In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded half by the Sippican Historical Society and half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were cataloged and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).
Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. The Sippican Historical Society will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
Surrounded by fieldstone walls, the shingle-style houses at 4 and 8 Water Street originally constituted a single large residence that was built in the 1890s for Frederick Cutler. Still substantial as separate houses, their designs exhibit characteristics of Medieval, Revival, and Craftsman style. These asymmetrical, wood shingle-sheathed houses are characterized by multiple gables, tall corbeled brick chimneys, and projecting and recessed porches.
