Sumner Kimball behind the wheel of his daughter's 1916 Ford Touring Car

Early photo of the Kimball-Stanford House

Sumner and Martha Kimball in front of their home

The house, also known as the Moses Hutchins House, is a nationally recognized Federal style building on the National Register of Historic Places. Built for Moses Hutchins in 1839, it stands at an important crossroads site once known as “Number Four Corner” where Hutchins operated a retail store. The house passed into the hands of Elbridge Gerry Kimball in 1865 when he purchased it from Moses Hutchins's grandson. Elbridge passed the ownership of the home down to his youngest son, Sumner, who left it to his only child, Ruth Kimball Stanford. The house remained in the Kimball family for more than a century.

The house is an excellent example of a New England connected farm complex. On the exterior, it is a well-proportioned, late Federal era farmhouse with a series of ells connecting the house to the barn. It appears that the structure has changed little over the years, although adaptations were made. Originally, the farm was composed of separate structures that evolved into a connected complex to fit the changing agricultural environment of the later 1800’s.

It is not surprising that the Lovell Historical Society would be interested in acquiring this property. Sumner Kimball (1846–1926), who resided in the house most of his life, was a dedicated and serious chronicler of Lovell history and genealogy. The Society possesses his scrapbooks, journals, and manuscripts, all containing bits and pieces that reflect everyday life long ago in Lovell – the result of Sumner’s lifelong love for documenting and preserving this history.

The Lovell Historical Society was able to begin the process of purchasing the building in 1998. After lengthy preservation and restoration, the Society moved into its new headquarters in 2005. The first floor of the main house serves as museum space and the first floor of the Ell now serves as the Research Center. 

Sleigh in front of the Kimball-Stanford House

Sumner Kimball wearing his uncle's top hat

Charles Stanford standing on top of a large wood pile