USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Pigeon Cove : its early settlers & their farms, 1702-1840 > Part 7
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96. Ezra Eames built this house, on the westerly side of the street opposite number 129, for his own occupancy in 1840. He was then 39 years old and had been successfully engaged in the quarry business with his brother-in-law, Beniah Colburn, for about a dozen years. He had married Miriam Reed Colburn at Lowell December 29, 1836. In 1837 he bought half of the house, 13 I Granite Street, from William Fears, and his sons, Ezra Willard and Isaac Melvin, were born there in 1838 and 1839. His three daughters were all born in the new house at number 96, the first
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one April 28, 1841. This house, in the so-called Greek revival style of architecture, was by far the finest residential structure in the village.
141. Abraham Lurvey's house site was at the northern boundary of the Pigeon Hill Farm, on the easterly side of the street, and adjoined the Old Castle farm at the time when he bought. Five years later, April 19, 1810, Benjamin Wheeler, Jr., of The Old Castle sold the house lot, 141 Granite Street, to James Harris, mariner, for $40. This was the first piece of the old farm to be sold out of the Wheeler family since the days of its first settler, Jethro, back in 1723 when 31/2 acres were sold to Richard Langsford. The house built by Harris in 1810 still stands, though considerably altered.
143-155. This piece of land, on the seaward side of the street, was a part of the Old Castle farm and was known in the Wheeler family as " the little pasture." The Federated Church stands on its northern end. On the street frontage between 143 and 151 a ledge rose abruptly from the roadside to a height, it has been stated, of about 30 feet, and extended through to the sea, even on the eastern side of the Harris house at 141. Between 1829 and 1833 this pasture was bought by Colburn and Eames, and the ledge quarried out to the level of the tide. None of the present houses were built until after 1840.
100. This house began its existence as an ox barn that had origi- nally stood somewhere near Pigeon Cove. It seems probable that it was moved to this site about 1850.
102. The present cottage is the District 9 South School House moved to this site from its original location at 88 Granite Street after 1869.
106-108. Charles Knowlton and Joseph Whittredge built the present double house on the westerly side of the street about 1839 for their own occupancy. In 1834 they bought from William Torrey a strip 370 feet wide on Granite Street. The northerly
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end of this piece was at the boundary between the Pigeon Hill and Old Castle farms. In 1837 they bought from Captain Daniel Wheeler a piece next north with ninety feet of frontage. For the most part the house stands on the latter piece, but its southerly end laps over on to the Rowe farm side of the old line. It is of interest to note that, as late as 1791 at least, a gate was maintained across the road at this boundary by the Wheeler family. When Captain Daniel was deeded that land by his father in 1791 one of his boundaries was given as the "Pigeon Hill gate." William Torrey was one of the earliest of the quarry operators already referred to. He bought the larger lot from the Rowes in April 1831. It is presumed that he removed some of the ledge that was on the sites of 100 and 102 Granite Street before he sold the land to Knowlton and Whittredge in 1834. A subsequent owner also quarried there. This must have been a noisy neighborhood be- tween 1829 and 1833 with quarrying on both sides of the street. Mr. Knowlton married Mary Wheeler Tuttle, a niece of Mrs. Daniel Wheeler of the tavern. Mr. Whittredge married Mrs. Knowlton's older sister; Phebe Tuttle. The two families occu- pied number 106-108, the Whittredges in the northern half, the Knowltons on the south. Each family had its own stairway to the second floor, but, although located in the same stairwell, these stairs were not separated by a partition. Later this house acquired yet another connection with the Wheeler family through the marriage of Stephen Hale and Amelia Wheeler, a daughter of Moses of The Garrison House. One of their sons, Thomas Hale, married Lucy, a daughter of Charles Knowlton, June 7, 1847. She, incidentally, had been born at the Wheeler Tavern, where the Knowltons lived before 106-108 Granite Street was built. Eventually the house came into the ownership of the Hale family, and has long been known as the Hale Homestead.
110. Captain Daniel Wheeler sold this lot, 60 feet wide on the westerly side of the street, to William Tarr, Jr., trader, sometimes known as 4th, February 20, 1837, for $150. Tarr held the lot until December 11, 1843, when he sold it to David Humphrey and Charles S. Dudley, both of Boston, for $1,221, with “ build- ings thereon." The present house was built, therefore, between
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1837 and 1843. March 25, 1845, they sold the property to Charles Knowlton for $825. It was later bought by Jabez W. Kendall, Jr.
120. Peter Woodbury, Jr., grandson of Andrew, Jr., of 69 Curtis Street, built this house, on the westerly side of the street, about 1829. He had married Anna Wheeler, a daughter of John Dane Wheeler of The Old Castle, September 9, 1819, and they had lived at The Castle until after her death December 6, 1823. Peter married Mehitable Dodge April 5, 1825, and may have continued to live at The Castle, for he had two young sons by Anna. John Dane Wheeler had died in 1803 owning the land fronting on Granite Street from 120 to and including Story Street. Title to this was inherited by his four children, of whom Mrs. Peter Woodbury was one. The others were boys, one of whom died in 1819. In 1829 Peter Woodbury, who had inherited his first wife's share, bought out the interests of her two remain- ing brothers. It would appear that he then built the present house at number 120. He continued to live there until his death in 1867.
159-161. This picturesque group of buildings on the easterly side of the street, locally known as " the house of seven gables," had its beginning in 1791, and is, therefore, second only to The Old Castle in that neighborhood in point of antiquity. The gambrel-roofed section next the street is the oldest portion. In May, 1791, Benjamin Wheeler, Jr., of The Old Castle, deeded small street front lots to his sons, Samuel, Jonathan, John Dane, and Daniel. It would appear that 159, Jonathan's house, had al- ready been built on his land, for Samuel's lot was described as beginning at Jonathan's west corner by the highway, 2 rods from the corner of Jonathan's house. That is the present corner between numbers 161 and 163, and it is two rods distant from the nearest corner of the " jut-by " of the gambrel-roofed house. Jonathan married Judith Dennison November 27, 1791. He died in 1795, and the inventory of his estate, filed the following Febru- ary, lists his house as " new, incomplete." Its value, with 3/4 of an acre of land, was given as $400. That word "incomplete " possibly indicates that he was putting on an addition, perhaps the portion now numbered 161. He left three children, Daniel Stan-
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wood, born September 12, 1792, who served in the War of 1812 on the U. S. S. Wasp, and died in 1816; Judith, born April 9, 1794, who married Thomas Parsons June 20, 1817; and Benjamin, born 1795 (no record), who married Polly Hodgkins October 3, 1813. The Parsons family lived in the northerly portion of the house for many years. The large addition on the southern side is said to have been built by Benjamin. The house now number 157 Granite Street was Benjamin's barn. It was moved from its original location in the rear within recent years and remodeled as a dwelling.
163. The northerly portion of the present house was built by Samuel Wheeler, fisherman, about 1792. Some sixty years ago it was doubled in size by a grand daughter, Sarah Dean Knowlton, Mrs. Thomas Mason. Those who remember the old house state that it was like the one now numbered 165 Granite Street. Samuel married Betsey Tarr in November 1784, seven years before his father deeded him this lot. Their children were Betsey, born 1785, married James Harris, Jr., May 26, 1805; Sally Dean, bap- tized November 23, 1787, and died April 29, 1806; Patty, baptized August 22, 1790 (no further record); Rhoda, born 1795, mar- ried William Fears December 12, 1815; Lydia, born 1796, married Jabez Woodbury Kendall March 31, 1817; Samuel, born 1797, married first Lucy Woodbury 1822, second Amelia Woodbury 1827, third Mary Tarr 1834; Epes, born June 5, 1800, married Rebecca Woodbury January 28, 1827; David, born 1803, mar- ried first Caroline Woodbury 1824, second Mary Lurvey; Martha, born 1805, married Washington Knowlton March 11, 1832. Mrs. Thomas Mason mentioned above was their daughter. Mrs. Samuel Wheeler died in January 1843. Samuel died February 21, 1849.
165. On December 10, 1833, Samuel Wheeler for $20 conveyed this lot, 30 feet wide on the street, to his son-in-law Jabez W. Kendall, fisherman, as "the land on which his dwelling house stands." Inasmuch as Kendall had married Lydia Wheeler in 1817 it is just possible that this house may date back to about that year, and that title was not given until full payment had been made. This was a not uncommon practice.
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128-130. In addition to his house site at 163 Samuel had been deeded a piece of meadow on the opposite side of the street. This extended from Peter Woodbury's boundary, which was the north side of Story Street, to Curtis Street. Samuel's barn stood close to Story Street at the Granite Street end. Story Street and Curtis Street did not exist at that time. On December 9, 1833, Samuel deeded this land to his three sons, Samuel junior, Epes and David. The deed refers to David's house as already built on the lot. This house still stands at 130 Granite Street. Epes had married in 1827, and in 1834, Samuel junior married his third wife. No record has been found to show that Samuel junior and Epes jointly built 128 Granite Street, but it is stated by members of the family that they lived there. It is quite possible that the house was built in 1834.
167. The house now standing on this land, on the easterly side of the street, was the village tavern from about 1805 to about 1850, perhaps later, but eventually it was used as a boarding house for quarry workmen. The house was built by Daniel Wheeler, the youngest son of Benjamin Wheeler, Jr., of The Old Castle. Daniel had married Mary (Polly) Whittredge of Wenham De- cember 15, 1796. In 1802 his father deeded him the eastern half of The Old Castle, but subject to the life estate of his father and mother. Then, on September 5, 1804, his father deeded Daniel " a house lot " next north of his brother Samuel's land, and 85 feet wide on the easterly side of the street. Daniel at that time was referred to in legal papers as a fisherman. It is altogether likely that he built the " tavern house," as it was called, in 1805, and thereafter he was referred to as an inn keeper. It was not long, however, before he was generally spoken of as Captain Wheeler, for in 1809 he became the commanding officer of the local militia. He had probably been an active member of the infantry company for some time when, on October 14, 1806, he was commissioned Ensign by Governor Strong. The following year Governor Sullivan made him a Lieutenant, and on Novem- ber 23, 1809, Governor Gore advanced him to Captain, the com- mission stating that he had been duly elected by the company on October 14. His company was attached to the Second Regiment,
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First Brigade, Second Division. The three commissions are now in the possession of a descendant.
Captain Wheeler had no children of his own, but adopted two boys, one a nephew, the other a grand nephew of Mrs. Wheeler. The surname of both was Tuttle, and both had been named Daniel after Captain Wheeler, who seems to have been a great favorite in his wife's family. The older boy was a son of Mrs. Wheeler's sister Phebe, Mrs. Simon Tuttle senior, of Wen- ham. He was baptized in 1806 and was adopted in 1820. The younger boy was a son of Simon Tuttle, Jr., of Wenham, and was born in 1818. The date of his adoption is not a matter of record. The older boy took Wheeler as his middle name, but was always known as Daniel W. Tuttle. The younger one, how- ever, was known as Daniel Wheeler, Jr. Simon Tuttle senior had also two daughters, and they too lived with the Wheelers at the tavern. Phebe, the elder daughter, married Joseph Whit- tredge, and Mary, the younger one, married Charles Knowlton. Their husbands built 106-108 Granite Street.
In 1838 Captain Wheeler retired from the tavern business and built for his own occupancy the house now standing on the westerly side of Old Castle Lane. Either at this time or earlier he built another house opposite his own, and directly in front of The Old Castle, for his oldest adopted son, Daniel W. Tuttle. That house has since been moved and stands next the western end of The Old Castle. On April 1, 1838, the Captain rented the tavern to William Norwood, by whom it was managed until about 1846. It was about that time when Mr. Norwood opened his own house to summer visitors under the style of the Pigeon Cove House. The site of the latter is now a vacant lot between 223 and 229 Granite Street. Captain Daniel's wife died August I, 1840, and he died August 21, 1842. Daniel Wheeler, Jr., in- herited the Captain's dwelling and the tavern. The latter he sold, December 3, 1846, to Nathaniel Wheeler Woodbury, the elder son of Peter Woodbury, Jr. Mr. Woodbury was a housewright, and it is doubtful if he personally managed the tavern at any time. Not many years later he moved to South Danvers, now Peabody, and later to Beverly, but he continued to own the tav- ern until about a year before his death, which was in 1890.
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Soon after Mr. Norwood took charge at the tavern it be- came a popular resort in summer for a number of distinguished people from Boston, New York and elsewhere. Among those early sojourners were Richard Henry Dana of Cambridge, poet and essayist, and father of the author of the famous " Two Years Before the Mast," and Edward H. Brackett, a young sculptor from Boston. Both of these men boarded at the tavern. At the same time William Cullen Bryant, poet, boarded at The Garrison House, and it is related that Mr. Brackett prevailed upon Mr. Bryant to sit for a bust, which work was executed, probably in 1842 or 1843, in the northwest first floor room of the tavern, now used as a bakery. Among Mr. Brackett's papers a letter from Bryant, dated December 1844, has lately been found, in which was enclosed the final payment for the bust. It is to be regretted that the house Register of those days has not been pre- served, for it doubtless contained the signatures of a considerable number of celebrities.
Until within quite recent days a huge elm tree stood by the entrance door of the tavern. It stood about abreast of the pres- ent traffic beacon, with just enough room between it and the front steps to allow the Gloucester stage to drive between.
THE Old Castle, now the Community House owned by the Village Improvement Society, and located on Old Castle Lane, was built by Jethro Wheeler about 1713. (See Chapter: Jethro Wheeler.)
171. This was originally the site of the barn of Benjamin Wheeler, Jr. When Daniel Wheeler was deeded the tavern lot in 1804 his father described it as lying between the house of his son Samuel (number 163) and his own barn. The distance on Daniel's street frontage brought his land almost to the house now number 171. Later that property was owned by Peter Woodbury, Jr., and he either altered the barn over into a store with an assembly room overhead, or built anew on the site. The Union Store, as it was called, was subsequently converted into the present dwelling.
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138. The house now occupied by the Pigeon Cove branch of the Public Library, on the westerly side of the street, has every appearance of being somewhat older than it is. The land was a part of the Old Castle farm and in 1838 it was owned by Peter Woodbury, Jr., who sold it that year to Reuben Smith of Tops- field for $100. Smith died and his heirs sold it, April 9, 1845, to John J. Gould of Wenham for $450. No buildings were men- tioned in either of the two foregoing deeds. Gould sold it, March 28, 1846, to Joseph Witham of Rockport as land and buildings for $600 and a mortgage for $400.
144. This lot, on which is located the office building of the Cape Ann Tool Company, is interesting historically for the reason that the line between the lots of 1688 numbered 53 and 54 cornered on the beach at a point which is now a few feet south of the concrete driveway. It was there that the basswood tree stood which was referred to as a boundary mark in the grant of the 1688 lots, and in the deed of the Old Castle farm to Jethro Wheeler in 1712. The location of this corner has been arrived at by scaling on the County Engineer's plan of Granite Street, which is drawn to a scale of 40 feet to one inch, the distances across the street frontages of the Garrison House and Old Castle farms, as given in the relocation of Granite Street made in 1792. (See Chapter: The Earliest Highways; Halibut Point to Sandy Bay Brook.) Happily the southern boundary of the Old Castle farm exists today as the line between 139 and 141 Granite Street. The northerly line of the Garrison House farm where it crosses Granite Street is not quite so definite today, but it is approximately at the southerly corner of Curtis Street. Taking the existing wall at 139-141 Granite Street as a point of departure and scaling northerly on the County plan the distance given in the 1792 road layout, 1,254 feet, the basswood corner is fairly definitely located. Scaling thence northerly along the westerly side of the street, 2,821.5 feet, the distance given in the road lay- out for the frontage of the Garrison House farm, the point ar- rived at is close to the Curtis Street corner.
A further check upon the location of the basswood corner was made possible through a plan found in the files of the Gloucester
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City Engineer. This plan, drawn to a scale of 50 feet to one inch, was made by Calvin W. Pool in 1881. It covers the properties on the westerly side of Granite Street from opposite Breakwater Avenue south to 142 Granite Street and shows the boundaries of the various parcels back for about 300 feet. Several of those lines are recognizable on the ground today in existing old stone walls. One of those walls was the boundary between the Gar- rison House and Old Castle farms. Although the plan did not show this wall as coming down to a junction with the street, it did show a point at the street line marked " stone post " which is in line with the axis of the wall. Some of the property lines shown on the Pool plan are found also on the later County plan, and it is therefore possible to locate the site of the stone post on the latter. Its position coincides with the presumed location of the basswood corner arrived at as stated above. It seems likely that this post may have been set at some time, probably before the two farms were cut up and sold, and after the tree had disap- peared, to define that ancient corner.
The Garrison House farm began at the basswood tree at the edge of the Pigeon Cove harbor beach and extended northerly up the hill to Curtis Street. Incidentally that slope of Granite Street has long been known locally as Powzle Hill, but the origin of that name is unknown, and no mention of it in any of the numerous deeds examined has been found. The spelling used here is a phonetic reproduction of the pronunciation commonly in use at the present time.
After the death of Moses Wheeler in 1824 the farm was divided among the three surviving sons, Austin, Charles and John Wood- bury Wheeler, subject, however, to their mother's dower rights. Moses Wheeler's will provided that all the real estate, the live stock, the farm equipment, and the house furnishings should go to the widow for life, but that at her death the real estate should be divided equally between the sons John W. and Austin. The son Charles and the eight daughters were given $50 apiece, and a like sum was to be divided among the children of a deceased son, Moses. The real estate was inventoried for probate at $3,3 10.
Charles may have objected to being thus cut off with a pocket piece. At all events on November 15, 1825, John and Austin,
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their mother agreeing, deeded a one-third interest in all the real estate to Charles, he to relinquish his $50 legacy, and, in 1833, exchanged deeds dividing the property among themselves. The Garrison House itself came into the possession of John W. ac- cording to a deed that he gave to Elijah Edmands to whom he sold the homestead in 1848. After the division of 1833 the sons began selling house lots along the Granite Street frontages.
154. For well over a century there has been a store on this site. A deed of November 5, 1833, from John and Austin to Charles mentions this site as " the store lot of William Norwood and David Babson." The following spring Moses' widow and the three sons deeded this lot to Mrs. William Norwood (Susanna Wheeler). This southwest corner of the farm was referred to in the deeds of that period as " the western barley stubble." It will be recalled that there was a barley stubble piece on the Rowe farm (123 Granite Street). Norwood and Babson were sons-in- law of Moses Wheeler. They were partners in the fish business from before 1800, perhaps here. From 1838 until about 1846 Norwood also managed the village tavern, and subsequently opened his dwelling house, farther up the hill (225 Granite Street, now a vacant lot), as the Pigeon Cove House. The store later was the market of Austin W. Story and from December 4, 1858, to May 18, 1897, the local post office was located there.
158. This house and barn were mentioned in a deed of Novem- ber 5, 1833, as belonging to John W. Wheeler. It stood on a part of the barley stubble lot and had probably been built by this son of Moses but a short time before. On June 22, 1836, he sold this house, together with its land, 118 feet wide on the street and 80 to 93 feet deep, to Horatio Babson, a son of David. The price named in the deed was $1,000. In 1857 Babson sold to William Marchant, who opened a wood and coal yard, a business which has been continued there to the present time. Marchant was previously of Folly Cove.
1701/2. Philander Currier, son of Moses and Thomasine (York), bought this lot July 8, 1837, 69 feet wide on the street and 123 [86]
feet deep, and it is presumed that he built the present house at about that time. He had previously lived on the Lane-Marchant farm at Folly Cove.
176. This lot, 60 feet wide on the street and 132 feet deep, was bought by Daniel Sanborn December 19, 1832. The house was probably built the following year.
182-184. This land, 248 feet wide on the street and 181 feet deep, was bought by Jesse Tay, trader, December 20, 1824, from the widow of Moses Wheeler. Three years later her sons gave Tay a confirmatory deed. It would appear that Moses Wheeler must have agreed, before his death in November 1824, to sell this land to Tay, for the latter had some kind of a shop on the street frontage in 1823, as is shown on the plan of the road made by Jabez R. Gott in that year. Tay married Charlotte Duly August 10, 1828. He built a stone house close to the line between 180 and 182. He sold the entire property to David Holbrook April 22, 1831. The southerly end of the lot with the house was subsequently sold, 1853, to Epes Young, Jr. The stone house was later demolished.
1821/2. That part of the present house above the high basement story was moved to this site some years ago by Mrs. David Clif- ford Babson, from 265 Granite Street. It was the house built by Samuel Gott, Jr. (See chapter: Samuel Gott And His Sons.)
188. The Garrison House. (See chapter: Joshua Norwood.)
196. Moses Wheeler, Jr., a grandson of Moses of The Garrison House, bought this lot February 17, 1832, and built the house. His wife was Amelia Tarr.
200. Amelia Wheeler, a daughter of The Garrison House Moses, married Stephen Hale December 12, 1816. This lot was deeded to her April 7, 1831, by her mother and brothers, but it is pos- sible that the house was built about the time of her marriage.
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This completes the list of the earlier houses on the westerly side of Granite Street as far as the top of Sunset Hill. The record of the houses on the easterly side follows:
At the corner of Granite Street and Breakwater Avenue there is a cellar where a house, known as the William Fears, Jr., house, stood until its demolition within recent years. It faced on Break- water Avenue. Moses Wheeler's sons built this house for sale in 1833. The purchaser was William Fears senior who owned it at the time of his death in 1848, though he had not lived there. It then became the property of his son, William junior who lived there until his death in 1872. Floor plans of the house are filed at Salem with the settlement of his estate (Probate Records, Vol. 427, p. 634). The first Pigeon Cove Post Office was located in this house from July 31 to December 4, 1858. On the latter date it was moved to Austin W. Story's store on the opposite side of the street.
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