Historic 1699 Winslow House
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The historic 1699 Winslow House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the ancestral home of the founding family of Marshfield and was considered an avant-garde South Shore mansion. Built by Judge Isaac Winslow, grandson of Mayflower passenger and three-time governor of Plymouth Colony Edward Winslow, the house is an example of Marshfield’s historic past. Virtually untouched by modernization, it was occupied by a family of governors, generals, doctors, lawyers and judges who helped to create Marshfield and the South Shore as we know it.
It survives as an example of how some well-to-do landed gentry, particularly those loyal to the King, lived in the years prior to the American Revolutionary War. A tour of the home shows antiques and architecture from the Winslow period, and includes items such as a chest built by Newburyport furniture maker Edmond Titcomb in 1700, and a Queen Anne dresser constructed around 1760. The house remained in the Winslow family until 1822, and was later owned by Daniel Webster. It was restored and opened to the public in 1920.
Among its occupants were General John Winslow, leader of the Massachusetts militia who is best known for his role in the evacuation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia—an event commemorated by Longfellow in his epic poem Evangeline. His son, Isaac Winslow, was a Loyalist doctor who quarantined and inoculated many Marshfield and Duxbury residents afflicted with smallpox. Largely because of his actions, his property was not confiscated after the Revolution. Another notable occupant was the manservant Britton Hammon, who after his voyages at sea, capture by Indians off the coast of Florida, subsequent escape and reconciliation with former master John Winslow, wrote his life story—becoming perhaps the first African-American to have published his work in the New World. It was in the Winslow House that generations of Winslow children grew up and became the influences on Marshfield society that they were.
While visiting the Winslow House, a visitor can also view the Daniel Webster Law Office—a building on the National Register which contains original letters and artifacts relating to the former congressman, Senator and Secretary of State who lived in Marshfield for the last twenty years of his life. Also on the grounds is a carriage shed housing Webster’s one-horse phaeton, as well as Marshfield’s own Concord Coach once used to transport passengers from Marshfield to Hingham, and a brougham formerly owned by a railroad magnate. A working Blacksmith Shop is on site and has been a favorite spot for many Marshfield school children on field trips to the House. Across the street is the 1857 Winslow Schoolhouse, and it shows how a school day would have been conducted prior to the American Civil War. The Tea Room, built in the 1920's to serve dinners used to raise money for the Winslow House restoration, is still in use for functions, lectures, field trips and dinners and can be rented out by approved private parties for their own events.
Beginning in 1920, the Winslow House has been the property of the Winslow House Association, a non-profit group created specifically to promote and sustain the long-term well-being of the home. Three men—Edward Chandler Ford, John Harris Gutterson, and Edgar Sherrill—began the Winslow House Association and notes from the Marshfield Historical Society list that on October 2, 1920, the Society met at the “Historic Winslow House” by invitation of the Winslow Associates.
This new Association undertook the restoration of the House in the early 1920’s. A significant portion of the original house was carefully preserved—in fact, nearly the entire House is original to the Colonial and Georgian architectural periods. The only electricity in the House are the recent additions for the security and humidification systems—a byproduct of an over 300-year old structure.
The Winslow House is one of the few extant homes in America that was owned by a Loyalist family that was not confiscated during the American Revolutionary War.
It is the stated mission of the Winslow House Association that the House is to be interpreted from a period of 1699 to 1853, which encompasses the years in which the Winslow’s dwelled in it and also includes the years in which the House was owned by Daniel Webster. To that end, acquisitions of artifacts and documents that will add to the collection are and will be from that 154-year span. The Winslow House Association is also responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the so-called ‘outbuildings’—particularly the Webster Law Office (for as long as it remains on the grounds of the Winslow House), the Carriage House, and the Blacksmith Shop.
The Winslow House has been vital in providing assistance to those who seek their family’s genealogical background or simply want to know more about the history of the area. For example, the Winslow House Association was an important resource for researchers such as Nathaniel Philbrick before he published his bestseller, Mayflower.
The Winslow House is a seasonal attraction and is open from Memorial Day until Columbus Day. Additionally, the Winslow House Association runs a full selection of community-based programs for adults and children.
