First Jewish Dairy Farm in Mass. and one of the first in New England
Shick House & Farm
On this site stood the Shick house and farm. Jacob and Mary Shick were two of the first Jewish settlers in Watertown, becoming an integral part of the ethnic and religious diversity that marks its history. The Shicks made their home here for nearly 100 years, from 1914 to 2002. The house was built in the early 1850s. Its Italianate characteristics included richly ornamented windows, doorways and porches, block-like massing and heavy brackets in the eaves, rounded windows, 10-foot-high ceilings, as well as intricately detailed plaster work and cast-iron and marble fireplaces. A gently curving stairway to the second floor dominated the entrance hall.
The Shick family operated one of the first Jewish dairy farms in all of New England. They started in the West End of Boston, providing milk to their neighbors. They built the business into one of the largest dairy farms in the state, with over 200 head of cattle at its peak. Even after the farm itself moved to Wayland, family members lived in the house until 2002.
Erected by the Historical Society fo Watertown
And the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
