Saving the historic final home of an American military hero
Overview
The historic General Glover Farmhouse has stood for over 250 years and is now at risk of being demolished. It was the final home of Revolutionary War hero, General John Glover, someone who helped found the American Navy, and the leader of the regiment that helped determine the outcome of our nations independence. The historic house sits on a uniquely shared historic site in Swampscott, Marblehead, and Salem, Massachusetts, and has been an important contribution to the history of all three communities for centuries.
Several historic organizations in these communities are working together to help save this historically significant house from demolition to make room for a residential development. A survey of the house by a historic building structural engineer determined that the house can be saved and restored.
Community support is needed to preserve the original 1700s portion of the house that General John Glover and his family lived in. It is the hope that through various preservation grants and fundraising efforts, the house can be saved and restored for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026. This will give the house that many have dismissed and forgotten the recognition it deserves, by preserving the nationally significant home of General John Glover and honoring his legacy.
CONTACT & HOW TO HELP
Like any preservation effort to save a historic building, community support is its greatest asset. Reach out to local, state, national representatives, preservation and military history organizations, and make them aware of the potential loss of this historically significant house.
Fundraising efforts are also important, in which donations go to historic surveys and documentation, stabilization, and restoration efforts to save the house for future generations. Donations can be made at the link below:
Donations can also be sent to:
Save the Glover
PO Box 605
Swampscott, MA 01907
Checks made out to:
Glover's Marblehead Regiment, Inc.
Please write "Glover Farmhouse" in the memo line
Volunteering and donating services is also greatly appreciated to make this preservation effort successful.
Send Questions and Comments here: contact@savetheglover.org
For more updates follow the: Save The Glover Facebook page
WHY THE HOUSE IS IMPORTANT
& WHAT WILL BE LOST
The Glover Farmhouse and site is historically significant, both on the local and national level, with a history spanning the last 250 years:
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Inhabited from the end of the Revolution until his death in 1797 by American military hero General John Glover, who helped organize the first American Navy, hero of the Battle of Long Island, rowed General George Washington’s Continental Army across the Delaware River, and leader of one of the first integrated regiments in the American Revolution.
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The house itself is directly connected to the politics of the American Revolution, having been seized by the Massachusetts government due to policies established during the war.
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Prior to the American Revolution, the house was owned by local and international figure William Browne: Salem militia leader, Massachusetts judge, and Royal Governor of Bermuda.
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Architecturally one of the oldest houses in Swampscott, and one of the few surviving that was built in the 1700s in the town.
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One of the last intact 18th and 19th century farm properties in the towns of Swampscott and Marblehead
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An important local gathering spot and hospitality institution in the 20th century as a historic inn, owned by A.E. Little, founder of Sorosis Shoes, and later a restaurant owned by Anthony Athanas, contributing to the more recent cultural heritage and community history.
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An area that has been occupied by indigenous groups and colonists for over 400 years. It sits on one of the first colonial roads, and is a potentially important archaeological site.
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Eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places under multiple criteria, and designated a National Historic Landmark.
Despite these multiple points of historical significance connecting the house to local, state, and United States history, the Glover House is scheduled to be demolished in 2024.
"By his courage, energy, military talents and patriotism, he secured the confidence of Washington,
and the gratitude of his country"
-Excerpt from the John Glover statue in Boston
Read more about the Glover House on the state inventory of historic places of the Massachusetts Historical Commission
OPTIONS TO SAVE THE HOUSE
The scenarios explored for the future of the house have precedents in other communities. The scenarios that have been explored are:
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Preserve in place: with a slight redesign to the proposed plan, the Glover House could be integrated into the site design of the new housing development. This would preserve the historic integrity of the site, being in the same location as John Glover himself experienced it, and which it has been a feature on for over 250 years. This would not only be the preferred option, but the most financially practical, and allow the house to be a historic centerpiece bridging the past and future site, enhancing the new development. This has been proposed to the future owner, but has yet to be accepted.
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Move the house: relocate to another location on site, or adjacent site location.
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Disassemble the house: take apart the house and store until a new location can be found.
Views of site today at 299 Salem Street, Swampscott, MA, highlighting the footprint of the historic Glover House that should be saved, followed by a diagram of approximate location of the 1700s Glover House in relation to the proposed development.
PRESS
General Glover and the preservation effort to save his historic home is featured in the spring issue of the history, travel, and American Culture magazine American Heritage. Read the articles below:
Articles:
