James, Capt. Benjamin, House

The early eighteenth century Captain Benjamin James House faces south towards the tidal flats of First Herring Brook and the North River. gentle knoll which rises northward from the tidal flats. To the south and east are i tot ae 1o ine soune ant can t . undeveloped marshlands along the waterway which provide a dramatic panorama from the James House. The house is situated approximately 130 feet south of the Driftway, a heavily travelled two- lane route, and is reached by an unpaved drive. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Driftway passed to the south of the James House so that its facade was visible from the road. Today, with the Driftway rerouted, its rear elevation faces the street.

To the north of the Driftway, located at the edge of a landfull site is an undeveloped wooded hillside which is the last remnants of the Colman Hills, a major toogaphical feature of Scituate. To the west of the property line approximately 60 feet is a small two-story house, built for the present owner!s children, which is not considered to contribute to the historic character of the James House. It is unobtrusive in design and situated at a lower gradé to preclude intrusion upon the major views of the James House from the tidal flats and the Driftway. The nominated property consists of one acre of land and the early 18th century farmhouse.

At present there are no original outbuildings on the site, although at one time a barn was located in the northern section of the property where the Driftway now stands. The land surrounding the house is planted with grass and occasional flowering trees. Mature foundation plantings along the front and side elevations donsists of low evergreen shrubs.

/Architect unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Captain Benjamin James House possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship and has associations with the 17th century development of Scituate and with the town's efforts to eliminate the dreaded smallpox disease in the 18th century. The house is a fine example of the community's early architecture and thus meets criteria A and c of the National Register of Historic Places. The early history of Scituate dates from c 1626 when a group of Englishmen commonly referred to today as the "Men of Kent" established a settlement here.

The natural protection of the four cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean made it relatively safe from attack, and the North River provided access to the extensive pine andooak forests of the interior; thus, here was a safe and convenient location to start a shipbuilding industry and establish a center for coastal trade. The homes of the earliest settlers were primarily on Kent Street, the Main north/ south axis west of thewaterfront. By 1639, the colony had become the most populous in the area, with development extending around the central hills and west to Greenbush and southward to the North River. The original Driftway was laid out in the 1620s as the east/west route which connected Kent Street to Greenbush, where several early mills were located.

The land on which the Captain Benjamin James House was built was part of the parcel originally granted to John Hanmer, one of the Men of Kent. Hanmer's land lying to the southwest of Kent Street was the most remote from the original Kent Street settlement. Not until after King Philips War in 1675 did the areas beyond the original settlement became safe for development.