This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Restoration Continues on the Obed Baker House

A look at Westwood's historical Obed Baker House.

It was in 1812 when Obed Baker built a house for him and his wife, Betsey Metcalf Baker, on 965 High St.

For some background, during the wars of the 19th century, Baker transported munitions and supplies to New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Virginia. His wife, Betsey, was known for her selfless acts of sending food and clothing to Ireland during the Potato Famine and for coming up with a effective method of making straw bonnets.

In 1924 the house was moved to 1007 High St. and stayed there until 2001. In the year 2000, the Town of Westwood bought the house with plans to use it for affordable housing units, but on June 24th, 2001 the Baker House was moved once again down the street to where it now stands on 909 High St. by the New Cemetery.

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After voting at a town meeting, the Baker House became property of the Westwood Historical Society with the intent to restore the house to it's original state. Since then the house has gone under some extensive restoration.

Today, the exterior part of the Baker House has been fully restored, though restoration efforts are still underway for the house's interior, specifically on the beehive oven. Once restored, it should provide the students of Westwood with a historically educational hands-on look at a 19th century household.

Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A barn is now being built behind the Baker House by the Westwood Department of Public Works, and will be used by the Cemetery Commission for storage of equipment.

The Westwood Historical Society has received a large donation from the Dedham Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation, and is being renovated with the help of Medfield's Master Touch construction.

The Obed Baker house is located right next to Dunkin Donuts and across the street from the Divina Day Spa at 909 High St. The Westwood Historical society's goal is to one day have the house be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

Restoring the house's interior will cost somewhere around $400,000 to complete, and the Westwood Historical Society is accepting donations. For more information, visit the Westwood Historical Society website.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?