BlockBefore
Photograph of Captain Daniel Bradford House
Photograph by John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Bradford, Captain Daniel, House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Captain Daniel Bradford House is a historic house in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The wood-frame house was built in 1808 by Captaian Daniel Bradford, on land belonging to his father, Colonel Gamaliel Bradford.”

Wikipedia article Captain Daniel Bradford House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 93 National Register listings in Plymouth County · listed in 1986 · category: Building · one of 1 National Historic Landmarks in Plymouth County.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 251 Harrison St., Duxbury, 02332
  • When was it listed? 1986-02-20
  • Category. building
  • Township. Duxbury town
  • Architectural style. Federal architecture
  • National Register reference number. 86000301 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

2,078 words

The chapter on Duxbury Town in Historic Duxbury in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, published 1910 names Duxbury. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

These notes should be added here, - Mr. Kent was colleague to Dr. Allyn, but was to all intents pastor from 1826 to 1833, the former being the greater part of this time incapacitated. Mr. Knapp fully supplied the pulpit a number of years before Mr. Moore's death, coming over from Plymouth, where he had a private school, as Mr. Moore became too enfeebled to officiate. After the hitter's death, Mr. knapp continued to fill it, until the society could decide upon a resident minister. This was done in 1882 by the settlement of Mr. Burr. It is a curious fact that in this long list of ministers only three are buried in the town, to any one's knowledge, these being Mr. Wisewall, Dr. Allyn and Mr. Moore. To the first there is a stone in the old burial ground, the second in age within the enclosure, bearing the date of 1700. It is of some significance to the religious inquirer to learn that all the colonial churches of the Old Colony but one turned Unitarian when that movement began early in the last century, namely: Plymouth, Duxbury, Scituate, Cohasset and Hingham, the exception being Marshfield.

Passage source: Historic Duxbury in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, published 1910.

A character almost totally unlike the preceding, but which may be thought scarcely less interesting, is that of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Bailey began his life, not as the others in the Old Colony, but among the vine-clad hills of France, and in the French colonies, where he lived until after the Battle of Waterloo, in which he participated as one of Napoleon's officers. Later he came here and settled at the cross-roads, where Tremont, Chestnut, Evergreen and Tobey Garden Streets meet; and this place has since been called Bailey's Corner. He lived in the house now owned by Mr. James H. Peterson, where he brought up a large family of attractive daughters, and a son who now lives in an adjoining house. The latter preserves the sword that was on the world's eventful battlefield of Waterloo, where his father received a saber cut on his head, necessitating the trepanning of his skull and the insertion of a piece of silver, a surgical operation that could not, at that time, have been long practiced. Mr. Bailey's life in Duxbury was as quiet as it had formerly been eventful. He was a cigar-maker by occupation, and carrying his wares to Boston by vehicle must have been his most exciting diversion. He died at his home in 1864.

Passage source: Historic Duxbury in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, published 1910.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Duxbury Town - 2,078 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

176 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 176 fires within 5 miles of Bradford, Captain Daniel, House between 2015 and 2020, burning about 62 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning106
Missing data/not specified/undetermined49
Misuse of fire by a minor11
Arson/incendiarism3
Recreation and ceremony2
Smoking2
Natural1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 September 2015Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMARSHFIELD
6 September 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMARSHFIELD
6 September 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMARSHFIELD
5 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlMARSHFIELD
4 September 2018Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Every fire recorded in Plymouth County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,498 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,498 specimens collected within 10 miles of Bradford, Captain Daniel, House between 1816 and 1975: 936 Animalia, 267 Plantae, 153 Fungi, 100 Unrecorded, 28 Chromista, 14 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by -- Russell, A., A. C. Mathieson and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Taphrina Fr., 1815Taphrina Fr., 18151900Seymour, Arthur BlissPlymouth Woods, Mass. [Massachusetts]
Specimen of Trientalis borealis Raf.Trientalis borealis Raf.1900not recorded
A photograph of the species Sparganium L., not of this specimenSparganium L.1816Boott, J.W.Plymouth, Mass.ts.
A photograph of the species Myriophyllum humile, not of this specimenMyriophyllum humile (Raf.) Morong1838W Oakes
A photograph of the species Utricularia cornuta, not of this specimenUtricularia cornuta Michx.1840NonePlymouth
Carex stellata Mack.1842Collector unspecified[Half May Pond], Plymouth.
A photograph of the species Pseudevernia consocians, not of this specimenPseudevernia consocians (Vainio) Hale & W.L.Culb.1849-- RussellKingston
A photograph of the species Baptisia tinctoria, not of this specimenBaptisia tinctoria (L.) R.Br.1853not recorded
A photograph of the species Coreopsis rosea, not of this specimenCoreopsis rosea Nutt.1855J. Blake
A photograph of the species Ionactis linariifolia, not of this specimenIonactis linariifolia (L.) Greene1855not recorded
Phylloporus rhodoxanthus (Schwein.) Bres.1899Dr. Hallock
Russula crustosa Peck, 18871899Dr. Hallock

All 1,498 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Bradford, Captain Daniel, House: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
South River Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
South River Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Plymouth County

Storms near this property

14 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Duxbury, the town this property stands in, in 14 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 8 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2011Thunderstorm WindDuxbury$30,000Multiple trees on Standish Road and Chestnut Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. One of these trees fell onto a house.
February 2016Thunderstorm WindDuxbury$10,000A tree was downed onto a house. Wires were downed onto a school bus on Evergreen Street in Duxbury.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindDuxbury$10,000Trees on Franklin and Union Streets were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2022LightningDuxbury$5,000In Duxbury, a lightning strike started a house fire.
February 2016Thunderstorm WindNorth Duxbury$5,000A tree was downed onto a house in Marshfield.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDuxbury$5,000A tree on Spruce Lane was downed onto wires by thunderstorm winds.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindWest Duxbury$1,000In Pembroke several trees were downed.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWest Duxbury$500In Duxbury, a tree was down on Birch St one half mile from Rt 53.
May 2009HailDuxbury-Half dollar size hail fell on Route 3 near Wellington Lane.
May 2009HailDuxbury-Two inch diameter hail fell along Route 3 near Wellington Lane.
May 2009HailDuxbury-Quarter to golfball sized hail fell in Duxbury.
August 2003HailDuxbury-no account filed
May 2000LightningDuxbury-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindDuxbury-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Plymouth County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

4,235 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Statement of significance

/Architect unknown Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Daniel Bradford House, Duxbury, retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Architecturally, the Bradford House is distinguished as a particularly well-executed and well-preserved building in the Federal style. The house holds historical significance for its associations with early 19th century Duxbury during its brief yet intense period of substantial growth and prosperity as a maritime community. The building is also significant as the home of Daniel Bradford and,later, Jacob and Moxon Smith, all Duxbury shipmasters and sea captains. It thus fulfills Criteria A, B, and C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local level.

By the late 18th century, Duxbury was expanding rapidly, changing from the farming and milling offshoot of nearby Plymouth that it had been for much of its earliest settlement period (incorporated 1637) into a substantial and self-sufficient maritime community. Duxbury's coastal location and fine, smal1 harbor made the development of maritime activities almost inevitable in the town, and indeed, by the close of the century, a well-organized shipbuilding industry had been established. Along with other Massachusetts' coastal communities, Duxbury experienced an intense period of sea-related growth between ca. 1780 and ca. 1840.

In common with such smaller maritime centers as Beverly, Gloucester, Marshfield, Plymouth, Kingston and New Bedford, Duxbury experienced rapid growth in the Federal period. In contrast to most of these communities, Duxbury's economy evolved solely as a result of shipbuilding. Relative to the great Massachusetts' shipbuilding center at Newburyport, South Shore shipbuilding, concentrated at the North River in Marshfield and on Plymouth Bay at Duxbury, Plymouth and Kingston, constituted a more modest enterprise.

Read the complete 4,235-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 4,235 words, 21 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 86000301, 21 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Bradford, Capt. Gershom, House0.2 miles1978
Bradford, Capt. Gamaliel, House0.2 miles1978
First Parish Church0.5 miles1978
Wright Memorial Library0.7 miles2007
Pillsbury Summer House1.1 miles2004
King Caesar House1.2 miles1978

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 86000301 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Plymouth CountyAll 93 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.