Walking tour opens doors to history of Massachusetts homes

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. – Signs detailing the histories of Clipper City homes have been popping up all summer long, and now residents and visitors will get the chance to explore these displays and learn a bit about the city and its people.

“If This House Could Talk,” an event that encourages residents throughout Newburyport to display information about their houses on posters in front of their homes, officially kicked off Saturday.

The event runs through Sunday, although many participants leave their displays up until after Yankee Homecoming ends. An official map of participating houses was finalized Tuesday, with 96 listed houses, plus two streets that were given their own signs.

“I’m so impressed with the amount of work people have done so spontaneously,” said Mary Baker Eaton, who has helped with the event since it began three years ago.

In addition to homemade signs, “If This House Could Talk” founder Jack Santos has placed historic photos of Newburyport street scenes at the locations where the photos were taken.

But the emphasis is still on individual homes, and the work that homeowners have done to discover and share the stories behind the places where they live.

“I think when you find out the story of your house, you become very attached,” Eaton said.

She hopes the event will encourage people to preserve and respect their homes.

With help from the Newburyport Public Library Archival Center and the local makerspace Tinkerhaus, residents have access to all the information and resources they need to do the research and create a sign that does their home justice.

At 65 Federal St., a poster filled with pictures and brightly colored explanations tells visitors that the house used to be part of a city fire station and that the first floor was used to stable horses. In bold red letters, the house asks, “Do you think this Richardsonian-Romanesque style makes me look fat?”

At 88 High St., a small model of the house sits out front on stilts, with a plaque telling the story of Newburyport’s introduction to the telephone.

A few minute’s walk away stands the Atwood House at 21 Atwood St., named for Margaret Ford Atwood, who lived there, operated Atwood Wharf and its warehouses, and helped educate Newburyport’s orphan girls in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

A professional-looking sign suspended in a wooden frame informs visitors that Captain Charles Bayley bought 6 and 8 Purchase St. in the 1800s. Bayley was the owner of eight ships, and made 80 voyages between Newburyport and Puerto Rico in his time.

Since its humble beginnings in 2016, Newburyport’s “If This House Could Talk” has grown impressively, and passersby can often be seen pausing in doorways and front yards to peer at the information posted there.

“It gives a sense that people really love their community and love their houses,” Eaton said.

For more information and a map of the participating houses: https://walknewburyport.wordpress.com/.

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Information from: The Daily News of Newburyport (Mass.), http://www.newburyportnews.com