Gallivan House

The Gallivan House sits between the French House and the Thayer House on Washington Street, across from Town Hall. The house was constructed in 1931 and was the residence of Dr. John J. Gallivan, a prominent physician in the area. The brick home is in the classic neo-colonial style with a large front center entrance.

Dr. Gallivan

Dr. Gallivan was a prominent native of Braintree and his career was very well rounded. He was a WWI veteran; he served the staff of the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth as well as St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton. He also served as the Assistant Medical Examiner for Norfolk County.

History

Dr. Gallivan practiced medicine on the first floor of his home while he and his family lived on the second floor. The house remained within the Gallivan family until the 1960s when it was acquired by a dentist for use as a dental practice. In 2005 the house was purchased by the Braintree Historical Society and it is still awaiting interior and exterior renovations.

MARY S BEAN PARK

The Mary S Bean Park is a plot of land that was into a small leveled park by the Town in 1974. The park includes two small stone memorial benches, a pathway that circles a boulder in the center of the park, as well as assorted trees and plant life. The park was originally part of the French House property. In 1966 the French property was split into two lots, the French House lot and the park lot.

The Barn Museum & Historical Resource Center

The French House would be purchased by Thayer Academy and subsequently given to the Braintree Historical Society. The second lot remained under the ownership of the French Family until 1972, when it was acquired by Mary Bean. Bean further divided this lot. One portion of the lot became the land that is the Gilbert Bean Barn Museum and the Mary Bean Cunningham Historic Resource Center. The other portion became the Park Lot, Mary Bean would go on to sell the Barn Museum and Resource Center to the Historical Society for $1 and would sell the park to the Town for $1. The park was laid out by the Town afterwards and for a time was was beautifully maintained by the Gardeners Guild of Braintree until recently. This area will be a priority going forward and we’d love hearing from members that might be inclined to promote and assist with this most worthy project.