Daytrips in the Boston Area

Boston College. Color slides copyright Prof. Jeffery Howe.

Day Trips in the Boston Area

This is a list of noteworthy architectural monuments from the 17th to the 20th century which are easily accessible from Boston.

Maps on the www - helpful for directions to the sites

17TH CENTURY:

The Parson Capen House, Topsfield, MA, 1683.

The Old Ship Church, Hingham, MA, 1681.

The House of the Seven Gables (The Turner House), Salem, 1664.

54 Turner St. Several other well preserved 17th century houses; map available at information center near Pickering Wharf.

Pioneer Village, Salem: a reconstruction of some of the earliest structures built at Salem, such as English wigwams and dugouts from the 1620s.

Plimouth Plantation, Plymouth, MA: A reconstruction of early colony at Plymouth, with accurate architectural detail; inhabited by guides dressed in period costume.

Saugus Iron Works, Saugus, MA: A reconstruction of a 17th century ironworks, including ironworks house (1646), blacksmith shop, forge and mills. 244 Central St., Saugus.

Rebecca Nurse Farm, 149 Pine St., Danvers, MA. Farm belonging to one of the women accused in the Salem witch trials.

Scotch-Boardman House, 1687, 17 Howard St., Saugus. Open by appointment only through the SPNEA (Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities).

18TH CENTURY:

Deerfield, MA (two hours from Boston): Numerous well-preserved and accurately restored 18th century houses in a beautiful setting in the Connecticut River valley.

Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, N.H.: A restored colonial settlement; two outstanding 18th century houses are nearby: The MacPhaedris-Warner House (1718-23), and the Wentworth-Gardner House (1760).

Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. Several distinguished 18th century houses, including the Longfellow House (John J. Vassall House) (1759).

The Isaac Royall House, 15 George St., Medford, MA, 1733-37/1747-50.

Marblehead, MA. Several distinguished 18th century houses, including the Robert King Hooper house (1768) and the Jeremiah Lee house (1768).

Newport, R.I.: Several important buildings by Peter Harrison, one of the first significant American architects, including: The Brick Market (1760), The Redwood Library (1748), and the Touro Synagogue (1755). Other good examples of 18th century architecture are nearby as well.

19TH CENTURY:

The Federalist Period:

Meeting House, Lancaster, MA, 1815. (One hour from Boston). This meeting house is regarded as Charles Bulfinch's masterpiece.

Salem, MA. The Gardner-Pingree House (Essex Institute), 1804. A notable house by Samuel MacIntyre.

Victorian Gothic:

Kennebunkport, Me.: (Two hours from Boston) An extraordinary grouping of mid-19th century residential architecture, including the fanciful "Wedding-Cake House" by George Bourne of c. 1850.

Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA. Memorial Hall, by William Ware and Henry Van Brunt, 1871-78. One of the masterpieces of High Victorian Gothic.

Richardsonian Romanesque:

North Easton, Ma (one hour from Boston): A cluster of buildings constructed by H.H. Richardson for the Ames family. Buildings include: The Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (1879-81), the Oliver Ames Free Library (1877), the Ames Gate Lodge (1881), and the Railroad station (1880). Maps available at the R.R. station, which is now a historical center.

The Crane Memorial Library, Quincy, MA, 1882-3. A very important library by H.H. Richardson.

The Winn Memorial Library, Woburn, MA, 1878. An early library by Richardson, rich with carved detail.

Palaces of the Gilded Age:

Newport, R.I.: Numerous eclectic palaces in a spectacular setting overlooking the ocean. Among the most notable is The Breakers, built for Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1892-96 by Richard Morris Hunt.

Early Industrial Sites; The "Corporate Style:"

Waltham, MA. early mill complex; John Cabot Lowell built his 1st mill here in 1815.

Lowell, MA. National Historic Site; Mill tours now given by the National Parks Service. Site rich in industrial archaeology.

Harrisville, N.H.: extremely well preserved group of mid-19th c. mills, still retaining public buildings & housing built by the mill owners. Beautiful site near Mt. Monadnock.

20TH CENTURY:

The Walter Gropius House (1937), by W. Gropius and Marcel Breuer, Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, MA (Near Walden Pond)

Exeter, N.H.: Library for the Philips-Exeter Academy, by Louis Kahn, 1972.

Portland, ME.: Portland Museum of Art, by Henry Cobb, 1983.

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