Amory-Ticknor House
Encyclopedia
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
was built in 1804 by businessman Thomas Amory, and later owned by scholar George Ticknor
George Ticknor
George Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....
. It sits atop Beacon Hill, across from the Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
on Beacon Street
Beacon Street
Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...
and the Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
on Park Street
Park Street, Boston
This article refers to Park Street in Boston. For other Park Streets, please see the Park Street disambiguation page.Park Street is a small but notable road in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It begins at the top of Beacon Hill, at the intersection of Beacon Street, where it is lined up with...
. Numerous tenants have occupied various parts of the house through the years, including Samuel Dexter
Samuel Dexter
Samuel Dexter was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinet.-Life:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the Rev. Samuel Dexter, the 4th minister of Dedham, he graduated from Harvard University in 1781 and then studied law at Worcester under Levi Lincoln,...
, Christopher Gore
Christopher Gore
Christopher Gore was a prominent Massachusetts lawyer, Federalist politician, and diplomat.-Biography:Gore was born in Boston in 1758, the tenth of thirteen children of Frances and John Gore, a successful merchant and artisan...
, John Jeffries
John Jeffries
John Jeffries was a Boston physician, scientist, and a military surgeon with the British Army in Nova Scotia and New York during the American Revolution. Born in Boston, Jeffries graduated from Harvard College and obtained his medical degree at the University of Aberdeen...
, Harrison Gray Otis
Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer)
Harrison Gray Otis , was a businessman, lawyer, and politician, becoming one of the most important leaders of the United States' first political party, the Federalists...
, Anna Ticknor
Anna Eliot Ticknor
Anna Eliot Ticknor was an author and educator from Boston, Massachusetts. In 1873, Ticknor founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home which was the first correspondence school in the United States...
's Society to Encourage Studies at Home
Society to Encourage Studies at Home
The Society to Encourage Studies at Home was the first correspondence school in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts by Anna Eliot Ticknor.-History:...
, and temporarily in 1824, Lafayette.
History
Shortly after the house was built, its owner Thomas Amory met financial trouble and subsequently sold the property. The building was then "enlarged, and divided into 4 dwellings, whereof 2 had entrances on Beacon Street. The other 2 fronted on Park Street.When Lafayette visited Boston in 1824, he stayed at the Amory house. "Soon after his arrival General Lafayette appeared upon the balcony above the entrance of the Amory mansion, to receive the greetings of the populace. He was escorted on either side by Governor William Eustis
William Eustis
William Eustis was an early American statesman.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and studied at the Boston Latin School before he entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1772. He studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren and helped care for the wounded at the Battle of Bunker...
and by the former Governor John Brooks
John Brooks
John Brooks was the 11th Governor of Massachusetts from 1816 to 1823; he was the last significant Federalist elected official in office in the United States....
, each wearing Continental uniforms. ... On the evening of August 30, 1824, Lafayette held a reception in his apartments at the Amory house; and this function was attended by many prominent ladies of Boston.
"In 1885 the entire structure was given over to trade, and to-day it is the abode of many firms in various lines of business."
Architecture
Around 1804, architect Charles BulfinchCharles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
designed the entirety of Park Street, including the Amory mansion. The building represents an example of Federal architecture
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
. Its "enriched window caps" typify the style, with "a carved eagle in the center panel and a not-convincingly-well-done bracket of the inverted acanthus
Acanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
leaf type at either extremity of the cap, but with a beautiful thin cornice which, when repeated in a series of 5 windows ... forms a very beautiful feature."
The original structure has been altered over time. Around 1885 it was "remodeled ... with 2-story Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
-inspired oriel windows of black-painted pressed metal and fanciful dormers on the Park Street roofline" and "a set of black metal shop fronts that reach out and down to the falling sidewalk..."
By 2008, "the once great mansion stands barely recognizable, although the basic brick volume and Adam
Adam style
The Adam style is an 18th century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practiced by the three Adam brothers from Scotland; of whom Robert Adam and James Adam were the most widely known.The Adam brothers were the first to advocate an integrated style for architecture and...
entrance portico with fanlight and curving granite steps (one half is missing) are more or less intact. Many ground-floor shop extensions have been added, along with Queen Anne-style oriel windows and dormers on the upper floors. Though out of character, the Victorian predations had a certain disheveled charm when they were filled with odd antiques, curiosity shops, and tearooms."
Businesses that occupied the building's storefronts over the years have included Trefry & Partridge Jewelers, Ann's Breakfast & Sandwiches restaurant, Fill-A-Buster restaurant (now located at 142 Bowdoin St. on Beacon Hill), Au Bon Pain, a Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
merchandise store, Curious Liquids coffeehouse, and currently No. 9 Park Street restaurant and a Fox News TV studio.
Owners & tenants
- Fisher Ames
- Thomas Amory (1804–1807)
- Thomas Coffin AmoryThomas Coffin AmoryThomas Coffin Amory. An American lawyer, politician, biographer, and poet born in Boston, Massachusetts to Jonathan Amory and Mehitable Cutler.-Works:Biographies...
, Jr. - Catherine Carter
- Richard Cobb (1831–1836)
- Katherine Dexter (ca.1816-1831)
- Samuel Dexter (1807-ca.1816)
- Christopher Gore
- John Jeffries (1806–1807)
- John G. Mitchell (ca.1884, leased from Mrs. Curtis Burritt Raymond)Curtis Burritt Raymond, (June 18, 1816-February 23, 1893) was a native of SherburneSherburne (town), New YorkSherburne is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. United States. The population was 3,979 at the 2000 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Sherburne and the other named Earlville...
, Chenango County, New YorkChenango County, New YorkChenango County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,477. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle." Its county seat is Norwich.-History:...
. He was the son of Philander Raymond and Cynthia Rose. His father was the founder of Toledo, OhioToledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
and the Brady's Bend Iron Works which opened at Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, PennsylvaniaArmstrong County, PennsylvaniaArmstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.The county seat is Kittanning...
in December of 1839. He was also the great grandson of Rev. Blackleach BurrittBlackleach BurrittBlackleach Burritt was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the American War of Independence, he was incarcerated in the Sugar House Prison-Early life and ancestors:...
.
He attended the school established by Baron von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben , also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
at Steuben
Steuben, New York
Steuben is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Baron von Steuben....
, Oneida County, New York
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
, where he excelled in his studies, standing especially high in the classics. He was educated at the Polytechnic Institute
Yates Polytechnic Institute
The Yates Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1824 by John B. Yates in the village of Chittenango, New York, United States. The large building in which the institution was located was constructed in 1814 as a tavern before it was purchased by Yates. The institution considered itself to be one of...
at Chittenango
Chittenango, New York
Chittenango is a village located in Madison County, New York, in the United States. The village is in the south part of the Town of Sullivan. The population was 5,081 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, in Madison County, New York
Madison County, New York
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,442. It is named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America...
, and at Columbia College
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. After a period of European travel, and spending some time in Paris, France
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he became proficient in his French studies, he became a resident of Boston about the year 1844, and a member of the firm of Rice, Hall & Raymond, dry goods, at 54 Milk Street. In the Directory of 1839 his name appears as President of Brady’s Bend Iron Company, 30 City Exchange. He became an early railroad investor and landowner and in 1854, he was an incorporator as well as a major investor in the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad
Chicago Great Western Railway
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad...
.
Mr. Raymond was prominent in military circles, and attained the rank of Major. He was well versed in the science of tactics, and revised Spencer’s Manual for the First Corps of Cadets. This Manual, as revised by him, was afterward adopted for use in the Russian Army. He was also for several years a member of General Benjamin F. Edmands's staff. He was also placed in command at Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Massachusetts)
Fort Warren is a historic fort on the Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is pentagonal, made with stone and granite, and was constructed from 1833–1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War...
, Mass.
Major Raymond also drilled several regiments of volunteers at the camp in Lynnfield
Lynnfield, Massachusetts
Lynnfield is a wealthy town in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 11,542.- History :...
early in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. An intimate friend described him as having “a wonderful memory, a superior mind and talents of a high order. He knew no fear, and his love of truth and honor and justice shone forth transparent in his character; while his amiable, gentle, sympathetic nature made him beloved by all and a favorite wherever he went. He was also an enthusiastic explorer, and lover of the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
. In 1863 he first blazed the way along the trail which leaves the carriage-road
Mount Washington Auto Road
The Mount Washington Auto Road is a toll road that extends from New Hampshire Route 16 in Pinkham Notch to the summit of Mount Washington in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The road climbs from an altitude of at the bottom to at the top, an average gradient of 11.6%...
at the second mile-post, on the Glen
Glen, New Hampshire
Glen is an unincorporated village in the town of Bartlett in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The village is the home of Story Land, a popular amusement park in the Mount Washington Valley region, a resort area that also includes the communities of North Conway and Jackson.Glen is found at...
side of Mount Washington
Mount Washington (New Hampshire)
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...
, and leads upward to the so-called Snow Arch. This trail was improved by him in 1891, and is known as the Raymond Path.
- Harrison Gray Otis
- William Payne
- Mrs. Lydia Newell Osgood Raymond (ca.1853)Lydia Newell Osgood was born on August 21, 1821 at Boston, Suffolk County, MassachusettsSuffolk County, MassachusettsSuffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
and died on April 30, 1907 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts and is buried at Mount Auburn CemeteryMount Auburn CemeteryMount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
, in CambridgeCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Middlesex County, MassachusettsMiddlesex County, Massachusetts-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
. She was the daughter of Samuel Gerrish Osgood and Rebecca Noyes Follansbee and the adopted daughter of Matthias P. Sawyer. By his will, dated April 5, 1853, he bequeathed to his adopted daughter the mansion-house on the corner of Beacon and Park Streets.
She was a descendant of Col. Moses Gerrish, who was born in 1656 in Newbury
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
, and married Jane Sewell, the sister of Chief Justice Sewell of Massachusetts. Their son, Col. Joseph Gerrish (1682-1765), also lived in Newbury and was a member of the colonial legislature for 20 years. He also was elected to a seat in the Provincial Congress
Massachusetts Provincial Congress
The Massachusetts Provincial Congress was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution....
. His daughter, Sarah Gerrish (who was adopted by Judge Samuel Sewall
Samuel Sewall
Samuel Sewall was a Massachusetts judge, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay The Selling of Joseph , which criticized slavery.-Biography:...
) married Moses Newell, and were the grandparents of Lydia Newell Osgood Raymond. She became the wife of Curtis Burritt Raymond and were married in New York, March 29, 1849 at St. Thomas's Episcopal Church by Bishop Henry John Whitehouse
Henry John Whitehouse
Henry John Whitehouse was the second Episcopal bishop of Illinois.-Early life:Whitehouse was born in New York City, the son of John Whitehouse and Eliza Norman. He graduated from Columbia University in 1821, and from the General Theological Seminary in 1824. Whitehouse was ordained deacon in...
. She also owned the Titcomb-Raymond House in Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
. She and her husband were art collectors and patrons of the arts and part of their collection is now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
in Boston. She and her husband were avid travelers and the earliest works in the collection were accumulated from their trips to Europe which included 'Virgin and Child', by Antonio Veneziano
Antonio Veneziano (painter)
Antonio Veneziano , was an Italian painter who was active mainly in Siena, Florence and Pisa, documented between 1369 and 1419....
, ca. 1380. Her collection included several works by John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley was an American painter, born presumably in Boston, Massachusetts, and a son of Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Irish. He is famous for his portrait paintings of important figures in colonial New England, depicting in particular middle-class subjects...
, including The Return of Neptune, ca. 1754 and Galatea, ca. 1754.
- Andrew Ritchie
- Matthias Plant Sawyer (1836-ca.1853)Matthias Plant Sawyer, son of Dr. Moses Sawyer and Hannah Little, was born in Newbury, MassachusettsNewbury, MassachusettsNewbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
July 11, 1788. At the age of 12, he moved to Portland, MainePortland, MainePortland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
for six or eight years, and then became interested in commercial affairs in Boston, Massachusetts, and owned profitable real estate. He was a very successful wine merchant, a railroad promoter and was a major investor in the Bradys Bend Iron Company in Brady's Bend, PennsylvaniaBrady's Bend, PennsylvaniaBrady's Bend, also known as Bradys Bend, is named for Captain Samuel Brady , famed frontier scout and the subject of many legends. The photo is a composite of three shots taken about 1,400 ft. above sea level...
. Mr. Sawyer never married; but had an adopted daughter, Lydia Newell Osgood, of Newburyport, who became the wife of Curtis B. Raymond. He died on March 31, 1857, at Boston, Massachusetts, and by the terms of his will gave to the city of Newburyport the sum of five thousand dollars (US$127,000.00 in 2009 dollars) the income to be used in the purchase of books for the Public library. He is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. - George Ticknor (1830–1871)
- Mrs. Ticknor (1871–1884)
Works cited
- Burrage,Henry Sweetser. Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume 1. New York: Publisher Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1909.
- Day, Sherman.Historical collections of the State of Pennsylvania: containing a copious selection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its history and antiquities, both general and local, with topographical descriptions of every county Publisher: G. W. Gorton, 1843.
- Dexter, Franklin Bowditch.Biographical sketches of the graduates of Yale college with annals of the college history ... Volume 3 of Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of the College History Publisher: Holt & Company, 1903.
- Hale, Albert. Architecture; Architecture, Colonial Old Newburyport houses. Publisher: Boston, Massachusetts, W.B. Clarke Company 1912.
- Hillstrom, Kevin.The industrial revolution in America, Volume 2 Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 2005 ISBN 1851096205.
- Lawrence, Robert Means. Old Park Street and its Vicinity Boston: Publisher Houghton Mifflin company, 1922.
- Raymond, Marcius Denison. Gray genealogy : being a genealogical record and history of the descendants of John Gray, of Beverly, Mass., and also including sketches of other Gray families. New York: Higginson Book Company, 1887.
- MD Raymond. Souvenir of the Sherburne Centennial Celebration and Dedication of Monument to the Proprietors and Early Settlers, held on Wednesday, June 21, 1893. New York: M.D. Raymond, 1892.
- Raymond, Marcius D.Marcius D. RaymondMarcius D. Raymond was an American publisher, writer, genealogist, editor and historian.-Early life and ancestors:...
Sketch of Rev. Blackleach Burritt and related Stratford families : a paper read before the Fairfield County Historical Society, at Bridgeport, Conn., Friday evening, Feb. 19, 1892. Bridgeport : Fairfield County Historical Society 1892. - Raymond, Samuel. Genealogies of the Raymond families of New England, 1630-1 to 1886. With a historical sketch of some of the Raymonds of early times, their origin, etc. New York: Press of J.J. Little & Co., 1886.
Further reading
- Robert Means Lawrence. Old Park Street and its Vicinity. Houghton Mifflin, 1922
External links
- Historic American Buildings Survey , Library of Congress. Amory-Ticknor House, 9 Park Street, Boston, Suffolk County, MA.
- No. 9 Park Restaurant