The Capt. Gamaliel Bradford House is a historic house in

Duxbury, Massachusetts Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to t ...

. Built in 1807, the house is locally distinctive for its brick side walls and monitor section above the hip roof. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

Description and history

The Captain Gamaliel Bradford House stands in the central eastern part of Duxbury, on the west side of Tremont Street (

Massachusetts Route 3A Route 3A is a state highway in eastern Massachusetts, which parallels Route 3 and U.S. Route 3 from Cedarville in southern Plymouth to Tyngsborough at the New Hampshire state line. Route 3A has two major posted segments, separated by a lengthy ...

), south of Harrison Street and north of Duxbury Town Hall. It is a -story frame structure, roughly square in plan, with a hip roof topped by a square monitor section. It is finished in clapboards, except for the sidewalls, which are brick, and is set with a side facing the street. The main facade, facing north, is three bays wide, with a center entrance sheltered by a Doric porch. A similar but simpler entry is located on the south-facing rear facade. The interior of the house follows a typical central hall plan, and retains original period wood paneling. A two-story addition projects west of the main block, behind the rear entry. The property also includes a 19th-century barn and a small cottage, built about 1840 out of materials salvaged from a nearby church. The house was built in 1807 for Gamaliel Bradford, member of a prominent local family. A ship's captain, he served in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, and later served as a trustee of the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...

. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

destroyer USS ''Bradford'' is named in his honor.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1807 Houses in Duxbury, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Description and history

See also

References