Seth and Chloe Davenport farm - 133 North Avenue.

Benjamin Davenport farm - 73 North Avenue.

                    The Davenport Family:  Leaders in Farming, 1764 - 1900

    Seth Davenport built a farmhouse in 1793 that became the family homestead and the
    center of a very productive and profitable agricultural business that would last for
    several generations.  The Davenports were superb farmers and marketers.  Through
    hard work, intelligent business dealings, and the good fortune to own 212 acres of rich
    North Avenue farmland, they provided food for the region and distant cities.  Their
    excellence in agricultural endeavors rewarded them with substantial wealth and high
    social status in the Mendon community.

    The farmhouse at 133 North Avenue was a symbol of the family's prosperity.  It was
    large scale with many rooms and a granite foundation.  It was located across the street
    from the head waters of Muddy Brook, and it overlooked the long stretch of pastures
    and meadows that gradually sloped to the south flowing brook.  Its land extended from
    the Upton town line to Northbridge Road on both sides of North Avenue.  For many
    years, it remained as a cornerstone of agricultural success.

    Farming was the family business of the Davenports.  Seth was born in 1739 in Milton.  
    His family moved to Mendon in the 1740s.  He married Chloe Daniels in 1764, and it is
    believed that their first home was located at 30 Miscoe Road.  They  established a
    successful farming operation and raised several children.  By 1793, the new farmhouse
    was completed.  It remained as a Davenport home and center of farming activity for
    many years.  As the families grew, more farmhouses were built, and new business
    practices expanded.  Seth Jr. married Betsy Godfrey in 1797.  He promoted fruit
    growing and specialized in Rhode Island greening apples that were very popular in
    Boston markets.  Benjamin built a farmhouse for his family at 73 North Avenue in 1820.  
    His specialty was dairy farming.  Seth Jr.'s son, Joseph, built a house at 101 North
    Avenue.  George constructed farmhouses at 85 and 100 North Avenue. Austin, who
    lived at the homestead, was a dealer in dairy cows, horses, and cider.  The cider
    refined at his farm was sold in markets as far away as California.  The family business
    of farming was healthy and prosperous.

    The 1793 homestead and other Davenport farmhouses on North Avenue and Miscoe
    Road are symbols of Mendon's economic strength from the 1700s through the early
    1900s.  By 1920, the economy had been changed by the trolley and the automobile.  
    Farm land was sold.  Houses were built, and later, a regional school was constructed.  
    The last Davenport farm was Sunnyside Farm, operated by George Godfrey Davenport
    and Sons.  The existing houses, barns, and stone walls are subtle reminders of a great
    family that was the backbone of Mendon's agricultural way of life.  They call to mind the
    town's great history of glory days gone by.  Richard Grady, October 2011.

                                                         Mendon