{{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox NRHP | name = Paul Cuffe Farm | nrhp_type = nhl | image = Paul Cuffe Farm, Westport MA.jpg | caption = View from the northeast | location = Westport, Massachusetts | coordinates = {{coord|41|32|57|N|71|4|6|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Massachusetts#USA | area = | built = 1780 | architect = | architecture = | added = May 30, 1974 | designated_nrhp_type = May 30, 1974<ref name=NHL_summary/> | refnum = 74000394<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref> }}
The '''Paul Cuffe Farm''' is a National Historic Landmark on 1504 Drift Road in Westport, Massachusetts.<ref name=NHL_summary>[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1419&ResourceType=Building NPS NHL listing info] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606132723/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1419&ResourceType=Building |date=2009-06-06 }}</ref> The house was traditionally and incorrectly believed to be owned by Paul Cuffe (1759–1815), a prominent farmer and merchant of African American and Native American ancestry. Cuffe was active in promoting the idea of returning African Americans to Africa, making a voyage to what is now Sierra Leone in 1811 to support a fledgling colony there. The farm was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974.<ref name="nris"/>
==Description and history== The farmstead is located in rural southern Westport, on the western bank of the East Branch Westport River. It is reached from Drift Road by a long drive, and is set in a landscaped clearing overlooking the river. It is a {{frac|2|1|2}}-story wood-frame structure, resting on a granite foundation, with two interior brick chimneys rising from the gabled roof. Construction of the house is estimated to have been around 1780, based on architectural analysis of its chimneys. The property also has evidence of wooden-pile wharves of similar antiquity, and submerged granite blocks which suggest a stone pier may have once been located there.<ref name=MACRIS>{{cite web|url=https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=wsp.211|title=MACRIS inventory record for Paul Cuffe Farm|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|access-date=2014-11-09}}</ref>
Although the house was believed to belong to Paul Cuffe at the time of its National Historic Landmark designation in 1974, subsequent research by local historians has cast doubt on this attribution. Although Cuffe was known to own land in this area, and may have used the wharves on this property in his merchant business, the documented ownership history of this parcel does not include him. Between 1748 and 1884 the property was under the continuous ownership of members of the Tripp family. It is possible that Cuffe's son-in-law lived here briefly.<ref name=MACRIS/>
Paul Cuffe (1759–1815) was born to an African father and a Wampanoag mother on Cuttyhunk Island. From poor beginnings, he went to sea, rising to become a ship's captain and then owner. His work promoting efforts to resettle former slaves to Africa brought him an international reputation, including contact with high-profile Americans such as Albert Gallatin and James Madison. Cuffe was also active in the promotion of civil rights in his native Massachusetts, petitioning the state for tax relief because he was not allowed to vote.<ref name=NHL>{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=74000394}}|title=NHL nomination for Paul Cuffe Farm|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2014-11-09}}</ref>
==See also== *List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts *National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County, Massachusetts
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{NHLs in MA}} {{NRHP in Bristol County, Massachusetts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuffe Farm}} Category:Houses completed in 1780 Category:National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Category:African-American history of Massachusetts Category:Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Category:Buildings and structures in Bristol County, Massachusetts Category:Westport, Massachusetts Category:National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts Category:1780s establishments in Massachusetts