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 370 Delano Road. The home at 370 Delano Road stands adjacent to Dexter’s Landing on the shores of the Weweantic River. Built c. 1750, this Cape Cod home has significant historical associations with Marion’s Dexter family, the descendants of Thomas Dexter who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts from England in 1630. By the mid-19th century, this home was owned by T. Caswell. By 1979, it was owned by B. Dexter. In 1903, Mrs. B.F. (Olive M.) Dexter lived here with her son, Josiah Dexter, a jeweler in New Bedford. In 1926, Benjamin F. Dexter, a grocer, lived here. During the early 1900s, the famed mariner Capt. Joshua Slocum rented this home from the Dexters. He is famous for sailing around the world alone on a 37-foot boat called Spray.
