Originally the site of three successive blacksmith’s shops, the Mulford Farm was a family farmstead of approximately fourteen acres and was the home of more than ten generations of families, most of them Mulfords, until 1949.
The house, built in 1680, has been left largely
unchanged since 1750. The majority of the framing and wood members of the house
have been left undisturbed. At the time the house was built, East Hampton was a
well-established village. The people who lived on the Mulford Farm made
periodic alterations to their structures to meet changing family needs.
Architectural changes to the house, particularly the
construction of lean-to additions, were typical solutions to spatial problems
faced by colonists throughout New England.
The Mulford Barn, constructed in 1721, is one of the
most intact early eighteenth century English-plan barn forms in New York State.
The Mulford Barn was evaluated by the State Department of Parks Recreation and
Historic Preservation in 1990 and deemed the second most important eighteenth
century barn in New York State.
The importance of the Mulford Farm has been recognized
by state and federal funding agencies as well as foundations who have partially
funded stabilization and restoration efforts to date. Partial funding has been
provided by the New York State Council on the Arts, New York State Institute
for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the
Humanities, Institute of Museum Services, Rock Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund,
Arthur Ross Foundation, American Express Foundation, Vincent Mulford
Foundation, Ben Krupinski Builders, and Ella B. Aldrich.
In 1998 a matching grant for $88,000 was awarded by
the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
for the exterior restoration of the House. The Mulford Farm is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Source:
“Mulford Farm.” East
Hampton, 22 June 2018, easthampton.com/history/mulford-farm
