BOULDER BROOK LOT [2.8 ACRES] AND POND LOT [1.9
ACRES]
The Boulder Brook Lot borders Mountain Spring Road down to
the corner of Route 4, on land previously owned by Austin
Dunham Barney and his family. In the early 19th century, it was
owned by John Treadwell Norton. Both men are major figures
in Farmington history. The Barney family prospered as
entrepreneurs in electric utilities, insurance, and cotton thread.
Newton and Austin Barney farmed and kept livestock in nearby
fields and barns. He owned the “red cottage” [now white] at #2
and several outbuildings, and built the big brick Colonial
Revival home at #10 for an employee.
Norton was an innovative gentleman farmer, a progressive
and an abolitionist. His grandfather John Treadwell was a
distinguished leader, and said to have been the “last of the
Puritan Governors” of the State. During Norton’s ownership,
fugitive slaves were hidden at the Barney House. When the
Amistad captives stayed in Farmington in 1841, they were
welcomed at Norton’s home and spent much time with the
family. The Boulder Brook and Pond Lots were generously
donated to the Land Trust [1986] by Hattie Lidgerwood and
Katherine Garfield, Austin Barney’s daughters. The Pond Lot
lies downhill from the Barney House to the west, and has
similar historic associations.
These two lots form a lovely rustic setting for the distinguished
Barney House, 17th century Red Cottage, the Lewis house [#1]
and several outstanding modern homes. They enhance the
historic neighborhood, and buffer it from the heavy traffic of
nearby Route 4.
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