History of The Bradford

Built by prosperous coal and lumber merchant Rueben Francis Brown in 1888 for his bride-to-be, Albina Farrington Brooks.
The three-story main house was one of the most impressive buildings on Bradford Street when originally built.
The grand staircase in the foyer was a wedding gift to Albina from her father, noted sea captain Newell Cyrenus Brooks.
Built by a cabinet maker in Salem, MA, the staircase then sailed across Cape Cod Bay on her father's ship and was painstakingly constructed. World-renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz featured the staircase in his 1978 photobook Cape Light.