Spencer–Peirce–Little Farm

The Spencer–Peirce–Little Farm is a Colonial American farm located at 5 Little's Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts, United States, in the midst of 231 acres of open land bordering the Merrimack River and Plum Island Sound. The farmhouse, dating to c. 1690, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 as an extremely rare 17th-century stone house in New England. It is now a nonprofit museum owned and operated by Historic New England and open to the public several days a week during the warmer months; an admission fee is charged for non Members.

In 1635, John Spencer was the original grantee of the 400 acre parcel of land. The land was used to raise beef cattle for the community. Daniel Peirce Sr., a blacksmith from Ipswich in Essex County, England, purchased the property in 1651 for 500 pounds. By his death in 1677, the property had risen in value to 1,200 pounds and was described in the inventory of the estate as, "A Farme about two hundred and thirty acres of upland and meadow with housing, barns and orchard." This jump in value may indicate that the stone house was built during his lifetime. In 1861, Edward H. Little, local farmer, purchased the farm. His descendants made few changes to the house, and gave the property to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1986.

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