MARBLEHEAD — When two historic houses in Marblehead and Swampscott were in danger of being demolished, the municipalities immediately took action in an attempt to preserve them. The Gen. John Glover Farmhouse and Samuel Pitman House both reside primarily on Swampscott territory, however the Glover Farmhouse is partially over the Marblehead border.
Former Commanding Officer of Glover’s Marblehead Regiment Bob Erbetta explained the historical significance Glover and the property have to the town.
“Marblehead’s Gen. Glover has been recognized by most American historians as the three-time savior of Washington’s Continental Army and Americans’ efforts for independence from British rule,” Erbetta explained. “Glover also supplied the first armed American naval vessel commissioned by General Washington. The property was originally owned by William Browne of Salem, a Loyalist who was banished from Massachusetts in 1778. The confiscated property was sold to Gen. Glover in 1781 by the Massachusetts state government.”
A demolition request was sent and approved by both towns earlier this year to replace the Glover Farmhouse with the new “Glover residences.” Swampscott Historical Commission Chair Nancy Schulz was then notified due to the property’s historical background.
“When there’s a request for a demolition for a building that’s more than 75 years old, the building commission sends it to the Swampscott Historical Commission. We are charged with determining whether or not that building is historically significant or if someone historically significant lived there,” Schultz said.
The commission deemed the property historically significant virtually immediately. It was also able to determine the physical structure of the farmhouse was salvageable. On April 20, it imposed a nine-month demolition delay on the project in order to negotiate with property developer Leggat McCall.
“Since then we’ve been working and meeting with the developer to see if they’re willing to change their design,” Schultz said. “If they can alter one building by 70 feet either by slightly moving it back or changing the north face of it, we can preserve the Glover House in place.”
There are two sections of the property Schultz is most concerned with saving due to their untouched state. One is the front main entrance and the other is toward the rear of the structure.
“Those two parts we think are the original parts of the farmhouse that date to 1750 and that’s what we are attempting to preserve,” Schultz said.
At this point, the new “Glover residences” are bound to be constructed. However, for the commission, it is about reaching a compromise with Leggat McCall to preserve the building alongside the new developments. Schultz is preparing to meet with the developer in the coming weeks with a calculated estimate of how much it would cost to preserve the building and incorporate it into the new site. As of press time, Leggat McCall was unable to be reached for comment.
Glover’s Marblehead Regiment member Larry Sands is preparing a talk on John Glover on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Swampscott Public Library in an effort to raise historical awareness of what Glover means to the region.
