BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUNLOI:: MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 Photos 21:25 detail of brick nogging exposed in chamber on Essex Street side. during restoration 21:30 west (Essex St.) and south facades LIROI A EKIUU DUKVEY JAN 2 4 1990 25 ) FORM NO. 82 Town Salem 009 Address Historic Name 39 Essex Street William Murray House iketch Map: Use: Present Residence Original DESCRIPTION Residence Date ca. 1688 Source Deed research First Period core/Second Period Style exterior Architect _ Unknown Exterior Wall FabricClapboards Outbufidings None Major Alterations (with dates) Addition on Essex St. side, ca. 1800-1825; roo1 of rear part raised, ca.
1800 Condition Good Moved Acreaçe Setting No Da te N/A less than one acre City street of closely spaced 18th and 19th century houses 7 REFERENCE GS QUADRANGLE ALE Z E N 19 / 345-080 / 4709-400 Salem 1:25,000 Recorded by Organization Date June 1986 Anne Grady Boston University INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Commmity : SALEM Form No: 82 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Property Name: House William Murray Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. SIGNIFICANCE The William Murray House has integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship in its two First Period frames which embody distinctive characteristics of form and construction under Criterion C. The growth of the house by the addition of a second cell still in the First Period is typical of a larger group of First Period houses.
The contrast in form and construction between the c. 1688 and the early 18th c. parts of the house allows us to define the evolution of First Period building techniques in a given area. If the First Period finishes now concealed within the walls are exposed in the future, we will have an opportunity dlaborately, to study further features of what was apparently originally an elaborately decorated Salem house, thus making the house significant for Criterion D, as well. EXTERIOR DESCRIPTION The William Murray house is six bays long, 2 1/2 stories in height and one room deep. The three easternmost bays (farthest from Essex St.) enclose the original c. 1688 single cell house. That house had overhangs on the south and east facades and a roof pitch comparable to the current roof pitch of the west end of the house. The three bays on the west were added early 18th century.
In the late 18th or early 19th century the roof was raised to a shallower pitch on the original part of the house and the overhangs concealed behind a flush wall. When the house was restored in 1980 beaded clapboards were installed on the west part. Plain clapboards remain on the east part. The exterior has vertically aligned Second Period style sash windows and simple doorways, two on the south and one on the north. The central chimney was built in 1980. MAJOR FIRST PERIOD FEATURES First Period features are visible only in the upstairs chamber on the Essex St. side of the house, in the kitchen connecting to that chamber which is actually in the c. 1688 part of the house and in the stairhall of the original house. More First Period features were examined and documented by Salem Woodworker, Kenneth Towey when he renovated the house in 1980.
Because of cost Towey did not restore all of the original finishes he found. He chose instead to leave the finishes intact for possible future restoration and build new walls in front of them. First Period features known to be concealed by the later walls are described below. The earlier frame in the eastern end of the house is exposed in the kitchen off the west chamber. There, a slightly shouldered post supports a c. 9 inch wide pine summer tie beam decorated with 1 1/2 inch flat chamfers, lamb's tongue stops and pips. The rest of the framing beams are now boxed, but, according to Iowey, they exhibit similar decoration.
1 Staple to Inventory form at bottom INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Conmuni ty : SALEM Form No: 82 William Murray Property Name: House Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. In the south stairhall on the second floor, a single post is exposed and displays a flat chamfer with lamb's tongue stop at the top of the post and triangular stop at the bottom. There was a framed overhang 18 inches deep on the south wall of the original house. Towey found evidence that four drops hung fron the overhang and that the space between the inner girt and the overhanging girt was plastered. There was a 10 inch framed overhang on the east end of the house now enclosed inside an added 8 foot wide bay. Again, the space between the inner and outer girts was plastered.
The corner made by the two overhangs was supported by a diagonal brace in the wall above. In the attic of the earlier part of the house, several original rafters, left in place when the roof was raised, give evidence of the original steep pitch and of the principal rafter, common purlin framing system of the first roof. In the west end of the house, added in the early 18th century, Towey uncovered the beams in the downstairs room. In the process of installing new boxes. The beams were clean and partially chamfered as though the decision to case the beams had been made only after the carpenter had . started to chamfer them. In the upstairs room, Towey found that the beams were intended to be exposed and were finished with narrow, flat chamfers and lamb's tongue stops.
LATER SIGNIFICANT FEATURES The two halves of the house were owned separately from 1759 until the mid 19th century, so there are two small lobbies with staircases side by side. The southernmost staircase is trimmed with turned balusters of late Second Period profile. During the restoration of 1980, Towey, a skilled woodworker, fashioned Second Period style fireplace wall trim for the west room and chamber, while in the east room he created oak finish and trim in a late 19th century Colonial Revival Style. REFERENCES Summary of Ownership history, Salem Historical Commission files. 2 Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10,800» 8-88) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . Page OMB Approvel No.
1024-0018 1/24//90 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts TR Nomination/Type of Review -Date/Signature HkeeperdheBgen 319/92 51. Johnson, Capt. Timothiatdleatseln the Hational Register Attest 5 52. Kimball, Solomon, House Bubstartlva Bor Busteis vo rorghepor BithX. Savage 3/9/90 Entered in tre Attesi Mational Register 53. Lake, Stanley, House teeper AulmByun 3/9/50 Attest Entered in tre 54. Lambert, Thomas, House Natlonal Register Reeper Aelorßgen 3/9/20 55. Larch Farm cntered in uau National Register Attest HReeper@ShlmesBye 3/2150 Lilbedtu dee Hational Begiater Attest 56. Livermore, William, House Keeper alelmuByu 3/1/z0 Attest S'57. Low, Thomas, House Jr Keeper_ pubstantivc SuvIE Betfy. Sauge 3/9/90 Attest 58. March, Samuel, House antereu ie tae Nationad Begister Ikeeper allmussyud 319/20 Attest Entered in the 59.
Morse, Timothy, House Bathonad Boglstes fkéeper Alelaueryun 3/9/50 Attest S160. Murray, William, House Babstantive Revtin Jarkeeper_ Attest Botty Savage 319/90 Nº8 Porm109004 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number Page _ SUPPLEMENTARY LISTING RECORD NRIS Reference Number: 90000257 Date Listed: 03/09/90 Murray, William, House Essex Property Name County First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts TR Multiple Name MA state This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places iotrcntaniting tne nakonai saix sorvis ortunteatson srotwaod following exceptions, exclusions, in the nomination documentation. Betes.
Jaure Signature of the Keeper 03/09/90 Date of Action ====== ==========: Amended Items in Nomination: Geographical Data: VBD The correct scale for the sketch map is 1"=100'. This information has been confirmed with Ann Tait, MASHPO, by telephone.
DISTRIBUTION: National Register property file Nominating Authority (without attachment) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Murray, William, House MULTIPLE First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts TR NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Essex DATE RECEIVED: 1/24/90 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 2/23/90 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 2/07/90 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 3/10/90 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REFERENCE NUMBER: 90000257 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: OPPERNPOTA PROBLEM: N CANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: N -COMMENT WAIVER: N LACCEPT _RETURN REJECT 3/2/50 DATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./CRITERIA Accept C+D REVIEWER DISCIPLINE Actulla DATE itetunel Histay DOCUMENTATION see attached comments y/y see attached SLRQN CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps USGS maps photographs OTHER COMMENTS Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone presentation Signed Date munigyme Salum Ist Porid Buldig OfEn Me, TR 39 Esser Street, x y,umt Ist porid Bulding of Fo Ma, Te 5-05 072t TASOE 2800m 0029 glic) GIS2 L8SZ1 5-991 DERBY 3-15 * 2520 4BUGga 1.0-112 288 :812 2350 291 3300 2530 286 440 192 285 7452 284 *00 16 (9975 9) 6 02vE5 856 Merray, willcon Huse Satem, MA 39 Essex St.
02 Scp4!-022 N -05222 DISE 9 100s OSEb G.O" 199: 12(5 125 1005 6 CROD 0 00 2600 853 2358 xG orbi c3 1860 4928 RiCO 3407 3109-5 138 31-21 48-1 -1764 4380 -00 3215 26:6 £6i/ SLLZ 33 30 20) cojrss 24::0 IN017 22:05 1378Z 12202 4000 15008 ti, E162583 Bagh 2695 186 3216 773 zi-s 32C0 2/,L-L 28 961 08EE 32 /S/z "86l r 19 - 31 15122 123, 4700 5070 100 LES 3957 96-98 07-29 1IHM 08 90-92 HS 2553 ,42 41 3-00 1581 124 6245 l/PI:0 IIS n2i1d (T141 152- 155- 125 210.
J90 2850 4080 126 4360 4400 4720 4/87 6> 128 4096 lIO + 1050 1091362- 106 475ü 1290 130 6387 3400 65 -i.L 131 8000 107c 7132 105 ]133 486C sicot 1284 TcOL .3700 3065 4261 =970 [135] [x24n21040 103L Sg /102 OT- 9T 2º35326; TREETO -0794 136 3256 254: :500 10, 14096 175 (23>- Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000281