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Cross Fruit Street and look across to 85-83 High Street, the Osgood-Rogers House. It was built in 1807 and housed the Newburyport Academy, a private co-educational school. The house was altered in 1830 when the porch was added. The front was also changed and contains Greek Revival detailing. Look closely at the door frame; the small molded blocks at the corners are always a tip-off that a house is Greek Revival. Turn down Fruit Street, continuing on the right side of the Street. Fruit Street was so named because it cut through a large fruit orchard; it was known by this name as early as 1801. At the time of the transfer of the land to the city, the owner stipulated that only three-story houses should be built on the new street - one of the first attempts at "zoning" in America.
Look across at the first house on the street, the Tenny-Hale House, built in 1801 by Samuel Tenny, who also built the next house and the three double houses beyond for his sons and daughters. No. 20 Fruit Street has a very fine porch with a triangular pediment supported by Doric columns. Note the tall caps over the windows on the first and second floors, and the small half-windows on the third floor.
The next house, No. 18, was built about the same time and is known as the Jacob Perkins house, in honor of the famous Yankee inventor who lived here. In 1795, Perkins invented the first mechanical nail cutting machine, and the patent for it was signed by George Washington and John Randolph. The first postage stamps used in England were made with casehardened steel plates also invented by Perkins. This process was used in this country for the printing of banknotes. The new plates made counterfeiting much more difficult. Perkins built an engraving plant next to his house, which is owned by the Newbury Historical Society.
