Kingman, Hosea House
76 South St
1870
Architectural Style
Italianate
Significance
Architecture
Use Type
Single Family Dwelling House
Neighborhood
Bridgewater Town Center
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
Prominently situated at the corner of South and Grove Streets, this substantial Italianate house provides a glimpse of the home of a well-to-do Bridgewater lawyer. Constructed of wood, it rises two stories to a hip roof whose square center was originally enclosed by a low railing. The 3-bay windows probably originally featured narrow double windows with 1/1 sash rather than the present wide 1/1 panes. In general, windows are fully enframed and cornice headed with small brackets. The central window of the second floor is surmounted by a pedimented hood. The Grove St. wall exhibit a polygonal bay with a central window containing wide 1/1 panes. Particularly noteworthy are the sawtooth cornice treatments and low central gable (main facade). To the rear is a c. late 1890's carriage house.
Historical Significance
This house has historical associations with Bridgewater's late 19th and early 20th c. legal and medical professions. Built c. 1870, it was for many, years the home of Hosea Kingman, a Central Square attorney and Dr. L.A. Merritt (by the late 1890's). Hosea Kingman's family was originally from Middleborough, MA. His father, a deputy sheriff and employee of the Hingham Insurance Co. settled in Bridgewater in 1836.