Historic New England

South Lancaster Engine House // 1888

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The South Lancaster Engine House is located in the village of South Lancaster, Massachusetts, and is one of the town’s three remaining historic fire stations and the oldest that remains in use by the local fire department. At the Town Meeting of June 18, 1887, it was decided that $3, 500 would be expended to build a station for the Fire Department in South Lancaster. Construction began in 1887, and was completed in March of 1888 from plans by architect, C.A. Woodruff. The station housed horse-drawn wagons, including one sleigh, and featured a bell in the belfry to call attention to the public. The station appears much like it did when built in 1888, besides the bright white paint color and the modification of the engine doors for the new, larger fire trucks. 

Fowler House // 1809

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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

The Fowler House is located in the Danversport section of Danvers, Massachusetts, and is one of the town’s few brick Federal period homes. The residence was built in 1809 by builders Levi Preston and Stephen Whipple for Samuel Fowler Jr., an early Danvers industrialist and landowner in this part of town. The property was passed down through generations of the Fowler family and ultimately acquired by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA, now known as Historic New England) as their second property acquisition in 1912. Uniquely, Historic New England granted life occupancy of the house to the two unwed Fowler sisters, who had resided here, even as it was converted into a museum. When bought by SPNEA, some members were concerned that the Fowler house was not grand or architecturally interesting enough to warrant its acquisition, Samuel Appleton, the founder, stated, “As might be expected, the Fowler home reflects the simple tastes of its owner. As seen from the square the house is as severely simple as it could be. It depends for its effect on its very simplicity and admirable proportions. The principal features of the house may be said to be simplicity, good taste, solid construction, splendid preservation, and homogeneity.” The property was eventually sold by Historic New England to a private owner, but a preservation easement by the Society ensures its preservation for the future. The Fowler House was recently listed for sale, and the property retains many historical features, including original ca. 1810 wallpaper in the main two-story entry hall and a large hearth in the main kitchen, its original floors, plaster, woodwork and other features.

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.  

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.

Barrett House // 1800

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The Barrett House (also known as Forest Hall) is a Federal style mansion located in New Ipswich, New Hampshire and one of the finest buildings in the entire state. The mansion was built around 1800 by Charles Barrett Sr. for his son Charles Jr. and daughter-in-law Martha Minot as a wedding gift. Its grand scale was encouraged by Martha’s father, who promised to furnish the house in as lavish a manner as Barrett Sr. could build it. The interiors are elegantly furnished, and numerous reception rooms were designed for entertaining in a cosmopolitan manner. An elaborate allée was later added to the landscape, with a flight of stone steps flanked by maples rising up the hillside behind the house and leading to an elegant summerhouse. After Charles and Martha died, the estate remained in the family. However, after the railroad bypassed New Ipswich, the town entered into a decline. Charles Barrett’s descendants stayed on, but today Forest Hall remains essentially a relic of the Federal era. After 1887, the family used the house only in the summer-time. It was donated to Historic New England in 1948. Historic New England has ever-since opened up the property to those who want to see one of the best examples of a rural, Federal style estate in New England and its well preserved interior and grounds.

Portland City Hall // 1909

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The City Hall in Portland, Maine is among my favorite civic buildings in New England and is the third that was built on this site. The previous city hall on the site of the present City Hall, completed in 1862, burned in Portland’s Great Fire of 1866. It was reconstructed in 1867 by designs of Francis H. Fassett, a Portland-based architect. In 1908, it burned again. So much damage was done that the building had to be removed. The present Portland City Hall was designed by the New York architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, assisted by local Portland architects John Calvin Stevens and his son, John Howard Stevens who together, oversaw day-to-day changes and work to the building. Interestingly, John Carrere is quoted as saying he would rather have his reputation rest on the Portland City Hall than upon any other building he designed (and he designed MANY great buildings). The impressive structure was inspired by the New York City Hall, which was built about 100 years prior in 1803-1812. The Portland City Hall remains today as a great visual anchor for the revitalizing downtown area of Portland.

The Elms – Mrs. Berwind’s Bedroom // 1899

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On the second floor of The Elms mansion in Newport, you will find two separate bedrooms for the owners Edward and Sarah Berwind, a husband and wife of high society. The larger of the two bedrooms was for Mrs. Berwind as you know what they say, “happy wife, happy life”. Mrs. Berwind’s bedroom has cream-colored woodwork covered with custom-woven celadon green damask with borders of coordinated green, gold, and cream material. She had an adjoining bathroom and her chambers had access to her husband’s chamber along with a shared fireplace.

The Elms – Dining Room // 1899

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The Dining Room of the Elms Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, is represents the Gilded Age in all the best ways. The room sits just off the ballroom and like all of the other rooms in the summer residence of the Berwinds, it was designed by famed interior designer Jules Allard. The dining room was specifically to display a collection of early18th-century Venetian paintings purchased by Mr. Berwind from the Ca’ Corner estate in Venice (the Berwinds were avid collectors of 18th century French and Venetian paintings). The iconic coffered ceiling is not of wood, but of molded plaster, grained and painted to imitate oak. Each coffer is decorated with the winged lion of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Pour custom-made crystal chandeliers hang in the four corners of the room. At the end of the room is a stunning green marble, agate and onyx fireplace that is framed by a ceiling-high pediment supported by carved Ionic columns. Could you see yourself entertaining in this dining room?

Richard Gardner Homestead // pre-1688

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In 1690, Richard Gardner Jr. (1653-1728) received the land and dwelling house from his late father Richard Gardner (1622-1688) who was born in England and settled in Nantucket by way of Salem upon his death. The primitive, First Period home was occupied by subsequent generations of the Gardner family, and altered and expanded to fit the growing needs and wealth of the family. By 1840, the house was owned by George C. Gardner, a whaling captain and descendant of Richard Gardner. The original home was located on what is now Lowell Place, just off Main Street, and the Gardner Homestead was converted to a carriage house for the more modern George Gardner Home. By 1927, Ms. Gladys Wood purchased the deteriorating and heavily altered structure, and moved it to its current location on Main Street. Ms. Wood hired architect Alfred Shurrocks, who summered on the island and was restoring the Jethro Coffin house nearby, to restore the former Gardner Homestead, but this one was all based on conjecture and historical precedent. The home looks much like a 17th century saltbox and has stood the test of time.

Crocker Tavern // c.1754

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One of the largest pre-Revolution houses in Barnstable is this stunning Georgian manse, known as the Crocker Tavern. The c.1754 home was built along Main Street in Barnstable Village by Cornelius Crocker (1704-1784), who operated it as a tavern along the Old King’s Highway, the main stagecoach route through Cape Cod. Cornelius died in 1784, and he left the eastern half of his house and land to his grandsons Robert, Uriah, and Joseph Crocker; the western half of land and house went to his daughter Lydia, widow of Captain Samuel Sturgis who died at 25, she never remarried. The house was “to be divided through by the middle of the great chimney“, a feature which was likely removed under separate ownership. Lydia eventually acquired the other half of the house, and continued operation of the tavern as her father did before her, though it was known as Aunt Lydia’s Tavern. The property was passed down through the family until 1925, when the property was left to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (later renamed Historic New England) as a historic house museum. The Georgian house and property were eventually de-accessioned by Historic New England and the tavern can be rented out on AirBnb!