White-Cushing Cottage // 1906

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The White-Cushing Cottage on Pleasant Street in Marion, Massachusetts, showcases the eclectic Victorian architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that are adored by so many. The residence was built for George F. And Clara A. White, who acquired the property in 1906. The couple moved to Marion from Brooklyn, New York, and had this home built while George was employed in the linen supply business. It is likely this was their summer residence as the couple also had a home in Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. After Clara’s death in 1916, George sold their Marion home to Mathew Cushing (1859-1925) and his wife, Edith, who lived in Middleborough and too likely used this home in the summers. Mr. Cushing worked as a theatre manager until his death in 1925, and his wife continued to live in the house with her son, Bartlett. The White-Cushing House has elements of the Shingle style, which is commonly seen in the summer cottages of Marion and many coastal communities. The cottage has a flared gambrel roof and a distinctive wall dormer at the facade with an integrated wrap-around porch. 

First Universalist Church, Marion – Marion Arts Center // 1833

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I do love a good adaptive reuse story! This historic church building on Main and Pleasant streets in the Wharf Village of Marion, Massachusetts, was constructed in 1833 for the town’s growing and new Universalist congregation. Architect Seth Eaton was hired and furnished plans, likely relying on neighbor, Warren Blankinship, a carpenter and congregant, to construct the building. It blends together the Greek and Gothic Revival styles well, but in a less sophisticated form than some larger churches. By World War II, the church’s membership had dwindled to only a few old Marion families and eventually closed. With the building’s future uncertain, at a time where demolition for surface parking lots was the go-to solution, Marion residents Andrew and Dorothy Patterson, purchased the building and soon after worked with local artists in town to restore the building for use as an art space. The Marion Art Center was founded in 1957, and to this day, serves as a non-profit community cultural organization dedicated to promoting the visual and performing arts.

Dr. Ellis House – Sippican Historical Society // 1834

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This house sits on Main Street in Marion, Massachusetts, and it is an example of a modest mid-19th century Greek Revival style residence seen in the main village here. The house was built in 1834 for Dr. Walton Nye Ellis (1808-1867), who served as physician in Marion. Born in Wareham, Ellis moved to Marion, and married Susan Delano (1809-1840), she passed away in 1840, and not long after her death, Dr. Ellis remarried. In 1855, Dr. Ellis organized a meeting of prosperous Village men, mostly sea captains, with the purpose of planning a library for the town. They pooled resources and funded a library which was located in a large closet on the second floor of his home seen here. The library’s books could be borrowed for a few cents a week. Subsequent funding from Elizabeth Taber helped create the Taber Library just decades later. In the 1960s, the home was gifted to the Sippican Historical Society, who remain in the building to this day.

Marion Masonic Hall // 1911

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Since its founding in 1863, Marion’s Masonic organization, Pythagorean Lodge, has been one of the town’s most important social and charitable organizations. The organization originally met in a historic Greek Revival style building near the harbor, but it was eventually deemed obsolete for the well-connected group of men who were members there. In 1908, discussions began to build a new, purpose-built Masonic Hall in the village. It was intended to have a three-story building with retail space and apartments on the ground floor to supplement the cost of maintenance, reception and member’s rooms on the second floor, and the banquet hall and kitchen on the top floor. Approximately one-third of the cost for the new building was funded by Henry E. Converse, of the Converse Rubber Company (now the iconic shoe brand), who was a member of the local lodge and summer resident of Marion. Opened in 1911, the new building was designed in the Colonial Revival style with fanlight windows, corner pilasters, and columned entrance, but today lacks the original flair with its unfortunate vinyl siding.

Sherman’s Inn – Beverly Yacht Club // 1784

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One of the oldest homes in Marion, Massachusetts is this beautiful gambrel-roofed Cape house on Water Street, backing up to the town’s iconic harbor. The residence dates to at least 1784 constructed seemingly as an inn for sailors who would dock their ships in the harbor just behind the property. It was later acquired by Edward Sherman (1790-1867), a shipwright and carpenter who built schooners at the wharfs in town, becoming Sherman’s Inn. In 1868, his son Edward Franklin Sherman (1821-1907), also a ship carpenter, sold the waterfront property after his father’s death to Andrew A. Harwood, an admiral in the United States Navy, Commodore of the Washington Navy Yard, and through his mother, a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin! During the early twentieth century, the iconic property became the home of Dr. William McDonald, physician to Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1920s. Roosevelt sought Dr. McDonald’s medical advice after contracting polio. The Beverly Yacht Club acquired the building in 1955 and have maintained the building ever since. Interestingly, the Beverly Yacht Club was originally named after the town of Beverly, north of Boston, when members broke from the Eastern Yacht Club of Marblehead. For the first 23 years, the club had no fixed location, but eventually settled in Bourne, and then merged with the local Sippican Yacht Club. The Great Hurricane of 1938 destroyed their clubhouse and they were “homeless” for years until moving to Marion into this 1784 home, later expanding it to meet growing needs.


Andrew and Cynthia Allen House // 1821

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If you look closely, you will see that the two windows to the left of the door to this house are slightly farther than those to the right. This minor detail is a clue that this historic home on Main Street in Marion, Massachusetts, was originally built as a half-cape (with two windows and a door to the side) and later expanded to its present full cape form. The house was built in 1821 by Andrew M. Allen (1795-1874), a housewright for his own residence. Andrew and his wife Cynthia had five daughters, which likely necessitated the expansion of the family home by the mid-19th century.

Briggs House // c.1820

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This tiny half-cape house on Main Street in the harbor town of Marion, Massachusetts, was likely built around 1820 for Silas Briggs (1792-1833), a mariner, who married Desire Clark a year prior. Silas would pass away by 1833, leaving Desire widowed to raise three children and maintain their home. When he came of age, the house was inherited by Timothy H. Briggs, who followed his father’s footsteps to become a sea captain. Timothy lived here with his wife, Josephine and elderly mother, never needing to expand the home into a full cape like what was done to so many other residences in the mid-19th century. Captain Timothy Briggs died in 1877 while at sea and his widow too lived in the home into the 20th century. The old Briggs House retains its original half-cape form, 12-over-12 sash windows, central chimney, and elaborate door surround, which makes the small but mighty cottage one of my favorites in Marion!

Angier Cottage // 1939

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A rare example of a brick house in the South Coast town of Marion, Massachusetts, the Angier Cottage on South Street stands out for its architectural qualities and unique roof form. The home was built as a permanent residence for Ms. Amelia Angier of Newton, a widow who relocated to the coastal community to spend her remaining years. The brick cottage was built in 1939 and local papers noted its unique roofline that resembled that of the Aptuxet Trading Post in nearby Bourne. The steeply pitched roof is adorned by three shed dormers with the entrance treated with a Colonial Revival style louvered fan.

Blankinship-Prichard House // c.1794

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Marion, Massachusetts, is an old house lover’s dream. The coastal town’s Main Street is lined with historic cottages, large 19th century homes built for sea captains, and historic churches that show the evolution and growth of the sea-faring community. This cape house with oversized dormers was built c.1794 for Captain Job Blankinship (1764-1799), who married Betsey Hammond that same year. Tragically, Captain Blankinship died at sea in 1799, but the property remained in the family until the mid-19th century. The residence was later purchased by Henry and Abby Luce Prichard. Henry was a Civil War veteran who enlisted in the 25th Massachusetts Volunteer infantry and was part of the Burnside Expedition fought off the coast of North Carolina. Later in the war, Prichard was seriously wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor and was discharged, and never fully recovered. He worked in his later years as an accountant in Marion and took up canoeing in the harbor until his death in 1913. It was likely after that the large dormers were added to the roof, which were later connected in the 21st century.

Marion Old Post Office – Ryder Cottage // c.1830

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Built around 1830, this little cottage is among the many photogenic buildings found along the idyllic Main Street in Marion, Massachusetts. The structure is said to have been originally located behind the Congregational Church and moved to its current location after 1855. By 1879, the structure was converted to a residence and owned by Ms. Sarah Ryder, then the widow of John C. Ryder. The vernacular cottage is sheathed in weathered shingles, which enhances its beauty and connects it architecturally with the coastal community.

Ryder Windmill House // c.1899

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Preservation and New England ingenuity at its finest can be found at this quirky residence on Spring Street in the charming community of Marion, Massachusetts. The unique home seen here was originally built around 1899 as a water tower and windmill on the estate of William H. H. Ryder (1841-1921), which generated power from the wind to pump water from a well below ground, providing a continuous supply of water to his residence. The structure was in use until 1907 when municipally supplied water became available in town. When William Ryder, who never married or fathered children died in 1921, the property was inherited by his niece, Harriet C. Ryder (1869-1943), who lived with her uncle and kept house for him. Financial struggles forced Harriet to sell the main house and convert the windmill into a small cottage in 1926. The structure was originally used as a summer cottage but was later expanded and made a year-round residence, with later owners maintaining the unique charm and form of this iconic local landmark.

Cape Cod Railroad, Marion Station // c.1855

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The Marion Railroad Station was built in about 1855, around the time of the arrival of the first passenger rail service to Marion, Massachusetts, a new town which incorporated just three years prior. While no train service runs through the town today, historically, the community was well-connected to Boston, Cape Cod, and towns all over the South Coast of Massachusetts. The Fairhaven Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1849, chartered in 1851, and built from 1852 to 1854 to connect Fairhaven with West Wareham and lines beyond in Cape Cod and Boston. This station was built by the time the line opened and it stands as a larger, two-story Victorian station which serviced the area’s passenger and freight travel here. The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad bought the line in 1861, which too merged into the Old Colony Railroad in 1883. As use of rail travel declined, passenger service ended in Marion by 1935, followed by freight service in 1953.The former station was sold to private owners and since 1988, has housed a childcare center. Despite the second story addition and later renovations, the building still retains its unique character and bargeboard detailing.


Ward Parker Delano House // c.1780

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During late 18th and early 19th centuries, the rise of the coastal schooner trade and whaling ushered in a long period of prosperity for coastal towns in New England, which continued unabated until the Civil War. The War of 1812 provided many Marion sailors and sea captains with the chance to experience life at sea with privateers papers issued by the United States government, these captains went to sea in their schooners to hunt down British ships, plundering them like pirates. One of these captains was Ward Parker Delano (1819-1867), who lived in this house overlooking Sippican Harbor. The house likely dates to the mid-late 1700s and was probably originally built by his grandfather, Captain Stephen Delano (1749-1821). Under subsequent owners in the Delano family, the home was modified on numerous occasions in styles popular at the time until the early 20th century when it was Colonialized, which added the portico, gable, and dentils, possibly by Ward Parker Delano II (1851-1915) or his son, Ward Parker Delano III (1883-1940) descendants, who summered at the old family home, and were both prominent architects of the early 20th century.

Captain Luce & Captain Bates House // c.1790

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Reportedly built in 1790, this stately Federal period residence on Main Street in Marion and overlooks the sheltered harbor sharing strong connections to the sea. Known colloquially as the House of the Two Captains, this residence was built as a double house and known for its connections to sea captains, Elisha E. Luce (1786-1850) and Noble E. Bates. Captain Luce moved into this house shortly after his marriage to Jane Hiller, daughter of a local Deacon. Particularly note-worthy is the main facade’s center entrance, which exhibits unusually fine surrounds, including fluted Doric pilasters and a pediment enlivened by dentils. Inside, the house is said to have hidden passages behind a large fireplace. The captains used part of the house as a crockery and supplies store. Captain Elisha E. Luce’s best-known ship was the Persia, which made numerous profitable trade missions to the Far East. This house was also the birthplace of the Universalist Church in Marion, when during the early 1830s, Universalists met in Captain Bates’ half of the house to organize a religious society and plan the construction of the church. The Luce and Bates families co-owned this house until the mid-19th century and the residence remains one of the finest in the harbor village. 

Hadley’s Store – Ryder-Harwood House // c.1806

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This late-Georgian style residence on Main Street in Marion’s Wharf Village is a stone’s throw from the harbor and has been conveniently located near the town’s Long Wharf since it was constructed around 1806. The building was constructed as a store for A. J. Hadley, where ships were outfitted for voyages. While Hadley’s store occupied the eastern half of the first story, the left side of the ground floor was Marion’s first post office. The second floor served as a clothes-making factory with the top floor operating as a sailmaker’s loft. By 1855, the structure was converted to a residence and owned by Sumner Ryder, who served as the Town Clerk and later joined the ranks of the Union Army during the Civil War. During the early 20th century, the property, with its widow’s walk, was owned by members of the Harwood family, including Ms. Sarah W. Harwood, who lived here with Margaret French (1860-1935) who was listed in the Census for decades as her partner, housemate, and boarder.