Nomination for Gerry, Elbridge, House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

PH0006211 Form 10-300 (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) NAME COMMON: Elbridge Gerry House AND/ OR HISTORIC: Elbridge Gerry House 3. LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: 44 Washington Street CITY OR TOWN: Marblehead STATE Massachusetts CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY (Check One) Congressional District CODE 025 COUNTY: Essex OWNERSHIP District Site Building Structure Object Public Private Both Public Acquisition: - In Process Being Considered PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Government Commercial Industrial Educational Military Entertainment Museum Park Private Residence Religious Scientific OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME: Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Morton STREET AND NUMBER: 44 Washington St.

CITY OR TOWN: Marblehead 01945 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Essex Registry of Deeds STREET AND NUMBER: Federal Street CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Massachusetts Salem STATE Massachusetts REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth DATE OF SURVEY: 1968 Federal X State DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Massachusetts Historical Commission STREET AND NUMBER: - County 40 Beacon Street CITY OR TOWN: Boston 02108 STATE: Massachusetts 12 DBVO IMW =7300030 STATE: Massachusetts COUNTY: Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER JUL 2 1973 DATE 19 RECEIVED JAN 3 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER 12 CODE 009 STATUS Occupied Unoccupied Preservation work in progress ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Yes: Restricted Unrestricted No L Transportation - Other (Specity) - Comments Local CODE 025 CODE 025 CODE 025 Massachusetts Essex 1973 STATE: COUNTY: ENTRY NUMBER DATE FOR NPS USE ONLY DESCRIPTION CONDITION Excellent x: Good (Check One) Fair (Check One) Deteriorated L Ruins - Unexposed (Check One) - Moved T: X Original Site X Altered Unaltered DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

Built by Thomas Gerry about 1730, the Elbridge Gerry House remained in the possession of the Gerry family until 1820. Architectural evidence strongly suggests that the house, from 1730 to about 1820, was a two-story I-shaped Georgian frame structure. About 1820 the new owner appears to have raised the house to its present three story height by elevating the original two story residence and inserting under it the existing first story- The original interior finish of the first story is definitely and entirely 19th century, while the original panelling on the walls of the second story rooms is clearly of the 18th century. The Elbridge Gerry House (in its final and present form) is a three-story I-shaped frame house with clapboarded walls and hip roof.

The long (north) arm fronts on the street and is five bays wide and one bay deep; the short (west) arm, which extends to the south, is two bays wide and four bays deep. On the rear of the short arm there is a one-story service wing which contains the kitchen. Two fluted columns support a porch over the center entrance.. The doorway has a transom and sidelights and is reached by a short flight of granite steps. The house is set on a high granite foundation, about four feet back from the street. The house has a center hall plan, with the hall extending through the midale of the long arm from front to rear. The stairs are located on the right (west) wall of the hall. The east parlor occupies the entire portion of the house to the left of the center hall. The original 19th century man- tel and fireplace are set in the center of the south (rear) wall and are flanked by arched alcoves.

The portion of the long arm to the right of the hall is occupied by the west parlor, which also has its 19th century mantel and fireplace centered in the south-(rear) wall. Behind the west parlor is the dining room, which in turn opens into the kitchen. The second floor, believed to have been the original first story of the house prior to 1820, has three bedrooms, each with the original 18th century panelling still in place on its fireplace walls. The house and grounds are well maintained as is the contiguous property, all within a local historic district. The structure appears to have little altered since the 1820 remodeling. LO RECEiVED JAN 3 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER 0L e3.2. 210DE034 M 20 C U

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Pre-Columbian! 16th Century 15th Century 17th Century SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) 1744-1787 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal - Education = 1x Prehistoric Engineering Historic Industry i Agriculture Invention Architecture Landscape Art Architecture Commerce Literature Communications Military Conservation Music & 18th Century 19th Century - 20th Century Political::: Religion/Phi. losophy Science Sculpture Social/Human- itarian Theater Transportation 811191 an Plan nblo Othe/ECEiVEn JAN 3 NATIONAL 1923 REGISTER STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

The Elbridge Gerry House was the birthplace and home, 1744- 1787, of Elbridge Gerry, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence for Massachusetts, merchant, politician, diplomat, Governor of Massachusetts and Vice President of the United States. Elbridge Gerry was born at Marblehead on July 17, 1744, the son of a mer- chant and sea captain. In May, 1772 Gerry was elected representative to the Massachusetts General Court where he met Samuel Adams and fell completely under his influence. He resigned from the General Court in disgust over a mob action in early 1774. He quickly returned to public life and was a mem- ber of the provincial congresses from 1774 to 1776; he also served on the executive committee of safety.

From 1776 to 1780 Gerry was an active delegate to the Continental Con- gresses- He was an early advocate of independence and was present on July 4, 1776, but left Philadelphia before the engrossed copy of the Declaration had been signed. He actually signed the document himself after his return to Congress on September 3. He also signed the Articles of Confederation and was a member of the Treasury Board from 1776 to 1779. In 1780, after a serious quarrel with Congress, Gerry returned to Boston and absented himself from Congress for over three years. During this period he engaged success- fully in trade and privateering. He returned to Congress in 1783 and served there until November, 1785. Early in 1786 he took his seat in the Massachu- House of Representatives.

In May, 1787 he purchased a confiscated Loyalist estate in Cambridge, later the "Elmwood" of James Russell Lowell, which Gerry made his home. refused to attend the Annapolis Convention of 1786 but accepted the appoint- ment to the Federal Convention of 1787. Gerry was elected to the new Congress in February, 1789, where he became a supporter of the Constitution and strongly backed the financial measures of Hamilton. In 1793 he retired from Congress to cultivate his farm. He was nominated for governor in 1800; after a succession of defeats, he was elected governor in 1810 and again in 1811. The measure that made his second administration immortal was the famous Gerrymander Bill of February 11, 1812. This was a redistricting bill passed for the benefit of the Republican Party. The expression "gerrymander was derived from one extraordinary election district which looked like a sala- mander.

Gerry failed to be re-elected in April, 1812, but was nominated and then elected to the Vice Presidency of the U.S. on the ticket with James Madison. taking his oath of office on March 4, 1813. He died on November 23, 1814. The Gerry House is within the Old Town Historic District, and was con- sidered for designation as a National Historic Landmark by the Park Service.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. VII, 222-27. Article by Samuel Eliot Morison Massachusetts, A Guide to Its Places and People (American Guide Series)," Boston, 1937 Information on National Register form, written by Charles W.

Snell, sent to us by the National Park Service GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY CORNER LATITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds R Degrees LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES LATITUDE LONGITUDE Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW NE: SE SW 42 30 24 71 51 53 APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 1/2 acre LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES COUNTY CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY: STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE COUNTY: RECEÑVED JAN 3 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER CODE CODE CODE STATE: FORM PREPAREDBY NAME AND TITLE: Elizabeth R.

Amadon, Regional Director ORGANIZATION Massachusetts Historical Commission 727-8470 DATE 10/17/72 STREET AND NUMBER: 40 Beacon Street 12 003p:1cW STATE CITY OR, TOWN: Boston 02108 STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICATION Massachu setts CODE 025- NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION 210 As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended level of significance of this nomination is: National State Local Qur Name obutxDonssn JOHN F.X. DAVOREN, Secretary of the Commonwealth, I hereby certify that this property is included in the Nationa1 Register. Roherter Utles Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Date 7/2/73 ATTESTie.

Title Chairman of the Mass."Historical Com. Date dl 2972 Date Keeper ofthe National Register 12 73 GP 0.901.087 4707470 348140 Z * ZoNe 19 UTm wm 9-10-15 PROPERTY Kerry eltidy Jouse WORKING NUMBER 1.3.73.2063 STATE asi Essex TECH REVIEW CONTROL REVIEW Photos 0 Maps lea property ds wuthen the Old Towr Hall Plstict. The SL0 sayo that we abread have a picture fthes lovse. 2-27-23 HISTORIAN I think if the propeitia Separataly wih adinih alme, be. je neel able to stan a photol ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Eshul Agaun, bldg. imp. but seed' RETURN photo, and why are they wastine time on these superb bldes withun distniets /6/23 ARCHEOLOGIST cauf 6-15-73 BRANCH CHIEF We should acrcht phok if it urid mihe zunch a tho a breceden fu orkea cases.

KEEPER L/19 National Register write-up Federal Register entry_ 8-7-23 Send-back Re-submit Entered JUL 2 1973 JAN 3 1973 NATION REGIS Elbridge Gerry Birthplace, Marblehead, Massachusetts 128 NPS Photo 1968 Ferm 10-301 (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM (Type all entries -attach to or enclose with map) STATE COUNTY Massachusetts Essex FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER JUL 2 1973 NAME COMMON: Elbridge Gerry Birthplace AND/OR HISTORIC: Elbridge Gerry House LOCATIO STREET AND NUM BER: CITY OR TOWN: 44 Washington Street Marblehead Massachusetts JAN 3 1973 NATIONAL REGISTER STATE: CODE 025 COUNTY: Essex MAP REFERENCE SOURCE: U.S.G.S. 7.5 Minute Series, Marblehead North Quadrangle SCALE: 1:24 000 DATE: 1956 REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. Property broundaries where required. 2.

North arrow. 3. Latitude and longitude reference. DATE CODE 009 MAS 2) 3O" 4711 4710 4709 4708 000 EET 4707 30' :G: -HALE BEVE Sores: Central Cemetet 62 Beach: (127 Park Mackerel % Cove Beverly Cove yolighthouse -% sand kuxHospital Pt Sand issWoodbury Pt BEVERLY HARBOR Monument Bar Salem Willows Yacht Cluby U.S.GoS. 7.5 Minute Series, Marblehead North Quadrangleg Massachusetts, 1956. Elbridge Gerry Birthplace, 44 Washington Street.

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B L 342° 3 hblchea gh thous: MARBLEHEAD Corinthian Boston Yacht Club* Crocker Yah CUHARBOR Park EA D Lasque Ledge Marblehead Rock Boden Rks Marblehead Neck T770 000 FEET 347 0.5 MI. TO MASS SWAMPSCOTT 129 (TOWN HALL) 4.4 M! / 349 501 TO MACC 350 FORM 10-301 A (6/72) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM (Type all entries - attach to or en close with photograph) AND/OR HISTORIC Elbridge Gerry House 1. NAME COMMON Elbridge Gerry House 2. L.OCATION STATE Massachusetts STREET AND NUMBER 44 Washington Street 3. PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT National Park Service 4. IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC.

COUNTY Essex DATE 1968 Facade of house, which faces northwest NUMERIC CODE (Assigned by NPS) JUL 2 1973 181 19 TOWN 40 Marblehead RECENER JAN 3 1973 NATIOAAT NEGATIVE FILED AT REGISTET National Park TZ) (As this is a N.P.S. photo and the negatives and prints are in your files, the pix enclosed is only a copy. Sally Marusin of the N.P.S. staff said that it would be permissable to send this copy. E.R. Amadon) GPO 932-009 N ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE MASSACHUSETTS Date Entered JUL 2 1973 Name Gerry (Bibridge) House Location Marblehead Essex County Also Notified Hon. Edward M. Kennedy Hon, Edward W. Brooke Hon. Michael J. Hazzington Director, Northeast Region State Historic Preservation Officer Hoa- John F. X. Davoren Secretary of the Commonvealth Chaizman, Massachusetts Historical Conmission 40 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 PHR MMOTT: pcl 7/3/73