Northshore Magazine

ne Antiques rugs, and antique furniture, you will be interested in what he did there." As an antiquarian, Fletcher is drawn to historical homes, but he clearly has a soft spot for Beauport. "I love Beauport and have always loved it," he says. "It's like a fantasy walking through it. You think 'Am I really in this world?' and you wonder what [Sleeper] was thinking and where his inspiration came from." Fletcher's deep admiration for Sleeper and his fondness for Beauport inspired him to propose filming a segment there for PBS's Antiques Roadshow. With the help of Nancy Carlisle, curator of Historic New England, and Pilar Garro, Beauport site manager, the walk-through of Beauport was a success and it aired last year. Fletcher said that working alongside knowledgeable host Mark L. Walberg of the PBS program, and filming in one of his favorite homes for five hours was an experience he'll never forget. Several historic North Shore homes in Amesbury, Essex, Gloucester, Newbury, and Salem are supported through the Historic New England organization. One such home is Cogswell's Grant in Essex, a 1728 farmhouse purchased as a summer Antiques Expert: Stephen Fletcher knows oldhouse artifacts; antique wares line the shelves of Beauport's kitchen. home by Bertram and Nina Little in 1937; Fletcher considers it to be extraordinary as the couple was renowned for their antiques collection. He advises visitors to take a tour of Beauport. "Talk about a daytrip—[it's] like Disneyland for antiquarians! Once you go there, you never forget it," says Fletcher. "Going into one of [Historic New England's] houses is like walking into the past. People might think it sounds boring, but it is anything but—it is just spectacular." "Gloucester is a very lucky town to have Beauport," he says, insisting that it has something for everyone and appeals to all visitors, not just antiques lovers or history buffs. "I think kids go in there and [have] an eye-opening experience. They are wowed by it because it's so colorful and so eclectic," he says. Beauport's charm lies, in part, with its American history and literature-themed rooms. The Mariner's room stands out as the crowd-pleaser. Its décor was inspired by the rediscovery of Herman Melville's masterpiece, Moby Dick, in the late 1920s and early 1930s. And it is, according to Fletcher, one of many reasons to visit this old house. historicnewengland.org 66 nshoremag.com March 2014 64_66_REV_NB KJ NS Mar14 Fletcher.indd 66 1/17/14 2:15 PM

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