This photo of 104 Washington St.was the former home of Dr. Elisha Story
Quoted from
History and Traditions Of Marblehead
Samuel Roads
On the eastern side of Washington Street, situated southof the town house, is the house which was formerly the resi- dence of Dr. Elisha Story, and in which his son Joseph Story, the distinguished jurist, was born. Doctor Story was an eminent physician and surgeon, who removed from Bos- ton to Marblehead in 1770. From that time until his death lie resided in the town. Li 1773, he was one of that " small band of sturdy revolutionists," who gave a prac- tical demonstration of the opposition of the colonists to the duty on tea, by boarding the ships laden with that article, and throwing their whole cargoes, amounting to about three hundred and forty-two chests, into the harbor of Boston. He was also one of the " Sons of Liberty," and was se- lected to disarm and gag one of the sentinels on Boston Common, on the night when the two brass field-pieces placed there by order of the British Commander-in-chief, were captured and taken over to Boston Neck. He performed this difficult and dangerous service in accordance with a plan preyiously arranged, and the affair was successfully conducted. " The two cannon played a distinguished part in the Rev- olution, and were the same afterwards described by the secretary of war in a representation to Congress, as two brass cannon, which constituted one moiety of the field artil- lery with which the late war was commenced on the part of America, and were constantly in service during the war, and upon which he was desired to affix a suitable inscrip- tion. On one of them therefore was inscribed, ' The Han- cock, sacred to Liberty ; ' on the other (which was the can- non taken by Dr. Story), ' The Adams.' During the Revolution Dr. Story was attached to Colonel Little's regiment as a surgeon. But it was common in the Continental army for the surgeons, and even the chaplains, to act as soldiers, and in most of the battles occurring during his connection with the army he was engaged. He fought at Concord and Lexington, pursuing the British troops at every step during their retreat to Charlestown, and was in the trenches as a volunteer at the battle of Bunker Hill, fight- ing beside his friend Warren during all the early part of the engagement, and until he was forced to abandon the duty of a soldier for that of a surgeon in removing and attending to the wounded." ^
In the autumn of 1800, the town was once more thrown
into a state of the most intense excitement by the breaking
out of the small-pox. Doctor Elisha Story, who had for many years been a popular and successful physician in the town, having learned of the important discovery by Dr. Jenner, that contagion from small-pox could be averted by inoculation with cow virus, sent to England and procured a quantity of virus, with which he inoculated several of his own children, and those of some of his friends. It was soon evi- dent, however, that a fatal mistake had been made. The virus proved to be that of the genuine small-pox, and as the disease spread from house to house, the people were panic- stricken with fear. Several town meetings were held to consider the matter, and the town house being too small to contain the crowd of excited citizens that assembled, the meetings were adjourned and again convened at the " New Meeting-house." All intercourse with other towns was prohibited, and a committee was chosen to adopt other necessary measures of precaution against the spread of the pestilence. The wrath of the unreflecting and ignorant por- tion of the community was directed with especial severity against Dr. Story, to whom they attributed the cause of the entire trouble. Threats of lynching him were publicly made, and fears were entertained by his friends that some serious injury would be done him, either in person or prop- erty. The counsels of the wise prevailed, however, and the good doctor, who suffered keenly in his mind on account of the distress which he had innocently caused, was unmo- lested.
His son Joseph Story would be appointed Assiciate Justice of the Supreme Court
by President James Madison November 18, 1811.
During the late 19th century it was the William Goodwin Apothecary, pictured here,
after which it would become the dental office of his son Dr. John H. Goodwin and
Dr. Frederick W. Dane
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