In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).
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. The Sippican Historical Society will preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This installment features 137 County Road. The Cape Cod cottage at 137 County Road was built in 1762 and, in 1855, was owned by G.W.K. Pierce. In 1867, it was owned by Rufus L. Savery, a mariner, who by the early 1900s conducted a vegetable market and fruit stand on this property. By 1903, Rufus L. Savery was living here with his sons, Rufus H. and Charles. Savery’s obituary in the Wareham Courier (April 23, 1909) notes that Savery was the town’s herring inspector. He was an attendee at town meetings where he represented the interests of his North Marion neighbors. He was active in the Marion Methodist Church. Charles L. Savery, a gardener, inherited this house, where he lived with his wife, Iva, until 1930.
