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67-69 Dearborn Street
Built for
Charles F. Ropes
and wife
Margaret L. Robertson
c. 1900
Served as the
Margaret L. Ropes Memorial House
Nurses Residence for the
North Shore Babies Hospital
1948-1960
Researched by Sally McMurry, January 2024
Historic Salem Inc.
The Bowditch House
9 North Street, Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-0799 | historicsalem.org
© 2024
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1
Undated photo, Realtor.com, accessed January 2024
Note: this house was once part of a Ropes family “compound” on “Ropes Point” in North
Salem. The Ropes property at its peak consisted of three large houses plus land: the Charles
A. Ropes house (1856, later the North Shore Babies Hospital, no longer extant), the Reuben
W. Ropes house (1895, now 18 Felt Street), and the Charles F. Ropes house (c. 1900, now 6769 Dearborn Street). Reuben W. Ropes and Charles F. Ropes were brothers, sons of Charles
A. Ropes and his wife Lucinda Whipple Ropes. For additional information please refer to the
house history for 18 Felt Street.
Note: I have used the most common historical spelling for the North Shore Babies Hospital,
that is without an apostrophe at the end.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
2
Summary
The house at present #67-69 Dearborn Street was built between 1897 and 1907,
probably around 1900 when Charles Fischer Ropes (1865-1944) married Margaret
Robertson (1877-1946). After Margaret died in 1946 the house was sold to the North Shore
Babies Hospital next door, which formerly had been the Charles A. Ropes estate. Numbered
67 Dearborn at the time, it served as a nurses’ residence named in honor of Margaret Ropes.
After the Babies Hospital moved to the Salem Hospital campus around 1960 the house
reverted to a private residence, probably of two units. The two-unit dwelling was converted
to a two-unit condominium in 1983.
Background: Growing up on Ropes Point
Charles Fischer Ropes was born into a well-off North Salem family in 1865. His
grandfather Benjamin Ropes (1772-1845) had been a cooper, shipping merchant, and soldier
in the War of 1812. Charles’s parents were Charles Augustus Ropes, a merchant, and Lucinda
Whipple Ropes. Both parents held substantial property; Charles claimed $12,000 in real
estate and $75,000 in personal property, and Lucinda had $4,000 worth in her own personal
property. In 1865 Charles A. Ropes was reported to have the fourth largest income among
Salem residents. 1 His obituary noted that he “came from a sterling family, the members of
which all achieved success in mercantile life.” It explained that he had “established a regular
line of coasting vessels between Salem and New York, which for some years did a large
freighting business.” Charles’s company evidently worked with other family connections to
bring hides from South America as well as corn and grain from the Midwest. As well, he
worked in partnership with a wax leather manufacturer for a time. 2 He and his brothers
Reuben W. Ropes (the elder) and Ripley Ropes operated a �lour and grain business in central
Salem which later became Charles Ropes and Son. 3
Charles A. Ropes married twice; his �irst marriage (1843) was to Mary Ann Barker,
who had four children before she passed away in 1853. Two of these children died before
their father remarried. The other two grew up in their father’s household. In 1854 Charles
A. Ropes remarried Lucinda Whipple. A year later he purchased property at the foot of
Dearborn Street (from a James Ropes, an uncle) for $4100. 4 In 1856 he contracted with
Harris & Hutchins, Carpenters, to “build a Dwelling house and outbuildings in conformity
with the plans prepared by Emmerton & Foster, Architects” for a total price of $8995.00. The
1860 US Census; New York Evening Post, August 22, 1865
According to Alexander Watt, Leather manufacture, a Practical Handbook. 5th edition. (London: Crosby
Lockwood, 1919), p. 372, “wax leathers” were “leathers �inished black on the �lesh side.” These leathers were
“specially suitable for the heavy hard wear of the mechanic, agriculturalist, and other wearers who require a
boot fairly waterproof, with a certain amouht of porosity and at a low price.” Watt noted that the advent of
cheaper modern chrome process caused some to believe that the “total extinction of wax leathers… is only a
question of time.” Directories and atlases show that Joseph A. Dalton had a tannery on Mason Street. It seems
likely that the role Charles A. Ropes played in the business was as investor.
3 Information on Charles A. Ropes from obituaries in the Boston Daily Journal, March 20, 1890, and the New
York Tribune, March 21, 1890. Ad for the �irst iteration of Ropes Brothers in the Salem Directory, 1857, p 154.
4 Essex County Deed Book 512, page 7, April 26, 1855 (James Ropes to Charles A. Ropes); 1851 McIntyre Map
of Salem showing a J (?) Ropes beyond the end of Dearborn Street
1
2
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
3
designers and carpenters were both located in Salem. 5 This house is no longer extant, but it
is discussed in this history for two reasons. First, it gives an idea about the Ropes brothers’
early lives and surroundings. Second, the Charles A. Ropes Estate later became the North
Shore Babies’ Hospital, which for a time owned the Charles Fischer Ropes house at 67-69
Dearborn Street and operated it as a nurses’ residence.
Charles grew up with seven siblings (including Reuben W. Ropes, b. 1861, owner at
18 Felt Street) and two stepsiblings here. Other relatives came and went, as did “domestics”
– usually young immigrant women -- who would have cooked, cleaned, and provided child
care. For example, in 1865 Margaret Flemming, 26, and Joanna Kelley, 23, both Irish born,
lived in the household. 6 The house speci�ications and later images make clear that this was
a grand mansion trimmed with stylized Italianate ornament. It consisted of thirteen rooms
in all and included a main block and large ell, a piazza, a cellar, up to date plumbing (bath
room and water closet), central heating, fully equipped kitchen, and expensive materials like
black Italian marble in the parlor. Ground �loor rooms included “Drawing Room, Library, Hall,
Parlor, and Dining Room,” the ceilings of which were to have a “marble �inish.” Margaret and
Joanna likely used a system of bells: one in the kitchen connected to the front door, and there
were bells “from each of the Southern chambers with the kitchen, all to be hung in the best
manner.” 7
Ropes Family Papers, 1826-1899, Box 1. Philips Library. The 1855 Salem business directory, shows
Emmerton and Foster, Architects, with an of�ice at 6 Central Street in Salem, very near the Ropes grain
business. (p. 161) In the regular directory, William H. Emmerton is listed as a partner in Emmerton and Foster
with a house at 13 Summer Street. (p. 68). Joseph C. Foster is listed as an engineer with Emmerton & Foster,
with a house at 357 Essex Street. (p.73) On page 163 of the business directory there is a carpenter, D. M.
Harris, at 36 North Street, but no Hutchins. Harris is listed in the regular directory as Daniel M. Harris, 36
North Street, with a house at 12 Upham. (p. 83). Augustus Hutchings, carpenter, has a house at 66 North
Street (p. 90).
6 1865 Massachusetts state census
7“Speci�ications of a Dwelling House for Chas. A. Ropes.” Ropes Family Papers, 1826-1899, Box 1, Phillips
Library collection.
5
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
4
Charles A. Ropes house, later North Shore Babies Hospital, c. 1856, no longer extant. 1927 image, Salem State
University Archives. The long ell at right was a c. 1926 addition; the �lanking shed roof wings on either side of
the main house had been added about 1909, as “fresh air wards” for the young patients.
At this time North Salem was still quite rural, and in fact the property was farmed.
Much later it still had nine acres planted with shade trees and fruit trees. 8 Indeed, Charles A.
Ropes joined in the North Salem horticultural activity by exhibiting more than twenty
varieties of apples and pears at the Essex Institute Horticulture Exhibition in 1876. 9 Barns
and other agricultural outbuildings were added. In 1870 the agricultural census reported
that the 10-acre farm produced potatoes and tree fruit, probably to supply the household.
Three cows produced milk. This operation was run by wage workers who performed the
actual labor. Here the children would have been surrounded by “horses, cows, livestock,
carriages, tools, and machines.” 10 In this environment Charles F. Ropes and his brothers must
have acquired a good preparation for the grain business.
North Shore Babies Hospital Society Annual Report, 1911. Phillips Library.
Salem Register Sept 14, 1876
10 1870 US Agricultural census; Charles A. Ropes will, 1889, Essex Probate Records 1889-90, p 401-402.
8
9
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
5
1875 US Geodetic and Coast Survey Map, Salem Harbor, detail. The Charles A. Ropes Estate shows cultivated
�ields and probably gardens closer to the house.
By the 1880s a new generation joined the Ropes grain business and it became Charles
A. Ropes and Son. Charles F. and his brother Reuben W. were employed there as clerks while
their older brother Willis occupied the more senior role of “Son.” The �irm carried on a
wholesale and retail trade in grain, hay, and animal feed, as well as household staples like
�lour, lard, dried apples, and beans. 11 This enterprise was a more prosaic relative to the Far
Eastern trade that had enriched Salem in the eighteenth century. The �irm’s ads suggest that
Charles A. Ropes and Son’s major market must have been farm households and agricultural
retailers in the rural hinterland. 12 The New England farming economy relied increasingly on
dairying and poultry. Farmland was mostly put into pasture and hay rather than grains.
Farming households purchased grain and �lour from companies like Ropes and Son, who in
turn likely obtained most of their goods from sources in the Midwest or South. For example,
among the ingredients in Reuben Ropes’s advertised “poultry hash” were wheat meal,
cottonseed, and alfalfa meal. 13 Another market for the Ropes company would have been
urban: as long as horses supplied motive power for transport and industry, horse owners
would buy feed and hay. Salem and other nearby towns had livery stables as well as plenty
of family equines. The �irm’s goods were transported by water and (later) rail. Charles A.
Ropes used wharves for his substantial �leet, including one just off Derby Street. His sons
continued to use it into the 1890s. 14
1888 Salem Directory, page 898.
Salem Directory, 1905, no page number
13 Philip H. Smith, “Inspection of Commercial Feedstuffs,” Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station
Control Series Bulletin No. 55, December 1930, p. 36.
14 Charles A. Ropes extended the wharf in 1874 (DB 901/222)
11
12
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
6
Salem Atlas of 1897, Plate 3, detail. Reuben W. Ropes wharf in the South River off Derby street, center of image.
To the west, on Central Street, see Ropes Brothers Feed and Grain. The 1890 Salem Sanborn map, Sheet 8, also
shows a Ropes’ Wharf off 125 Derby Street.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
Ad for Charles A. Ropes and Son, Salem Directory, 1888
7
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
8
Ad for Ropes Brothers, 1905 Salem Directory
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
9
In 1890 Charles A. Ropes died. He left the house and land to Lucinda, plus $30,000
“in money.” His sons Willis H., Charles F., and Reuben W. took over the �irm and renamed it
Ropes Brothers. By 1897 they had opened a branch on Hobart Street in Danvers, where
Charles F. worked while continuing to live with his mother. 15 In 1900, Charles F. Ropes
married Margaret L. Robertson. Margaret, born 1877 in Beverly, worked as a bookkeeper at
her father’s business. Robert Robertson, “Plumber and Sanitary Engineer, Agent for Gurney
Steam and Hot Water Heaters, Pratt’s Gasolene [sic] for Light and Heat,” had of�ices in Beverly,
Beverly Farms, and Manchester. He and his wife Helen had emigrated from Scotland; they
and their children resided at 21 Pond Street in Beverly. Two hundred people were invited
there to a reception where the newlyweds (according to the Salem Evening News) received
many “elegant and costly presents.” 16
1900-1947: Charles F. and Margaret L. Ropes Family Home
In 1901 Charles’s mother, Lucinda, gave him the lot where the present house at 67-69
Dearborn Street stands. That same year Charles and Margaret borrowed $3,000 from
Charles’s sister Mary and her husband Frederick Cates. In all the couple borrowed $7,000 in
three mortgages dated 1901, 1908, and 1916. 17 These funds must have �inanced the house
construction. The �irst visual evidence found for the house is a 1907 plan of the Ropes Point
property that was made in preparation for the transfer of the Charles A. and Lucinda Ropes
Estate to the North Shore Babies Hospital that year. Likely the house had been built nearer
the time of their marriage. The couple had four children by 1910: Charlie A, Margaret, Anna,
and John S. Charles continued in the grain business, shifting back and forth between the
original Central Street location and the Danvers store. 18
1897 Salem Directory
1900 US Census; 1899 Salem Directory; 1897 Salem Directory; Salem Evening News, June 20, 1900, p. 2
17 DB 1632 page 44; DB 1809 p 144; DB 2353 p 457. The second and third loans were from Salem Savings
Bank. All were discharged by 1922.
18 Salem Directories for 1903, 1905, 1906, 1922; 1910 US Census
15
16
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
10
Essex Deeds Plan (Plan Book 19 page 2) dated 1907 showing the Charles F. Ropes house. The area to the right
of the line running “A-B-C” went to the North Shore Babies Hospital in 1907, DB 1994 pp 287 to 297.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
11
1911 Atlas of Salem, Sheet 9, showing C. Ropes house next to the new North Shore Babies Hospital. It has not
been established why the area adjacent to North Shore Babies Hospital was marked Lucinda W. Ropes Hrs.
(heirs)
The Massachusetts Historical Commission form for this property characterizes it as
“one of Salem’s rare examples of the Shingle Style.” 19 Architectural historians often classify
the Shingle Style as a regional expression that drew inspiration from several sources. The
Queen Anne lent its asymmetrical forms, use of shingles, expansive porches; the Colonial
Revival offered gambrel roofs, “rambling lean-to additions”; and vernacular practices
contributed the outer envelope of “naturally weathered shingle siding.” Interior plans tended
to be open and �lowing. 20 The house at 67-69 Dearborn does exhibit these qualities, notably
the gambrel roof, shingle-like cladding, and lean-to elements. Though the style was
uncommon in Salem proper, the nearby area boasted many distinguished Shingle Style
houses, especially on dramatic oceanside sites. Inspiration was accessible for people who
wanted to build in a current fashion. This house shared some qualities with brother Reuben
Ropes’s house at 18 Felt Street, but it lacked outbuildings and elaborate grounds. It seemed
more emphatically suburban than rural.
Massachusetts Historical Commission form SAL.1867, 1986. Available via MACRIS.
Virginia McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses revised edition. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023),
374; John Milnes Baker, A Concise Guide to American House Styles (New York: Countryman Press, 2018), 92
19
20
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
12
Undated photos from Realtor.com, retrieved January 2024. Left, elevation facing Dearborn Street; right,
gambrel roof end facing Larch Avenue.
Charles and Margaret Ropes were active and prominent citizens in the Salem
community. They participated in numerous civic and charitable affairs. Charles was
especially well known for his leadership in the Second Corps of Cadets, a local volunteer
militia that traced its history to 1786. An independent entity until 1915 (when it became
part of the National Guard), the Second Corps was a bona �ide military organization in the
sense that it held training, provided coastal defense during the Spanish American War, helped
to �ight the 1914 �ire, and even policed a workers’ strike in Lawrence. It was a large social
presence in Salem; its parades, plays, dances, and band performances made the local
headlines. Membership afforded opportunities for what we now would call networking since
the corps attracted businessmen, bankers, and professionals to its ranks. Charles F. Ropes
distinguished himself in the Corps, joining in 1884 and rising to commanding of�icer by 1908.
The Corps was so central to his public identity that his obituary headline read “Col. Charles
F. Ropes, Cadet Corps Veteran, Dies.” 21
The couple also supported the local Red Cross, Girl Scouts, and North Shore Babies
Hospital. The last would have a special impact where 67-69 Dearborn Street was concerned.
The Babies Hospital originated from the Fresh Air Fund during an epidemic in 1904. First it
was a summer-only service based on Bakers Island, but when the Charles A. Ropes estate
became available after Lucinda Ropes’s death in 1906, it shifted locations and repurposed
the 1856 house for the Babies Hospital. This institution evolved to a full-service hospital for
very young children, with professional care offered without regard to race, creed, color, or
ability to pay. Margaret Ropes played an important role in the Babies’ Hospital Society as a
vice president, secretary, member of the executive committee, and member of the Ways and
Means committee. Committee members vigorously sought donations from among the North
Shore’s wealthy; opened a thrift shop; ran a yearly “Tag Day” that generated signi�icant
income for the institution; sold garden surplus; opened the beach to the public in cooperation
with a neighborhood association; and solicited in-kind donations. 22 As the Society secretary
Margaret Ropes was responsible for writing the introductory summaries in the group’s
21 Emily Murphy, “Merchants, Clerks, Citizens, and Soldiers, the Second Corps of Cadets in Salem,
Massachusetts.” Undated pamphlet, National Park Service, Salem Maritime National Historic Site; Salem
Evening News August 7, 1944.
22For example, the noted Marblehead seed company, Gregory’s, gave seeds for the vegetable garden which
supplied the hospital.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
13
annual reports. She ably explained how the Society raised funds for the hospital—and made
pitches to potential donors too. For example in 1911 she wrote hopefully: “the need of
suitable sleeping apartments for the nurses has been more apparent than ever this year –
their quarters being very much overcrowded. Here is a splendid opportunity, for some one
who is interested, to found a nurse’s memorial home.” Other events would intervene before
this dream was realized. In 1914 Salem suffered a devastating �ire. Margaret Ropes and her
colleagues stepped in to help the hospital care for �ire refugees. 67-69 Dearborn became a
site for �ire relief work: “Eighty quarts of cocoa was made daily at the home of Mrs. Charles
F. Ropes and distributed at the Forest River Camp.” 23
Margaret Ropes’s work with the Babies Hospital exempli�ied a wider movement of
middle-class women into public-spirited activism. Progressive-era women founded and ran
important institutions from libraries to settlement houses to hospitals. Like the men, they
networked. In Salem, for example, among the Babies Hospital patrons were the Emmertons,
North Salem neighbors who also supported the John Bertram Home, the Salem Hospital, and
the House of Seven Gables Settlement. As well, Margaret Ropes and her colleagues helped to
facilitate the rise of nursing as a respected “pink collar” occupation for educated women.
Trained nurses staffed the Babies Hospital; eventually the Society helped establish a nursing
school geared speci�ically to pediatric nursing.
By 1930 there were signs of change. For one thing, Charles F. Ropes was apparently
no longer actively involved in the family business, for he now was listed in censuses and
directories as a nurseryman. First, he worked in Boxford, then in 1936 he became
superintendent of Greenlawn Cemetery in Salem. 24 Though this was respectable
employment, it probably was not highly remunerative. Under these circumstances the house
(its mortgage had been paid off in 1922) became an important economic asset for the family.
Sometime around 1934 boarders began to appear at 67 Dearborn Street. Converting extra
house room to generate income was a widely used Depression era strategy. It is not clear
how space use was divided, but currently there are four bedrooms on the second �loor and
an additional third �loor room. It does not seem likely that extensive (and expensive)
renovations would have taken place to accommodate boarders, though an ambiguous 1932
Sanborn map suggests that the footprint may have changed from the original 1907 plan. In
1934 daughter Anna Ropes (a nurse working in Boston), Gordon Clifford (“sta[tionary]
eng[ineer]), and John F. Wilson (factory worker) all lived at “r[ear] 67 Dearborn” while
Charles and Margaret lived at 67 Dearborn. In 1940 the census showed Charles and Margaret
at 67 Dearborn Street with two “roomers”: an engineer with Hygrade named Lawrence
Kimball, and a Kenneth Connery. After Charles F. Ropes died in 1944, his widow lived at 67
Dearborn—continuing to have “roomers” -- until she too passed away in 1946.
23 “To Begin Anew,” 1958 pamphlet, North Shore Babies’ and Children’s Hospital, Phillips Library; Babies’
Summer Hospital Society Annual Reports, Phillips Library, 1905, 1911, 1913, 1914; “North Shore Baby
Hospital Tag Day Produced $5900,” Boston Globe June 11, 1918, 7.
24
1930 US Census; Salem Directory for 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1943
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
14
Sanborn Map of Salem, 1906-1950, Sheet 70: “New Sheet, September 1932”, detail. Library of Congress. The
Charles F. Ropes house is numbered 67 in this view. Note the “Nurses Home” in the pink-colored section of the
North Shore Babies Hospital. This was the c. 1926 addition seen in the �irst photo above.
Behind these changes was a deepening crisis at the Ropes Brothers company,
culminating in 1936 when Reuben W. Ropes was declared a bankrupt and his entire property
(including his home) was seized by a court-appointed of�icial. Charles and Willis got caught
up in the proceedings too; they defaulted on their mother’s loan for the Central Street
business premises and ironically Reuben, as trustee, had to enter the grounds to formally
repossess the �irm’s store and warehouses. Available research to date has not �irmly
established how such a wealthy family ended up bankrupt, but it is indisputable that local
businesses like the Ropes Brothers faced an increasingly daunting competitive climate in
early 20th century. The shift from sail to steam power disadvantaged businesses (like the
Ropes’s) that had been founded on large sail �leets. Moreover, the grain and �lour business
was also undergoing dramatic changes related to agriculture and food retailing. A deep
agricultural depression had preceded the Wall Street crash by a decade. Global competition
intensi�ied with European recovery from war. In the US farming became more specialized,
mechanized, and capital intensive. As farm output rose, prices dropped steeply, plunging
farmers into an escalating “cost-price squeeze” (higher costs, lower prices for their
products). The number of farms steadily declined. In New England these forces were
ampli�ied by urbanization and high land costs. To add to the stress, urbanites were trading
horses for automobiles, and farmers were swapping out draft horses for tractors; dairymen
found that growing their own silage for winter feed was a better strategy than purchasing
grain. In sum, both rural and town markets for grain and hay were contracting. Competition
from newer, large nationwide companies like Ralston-Purina also disadvantaged local
distributors. Meanwhile the food retail sector was undergoing a major shift to chain stores;
consumers who formerly might have patronized Ropes Brothers for household staples could
now buy them at a chain store, probably more cheaply. Thus, the household market for
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
15
Ropes Brothers goods was probably dwindling too. These circumstances help to explain how
a formerly pro�itable grain business like Ropes Brothers could be forced out of business.
1947-1961: Margaret L. Ropes Memorial House
After Margaret’s passing in 1946 the house entered a new phase in its history. Her
executors sold the house and lot to the North Shore Babies Hospital. This was a �itting move.
Years before, Margaret had advocated for a “nurse’s memorial home.” The hospital had added
a residential wing for nurses in 1926 but with the passing of a prominent supporter, a new
opportunity arose. Now the house at 67 Dearborn Street became the Margaret Ropes
Memorial House, a nurses’ residence for the North Shore Babies Hospital. A building permit
was issued in 1947 to “remodel dwelling into apartments (Nurses).” 25 The residence was up
and running by 1948. A 1959 site plan (Book 5, Plan 93) showed the footprint of the “Nurse’s
Home.” The main change from the 1907 footprint was the addition of two rectangular shaped
extensions to each gable end, currently where the Unit B porch/deck and Unit A entry are
located today. 26 The available documentary record (city directories only) 27 is hard to
interpret for clues about exactly how the Margaret L. Ropes Memorial House functioned,
because the cryptic, unpunctuated wording in directories leaves so much ambiguity. To
confuse matters further, the extensive residential wing at the Babies’ Hospital itself was also
labeled “Nurses Home” on the 1932 Sanborn map (see image above). The best guess is that
the house at 67 Dearborn provided accommodation for a few nurses and a “house mother.”
The superintendents in charge of the entire hospital also were responsible for the nurses’
residence but did not apparently live at 67 Dearborn. 28
City of Salem public records, Property Card for 67 Dearborn Street. The permit number was # 137, April 4,
1947. A visit to the city building department on January 25, 2024 disclosed that no further information is
available besides this number and date.
26 The 1932 map shows rectangular extensions too, but this drawing seems to be an outlier; all the other map
footprints share elements that this one lacks.
27 No record of entries in the 1950 census could be found, and Margaret L. Ropes’s will also was not located.
28 Salem Directories for 1948 through 1962, street lists and alphabetical lists; City of Salem Property Card for
67 Dearborn Street, noting an April 4, 1947 building permit issued to North Shore Babie’s [sic] Hospital to
“remodel dwelling into apartments (nurses).” Unfortunately the actual permit is not available so it could not
be determined just how the building was renovated. The latest year in the collection of Annual Reports for
the Babies Hospital Society at the Phillips Library is 1940, but if later annual reports could be located it would
probably clear up this confusion quickly. After the Babies Hospital moved away from Dearborn Street, the
1966 Salem Street List showed Helen G. Burke, House mother, appears at address 67 Dearborn along with the
new owner, Joanne McManus. Salem Public Library Local History Room
25
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
16
1959 plan of the North Shore Babies Hospital land, showing Nurse’s Home, then called 67 Dearborn Street, now
67-69 Dearborn Street.
1962-1983: two family private dwelling
1983-present, two unit condominium
The North Shore Babies Hospital moved to the Salem Hospital campus around 1960.
In 1962 the property – along with the Babies Hospital buildings and some of its land (Parcels
B, C, and D on the 1959 map above) -- passed to Charles and Joanne McManus of Lynn, who
then moved to 67 Dearborn. The hospital was converted to the Salem Commercial School, of
which Charles H. McManus was President. The 1965 and 1966 Salem Street lists showed the
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
17
couple at #67 along with a Helen G. Burke whose occupation was listed as “Housemother.” 29
A foreclosure proceeding in the late 1960s apparently left Joanne McManus with just the lot
and house at present 67-69 Dearborn. Later on Joanne McManus appeared by herself at #
67, with an occupation of secretary. 30 After 1983 when the “existing two family dwelling”
was legally converted to a “two unit condominium” the house acquired two numbers, 67 and
69, and accommodated two separate households. This conversion process was very common
in late twentieth century Salem. Floor plans submitted to the city during the transition (see
images below) showed how the dwelling was divided, but give few clues about whether
partitions were added at this time or had appeared in an earlier renovation, perhaps in 1947.
Given that the property was described as an “existing two family dwelling” before the
condominium conversion was approved it seems likely that the building already
accommodated multiple households. Since that time bay windows have been added and
other renovations have been undertaken.
1965 and 1966 Salem Street Lists. Salem Public Library Local History Room.
1967 Salem Street List, Salem Public Library. The source is a street list generated for voting purposes only,
so there may have been children present.
29
30
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
18
Plans submitted when 67 Dearborn was converted to condominiums, 1983.
salemdeeds.com
Conclusion
Plan Book 187 page 87,
The house at 67-69 Dearborn has seen nearly a century and a quarter of service. First
it sheltered Charles F. Ropes, his wife Margaret, and their growing family. It must have seen
many gatherings for social, civic, and charitable purposes, for Charles and Margaret were
both very active community members. During the Depression years, paying boarders
apparently helped bring in needed income as the Ropes business faltered. After Margaret’s
passing the house became a nurses’ residence named in her honor and owned by the North
Shore Babies Hospital. It was renovated around 1947 to accommodate this new purpose.
When the Babies Hospital moved to join up with the Salem Hospital around 1960, the
hospital and house were sold. Soon after the two properties were separated and the house
continued as a two-family dwelling, later as a two-unit condominium. These changes
re�lected broader shifts in Salem residential patterns.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
19
List of Sources:
Note: if not footnoted, primary source information comes from Salemdeeds.com or
Ancestry.
Secondary work:
Massachusetts Historical Commission, site SAL.1867, available through MACRIS, the
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, https://mhcmacris.net/details?mhcid=SAL.1867
Baker, John Milnes. A Concise Guide to American House Styles (New York: Countryman
Press, 2018)
McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses revised edition. (New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 2023)
Murphy, Emily. “Merchants, Clerks, Citizens, and Soldiers, the Second Corps of Cadets
in Salem, Massachusetts.” Undated pamphlet, National Park Service, Salem Maritime
National Historic Site. (Salem Public Library)
Maps of Salem: (I include a hotlink only when the site is tricky to navigate or �ind)
Henry McIntyre, Map of the City of Salem, Mass. 1851. Online at Leventhal Maps
Library, Boston Public Library.
G. M. Hopkins, Atlas of the City of Salem. 1874. Available online through the
Massachusetts State Library, https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/206060
US Geodetic and Coast Survey Map, Salem Harbor, 1875.
Atlas of the City of Salem. 1897. Online through the Massachusetts State Library,
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/205576
Atlas of the City of Salem, Massachusetts. 1911. Online at Leventhal Maps Library,
Boston Public Library.
Sanborn Insurance Maps of Salem, Massachusetts, 1906-1950. Sheet 70. Library of
Congress website, select Maps in search bar
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
Deeds:
20
The Southern Essex Registry of Deeds, Salemdeeds.com, has digitized all deeds
executed in the county. https://salemdeeds.com/salemdeeds/Default2.aspx
Newspapers:
Author has Penn State library access to search Salem newspapers. Not all the major
Salem papers are included in the databases and they only go up to about 1900 but I
was able to �ind obituaries for Charles A. Ropes.
Charles F. Ropes obituary, Salem Evening News, August 7, 1944, Front Page. Salem
Public Library.
Biographical details:
Other:
Ancestry.com compiles digitized census, vital statistics, city directories, and other
sources.
Hathi Trust gives access to historical publications, for example lists of ships owned
by Charles A. Ropes.
Phillips Library Collections: North Shore Babies Hospital collection, 1958 pamphlet,
“To Begin Anew”; North Shore Babies Hospital Society Annual Reports; Ropes Family
Papers, 1826-1899 (Speci�ications for Charles A. Ropes House, 1856).
Salem State University Archives, digitized photos and post cards collection.
City of Salem Public Records (digital collection available via the city website)
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
21
Property Ownership History
DATE
March 31, 2023
June 14, 2013
October 18,
1990
June 7, 1984
June 7, 1984
(Master Deed)
December 21,
1983 (petition)
GRANTOR
Charles M.
Lipson and
Barbara S.
Bulriss, married
Barbara S.
Bulriss
Richard A. and
Carolyn M.
Maddocks of
Salem
Joanne A.
McManus aka
Joanne Paolini
Joanne
McManus is the
petitioner
GRANTEE
DB/PAGE #
Charles M.
Lipson
Barbara Bulriss
32563/430
Richard A. and
Carolyn M.
Maddocks of
Salem
7431/142
Alex D. Sivo and
Mary Ellen Kerr
(married)
41500/153
REMARKS (price, wording,
etc)
This transaction is for Unit B
of a condo unit established in
1984, DB 7431/90, (see
below)
10602/589
7431/90
5130/510, 513,
519 and special
permit,
7321/365
This transaction is for Unit B
and is the �irst condominium
sale.
This is the Master Deed for
the condominium. See Plan
Book 157 of 1962 and DB
4895/1. (couldn’t �ind the
latter) 67 and 69 Dearborn
Streets are thereby combined.
(Lots A and B). Building is
described as “a three story
free standing and unattached
structure and having a stone
foundation, wood frame
structure and slate roof.”
5130 Refers to a Street
Acceptance Plan of 1963 in
which Dearborn is extended
and a portion of Larch Ave.
established. Among those
involved as property owners
are Esther Ropes and Mary
Cates. 7321 is Special Permit
to convert “an existing two
family dwelling into a two
unit condominium in this R-1
�DATE
67-69 Dearborn Street House History
GRANTOR
GRANTEE
May 4, 1970
Mary T. Duffy
September 19,
1969
MerchantsWarren Bank
Joanne A.
5680/765
McManus of 67
Dearborn Street
September 13,
1962
April 13, 1962
November 8,
1946
DB/PAGE #
Mary T. Duffy of
Lynn
5639/318
Charles and
Joanne
McManus of
Lynn
MerchantsWarren bank
North Shore
Babies’ and
Children’s
Hospital
Frederick H.
Klein of
Wyomissing PA
and Anna Ropes
Hall of Salem,
executors of the
will of Margaret
L. Ropes
(widow of
Charles F.
Ropes)
4982/25. Later
documents
show a stepped
process by
which the
MerchantsWarren bank
forecloses for
nonpayment
4759/342 and
346
Charles and
Joanne
McManus of
Lynn
North Shore
3515/178
Babies’ Hospital
22
REMARKS (price, wording,
etc)
district.” The house was
certi�ied in 1980 as an
existing two family house—
see salem city Properties in
Online portion of the city
website
Premises conveyed is the lot
and buildings as laid out
today (Parcel 1). Price is
$36,000
Foreclosure Deed.
Merchants- Warren National
Bank of Salem, holder of a
mortgage from Charles H. and
Joanne A. McManus. This
includes the present house
and lot (Parcel I) and two
other parcels.
Mortgage for the three
parcels, $25,000 in 10 years
at 6% interest
This transaction involves
three parcels: Lot B, C and
Lot D on Plan Book 93 Plan 5.
$15,000
See plan 2182/579 of 1912.
This is when the Charles F.
Ropes house becomes
property of North Shore
Babies Hospital, and is turned
into a nurses’ residence—see
plan of 1959. The transaction
involves more than just the
house/lot.
�DATE
67-69 Dearborn Street House History
GRANTOR
GRANTEE
DB/PAGE #
23
REMARKS (price, wording,
etc)
January 9, 1901 Lucinda W.
Charles F. Ropes 1632/43
$1.00 transaction. This is the
Ropes
lot 100 by 140 feet , “bounded
on all sides by land of L. W.
Ropes, with right of way to
same over the driveway
running in front of said lot,
said driveway running from
Dearborn St. to residence of
Lucinda W. Ropes”.
FOR TRANSACTIONS LEADING TO LUCINDA ROPES’S ACQUISITION OF THIS PROPERTY SEE HOUSE
HISTORY FOR 18 FELT STREET. IN 1859 LUCINDA ROPES BOUGHT A LARGER TRACT FROM WHICH
THIS LOT WAS CARVED IN 1901
Property Ownership Summary (in chronological order):
1859-1901: Lucinda W. Ropes
1901-1946: Charles F. Ropes and Margaret Ropes, then Margaret Ropes (d. 1946), then her
heirs
1946-1962: North Shore Babies’ and Children’s Hospital
1962-1970: Charles and Joanne McManus (present 67-69 Dearborn plus North Shore
Babies Hospital)
1970-1983: Joanne A. McManus
1983: Joanne A. McManus petitions to convert an existing two family dwelling into a two
unit condominium. Petition is granted.
1984-present: Units A and B have various different owners.
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
24
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1983 Special Permit for condo conversion DB 7321 p 365
25
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
26
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1970 Duffy to McManus DB 5680 p 765
27
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
28
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1969 Merchants Warren Bank to Duffy DB 5639 p 318-19
29
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
30
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
31
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1962 N Shore Babies Hosp to McManus DB 4759 p 342-3
32
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
33
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
Heirs to N Shore Babies Hosp DB 3515 pp 178-180
34
1946 Ropes
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
35
�67-69 Dearborn Street House History
1901 Lucinda Ropes to Charles F Ropes DB 1632 p 43-4
36
�
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Dearborn Street
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
67-69 Dearborn Street, Salem, MA, 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House History
Description
An account of the resource
Built for
Charles F. Ropes
and wife
Margaret L. Robertson
c. 1900
Served as the
Margaret L. Ropes Memorial House
Nurses Residence for the
North Shore Babies Hospital
1948-1960
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Built circa 1900
House history completed 2024
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Sally McMurry
Language
A language of the resource
English
1900
2024
67 Dearborn Street
67-69 Dearborn Street
69 Dearborn Street
Massachusetts
Ropes
Salem
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/f4f61bb6ced8a49f5a3c7c9c815e1ec5.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=nJW-r-QwksUs6dcmnbRNE%7E7r4n0PTCAM9BpQl4SpHwfs7vKl4JUj8P6VXbuJ9Trima6H2Sj3qzVA9JZydBCUiwh7yUF4cgbKTEbQD6RspJmBSa38rXtEUz12DXrPBQjro1sJ-Z3PVGgLxYQox%7EDuFs23dF12KUBRMU6bMPYfNdbUM0sfIkvXHZTTvkRJU2Q5cqhr7qFDosD%7EUY%7EQ7OL9zRZy1uhJDydHRARF%7EFPkW9HPw7qOwuPRW4HMF1AQECBCRKm%7EI5BapYBtt4L1WRO0JDxwGmhzl7rUNaC3c2Vex9dsj2QrGSBsI4507g%7EVHR1ljWJaK0bmA63GyCiG0k4SXg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
7879909e9193a1c58e5d80214cecd3cc
PDF Text
Text
84 Washington Square
Dr. Hardy Phippen
Physician
Built circa 1900
Researched and written by Alisa Grishin
December 2021
Historic Salem Inc.
The Bowditch House
9 North Street, Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-0799 | HistoricSalem.org
©2021
�Homeowner
Date Purchased
Years of
Ownership
Number of Years
Purchase Price
Documents
Referenced
Notes
Thomas F. Hunt
October 16, 1854
1854-1869
15
unstated
501:296
Parcel III(a)
“...described land
situate in said
Salem”
Bought from C. A.
Ropes
James P. Cook
November 4,
1869
1869-1895
26 years
unstated
785:166
Parcel III(a)
“Certain parcel of
land and the
buildings thereon”
Thomas F. Hunt
May 14, 1890
1890-1890
<1 year
$10,000
1279:227
Parcel III(b)
“Certain parcel of
land and the
buildings thereon”
Bought from
Hannah A.
Kittredge
James P. Cook
December 6,
1890
1890-1895
5 years
“$1 and other
good and
sufficient
considerations”
1298:361
Parcel III(b)
“Certain parcel of
land with the
buildings thereon”
Parcel III
�complete
Charles A.
Sinclair
January 12, 1895
1895-1901
6 years
$175,550
1437:1
Parcel III
“Certain parcels
of land with the
buildings thereon”
Hardy Phippen
April 25,1899
1899-1953
54 years
“$1 and other
valuable
considerations”
1575:198
Purchase of
Parcel I(a)
“A certain parcel
of land with the
buildings thereon”
Hardy Phippen
April 25, 1899
1899-1953
54 years
“$1 and other
valuable
considerations”
1575:198
Purchase of
Parcel I(b)
“A certain parcel
of land with the
buildings thereon”
Frank Jones
Hardy Phippen
December 18,
1901
July 28, 1902
1901-1902
1902-1953
1 year
51 years
“$1 and other
valuable
considerations”
1644:155
$1
1683:322
Parcel III
“A certain parcel
of land with the
buildings thereon”
Purchase of
Parcel III
“A certain parcel
of land”
Hardy Phippen
August 10, 1903
1903-1953
50 years
“$1 and other
1716:296
Parcel II
�considerations”
“A certain parcel
of real estate”
Purchase to join
together the three
(3) parcels
George W. Full &
Sons, Inc.
June 29, 1953
1953-2017
64 years
$37,500
3991:114
Three (3) parcels
of land
O’Donnell
Funeral Home
October 2, 2017
2017-Present
4+
“For
consideration”
$1,462,500
36223:159
Three (3) parcels
of land
�1897 Atlas, Plate 4
������Photos
Dr. Hardy Phippen House, 1900
Unknown Creator
Courtesy of MIT Libraries
�The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 21, 1885
�The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 23, 1893
Duluth News Tribune. April 23, 1899
�DEEDS
����������������������������
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Washington Square East
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
84 Washington Square East, Salem, MA, 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House History
Description
An account of the resource
Dr. Hardy Phippen
Physician
Built circa 1900
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Built circa 1900
House history completed 2021
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Alisa Grishin
Language
A language of the resource
English
1900
2021
84 Washington Square East
Dr. Hardy Phippen
Massachusetts
Phippen
Physician
Salem
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/28828/archive/files/f38e60413c0b25997854b018f4634145.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=rRKSvPX8g0cT2fNhRF-L5izNCB3PChhQMhlbCfEKvUM-iCtNttmph2xaRcHkNHhLkvCrIO3Ai54v5VKuplgo0RlZOtjDZu%7Ey-apApobYFZplCqP7vpTHIC1XyEF0qvnF3sFl26dZXaz7GL%7E7GdJUYvgGmBZlEP4JqoyssXZwbKdxLuA3VKYkacthxpVpTm8%7E1Dm07ZdNGkaq29NptU4lU%7Ed9wvFtyqeqyL0PPS6zlc0Fkt3VL5o1ia0N8w5SLXrIAVk9b620Z9NvCU789NBnabYhOpWVlpddrwu8MoPyL8s%7EhObG8mt0vN8WAAnW4tFmYe1qauP2taW3HZTBskLAew__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
cdab9d8df69a861290309b2598c00adb
PDF Text
Text
6 Cromwell Street
George B. Phippen
Railroad Treasurer, Boston
Built 1900
Researched and written by Amanda R. Eddy
April 2021
Historic Salem Inc.
The Bowditch House
9 North Street, Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-0799 | HistoricSalem.org
©2021
�6 Cromwell Street, c. 2020
Photo by Amy McKeehan
The house at 6 Cromwell Street was built by George B. Phippen, the treasurer of the Boston and Maine
Railroad Company.1 Phippen owned the land for over 20 years before the home was built in 1900. Phippen
1
U.S. Federal Census, 1900
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�never lived in the home but built as a rental property. It is possible the intention was to rent it to the nearby
railroad repair workers, but only one renter with that occupation ever lived there.
According to local architectural historian Vijay Joyce, present day 6 Cromwell Street is in the Victorian
Eclectic style. The decorative gable rake (the board defining the angle of the roof), and the purple shingles at
the top of the gable separated by the green band of molding from the rest of the yellow clapboards, are both
Victorian touches. By the early 1910s, this style began to fall out of fashion.
The Bridge Street Neck Neighborhood is a historic district in Salem that has flourished for decades as a
residential, commercial, and industrial area. One of Salem’s oldest neighborhoods, it has been inhabited since
the early 1600s with Bridge Street serving as a main route from Salem into Beverly.
Cromwell Street first appears in the 1899 City Directory. Cromwell Street is named for Phillip Cromwell (c.
1610-c.1693). Phillip was born in 1610 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, coming to Salem in 1638/39. He
worked as a freeman, a selectman, and a butcher, owning a slaughterhouse in Salem.2 He married Dorothy
Keniston who died shortly after the marriage. Phillip later remarried to Mary Lemmon (Lemon).3 Phillip died
March 30, 1693. He is buried in the Charter Street Cemetery, also known as Old Burying Point Cemetery.4
Cromwell Street was once a part of a larger area owned by the Upton family from the early to mid 19th
century. The family is known for their refusal to take any part in the Salem Witch Trials. In the second half of
the 19th century, the Boston and Maine Railroad Eastern Division Car Shops sat adjacent to Cromwell Street.
The area contained a freight car repair shop, a passenger car shop, a sawing and planning shop, a machine
shop, iron and coal supply, and a paint repair shop. Across Bridge Street from Cromwell Street was another
2
WikiTree, Phillip Cromwell
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1674
4 Find A Grave, Memorial ID 12684253
3
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�well-known industry: Lynch Brother’s Leather Company which specialized in Moroccan leather. The Carlton
School now stands in the location.5
The Hebert Family – 1900 - 1901
The house was first rented by the Hebert family who lived there for one year. Jesse Joseph Hebert (18431921) was born in Canada in 1843 and immigrated to the United States in 1862.6 In 1863, he enlisted in the
military and served in the 7th Artillery during the Civil War. He was mustered out in 1865 when the war
ended.7 In 1916, he sought treatment for varicose veins, impaired vision, and other ailments at the U.S.
National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Togus, Maine.8 After his military service, he worked as a
music teacher.9 In 1870, Jesse married his wife Marie (sometimes listed as Mary) Louise Dionne (1855-1922),
originally from Michigan. Together, the couple had seven children: John B. Hebert (1875- 1968), an iron
molder, Aline A. (1873- unknown), a clerk, Jesse C. (1880- 1969), a machinist, Flora C. (1883- 1933), a clerk,
Rachel M. (1886- 1982), a clerk, Roderick O. (1889- 1966), and Arthur M. (1894-1979), both listed as
schoolboys in the 1900 census. The family had previously moved around the northeast, living in New York,
Vermont, and New Hampshire before settling on Cromwell Street in Salem. After leaving Cromwell Street in
1901, Jesse and Marie moved to Lynn, then to Togus, Maine (for Jesse’s treatment) Bath, New York, and then
back to Quebec, Canada, returning to Salem briefly prior to their deaths. Jesse died on September 27, 1921
from heart disease and Marie followed 1923.10
5
1890-1903 Salem Atlas, Plate 16
6
United States Federal Census, 1900
U.S. Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900, New York
8 U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938,
9 United States Federal Census, 1900
10 Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980, Volume 64, Page 219
7
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Their first-born son, John B. Hebert (1875-1968), married while residing on Cromwell Street, to Marie
Gagnon (1879-unknown), of Salem, on May 6, 1901.11 The couple had three children: Leo, Yvonne, and Lillian.
They resided in Salem for the rest of their lives, living in homes on Moffat Road, Liberty Street, Salem Street,
and Ocean Terrace. It seems John had different career paths throughout his life, going from an iron molder, to
a textile worker, to finally, a fireman. Second born son, Jesse Hebert (1880-1969), moved to Manhattan and
married Myrtle Hebert in 1907. They had one child, Jesse A. Hebert. Jesse pursued a career in theatre while
living in New York. He moved often, including to Massachusetts and resided in nearby Lynn in 1924, Boston in
1935, Weymouth in 1940, Ohio in the 1960s, and then finally to Rhode Island, where he died on July 26,
1969.12
Jesse and Marie’s daughter, Flora E. Hebert (1883-1933) married Perley J. Arthur (1879-1963) on October
19, 1901 in Salem.13 They had six sons before moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then Arlington,
Massachusetts, where Flora would pass away in 1933 at the age of 50. She is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in
Lynn, Massachusetts with her husband and their son who died in childhood, Herbert N. Arthur (1903-1910).14
Jesse and Marie’s other daughter, Rachel (Raye) Hebert (1886-1982) married William M. Christie on April
21, 1902 in Lynn, Massachusetts.15 They had one child, Ruth M. Christie, born about 1907. Raye and William
resided in Lynn and then Quincy before William passed away sometime between 1935 and 1940. Raye
remarried to William B. Nash, and moved to Boston, then eventually Brookline, where they passed away, Raye
on November 26, 1982.16
Roderick O. Hebert (1889-1966) lived in Salem until 1910, when he moved to Lynn, Massachusetts. He
married Doris G. Hebert in 1917. Roderick worked for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation at the Fore River Plant
11
Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, 1901
United States Federal Census, 1907
13 Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, 1901
14 Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980, 1910
15 Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, 1902
16 U.S. Social Security Index, 1935-2014, 1983
12
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�in Quincy, Massachusetts.17 He lived out his final years in Bowdoinham, Maine, where he passed away in
1966.18
Arthur M. Hebert (1894-1979) was born on August 22, 1984 in Dover, New Hampshire. After moving from
Cromwell Street, he moved with his family to Lynn, Massachusetts. The family then moved to Quincy before
Arthur took a job in New York City with the Sheedy Vaudeville Agency as an actor. By 1940, he was married to
Sina Hebert and living in Los Angeles, California. They had one child, Jean Hebert, born in 1928.19
The next family to move in to 6 Cromwell Street was the Monson family in 1902.
The Monson Family – 1902-1907
Sven E. Monson (1857-1942) was born in Shepplanda, Sweden in March 1857. At the age of 23, he
married Josephine Eliason (1853-1913), also of Sweden. The couple had 7 children, but only 5 survived
childhood. Their first born, John S. Monson (b. 1881-unknown) was their only child born in Sweden before the
family of three immigrated to the United States in November 1882. The family arrived in New York, and
settled in Newburyport, Massachusetts.20 Sven and Josephine’s other children were Maria C. (Monson)
Sanford (1883-1963), Arthur E. Monson (b. 1885-unknown), Harry W Monson (1887-1950), and Frank W.
Monson (1891-1980). Both Sven and his son John were machinists, Sven for the steam railway and John for
General Electric in Lynn. 21
John married Ruth Anderson (b. 1888-unkown) on October 16, 1907 in Salem.22 After living on Cromwell
Street, the young couple moved to Lynn, and then moved to Essex, Massachusetts. Mary C. Monson
(sometimes listed as Maria) married James A. Sanford (b.1881-unknown) on September 22, 1903 in Salem.
17
U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
U.S. Social Security Index, 1935-2014, 1966
19 United States Federal Census, 1940
20 United States State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950
21 United States Federal Census, 1910
22 Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, 1907
18
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�They had at least two children, Irene Sanford, born in 1904 and Walter Sanford whose birth date is unknown.23
Mary died in 1963 and is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mary’s brother
Arthur Monson married Harriet “Hattie” Hilton (1891-1972) on June 5, 1907.24 They had three children: Frank
(1912-1992), Eleanor (b. 1907-unknown), and Clarence (1915-1994).25 Arthur worked as a railway machinist
for the Boston and Maine Railroad Company, which was located right behind their home.26 The family moved
to Lowell after living in Salem.27 Harry Monson was unmarried and worked as a laborer before serving in
World War I. Harry died in 1950 from broncho pneumonia in White River Junction, Vermont.28 Frank Monson,
the youngest, married Alice G. Whittermore (1889-unknown) on October 8, 1913 in Salem. Frank worked as a
machinist and Alice, a shoe operative.29 They had two children: Donald E. Monson (b. 1920-) and Robert L.
Monson (b. 1925-).30 Frank passed away in 1980.
The Monson family spent their time in Salem living in the Bridge Street Neck Neighborhood, relocating
from Bridge Street, to Osgood Street, to Planters Street, and then finally to Cromwell Street. The family then
moved to Brockton, Massachusetts and later to Somerville.31 Josephine died in Saugus, Massachusetts in 1913
from carcinoma of the liver. She is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in Salem.32 Sven passed away in 1942.33
After the Monson family moved out in 1908, the Sullivan family moved in to 6 Cromwell Street.
23
United States Federal Census, 1910
U.S. Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
25 United States Federal Census, 1920
26 United States Federal Census, 1900
27 U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
28 United States Death Records, 1909-2008, Vermont, 1950
29 U.S. Marriage Records, 1840-1915
30 United States Federal Census, 1930
31 Salem City Directories, 1902-1940
32 Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915
33 Newspapers.com, August 26, 1942, The Boston Globe
24
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�The Sullivan Family – 1908-1939
Daniel F. Sullivan (1872-1937), the head of the house at 6 Cromwell Street lived with his three sisters,
Ellen T. (1875-1939), Norah A. (1880-unknown), and Annie C. (1886-1944). Daniel, Ellen, and Annie all worked
for a shoe company, Daniel as a stock fitter, Ellen a stitcher and Annie in the shoe store.34 Before moving to
Cromwell Street, the siblings lived at 10 Woodbury Court in Salem with their parents and other siblings. Their
parents were Andrew Sullivan and Hannah (Buckley) Sullivan, both Irish immigrants who arrived in Salem in
1866.35
Not much information is available on Daniel, but it is presumed that he remained single all of his life and
continued to work in the shoe industry. He passed away in 1937.36 Ellen was a housekeeper and did not marry.
She passed away on February 10, 1939.37 Norah continued to live in the home for a short while before moving
back with her parents. Annie married Roland Howard Dutcher (1888-1929) in Beverly, Massachusetts on April
27, 1913.38 Roland was a foreman at the United Shoe Machinery Company in Beverly. They had two children,
Anna Dutcher (1919-1981) and Richard Dutcher (1922-1985). Roland died in 1929, leaving Annie widowed. She
lived in the home with her two children until her death in 1945.39
Anna E. (Dutcher) McDormand was born October 30, 1919 and worked for as a filing clerk for a shoe
machinery corporation.40 She moved to 21 Winter Street after her mother’s death. On April 24, 1949, she
married Edward Irving McDormand (1919-2005).41 They had two children, Margaret McDormand (b. 1950-)
34
United States Federal Census, 1910
United States Federal Census, 1900
36 Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980
37 The Boston Globe, February 11, 1939, Newspapers.com
38 Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915
39 Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980
40 United States Federal Census, 1940
41 Massachusetts Marriage Index, 1901-1955
35
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�and a stillborn son, which they named Hugh (b. 1959). Anna passed away on November 20, 1981.42 She is
buried in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park in Peabody, Massachusetts, alongside her husband and Hugh.43
Richard Dutcher was born on June 26, 1922. He lived on Cromwell Street while attending Salem High
School. After he graduated high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private on July 15, 1940. 44 His civil
occupation was noted as a specialization in bakery products.45 Richard married Helen Lashette on April 22,
1944 in Biddeford, Maine.46 The couple had a daughter, Mary Ellen and the family spent their lives in
Biddeford. Richard passed away on March 13, 1985 and Helen followed on November 13, 2009. They are
buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Biddeford.47
When the Sullivan/Dutcher family left the home in 1944, the LeBlanc family moved in.
The LeBlanc Family – 1945-1950
The LeBlanc family lived as tenants in the home for nearly four years before purchasing it from their
landlords, the Phippen family, in 1949.48 Francis E. LeBlanc (1912-1985) was born on April 26, 1912 to Emanuel
and Rose LeBlanc. Francis had nine brothers and sisters, all having grown up on Proctor Street in Peabody,
Massachusetts.49 He was a leatherworker and machinist at Atwood & Morrill Co.50 Francis married Catherine
M. (1915-1993). After living on Cromwell Street, the couple moved to 1 Cross Avenue. Catherine worked as a
tube worker for Hytron Radio and Electronics Corp.51 Not much information is available about their life other
42
U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1600s-Current
Find A Grave, Memorial ID 126290448
44 US School Yearbooks, 1900-1999, 1940
45
US World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
43
46
Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996
Find A Grave. Memorial ID: 211455702
48 Southern Essex County Registry of Deeds, 3643-373
49 United States Federal Census, 1920
50 Salem City Directory, 1957
51 Salem City Directory, 1952
47
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�than that they continued to live on Cross Avenue until the late 1960s. Francis passed away December 2,
1985.52 Catherine passed away in March 1993.53
The LeBlanc family sold the home to the Packard family in 1951.54 In between the sale of the home from
the LeBlanc family to the Packard family in 1950, there was a single tenant named Ruth C. Pierce, who worked
as a waitress.
The Packard Family – 1951-1958
Not much could be found on the Packard Family. William C. Packard worked as a policeman and his wife,
Eileen worked as a mounter at the Hytron Radio & Electronics Corp.55 In 1958, William moved on to be the
industrial inspector for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Boston.56 Prior to living on Cromwell Street,
the couple lived at 19 Oakland Street, also in Salem.57
In 1959, the Packard’s sold the home for $9,000 to the Rizzotti family, the home’s longest residing
family.58
The Rizzotti Family – 1960-1999
Stephen Rizzotti (1916-1995) was born November 10, 1916 in Salem, Massachusetts to Lawrence and
Grace (Tricomi) Rizzotti, Italian immigrants. He had four siblings.59 Stephen’s family lived in the Italian
neighborhood of Salem on High Street. On July 30, 1946, Stephen married Florianne M. D. Kuszmar (1925-
52
Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003
US Social Security Index, 1935-2014
54 Southern Essex County Registry of Deeds, 3731-203
55 Salem City Directory, 1954
56 Salem City Directory, 1958
57 Salem City Directory, 1949
58 Southern Essex County Registry of Deeds, 4604-60
59 United States Federal Census, 1920
53
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�1995) in Seabrook, New Hampshire.60 Florianne was born on March 30, 1925 to Jolen and Magdelina (Kava)
Kuszmar; Jolen was from Austria and Magdelina from Poland.
Stephen worked as a shoe worker at Caper Ballet.61 Florianne stayed home with the couple’s children,
Jeffery M. Rizzotti (1946-2015), Stephen J. Rizzotti (1950-2011), Jonathan Rizzotti (b. 1953), Lauren Rizzotti
(1947-1985), Darlene “Darla” Rizzotti (Jezowski) (b. 1958), Stephanie Rizzotti (Konevich) (b. 1950), and Flori
Rizzotti (Patten) (b. 1966). Before moving to Cromwell Street, the family lived at 101 Canal Street in Salem.
Their daughter Lauren, was first to pass away on November 23, 1985. Florianne passed away on June 15, 1995,
and Stephen passed away on November 5, 1995.62 After Stephen and Florianne’s passing, the children sold the
home to Jon Cahill in 1999, for $54,000.63 Less than a year later, John Cahill sold it to its current owner, Amy
McKeehan, for $185,000.64
60
New Hampshire Marriage & Divorce Records, 1659-1947
Salem City Directory, 1964
62 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
63 Southern Essex County Registry of Deeds, 16345-409
64 Southern Essex County Registry of Deeds, 16664-178
61
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�SOURCES
Compiled by Amanda Eddy
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Cromwell Street appears for the first time in the 1899 Salem City Directory. 6 Cromwell first appears in 1901.
Name
Years of
Ownership
Number of
Years
Purchase Price
Deed
Referenced
Notes
Sarah J. Smith
1853-1890
37
$1,800
478:258
“A certain parcel of land”
George B. Phippen
1890-1906
16
$3,600
1297:241
“A certain parcel of land”
Pearil Shepts
1906
>1
1830: 55
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Arthur H. Phippen
Charles E. Phippen
George B. Phippen
Francis E. LeBlanc
Catherine M.
LeBlanc
William J. Packard
Eileen C. Packard
1906-1949
43
For
consideration
paid
$3,200
1830:56
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
1949-1950
1
3643:373
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
1950-1959
9
For
consideration
paid
For
consideration
paid
3731:203
Land was added
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Stephen Rizzotti
Florianne Rizzotti
1959-1999
40
$9,000
4604:60
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Jon M. Cahill
1999-2000
1
$54,000
16345:409
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Steven L. Winders
II
Amy M. Winders
Amy M. Winders
(McKeehan)
2000-2005
5
$185,000
16664:178
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
2005-2009
4
23957:9
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Amy M. (Winders)
McKeehan
Sean McKeehan
2009present
12+
For
consideration
paid of $1
For
consideration
paid, and in
full
consideration
of less than
one hundred
dollars
28884:557
“A certain parcel of land
with the buildings thereon”
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Directory Year
Residents
Occupation or Notes
1900-1901
Jesse Hebert
Music teacher
1900-1901
Jesse Hebert Jr.
Comedian
1900-1901
John B. Hebert
Iron moulder
1902-1907
Sven E. Monson
Steam railway machinist
1902-1907
John S. Monson
General Electric machinist
1904-1907
Arthur E. Monson
Boston and Maine Railroad machinist
1906-1907
Harry W. Monson
Laborer
1908-1936
Daniel F. Sullivan
Shoemaker
1908-1939
Ellen T. Sullivan
Housekeeper
1910-1944
Annie C. Sullivan (Dutcher)
Shoeworker
1914-1929
Roland H. Dutcher
Foreman at United Shoe Machinery Company
1942-1944
Richard F. Dutcher
United States Army
1937-1944
Anna E. Dutcher
Filing clerk
1945-1950
Francis E. LeBlanc
Machinist Atwood & Morrill Co.
1945-1950
Catherine M. LeBlanc
Hytron Radio and Electronics Corporation
1950
Ruth C. Pierce
Waitress
1951-1958
William J. Packard
Policeman
1951-1958
Eileen C. Packard
Hytron Radio & Electronics Corporation
1960-1999
Stephen J. Rizzotti
Shoe worker (Caper Ballet)
1960-1999
Florianne M. Rizzotti
Stay at home mother
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Essex Antiquarian, Volume 8, Page 161
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Salem-Beverly Bridge, 1890s
Nelson Dionne Salem History Collection, Salem State University Archives and Special Collections, Salem,
Massachusetts
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�View from Collins Cove of Bridge Street Neck and Salem Gas Works
Salem (Mass.) Evening News, February 16, 1885
Salem State University Archives and Special Collections
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�1874 Salem Atlas, Plate E
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�1890-1903 Salem Atlas, Plate 16
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�1897 Salem Atlas, Plate H
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Gravestone of Phillip Cromwell, 1610-1693
Find A Grave, Memorial ID 12684253
Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, 1901
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�U.S. Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900, New York
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938, 1916
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�This photo was shared on Ancestry, claiming one of these young men to be Jesse Joseph Hebert.
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�This photo was shared on Ancestry, claiming to be Jesse Joseph Hebert. The birth and death dates the
anonymous attributor gave match Jesse Hebert’s profile exactly – it is extremely likely this is him.
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Photo of Jesse C. Hebert, Ancestry.com
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Jesse C. Hebert Junior, U.S. World War II Registration Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Find A Grave, Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, Massachusetts
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Rachel (Raye) Hebert
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Birth Record for Roderick O. Hebert
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Roderick O. Hebert World War I Draft Registration Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Arthur M. Hebert, World War I Registration Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Sven Monson Naturalization Record, 1887
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�John Monson, World War I Registration Draft Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�John Monson, World War II Registration Draft Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Harry Monson Death Record, 1950
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Death Certificate, Josephine (Eliason) Monson, 1913
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Arthur Monson, World War I Registration Draft Card
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Anna E. Dutcher McDormand
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Edward Irving McDormand
Ellen T. Sullivan Obituary, The Boston Globe, February 11, 1939
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Richard F. Dutcher Salem High School Yearbook Photograph and Quotation, 1940
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Stephen Rizzotti and Florianne M. D. Kuszmar Marriage Record, 1946
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Lauren Rizzotti Russell, Obituary, The Boston Globe, November 24, 1985
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Stephen J. Rizzotti Obituary, The Salem News, April 7, 2011
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Stephanie Rizzotti (Konevich) School Yearbook Photograph, 1966
U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Jeffery Rizzotti, School Yearbook Photograph, 1964
U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Jonathan Rizzotti, School Yearbook Photograph, 1972
U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Darlene Rizzotti, School Yearbook Photograph, 1976
U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�DEEDS
Compiled by Amanda Eddy
Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�Amanda R. Eddy | amandarobineddy@gmail.com
�
Historic Salem, Inc. House History
A resource made available by Historic Salem, Inc. detailing the history of Salem's houses.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
6 Cromwell Street, Salem, MA, 01970
Subject
The topic of the resource
House History
Description
An account of the resource
George B. Phippen
Railroad Treasurer,
Boston Built 1900
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Historic Salem, Inc.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Historic Salem, Inc. house histories
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Historic Salem, Inc.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Built in 1900
House history completed 2021
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Amanda R. Eddy
Language
A language of the resource
English
1900
2021
6 Cromwell Street
Massachusetts
Phippen
railroad treasurer
Salem