| I
would like to inaugurate what I hope will be a
regular feature of Framingham History with one of
the most frustrating of the many cases where
Framingham’s cultural heritage is at risk:
the Peter and Sarah Clayes House, circa 1963. I
would consider this one of the five most
historical buildings in town. It is located at
657 Salem End Road in the center of the old and
historic Salem End neighborhood. Unfortunately,
efforts to rescue the house from decay and
neglect, including two auctions and interest
shown by many parties, have all been ensnarled in
the red tape of court proceedings and bank
policies. In this article I will not attempt to
rehash all the unfortunate circumstances that
have brought this 312 year-old house to the sad
state it is in today. I do want to take this
opportunity to state the cause for the
house’s historical and architectural
significance so as many people with an interest
in our town’s history as possible can
appreciate the importance of this situation. The earliest parts of the
Clayes house date back to 1693, the year after
the infamous witchcraft trials were held in
Salem, Massachusetts. Peter and Sarah Clayes had
been living at Salem Village in 1692, and Sarah
was one of the women accused and indicted
“for high suspicion of sundry deeds of
witchcraft.” Her sisters Rebecca Nurse and
Mary Easty were also accused, indicted, tried,
convicted, and hanged for the same offense. Sarah
may have met the same fate as her sisters had it
not been for the courage of her husband who
helped her escape to Framingham Plantation (we
were not as yet incorporated as a town) and
safety. Here they built a new home and were
joined by other family members including two of
Rebecca Nurse’s sons. The neighborhood soon
became known as Salem End, a name still reflected
in the name of the street that runs through it,
Salem End Road.
 Salem End families were
instrumental in bringing abut the incorporation
of the Town of Framingham in 1700. Peter Clayes
served on our first Board of Selectmen, and was a
founder of the Framingham Church. The
significance of their house, therefore, is not
only for its connection with the Salem witchcraft
crisis, but with the founding of our town.
Over the years the
house was expanded and remodeled many times so it
no longer resembled the 17th century saltbox it
once was. Today, it is a handsome example of
early 19th century Federal styling. The central
chimney stack remains with its huge colonial era
kitchen fireplace. A “secret” room in
the chimney base has given rise to rumors of the
Underground Railroad, but it was most likely a
root cellar. The roofline has changed, but an
earlier, perhaps original, ridgepole can still be
seen in the attic. The house is a virtual
document of New England building styles and
practices spanning three centuries.
There are now five
houses surviving from the original colony of
Salem refugees in Framingham. The Clayes house is
one of the oldest and most important. And it is
one of the oldest houses in Framingham. It is
currently in a state of rapid deterioration due
mainly to water damage. I have asked those who
are currently responsible for this property to
perform the basic repairs that will secure the
premises, or give permission to local
preservationist to do so, with the assurance that
we will post any bond or waive any liability that
may help expedite that process. There has been no
response. The next step may be to work with town
officials to see if something can be done through
the power of eminent domain to save a house that
has so much to say about the town’s
character and origin.
Note: Article
published in Spring 2005 issue of
"Framingham History" - Quarterly of the
Framingham Historical Society and Musem
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