Lafayette House (1731)

At a spot in Marblehead where five streets intersect is the c. 1731 “Lafayette House.” It acquired this name due to an often-told story that when General Lafayette visited Marblehead in 1824, his carriage was too large to pass by the house and so the corner of the building on the first floor was removed. The story is considered unlikely by modern historians and there are other possible explanations for why the house is missing a corner. One possibility is that it was done to allow large coal wagons to pass by. Another is that it was constructed that way for a retail shop entrance. Yet another idea is that it was to allow the flow of draining water and sewage. The house is also notable as being the home of Jeremiah Lee and his family from 1751 to 1768. before he built his later mansion in Marblehead.

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