Explore the Legacy of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. at His Beverly Farms Home
Located in Beverly Farms, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. House was built in the 1880s and purchased by Holmes in 1909. A former Union Army officer, Harvard Law professor, and eventual Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Holmes used the home as his summer residence for nearly three decades. Though modest in scale, the house served as a retreat where Holmes wrote, corresponded, and received notable guests, including fellow Justice Louis Brandeis and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge.
Holmes is widely regarded as one of the most influential legal minds in American history. Known for his clear writing and dissents, he helped shape modern constitutional law and First Amendment protections. His time in Beverly was marked by reflection and scholarship. He continued working into his 90s, and the Beverly house remained his summer home until shortly before his death in 1935.
The home still stands at 868 Hale Street and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Although privately owned and not open to the public, it is the only remaining residence directly associated with Holmes’s life and work. The structure’s continued preservation offers a quiet link to the personal life of a jurist whose legal opinions still influence American law. Its location in Beverly Farms ties the story of national legal history to a specific place just off the main road through Essex County.
Matt Lambros MA Beverly Aug 04, 2025 Architecture History Memorials
Aug 04, 2025
SHARE
