MASTER MARINER’S ROOM, BEAUPORT
Courtesy of Historic New England
75 Eastern Point Boulevard
Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: 978-283-0800
www.historicnewengland/historic-properties/homes/Beauport/beauport
Beauport was the creation of Henry Davis Sleeper (1878–1934), a Bostonian, an interior designer, and an antiquarian. Beginning in 1907–1908, he built a modest Arts-and-Crafts–style cottage as a weekend and summer retreat. As time progressed Sleeper added to the house several times. After his death the house and its contents were bought by Helena Woolworth McCann and her husband Charles. Mrs. McCann (1878–1938) was the daughter of F. W. Woolworth, the founder of the department store chain of that name. This came to be known as the Sleeper-McCann House. The McCanns made only slight changes. In 1947 their heirs donated the property to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (Historic New England).
This charming house has about forty rooms, each focusing on a different theme, historic person, color, or shape. The house is full of Sleeper’s magnificent collection of Early American furnishings and decorative arts, and objects from Europe and Asia.
The former gatehouse is the visitor center today, and the gardens overlook Gloucester Harbor, with a fine view of Hammond Castle (see page 89) across the way.