Thursday is "This Old House Day"

[click image to enlarge]

Thomas Curtis, son of Noah Curtis, a pioneer in the boot and shoe business in Quincy, was the builder of this interesting house, situated on the rise of Penn's Hill. The making of boot and shoes was Quincy's main industry in the 1850's with the work allotted by a central manufacturer and performed in the home and workshop.

This charming cottage, located at 279 Franklin Street, is an interesting example of a typical carpenter built residence of the mid-century incorporating in it details from contemporaneous styles. The side elevation is a typical Cape Cod facade with a central entrance and two windows on each side. The gable end to the street exhibits picturesque details which include the shaped bargeboards on the eave of the Gothic Revival, a full length porch supported by pierced square posts and a segmental arched gable window of the Italianate period and long windows on the ground floor of the gable elevation recalling those of the past Greek Revival period.