[0]The property known as Idlewilde was originally homesteaded by Moses and Susanna Davis. The main house stood near the site of the McGovern’s house at 147 Forest Street, looking off toward the south with the same view of the hillsof Groton, Pepperell, and Westford that one sees from this point today. During the 1800s, the farm stayed in the Davis family, passing from Moses and Susanna to their son, James Augustus.
A 1911 auction brochure promoted the grandeur of homestead as “Idlewilde – the most attractive Summer home in New England.” At that time, it was the estate of Arthur H. Hosford. It consisted of a main house, garage, blacksmith shop, stables, hen house, a couple of wagon sheds, a carriage room, horsebarn, corn house and ice house.
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Hosford turned the Davis home into a social center in the 1890s. In its day, Idlewild encouraged vacationers looking for rest, air, and freedom to stay there. Among those who visited this lovely inn were Admiral Byrd, after completing his memorable flight to the North Pole. Stories told of his landing a small plane in oneof the fields near the inn.
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The Idlewilde parlor provided space for guests to relax and get to know each other, perhaps while being entertained by someone on the piano. |
The house was sold at auction and purchased in 1911 by Bert Spaulding, who continued to run a successful inn there for several years.
On May 13, 1933, the reckless burning of the establishment was caused by the actions of a disgruntled chef. The destruction of this property was devastating to its owner and the guests who frequented the inn.
Some years later, Maria (Dumont) Rubin researched the inn’s history as part of a 6th grade social studies project at Swallow Union School. (Swallow Union used to educate students up to 8th grade, when they entered high school, either in Lowell or at the Prescott School.) At the time, she interviewed some of the older people in town who remembered visiting or working at the inn.
[3]Today, the only remaining building is the garage on the opposite side of Forest Street from where the main house stood. It was once was used to keep bees. Until recently, the property that the garage stands on was owned by the Best family. Now, the garage is being refurbished by its new owners, so it will continue to stand as reminder of days gone by.
[Note: Most of this history was taken directly from Dunstable, Making Connections, a history book authored by Sue Tully and Sue Psaledakis for the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing, Inc. This is a very good book for all Dunstable residents to own, because it provides a pictoral tour of many of the older residences in town, as well as some of the social history of the town. It is available for sale at the Dunstable library and in bookstores around the area.]