North Shore

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. 

Richard Trevett House // 1730

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Richard Trevett Jr. (1690-1749) was a wealthy shipwright and sparmaker (a carpenter who finishes and installs spars, masts, and cargo booms) in Marblehead, and part of a wealthy shipowning family. He would build this house on Washington Street (originally named King Street before the Revolution) and reside here with his family. Trevett lived here for just a few years until the death of his father, and he sold the property, which was later purchased by Joseph Pedrick, a wealthy ship owner, who’s son, John Pedrick, built an even larger mansion down the street. By the turn of the 19th century, this house was owned by Captain Samuel Horton, a commander in the Revolution under General John Glover. After the war, Samuel Horton engaged in mercantile pursuits, importing goods from all over the world. He likely brought home pineapples similar to the pineapple motif over the doorway from plantations in the Caribbean and South America as well.

Thomas Gerry House – Hearth and Eagle House // 1717

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This house has a lot of history! Originally built around 1717 by Ephraim Sanders, this house on Franklin Street in Marblehead was later purchased by Thomas Gerry (1702-1774), a merchant who operated ships out of Marblehead, and father to Elbridge Gerry, the fifth Vice President of the United States. The home was likely a three-bay, side hall Georgian house and expanded to the current five-bay configuration by Thomas Gerry around 1750. Thomas Gerry was born in Derbyshire, England, but came to Marblehead by around 1730 and was active in local politics and had a leading role in the local militia, later speaking out against the Crown and sought independence. Thomas Gerry died in 1774, and did not get to see the Revolution nor his son become a Founding Father. The property was later the home of one of his granddaughters, Sarah Gerry Conklin, and her husband, Frederick Conklin, an infantry captain, who housed officers in command of nearby Fort Sewall during the War of 1812. In the 1940s, historical novelist Anya Seton after researching her genealogy, led her to base her 1948 novel, The Hearth and Eagle, on the history of the seaside town. She set the novel in the Hearth and Eagle Inn, based on the Gerry House here.

Joshua Orne House // c.1750

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Joshua Orne (1708-1772) was born in Marblehead and attended local schools there. He would marry Sarah Gale, and they had one son together, Azor Orne, who would become a merchant, politician and patriot, fighting in the American Revolution. Sarah Gale died in 1743 and Joshua would remarry to Annis Stacey, having one child together, Joshua Orne Jr., who was a Patriot and fought in the Revolution, fighting alongside his half-brother, Azor. Joshua Orne and Annis owned a c.1663 house on this site and appear to have completely rebuilt the house or greatly modernized it around 1750. Joshua was a cordwainer and shipowner and later got involved with discussions of revolution and liberation from England. He likely inspired his sons to follow-suit and shared the same beliefs and values, though Joshua Sr. would die in 1772, not seeing the beginning of the War, nor freedom from tyranny. The house would be inherited by Joshua Jr. and later deeded to his son-in-law, John Bubier Prentiss, a shipmaster, who likely added the Federal period doorway and pedimented dormers.

Glover Broughton House // 1721

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This Georgian-era house sits on Franklin Street in the charming coastal town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The residence was built in 1721 for Benjamin Gale, who worked as a shoreman at the nearby harbor. The original structure (likely the left half) was likely just three bays wide with a side hall entrance that was later expanded by a later owner in the Federal style with a fanlight transom over the new main entrance. In the 19th century, this residence was the home of Glover Broughton (1797-1869), the grandson of Nicholson Broughton, the first commodore of the American Navy and, as part of the Marblehead Regiment, commanded George Washington’s first naval vessel USS Hannah. Nicholson’s grandson, Glover Broughton, was also an ardent Patriot and at just 15 years old, joined the crew of the privateer America, and was serving on the ship when it was captured and its crew imprisoned at the infamous Dartmoor Prison in Britain, the principal location for American prisoners during the War of 1812. Broughton drew the world’s attention to the inhuman treatment prisoners were subjected to in a rhyming long form poem that detailed the April 6, 1815, massacre that took place at Dartmoor. He also drew a map of the prison from memory to accompany the poem. Once Glover Broughton returned to Marblehead, he became a successful merchant and also served the town of Marblehead in a variety of offices including town clerk and postmaster. In later years, Glover also used his time to help fellow veterans of the War of 1812 by writing letters for them to help them get benefits for their time in service to the United States, as many men at the time could not read or write. It is possible that Broughton had his house “modernized” with the Federal period doorway and gambrel roof addition.

M. A. Pickett Building // 1902

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The M. A. Pickett Building on Washington Street in Marblehead is a spectacular example of a commercial building of the early 20th century designed in the Colonial Revival style. The building was designed in 1902 by the firm of Peare & Quiner, who worked mostly in the North Shore of Massachusetts and funded by members of the M.A. Pickett Association, a fraternal organization founded in the late 19th century and named after Moses A. Pickett (1780-1853), who left his entire will to: “comfort the widow and the fatherless, the aged, the sick, and the unhappy”, also donating his home to the use and funding for its preservation. In 1866, a hand-drawn fire engine named after M. A. Pickett, was used by a group of volunteer firefighters, who later would create the club named after Mr. Pickett. The building originally held a barber shop and a creamery on the ground floor with a meeting hall and billiards room above for members of the Pickett Association. Today, the building is lovingly maintained, including the three stunning Palladian windows at the third floor.

Cloon Stores // c.1880

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Washington Street in Marblehead is lined with dozens of amazing old homes, civic, and commercial buildings, that serves as the “downtown” spine of the old village. Located at the corner of Washington and State streets, this handsome late-Victorian commercial block serves as an important contributing building to the character of Marblehead. The structure was built around 1880 for a member of the Sparhawk Family, who operated the building as a factory or store for their shoe manufacturing. By the 1890s, the building was owned by Horace Cloon and Samuel G. Cloon, who operated a hardware store from the ground floor and leased the upper floor as apartments. The block retains its original bracketed cornice over the storefronts, but the brackets at the upper cornice are no longer extant. 

Knight-Tutt House // c.1750

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The Knight-Tutt House on Franklin Street in downtown Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a great example of a pre-Revolutionary Georgian home built for the working class. The house, like its neighbor, has a three-bay, side-hall facade with a large, central chimney. The residence was built around 1750 for William Knight (1722-1799), who worked as a shoreman, loading and unloading the many ships that docked in Marblehead harbor. By 1850, the house was jointly owned by an F. Bateman and William Russell Tutt, a shoemaker. The residence remains one of a large number of well-preserved Colonial homes in the town of Marblehead, a testament to preservation planning and its effect on streetscapes and vibrant communities.

Former Essex County Jail // 1811

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The former Essex County Jail is a large and significant building in Salem, Massachusetts, that has seen a recent rebirth thanks to the intersection of historic preservation and the demand for new housing in many New England communities. Constructed of large, Rockport granite blocks, the building was constructed in two phases—the section to the east was constructed in 1811-13 while the parallel west wing dates to 1884, with each of the construction dates inscribed at the top of the pediments on the south elevation. Completing the complex is the 1813 Jailer’s Residence which sits at the edge of the now enclosed courtyard. Those who were committed here were largely sentenced to short terms, many for the offense of drunkenness or petty theft. Inside, prisoners did all the labor, such as cooking, baking, firing the boilers, etc., with the female inmates making clothing for all inmates. The jail was in operation until 1991, and at that time was considered the oldest active penitentiary in the United States. Years prior, in 1984, several detainees had successfully sued the county for inadequate living conditions, leading to the closure of the building. A preservation restriction was established for the building and in 2009, the property was conveyed to a developer who converted the complex into 23 apartments, with 19 in the old jail, three in the old jail keeper’s residence, and one in a converted carriage house. The great preservation/adaptive reuse firm of Finegold Alexander Architects furnished the plans for the successful renovation that provided a new life for a once crumbling eyesore.

Parsons-Zielinski House // 1897

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Bounded by three streets and overlooking the town Common, this stately house in Salem, Massachusetts, showcases a blending of Queen Anne and Colonial revival styles. Built in 1897 from plans by Boston architect, Alfred Fernald, the house was constructed by and for its first owner, Joseph Parsons, a Civil War veteran and house builder. The Parsons family continued to live in the house until Joseph’s death in 1915, after which his widow, Minnie, sold the property and moved to Florida. Dr. Ignatius Zielinski purchased the property in the 1920s and divided the house into a physician’s office and several residential units. Tragically, Dr. Zielinski died while serving his country during WWII, and the family would retain the property until 1987. The house is unique for its materiality with the first floor consisting of ashlar, rough-faced stonework with a wood-shingled second story, stained glass windows and a wrap-around porch.