Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

90 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 bad 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.

The ownership of this neatly maintained house at 90 Bicknell Street, on a spacious 10,300 square foot lot, can be traced to at least the 1860's when it was the home of the Swift family for at least fifty years. The first known Swift, M. Swift, was a Germantown carpenter in tbe Directory of 1868. George F. Swift, a painter, inherited the property by 1897, and it stayed in the Swift family until after 1923. This is a interesting property that would benefit from title and deed research.

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:
This house is the only brick residence on historic Bricknell Street. The other residences are either walled in wood or are sided with synthetic materials. It is a fine traditional house, set on granite foundation, with the gable end to the street and a side entrance indicating a side hall plan. It is a very simple variation of an Italianate house, without the rich decorative details. It has architectural integrity by virtue of the honesty of the material and the well proportioned facade. The vinyl clad dormers are a later addition. It a fine component on Bicknell Street.

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