Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

2 Brocton Avenue (Elijah Spear House)

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Germantown, on the eastern shore of the Town River, was originally called Shed's Neck. It was one of the first planned industrial developments in the country and its present name dates from around 1750 when German craftsmen were brought here to manufacture glass and other commodities. Eight industries were planned and operated by Joseph Palmer and Richard Cranch and the town laid out on paper in named squares like a European community. The early industrial development faltered after a few years and it wasn't until the 1830's that a prosperous fishing" community developed when a group of fishermen migrated from the outer Cape Cod. Some whaling voyages departed from Germantown shores in the 1840's and in 1856 the maritime character of the area was further enhanced by the founding of Sailors Snug Harbor, a seamen's retirement home. Meanwhile Michael Hodgkinson, one of those who had come from the Cape, developed a sizeable dairy farm which prospered in the Hodgkinson family until 1948.

This former farmhouse is the oldest in Germantown. The property was part of the Coddington School Lands given to the town in 1640. When the old town of Braintree was divided in 1793, this property was allotted to the new town of Randolph which in 1800 granted a 900 year lease to John Spear who sold it to Elijah Spear who apparently built the house in the same year. Seth Spear, for whom Spear Street is named, was the next owner, and he had a large farm extending from Wibird Street to the present McGrath Highway in Quincy Center. After Seth Spear sold the property in 1939 it has had many owners, including the John Quincy Adams family from 1890 to 1905.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Assessors Records.
Bartlett, Martha Maude. "Ancient and Modern Germantown". Quincy Patriot Ledger, January 7, 1937, p. B-8.
"Germantown Heritage Days" Program. September 24, 25, 26, 1976.
H. Hobart Holly, Quincy Historical Society.
H. Hobart Holly, ed. Quincy: 350 Years, 1974, p. 51-52.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
The 1803 Elijah Spear House, the the oldest residence in Germantown, was built in a simple Cape Cod cottage style. It is set on a granite foundation, has a symmetrical facade composed of a central entrance with two windows on each side and a large chimney piercing the roof. Since its construction early in the 19th century, it has had added to it many architectural embellishments which has enhanced the house rather than destroy its architectural identity. In the early 1900s, an owner had a large dormer built in the front filled with a simple Palladian window, rather grand for the house, and unusual for its site. A hooded balustraded balcony was added on the north elevation and the front entrance had a Ionic portico added to it. These additions were built during the height of the Colonial Revival period when "colonial" was associated with classic elements and white houses or white trim. It is an attractive and picturesque element on Brocton Avenue.

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