No. 2520 F. W. G. May House, 69 Adams Street, from 19th century.
Date of construction: probably 1859-1860
MACRIS BOS.5600
John Fox House; Frederick W. G. May House
called Underhill
circa 1860
Architect: Luther Briggs
Italianate
The following is from: Dorchester Volume II. Images of America series. By Anthony Mitchell Sammarco. (Arcadia Publishing, 2000) , p. 25.
The Fox-May House was built in 1859 on the corner of Adams and Fox Streets. Built by Rev. John Fox and designed by Luther Briggs Jr. (1822-1905), the Italianate house still stands at 69 Adams Street. When the May family owned the house, they called it Underhill, as it was literally under Mount Ida. In the early part of the 20th century, most of the surrounding land was developed with three-deckers built in the period from 1910 to 1920.
The following is from Andrew Saxe on Facebook
69 Adams. A the base of Mount Ida, appropriately named “Underhill”, is the estate house of the May family. Luther Briggs architect, 1850s The May family estate covered the entire block between Adams and Juliette, Fox to Linden. Renovating “Underhill” would be a challenge as 24 separate triple deckers have been jammed onto its former grounds. A larger theme in Boston has been declining density – houses on Beacon Hill have been restored to single families, and once elegant row houses that became tenements in the South End into larger condominiums and single families. Will the next wave of restorations entail demolition of 20th century tripledeckers surrounding historic 19th estate houses?
Owners from maps and atlases
1858 not on map
1874 Frederick W. G. May
1884 Fredk W. G. May
1889 F. W. G. May
1894 Frederick W. G. May
1898 Frederick W. G. May
1904 Frederick W. G. May
1910 Patrick O’Hearn
1918 John S. Casey
1933 Tim. M.Riordan et als
Deed
July 13, 1860 from Samuel P. Loud, Exor & Tree of estate of John Fox to Frederick W. G. May 289.270
consideration $2,592.56 lot of land with dwelling house 31,425 sf Lot 1
other lots:
Nov. 14, 1868 from Samuel P. Loud, Exor & Tree to Frederick W. G. May 373.94
Dec. 23, 1868 from Samuel P. Loud Exor & Tree to Frederick W. G. May 374.125
Jan. 5, 1869 from Samuel P. Loud from Exor & Tree to Frederick W. G. 374.238
1870 Census
Frederick G. May
Frederick G. May, 48, manufacturing agent, value of real estate 60,000, personal estate 30,000
Martha R. M., 41, keeping house
Mary J. , 10,at school
Frederick G., 9, at school
Martha R., 7, at school
Anna G., 5 at home
Sarah R, 2, at home
in the 1865 Mass. census, Frederick’s occupation is merchant
Boston Directory 1860, 1861
May Fred W. G. 2 Broad, house at Dorchester – seems to the first year he is in Dorchester
In 1859 he was at 9 Burroughs Place, Boston
Boston Directory 1869
Fred W. G. May, 127 State, house at Dorchester
1879 Boston Directory May, Frederick W. G. 127 State, house Adams, near Linden, Dorchester
May was a member of the Corporation of the Massahcusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth.
He was a member of the Union Club
He was a cousin of Louisa May Alcott
He was mentioned in the book Hospital with a Heart: Women Dorchester and the Paradox of Separatismat the New England Hospital, 1862-1969. By Virginia G. Drachman . (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1984), 50
“Leaders among Boston’s inner circle of male reformers, William Loyd Garrison, Frederick W. G. May, and Samuel Sewall …”