federal house

Rev. Samuel Dana House // c.1809

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The Reverend Samuel Dana (1778-1864) was appointed the minister of the Old North Congregational Church in Marblehead in 1801, and remained in his position for 36 years. During his rectorship, he started a Sunday School, the congregation built chapel on Pearl Street in 1819 and the Old North Church stone church in 1825. Before all of these accomplishments, he had this stately Federal style mansion built on Washington Street, a short walk to his place of worship. The house appears to have been built shortly after his marriage to Henrietta Bridge in 1808. The house and its design rivals many of the Salem Federal period houses, and stands three stories with five bays and a center entry. A Doric portico shelters the door which is surmounted by a fanlight transom and sidelights. 

Corbett House // c.1789

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The Corbett House is a charming Federal-period house in Westborough, Massachusetts, and was the birthplace of Henry W. Corbett, an important figure who helped develop Portland, Oregon in the 19th century. This house was built around 1789, the year that Henry’s parents, Elijah and Malinda Corbett, married. The property was farmed for years until Elijah Corbett began an axe manufacturing company here, becoming the first edge-tool manufacturer in Westborough. The rear ell was likely added in 1815 for this purpose. Elijah retired and the family sold the property in 1831 to Lawson Harrington, who continued the business until around the time of the Civil War. The Corbett family settled in New York, where Henry would engage in business. By the mid-19th century, westward expansion and opportunity took hold, and the Oregon Territory became a U.S. territory, leading Henry to establish business there, followed by many of his siblings. Corbett set sail from New York on the long voyage through the Straits of Magellan around Cape Horn up the Pacific Coast to Portland with $25,000 worth of goods to establish business in this new territory. Henry would become City Treasurer of Portland, member of the city council and chairman of the Republican Oregon State central committee. In 1867, he was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate, serving until 1873. Who would have guessed that this house in Westborough would have connections to the growth of Portland, Oregon!?

Nathan Fisher House // 1822

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In 1820, Nathan Austin Fisher (1796-1851) purchased land along the Boston-Worcester Turnpike in Westborough, Massachusetts with the aim to build a home for his new wife, Susan T. Lothrop. By 1822, he had built a five-bay, center-hall Federal style estate house on the property and the couple began to raise their family. By 1826, Nathan and his brother-in-law, Joseph Lothrop, had opened a store in a section of Fisher’s house, which had been added for that purpose, presumably the western (left) three bays of the structure. Joseph Lothrop would build a Federal style residence on the opposite side of the turnpike that same year. When the railroad came to Westborough, turnpike traffic slowed, and the new rail line went through the center of town, bypassing the Fisher House and store, causing it to fail. Fisher and Nothrop would eventually leave Worcester County, and the property was sold numerous times until 1919, when this property was purchased by the Lyman School. The Fisher House became a residence for younger, special-needs boys to insulate them from the main population of Lyman, a reform school for the education and vocational training of wayward boys. In 1938, the house was converted back to a two-family home and used by families of Lyman School employees until the Lyman School closed in 1972, leaving the iconic Nathan Fisher House vacant for decades. After a failed attempt to convert the property into a house museum, the property was purchased by a local business, Release Well Being Center, and has been lovingly restored and maintained ever-since!

Rice-Harrington House // c.1731

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This charming Federal style house sits on Maynard Street in Westborough, Massachusetts, and according to local records, dates to the early-mid 1700s. The property was originally owned by Eliezer Rice (1703-1767), a farmer and town constable, and likely built around the time of his marriage to Persis Newton, who died in 1746 during childbirth. After Eliezer’s death, the property was owned by an E. Harrington, who likely rotated the earlier structure 90 degrees and built the Federal style residence facing the street, utilizing the 100-year old house as a rear kitchen ell, or completely modernized the old residence, retaining the central chimney. The Federal house features a symmetrical facade, pilastered entry with fanlight transom window, and a large central chimney.

Ludo Poole House // 1829

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Rockland, Massachusetts, was first populated by European settlers in 1673 as the northeastern region of the town of Abington. The town separated and incorporated as Rockland in 1874, due, in part, to issues on how the town spent its tax dollars on schools. The town name was likely selected due to the rocky soil found there, which was better-suited for mulls and industry than for farming. The Ludo Poole House, seen here, was built in 1829 at the corner of Union and Exchange streets, at an intersection which became known as ‘Poole’s Corner’. The house was built for Mr. Ludo Poole (1803-1870) and his new wife, Mary Josselyn Poole, who would raise eight children here. The property was inherited by the couple’s eldest son, Ludo Augustus Poole, who worked at a local shoe manufacturer and served in the American Civil War. The property remained in the Poole family until 1951. The property was owned in the late 20th century by John Burrows, who renovated the interior thoughtfully to blend original Federal-period elements with English Arts and Crafts style.

Highfields Estate // 1821

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Constructed in 1821 for Joshua King (1783-1849), this Federal style mansion is one of the last country estates in Abington, Massachusetts. Joshua King was a Deacon of a local church and a well-to-do citizen in town, living nearby until a hurricane blew the roof off of his former house. Seeking to rebuilt a new, more substantial family home, it is said that Joshua required that this house would be built to last centuries, with some residents stating that the roof structure itself had enough timber to build a second home. The Federal style mansion has three chimneys with 12 fireplaces inside, and is set amongst rolling fields bounded by old stone walls, likely giving the property its name, “Highfields”. The property was later converted to a duplex, but retains much of its original design at the exterior. 

Captain John Clark House // 1802

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The Captain John Clark House in Canterbury, Connecticut, is one of the finest examples of the Federal style of architecture in New England, and has remained in a fine state of preservation since its construction in the early 19th century. The house was built by 1802 for John Clark (1731-1834), who purchased an earlier home on the site from and had it either taken down or enlarged to its present appearance. The mansion is symmetrical with five bays, central entry and twin chimneys projecting through the hipped roof. The central bay is a showstopper with its triangular pediment at the roofline containing a fanlight, Palladian window at the second floor, and main entrance with its own pediment, sidelights, fanlight transom, all framed by two-story columns. The house’s south facade is equally beautiful with its own Palladian window and entrance.

Turnpike House // c.1810

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This house in Canterbury, Connecticut, is known as the Turnpike House and dates to the early 19th century. A great example of a Federal style residence, the symmetrical, five-bay home exhibits pair chimneys, multi-light double-hung windows, and an elaborate center entry with sidelights and fanlight transom. The house was built along the Windham Turnpike (now Connecticut Route 14), which was an early toll road established in 1795. Behind the main block of the house is a squat gambrel-roofed ell, that is believed to be made from an older house that previously stood on this site, perhaps dating as early as 1745. According to tradition, this early house, which was also at one time supposedly used as a jail, was the home of Rev. Dr. James Coggswell when he ran a school for boys in Canterbury. One of his pupils at that school was Benedict Arnold, the infamous turncoat.

Perkins-Monroe House // 1811

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This brick, Federal style house, is located adjacent to the First Universalist Church of Salem amongst a sea of urban renewal-period housing, and is a reminder for Planners to think about the long-term implications in their work. This house was built in 1811 for Thomas Perkins, a local merchant whose brother was its first occupant. After successive ownership throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, in 1950, Bessie E. Monroe purchased the premises and moved into the home. When the city began urban renewal planning for the area in the 1960s, the building was occupied by Bessie Monroe, who at the time was an elderly woman. The Salem Redevelopment Authority acquired the house through eminent domain and the house was targeted for demolition. The Redevelopment Authority, concerned with how relocation would affect Bessie Monroe’s health, decided to take the property but allow Mrs. Monroe to live there until her death. This decision delayed the planned demolition of the building, even though all other targeted properties were demolished. Luckily, the renewal plan changed its focus from new construction to restoration of existing buildings between the time of the taking and Bessie Monroe’s death. The building was then sold to an owner interested in restoring the structure, now the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a testament to the benefits of preservation over short-sighted planning policy. 

Forrester-Peabody House – Salem Home for Aged Men // 1818

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Overlooking the Salem Common, this 1818 Federal style dwelling has served as everything from a single-family home to a boarding house and ultimately an assisted living facility, showcasing that old buildings can always be repurposed into new uses. The home was built for Captain John Forrester, son of Simon Forrester, one of Salem’s most successful merchants. The Forrester House was purchased in the 1830s by George Peabody, who added the one-story ballroom wing. Peabody lived in the house until 1892 and the building later housed the Salem Club, a men’s social organization with over two-hundred well-connected members. In the 1920s, it became the Bertram Home for Aged Men, named after Captain John Bertram, who founded the organization in 1877 as a charitable residence providing housing and socialization space for aged men in Salem. The home had fallen into disrepair when it was closed in 1988, to reopen two years later as the first free-standing assisted living community for men and women in Massachusetts, today known as the Bertram House.

White-Lord House // 1811

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The White-Lord House at 31 North Washington Square in Salem, Massachusetts, is one of a row of stately brick, Federal style mansions built for wealthy 19th century merchants overlooking the bucolic Salem Common. This house was built in 1811 for merchant Stephen White by master mason Joshua Upham (1784-1858), adjacent to his brother’s mansion across the street. It was later the home of merchant John W. Rogers from 1831 to 1844 and merchant Thomas P. Pingree from 1844 to 1858 before it was acquired by Nathaniel Lord in 1858 and members of the family continued to occupy the house for the next ninety years. George R. Lord (1817-1891) was a lawyer and assistant Clerk of the Courts. The exterior of the White-Lord House has changed little beyond the switch to the two-over-two sash windows sometime in the latter half of the 19th century.

White-Silsbee House // 1811

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The White-Silsbee House is a stately, Federal period, brick mansion built in Salem, Massachusetts for wealthy merchant, Joseph White. Constructed in 1811 for Joseph White, Jr., the house uniquely faces Oliver Street and not the Salem Common, like that of his brother’s home nextdoor. Joseph White (1780-1816) was bred to the sea, and grew up at the time of Salem’s commercial expansion into the markets of India, China, and Sumatra in the far reaches of the Indian Ocean. Captain White evidently had command of an East India vessel on at least one voyage. After Joseph White’s untimely death in 1816, at the age of 36, his widow Eliza continued to live here until 1831 when the property was sold to William Silsbee (1779-1833), a merchant, and his wife, Mary. The three-story, hipped-roof, dwelling featuring a fan light transom and Ionic portico. Most of the windows contain 6/6 sash with exterior storm windows, capped by splayed stone lintels with molded and beaded keystones. A full-length window is centered above the entrance porch; the third story windows are shortened.

Thomas Hovey House // c.1785

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This lovely three-story frame house on Winter Street in Salem was built in the 1780s for mason, Thomas Hovey. The structure’s front-end, five-by-one-bay portion with stone foundation was built first, in the Federal style, likely with traditional finishes seen in the early Federal period. The building’s rectangular shape, hipped roof, molded corner boards, and foreshortened third-story windows are indicative of its Federal-era origins. By around 1870, the Italianate decorative features, including a hooded double-door entrance, two-over-two windows, a second-story bay window, a bracketed cornice, and bracketed window lintels, were added to the exterior in an effort to modernize the home by later owners. Like many other houses in Salem, this building was extensively documented by Historic Salem Inc. who compiled a detailed history of this and hundreds of other homes nearby.

Joseph Story House // 1811

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Built in 1811 for Joseph Story, lawyer, politician, and judge of the United States Supreme Court, this stately brick residence on Winter Street in Salem, Massachusetts, is significant, not only for its architecture, but for its esteemed owners. Judge Joseph Story (1779-1845), who was then Speaker of the House of Massachusetts in 1810, purchased this house lot near the Salem Common, and proceeded to have this three-story brick house constructed. By the time it was finished, Story had been appointed by President Madison to the bench of the United States Supreme Court. He was just 32-years-old when nominated to the bench. The house is also the birthplace in 1819 of Story’s son William Wetmore Story, a well-known sculptor. Judge Story would reside here until 1829, when he moved to Cambridge in order to pursue his work at the new Harvard Law School. The property was sold in 1831 to Robert Upton (1788-1863), a self-made merchant heavily engaged with trade in South America. Robert Upton and his sons were among the most important men in Salem in the 1830s-1850s, for they were able to maintain a successful foreign commerce, and keep ships and men employed, at a time when Salem was otherwise fading as a seaport. The house has been lovingly maintained by centuries of stewards, and the house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Edgerly-Hawthorne House // 1824

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The Edgerly-Hawthorne House on Mall Street, near the Salem Common, is one of the most significant residences in Salem, Massachusetts. The Federal style residence was built in 1824 for Peter Edgerly, who ran a teamster/trucker or distribution company in Downtown Salem. After a decade, Peter became insolvent and the property was sold to Joseph Leavitt, a wealthy property owner in Salem. This house is best-known as the place where Salem-born Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family, lived from 1847 to 1850, and where he wrote The Scarlet Letter. It was in the room closest to the street, on the third floor, that Hawthorne sat at his desk and wrote the American masterpiece of fiction. After publishing The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne moved to the Berkshires and then back to Concord, Massachusetts, never to live in Salem again. In c.1906, the Edgerly-Hawthorne House was photographed by the Detroit Publishing Company highlighting some landmarks in town. The house looks nearly identical from when it was built over 200 years ago!