The Stanbury House (Old Feather Store) with Faneuil Hall and Dock Square in the background, about 1860, and the same site December, 2024 (below).
The Old Feather Store was built ca.1680 for Thomas and Susanna Stanbury in the aftermath of a fire in August 1679. It was a commercial building, home to merchants of hardware, West India goods, clothing, and its namesake feathers. By the mid-19th century, it was likely one of just a handful of surviving First Period (Postmedieval English) structures in Boston’s urban center, appearing in a number of photographs in the years before its demolition in July 1860.
From these photographs and as well from written accounts we know the building was timber-framed, but covered with roughcast plaster mixed with gravel and crushed glass to comply with fire prevention laws. Another notable feature evident in the photo is its framed overhang where the second floor footprint extends beyond that of the first to maximize floor space while conforming to a tight lot.
The ca.1860 photograph was published as a stereoview card by DeLos Barnum in the early-mid 1860s from his office in Roxbury.
Originally published on Instagram December 13, 2024.