HAMPSTEAD, N.H. — The smell of charred timber lingers in the air outside the blackened frame of a historic barn on Main Street nearly a week after the structure caught fire.
Crushed glass crackles and wet insulation sloshes underfoot as melted children’s toys and scorched antiques spill from the barn doors, remnants of the blaze that tore through one of the town’s oldest properties.
The historic barn, which once held the town’s first horse-drawn fire engine in the late 1930s, was heavily damaged in a fire Sunday, destroying the relic and disrupting restoration plans for the nearly 300-year-old property.
Fire crews responded about 6 p.m. to the two-story barn behind a residence at 316 Main St. after a passerby noticed flames coming from the structure and rushed to alert the homeowner, Vincent Vacca, who was inside at the time.
Because the barn was packed top to bottom with belongings, the conditions inside the building hindered suppression efforts, leading to a total loss of a structure tied to one of Hampstead’s earliest properties, Fire Chief George Kramlinger said in a prepared statement.
The house on the site, known as the Muzzey House and sometimes referred to as the Worthen House, was built around 1740 by John Muzzey, nearly a decade before Hampstead was formally founded in 1794. At the time, the land was still considered part of Haverhill, Mass.
The property served as a tavern and a stagecoach stop along a travel route connecting Chester and Haverhill. In the 18th century, such taverns operated as homes where families lived while renting rooms to travelers passing through town, according to “The History of Hampstead New Hampshire, 1999.”
The home was built in the Georgian style with a granite block foundation and post-and-beam construction. An addition was added around 1780, and a garage was added in the 1970s.
Because farms of that era required space for livestock and storage, historians believe a barn has existed on the property for centuries. During the early 1930s, the original barn from the 1700s burned down. The barn that was damaged Sunday was rebuilt in 1935 using timber framing, coming during that time.
Just a few years later, the structure became part of the town’s early firefighting history.
In 1938, Hampstead bought its first fire engine, but did not yet have a fire station, Deputy Fire Chief Will Warnock said. The truck was stored in the barn, then owned by Levi Duston who was a Hampstead firefighter, until the town built its first fire station in 1942 near the old meeting house.
The thick timber beams used in the 1935 construction helped portions of the structure remain standing during the fire, though the building will need to come down, Warnock said.
The fire might have caused far greater damage if not for a woman who happened to drive by and notice flames coming from the barn, Vacca said.
“She started knocking on the door like a crazy person,” he said. “If she hadn’t come when she did and started knocking, I could have lost everything.”
Vacca said he was inside the house when the woman alerted him to the fire and quickly bundled up and ran outside to move his truck to make room for fire crews.
The cause of the fire was deemed electrical in nature due to the older wiring in the barn, Kramlinger said.
“The top floor and the bottom floor were completed full,” Vacca said. “To put a number on (the loss), it’s a lot.”
Some items stored in a nearby garage and inside the home were saved, but much of what was kept in the barn was destroyed. Prior to the fire, Vacca had invested around $25,000 renovating the barn structure and planned to expand his antique business there.
Vacca, originally from Billerica, Mass., spend decades living in New Mexico before returning to New England about eight years ago. He started to collect and sell antiques at flea markets and regional shows and for a time lived and worked at the Londonderry Flea Market while building his business.
His path to owning the historic property came unexpectedly.
Vacca first met the previous owner while helping her clear out the house for an estate sale. After spending months assisting with the cleanout and restoration work, the property nearly sold to a neighbor before the deal fell through.
“I ended up raising the money and buying the property,” he said.
This is the first home he’s ever owned, said Vacca, now in his 60s.
The milestone came eight years into his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. He spent much of his earlier life battling addiction and substance abuse before he started his journey to sobriety and left behind the life he’d built in New Mexico.
His faith and a renewed focus on rebuilding his life have helped him to stay sober and pursue the goals he once thought were out of reach.
The Hampstead property represented both a fresh start and an opportunity to expand the antique business he’d built over the years.
Vacca estimates insurance will cover only about 10% of the loss, roughly $65,000, far short of the estimated $500,000 it could cost to rebuild the barn. He estimates demolition alone could start at $30,000.
Despite the setback, Vacca said he hopes to rebuild the barn and preserve the historic character of the property.
“I want to keep the integrity of it and keep it as close to the 1740s as I can. It’s a worthwhile cause, especially around New Hampshire.”
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