The History of the Bodwell House in Lawrence, Massachusetts

The Bodwell House, one of the earliest homes in what is now the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, holds a rich history tied to the Bodwell family and the surrounding community. Originally built in 1693 as a log cabin by Henry Bodwell Sr., a native of North Wales, the house was located at the confluence of the Merrimack and Spickett Rivers. In 1708, a second house was constructed on the same site to replace the original cabin. This house was later moved to 31 East Haverhill Street, where it became known as the Old Elm Bodwell House.

The Old Elm and Its Legacy

The house derived its name from a majestic elm tree that stood in front of it, believed to have been planted by a grateful Native American in 1729. The tree was said to symbolize the positive relationship between Henry Bodwell and the local Indigenous people. According to historical accounts, the elm was planted on July 26, 1729, and the planter was rewarded with a gallon of rum. By the 1920s, this tree, known as the Bodwell Elm, had grown to an impressive height of 150 feet, with a trunk circumference of 15 feet.

Architectural Significance

The Bodwell House was notable for its immense chimney, which measured 20 by 13 feet at its base. Although historical bricks marked with the year "1688" were discovered in the chimney, it is generally believed to have been constructed in 1738. The mortar used for the chimney was a mix of clay and chopped straw, reflecting construction practices of the era.

The Bodwell Family and Their Legacy

The property remained in the Bodwell family for generations. It was owned successively by Henry Bodwell Sr., his son Henry Jr., Henry III, and Joseph Bodwell. Joseph was the father of Joseph R. Bodwell, who later became the Governor of Maine. The house served as a home for the family and expanded over time, with additions made for the children as they married.

Preservation and Decline

The Bodwell House was the oldest home within the current boundaries of Lawrence, a part of Andover at the time of its construction. In 1921, the Lawrence Telegram campaigned to save the historic home and its iconic elm tree. However, by the mid-20th century, the property faced neglect. The house was condemned in 1955 and demolished in 1957, along with the elm tree, which had died some years earlier. A neighbor reported that the unoccupied house had become a target for vandals, prompting its removal by the town.

Commemoration

Today, the site of the Bodwell House remains a memorial to its historical significance. Part of the land was turned into a park, and a plaque commemorates the Bodwell Homestead. Artifacts from the house, including a carved wooden mantle resembling the house, are displayed at the Lawrence Public Library. The library also houses postcards of the house in its collection, preserving its memory for future generations.

The Bodwell House stands as a testament to early colonial life in Massachusetts and the enduring legacy of one of its pioneering families.

The following is excerpted from the HISTORY OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS. BY MAURICE B. ; DORGAN (Full text can be found at: https://archive.org/stream/historyoflawrenc0000maur/historyoflawrenc0000maur_djvu.txt

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR

1924

THE OLD BODWELL HOUSE

 THE Bodwell house, Lawrence’s most ancient landmark, stands at the southeast corner of East Haverhill and Elm Streets — mellowed by more than two centuries of time, but still retaining a ruggedness that is likely to keep it intact for many years to come. In the front yard, mak- ing the dwelling look small by comparison, towers a massive elm tree which is nearly as old as the house.

In 1921 this landmark was destined to go the way of the many other old buildings whose historical value was not regarded as sufficient to outweigh the commercial worth of their sites. The property had been sold and the new owner threatened to cut down the old elm. The historic tree and house were saved by the intervention of one of the local news- papers. The Lawrence Telegram started a campaign to raise funds for the preservation of this, the only monument of early colonial days within the limits of the city. The school children were enlisted, and the move- ment was successful.

The old dwelling was erected and first occupied by the Bodwell family, four generations of which had lived beneath its ancient roof. The estate included a tract of land, containing two hundred acres, bounded by the Spicket River on the north and east, and extending westerly to a line running north and south between the two rivers (about where Lawrence Street now is). The deed of the land dates back to the summer of 1693.

The original building, the south part of the present dwelling, was built, probably, in 1708 or 1709. Two additions were constructed later, as the children married. The old house was owned successively by Henry Bodwell, Sr., a native of North Wales; by Henry Bodwell, Jr., Henry Bodwell, 3d, and then by Joseph Bodwell, the father of the late Governor Joseph R. Bodwell of Maine.

There is a tradition that a party of workmen, engaged in raising an outhouse connected with the dwelling in June, 1775, heard the guns at the battle of Bunker Hill. Dropping their tools, they mounted their horses and galloped off in the direction of the battle-ground.

The legend in regard to the tree is, that the old elm was planted on the evening of the day the third Henry Bodwell was born, July 26, 1729, by an Indian, who was rewarded for this service with a gallon of rum and molasses. The tree, today, is one hundred feet high and the trunk at breast height measures fifteen feet ten inches.

In the records of Revolutionary War Services, at the State House, the Henry Bodwell, whose birth the tree commemorates, appears among a list of officers of Massachusetts militia, as captain in the 11th Company of the 4th Essex Regiment, commanded by Col. Samuel Johnson. He was commissioned January 14, 1779.

The Bodwell house has been much changed by successive repairs and alterations, though the foundation of the original portion is made as if to last forever. The chimney is of immense proportions, measuring twenty feet by thirteen at the base. It was built, it is said, in 1738, although bricks marked “1688” have been taken from the huge chimney. They are laid in mortar, made by admixture of clay and chopped straw. One interested in colonial building construction will find plenty of evidence of it in this old dwelling. … In keeping with the historic atmosphere of the Bodwell house are the occupants at this writing — Mrs. Fanny (Swan) Lee and her daughter. Mrs. Lee is a descendant of one of the pioneer families in this section. She was born on September 7, 1840, in the ancient dwelling which had set near the northeast corner of Ferry and Prospect Streets. For the past forty years she has made her home in the old Bodwell house. She taught for thirty years in the public schools of Lawrence, the last twenty years of which were at the Walton School where she was principal. She retired about twenty-five years ago. She is the daughter of Isaac and Nancy Swan.

Her grandfather, Joshua Swan, was a soldier of the Revolution. When the clouds of war were gathering he was serving his apprenticeship in the blacksmith trade. He enlisted in the Waltham company, and marched to Lexington at the alarm of April 19, 1775. He was in the Battle of Bunker Hill and several other important engagements.

For three years Swan was an artificer in General Washington’s own command. He narrowly escaped death at the memorable Battle of Brandywine. He was at Ticonderoga, and was also engaged, in 1777, in the defense of the fortifications at West Point when Sir Henry Clinton was attempting to make his way up the river to join Burgoyne, who was contending with Gates on the upper Hudson. This stronghold was for a time Washington’s headquarters; and in 1780 it was under the command of Benedict Arnold, whose plan to betray it to the British was frustrated by the capture of André.

On April 30, 1777, to prevent the British vessels from ascending the Hudson, the Americans placed a strong chain across the river. Here Swan’s experience as a blacksmith came into very practical use. He assisted in forging this chain, which was stretched across the stream at a point about opposite Constitution Island. It was fifteen hundred feet in length, each link three feet eleven inches long and three and one-half inches thick. The total weight was one hundred and eighty-six tons. Logs were used to float this barrier which was submerged a short distance below the surface. Heavy anchors were required to keep it in position. It remained unbroken till the end of the war.

Fifteen links of this chain are, at this writing, mounted on three stone posts on the estate of the late Edward F. Searles in Methuen, in the rear of the Washington Monument, off Lawrence Street.

It was Swan’s knowledge of iron work that brought him into the Company of Artificers of the Continental Army. He served in Captain Parker’s company, Colonel Baldwin’s Regulars, from March 10, 1777, to December, 1779, in that capacity. A part of his work was to shoe horses. His orders were “To make them stand in line and take them in the order in which they came.” An amusing incident is related in this connection.

One day a negro came, leading a horse out of line, and asked to have him shod at once. Swan declined. “But,” said the negro, “it is Massa Washington’s horse.” ‘Massa Washington’s horse must wait his turn,” said Swan, and he did.

Joshua Swan was born in Methuen (in the section which is now included in Lawrence), March 12, 1755, and died in Methuen, March 25, 1845. On October 28, 1748, he married Deborah Burbank, who was born in (North) Andover, March 16, 1765, and died in Methuen, October api Ss2: 

Bodwell Houses on Pelham Street, Methuen, MA

There is another Bodwell House in Methuen - the Eliphalet Bodwell House located at 231 Pelham Street.  Built around 1770, based on deeds researched by the Methuen Historical Commission, 231 Pelham appears to have been built c. 1770 for Eliphalet Bodwell. In 1778, Bodwell sold the property, apparently with a house, to Daniel Hibbard. The house was certainly there by 1806, when it is shown on the town map owned by Hibbard; the Hibbard family owned three other houses nearby. 231 Pelham remained in the Hibbard family until 1817, when Simon Hibbard sold it to Asa Palmer. Palmer kept it only three years, selling it in 1820 to Herman Harris, along with an additional parcel of land on the other side of the street. Harris’s heir, Abner Stevens, sold it to Rebecca Harris in the 1840s. In 1860, it passed from Asa Harris (who also owned 207 Pelham) to Walter Stevens, who served several terms as a Methuen road commissioner. The 1885 city directory lists the address as the residence of Abner Stevens (who was then 83 years old), Mrs. A. Janet Stevens, and George F. Stevens (a farmer). The house remained in the Stevens family until 1945, passing to Walter’s son Charles A. (farmer and milk dealer) and then to Charles’s wife, Cora A. Stevens, who sold it to Walter Colher. The Colhers and their descendants (Bryce Colher to Winnifred M. Colher to Robert L. and Charlotte O. Colher) owned the house until 1970 when Leo and Jean A. Robillard Jr. purchased it.  (From https://methuenhistory.org/historic-sites/p-r-sites/)

Another Bodwell house is mentioned nearby – at 328 Pelham, built, the real estate record says, “50 yrs before our nation’s birth this c.1728 ctr. Chimney cape has 2+ frpls, wide pine floors,original paneling and exposed beams”.  (From https://www.compass.com/listing/328-pelham-street-methuen-ma-01844/24849094187010129/ )  No doubt the back porch was a more recent addition.