Beauport

On a protruding edge of Massachusetts there lies an example of a genius' life's work. At 75 Eastern Point Boulevard, Gloucester, Beauport sits awaiting the many visitors to learn of its wonder. Beauport, also known as the Sleeper-McCann house started out quite a bit different than it is today. In 1908 Beauport was built with 26 rooms. By Sleeper's death in 1934, Beauport had expanded to over 40 rooms. Sleeper was the original owner, followed by the McCann's. The McCann's then gave it to the New England Society of the Preservation of Antiquities, who have been offering tours and keeping it open to the public for many years.
You may be thinking, what is so special about Beauport? Beauport's aura is one of grandeur and mystery. I will from here start explaining many of the rooms that I saw on my tour. I must remind you that almost all of the tours are different with each tour guide. The guides all have their own routes, stories, and secrets about the house to make each visit more spectacular from the previous. Again I must stress the feeling that I got from this house cannot really be said in words, but can only be experienced. Ok.. so here goes.

Since I have no material with me at the moment all of this is going to come from memory, at least for now! Before going into the actual rooms of the house and their descriptions, I'm going to give some background on the house and of Sleeper.

Sleeper originally lived with his mother in an apartment. It was there that Sleeper acquired the habit for collecting items. There is a picture of what the apartment looked like before Sleeper moved into Beauport, and let me just tell you it was very cramped for space. Sleeper realized at the rate he was collecting that the apartment he was living in would not be able to hold everything for long. So Sleeper decided to invest in a little Victorian Cottage on a peninsula in Gloucester. This peninsula seemed to be where the well off lived for most of the inhabitants there had big beautiful homes, and Sleeper was no exception. The peninsula became known as DABSville. There were four main home owners on the peninsula and their Last Names started with a D, A, B, and S (Sleeper). In 1908 when Sleeper acquired the cottage, it only had about 26 rooms. Over the years Sleeper made the house bigger and better, soon becoming one of the largest on the peninsula, with over 40 rooms.

Many times Sleeper would acquire a certain object that he would feel didn't fit into any of the rooms already created, so he would create a new room that the object would perfectly accenuate the room. There are many examples of Sleeper doing this... The Strawberry Hill Room (Wall paper), The library (wooden curtains), The China Room (wall paper .. I'm not sure on the name on that one), The Golden Step Room (the boat on display called the Golden Step), The Mariner's Room (the wooden doorway), and the list could go on and on. One of the main questions people might ask would be, Why would anyone go to such lengths to decorate your home? Well Sleeper was quite the entertainer, as his home became more extravagant so did his reputation for decorating. After a few years he became known for his many works and many hired him to decorate their own homes. To have seen Sleeper's home (while he was alive) you would have had to been invited to stay for a period of a couple days. Sleeper loved to throw little parties where his guests would stay for a few days and explore his home. Beauport (originally named Little Beauport, but soon after lost the Little) held many dining rooms and bedrooms which were often used for the visitors. Beauport has over 5 dining rooms. The reason for all of these dining rooms is that the main event for the visitors would be dining in one of the many. Many times they would dine and discuss some odd object Sleeper had shown them or someone had seen in some room. These parties often took the visitors several days for it would take them that long to view the house on a leisurely schedule. Sleeper loved to surprise his guests and would often disappear and appear out of no where. This was usually done via a secret staircase. The doors are very well hidden and wouldn't be noticable unless you knew what you were looking for. Another surprise that Sleeper loved to provide for the guests included the illusion of no doors or hiding the mirrors or something that would cause some wonder. Sleeper also loved illusions in general. He created many true light illuminances within the center of the house, where no light normally fell. He used doors as walls, opaque windows to hide the closeness of his next door neighbor... It goes on and on. If you take a look at the floor plan shown below you can start to realize just how many of the guests could and did get lost in his maze of unique and wonderful creations.

The main entrance to Beauport is the most indented part of the house. To the left of the entrance Is the large China Room. This is a slightly infamous room due to the McCann's redecoration. It originally had a pagoda, a balcony, no modern furniture, and the name-sake wallpaper which Sleeper recieved, thus sparking his imagination to create the room. The wallpaper is very large and very detailed. Once the McCann's bought Beauport they decided to make the room a bit more livable and thus added some chairs and a sofa, not quite fitting the room, but none the less have stayed. The wrap around balcony overlooks the room from above. The China room is one of the few rooms that exists on both levels of the house. Next to the China room lies... well truthfully I cannot remember what the room is called, so once I get my book I will update this to contain that info. I think it contained much of Sleeper's China and glass collection. From that room likes the entrance to the Library. Imagine a typical library... ok now remember that Sleeper was not your typical decorator. If you take a look at the floor plan you'll notice a circular room in the left corner. You can also picture the Library better by looking at the picture of the above section it shows the windows talked about in the next few sentences. The Library was one of the most unique I have ever seen. Shelves filled the cirucular walls. The room also contained a wooden desk. A set of windows above the desk brightened the room. To the eye, the curtains of these windows would seem normal, but to the touch one would soon realize that these curtains would never close. Again an item found/given to Sleeper, these wooden curtains were too unique to be put in just any room. This is also another one of the bi-level rooms with a balcony overlooking the first floor. A flag from the revolutionary war period hangs from the ceiling.

Jumping halfway across the house, the Octagon Room is pretty self explanatory. Take a look at the floor plan and you can tell where it is located. The Octagon room, with its eight walls, contains an octagon table, rug, china, and numerous objects in multiples of eight. The room itself is very dark, containing black and a very dark red that has now faded to more of a brownish red from the sun. There are few windows and very little light allowed in the room. The reason I mention that fact lies in the fact that the next room to the right is the Golden Step Room. (See picture to the right!) The name comes from the Miniature scale Golden Step ship which sits galently against the wall opposite the windows. The Golden in the name is not decieving, I found this room to be the most mezmerizing of all. Coming from the Octagon Room bathed in darkness and stepping into the brightest room was spectacular. The room has a set of windows encompassing a whole wall. And* these windows are the old fashioned kind that can be pushed down into the wall, so just 5 ft away lies the ocean and all it's beauty. Fresh air rolled in and the sunlight awashed the dining table and the Golden Step (at least when I was there!). The white and seafaom green colors of the room and it's furnishings reinforce the aura of the room. Thought it was just one of the many dining rooms, I will certainly never forget the feeling I got when I stepped into it and how I didn't want to leave.

Again jumping around The American (???) Room is next (it is the large L shaped room towards the front/right). This was meant to be a simple kitchen and dining room. If you look closely at the walls and ceiling you'll start to notice that the wood used is not your typical wood. A skylight seems to resemble a door with glass panes. The walls that are not coverd by wooden cabinets of some sort are panelled with old doors. Look closely and you can see where the door handles used to be. This was just another one of Sleeper's unique decorating ideas, and also saved him money by using these doors that he collected from old houses.

Coming up next.... The second level!!!

Beauport, 1907-34
The Sleeper-McCann House
75 Eastern Point Boulevard
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930
(508) 283-0800
another number off of the SPNEA site: (978) 283-0800

Directions
Take Route I-95/128 north to the end. At second set of lights after the second rotary, take East Main Street 1.5 miles to stone gates at the entrance to Eastern Point Boulevard. Follow Eastern Point Boulevard .5 mile to Beauport.
Note: Eastern Point Boulevard is a private road open to Beauport visitors during museum hours only.

Schedule
May 15 to September 12, Mon. through Fri., 10-4. September 15 to October 15, Mon. through Fri., 10-4 and Sat., Sun., 1-4. Closed Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Tours on hour; also on half-hour July and August; last tour at 4.

Admission
Admission $6.00; senior citizens $4.50; children 6-12 $2.50; SPNEA members and town residents free. For information on group rates, educational programs, and special events, call (508) 283-0800.

Check out the summer programs from SPNEA- Tours

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