Five Acres back intact
James Weldon Johnson - Writing Cabin
Over the years, James Weldon Johnson’s “Five Acres” estate somehow lost around three of its acres. A 1.6-acre slice of pasture next to the Harlem Renaissance founder’s writing cabin had apparently been shaved off by an earlier abutter and folded into a larger parcel.
Property lines shifted and so did fences. Even surveyors couldn’t figure out where the boundary line was. At Town Hall, old property surveys were missing.
The abutting pasture was sold, split off, and sold again, leaving Five Acres with just under two.
That’s all changed.
BY HEATHER BELLOW
The Berkshire Eagle
Wednesday, July 5th, 2023