Complications Lead to Longer Than Expected Move of Lowell Mason House

It was anything but an easy move Tuesday for those involved in the Lowell Mason House’s journey from 25 Adams St. to its new location at 59 Green St.

Workers arrived on site at 25 Adams St. at 7 a.m. and 12 hours later were leaving Green Street with the house placed in front of its new foundation.

The move encountered many delays, most notably on North and Green Streets, resulting in a much longer day than Medfield Chief of Police Robert Meaney Jr. and others anticipated.

“[This move] wasn’t supposed to be like this,” said Meaney. “Verizon made a mistake during its walk-through and thought the width of the [Lowell Mason House] was 23 feet long and not 33 feet long.”

As a result, Verizon needed time to unhook more wires from poles along the travel route.

“The mistake in measurement meant instead of unhooking only four or five poles, they needed to unhook nine or 10 in some areas,” Meaney said. “That’s what killed it.”

Meaney said NSTAR was ready and Comcast was ready, it was Verizon that led to the delays at North Street that put the move back several hours.

After making its way onto Green Street just after 2:30 p.m., the house was delayed again as it got caught between a utility pole and a fire hydrant on the narrow road. 

 After that issue was resolved, another issue arose. Tree limbs were hanging too far into the road and obstructing the house’s route. Medfield Fire Chief William Kingsbury on more than one occasion was climbing into a bucket of a town utility truck to cut down tree limbs with a chainsaw brought in by the Medfield Highway Department.

“Somebody was hired to come in and [take down tree limbs] that would be in the way,” said Cheryl O'Malley, vice president of the Lowell Mason Foundation.

Crooked utility poles close to the road also caused problems as the house’s roof caught wires on more than one occasion, forcing the move to a stop.

Nearly three hours later, just in front of Hinkley Pond, the house faced a challenge a section of its roof did not win. A tree sitting too close to the road on one side and a utility pole too close on the other, forced the truck driver pulling the house to choose the tree side and as a result, a part of the roof was split and damaged.

“It’s OK, we don’t need that part of the roof,” said Karen Scotti, Chief Executive Officer of the Lowell Mason Foundation with a nervous laugh.

After nearly three and a half hours on Green Street, the house finally arrived at its destination, off the street and in front of its foundation, where workers will return Wednesday morning to finish the job if the weather holds out.

Some residents voiced frustration with the many issues that arose during the process.

“This is ridiculous that we have no power because of this house stuck in the road,” said a Green Street resident, who observed the historic move from his driveway.

Residents gathered on North Street in front of Takara Restaurant and complained about the road closures and power outages during the prolonged delay in front of Bullard's Marketplace.

“This is why the restaurants are closed?” One man asked. “I didn’t even know who Lowell Mason was, why are they trying to preserve this house?”

Despite unexpected delays and long power outages for some residents and businesses, the Lowell Mason House arrived, most importantly, intact to its new location, culminating months of hard work and planning by the Lowell Mason Foundation and cooperation from various town departments. Lowell Mason Foundation Secretary Directors, Tom Scotti, appreciated the patience of residents in what turned out to be a very long day for all involved or affected by the move.

“I would like to thank everybody for toughing it out today,” said Tom Scotti. “I thank them for their patience, particularly all the people and businesses along Adams, Dale, North and Green Streets. I thank them all for their patience and forbearance.”

The house, once placed on its foundation, will then undergo restoration projects by the Lowell Mason Foundation.