My friend’s son is getting married - and I think it makes everyone in our group feel a little bit older. But it got me to thinking about that first house that we owned, on that dead-end street where we all raised our kids.  Our house needed some work, and I was young and absolutely baffled by how to go about hiring someone.  

Love forms the foundational story of the house at 9 Bennett Street: built in 1729.  Love, because it was a wedding gift from the locally prominent Capt. Aaron Bennet to his daughter Mary Bennett and her husband Jonathan Hassam, a young ship’s captain from West Manchester.  The senior Bennett lived up Bennett Street surrounded by family, so to keep Mary and Jonathan connected, he built them a beautiful home.  The proximity was, assuming for both families, convenient.

Wow, what an unexpectedly dreary summer so far.  And I have to say, I didn’t see it coming.  This was supposed to be our big break from COVID, right?  We knew the break might be fleeting, but we had earned the freedoms that this summer was going to bring us and our hopes were high.

This house was built for Israel Forster (1779-1863), shoreman, and wife Hannah Lee, in 1804.  In the 1600s this lot was part of Standish's Orchard.  It passed to the Lee family and in 1802 Jacob Hooper sold the “mowing land” to Israel Forster for $220.

I always thought gardening was the number one past time in America. A quick Google search disabused me of that fact. Baseball and reading come up Number One, depending on which site you look at.  But gardening is still in the top ten.  Driving around Cape Ann makes me believe that gardening is the number one past time in our little corner of the world.

In 1837, Jonathan Hassam sold a house lot to mariner Samuel Forster Tappan. Tappan, however, built his late Federal style house earlier on the site in 1836, as documented on a wooden shingle uncovered during a 1987 renovation. The difference in timing of the sale and actual construction was not unusual among friends in those days.

With the spirit of universal mothering in mind, I offer you some good old fashioned design advice.  (And don’t forget to eat your vegetables.)

I was visiting my daughter over the weekend—she’s at college in Providence.  Seeing her apartment always reminds me of some of my own when I was her age and renting in Boston.  It’s heady stuff – getting those early apartments.  Oh, the possibilities, the promise, and the adrenalin surge of undeniable autonomy! But, holy moly, what we put up with.

In 1881, Ida Agassiz Higginson bought the “old Forster homestead” and adjacent land to build the colonial-style house that currently stands at 131 Bridge Street, at the edge of what is now Winthrop Field. The house was built for Joseph Clarke, the horticulturist that Mrs. Higginson employed to lay out and manage the extensive gardens on Sunset Hill estate.

Isn’t it the time to think of spring cleaning?  Here are some ideas for little things that will give life at home a little boost and—let’s face it—a feel good feeling.  

2020 was an unprecedented year for everyone, including the firm of OLSON LEWIS + Architects (OL+). In January of last year, John Harden joined the office as a principal.  Setting aside normal expectations, John and OL+ navigated the path through the pandemic resulting in a successful year.

In September 1725, John Lee Jr., Housewright, purchased a quarter acre of land in “Newport”. By year’s end he had erected a house. The Newport section of town was situated near Harbor and Bridge Streets. Records state the home was located on a property with apple trees. Lee Jr. apprenticed as a carpenter at the age of 12. Throughout his life he served as town constable, clerk, treasurer and selectman.

Kathleen McHugh of Churchill Properties was recognized for her outstanding achievements in North Shore real estate. Her exceptional 2020 sales volume earned her the“Bronze Club Award.”