Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/380056
146 nshoremag.com October 2014 Karen MacInnis, curator of the Marble- head Museum, which owns the Jer- emiah Lee Mansion. "He was fabulously wealthy. He was part of what is called the 'Cod Aristocracy.'" Lee made his fortune in the fishin industry and was among the wealthiest men in the colonies when he built his grand family home. Today, 18 furnished rooms on three floors are open to the public, who can take guided tours of the magnific nt Georgian-style mansion in the heart of Marblehead's Old Town. Much of the mansion's original features are still in place, including elaborate 18th-century wallpaper that was meticu- lously hand painted in London; it's the only such wallpaper still hanging on its original walls anywhere in the world, ac- cording to MacInnis. "This is one of the most important Georgian houses in the United States," says Pam Peterson, director of the Mar- blehead Museum. And so many of its well- preserved architectural elements stand out as excellent examples of that style. Its façade is classically inspired, which is evident in its symmetry, its Greco-Roman columns, and its stacked windows. The home also provides glimpses History ne photograph by joel laino (left) by rick ashley (above) into colonial customs, pastimes, and industry. For instance, the outside of the home is made of wood that was cut to look like stone. Builders also added sand to the wood while the paint was still wet to give the exterior a faux-stone finish. Why the trickery? Although granite and other stone were plentiful on the North Shore, stonecutters were not, Peterson says. Still, colonial builders wanted their homes to look like ones in fashionable English cities, like Bath. Peterson points to George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, as another example of a colonial building with a faux-stone exterior. Other outstanding features of the mansion are its complex Baroque-style carvings and exquisite moldings, which prove that colonial American craftsmen were every bit as skilled as their British counterparts across the pond. "So many of the original architectural elements are still there," says MacInnis, as well as other, smaller details, like lovely Sadler and Green fi eplace tiles that tell stories in their illustrations. But even the most eagle-eyed visitor won't see every- thing. MacInnis marvels that even she often discovers details about the house she hadn't noticed before. "There's always something to learn about that place," she says. Jeremiah Lee Mansion 161 Washington St., Marblehead, marbleheadmuseum.org House Keeper Karen MacInnis is the curator of the Marblehead Museum; Above, Georgian-style interiors