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Home My WebLink About103 River Street Form B�F OAR M B - t3 U I L ] I N G r: 1A501 In Area no. Form no. eft 2-`� k {- 2- MASSACHUSETTS"HISTORICAL COMMISSION 371 ! - s •- s Boston Yarmouth ►- �� Y�4:: ti-,v it ... rown ss 103 River Street ame V- Y-ou'n TPCPnf n.czp 933L'.L. Q6W' 7"PC i Ae%n f+n sent owner 7HUrie-l--Townsend- c 1770-1800 Source Sicrht le Georgian 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect .in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north.. Exterior wall fabric mood shingles Willow Street par- -Bass R7ver Outbuildings (describe) See reverse XJudah Other features A house in continual Baker transition. Originally, perhaps a Mill Cape house -and -.a -half type w/ man additions that stretch thruogh the centuries. 12/12, 9/6, 6/6 windows CONTII`'iUED ON SEPERATE SHEET.... Altered Extensively Date Moved Date 5. Lot size: (over) in Q aQ One acre or less Over one acre_X Approximate frontage 50 Approximate distance of building from street 201 6. Recorded by Don Elrick Yarmouth Historical Organization Survey Date February 1980 i ' 1-N 1� e�r e—r 7. Original owner (if known) captain Ezekiel Matthews Sr. Original use Homestead Subsequent uses (if any) and dates Summer residence since 1905 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts Commerce Communication Community development Conservation Education --- y Exploration/ settlement X— Industry Military s Political Recreation X Religion Science/ X inve ntion X social/ humanitarian Transportation 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) Most of the history of the Dower Village revolves around this house. This is not to say that important things did not happen elsewhere in this little section of Yarmouth, but to imply that the hub of activity must surely have been here in the earliest homestead of the Matthews family. Added to this, the house, seen as the central structure in a compound of buildings, served not only.the Matthews, but also some of the more famous early summer visitors to the area. It can not be proven where Ezekiel ,Matthews Sr. lived, but considering circumstantial `actors it seens likely that if his house still exists it is this one, At and; rate successive Members of his family came into possession of the house and maintained it through the 19th century. So, regardless of which Matthews is responsible for it, the building in all its transitional forms, served the important puApose of housing this industrious family. The house appears mastive, with numerous additions - most with mortise -- tenon construction and Georgian style windows - and it is these features which lead one to assume it -was built and built ac:ain by a roan with eleven children. That was the number of births, {although the twins died in 1804), seen by Ezekiel Sr. His wife Lydia (Hallett), had cone with hint, a botit 1 90, to this area near the mouth of Bass 3Ri7er. Their first child, Edmund, was born that year and then one came almost every two years until 18091 . wilen Howes H. , ( see form n 350) , was born; the last of seven brothers and two sisters. 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) A. 1858 Tri-County T-_ap, Walling, Boston B. 1880 and 1907 atlases of Barnstable County, Walker, Boston C. -irs. Muriel Townsend of 103 river Street D. "Yesterday's 'ride", Florence W. Baker, 1941 E. History of Barnstable County, Simeon Deyo, 1890 F. Vol. Vill The Collection of the Massachusetts Historic Society, Boston, 1802 �VEN\T'0"kYFORM CONTINUATION SHEET Cc comity: P orm No: MASSAGREPTT.0 J4TcrnoTrAT rr"frccr/%kT Yarmouth _ --- V NT0 FORM CONTINUATION SHEET W-55AGiU,SMS HISioRicAL CCwSSION /'Office,ef the Secretary, Boston Conmzlity: Form No: Yarmouth 371 (Bass River) Property Name: Indicate each item on inventory foam which is being continued below. 11 Ezekiel Sr. �:-as a ship's master as were many; if not most of his sons. h 'h is sons' contributions are better known, Ezekiel was un- doubtedly in command of one of the 21 deep water and coastal vess reported to havd had their home port at Bass River in 1802. Little else is known of him, save that he died in 1849, followed three years later by his wife. His sons, however, and their sons are Ezekiel's greatest legacy. By the time of his death they were at their peak and constituted the most powerful group in this sea -faring village. A number of then -- Howes and Henry particularly and at Least one grandson, Barzillai - were anchor dragger captains, (see form # 282). Barzillai's father, Ezekiel Jr., (see form -` 358 ), dial not go to sea, but instead manipulat the ocean's resources by building a wharf and acting as a merchant in the goods his brothers brought home on snips he had built at the foo of Willow Street. Another son of Ezekiel Jr., Braddock, went to sea and also later, became a merchant in partnership with his uncle David Matthews, b. 1601, '(see form # 259). David was the sixth son of Ezekiel Sr. and like�his brother Ezekiel Jr., he too manipulated the sea's resources. As'a salt Manufacturer he did quite well and his store, the D.B. Ikiat.thews CO. was prosperous from 1838 until after the civil War. The house, itself, was passed on from one son to another and then to one another of the grandchildren until it was finally sold, in 1905 to Channing, Albert and Cheney Wells. Always when the land was trans-- fered there -as stipulated a right of way for Isaih Parker Matthews.. who was the son of Enoch, the fifth child of Ezekiel Sr. On the 1858 reap ;.P.Matthews is shown living next door and lil,e -ise on the 1880 and 1907 maps. However since then the house has disappeared and presently no trace of it can be found, except if one wishes to guess that it is one of the other two structures now on the original tract of land containing the house surveyed here. At one point prior to the 20th century one of these large houses was attached to this one, (103 River Street), btt just as it had been built only to be moved once and attachediso it was disattached and moved again. This time the rove was array and back from 103 River Street; where i t currently sits, S .W.1 at 109 River Street, ( see form # 372). Chann.ing Wells who purchased the house and compound in 1903 was the founder of Sturbridge Village and President of the American optical. Co. His wealth and prestige drew people from all over the Cape to the parties he gave for visiting celebraties. In the disattached house Mentioned above, then called the Field House, such notables as Katherine Cornell and Talula Bankhead stayed and partied with the other I -Tells guests. After ,?ells, 'President Raymond of the State Street Trust Co. continued the summer days and nights of opulence as did Dean Acheson when he live< there, still Later in the century. The current owner Muriel Townsend Sta le to Inventory form at bottom MASSACHNSMS HI STORI CAL CMff SS ION Office of the Secretary, Boston (Bass River) 371 Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued bel.aw. has been in the house, summers for twenty-five years and althoucrh she has carried on the tradition of fine living there, the larger cost -- pound has long since been broken up. The way it was when the =xatthews were at their pinnacle is no where to be seen. That is unless one takes a close .loom and finds an old right of way where the grass still grows a little different and imagines the passing of the people, back and forth through the Matth€us' land to the river's edge. The complete Ezekiel Matthews Sr. family and some of their descendents Captain Ezekiel Their children: Edmund b. 1790 Ezekiel b. 1792 Nancy b. 1794 Capt.Freeman b. 1797 Cant.Enoch b. 1799 .Ezekiel Jr. Capt.Braddock b. Capt.Barzillai Sr. (1765 - 1849) and his wife Lydia (Hallett) and. Bethia 1812 1814 David b. 1802 twins b. 1804 d. 1804 Sally b. 1805 Capt.Henry b. 1807 Capt.Howes b. 1809 (Cosa) Their children: Lydia Argenette Delyra Freeman and Catherine (Baker) Their children: Seleck Hedge b. 1619 Harriot b. 1826 Freeman b. 1821 George b. 1831 Lavina b. 1825 Elanor b. 1835 Sally b. 1826 Edward b. 1837 Enoch's children: Isaiah Parker b. 1822 David and Emil.ine (Hallett) Helbron Vincent b. 1835 Albert b. 1836 Elnathan b. 1638 LIST OF OTHER FEATURES CONTINUED: Laura Their children: Gideon b. 1840 .diary Jane b. 1842 The main structure sits on a field stone foundation and brick is also used elsewhere. There is a full back extension of a full story which appears oldest. There are five fireplaces in the house and one is done in "Nantucket Blue Brick". Staple -to Inventory fOTM at bottom -3 /slis/ a"3 r 6ri��/i3E 3