WEST SPRINGFIELD — Half a year after authorizing $172,250 in work on the Josiah Day House, the Town Council on May 6 spent $58,300 more.
The new project at the oldest house in town — operated as a museum by the nonprofit Ramapogue Historical Society — will take down the gutters and the portion of the chimney above the roof, and install replacements of identical dimensions and composition. It will also repair some cracked plaster in the house.
Councilors did not need any discussion to reach 8-0 support of the spending. The house is at 70 Park St., West Springfield.
The previous project, approved in September 2023, included roof and floor repairs, repointing the mortar and replacing some bricks on the exterior walls, replacing a deteriorated beam in the basement and replacing 12 exterior windows.
Valley Restoration LLC of Litchfield, Connecticut, was chosen to perform the previous work, and also wrote the proposal for the new work.
All work will conform to federal standards for historical properties. The new gutters will be made of wood, and the chimney bricks will be chosen to match the appearance of the original chimney.
Built in 1754, the Josiah Day House is the oldest known all-brick saltbox house on its original foundation in the United States, and the oldest house in West Springfield.
It was the home of Capt. Luke Day Jr., who served in the Revolutionary War and later was second-in-command of rebel forces in Shays’ Rebellion. The Josiah Day House is believed to have hosted some meetings of the rebels who attempted to seize the federal armory in Springfield in 1787.
The money for both the previous project and the new project come from the Community Preservation Act. The new project was recommended for passage by a unanimous vote of the Community Preservation Committee.
West Springfield’s Community Preservation Fund is supported by a surtax on local property taxes, and by matching grants from the state. The money in the fund can only be spent on capital projects for historical preservation, open space conservation, recreation or affordable housing.
