Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: _ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested -Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register _ Federal agency _ previously determined eligible by the National _ Local government Register - _University _ designated a National Historic Landmark Other _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: #. Massachusetts Historical Commission _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Cape Ann Historic Society Record # Babson-Alling House Name of Property 10.
Geographical Data Essex County, MA County and State Acreage of Property _less than one acre UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 19 362370 4720030 Zone Easting Northing 2. Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone "Zone Easting Northing Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property ona continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11.
Form Prepared By Candace Jenkins/Wendy Frontiero, Preservation Consultants, Gloucester Historical Commission name/title_with Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director, MHC organization_Massachusetts Historical Commission _date January 1996 street & number_220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone_(617) 727-8470 city or town_Boston state_Massachusetts _ zip code_02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name street & number telephone city or town state zip code Paperwork Reduction Act Staterent: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing,to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtair a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewinginstructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form.
Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. (PD Form 10000-a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page 1 - 7. DESCRIPTION Location and Environment The mid-18th century (1740) Babson-Alling House is one of two early dwellings that remain at Gloucester's original town center.
Once known as the Green, the central position of this inland area was usurped in 1738 when the First Parish Meetinghouse was moved eastward to the Inner Harbor where it remains (see Central Gloucester Historic District, and Boundary Increase). The Green area gradually declined over the next two hundred years until the mid 20th century when the north-south corridor of Washington Street was "improved" with the Grant Circle Rotary to accommodate traffic from the newly constructed dual-lane State Route 128 (east-west). At that time the 17th century White-Ellery House (NR: 3/9/1990) was moved from its original location, roughly centered on the rotary, to its present position immediately north of the Babson-Alling House. These two well preserved early dwellings, along with a barn, stone walls, and other landscape features provide a unique and multi- faceted glimpse into the city's origins.
The remnant of a ca. 1930 scallop-topped wooden fence remains on the Babson-Alling property to indicate the early position of Washington Street. The Babson-Alling House is sited directly on the Grant Circle Rotary at the northeast corner of State Route 128 and Washington Street where it continues to face south. It is buffered from the intrusion of constant automobile traffic by a tall wooden fence (modern) and a screen of white pines on the west. A large front yard, defined by a chain link fence, and planted with mature weeping willows enhances privacy on the south. The setting of open fields to the north and east is substantially more compatible, providing a sense of the surrounding landscape during the period of significance. To the rear (N) the property abuts the White-Ellery House and an open field that is maintained in rough turf and edged by fieldstone walls and mature oaks.
A larger untended field provides the eastern border. Poplar Street, which runs behind (N) the two houses is an early to mid-20th century residential neighborhood Summary Evolution of the Property (see early 20th century and 1938 photos) The handsome and coherent appearance of the Babson-Alling property today results from three major periods of construction and remodeling. The gambrel roof house with its bold modillion cornice and massive central chimney is clearly a product of robust mid 18th century Georgian sensibilities. The east wing is either original or an early addition to the main block. (continued) NP8 Form10-000- 8-88) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Section number.
7 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page - During the Federal period fashionable entries with delicate fanlights and oval windows were aded to the south tacade and west elevation. At the same time, it appears that the landscap ras enhanced by creation of a low rise with granite retaining wall as a pedestal for the hous In the early 20th century, ca. 1930, a delicate Federal Revival portico was added to the main entry and the yard was planted with white pines (W) and weeping willows (S), presumably as screens to increased traffic and encroaching development. At about the same time, a utilitarian board fence along Washington Street was replaced with a more decorative scalloped-top fence (remnants), a secondary wall with balustrade was added in front of the foundation (removed), and a gazebo was erected southeast of the house (in place).
These complementary building and landscape features create a rich evolutionary overlay that illustrates the continuing history of the property. Current Appearance of the Landscape The main approach to the Babson-Alling House is from Washington Street (W) via an unpaved drive located immediately south of the barn. Leading to the west rear of the house, that drive is lined by a lilac hedge and enclosed by a wooden gate. A longer secondary drive, also unpaved, runs south from Poplar Street behind the White-Ellery House and the barn. The barn is sited between the two houses on the Washington Street (W) side. The 20,000 sq. ft. lot encompasses several landscape features that appear to have evolved during various periods in the property's history.
Like the architectural changes, they are complementary, and add substantially to the property's ability to reflect changing fashions and tastes over a two hundred year period. They also help to create an oasis of tranquillity that contributes strongly to the overall historic integrity of the property, helping to mitigate the intrusiveness of modern traffic patterns. The house now sits on a low rise defined by a granite block retaining wall which is a typical Federal period landscape device. The wall is broken in the center to allow three granite block steps to ascend laterally from the west (reoriented ca. 1930); three additional steps lead north to the entry portico with its now deteriorated base. The retaining wall extends eastward beyond the house to a small shingled shed with pyramidal roof (ca. 1930).
A fieldstone wall, which may date to an earlier period, continues eastward from the shed. A split rail fence of unknown date occupies the southeast corner of the front lawn area and extends northward to the stone wall that separates the Babson-Alling property from the Poplar Street field. Directly behind the house, fieldstone is replaced by finished granite blocks which seem to be a mid to late 19th century attempt to beautify the area immediately surrounding the house. The large front lawn is planted with mature willows and pines, and overgrown ornamental shrubs. (continued) (PS Form 10000a OMB Approvel No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet 7 3 Section number Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page - Current Appearance of the House The five by two bay house rises 2 and 1/2 stories from a high foundation of irregularly sized granite ashlar blocks, to an asphalt shingle gambrel roof with massive center chimney. The main block is extended by an early three story, three bay east wing that takes the set-back half-depth form that is characteristic of the North Shore and is commonly referred to as a Beverly jog. Two small one story gable roof ells frame the rear elevation. The entire building is sheathed with clapboard which was the original exterior material although individual elements have probably been replaced over time.
The main block is trimmed with narrow cornerboards and watertable, and a handsome boldly projecting modillion cornice on the front and rear elevations. Unless otherwise noted, windows are simply framed and contain 6/6 sash that date to the Federal period. The symmetrical five bay south facade is centered on a well-detailed entry that reflects three compatible periods of development. Historic photographs reveal a surround consisting of paneled pilasters carrying an entablature with fanlight below. Those extant details probably date to the Federal period occupancy of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Low Babson, and appear to be contemporary with many of the landscape refinements. The present delicate portico, with its swelled roof supported on slender paired Tuscan columns, is a well conceived Colonial Revival addition dated to the 1930s.
The double-leaf entry with its raised field panels may be original. Two windows frame the entry on each side while five second story windows, aligned with the first story openings, are framed into the cornice. The two bay west elevation, where the two driveways terminate, is focused on a slightly off- center secondary entry that also appears to date to the Federal period. In this case, the composition consists of an enclosed hip-roof porch detailed with paneled corner pilasters and oval windows on the side walls. The entry, with its six-panel Federal door, is approached by two granite block steps. Two windows are located on the north side of the entry and one on the south. Two windows light both the second and attic stories where their heads are aligned with the main cornice and roof break respectively.
The rear (N) half of the east elevation is entirely covered by a 2 and 1/2 story wing. The exposed front half of the elevation displays one window at each story; the attic window contains 12/12 sash that probably represents the original configuration. Not surprisingly, the design of the wing is more utilitarian than that of the main block, lacking its watertable and modillion cornice. The south facade of the wing contains a simply framed entry at the first story. It is approached by three granite steps and flanked by unequally sized and spaced windows. The second and attic stories are lit by single windows in the eastern bays. The (continued) (0PS Form 10000-a OMB Approvel No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet 7 4 Section number Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page - east elevation of the wing, with its half-gambrel profile, displays single windows at the upper stories, and a paired 20th century window at the first; the second story window contains 9/9 sash that probably represents the original configuration. The asymmetrical rear elevation encompasses both main block and wing which are aligned on the same plane. The first story is framed by two small, gabled, entry porches that contain windows on their north sides and doors on their west sides. The door of the westernmost porch is distinguished by four raised field panels, while the east porch contains a later door with five horizontal panels.
One window with 12/8 sash, that probably represents the original configuration, is located immediately west of the east porch. Four unevenly spaced windows light the second story. The primary outbuilding is a wood-shingled wood-frame barn sited near Washington Street between the Babson-Alling (SE) and White-Ellery (N) Houses. It rises from a fieldstone and granite block foundation to an asphalt shingle covered gable roof. Built into the side of a small hill, it is one story at the north gable end and two stories at the south. A sliding door is located on the east side, and a similar element has been removed from the south gable end Loading bays are located in both gables. One window retains a remnant of 2/2 sash which would indicate a construction date in the late 19th century if it is original.
Contributing Resources: 2 Buildings - Babson-Alling House and Barn 2 Structures - granite retaining wall and gazebo 1 Site - surrounding landscape Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the property, it is possible that sites are present. The physical characteristics of the property including its elevated level to moderately sloping, well drained location in close proximity to Annisquam River wetlands indicate favorable locational criteria for Native American subsistence and settlement activities. Four known prehistoric sites are also recorded in the general area (within one mile), all of which border Annisquam River wetlands. Given the above factors, historic landuse of the property and the small size (20,000 square feet) of the lot, a moderate potential exists for locating significant prehistoric survivals.
(continued) 10-08F0m 100004 OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Section number 7,8 Page 5,1 - Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts There is a high potential for locating significant historic archaeological remains on the property. Structural remains and/or construction features may survive from at least three major periods of construction and remodeling at the house since its construction in ca. 1740. Structural remains from outbuildings are also likely including barns, wood houses and storehouses. One barn is still extant between the Babson-Alling and White-Ellery houses, however, at least one other barn, destroyed by fire in 1908, was also present close to the house.
Occupational related features (trash pits, privies, wells) are also likely on the property. Nineteenth century deeds for the house note at least two outhouses no longer extant. Many of the resources described above and other landscape features on the parcel together constitute a mid-nineteenth century rural landscape preserved on the property. Reference cited Darvill, Timothy, Christopher Gerrard and Bill Startin 1993 Identifying and Protecting Historic Landscapes. Antiquity 67(256): 563-574. (end) 8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Located at Gloucester's original town center, the Babson-Alling House is one of the city's finest examples of mid-Georgian architecture. Historically, the property is associated with some of the city's leading businessmen and their families, and illustrates the changes in. Gloucester's maritime industry over the last 250 years.
The Babson-Alling House possesses integrity of location, design, materials, setting, and workmanship, and meets Criteria A and C for listing in the National Register on the local level. The period of significance for this property is ca. 1740-1945. The Babson-Alling House originally stood in a prestigious location on the Town Green, to the east of the original First Parish Meetinghouse. Its construction is generally attributed to either Joseph Allen or his son, William, ca. 1740 Joseph's father, also named Joseph Allen, was a blacksmith who had come to Gloucester in 1674 and settled in the Town Green area. The second Joseph (1681-1750) was "engaged in trade, and became a citizen of considerable distinction, taking an active part in town-affairs;" he also served as representative to the General Court for four years (Babson: 56). The parcel (continued) (OPS Form 10-000 OMB Approvel No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Sectlon number 8 2 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page - of land on which the Babson-Alling House now stands was purchased from Stephen Robenson by the second Joseph Allen ca. 1722-35. Several known deeds document the family's early maritime connections. One, a 1728 deed from Joseph Allen, trader, gives his son Joseph Allen one-third part "of the Good Scooner Called the Grahoune(,) Burthen Aboute Forty tons." The second, a deed from Joseph Allen, trader, to his son Joseph Allen, "shoresman," in 1731/32, gives the son use of "My Wharf that I Have Lying in the Harbor Joyning to Phelemon Warners Wharf & the Dock and flats Belonging to Sd.
Wharf." A third deed (dated 1733/34) describes the senior Joseph Allen as a merchant, and his son Joseph as a trader--both terms commonly associated with maritime pursuits during this period. Little is known of Joseph's son, William Allen, although he presumably continued "in trade" like his father. A reliable local history states that "William, born in 1717, built the large house east of the site of the old Meeting-house in Town (First) Parish, where he had a large family of children born to him... He removed to New Gloucester, Me., on the early settlement of that town," which began in 1742 (Babson: 56). Another source goes further, stating that "Col. William Allen, who married the daughter of Col. Osgood (Mrs. Mary Osgood of Andover, in 1745), lived in Gloucester during his early married life in a large house up in town... Here was born to him fourteen children.
About the year 1769 he removed to New Gloucester," where two more children were born. He is said to have died in 1780. (CAHA Scrapbook #43: p. 67) An early map with a list of residents indicates that William Allen was living here by 1741. In 1765 Col. William Allen, with his wife Mary, sold the Babson-Alling property as "the House I now live in with about three acres of Land adjoining to sd House... wch Land my late Father Joseph Allen Esq. bot of Stephen Robenson," along with a small wood house and store house between the dwelling and the meeting house, two-thirds of a tract of "Woods Pasture," and "a small Piece of mowing or planting Land" adjoining the Rev. John Roger's house (B. 113, P. 150). "Pens" in the attic are said to have been used by slaves of Col. Allen, who owned eight slaves while living in this house (Robert Babson Alling: 77). The ca.
1740 construction of such a substantial, high style house here is remarkable, since the Town Green was clearly losing its status as the economic, religious, and social center of Gloucester at that time. A new meeting house was built at the Harbor Village in 1738, and the old Meetinghouse Green area was relegated from First to Fourth Parish by legislative order in 1742. (continued) (0P8 Form 10000a OMB Approrel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Section number - 8 3 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page The Babson-Alling House was bought in 1765 by Isaac Smith, Esq., of Boston, an eminent merchant in the maritime trades and uncle of Mrs. Abigail Adams. "Mr.
Smith came into possession of the Beach Wharf (in Gloucester), and carried on the fishing business there several years; during which, he and his family spent much of their time in town. He fitted out seven schooners here for the Grand Bank in 1774; but soon afterwards the war came on, and put an end to his business operations in Gloucester. He died in Boston in 1787, aged sixty-eight; having sustained through life a high character for honesty, benevolence, and intelligence. John Hancock called him the most reliable man in Boston, and evinced his confidence in him by committing the most valuable portion of his property into his hands for safe keeping." (Babson: 372). In 1779, Isaac and Elizabeth Smith, said to be of Boston, sold the Babson-Alling property-- including the house, 3 acres of land adjoining, the wood house and store house, and the mowing or planting land-- to John Low, Jr.
(1754-1801) of Gloucester. A 1773 graduate of Harvard College, Low was also merchant, carrying on a fishing business on the Annisquam River. In 1775 and 1776 , John Low, Jr. is described as a 1st Lieutenant in the militia, for the defense of the sea coast. His father, John Sr. (1728-1796) was also engaged in the trade and fishing business on the Annisquam River and became "one of the most prominent citizens of his time" (Babson: 114). In the same year in which he purchased the Babson-Alling House (1779), Low also married Lucy Rogers, with whom he had eight children. Lucy (1760-1793) was the daughter of another wealthy and prominent Gloucester merchant, Daniel Rogers, and his wife Elizabeth Gorham Rogers. Following Lucy's death, John Low Jr. married Abigail Hall in 1795; they had no children. Probate records describe John Low Jr. as a merchant and captain.
His minor children Lucy and Eliza inherited their father's estate, with the Babson-Alling House eventually passing to Eliza Gorham Low (1786-1862). Eliza was married in 1809 to Captain Nathaniel Babson (1784-1836), who came from one of the oldest and most prominent of Gloucester's early families. Nathaniel Babson was a noted sea captain who made voyages to Scotland, Gilbralter, the Baltic region, and Russia. Among the vessels that he commanded were the sloops Fame and Columbus (the latter of which he was also the owner) and the schooner Charming Nancy. (continued) (OPS Form 10.000-a United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Section number 8 4 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page. With two of his brothers, Nathaniel also owned the schooner Marion.
Several of the letters he wrote to his wife from around the world have been preserved. After Babson retired from the sea, he farmed the estate that his wife had inherited from her father. Outside of his career as a merchant, Nathaniel Babson is also notable as one of seven founders of the Congregational Church (1829), where he served as a deacon until his death in 1836. After Eliza Low Babson's death in 1862, the Babson-Alling House passed to their six children, the youngest of whom, Gustavus (1820-1897) bought the property from his siblings and stayed on to work the farm. Although most of his brothers were seafarers like their father, Gustavus became a successful farmer, "blest with rare good judgment and a will to work... who would have made a success of anything he undertook" (Robert Babson Alling: 56-57).
At the time that Gustavus Babson bought the estate, it included the same premises purchased by his grandfather, John Low, Jr.- comprising a dwelling house and three adjoining acres of land, outhouses, barns, "a wood house or store house," and other buildings-- along with a substantial amount of separate, agricultural land. Gustavus Babson was married in 1845 to his first cousin, Susan Stanwood Low (1820-1880). Her father, David Low, was a brother of John Low, Jr. and a shipmaster to Northern Europe. Gustavus and Susan Low Babson had seven children, and the Babson-Alling House continued to pass down through the Babson family through the mid-20th century. Its residents included three of Gustavus and Susan's daughters: (1) Susan Babson (1852-1947), a teacher, writer, and active founding member of the Mass.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and of the Cape Ann Scientific, Literary, and Historical Association (now the Cape Ann Historical Association); (2) Ann Prentiss Babson Alling (b. 1858), who moved here after the death of her husband in 1894 and shared responsiblity for maintaining the homestead with her brother Nathaniel; and (3) Elizabeth Low Babson (1859-1892), an artist and prominent member of the Cape Ann Literary and Historical Association. Annie Babson Alling's daughter, Elizabeth L. Alling, also remained at the Babson-Alling House and was active in civic affairs. The Babson-Alling House is one of Gloucester's best preserved, high-style examples of Georgian architecture, both in its exterior detailing and its interior panelling. The design is particularly notable for its Georgian modillioned cornice, Federal period entryways, and Federal Revival front portico.
In 1934, the White Pine "Pencil Point Series"' -- a major (continued) (OP8 Form 10.000-a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 5 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts documentary source for Colonial architecture-- wrote that the house "contains one of the most beautiful all-paneled rooms in the State (and one of the two still remaining upon Cape Ann!) with a most interesting staircase." (Whitehead, ed.: 162) Little altered, this sophisticated Georgian building represents a carefully considered architectural evolution through the Colonial Revival period in the early 20th century.
A 20th century descendant's account of the homestead speculates that the original house probably had no ells and states that, upon his marriage, Gustavus Babson, Sr. added doorways between the front and back of the east end of the house on both floors, and partitioned the large back kitchen. The fireplace in the north kitchen became a parlor, and its large fireplace was reduced in size (Robert Babson Alling: 74) Of the outbuildings associated with the property, a large barn that was located close to the house was destroyed by fire in 1908. It was occupied by 10 cows, two horses, and a flock of hens (Robert Babson Alling: 78).
After Gustavus Sr.'s death, Annie Babson Alling shared responsibility for maintaining the estate with her brother, Nathaniel; "and since the latter's death she has been almost entirely responsible for the attractive surroundings of the house" (Robert Babson Alling: 60)-- probably including the gardens (which had been continuously planted since the early 19th century) and the Federal Revival portico on the main entrance. The setting for the Babson-Alling House has changed since its days as the town center, with a rotary for state highway Route 128 (built in the 1950s) now loosely substituting for the original town green. The acreage associated with the house has been reduced from three acres to less than half an acre, but adjacent open fields continue to give an impression reminiscent of its original, semi-rural setting.
Archaeological Significance Since patterns of prehistoric occupation in Gloucester are poorly understood, any surviving sites could be significant. Prehistoric sites in this area can help document the effects of sea level rise on Native American settlement and subsistence through time and the ways in which Native peoples adapted to that change. As a result of the property's location on Cape Ann and its proximity to ocean waters, prehistoric sites in this area may contain valuable information on fishery technologies, particularly towards the exploitation of more open water pelagic species including whales. Prehistoric sits in this area may also contain data relating to prehistoric tool technologies, particularly the extant to which local and regionally important (continued) (UPS Fom 10000a OMB Approvel No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet Sectlon number 8 6 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page. - volcanic complexes including the Lynn Volcanics complex were utilized on local sites. Historic archaeological remains described above have the potential to further document Gloucester's original town center, once known as the Green, which currently survives at this and one other location. Controlled testing and excavation can document the 18th through 20th century landuse of the property, much of which is no longer extant above ground. Construction features and stratigraphic profiles can further document the phases of construction and remodeling for the house and provide physical evidence of the town center or Green which no longer survives.
Detailed analysis of occupational related features can provide important social, cultural and economic data on inhabitants of the house including several slaves which lived there in the 18th century. Landscape features can also contribute important information towards the significance of the house. These features are important in interpreting the long-term development of the complex, including its current situation on a busy traffic rotary. A great deal of recent scholarship has focused on archaeological landscapes from a holistic perspective, one that takes into account diachronic landscape change as a factor in the development of layered landscapes (cf. Darvill et al. 1993).
Thus in addition to possessing the potential for significant archaeological resources from the eighteenth century, the house and yard can address questions regarding the importance of nineteenth-century landscape and filling as conscious efforts at presentation on the part of the house's occupants. (end) (APS Form 10000a United States Department of the Interlor Natlonal Park Service Natlonal Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Sectlon number 9 Page 1 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts - 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Alling, Robert Babson. Robert Babson Alling's Ancestors, Descendants, and Close Relations. Chicago: Privately printed, 1930 (revised 1959). Babson, John J. History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Ann. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1972. Bachelder, Joseiah.
Map of the town of Gloucester (copy), May 30, 1741 (at Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester) Cape Ann Historical Association. Scrapbook 11 (entitled "Buildings and Houses"): typed manuscript (n.d. or author) entitled "The Babson-Alling House;" Scrapbook, #43 (entitled "Scrap Book A; Old Houses and Landmarks and Obits."), p. 64, 67, 86 Cape Ann Historical Association, Vertical File: "Susan Babson;" Vertical File: "Allen-Low Deeds and Papers 1664-1729" Cape Ann Historical Association, typed manuscript referenced as from Elizabeth Alling, "History of CAHA & Babson Alling House," with Caroline Benham and J. B. Garland <sic>, 3/24/76. Essex County Registry of Deeds: B. 113, P. 150; B. 139, P. 54; B. 679, P. 232; et al. Finney-MacDougal, Catherine. The Babson Genealogy 1637-1977. Watertown, Mass.: Eaton Press, 1978. Gloucester Daily Times, 15 September 1947, obituary of Miss Susan Babson Mass.
Historical Commission. Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth. Hilbert & Woodford. Gloucester Narrative. 1985. Vital Records to 1849. Whitehead, Russell F. editor. The Monograph Series; Records ;of Early American Architecture As Source Material. Volume XX, Monographs Four and Five: "The Later Dwelling Architecture of Cape Ann, Parts I and II," August and October 1934. (end) (UPSFom 10000a Unlted States Department of the Interlor National Park Service National Register of Historlc Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Section number 10 1 Babson-Alling House Gloucester (Essex County) Massachusetts Page- 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Verbal Boundary Description: The nomination is confined to the current property lines. Refer to the attached assessors mai 15, parcel 33 Verbal Boundary Justification: The nomination is confined to the current property lines.
The Babson-Alling House was never part of a large farmstead. Agricultural activities took place on separate parcels in peripheral areas of Gloucester. Surrounding areas are now characterized by mid 20th century residential subdivisions and roadways including State Route 128 and rotary. (end) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET NOMINATION Babson--Alling House REQUESTED ACTION: PROPERTY NAME: MULTIPLE Gloucester MPS NAME: STATE & COUNTY: DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: MASSACHUSETTS, Essex 3/25/96 4/25/96 REFERENCE NUMBER: 96000472 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N OTHER: REQUEST: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N N SLR DRAFT: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : Intered in the lational Register.
DATE OF PENDING LIST: 4/09/96 DATE OF 45TH DAY: LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: NATIONAL: N N N RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE_ DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N 3-22 Gloucester 1193 Babsimn- Alling Babson-Allin/tuix 245 WashidmSt. ESSLXCo, Houcester, MA candaceJerkins 17 sladest., Belmnt, HA S facade and Eelevation Pacny NW 194 RLA 3-21 Gloueester 1193 Babson-Alling Babson-Allin House 245 WashinAmst. ESSLx CO, OTUCeStI, MA CandaceVenluns 1 Sadest., Belmont, MA sfacade laciry N 204 3-16 Gleriester 10193 Bubsen. Allikl Babson-Alld 1Htouse 245 Washinetn St. EssuxCo, Gloncester, MA candace Jenluns 17 Slade st, Belmont, MA ban lrany NE 3M4 3-20 Gloucester 11193 Babson-Allig Babsm-Alliy. eHoure 745 Washwstm St. Essux Co Ctoucestar, MA CandaceJealuns I7Slade St, Belmont, MA Slecade and Welevatin lally NE 4M4
Block