Travel Back in Time: Francis Wyman House

Today we also look at the Francis Wyman House, located at 56 Francis Wyman Road. The home was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and was named as one of the 1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.

According to the Burlington Historical Commission the home was built by Francis Wyman in 1666 to serve as a garrison house to which farmers in the vicinity could flee in case of Indian attacks. The home had major upgrades performed on it in 1730.

The Francis Wyman House is one of the three oldest houses in Massachusetts and the oldest in Burlington. 

In 1996 a fire started by a space heater caused massive damage to the outside of the home, the inner stairway and the roof. The Francis Wyman Association raised funds and received state grants to perform restoration work. Dr. John Kenagy of the association said the group was founded by Ben Wyman, who organized it to purchase the home after it was outside of family ownership for a number of years. Since that time the Association has worked to restore the home, and following the fire, perform repairs. 

On June 26 there was a ribbon-cutting to acknowledge the completion of the first stage of the repair process. Currently, the outside of the home has been restored and much of the inside is back to pre-fire conditions. All the repairs in the home are being done in accordance with its original design to preserve the history of the structure. The home gives visitors a look at 17th Century design and offers a glimpse into life in that period. 

During the ribbon cutting, members of the association and the Wyman family expressed enthusiasm for how well the restoration process is coming along. 

"I'm thrilled you can now get up and down the stairs and see the inside of the home," Kenagy said. "It as a burnt out wreck. It's great to have it this way." 

"It's beautiful! What they've done is really nice," said Priscilla Oskirko of Maynard, a member of the Wyman family. 

Visitors are allowed to see the outside of the home at any time. The Francis Wyman House is opened occasionally to the public and those interested in seeing the inside can contact Virginia Mucciaccio at Ginny.mucc@verizon.net to request a tour of the interior.