Carver, J. House
36 Laurel St
1835
Architectural Style
Federal
Significance
Architecture
Use Type
Single Family Dwelling House
Neighborhood
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
Rising 1 1/2 stories from a below grade garage/basement to a broad gable roof, #36 Laurel Street is a center hall plan Cape Cod cottage with a rear ell. Its 5-bay main facade is symmetrically arranged around an entrance with narrow multi-pane sidelights and a blind semicircular fan light. Its sidewalls are two bay wide. Windows contain 2/2 replacement sash. • Wall are covered with wood shingles.
Historical Significance
Architecturally, one of Bridgewater's great strengths is its collection of 18th-mid 19th century Cape Cod cottages. #26 Laurel Street is a good example of an early 19th c. Cape with Federal elements (e.g. entrance treatments). The 1830 map does not show a house on this site. During the 1850s a J. Carver lived here. From the 1870s until at least the early 1900s Francis Carver owned this property. He is variously listed in late 19th century directories as a shoe maker and farmer. Presumably the Carvers at #36 Laurel St. were related to Eleazer Carver, founder of the Carver, Washburn and Co.--manufacturers of cotton gins (1817). His cotton gin manufacturing was located nearby on Carvers Pond.