Otis Brewer (1809-1888) worked as editor and owner of the Boston Cultivator, the nation’s second agricultural paper. The paper ran from 1838-1876 and included articles on livestock, labor-saving machines, and the best methods of cultivation. In addition, there were sections devoted to trade and commerce, moral and religious pieces, listing of marriages and deaths, proceedings of the Massachusetts legislature and Congress, and after 1843, a Young Men’s Department, and a Ladies’ Department, which featured tales and items on marriage. With the paper’s success in the mid 19th century, he had this large home built by housewright Stephen Heath, in the fashionable Second Empire style, known for its mansard roof. The home remained in the Brewer family under his son’s ownership at least until his death in 1934.
Buildings of New England 