King Caesar House
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King Caesar House
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| Location | Duxbury, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°2′42.65″N 70°39′52.28″W / 42.0451806°N 70.6645222°WCoordinates: 42°2′42.65″N 70°39′52.28″W / 42.0451806°N 70.6645222°W |
| Built | 1809 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP Reference # | 78000477 |
| Added to NRHP | March 29, 1978 |
The King Caesar House is a historic house located at 120 King Caesar Road, Duxbury, Massachusetts. It is operated as a non-profit museum by the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society.
The Federal style house, completed in 1809, was built for Ezra Weston II (1772–1842) and his wife, Jerusha Bradford Weston (1770–1833). Like his father, Weston was known as "King Caesar" for his success in shipbuilding and shipping. During the 1830s and 1840s, the firm of E. Weston & Sons ran the largest mercantile operation on the South Shore of Massachusetts. In 1841, U.S. Senator Daniel Webster, during a speech in Saratoga, New York, made the claim that Weston was, "the largest ship owner, probably, in the United States."
The Weston firm was established by Ezra Weston I (1743–1822) who began building small sloops and schooners on Powder Point in Duxbury in 1764. Ezra I earned the nickname "King Caesar" due to his audacious character and his influence on local politics. After his death, the nickname passed to his son Ezra II who greatly expanded the firms activities, built up a fleet of large sailing vessels, and made the Weston name known across the Atlantic. The firm experienced its heyday in the 1820s and 1830s during which Ezra Weston II presided as sole owner. The vessels built by the Weston firm varied widely in size and configuration, from the 25 ton schooner Sophia, to the ship Hope, launched in 1841 at 880 tons, the largest vessel built in Duxbury and the largest merchant vessel launched in Massachusetts up to that time. Although Ezra Weston II built many schooners for fishing and the coastal trade, the majority of his vessels were large brigs and ships which traded around the world. Over the course of three generations, the Weston firm built or otherwise acquired more than 110 sailing vessels.
From the King Caesar House, Ezra Weston II directed the affairs of his fleet and presided over a ten acre shipyard, a farm, a ropewalk, a sailcloth mill, and a large work force of sailors, carpenters and laborers. After the death of Ezra Weston II in 1842, his three sons inherited the firm and continued to operate it until 1857. The firm's activities declined sharply after his death, however, and his sons evidently did not possess the same talent for business as "King Caesar."
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