Sandy Hollow in early 1880s, before it was moved from its original location on Smith’s Point Road. (From Manchester-by-the-Sea by Stephen Roberts Holt, Arcadia, 2009)

A copy of this photo is on a shelf in the Sandy Hollow foyer. On the back of this photo are some notes written by Eleanor B. Crocker. (Interestingly, she said that the house in its original location was named “Sandy Valley.”) The main part of the house is unchanged today, except that the tower room was rebuilt as an enclosed space instead of a porch and the deck was extended to meet it. The back part of the house, however, is entirely different; it must have been torn down and rebuilt after the move.

Here is an article about Sandy Hollow by Elsie Youngman (with modern photo), from Summer Echoes from the 19th Century Manchester-by-the-Sea, published for Manchester Historical Society, 1981. Youngman refers to this house as “Sandy Hollow I” and the house now at 7 Smith’s Point Road as “Sandy Hollow II.” The story goes that Rev. Bartol built Sandy Hollow I on the Smith’s Point Road property. He subsequently sold the property to John L. Bremer, who liked the location but not the house. Bartol then moved the house to its present location and Bremer built his own house, which he also called Sandy Hollow.

(Bremer’s son, S. Prescott Bremer, donated a Sandy Hollow Trophy, which was an annual award of the North Shore Horticultural Society. An honor board listing the winners of this trophy from 1921 to 1958 is on display at Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum. This clearly is connected to the other Sandy Hollow, not our house.)

Cyrus Bartol’s Trancendental Capitalism - Article about Rev. Cyrus Bartol, who owned all of Smith’s Point in the 1870s and 1880s. He developed a number of properties, including Sandy Hollow. (Courtesy of Bill Cross)

Cyrus Bartol - Manchester’s Most Important Forgotten Man - Video of lecture by Bill Cross at Cape Ann Museum.