During the American Revolution, this property belonged to Henry and Christian Barnes, both Tories who supported England and were eventually exiled as traitors. Henry Barnes came from Boston in the 1750's and established a center for potash manufacturing, an apple brandy distillery, and a retail store selling liquor and imported English goods. His retail business caused local opposition when England tried to impose taxes on colonial purchases, and in 1770 local Patriots burnt a likeness of Barnes in effigy on Fairmount Hill in full view of his home. In February 1775, two British reconnaissance spies came to Marlborough, but were soon discovered, and under cover of a raging snow storm Barnes helped them escape unharmed. Christian Barnes was a prolific letter writer, and her letters, located in the Hingham Historical Society and the Library of Congress, detail the terrors that Tory families received from Patriots. They also contain historical details on the lives of domestic slaves and the development of a merchant class of women just before the Revolution. Prince Demah Barnes was a Barnes' slave, and with the support of the Barnes family he became a portrait painter recognized as one of the finest slave portrait painters in American history. After Barnes' exile, Prince declared himself a free man, fought for the Patriots during the Revolution, and later died in Boston of a virulent disease.