In thinking about how to keep Newburyport’s history alive, I thought I might try mapping historic places in Newburyport. I started with Stephen Hooper’s house on Frog Pong.
“Merchant and shipbuilder, son of Robert “King” Hooper of Marblehead, settled in Newburyport and became one of the town’s most prominent residents. Active in the West Indies trade, he was a partner in numerous privateering ventures during the Revolution. Although in 1786 he was the second richest man in Newburyport, by 1790 his net worth was only a fraction of what it once had been.” ~ The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, Volume 6,” Columbia University Press, By Maeva Marcus
“Its (the Free Mason Lodge, now located on Green Street) first Master was Stephen Hooper and its second Nathaniel Tracy two eminent and wealthy merchants who will always be remembered in our history.” ~ The Newburyport Daily Herald 1856
The portrait of Stephen Hooper is painted by Henry Pelham (the stepbrother of John Singleton Copley), a miniature, set in gold, 1773, a watercolor on ivory in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Here is the link to the map: Newburyport – Keeping the Story Alive, Mapping historic stories of Newburyport, MA houses and places, with photos, paintings, videos, old maps, history and anecdotes. Created by The Newburyport Blog, Mary Baker Eaton, editor.