Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. Over 100 were cataloged and photographed. SHS will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This week we feature 21 Main Street, which is reputedly the oldest building in Wharf Village, with interior structural elements that point to a 1690s construction date. This historic house is important not only because it is Marion’s oldest surviving home, but it is also typical of the town center’s most widely represented historic residential architectural style – the Cape Cod cottage. These compact houses were ideally suited for the harsh New England climate and could easily be enlarged to meet the changing needs of families. Actually a three-quarters Cape, this venerable dwelling is said to have been built for a member of the Ryder family, and was owned by members of the Wing family during the second half of the nineteenth century. By the early 1900s, it was owned by Marion’s Universalist Church.