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.
The shingle-style home at 1 Water Street was built in the early 1890s as a summer residence for George P. Hamlin. Together with his brother, Edward Hamlin, who built a summer residence at 23 Water Street, they owned the Metropolitan Coal Company in Boston. They were cousins of Abraham Lincoln’s vice president, Hannibal Hamlin, of Bangor, Maine. This waterfront home was designed by the Boston architect William Gibbons Preston. Preston also designed the Museum of Natural History on Berkeley Street in Boston, the first Massachusetts Institute of Technology building (later demolished), and the Hotel Vendome in Boston. He also designed the home at 75 Water Street, along with commissions for Tabor Academy, the Music Hall, and the Congregational Church.
