Lechmere-Sewall-Riedesel House

The home of Jonathan Sewall, colonial attorney general of Massachusetts

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

149 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA

Significance:

Home of Jonathan Sewall, colonial attorney general of Massachusetts

Designation:

Old Cambridge Historic District

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

MANAGED BY:

Private

The Lechmere-Sewall-Riedesel House was built in 1760 by Richard Lechmere, after he acquired the land through the inheritance of his wife, Mary Phipps Lechmere. Lechmere, a Loyalist, sold the property to Judge Jonathan Sewall in the early 1770s to cover his debts. In 1774 a mob swarmed the house and forced Sewall to resign his post as attorney-general. During the Revolutionary War, the house was used as a lavish prison for Baron Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, a Hessian General, and his wife, Charlotte. The home was later owned by John Brewster Esq., who raised the house, and eventually had its location shifted slightly. Today the house is a private residence.