In 1760, the Anglican Reverend East Apthorp commissioned architect Peter Harrison to build a private residence high above the bank of the Charles River. The resulting mansion – one of the largest and most magnificent in Cambridge – was surrounded by extensive grounds that extended to the river front. The home’s opulence, combined with East’s aspirations to become an Anglican Bishop, were too much for fellow colonists in the birthplace of the American Revolution and the attending controversy that dubbed the home “the Bishop’s Palace” forced him to flee to Britain in 1764. During the Revolutionary War, General Israel Putnam used the home for his headquarters and British General John Burgoyne was held captive hear after his surrender at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Today, Apthorp House on Linden Street is the Master’s Residence and oldest part of of Harvard student housing complex Adams House, rebranded in honor of the John and John Quincy Adams family.
East Apthorp (1733-1816) served as the first rector of Christ Church, the first Anglican congregation in Cambridge. He was born in Boston and educated in the Boston Latin School and at Jesus College, Cambridge. His father, Charles Apthorp I (1698-1758), was a wealthy Boston merchant, slave trader, and British agent, who spent the fortune made in human trafficking on his 18 children (they and their descendants liquidated the inheritance 3 generations ago). Charles also served as founder of Trinity Church and warden of King’s Chapel (where the family pew and a commemorative tablet still remain). East was my sixth great-grand-uncle, and I descend through his older brother, James (1729-1799).
Sources: Adams House History (Harvard), Property Information (Harvard), Cambridge History, House Histree. Historic New England holds photographs of the home’s interior during the early 1930s, including the parlor, bedroom, and stairs.
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