27 Seventh Street, Ruth L. Smith House, circa 1870

27 Seventh Street, Ruth L. Smith House, circa 1870,Stick Style

The Ruth L. Smith House is one of the few late 19th century homes built in Old Bedford Village. Ruth Wilcox, the daughter of a whaling captain, married Henry Smith, a mariner who shipped out of New Bedford with her father, Captain Wilcox. After Henry’s death at the age of 50, Mrs. Smith built the house for her oldest son, Henry Wilcox Smith, a local photographer. This structure built in the Stick style has many elements common to that style, such as the “X” braces over the windows and the king post truss along the porch.