Georgian

Brocklebank-Nelson-Beecher House // c.1661

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The Brocklebank-Nelson-Beecher House is a First Period structure in Georgetown, Massachusetts, believed to have been built in the 1660s. The land on which the house stands was granted in 1661 to Samuel Brocklebank (1628-1676) , a surveyor who, with his widowed mother and brother, left England and were among the first settlers of Rowley in 1639. It was built by Lieut. Samuel Brocklebank who also owned a farm of 72 acres on the site. Lieut. Brocklebank was appointed captain in a militia and was killed with his entire company in Sudbury in 1676 during a raid by Native people during the period of the King Philip’s War. Samuel’s wife remarried and moved to Newbury, and his son, Samuel Jr., resided in the family home which remained in the Brocklebank family until 1754. The house became a tavern by owner Solomon Nelson, who purchased the property in 1765 and made substantial additions and renovations to the house in its current Georgian style. In 1858 the house was bought by Rev Charles Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. An ardent abolitionist, he was the pastor of the town’s Old South Congregational Church. Today, the Brocklebank-Nelson-Beecher House is owned by the Georgetown Historical Society, who maintain and showcase the town’s rich history from this important early residence.  

Nelson House // 1797

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This residence sits on the historic Elm Street in Georgetown, Massachusetts, and is one of the best late-Georgian style dwellings in the town. The house was built in 1797 for Nathaniel Nelson (1767-1853), a banker who worked in Newburyport, just years after his marriage to Sally Chaplin. Nathaniel descended from Thomas Nelson (1615-1648), who was among the twenty families who had come to the New World in the winter of 1638 with the Puritan cleric Ezekiel Rogers (1590-1660). With Rogers most of these families settled at Rowley, incorporated in 1639 with Georgetown later setting off from Rowley, creating their own town in 1838. Nathaniel and many of his family worked as tanners, preparing the skins of animals into leather, and had shops in the area. Mr. Nelson was such an esteemed member of society, that when the War of 1812 broke out, he was asked to store money and gold from Newburyport in his basement, away from the coast, hiding it from the British forces. After successive ownership, the residence was purchased in 1936 by Everett A. and Mary A. Spaulding. A Georgetown native, Everett Augustus Spaulding made colonial revival furniture under the corporate name Spaulding Colonial Reproductions. The residence remains in spectacular condition, with its large central chimney, symmetrical façade, portico, and hipped roof punctuated by pedimented dormers.

Mighill House – Baldpate Inn – Baldpate Hospital // 1733

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Just below the summit of Baldpate Hill in Georgetown, Massachusetts, stands an architecturally idiosyncratic old structure with a long history. The oldest part of the structure was built in 1733, as a residence for Stephen Mighill (1707-1783), a Deacon of the town’s church and brewer of beer. The early years were filled with much sadness, as Stephen and his wife Elizabeth, lost six of their nine children in youth or infancy, including an eight-year-old son who died after falling into a scalding hot vat of liquid in a malt house on the property. The Mighills also owned slaves, who tended to the house and malting operations here. In the 1890s, the property was acquired by Paul Nelson Spofford, a Georgetown native who moved to New York to make his fortune. It was Mr. Spofford who greatly enlarged the dwelling for use as an inn, naming it the Baldpate Inn. The gambrel-roofed tower was reportedly Spofford’s private space to look out over the rolling hills and forests. After Spofford’s death in 1912, coupled with the tourist trade falling off in the Depression years, the property was sold to a group of physicians who established a psychiatric facility, known as Baldpate Hospital, here in 1939. Today, the complex is known as the Baldpate Treatment Center, an addiction recovery center, who do a great job at maintaining the main structure and former stable on site.

Eleazar Spofford House // 1765

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One of the many pre-Revolutionary homes in Georgetown, Massachusetts, the Spofford House is located on Andover Road, an important route which was occupied by many residences of the Spofford Family. In 1667,  John Spofford and his family became the first permanent (European) residents in what would become Georgetown. Generations later his ancestor, Eleazar Spofford (1739-1828) would build this home in 1765 to be occupied by his new wife married that year, Mary Flint, and their new family. The Georgian farmhouse has been significantly altered since its original date of construction, but retains its general form and character even with later 19th and 20th century additions, porches, and windows. The Spofford’s had six children in this home and would later move to Jaffrey, New Hampshire after the Revolution, but returned and settled in nearby Groveland. Later generations of the Spofford’s would live-in and modify the home until it finally sold out of the family in the 20th century.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Meetinghouse // 1794

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The last active Shaker community in the world can be found in New Gloucester, Maine. The Shakers migrated to Colonial America in 1774 in pursuit of religious freedom and developed from the religious group called the Quakers, which originated in the 17th century. Both groups believed that everybody could find God within him or herself, rather than through clergy or rituals, but the Shakers tended to be more emotional and demonstrative in their worship. Shakers also believed that their lives should be dedicated to pursuing perfection, continuously confessing their sins, and attempting a cessation of sinning, including sex and marriage. They built 19 communal settlements (so far I have featured two: Enfield Shaker Village and Canterbury Shaker Village) that attracted some 20,000 converts over the next century and maintained their numbers through conversion and adoption of orphans, numbers which have dropped to just three active members in 2024! The Sabbathday Lake community was established in 1782 and grew to a size of 1,900 acres with 26 large buildings by 1850. This building, the Shaker’s meetinghouse, was built in 1794 with all materials and labor supplied by the community. The small but significant structure remains a landmark in the community and is occasionally open for tours.

Rev. Samuel Foxcroft House // 1765

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Built in 1765 for Rev. Samuel Foxcroft (1734-1807), this grand two and a half story house was the first major frame dwelling in New Gloucester, Maine. Its large scale and such fine mid-18th century architectural features as the triangular doorway pediment  and quoins at the corners make this a house befitting  the community’s first minister. Born in Boston in 1735, Foxcroft was the son of the Rev. Thomas Foxcroft, pastor of the First Church of Boston from 1717 to 1769. The younger Foxcroft graduated from Harvard in 1754 and answered the call of the New Gloucester Congregationalists ten years later, a brand new town in the wilderness of Maine. He was ordained in the blockhouse, a defensive structure from attacking native peoples, in January of 1765 and continued his ministry in the town until 1793, having the first purpose-built meetinghouse completed in 1773. The last years of his life were spent in poor health and he died at his home in 1807 at the age of 72.

Preston-King House // 1764

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The Preston-King House of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, is a 2 1/2-story wood frame Georgian house and unique for its asymmetrical six-bay facade. John Preston I (1739-1803) built this house in 1764. Preston was a doctor, a profession followed by his son of the same name. As well as being the town’s leading physician, he was a member of the first Board of Selectmen and a member of the Convention for framing the State Constitution, also holding many local offices. Following his death, the house passed to his youngest daughter Anna, and her husband, Seth King, a manufacturer, in 1808. The house has been restored to its Colonial appearance and makes a statement without the frills and detailing of the Victorian style.

Charles Barrett House // c.1780

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Built on a terraced knoll on Main Street in the enchanting village of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the Charles Barrett House is a stunning late-Georgian residence that was restored in the 20th century. Charles Barrett (1739-1808) moved to the town from Concord, Massachusetts, and did quite well for himself, as just decades later, he would build his son one of the finest homes in the state, the Barrett House, next door. The house’s current appearance reflects a restoration circa 1960. Like many 18th century houses, it was altered in the 19th century with Victorian-era embellishments, including a Mansard roof, 2/2 sash, and a matching carriage house. Under the direction of Historic New England, the house was returned to its more simple, original, Georgian design.

Isaac Appleton Homestead // 1756

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One of the oldest (if not the oldest) extant houses in Ipswich, New Hampshire is this Colonial home on Appleton Road, which gets its name from the first owner, Isaac Appleton. Deacon Isaac Appleton III (1731-1806) was one of the town’s original settlers who came to New Ipswich from Ipswich, Massachusetts. He held the office of town clerk and of selectman and was a deacon for thirty years. He responded to the call to arms from Concord to fight in the American Revolution. Deacon Isaac Appleton III was the father of Samuel Appleton, a wealthy Boston merchant; and Nathan Appleton, a merchant and politician in Boston and head of the famous Appleton Family which would influence Boston business and politics for generations. Samuel Appleton would fund and establish the Appleton Academy in New Ipswich, the second oldest in New Hampshire after Phillips Exeter Academy. The Isaac Appleton Homestead remains in a great state of preservation and sits just outside the town center.

Image from real estate listing.

Cornelius Person House // c.1770

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The Cornelius Person House is a pre-Revolution stone dwelling built in the Katsbaan village of Saugerties, New York. The residence was constructed around 1770 by Cornelius Person (1744-1827) a merchant who held a store just south of this home. The store was apparently used as a meeting place for Patriots during the Revolutionary War and Cornelius fought in the local militia at the time. After the war, John Jacob Astor was said to have traded with local fur trappers at the store. The Person Stone House was originally a smaller dwelling and was expanded multiple times to give it the center hall appearance and later saltbox rear. Later alterations include the porches, but the house retains so much of its original charm.