Story

Save the Glover House!

Authors: Edwin S. Grosvenor

Historic Era: Era 3: Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)

Historic Theme:

Subject:

Spring 2024 | Volume 69, Issue 2

Text Complexity Grade Level

“One of the great truths of history is that no past event was preordained,” wrote David McCullough in American Heritage. “Every battle, election, and revolution could have turned out differently at any point along the way.”

John Glover’s courage and sacrifice were crucial in winning the fight for our freedom and independence.

Proof of that observation is the number of times that John Glover and his Marblehead regiment saved George Washington and the fledgling American army from disaster, described so well in this issue by historian Patrick K. O’Donnell.

Their courage and sacrifice made a crucial difference in winning the American Revolution, and enabling us to live in a free, democratic, and prosperous country.

John Glover retired to this farm, which later served as a country inn. — *After seven years of fighting for his country*’*s freedom, John Glover retired to his farm, which later served as a country inn. Still standing, it is scheduled for demolition in July. Swampscott Historical Society*

How do we repay this incalculable debt?

Surely, not by bulldozing the house that Glover retired to after his years of incredible struggle and sacrifice.

The Glover House would not be the only loss for the Swampscott, MA, which does not have the wealth of historic sites of that the neighboring towns of Marblehead and Salem do. In October 2023, the 250-year-old Samuel Pitman House, built by the founder of Swampscott, was torn down despite efforts by historic preservationists. The Daily Item, Essex Media. — *The Glover House would not be the only loss for Swampscott, Massachusetts, which doesn*’t have a wealth of historic sites like the neighboring towns of Marblehead and Salem. In October 2023, the 250-year-old Samuel Pitman House, built by the founder of Swampscott, was smashed to pieces, despite efforts by historic preservationists. The Daily Item, *Essex Media*

Glover returned to Marblehead “Broken & Shatter’d to Pieces,” as he put it. The war cost him “the expense of my little fortune, earned by hard labor and industry; to (the) sacrifice ...and total ruin of a family of young children.”

fireplace in Glover house — *Still intact are original fireplaces that warmed John Glover as he nursed his wounds, and where his family cooked meals for generations.*

To honor the courage and contributions of John Glover and the men who followed him in the fight for American freedom, this house must be preserved.

Nancy Schultz, the chair of the Swampscott Historical Commission, is one of the leaders of the effort to save Glover’s house. We asked her to tell us about the house and the efforts to save it, which she does in this issue in “Home of John Glover Threatened with Demolition.”

We also turned to one of our favorite authors, Patrick K. O’Donnell, to give us an overview of why Glover is so important. He is a leading military historian and the author of