The story of the Dennett house high on Amesbury’s Powow Hill is interesting enough on its own. Built by carriage-maker Moses Dennett in 1887 and occupied by the Dennett family for more than 40 years, the house, with its tower facing east toward the Atlantic, has a captivating narrative.

The stately house is the center of a story about the industrialist’s move from busy Market Street to quiet surroundings, clean air to combat Jennie Dennett’s asthma and more space for Dennett’s expanding family. The house featured a lightning rod on the peaked roof to sooth Jennie’s fear of lightning, room for “free and informal” gatherings of 50 and a garden where grandchildren would eat strawberries when visiting in summer. The location was not perfect, however. One had to climb a steep hill to reach it, it was vulnerable to being rocked by winter storms, and its high perch gave an aerial, eerie view of the 1888 great fire that destroyed Moses’ own business in Amesbury’s carriage-making district.

But there’s another story sure to captivate those seeking to discover their own family history: Scott Dennis’ quest to find the house his great-grandfather built so long ago. Scouring old records for mortgages, inspecting old maps and fuzzy newspaper illustrations, dealing with street number and name changes over the years, and lining up his findings next to family diaries and written reminiscences led Scott to the excitement of finding the house, still standing. Contacting the current owners even resulted in the discovery of an old business ledger verifying the closing date of Moses’ carriage business.

Scott Dennis’ latest paper, “The Dennett Home on Powow Hill,” posted recently on the ACM website, might inspire other researchers to persevere, follow every lead, and be undiscouraged by dead-ends. The reward of such persistence can be a long-lasting contribution to family and community history, just as this paper certainly is. Of course, readers will also enjoy the story of the house itself.

Click here to read “The Dennett Home on Powow Hill.”

Scott Dennis also wrote “Moses Dennett and the Carriage Hill Fire,” published on the ACM website in January. And there’s still more to learn about Scott’s great-grandfather, Moses Dennett. Scott has contributed a third report, co-written with Tim Kendall, about Moses Dennett’s early years and Civil War service. This third installment of the Moses Dennett trilogy will be available soon on the ACM website.