Historic New England: Cogswell’s Grant

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A header image with black, white, and light blue stripes reading Historic New England: Cogswell’s Grant

A first in my experience with Historic New England properties, I visited Cogswell’s Grant both in-person in Essex, MA on September 24, 2022 and virtually during a members-only tour held via Zoom webinar on February 15, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, early American art and furniture collectors Bertram & Nina Little revitalized the 165-acre property with the 1728 farmhouse for use as a summer residence and a storage facility for their many antiques.

Cogswell's Grant from the long driveway; a stone wall with evenly spaced trees, a green lawn, and colonial style buildings in the background Cogswell's Grant Barn seen from the field; a red barn built in three sections half hidden behind trees and shubs Cogswell's Grant Barn hay storage; looking into the third and largest section of the barn filled with hay
Cogswell's Grant Barn and Out Building; dirt paths leading to a red barn and bright orange out building Cogswell's Grant sign; standard black and blue Historic New England sign reading Cogswell's Grant 1728 with the HNE logo in the lower right corner Cogswell's Grant Barn at the visitor center entrance; the smallest section of the two-story barn with an open door on the right
View of the water from the back fields of Cogswell's Grant View of the buildings from the back fields of Cogswell's Grant Hayloft at Cogswell's Grant Barn; a rough wooden ladder built into the barn with a loft full of hay

Cogswell Family

The property is named for the wealthy Cogswell family, who arrived via shipwreck at Pemaquid Point, Maine in 1635. As compensation for their losses, which were worth more than £5000 (about £885,150 or $1,065,255 USD), father John Cogswell, Sr. was granted 300 acres of land in Essex, MA. Out of the eight children in the family, only the sons William and John Jr. received an inheritance. After the death of John, Jr. while at sea, William took over the family farm. His son, Jonathan Cogswell, Sr., also called Captain Cogswell, inherited property from his father and brothers, creating the 165-acre farm seen today. His son, Jonathan Cogswell, Jr., became the second richest man in Ipswich and passed this wealth to his son. Jonathan Cogswell III, also called Colonel Cogswell, served in the American Revolutionary War and held multiple state and federal offices. Colonel Cogswell had no surviving sons, so his widow lived alone on the property until her death in 1839, and their daughters sold the house to the Boyd Family.

Portrait of a Man in the Green Sitting Room; an oil painting of an early 19th century man hung on the wall over a side table filled with a lamp and antique knickknacks Shaker Boxes in the Green Sitting Room; colorful boxes stacked on the top of a cabinet Plaque in the Fireplace; metal plaque reading Cogswell's Grant built c. 1732 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior

Boyd Family & Arthur Dana Story

After initial struggles including multiple mortgages, bankruptcy, selling the property at auction, and buying it back two years later, the Boyd family lived on the farm until 1925, when the property was foreclosed. Between the 1870s and 1890s, the Boyd family built and remodeled a shed turned dairy barn. They kept peacocks in the house, selling the birds “in Boston markets for $1.00 a pound” according to local historian Mardie Pollys, and maintaining vegetable gardens and an apple orchard. Famous shipbuilder and writer Arthur Dana Story (clearly meant to publish books, and another winner of the best name award) bought the farm at auction, as he had enjoyed working on the property when he was younger, which he wrote about in his memoir Frame Up! Despite his love of the farm, Story did not restore or even maintain the property during the Great Depression.

Portrait of a Woman at Cogswell's Grant; oil painting depicting a late 18th century woman Sculptures of three birds and a cat on the mantal of the Cogswell's Grant kitchen Portrait of Eli Forbes, a minister from Gloucester; early 18th century minister with white wig and black robe

The Little Family

As an affluent young couple, Bertram Kimball and Winifred Nina Jarvie Fletcher Little bought the entire property for $13,000 in 1937 (a dollar amount worth about $270,000 in 2023, and a reminder that the housing market has far outpaced inflation). Gifted as an incredible researcher, Mrs. Little found the original name of the property in the archives of the Town of Ipswich and enlisted the help of many experts to restore and furnish her new home. American folk art or “country arts” collector Edna Muriel Hilburn Little Greenwood, whose collection now resides in the Smithsonian as the Greenwood Collections, was the cousin-in-law to Bertram Little by her first husband, Amos R. Little.

Cupboard with teapots and knickknacks Full fireplace in the Cogswell's Grant kitchen; a pair of chairs rest on the plain brick floor infront of the wide fireplace. Carved wooden crest of England; the crest depicts a lion on the left and a unicorn on the right holding a shield between them
Corner of a Sitting Room at Cogswell's Grant; a mid 19th century room stuffed with furniture and paintings Diptych portraits Col. Joseph Dorr and Sarah Bull Dorr by New York artist Ammi Phillips; a sad looking couple in early 19th century clothing Early American tall clock; plain, boxy clock with no finials

Brothers Eugene Marsh and George Francis Dow were instrumental in the restoration of the property. Eugene served as a general contractor, while George worked for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (the precursor to HNE) and the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, MA. Joining them was paint specialist Esther Stevens Brazer who uncovered the original paint and recreated it with new paint. On one occasion, Brazer ran out of paint, and Mr. Little drove around the North Shore trying to find a match. While the paint he ultimately purchased was not the exact shade, both he and Brazer were tired out and decided to finish with the slightly mismatched color.

Closet filled with clothes from Mr. and Mrs. Little A Windsor style writing arm rocking chair from Mendon, Massachusetts Writing desk with a cat statue, horse weathervane, and a painting of a rooster
Portrait of Sarah Price M. McArthur; an early 19th century portrait of a woman wearing a black evening gown Painting of Tobias and the Angel; a river landscape with a tiny angel, tiny boy, and tinier dog Corner shelving filled with earthenware

The Littles moved into the house with their three children — John Bertram “Jack”, Warren “Renny”, and Selina — who were no more than eight years old at the time. The children did not mind living in a house filled with antiques, except that they had to abide by one rule: do not lead back in the chairs. Their caretaker, Caroline Craig, also served as a cook, making breakfast and dinner for the family along with baking fresh bread for their midday sandwiches.

Green Fire Bucket with Golden Eagle decoration Portraits of a Couple by George Gassner; 18th century couple wearing plain black clothing Birdcage and Dulcimer on a wooden chest
Portrait of an Old Man with a Red Hat Reading a Book Model Boat Surrounded by China White Flying Duck Decoy

Decor of Cogswell’s Grant

As nationally known ardant collectors, Mrs. Little wrote multiple books on folk art while Mr. Little financed the collection. In fact, Mrs. Little loved antique shopping more than Mr. Little was willing to spend. She found inventive ways of purchasing and hiding her finds. My favorite story was about her acquisition of the diptych portraits Col. Joseph Dorr and Mrs. Sarah Bull Dorr by New York artist Ammi Phillips painted in the early 18th century. Art dealer and Antiques Roadshow appraiser Carl Crossman from Childs Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston brought the portraits to Mrs. Little at her house in Brookline and helped her hide them in the upstairs room where Mr. Little would not find them until the spring, which was past the return date. Another time, Mrs. Little discovered that an 18th century wallpaper valance was too fragile to hang above a bed, so she ordered reproduction wallpaper and cut this new product to the same shape. My favorite pieces included a mid to late 19th century hooked rug with a comical leopard, a weathervane rooster hung on the wall, a Windsor style writing arm rocking chair from Mendon, MA, and a soaring duck decoy hung from the ceiling.

Portrait of a Fruit Bowl Wooden Bowl from the Raid on Deerfield in 1704 Hooked Rug with a Leopard
Black and white laminated photo of the seven headstones for the McArthur Family Wooden rooster hanging from the wall Earthenware on shelves in the Cogswell's Grant Kitchen

Mrs. Little stopped at nothing to get more information about her portrait collection. She discovered that a pair of portraits depicting a young, early 19th century couple was painted by itinerant artist George Gassner. When she bought a charming set of portraits depicting the McArthur family and hung them her children’s bedroom, she then learned about the life of the itinerant artist, Royal Brewster Smith; discovered that the family's eldest son, Arthur McArthur, Jr., fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War while his brother, William McArthur, fought for the Union; and eventually found the gravestones of the family members long before FindAGrave.com. Her research on Winthrop Chandler, who had painted an overmantle landscape which she hung above the fireplace in her bedroom, was so extensive that the Worcester Art Museum put on an exhibition showcasing her work.

Lamp with a delft base and a embossed red lampshade Large painting of a ship poorly lit by a small lamp Small fireplace in the downstairs bedroom at Cogswell's Grant

Conclusion

For antiques enthusiast and material culture experts, Cogswell’s Grant is a must-see. Whether you visit in-person or snag a spot on a virtual tour, the house has enough artifacts to fill a tour lasting many times the current length. Cogswell’s Grant is open from June to mid October on Fridays and Saturdays, with tours on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets are standard large house pricing at $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, $8 for students, and $0 for HNE members (like me!) Plenty of parking is available on the property. Like most historic houses, Cogswell’s Grant does not have elevators or ramps to accommodate those using wheelchairs and with limited mobility. The virtual tour was an excellent substitute for the in-person tour but was a one-time event available only to members.



Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: 60 Spring St, Essex, MA 01929, USA