In a corner where Swampscott, Marblehead and Salem meet sits a house that is covered in American history. That house is the General Glover Farmhouse.
It’s sat dormant since the 1990s, no longer operational. However, there is now an effort to change this. Three of the people involved in this effort are the chair of the Swampscott Historical Commission, Dr. Nancy Lusignan Schultz, the vice chair of the commission, John Leaman and the president of the Swampscott Historical Society, Molly Conner.
“As someone who runs a historical society, we are definitely in favor of saving local history, Massachusetts history and national history, and that is what the Glover property is,” Conner said. She emphasized that the house is a local treasure.
Lusignan Schultz believes that this is a crucial time to preserve American history, especially in connection with the Revolutionary War.
“The Revolutionary War started in Massachusetts. In Essex County, we had all kinds of activities and events leading up to the revolution that were incredibly significant,” Lusignan Schultz said.
She continued that the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War is now here and that “Massachusetts has an enormous amount of history that it should be proud of.”
“Certainly the Revolutionary War is central to our state history and John Glover is central to Revolutionary War history,” she said.
Leaman added that Gen. Glover was an unsung hero.
“Being from Marblehead, the fishermen that he brought with him to serve in the army were used to being in the water. So, the clothing they wore in those days was coated in tar to make it waterproof, and they were very seaworthy,” he said.
He continued that the group was used to the rough conditions of the water, and people believe it’s one of the reasons George Washington appreciated them.
Nancy has uncovered this literature that suggests that he was invaluable because his army was just really tough,” he said.
Leaman also noted the history in the house that surpasses just Glover, including William Brown and, most recently, Anthony Athanas.
“For many reasons, the property is meaningful to people, and I’d like to see it preserved,” he said.
With the mention of Athenas, Lusignan Schultz brought up another significant part of the house’s history.
“The Athenas family is one significant owner and their history is a really important part of the site. We hope that we can work with them in order to have their legacy preserved with all of these other important legacies,” she said.
Athenas was an immigrant from Albania and became a dishwasher at what would eventually become Anthony’s Hawthorne in Lynn. He would also open Hawthorne by the Sea and Pier Four, Leaman explained.
“They’d bring busloads of people there,” he said.
Lusignan Schultz then brought the conversation back to William Brown, a key part of the house’s history that makes it such an interesting property.
“William Brown was an eminent Salem citizen, a judge, and a member of a very prominent family. They were all big donors and founders of Harvard. William Brown remained loyal to the crown during the Revolution and so Massachusetts seized the property,” she said.
She said that it’s believed this is one of the very few houses to house both sides of the Revolution.
Lusignan Schultz also highlighted that the Glover’s Regiment was incredibly valuable due to their experience out at sea and that they were extremely disciplined.
“The other advantage they had was that they were incredibly racially and religiously diverse. They had learned to work together on these ships. There were African Americans, Native Americans, and Portuguese. One of the only signers of the regiment papers was a Jewish man from Marblehead,” she said.
Conner chimed in that Marquis de Lafayette had also visited the spot as he was close with Glover during the Revolutionary War.
When asked what the steps are in preserving he house Lusignan Schultz explained that right now the house is privately owned, but they have reached out to the family and are interested in working to help preserve it.
“They have worked with us a bit, a few doors have been opened, which we’re grateful for,” she said.
She continued that there were other attempts in the ‘90s to develop the site, but nothing has gone through.
“Its just been sitting vacant all of these years… This commission got a grant, and we hired our own structural engineers. We just wanted to find out if there is anything from the original building. The developers were saying there’s nothing left,” Lusignan Schultz said.
In the end, the findings showed that at least 70% of the house has the original framing, a frame that holds centuries of history, which they hope to preserve.
