I am not always able to find historical photographs of the houses I write about. Sometimes, all I can ask for is a square on a map or a portrait of one of the residents. And then there are the buildings that have little to no recorded history, but a plethora of photos.
Either way, what happens is that I get really, really excited about having so much information or having so many photos, and then deflate once I realize I am lacking the other half.
This week, I have a little bit of both.
38 Mugford St. is referred to as the Samuel Sparhawk House in the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) database. In the Marblehead Historical Commission Catalog, it is just “a home on Mugford Street.”
The photo of the Sparhawk house in the Marblehead Historical Commission Catalog is dated 1944, and depicts a young boy sitting out in front of the house. Written on the photograph is “Original image James Davis Dec. 1944.” I do not know whether or not James Davis is the child or the photographer.
The next photograph comes from the MACRIS document. Almost all of the Marblehead documents created during the 1970s have a physical photograph attached, and they then were scanned into the database.
Between the James Davis photo and the MACRIS photo, some external details on the building changed. There seem to be more decorative elements, or elaborations, on the house in 1944. These include what appear to be a more detailed cornice, quoining with contrast coloring, and intricate porch supports.
By 1978, these details were either muted or removed all together. The paint on the main body of the house is no longer contrasting, but all white or light. It maintained some details, however, such as the dentils under the roof and a window surround on the second-floor central window.
Since then, the exterior has had some minor changes. Undoubtedly there have been some updates in the nearly 50 years since the MACRIS photo, whether a fresh coat of paint or new windows, but all in all, there are not as many major aesthetic changes such as those from 1944 to 1978.
What I did notice, though, is what appears to be the re-addition of dentils on the porch entablature. Also new since 1978 is the plaque to the right of the front door which reads, “Rebuilt for Samuel & Peter Sparhawk traders & shipowners 1843 from the house of Robert Harris 1811.”
Owners, like architectural styles, have come and gone, bringing their own stylistic tastes and leaving their marks on the house as time ticks away. And yet, after all these years, the Sparhawk house is still the Sparhawk house.