{"nrhp_refnum":"88000706","name":"Lowell's Boat Shop","other_names":["Hiram Lowell &","Sons"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"459 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Amesbury","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.84231125550005,"lon":-70.91409515133019,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-09","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1990-06-21","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2 story wood-frame boat shop complex at 459 Main Street in the Salisbury Point section of Amesbury, Massachusetts, between Main Street and the Merrimack River. The oldest part is believed to date from about 1793 and was founded by Simeon Lowell.","why_significant":"The shop is argued to be significant under Criterion A for its role in the boat building industry, in which Salisbury Point led the nation for fifty years. It is significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved boat shop of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with barn-type framing modified for boat construction. It is described as the oldest known boat shop in Massachusetts, and perhaps in the country, in continuous use as a boat shop.","narrative":"Lowell's Boat Shop is a 1 1/2 story wood-frame complex on a sloping lot between Main Street and the Merrimack River in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Its oldest section, believed to date from about 1793, was built by Simeon Lowell, who is credited with altering the traditional wherry into a double-ended dory. A second shop, said to have been built about 1806 for another boatbuilding firm, was moved beside the first around 1860 as production grew. The interior layout moved boats from loft to first floor to basement paint room, and floors are carried on ships' knees and tapered beams so the work space stays open. Salisbury Point led the nation in boat building for fifty years, and Lowell dories were sold around the world, with output peaking at 2,094 boats in 1911. Operated by the Lowell family until 1976, the shop has never changed its use. It is considered the oldest known boat shop in Massachusetts and perhaps in the country.","period_of_significance":"1793-1938","architect_builder":"Simeon Lowell","architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Historic and current function is a manufacturing facility; the shop has been in continuous use as a boat shop and was producing 25 to 30 boats a year at the time of the form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.782253-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/7950/63795052/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/88000706.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000706/21bc202494-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000706/21bc202494-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jet Lowe","credit_html":"Jet Lowe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lowell%27s_Boat_Shop,_459_Main_Street,_Amesbury_(Essex_County,_Massachusetts).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795052","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell%27s_Boat_Shop","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6693149"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/lowells-boat-shop-88000706/"}