Richardson Homestead
Richardson Homestead
| Also Known As | Middlesex Canal Boarding House |
| Address | 78 Gray St |
| MACRIS ID | BIL.138 |
| Built | 1764 |
The original small house was built by William French in 1764 when he built a mill nearby. Two years later, he sold to a relative who, in turn, sold it to Thomas Richardson in 1770. In 1778, Thomas sold to his brother Oliver who enlarged the house.
Oliver's son John built the grist mill in 1793 nearby on the site of the French Mill. The house became the Richardson Homestead and remained in the Richardson family until 1944. The Richardson Family was directly responsible for the building of four other neighborhood houses.
The Richardson Homestead was a boarding house for laborers when the Middlesex Canal was being built. Records show that three canal laborers married Richardson daughters.
Both Thomas and Oliver were soldiers in the Revolutionary War.