Frequently Asked Questions

When is the SQUAM LAKE CONSERVATION SOCIETY planning to demolish the historic home?
The farmhouse may be demolished at any time.  Many demolition contractors have already been in the house to provide the SLCS a price to perform the demolition.

What is  the condition of the farmhouse?
The farmhouse needs restoration, maintenance has been neglected for a few years but is in otherwise very good condition and can easily be restored to its historic look following the National Park Service’s guidelines for historic preservation.

Who is proposing to restore the farmhouse?
Neighbors have offered to fund 100% of the cost to restore the exterior and structure.  SLCS has turned down all financial offers of support for restoration.

If SLCS’s mission is to protect Squam’s history and views historic preservation as ‘complementary’ to land conservation land, then why are they proposing to demo a 190-year-old historic home?
We  don’t know the answer to this question.

Who lived in the farmhouse prior to the Michaels?
The red farmhouse was the home where Bunny Michael, who lived to age 105, raised her family with her husband Monroe “Mike” Michael.  It was the home of James and Ida Rogers who contributed so much to this town in the 1910s to the 40s.  It was also home to selectman, JR Coolidge, who was the manager of the West Side Chapel, Sandwich Fair, Red Cross and WWll civil defense.

Why is it worth preserving
It is a beautiful iconic landmark for Center Sandwich.  And it was home to some of Center Sandwich’s most prominent and well-known individuals.  It is one of the last Farmhouses remaining that operated during the heyday of the Sandwich Notch Road.  See more historical details in the History Tab.

What is the timeline to preserve the building, if the SLCS allows it to be saved?
Preservation work can begin within months…..

What is the cost to the SLCS to preserve the farmhouse?
There is no cost to the SLCS to save and restore the historic farmhouse as donors have stepped forwarded and offered to fund 100% of the costs.  Donors have also offered to raise funds for a permanent endowment for future maintenance, taxes, etc.

Can the demolition be stopped legally?
Probably not, this is why you must make your opposition heard to the SLCS and to elected officials.  The only way to persuade the SLCS to save the farmhouse is for enough individuals to voice to their collective objections.  Private negotiations have failed to save the farmhouse.

Will anyone live in the Red Farmhouse
It depends.   It can be restored as an artifact [similar to the Chick’s Corner schoolhouse] or it can be renovated for a single-family to live in.   Either way preserving the farmhouse provides an opportunity to demonstrate our community support for historic restoration and helps visually teach us the history of our town.  It will evoke a connection to our predecessors in a way that just a cellar hole cannot.

Will there be a conservation easement on the Michael Property.
Per the SLCS, the plans have varied over the past year.   They now say they will place an easement on the Property but the details of such an easement and the degree of protection is subject to the specific language.