Historic Massachusetts Home Goes up in Flames

A piece of Massachusetts history has gone up in flames.

The 1745 Samuel Greene in Rockland homestead, the oldest standing home in town, had to be torn down after it was severely damaged by a fire early Sunday morning that investigators are calling suspicious.

Fire Lt. Tom Heaney tells The Patriot Ledger that a passer-by reported the fire at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze was through the roof.

The house was unoccupied and no one was hurt.

The home was once a museum but had since fallen into disrepair and needed about $100,000 in renovations. Because repairs were so expensive and the home was unlivable, officials had planned on tearing it down.