Crane, Joshua E. House
194 Main St
1893
Architectural Style
Italianate, Queen Anne
Significance
Architecture
Use Type
Single Family Dwelling House
Neighborhood
Bridgewater Town Center
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
This interesting late 19th c. residence blends Italianate form with Queen Anne elements. Possessing a T-plan (with a central hall), it rises 2 1/2 stories from a brick basement to a broad gable roof. Its 3-bay main facade features an entrance porch with columns exhibiting braided, rope-like surface treatments. The 2-bay southeast wall features an octagonal bay which is surmounted by attenuated turned posts and balusters. Windows are fully enframed with the 2nd floor windows containing Queen Anne small and large pane sashes. The gables are sheathed in a variety of shingle types, including rectangular, saw tooth and staggered butt.
Historical Significance
Built c. 1893, this house has important historical associations with local merchant, politician and historian Joshua E. Crane. Born in Berkeley, MA in 1823, he settled in Bridgewater in 1844. He became associated with his uncle, Morton Eddy, a Bridgewater Center Merchant. For about 20 years he was president of the Republican town committee and was elected representative to the general court in 1856. For many years his historical sketches were a regular feature in local newspapers. He was the author of the chapter on Bridgewater history in D.H. Kurd's History of Plymouth County (1884). #194 Main Street was apparently built as a retirement home for Mr. Crane. He is listed in early 1900's directories as a librarian at Taunton, MA.