The Bennett Farm consists of 21 acres (8.5 ha) of land in eastern Henniker, roughly bounded by Elm Street, Bennett Road (aka Old Route 114), and New Hampshire Route 114. A narrow strip of cleared farmland lies north of Bennett Road, as does the main house. Additional cleared land is southwest of the Bennett Road/Elm Street junction, with the balance of the land wooded. The farmstead includes a number of buildings, the oldest of which is the c. 1780 main house. This building, a five-bay two-story wood frame with a large central chimney, was used as a tavern until the mid-19th century, when the property was converted to exclusively agricultural uses. The most unusual building on the property is the barn, which was originally built in 1834 as a religious meeting house, was moved to its present location in 1860 and then converted for use as a barn. Its steeple was blown off in 1937, leaving a cupola-like top.[2]
The land making up the farm was first granted to John Clark in 1733. This property was purchased in 1779 by John Goodenow, who established a tavern the following year, and is the likely builder of the house. The property continued in use as a tavern until 1848, after which it was used exclusively for agricultural purposes. It has been owned since 1902 by the Bennett family, which originally had a diversified farm operation, including the raising of poultry and dairy cattle. In recent years the land has been farmed by neighbors.[2]
