SWAMPSCOTT — The Swampscott Historical Commission identifies, protects, and preserves the historic resources and heritage of the Town, identifying buildings and properties that are a part of the historical narrative and fabric.
In the last year, the Commission endeavored to use some of its 2024/25 budget to document a portion of the Railroad neighborhood in town, an important 19th century section that is understudied in the town’s history. The budget money paid for research of 15 properties, and the filing of resulting reports with the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, which is managed by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The property research, including deeds, atlases, census records, and more, were compiled into a Form B report, submitted to the MHC, and is now inventoried in the MACRIS database.
Background on this endeavor started with the 2023 demolition of 35 Pitman Road, which after thorough research had dated the house back to the late 18th century. The Commission was able to identify Pitman Road as one of only a handful of similar period homes known left standing. The Commission discovered that this house pre-dated the incorporation of the town in 1852. When the town lost the Pitman farmhouse, it prompted the Commission to explore the area around the Train Depot further.
Starting with the 1856 Atlas of Swampscott, it showed a primary concentration of buildings followed Burrill Street from the Train Depot down to Humphrey Street, and then to Blaney Beach area. It was apparent that, with the arrival of the Boston and Maine Railroad, the population of Swampscott and number of buildings grew, connecting the railroad to the coastline. From public record built dates, a list of properties was created starting from Burrill Street at the “Civic Center” and up Burrill, including Rock Avenue, Boynton Street, Pine Street, Railroad Avenue, and properties around Essex Street. A number of properties had a common architectural detail: double Gothic style gables, including at 9 and 11 Boynton St., another property recently lost to demolition. The original list started with more than 100 properties; it was scaled back to 24, focusing on the oldest public record built dates. Ultimately, the list was scaled down again to 15, based on available budget.
The Commission recently printed the completed reports and mailed them to each of the respective homeowners, telling the interesting story of their property history. The research was fully funded by the Commission and shared with the homeowners.
Homeowners were invited to apply for a historic house plaque, as part of the Commission’s Historic House Research and Plaque Program. The program helps fund preservation minded projects, including the property inventories. Annually, the Commission offers opportunities to the community to request a research report and plaque for a Commission negotiated fee with its vendors. The application can be found on the town website on the Historical Commission’s pages.
For further information on the Railroad Neighborhood research effort, or the Commission’s Historic Plaque Program, contact Justina Oliver at [email protected].
