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ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

This house illustrates a Greek Revival variation of the traditional Cape Cod design in Rockland. Its distinguishing feature is the recessed porch on one side with the entrance located in the center of the five-bay elevation. Note how the cornice returns in the gable end, which faces the street in the typical Greek Revival manner, include one which extends the full depth of the porch. This interrupts the symmetry of the design and is found on several Rockland houses of this mode. Also distinctive corner blocks. The porch column is a Colonial Revival replacement of the early 1900's.

According to research conducted by Martha Campbell, the first house on this site was built in 1757 by George Bennett. Bennett died in the Revolutionary War and left the house to his daughter, Betsy. After her death, David Pratt and Luther Glover bought the old house, razed it, and constructed the present building.

Glover is listed on the 1848 map as the owner at that time, but by 1857 it belonged to S. V. Thompson, who owned other property on central Street. Sometime between 1857 and 1867, William H. Fitzgerald purchased the house. Fitzgerald lived here and operated his marble works business on the property. His wife Emma and son Michael, (Also a marble cutter), lived here as well. The house remained in the same family until 1945.

Martha Campbell, interview 4/8/81                            Rockland, Directory, 1884.                                           Town of Rockland Assessor's Office.                       Abington  Directory, 1867                                                     Maps of Abington,  1848                                                       Map of Plymouth Country, 1857                                            Atlases of Plymouth County, 1874, 1903   

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