SWAMPSCOTT — An anonymous donor has given $50,000 to Save the Glover! Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to help preserve the historic General Glover Farmhouse that borders the communities of Marblehead, Salem, and Swampscott.
Historical Commission Chair Nancy Schultz noted that the donor also promised to provide the nonprofit with another $50,000 next year.
“This anonymous donor was seeing all of our posts and following our story. They approached us and said they desired to make a large donation,” Schultz explained. “I think all the publicity, media attention, and the focus on the property has resulted in us getting the funds.”
She said the nonprofit is an independent organization that includes members from Marblehead, Nahant, and Swampscott. The organization has filed its articles of incorporation and is awaiting final approval from the federal government, though it opened its own bank account to receive donations.
“The idea is that the nonprofit is dedicated to preservation work, and the Glover Farmhouse is our first project. We see this as a more permanent organization for Swampscott, Marblehead, and the surrounding towns to help with historic preservation going forward,” she said. “We’re working hard to raise the money.”
Schultz continued, saying the Historical Commission has been working with National Development, a real estate developer that’s looking to build more than 100 units of housing on the land around the farmhouse. The company has given the Commission a deadline to raise $2 million to refurbish it within the next 24 months. She said if the funds are raised in time, the property will be allowed to remain on the site.
She added that raising enough money is both an opportunity and a challenge, but she feels confident that it can be done.
“I was very thrilled and touched when I first heard about the donation. People are understanding how important the farmhouse is, with the country’s 250th anniversary coming upon us, and everyone watching Ken Burns’ documentary ‘The American Revolution’… It’s a strong show of support of the deep importance of preserving his historic home,” Schultz said.
Schultz noted that the documentary by Burns featured the farmhouse in one of its episodes. Later on, he sent a handwritten note to the Commission in support of preserving it.
Vice President of Save the Glover! Inc. Ed Nilsson said that the donation is an act of faith that shows how important the project is to the public.
Save the Glover! Inc. Board member Judy Anderson, of Marblehead Architecture Heritage, said, “Not only is General Glover’s Farmhouse exceptional as the earliest dwelling in formerly rural Swampscott, but it is a unique and extraordinary complement to the incomparably rich 18th-century architectural heritage of neighboring Marblehead, where the refined home of the very determined cordwainer-turned-merchant and future heroic Revolutionary Colonel then General and his family still stands as well.
“In this 250th anniversary year, it is hoped that both the Marblehead and Swampscott communities will rally to help save this notable survival by donating as much as they can at this opportune time toward providing the substantial funds needed to keep the farmhouse standing safely, and ultimately renovated. It adds a fascinating aspect to this exceptional man’s compelling story.”
