SWAMPSCOTT — The Historical Commission voted unanimously on a final determination to designate the General Glover Farmhouse as a historically significant site, with another nine-month demolition delay enacted once again with the hope of preserving the house.
Historical Commission Chair Nancy Schultz began Monday night’s meeting by giving a bit of background on the latest developments regarding the site.
“On July 21, the owner filed for a demolition request for the General Glover Farmhouse. The Commission was informed on July 24… It held its initial determination on Sept. 4 and found the building to be historically significant,” Schultz said. “As per our bylaws, within 45 days, we held a public hearing on Oct. 16, and we did the due notifications as outlined in the bylaw.”
Schultz noted that, per the bylaws, the Commission had 10 days to come to a final determination on the matter.
“We are here tonight to make a final determination whether the demolition of the General Glover Farmhouse would be detrimental to the architectural, cultural, political, or economic-social heritage of Swampscott. If that is the case, such a building shall be considered as preferably preserved,” Schultz added.
Commission Secretary Brad Graham noted that “everyone who spoke (at the public hearing) was in favor of our finding of historical significance, and nobody spoke in opposition.”
“In my view, the hearing just confirmed our findings and raised no issues with it… In terms of what we needed for the public, for this final determination, I think this was it,” Graham said.
Commission member Richard Smith said he saw “a lot of enthusiasm and energy out there in the community that could be harnessed to advance the effort to find the funding and make the (refurbished) house a reality.”
That sentiment was shared by Commission member Mary Shapiro, who said she was encouraged by comments from the public on previous endeavors to save historic sites in town.
“I’m encouraged that we could put together a team of people who could really help us achieve this goal,” Shapiro said.
Vice Chair Jonathan Leamon said, “I think what resonated with so many people was that we have so much more information because of the research done in the United States and outside it… I think that’s really what resonates with people.”
Schultz spoke with The Item Tuesday morning, and she went into what the next possible steps for the Commission will be.
“We will be notifying the parties involved per our bylaws, and we will have nine months to make this happen, launching an aggressive fundraising and funding campaign to get the word out as widely as possible,” she said.
She continued, “We (the Commission) will be opening a donation account with the Town, and we’ve written some preliminary documents.”
She also added that the language has to be vetted by entities such as the town clerk and the Town’s legal counsel.
“I think with these nine months that we have here, it’s imperative that we move forward on multiple fronts if we are to be successful in saving this house for — and following — the celebration of American Independence in July 2026,” Schultz said.