In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued 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 preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This installment features 72 Pleasant Street. The home at 72 Pleasant Street evolved from a one-room schoolhouse built in 1814. It was one of the first non-graded schools in Wharf Village and was reportedly very crowded. Children as young as four years old would sit next to grown-up boys on benches that held three people. The school year ran from December 1 to March 1 so the children could work the rest of the year to help their families.
