Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/380056
150 History ne Design solutions for all of your home decorating needs. 515 Lowell St., Peabody, MA 505 Paradise Rd., Swampscott M, T, W, F & S 9:00-5:00, TH 9:00-7:00 978.535.5100 781.596.0345 www.homedecorgroup.com Home Decor Group has been a family owned business for 58 years. Our goal has always been to offer the finest quality products to our customers. Our staff consists of knowledgeable experts in the paint and stain industry, as well as experienced interior designers. We give every customer as much effort and time as necessary to be sure what you purchase is the right choice for your home and needs. Visit our stores and you will be warmly received by professionals. You will also find quality and knowledge that is difficult to find elsewhere. Our team is here to make your home everything you hoped it could be with custom window treatments, shades, shutters, upholstery, wallpaper, carpeting, and unique paints that you will be proud to own. treasure trove," Edwards says. "It's a wonderful glimpse into the life of an early 19th-century woman." The house belonged to the Cushings until the last of the family, Margaret Cushing, Caleb's niece, died in 1955 at age 100. The wealthy Margaret "was very much a grande dame of Newburyport," Edwards says, who entertained diplomats and worked as a preservationist. "She even practiced that in her own home," Edwards says. Throughout her life, Margaret made virtually no changes to the house in which she was born. It's thanks to Margaret that the home still boasts features like gaslight fixtu es and 19th- century wallpaper; in fact, she didn't even install plumbing until the 1930s. She bequeathed the house and grounds to the Historical Society of Old Newbury, which today pays homage to the "grande dame" in a room dubbed Margaret's Parlor, which boasts a beautiful portrait of her by high-socie- ty painter Cecilia Beaux. The house's well-preserved features also make it a beauti- ful example of Federal-style architecture. It was built to look symmetrical and has three entrances on three diff rent sides of the house, each with a lovely fanlight over the exterior door. All of its windows have interior wooden shutters, and some also have window seats. Ornately carved details throughout the house reflect the styles of the times, from the architectural detail of the wooden mantelpieces and carved cornices to the urn and swag motifs that appear on woodwork. "It's a very gracious, elegant home," Edwards says. Cushing House Museum 98 High St., Newburyport newburyhist.org Curator at Cushing: Susan C. S. Edwards is the executive director of the Historical Society of Old Newbury. Photograph by Joel Laino