HAMILTON — The Patton family is woven into the very fabric of Hamilton, from the high school mascot to a thriving farm on Asbury Street.
Soon, the connection may grow even deeper.
Joanne Patton, widow of Maj. Gen. George Patton and daughter-in-law to the World War II general of the same name, has offered to donate the family's Asbury Street home and surrounding 27 acres to the town of Hamilton.
Patton and Town Manager Michael Lombardo have been discussing details of the donation for several months. Ultimately, acceptance of the property must be approved by the Board of Selectmen and residents at spring Town Meeting.
"It's been a wonderful experience, right from the go," Lombardo said. "The amount of history in the property and the Patton family for this town is incredible. ... It's been an honor to work this closely with Mrs. Patton. It's an exciting project for the town."
Patton says she feels like the privileged one.
She grew up in an Army family and traveled frequently until her husband retired from the Army in 1980 and they settled at the family homestead at 650 Asbury St.
"I feel privileged to be a citizen of a perfectly wonderful town, which I've come to love," she said. "It was a big thrill for me to come to a town that had an appreciation of the world but, at the same time, was small-town enough where people got to know each other. ... This has been a special place for all of us, and continues to be."
The main house at 650 Asbury St. was built in 1786, with portions added over subsequent years. George S. Patton Jr., then an Army major but later a general, bought the property in 1928. His wife, Beatrice, lived there during World War II while her husband served overseas.
Now, the Patton family is spread across the world, Joanne Patton said. At age 80, she is looking to downsize.
"(The family) agreed that this was a piece of property that was not real estate as much as it was history," she said. "We wanted to do what we could to give it a meaningful future, something that would definitely offer possibilities to the community."
If the donation goes through, Patton will not be moving far. When a smaller house next door to the Patton homestead became available, she purchased it.
Although the home overlooks the farm fields that Patton has known for decades, the new house is over the town line in Topsfield.
"I will cross the line, but I will be a next-door neighbor," Patton said.
In donating the homestead, Patton has expressed the wish that the property be available for public use but not cause a financial burden to the town, Lombardo said.
Recreation or picnic areas, ball fields or a small amount of housing, which would provide revenue for upkeep of the property, are all possibilities, he said.
"We are asking that history be preserved — the long-range and widespread history — and it be for the benefit of the community of Hamilton, however they feel it be useful," Patton said.
The property, which includes the house, rolling hills, a small pond and several outbuildings, including a barn and stables, was assessed for $1,913,000 by the town this year.
If the town ever decided to sell the house, the Patton heirs would have first right of refusal to purchase it.
However, Lombardo said, "I can't imagine a scenario where that would become an issue."
Lombardo will give selectmen a draft gift agreement — the legal paperwork that details Patton's donation — at a working session Monday night. The board will discuss the issue but is not expected to take a vote, he said.
If selectmen approve the gift agreement, the issue heads to Town Meeting in May. If approved, the town could close on the property and take ownership over the summer, Lombardo said.
The exchange would not affect Green Meadows Farm, which Joanne Patton's husband started in his retirement. Green Meadows, now a thriving organic grower, operates at 656 Asbury St.
Maj. Gen. Patton passed away in 2004. A park in Hamilton and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School's sports mascot are named in honor of the elder Gen. Patton, who died in 1945.
Staff writer Bethany Bray can be reached at bbray@salemnews.com and on Twitter @SalemNewsBB.
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