Sewall-Scripture House
Also known as: Sandy Bay Historical Society Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1832 at the corner of King and Granite Streets in Rockport, this two-and-a-half-story Federal-style house is notable for its walls of dressed granite ashlar, cut from the builder's own quarry in Pigeon Cove and hauled by oxen. Levi Sewall, a Maine native and early Rockport granite entrepreneur, built it when he married Mary Ann Robards. The five-bay house has a center entrance with a tall, stilted round arch of granite, sidelights and a louvered fan, plus a frame rear ell with a Tuscan-columned porch. Inside are a circular stair, folding shutters and restrained woodwork. Granite was rarely used for houses in Rockport, where it mostly appeared in industrial buildings, so the house stands out as a Federal design rendered in stone. Sewall's descendants lived there until 1957, when the Sandy Bay Historical Society and Museum took ownership. A granite wall around the street sides of the lot survives. The property was listed for its links to the granite industry and its architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Rockport's granite industry and is one of the few houses in town built of local granite, which was mostly used for industrial structures. It is also a fine example of the Federal style handled in stone. It retains integrity of design, materials, workmanship, location and setting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82001902, listed September 30, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 40 King St., Rockport |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | September 30, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001902 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Levi Sewall (built the house in 1832); form lists builder/architect as N/A |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a museum; owned and operated by the Sandy Bay Historical Society and Museum, Inc. since 1957. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.65768, -70.62633 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82001902.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7458147
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.