Saving Historic Structures One House At A Time

HARWICH – The historic structure that once housed the Six Crowns Antique shop next to the Zudy building along Route 28 in South Harwich may be going for a ride.

There is presently a demolition delay freeze on the structure at 934 Route 28 which expires on Sept. 26, but Bob and Barbara Nickerson are working to relocate the oldest segment of the buildings to preserve a bit of the town’s history.

Owner Trish Kennedy went before the historic district and historical commission on Sept. 27, 2023, saying the structure was in a deteriorated condition and it would be removed to create much-needed housing. The proposal presented to the historic district and historical commission called for six residential buildings on the 37,028-square-foot lot, each with three units. But without a detailed plan for the project, the commission implemented a one-year demolition delay, hoping an alternative use of the building could be found.

Kennedy said in an email on Monday she would have to check on the status of the plans.

The full Cape was constructed in 1815, according to Bob Nickerson. It was the family home of Zephaniah Nickerson (1778-1871), his great, great, great, great grandfather. His family has been in Harwich since 1675, and he is currently president of the Nickerson Family Association, descendents of Chatham founder William Nickerson.

There is some confusion between the historical narrative for the property researched by Deirdre Brotherson in 1993 for the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the research on the family history done by Barbara Nickerson. According to Brotherson’s research, the house was built in 1830, which implies it was built by Zephaniah Nickerson, Jr. The Nickersons believe it was built in 1815 by Zephaniah’s father.

The MHC narrative describes Zephaniah Nickerson as serving as a selectman for 16 years. Bob Nickerson said it was Zephaniah Nickerson, Jr. who was the selectman.

A segment of the narrative reads: “In 1832, Nickerson, along with Silvanus Eldredge, Amasa Nickerson, Jonathan Small, Darius Weeks, and James Long were ‘incorporated and made a body politic for the purpose of making the necessary improvements for the preservation and taking’ of alewives ‘in Red River and Skinnequit’s Pond.’” That was the work of Zephaniah senior, Nickerson said.

Bob and Barbara Nickerson have a history of restoring old homes in Harwich. In 2016 they undertook the preservation of the historic structure at 617 Route 28 in Harwich Port. Three years later they restored a barn on Bayview Road and two years later they undertook a restoration project at 49 Pleasant St.

The Cape they fully restored at 617 Route 28 was built in 1796 and was purchased by Bob Nickerson’s great, great grandfather Daniel Harrison Nickerson in 1880. The restoration was completed in 2018.

“We need to keep some of these old houses in our neighborhood,” Nickerson said. “Once they are gone, they are gone, and we lose the flavor of our town.”

When they learned the Zephaniah Nickerson house was available, Barbara Nickerson began looking for a nearby parcel of land to relocate the structure. Bob Nickerson said they reached out to the owners of the historic house last December, but did not hear back until March. The house was still available; the Nickersons purchased a lot in June on Alonzo Road, 1,725 feet away.

The benefit of this location is that it’s only a “stones throw” from South Harwich Cemetery where Zephaniah Nickerson is buried, Bob Nickerson said.

The Nickersons are working on the logistics of moving the building. They have the housemover and builder in place and are communicating with Eversource about the steps that need to be taken to move the house without disruption to power lines. A response is necessary to determine whether the house can be moved intact, or whether it has to be disassembled for transportation.

“As you know, the texture of the Cape is aggressively moving to teardowns and new construction. We see this as another opportunity to save an original Cape and make a modest home available to hopefully someone living here full time,” Nickerson wrote to the utility

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There are presently two houses on the property at 934 Route 28, a second one built in 1860 has deteriorated beyond the ability to relocate it, he said. The Nickersons informed the town’s historic district and historical commission of their plan In a letter to the commission sent on July 10.

“The original 30-foot-by-21-foot full cape will be moved, but the additions, deck, etc. on the back of the house will not be moved due to the deteriorated condition,” they wrote. “They are literally falling down. A small kitchen ell is in rough shape, so we are proposing to salvage the beams, posts and flooring from the ell for reuse in the new location.”

The Nickersons have a hearing scheduled before the historic district and historical commission on Aug. 21 to provide the details for the proposed relocation of the historic structure.