The Edward Devotion House is one of the oldest colonial
structures in Brookline. Owned by the town and administered by
the Brookline Historical Society, it is a fine example of mid-
eighteenth century architecture. Edward Devotion (1621-85)
settled in Brookline around 1650. At that time, Brookline was a
colonial farming community known as Muddy River. Devotion's
acreage along Harvard Street included apple orchards and
pastureland for sheep and cattle. His son, Edward Devotion, Jr.,
left a bequest to the town for public schooling. Its legacy is
the Devotion Elementary School, which today surrounds the house
on three sides. Edward Devotion House, circa 1895 Note barn
still standing Although the Devotion House dates from around
1740, recent research has identified within it a house frame
that dates from around 1680. This older structure may have been
erected by Edward Devotion, Sr. His grandson, Solomon Hill,
probably built the circa 1740 structure after inheriting the
Devotion estate. The house passed out of the