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. In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. Over 100 were cataloged and photographed. SHS will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This installment features 73 Pleasant Street. The home at 73 Pleasant Street was built in 1790 for a member of the Handy family. From the late 18th century to the early 1900s, Pleasant Street north of Pitcher Street was essentially a Handy neighborhood with a number of dwellings in this area associated with this family. In the mid-19th century, carpenter Pardon Handy owned this cottage. By the late 1870s, James W. Blankinship, a mariner, lived here. He enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. By the early 1900s, this house had been inherited by Blankinship’s widow, Sussannah. Later, Lucy A. Blankinship, a clerk, lived here.
