Cogswell's Grant, 1728
Spring Street
Essex, Mass.
(978) 768-3632
Directions
Open: June 1 through October 15
Wednesday through Sunday
Tours at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Admission: $10, Historic New England members and Essex residents free
Take a virtual tour of Cogswell's Grant
Cogswell's Grant was the summer home of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little,
preeminent collectors of American decorative arts in the mid 20th century. Through her
research and innumerable publications, Mrs. Little charted new areas of American folk art
(which she preferred to call "country arts"), such as decorative painting, floor coverings,
boxes, and New England pottery.
In
1937, the Littles purchased this 18th-century farmhouse overlooking the Essex River as a
family retreat and place to entertain. They restored it carefully, trying to preserve
original 18th-century finishes and carefully documenting their work. In more than 50 years
of collecting, they sought works of strong, even quirky character, and in particular
favored objects with their original finishes and New England histories.
They decorated the house for visual delight rather than historic accuracy.
The result is rich in atmosphere and crowded with collections of things -- primitive
paintings, redware, painted furniture, stacked Shaker boxes, weather vanes and decoys --
that have since come to define the country look.
Directions: From I-95/Route 128, take Exit 15. Turn left onto School
Street, and proceed to Route 133. Turn left onto Main Street. Pass the intersection of
Route 22, then turn right onto Spring Street and proceed to the end.
For archival quality fine art reproductions from Cogswell's Grant,
visit www.lookclickprint.com
Discover more about Cogswell's Grant in the Historic New England
magazine archives:
