Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

86 Bicknell Street

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 village was further enhanced by the establishment of the Sailors Snug Harbor, a retirement home for active seamen. Meanwhile Michael Hodgkinson, one of those who had come from the Cape, started buying up land and developed a sizeable well-known dairy farm which passed through the Hodgkinson family until operations ceased in 1948.

This house and converted barn at 86 Bicknell Street, on a spacious 9800 square foot lot, can be traced to the 1880's when it was the home of the Winifred S. Bennett family for at least forty years. Bennett was a jeweler and the family was well-known in Germantown being mentioned in an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of 1937. Number 86 Bicknell Street may be older than the 1880's but it is too altered to judge by visual evidence. This is a property that would benefit from title and deed researeh.

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:
86 Bicknell Street is a survivor or the fishing industry in Germantown. In the 1830s Cape Cod fishermen brought with their skill in the fishing trade as well as their typical regional house, now known as the Cape Cod cottage. The typical Cape Cod cottage was one and one half story high, had a ridge roof, one chimney, a central entrance and two windows on each side. For over one hundred years it remained static, only slight proportional changes occurred in the space between the window and the eaves; in the 18th century the windows were tight under the eaves, later there was more walling between the facade window and the eave, usually due to higher ceilings and the desire for more attic space. This cottage, set on a granite foundation, has retained its original massing as well as its original walling material. It is a good example of a modest Cape Cod cottage of the third quarter of the 19th century. It is located on historic Bicknell Street.

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