Directly opposite Shattuck Place on the south side of Shattuck Street, stands the former William L. Pickard farm. For many years Mr. Pickard operated a dairy farm from this location. A huge barn, torn down in the 1970's, was attached to the house and sheltered the dairy herd. Old time residents still recall traffic coming to a halt twice each day when the cows were let out to pasture across King Street each morning and when they returned at the end of the day for milking. At one time the Pickard farm extended all the way to Long Lake. Records have not been uncovered to show the original owner of this house or when it was built, but due to an unfortunate fire in 1988 a lot of history was uncovered.
The owner of the house at the time, Walter S. Crowell engaged the services of Robert Gravely of Royalston, MA, a Preservationist, to manage the restoration. It was a stroke of good fortune that all of the remodeling and facelifting done by previous owners consisted of covering over the original walls inside the house. Therefore, when fire-damaged plaster and wall board were torn out, underneath, in pristine conditional, lay the original woodwork dating back to the early eighteenth century. The main structure, a salt box, dates back to 1730. The beams from the original salt box structure can still be seen in the attic.
The original four room building was a typical half house of the period with a shed to the rear under the sloping roof. In 1790, the roof was raised and the house extended into its present form, a center chimney colonial. Two bedrooms were added upstairs enlarging the home to four bedrooms upstairs and a living room, dining room, kitchen and keeping room on the first floor. Some updating to the house occurred around 1850. Ornate moulding was installed around the dining room ceiling and a fireplace removed from the kitchen. This fireplace was reworked to accommodate a cast iron cooking range. Even today the house boasts five original fireplaces. The house saw many uses over the years. In 1850 it served as a private school named Brigham Private High School. Tuition was 25 cents a day.
At a later date the home was used as a public library. Nathan Hartwell (b. Littleton May 3, 1786, son of Dr. Thomas Hartwell and Elizebeth Haywood Hartwell) is listed as the owner on the 1830 map of Littleton. He married Sarah Wheeler (d. August or October 23, 1841). Their son, Nathan Haywood Hartwell (b. Littleton July 20, 1820) apparently succeeded to the property. He married Elisa Jane Lawrence (b. Littleton November 9, 1829) daughter of George and Rebecca Lawrence and subsequently moved across the street to 11 Shattuck Place after the death of his father-in-law, George Lawrence. Later owners were Emory J. Whitney (c. 1907) and William L. Pickard (c.1916).