Brown-Hodgkinson House
Why it's listed
Built in 1832 at 42 Bicknell Street in Quincy's Germantown neighborhood, this wood-clapboard house was erected by Captain Charles A. Brown, who with Captain Elisha Holmes left Provincetown to start a fishing community here. Cod and mackerel fishing gave way to whaling by the 1840s, and a seamen's retirement home, Sailor's Snug Harbor, opened in the 1850s. Its superintendent, Joseph Bacon, bought the house in 1852. Benjamin F. Hodgkinson acquired it in 1882, and the Hodgkinson family ran a large dairy farm in Germantown until 1948. The house began as a late Federal design, with brick end-chimneys, a double hip roof and plain corner boards. Owners added a Queen Anne cross gable in the 1880s and a Colonial Revival front porch with a pedimented entrance in the 1910s. It is the largest of several surviving houses from the 1830s fishing community, and it retains integrity of location, materials, feeling and association. Today it is a two-family home.
Significance in brief: It is described as one of the most historically important houses in Germantown, tied to the fishing community founded there in the 1830s by Captains Brown and Elisha Holmes. It also shows layered architecture: a late Federal house with Queen Anne additions of the 1880s and a Colonial Revival porch from the 1910s. It meets Criterion A at the local level.
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 89001319, listed September 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 42 Bicknell St., Quincy |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001319 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; built by Captain Charles A. Brown |
| Architectural style | Federal/ Queen Anne/ Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; present use is a two-family dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.25218, -70.96449 (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 89001319.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4975978
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.