812 in the fork of the road and moved here in the 1850's. The 1½ story 6x2 bay house is essentially a cape, oriented with its gable end to the road and entry on the lateral side elevation. The walls are supported by a granite foundation, sheathed in wood shingles, and trimmed with narrow corner boards, frieze and eave returns. The window sash and doors are new. A lower 1½ story wing projects from the southwest gable end. The pottery shop was originally owned by Col. Daniel Farrar. It was the residence of stone mason Levi Whittemore Jr. around 1864. During the 19th century it was the home of Nicholas Grimes. He died in 1894 and his widow, Ellen, continued to live here until about 1910.
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