Collection Overview
Title: Watson House Collection
Creator: Unknown
Repository: Drew Archival Library
Call Number: DAL.MSS.150
Location: Fogg Archives Room
Quantity: One Box
Language: English
Finding Aid Prepared by Isabel Neman (intern)

Administrative Information
Access Restriction: Collection is open
Acquisition Information: Found in Collection
Accession Number: DAL.2019.045
Preferred Citation: DAL.MSS.150, Watson House Collection, Duxbury Rural & Historical Society

Scope and Content:
This collection contains 45 items, including more than 30 photographs of the Watson house on Clark’s Island, Plymouth, MA. The material relates to the sale of the house in 1979. Realtor advertisements and photographs make up the bulk of the collection.

Biographical Information
Clark’s Island recorded history begins in 1620 when a group of Mayflower Pilgrims sheltered there during a storm while searching for a suitable place to settle. The island is named for the mate, John Clark, who was among those who spent the night there. According to 19th-century accounts, a Sabbath was held on the island at the site of a large boulder, now called Pulpit Rock.

From the 18th to 20th century, the Watson family owned much of the land. The two oldest houses on the island were built by the Watsons, one, known as Cedarfield, is owned by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society. In 1885, Greek scholar William Goodwin Watson built his impressive summer home on the island’s southern end. The house was designed by architects Van Brunt and Hower. In 1959, author Truman Capote summered there. It remained in the Watson family until 1979 when it was sold to John W. Baker.