The house was built in 1758 by sea captain Gregory Purcell for his bride Sarah Wentworth. After the captain's death, his widow began taking in gentleman boarders to support her large family. Her most famous guest was John Paul Jones who boarded here while overseeing the preparation of the ship Ranger in 1777. Jones returned in 1781, this time as a US naval hero, and waited over a year for final construction and outfitting of the USS America. The America was to be the largest ship in the Continental Navy, but it was, instead, given by Congress to the French and never commanded by Jones.