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Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties

1829 establishments in MassachusettsAbolitionists from New Bedford, MassachusettsFrederick DouglassGreek Revival houses in MassachusettsHouses completed in 1829
Houses completed in 1857Houses in New Bedford, MassachusettsHouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, MassachusettsHouses on the Underground RailroadIndividually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in MassachusettsNRHP infobox with nocatNational Historic Landmarks in MassachusettsNational Register of Historic Places in New Bedford, MassachusettsPre-emancipation African-American historyUse mdy dates from August 2023
Johnson Properties, New Bedford, MA
Johnson Properties, New Bedford, MA

The Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties are a National Historic Landmark at 17–19 and 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Originally the building consisted of two structures, one dating to the 1820s and an 1857 house joined with the older one shortly after construction. They have since been restored and now house the New Bedford Historical Society. The two properties are significant for their association with leading members of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts, and as the only surviving residence in New Bedford (out of three known) of Frederick Douglass. Nathan and Polly Johnson were free African-Americans who are known to have sheltered escaped slaves using the Underground Railroad from 1822 on. Both were also successful in local business; Nathan as a caterer and Polly as a confectioner.

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Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties
Spring Street, New Bedford

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N 41.633055555556 ° E -70.928888888889 °
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Spring Street 96
02740 New Bedford
Massachusetts, United States
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Johnson Properties, New Bedford, MA
Johnson Properties, New Bedford, MA
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William J. Rotch Gothic Cottage
William J. Rotch Gothic Cottage

The William J. Rotch Gothic Cottage is a historic cottage on 19 Irving Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Gothic Revival cottage was built in 1845 to a design by noted New York City architect Alexander Jackson Davis. It was built for William J. Rotch, a member of one of New Bedford's leading whaling families. It is for these two associations that it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. It is one a very few surviving Gothic cottage designs by Davis, exhibiting features not found in the others that do. The house was included in The Architecture of Country Houses, published in 1850, bringing it early fame and making it an iconic example of the style.The Rotch family was a major force in the development of whaling in the United States and in the rise of New Bedford as a major whaling center. William Rotch, Jr., grandfather of William J. Rotch, established the family's fortunes in the industry beginning in the late 18th century. The land on which the cottage sits was on a rural part of the family's New Bedford estate, and the house and land were a gift to William J. Rotch from his grandfather. The younger Rotch retained Davis to design the house.The cottage is roughly L-shaped, with a main block that has a hip roof meeting a slightly taller section with a steeply-pitched gable end. The exterior is clad with flushboarding, and its roof is composed of wood shingles. The building no longer stands at its original location, having been moved a short distance on its original lot in 1908. The original parcel it sat on has long been subdivided and built up with housing, depriving the house of its rural character. The projecting taller section frames the main entrance, and has elaborate hand-carved vergeboard decoration. On either side of this projecting section are a pair of gabled dormers with Gothic windows; these are a later addition by the Rotches to improve the lighting of upstairs bedrooms. The interiors feature elegant yet fairly typical Gothic Revival styling.The house was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.