Taber Hall

Known as “Marion’s Fairy Godmother,” (Marion, Massachusetts) Elizabeth Sprague Pitcher Taber (1791-1888) was the town of Marion’s most significant benefactress. After the death of her husband, a wealthy New Bedford, MA clockmaker, she used her wealth to rejuvenate the town where she grew up. In 1872, she bought 10 acres of land and provided funds for a Victorian building to house the town’s library on its first floor and a natural history museum on its second floor. She went on to build the First Congregational Church Chapel and Marion Music Hall. But her contribution to education is perhaps her most profound philanthropy. In 1876, at the age of 85, she founded the prestigious private school Tabor Academy, naming it after Mount Tabor in Palestine rather than after herself. She funded and oversaw construction of Tabor Academy’s original two Victorian buildings on the corner of Spring and Main Streets. In 1880, she built Taber Hall to become the residence for the headmaster and students, and where she would also live until her death at age of 97.

Taber Hall was originally located on Spring Street, near Cottage Street, until 1938, when the “Tabor Swap” was finalized. In the swap, the town of Marion received the library and the schoolhouse (now the Marion Town Hall) and land to build a new Elementary school (now Sippican School). Tabor Academy received land along the harbor, and Taber Hall was moved, rolling on great logs pulled by horses through the fields, to its current location at 13 Cottage Street. It was then owned by the Peterson family (of Petersen’s Ice Cream fame), then sold back to Tabor Academy in 1946, where it again housed Tabor administration and students. Tabor Academy continued to grow, and in 1985 sold the property and house back to the town. For many years, the house stood empty, despite the town’s attempts to sell it. The interior had been partitioned into numerous small rooms, and the kitchen in the back of the house was small and dark. In the Spring of 1997, Taber Hall finally found a buyer, the Fuller family. From 1959 to 1979, the Fullers and their 5 girls spent summers in Marion with Barbara Fuller’s parents, John and Ruah MacNeil. The MacNeil property, overlooking Sippican (Marion) harbor, encompassed what is now 3 homes, 75 though 85 Water Street, two doors down from the Beverly Yacht Club.

In 1985, the Fullers had built a stunning seaside home with the help of architect Lyman Goff in Stonington Village, CT, and brought with them experience with home construction and historic preservation. So in 1999, the Fuller family embarked on a major restoration project of Taber Hall.

Historic Taber Hall needed all new electrical and plumbing, a new location for the kitchen, and all interior walls removed and rebuilt to bring it back to life. With 5 daughters and 10 grandchildren, they created space for at least 12 beds, an outdoor eating area (the gazebo), and built a large play barn/garage, making Marion again a special place for the children.

Taber Hall stands proudly today as of Marion’s grandest, comfortable family homes with its Italianate architecture, grand living spaces, 6 bedrooms, 5 full baths, and near 5,000 SF of living space all situated on a large and beautifully landscaped lot in the center of this coastal Massachusettstown’s picturesque village.

Details

Property ID
714928

6
Bedrooms

5
Bathrooms

Square Footage
4871

Lot Size
.51

Year Built
1880

Style
Italianate

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