New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire
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Behind the Door: 255 Meadow Road
by Mary Atai (October 2024)

This home at 255 Meadow Road is considered by many to be the oldest house in town still standing. What is known is that Deacon Archibald McMillen (1719-1796) was born in Scotland, moved to New Boston, and bought Lot #20 in 1753, consisting of 150 acres. He then built the main part of the current house for his family, possibly as early as 1756.

Archibald was one of the original deacons of the Presbyterian Church in New Boston. He also served as selectman, town meeting moderator, and representative to the General Assembly at Exeter. At 56 years old, he enlisted in the army and fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill, in Colonel John Stark's regiment. He was wounded in the right arm by a musket ball, causing him to no longer be able to follow his trade as a weaver. After the war he received a pension at one half pay. He continued to live on this land.

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The house in its original location

Archibald had two sons, John, and Hugh. John and his family moved to Vermont, but Hugh, who was a housewright (carpenter/builder) stayed on this land. Out of personal interest, he began to read old alchemy books and taught himself to compound certain medications from herbs. People began to refer to him as Dr. McMillen. He was known to have medical successes for many of his patients.

Unfortunately, Hugh also picked up a knowledge of chemistry and learned to convert some of the softer metals into counterfeit silver coins. In 1795, he was found guilty of using pewter, copper, and tin to make "silver dollars." He was imprisoned for three months and then was placed on probation for two years, as well as having to pay a hefty fine for his counterfeiting. Still, many thought of him as a genius.

Hugh was well-known in the area. Sarah Theresa Wason grew up on Joe English, not far from this home. She later wrote an acclaimed poem called "Joe English Memories." The following is one of the two stanzas she devoted to him.

Remember'st thou, in by-gone days,
Doctor Hugh McMillen's fame,
His wondrous skill in medicine,
And the trials he o'ercame?
There're many legends told of him
Where thy loved name is known;
His cool, shrewd, philosophic mind
Stood undaunted and alone.

Hugh had twelve children. Abraham, the fourth of his children, was the third McMillen to own the house. He carried on the medical practice, although he also had no license.

As the years passed, the house and property were sold many times. It became the J.B. Holt farm for many years. Then Charles and Helen Jenness bought it with 34 acres in 1916 and lived there for about 25 years. Eventually, the current owners, Anne Christoph, who was a New Boston Central School nurse for 25 years, and her husband, Immo, bought the house in 1972. They wanted to restore the house's character, which had been removed with renovations over the years. The aluminum siding was replaced with wood. They restored the 3 fireplaces, brick by brick, and made them functional again. The house was as cold inside as outside in the winter and was found to have only corncobs in the walls for insulation.

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The Christophs installed a soapstone stove to heat the house. The wood boards on the living room floor were taken up and used to replace the walls in the entryway, adding charm. By 1986, they had had enough of the brook that ran through their basement. They also wanted to be farther from the dirt road that ran next to the house. But they didn't want to leave their home. After much planning, the entire house was moved 300 yards from a fork in the road between Joe English and Meadow Road to its new six-acre lot on Meadow Road. The cement foundation for the new house was built from the original rock foundation, and was moved, piece by piece.

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The house is moved across Joe English Road.

On moving day, the house was put on rollers and pulled by a large truck. Townspeople came out to watch the exciting event. The house moving work was managed by Bill Lastowka, and even though the house's contents were left in place during the move, there was no damage at all.

A "great room" addition was put up in 2001 with large windows and passive solar heating using tiles. Also included were a sauna, a bathroom, a mudroom, and a two-car garage. Meticulous care was taken while modernizing, to preserve the colonial charm. Although there have been many changes, the original part of the home has proudly stood for more than 260 years and kept the stories of all who have passed through.

With thanks to Patricia Dingwall Thompson for genealogy support work. Patricia is a McMillen descendant.

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