17 Carter Street

History

The Carter Street streetscape is extremely significant because it offers an excellent view of a working-class neighborhood built for the Ocean Steam Mills between 1845 and 1870.

The street is lined with single-family cottages and several two-family dwellings. Nearly all of the buildings were built in the Greek Revival style with straightforward details. Several have the turned brackets so typical of the Victorian styles popular during the later nineteenth century. Many of the homes were built on speculation, and nearly all were owned or occupied by the owners or workers of the Ocean Steam Mills.

Of the different types of homes on this street, this house is a single-family residence, but much simpler in style. It has two stories, once again with a gable roof facing the street. However, the entrance is on the side.

This house was built by Albert Currier, a noted Newburyport contractor, as housing for the Ocean Steam Mills. Currier also built the dwellings on both sides of this home, 15 and 19 Carter Street, as well as three other similarly sized homes across the street, at 32, 34, and 36 Carter Street. These homes were inhabited by laborers and machinists, blacksmiths, several shoecutters, and workers at Ocean Mills.

The 1880 census shows two families living in this small home, Mr and Mrs Peter and Sarah Boardman, along with their three children aged 5-9, and Mr and Mrs Harry and Lucy Baldwin, and their 3-month-old baby. Both Peter Boardman and Harry Baldwin were listed as working at the Cotton Mill, most likely the Ocean Mills.

The 1900 Census indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Mary Casey, along with their 29-year-old son, Patrick F., owned 17 Carter Street. The family immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1867. At the time of the census, Andrew was a Hod Carrier, a laborer who carried supplies to bricklayers on the job. P.F. Casey was listed as a Felt Hat Finisher.