[an error occurred while processing this directive] Building History
Historic Houses on the North Coast of The Essex National Heritage Area

Introduction

In 1623, just three years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, fourteen men from the Dorchester Company of England set out to find good fishing ground and quickly set up camp in Gloucester Harbor. Settlers moved rapidly along the rocky coast, building their rough houses of timber, mud, straw and clay from Salem to Newbury, clustering around churches and the mouths of sea-fed rivers and celebrating the plentiful fish, game and meadowlands.

Essex County was incorporated in 1643 and its coastal communities grew and changed in the next century, reinventing themselves as trade and shipbuilding centers. Merchants and captains built mansions in port cities and sprawling estates in the country while ordinary farmers, fishermen and artisans built homesteads that grew as their families prospered.

It is a testament to the love of Essex County for its past and its present that more Early Settlement houses survive here than anywhere else in the country. The Yankee ethic of "waste not, want not" meant that early houses were adapted to fit changing needs and so have survived for centuries alongside the homes of later generations. Many of these houses are open as museums and you can experience Essex County's historic coast in the homes of those who first lived here.

North Coast From Gloucester

Begin your travels in Gloucester at Stage Fort Park, site of the original settlement of the Dorchester Company and an ENHA Visitor Center. Gather maps and booklets there. Walk up the stone steps through the heart of the massive Tablet Rock, which marks the first settlement of 1623.
For more information about Gloucester, click here.

Walk through the Central Gloucester Historic District, down Middle Street with its rows of Georgian mansions. Stop at the Sargent House Museum, a wonderful example of Georgian architecture, built in 1782 for writer and activist Judith Sargent Murray.
For more information about downtown Gloucester, click here.

Follow Rte. 127 along the ocean to Rockport, aptly named since its character is derived from its rocks, huge granite quarries that provided the literal foundations of this country, and its port, a thriving center of fishing and commerce. Water has always defined Rockport, as it is surrounded by ocean on three sides. Rockport's Main Street Historic District is dotted with historic homes, most of them privately owned, but the c. 1715 Old Castle and the c. 1832 Sewall-Scripture House, home of the Sandy Bay Historical Society, are open seasonally to the public.
For more information about Rockport, click http://www.rockportusa.com.

Move on to Essex, a lovely seaside town known for its historic shipyards and houses. Essex was incorporated in 1819, a relative latecomer to the area, but its roots go back to 1634 when William White and Goodman Bradstreet were granted land in the Chebacco district of Ipswich. The Chebacco parish, later Essex, established itself as a shipbuilding town, and produced approximately 5,000 vessels, including many of the fabled Gloucester schooners. Shipbuilding is preserved and celebrated today at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, a working shipyard first deeded in 1668. One of Essex's hidden treasures is the c.1730 Choate House, virtually unchanged for over two centuries, and accessible only by boat through the Trustees of Reservations. Back on land, Cogswell's Grant, another 18th century house overlooking the Essex River, is home to a world-class collection of American folk art.
For more information about Essex, click here or here.



Continue up Rte. 133 to Ipswich, settled in 1633, and home to more than 40 houses built prior to 1725, the largest concentration of first-period homes in the United States. Stop in at the c. 1819 Hall-Haskell House, an ENHA Visitor Center, for an overview of the rich resources of the town. As a testament to their enduring value, most of the early houses of Ipswich are privately owned and occupied, but the c. 1655 Whipple House, a spectacular example of early architecture, is open for guests seasonally. The huge fireplaces, molded paneling, chamfered beams, pegged construction and jetty or overhang of the Whipple House are typical of features found in other Ipswich homes of the period. The c. 1800 Heard House is a Federal mansion built by a merchant who filled its spacious rooms with treasures from far-away lands. The Heard House collection includes sea chests, tea-wood cabinets, chairs and tables, and Asian art and artifacts.
For more information about Ipswich, click here or here

Follow Rte. 1A through the rural heartland of Rowley and into Newbury. Just across the Parker River Bridge, there is a plaque marking the spot where the first settlers of Newbury landed in 1635. The Lower Green, or common, is flanked by historic homes on all sides, and gives a wonderful impression of what historic town greens looked like in past centuries. Continue down 1A, now High Road, through the fields and farms of past centuries, down a maple-lined allay to the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm, a c.1690 manor house with significant Federal additions and a c. 1775 Great Barn. Further up High Road is the Newbury Historic District, clustered around the Upper Green, settled in the 1650s. Just past the Green is the c.1654 Coffin House, one of the oldest houses in Massachusetts. A few doors further down is the c. 1670 Swett-Illsley House, used not only as a dwelling, but also for a variety of commercial pursuits. The Swett-Illsley House is open by appointment and for special events.
For more information about Newbury, click here.



High Road in Newbury turns into High Street in Newburyport, one of many ties that bind these two communities together. Newburyport was part of Newbury until 1764, when the port's prosperity and mercantile culture necessitated its separation from the rural heartland of Newbury. In the years after the split, merchants, captains and shipyard owners decorated High Street with their elegant Federal mansions. A magnificent brick mansion, the c. 1808 Cushing House, houses a wonderful collection of trade and local furnishings and artifacts from Newburyport's zenith in the early 19th century. Trade and the waterfront meet in the c. 1835 Customs House, an imposing granite building that controlled the bustling port and taxed its valuable cargos.
For more information about Newburyport, click here or here.

Over the Merrimac River from Newburyport is Salisbury, settled in 1638. Its historic homes are clustered in the town of Amesbury, which broke away from Salisbury in 1654. Thomas Macy, the first town clerk of Amesbury, erected the Macy-Colby House prior to 1654 and then fled Amesbury for Nantucket when his Quaker sympathies were exposed. In 1826, John Greenleaf Whittier published his first poem, "The Exiles", about Macy's journey. The c. 1829 Whittier Home, a few miles away, celebrates the life of the Quaker poet who lived there for 56 years. It has remained nearly unchanged since his death in 1892. The maritime and social history of Amesbury is preserved at the Bartlett Museum, just across the street from the Macy-Colby House. Built in 1870 as a school, it is now a museum of Amesbury history, and a resource for information about other sites in the town. On the way out of Amesbury, stop at the imposing c. 1785 Rocky Hill Meeting House. Its original box pews, complete with graffiti and foot warmers, and marbleized columns and pulpit make it by far the best-preserved example of an original 18th century meeting house interior in New England. Call ahead for the open hours of all Amesbury sites.
For more information about Amesbury sites, click here or here.

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