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[Illustration: Book Cover]




HISTORIC HOMES
OF NEW ENGLAND




[Illustration: PLATE I.--The Old Pickering House, Salem, Mass. Built in
1651. _Frontispiece._]




HISTORIC HOMES OF
NEW ENGLAND


BY
MARY H. NORTHEND
AUTHOR OF "COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS"


_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS_


[Illustration]


BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1914




_Copyright, 1914,_
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.




THIS BOOK
IS DEDICATED TO
THE BEST OF MOTHERS




PREFACE

The study of old houses grows in interest with each additional discovery
of good material, such as can be found in the old New England towns and
cities, more especially those along the seacoast. The preservation of
these old houses has done much to give us correct ideas of the
interiors, though many of these, with the change of owners, have been
stripped of their colonial furnishings.

Most of the houses that are shown in this book are private homes which
have been opened by the owners to allow pictured representations of
correct ancestral furnishing. Houses such as these possess the greatest
charm--ancestral homes that have descended from generation to generation
in the same family since their founding.

It has been a great pleasure to be allowed to visit these old mansions,
which show wonderful staircases, richly carved mantels, and colonial
windows, each one of which is an architectural gem. Through pictured
homes like these one is given a deeper interest in the early life of our
country and realizes more than ever before what the colonial period
stood for in home building.

I wish to acknowledge the kindness of my many friends in helping me to
make this book possible, particularly Mrs. Charles M. Stark of
Dunbarton, New Hampshire, for use of the old Stark mansion; the Colonial
Dames of Massachusetts, for allowing correct representations in pictures
of the Quincy Mansion; the New Hampshire Society of the Sons of
Cincinnati, for the use of the Ladd-Gilman House; Miss Caroline O.
Emmerton of Salem, for permission to show the historic House of Seven
Gables; the Historical Society of Marblehead, for the use of the Lee
Mansion; the Medford Daughters of the Revolution, for the old Royall
House; the Dalton Club of Newburyport, who have thrown open their
club-house to be pictured; Mrs. Jacob C. Rogers of Boston and Peabody;
Mr. Jacob C. Peabody of Danvers; as well as many others, including Mr.
John Pickering of Salem, who have allowed me access to their houses.

We of New England are deeply interested in our historic homes, and it is
to the lover of the colonial that I wish to show by picture and text the
wonderful old mansions that are still in our midst, which have done much
to bring New England into prominence in the architectural world of
to-day.

  MARY H. NORTHEND.
  AUGUST 15, 1914.




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                                           PAGE
         PREFACE                                                     vii
      I. HOMES OF LONG AGO                                             1
     II. THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES                                13
    III. THE PICKERING HOUSE                                          27
     IV. "THE LINDENS"                                                37
      V. THE ROGERS HOUSE                                             49
     VI. THE COLONEL JEREMIAH LEE HOUSE                               59
    VII. THE LADD-GILMAN HOUSE                                        70
   VIII. THE ADAMS HOUSE                                              83
     IX. THE SPENCER-PIERCE HOUSE                                     93
      X. THE GOVERNOR DUMMER MANSION                                 109
     XI. THE MACPHAEDRIS-WARNER HOUSE                                119
    XII. THE WENTWORTH HOUSE                                         130
   XIII. THE FRANKLIN PIERCE HOUSE                                   141
    XIV. THE SAVORY HOUSE                                            157
     XV. THE STARK MANSION                                           167
    XVI. THE SALTONSTALL HOUSE                                       178
   XVII. THE DALTON HOUSE                                            189
  XVIII. THE KITTREDGE HOUSE                                         204
    XIX. THE ROYALL HOUSE                                            216
     XX. THE LONGFELLOW HOUSE                                        230
    XXI. THE QUINCY MANSION                                          241
   XXII. "HEY BONNIE HALL"                                           252
         INDEX                                                       265




LIST OF PLATES


  I. The Old Pickering House, Salem, Mass.                _Frontispiece_

                                                             FACING PAGE
  II. Doorway, Oliver House, Salem, Mass.                              8

  III. Hallway, Oliver House; Living Room, Oliver
  House                                                                9

  IV. Hallway, Cabot Low House; Fireplace, Oliver
  House                                                               14

  V. The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Mass.                      15

  VI. Hallway, House of the Seven Gables; Hepzibah's
  Shop, House of the Seven Gables                                     18

  VII. Dining Room, House of the Seven Gables;
  Parlor, House of the Seven Gables                                   19

  VIII. Attic, House of the Seven Gables.                             22

  IX. The Pickering House, Salem, Mass.                               23

  X. The Pickering House, Side View                                   26

  XI. Entrance Doors, Pickering House                                 27

  XII. Hallway, Pickering House                                       30

  XIII. Dining Room, Pickering House; Alcove,
  Pickering House                                                     31

  XIV. Living Room, Pickering House; Drawing
  Room, Pickering House                                               34

  XV. Fireplace with Scriptural Tiles, Pickering
  House; the Old Pickering Sideboard                                  35

  XVI. "The Lindens," Danvers, Mass.                                  38

  XVII. Hallway, "The Lindens"                                        39

  XVIII. Dining Room, "The Lindens"; Chamber,
  "The Lindens"                                                       42

  XIX. Drawing Room, "The Lindens"; Library,
  "The Lindens"                                                       43

  XX. Chambers in "The Lindens"                                       48

  XXI. The Rogers House, Peabody, Mass.                               49

  XXII. Doorway, Rogers House                                         52

  XXIII. Parlor, Rogers House; Drawing Room,
  Rogers House                                                        53

  XXIV. The Lee Mansion, Marblehead, Mass.                            58

  XXV. Porch, Lee Mansion                                             59

  XXVI. Two Views of the Hallway, Lee Mansion                         62

  XXVII. Wallpapers, Lee Mansion                                      63

  XXVIII. Wood Carving, Lee Mansion                                   66

  XXIX. Banquet Hall, Lee Mansion; Fireplace,
  Lee Mansion                                                         67

  XXX. Chamber, Lee Mansion; Four-poster,
  Lee Mansion                                                         70

  XXXI. The Ladd-Gilman House, Exeter, N. H.                          71

  XXXII. Parlor, Ladd-Gilman House                                    74

  XXXIII. Living Room, Ladd-Gilman House; Robert
  Treat Room, Ladd-Gilman House                                       75

  XXXIV. Middle Chamber, Ladd-Gilman House;
  Prison, Ladd-Gilman House                                           82

  XXXV. The Adams House, Newbury, Mass.                               83

  XXXVI. Parlor, Adams House; Living Room,
  Adams House                                                         88

  XXXVII. Dining Room, Adams House                                    89

  XXXVIII. The Spencer-Pierce House, Newburyport,
  Mass.                                                               94

  XXXIX. Hallway, Spencer-Pierce House                                95

  XL. Dining Room, Spencer-Pierce House;
  Living Room, Spencer-Pierce House                                  100

  XLI. Parlor, Spencer-Pierce House                                  101

  XLII. The Dummer Mansion, Byfield, Mass.                           110

  XLIII. Doorway, Dummer Mansion; Hallway,
  Dummer Mansion                                                     111

  XLIV. Dining Room, Dummer Mansion; Den,
  Dummer Mansion                                                     116

  XLV. Two Views of the Living Room, Dummer
  Mansion                                                            117

  XLVI. The Warner House, Portsmouth, N. H.                          120

  XLVII. Doorway, Warner House; Porch, Warner
  House                                                              121

  XLVIII. Living Room, Warner House                                  126

  XLIX. Parlor, Warner House                                         127

  L. The Wentworth House, Little Harbor,
  N. H.                                                              130

  LI. Hallway, Wentworth House                                       131

  LII. Dance Hall, Wentworth House                                   136

  LIII. Room in Wentworth House where Martha
  Hilton was made Bride                                              137

  LIV. The Franklin Pierce House, Hillsboro, N. H.                   142

  LV. Library, Franklin Pierce House                                 143

  LVI. Sword given by the State of New Hampshire
  to President Pierce; Bowie Knife used at
  Barbecue given at Hillsboro for President
  Pierce, and Canes presented to him by
  Notable Personages; Sword presented by
  Ladies of Concord, N. H., to President
  Pierce                                                             156

  LVII. The Savory House, Groveland, Mass.                           157

  LVIII. Porch and Gateway, Savory House                             160

  LIX. Hallway, Savory House; Chamber, Savory
  House                                                              161

  LX. China Closet, Savory House; China Closet,
  Savory House, where China of Three
  Generations of Brides is Kept                                      164

  LXI. Parlor, Savory House; Living Room,
  Savory House                                                       165

  LXII. The Stark Mansion, Dunbarton, N. H.                          168

  LXIII. Old Mill, Stark Homestead                                   169

  LXIV. Hallway, Stark Mansion; Parlor, Stark
  Mansion                                                            172

  LXV. Dining Room, Stark Mansion                                    173

  LXVI. Saltonstall House, Haverhill, Mass.                          182

  LXVII. Two Views of the Hallway, Saltonstall
  House                                                              183

  LXVIII. Two Views of the Dining Room, Saltonstall
  House                                                              186

  LXIX. Chambers in the Saltonstall House                            187

  LXX. The Dalton House, Newburyport, Mass.                          190

  LXXI. Porch, Dalton House                                          191

  LXXII. Lower Hall, Dalton House; Upper Hall,
  Dalton House                                                       198

  LXXIII. Fireplaces, Dalton House                                   199

  LXXIV. The Kittredge House, Andover, Mass.                         206

  LXXV. Hallway, Kittredge House                                     207

  LXXVI. Living Room, Kittredge House; Parlor,
  Kittredge House                                                    212

  LXXVII. Soapstone Fire Frame, Kittredge House;
  Fireplace, Kittredge House                                         213

  LXXVIII. The Royall House, Medford, Mass.                          218

  LXXIX. Doorway, Royall House                                       219

  LXXX. Hallway, Royall House, from the Rear                         222

  LXXXI. Spinning Room, Royall House                                 223

  LXXXII. Kitchen Fireplace, Royall House                            226

  LXXXIII. Chambers in the Royall House                              227

  LXXXIV. The Longfellow House, Cambridge, Mass.                     236

  LXXXV. Library, Longfellow House                                   237

  LXXXVI. The Quincy Mansion, Quincy, Mass.                          242

  LXXXVII. Porch, Quincy Mansion                                     243

  LXXXVIII. Dining Room, Quincy Mansion                              246

  LXXXIX. Kitchen, Quincy Mansion; Parlor,
  Quincy Mansion                                                     247

  XC. Paper hung for Wedding of Dorothy
  Quincy, Quincy Mansion                                             250

  XCI. Chambers in the Quincy Mansion                                251

  XCII. Porch of the Middleton House, Bristol,
  R. I.                                                              254

  XCIII. Hallway, Middleton House; Fireplace,
  Middleton House                                                    255

  XCIV. Living Room, Middleton House                                 258

  XCV. Bridal Chamber, Middleton House                               259




CHAPTER I

HOMES OF LONG AGO


Scattered here and there throughout the South, the Middle West, and the
New England States, we find the homes of long ago standing as mute
witnesses and representatives of periods in our country's settlements
that have become historical. We come across them by the wayside, when
driving along country roads, or we catch glimpses of them at the end of
grassy lanes, surrounded by pleasant meadows, while others, jutting in
between twentieth century houses in our large cities, serve to link the
old days with the new. These old mansions are often tenantless; some,
with sagging roofs and gaping sides, are fast falling into decay. Still
others, well preserved and freshly painted, surrounded by the well kept
lawns and posy beds of our grandmothers' time, are survivals of a
glorious past.

Old houses are like old romances; both are filled with mystery. Could
they but speak, what fascinating tales they would reveal. They carry us
back in imagination to one of the most eventful periods of our country's
life--that of its struggle for freedom--and they inspire us with a
desire to weave them into stories that will give authentic glimpses of
the days when our country was young. Surrounding these ancient landmarks
we find an irresistible and intangible charm that never fails to appeal,
not only to the house-lover but the antiquarian as well. For, no matter
how shabby the exterior may be, inside its four walls has been enacted a
series of comedies and tragedies, which, if known, might overshadow the
romances of the great masters of literature.

In spite of the mystery surrounding these old homesteads, there is,
nevertheless, something definite about them which has for the student of
the past a deep meaning and a distinct appeal.

Harking back, we find that each particular type of house represents a
stage in the development of architecture. They cover a period when
architects were practically unknown. Many were evolved from the master
builder's brain, while others have been developed little by little from
early designs. Monuments of departed days, they stand models to which
our present-day architects turn for inspiration.

Few, if any, of the first houses are still standing. They were
constructed of logs and had thatched roofs. The timber was, at first,
hand sawed in saw pits dug for that purpose, a tedious process. Later
on, sawmills were erected, but not in sufficient number to meet the
demand for frame houses.

The second period of house building brought out a new idea in
construction. Some of these houses were built with two stories in front
and one in the rear, this lower story being covered by an extension of
the sloping roof. The most imposing of this type were those which were
designed with gables at the front and chambers underneath.

In those days, the best kinds of lumber were plentiful, so the frame
could be built of picked wood, preferably white oak. In houses of this
style, the outer walls were daubed with clay, covered with boards. At
first, they were called clay boards, the name being afterwards corrupted
to clapboards. Lime was rarely used in daubing, since lime was
obtainable only by burning shells. Sometimes clay was intermixed with
straw. Many windows had small, diamond panes, set in lead cases. These
may be found to-day in some of the old houses that have escaped
vandalism. The windows were often divided into two parts and opened
outward.

The entrance hall in these old homes led into a large and imposing
apartment. On the walls were hung frames containing hair flowers and
funeral pieces wrought by hand. This was known as the "company" or
"guest" room, used only on state occasions. The principal room was the
kitchen with its sanded floor, often laid herring-bone pattern. This was
used as a dining-room and kitchen combined. Through the center of the
house ran a chimney six feet square, around which clustered the closets,
many of them secret. Here were concealed the family treasures, plate,
and perchance a refugee. The family gathering place was the kitchen. It
requires little imagination to repeople it with guests. Seemingly, we
watch the elders seated on large, wooden settles inside the fireplace,
roasting their faces, while they freeze their backs. The old iron crane
swings outward, holding the jack, spit, and pot hooks. The Dutch oven
covered with ashes contains the evening meal.

The only light save the firelight was the pitch-pine torch, by whose
flickering flame one read or sewed. Close at hand on a nail hung the
old horn lantern ready for use, either to tend the stock or light a
visiting neighbor home. It is an appealing picture of colonial life.

Among the old houses there are none so full of interest as those which
have been carefully preserved in the same family, handed down from
generation to generation. Over the threshold of these homes have passed
men and women whose names are linked irretrievably with important events
in our nation's history.

In the early history of our country, few seaport towns stand out in
bolder relief than Salem, Massachusetts, a city noted at the
commencement of the nineteenth century for her commercial prosperity,
and whose ships sailed to every port on the globe. These ships were
small, clumsy affairs, but staunch in build. The cargoes were valuable
ventures, sent by Salem merchants who were fearless plungers. The flavor
of the sea still lingers about this seaport town, particularly along
Derby Street, where, in the prosperous shipping days, social life was
centered.

Years crept on apace, and the country grew more prosperous with the
increase of population; and in the seaport town, more especially, came
a demand for larger and better houses. Money circulated freely, and
ventures proved successful. Trade steadily increased, bringing
prosperity in its wake. Commerce was at its height, and the harbor was
filled with incoming and outgoing ships, whose holds were stored with
rich cargoes of household goods, furniture, and glass, intermixed with
merchandise. Much of the valuable furniture is still to be found in the
houses of to-day.

The story of those stirring times reads like a bit of romance. The tide
still ebbs and flows at Derby Street, lapping the piers much as it did a
century ago, when ships four tiers deep lay tied up at the now deserted
wharves. The crews were boys, many of them, sons of the merchants, who,
from sailing before the mast, rose rapidly to positions of importance,
becoming captains of their ships at an age when the lads of to-day are
just leaving school.

Like a dream seems the life of long ago. No more, save in imagination,
do we see the jolly sailor lads with sea legs on, bowling along Derby
Street, bound for Kit's Dancing Hall, there to indulge themselves in
merry dance or quench their thirst at the flowing bowl. The Old Inn or
Ordinary has long since passed away, as has the lumbering stage and
jolly drivers, who snapped their whips and cracked their jokes around a
cheerful, open fire while waiting for the incoming ships. The large,
square homes of yesterday are now degenerated into tenement houses.

Three of the most prominent merchants of that day were William Grey,
Joseph Peabody, and Elias Hasket Derby. They owned the greater number of
the ships that sailed to foreign ports, and their names are household
words. On the wharves still stand their old counting-houses, now put to
other uses.

[Illustration: PLATE II.--Doorway, Oliver House, Salem, Mass. Built in
1802.]

With the decline of commerce and the decrease of shipping, the tide of
building turned inland. Large, imposing houses were erected in other
parts of the town. Elias Hasket Derby chose as a site for his new house
what is now known as Derby Square. The estate was a large one, terraced
to the water's edge. The house was of wood, three stories in height, and
costing eighty thousand dollars. Much of Samuel McIntire's best wood
work was used here. Not many months after its completion, the owner
died, and his entire estate was sold. The house was torn down, much of
the timber being used in other houses that were in the process of
building. Captain Cook was at that time erecting for his daughter, who
married Henry K. Oliver, a stately home on Federal Street. Into this
were introduced some of the best specimens of the wood carving. This
mansion was a type that came into prominence at the close of the
Revolutionary War, a large, square house, three stories in height,
showing in exterior finish many of McIntire's best designs. The
gate-posts on either side of the little picket gate were especially
carved for the old Derby Mansion, as were the classic columns that
support the porch. Not only outside the house but inside as well, one
comes across McIntire's wonderful carving. Step over the threshold,
enter the spacious hallway, that like most constructed in that day
extends entirely through the house and opens on to an old-fashioned
garden beyond. Here the door frames and stairway show the master's
handiwork. The broad landing is lighted by a window especially designed.
Large, square rooms open on either side of the hall, the one at the
right showing scenic wall-paper made in Paris and hung in 1808. A
feature of this room is a hob-grate, one of the first ever placed in any
Salem home.

[Illustration: PLATE III.--Hallway, Oliver House; Living Room, Oliver
House.]

The old merchants knew well how to build for comfort and beauty. One of
their old houses, still standing on Essex Street, Salem, was built in
1750 by one Joseph Sprague, a merchant. It is a rambling, spacious
affair, three stories in height at the rear and two at the front. The
grounds were extensive, leading to the water's edge.

Major Sprague was a man of standing, interested in military affairs. It
was he that commanded the first uniformed company of light infantry.
Organized on April 22, 1776, they applied to the General Court to make
them independent of the militia but not of the regiment. In those days
their uniform was much more striking than at present. Green coats with
gold trimming were worn, also ruffled shirts, the ruffles falling over
the hands, under dresses of white, black gaiters, and black hats of
beaver ornamented with ostrich plumes. This company soon disbanded.

The ancestral home of Major Sprague has never been out of the family. It
was built by him for his bride. Lifting the ponderous knocker, one
enters the open door, passing into a broad hallway with a colonial
staircase showing fine, hand-carved balusters. Opening out of this are
large, square rooms, filled with rich, old Chippendale. Much of this was
brought over in the major's ships. Huge open fireplaces are found in
every room. One of them is surrounded by tiles, picturing Æsop's
fables.

Closets innumerable, such as would delight the heart of a
twentieth-century housekeeper, are everywhere. There are large ones and
small ones. Sometimes, concealed behind panels, were secret closets, but
the most important of all, as well as the most historical, has
disappeared. This was used in Revolutionary times to shelter one of the
servants, a deserter from the Continental Army, who was discovered and
shot.

Major Sprague had a comely daughter Sarah, who was a reigning belle of
that day. Her beauty attracted the attention of one William Stearns, a
Harvard collegian, who lived in the Craigie House at Cambridge,
afterwards the home of Longfellow. Every Saturday night he swam the
unbridged Mystic River and walked to Salem to see her. They were married
in 1776 and lived in the town. He was one of the largest stockholders in
the turnpike road built between Salem and Boston, and the story runs
that he declared after it was finished he would be able to stand on the
steps of his Salem home and look directly into the Boston market. A son
of the fair Sarah married Thresea St. Agnan from Trinidad. She was an
intimate of Josephine Tascher de La Pageree, afterwards the consort of
Napoleon. A beautiful gold-banded tortoise-shell comb is still kept in
the family, a present from Josephine to Agnes.

Many are the interesting historical houses to be found in this city,
each of which has a story hidden away under its roof. One of these
standing next to the Old Witch House was owned originally by a Captain
Davenport. It is mentioned as early as 1662. Later, the captain removed
to Boston to take charge of the fortification at Castle Island and on
July 15, 1665, was killed "By a solemn stroke of thunder." The estate
was then conveyed to one Jonathan Corwan, afterwards called Curwin, a
man of prominence in the witchcraft trial through being appointed one of
the judges.

Later on his grandson Samuel, an exceedingly interesting man with a most
irascible disposition, lived in the same mansion. Graduated from Harvard
in 1735, he became a merchant, afterwards taking part in the Pepperrell
Expedition against Louisburg as captain and rose to the rank of "Judge
of Admiralty." Espousing the cause of the Loyalists, he was forced to
leave for England. Returning in 1784, he found his estate in a very bad
condition, most of his valuable library having been sold. For many
years afterwards he was a prominent gentleman in the life of the city
and was often seen walking the streets, wearing his English wig, clothed
in a long cloak of red cloth, his fingers covered with rings, and using
a gold-headed cane as he walked.

[Illustration: PLATE IV.--Hallway, Cabot Low House, 1748; Fireplace,
Oliver House.]

There is no purer type of colonial house in the city by the sea, than
the Cabot House, built by one Joseph Cabot in 1748 and which was for
thirty years the residence of William Crowninshield Endicott, who served
under President Cleveland as Secretary of War.

Near Derby Street stands the house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Here, in May, 1840, he called to see his cousin "The Duchess," Miss
Susan Ingersoll, on which occasion she told him the story of the house,
and the name struck him so forcibly that he is said to have repeated it
again and again as if to impress it on his memory. From this incident we
have the romance of _The House of the Seven Gables_.




CHAPTER II

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES


The visitor to Salem has no difficulty in finding the House of the Seven
Gables, for any one can direct him there, and he is waylaid by boys who
wish to guide him to it.

His way lies through what was once the court end of the town. This
quarter, long since deserted by fashion--its fine old houses are now
turned into tenements--still retains enough of its ancient state to
arouse the visitor's interest. So his mind is in a most receptive mood
when a final corner takes him into Turner Street, and he descries at its
very end the rear of the ancient mansion, embowered by trees, the long
sweep of its lean-to crowned by a cluster of chimneys.

[Illustration: PLATE V.--The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Mass.]

The House of the Seven Gables is most pleasantly situated, overlooking
Salem harbor, with a view across the water and of Marblehead in the
distance. The house faces the south. Its east end borders on Turner
Street, crowding down so close to the narrow sidewalk that the
picturesque sign over the shop door swings just over the heads of the
passers-by. At the back of the house the lean-to already mentioned
slopes down to the yard, while to the west the land extends beyond the
garden to the next street.

The steeply sloping roof of the ancient mansion, its sharp, pointed
gables, its gray, weather-beaten clapboards, the faded red of its brick
chimneys, all attract the visitor. Romance speaks to him from the tiny
casements and, dreaming that he shall find Miss Hepzibah herself behind
the counter, he opens the shop door and hurriedly enters. The bell over
the door jangles his welcome.

It would be hard to find a tinier place than that little shop. And how
full it is of everything: of toys, of candies, of baskets and rag mats
and antiques and bits of embroidery and, best of all, quaint Jimcrows,
the gingerbread men so thoroughly appreciated by Miss Hepzibah's young
customer.

The present presiding genius of the little shop stands behind a high,
narrow counter surmounted by a very old, quaint, glass show-case. She is
a lady of far more charm and tact than was poor Miss Hepzibah, with much
of interest to tell about her wares, and answers with great patience
questions about the house and the families who lived in it.

The house was built in 1669 by John Turner, a Salem merchant, and was
successively owned by his son and grandson, both John Turners. The third
John Turner sold the house in 1782 to Captain Samuel Ingersoll.
Hawthorne's connection with the house begins with the Ingersolls, who
were his kinsfolk. Mrs. Ingersoll was a Hawthorne and a cousin of
Hawthorne's father.

Her daughter Susannah was eighteen years older than Hawthorne, although
of the same generation. She inherited the estate while still a young
woman and was at first fond of society, but after an unfortunate love
affair she became a recluse. She spent a long life in gloomy retirement
in the ancient mansion with no companion except her under-witted maid.
Her young cousin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was one of the few men allowed to
cross her jealously guarded threshold.

Miss Ingersoll's old age was cheered by an adopted son, a boy of
mysterious birth, supposed by some to be the child of her servant.
Whoever he was, Miss Ingersoll was devoted to him. She gave him a fine
education and started him in life as a clergyman. He was known at first
as Horace Conelly but later took the name of Ingersoll. Miss Ingersoll
left him her entire fortune, even her family homestead, the House of the
Seven Gables. But unfortunately he proved to be a man of very weak
character. He dissipated the fortune, and in 1879 the house was sold for
his debts.

In the next few years the house changed owners many times, until in 1883
it came into the possession of the Upton family, who occupied it for
twenty-five years. In 1908 it was bought for the use of the settlement
to which it gives its name.

In 1909 the house was repaired and fitted up for settlement work, and
while it was under repair, many of the original features, or traces of
them, were discovered. During its two hundred and forty years of
existence some of its gables and its lean-to had been taken off, the
overhang closed in, and the secret staircase taken down. A careful
restoration was made of all these missing features, a matter of great
interest to architects and antiquarians and even to the casual visitor.

[Illustration: Copyright. 1910, by C. O. Emmerton.]

[Illustration: Copyright, 1910, by C. O. Emmerton.

PLATE VI.--Hallway, House of the Seven Gables; Hepzibah's Shop, House of
the Seven Gables.]

Leaving the little shop, the visitor enters directly the old kitchen.
This is a small room sheathed with pine boards put on perpendicularly,
after the fashion of the earliest times, so as to form a simple
pattern. This special pattern is peculiar to the House of the Seven
Gables.

An immense fireplace occupies nearly the whole of one side of the room.
It is filled with old-fashioned cooking utensils and illustrates the
evolution which has taken place along this line. The pots and kettles
are swung from a long iron bar placed well up in the chimney. (The crane
with which we are all familiar is simply a later development of this
primitive bar.) There is a brick oven built into the fireplace, also a
Dutch oven, which is a pot with a rim around the cover to hold the hot
coals; and, the last step in evolution before the cook-stove, we find
the tin kitchen standing in its place before the andirons.

The most precious of all the furnishings of the fireplace is an
old-fashioned toaster from which Hawthorne has had many a slice of
toast. Close to the fireplace is a panelled oak chest as old as, if not
older, than the house. Flanking the chest is the top of a highboy, which
once belonged to Miss Ingersoll and may have been bought of the Turners
with the house. As Miss Ingersoll was a conservative person, it was
probably not until after her day that the highboy was divided, and the
top part set on the floor with feet of its own.

Opposite the highboy is an old-fashioned kitchen dresser, part of which
was found in the house, and the rest designed to match. Its shelves now
contain samples of crockery and old salt glaze, with specimens of
Bennington and tortoise-shell ware. If the visitor is up on such
matters, he will have noticed that certain articles in the room are of
much later date than others. He is then told that the idea in furnishing
the house is to make it look as an old, conservative Salem house would
have looked in 1840, the period of the story. That is to say, there is
practically no furniture later than 1840, and most of the pieces are
much earlier--survivors, so to speak, of the many periods through which
the house has passed. The later and more elegant pieces of furniture
(generally speaking, mahogany of about 1800) are to be found in the
parlor and dining-room, while the earlier pieces of walnut, cherry,
pine, and oak have been relegated to the kitchen and attic; the same is
to be said of the china--Lowestoft and lustre supplanting the earlier
wares in the parlor and dining-room.

[Illustration: Copyright, 1910, by C. O. Emmerton.]

[Illustration: Copyright, 1910, by C. O. Emmerton.

PLATE VII.--Dining Room, House of the Seven Gables; Parlor, House of the
Seven Gables.]

With the determination to note this evolution in household furnishing,
the visitor continues on his tour of the house. He leaves the kitchen by
a dark, narrow passage. A door at its end admits him to a large,
sunny, low-ceiled room, which has always been used as a combination
dining and sitting-room. The Turners called this room "the hall," a term
the early settlers brought with them from England. The Ingersolls called
it "the keeping room." To the settlement residents to-day, it is simply
the dining-room. It is certainly most attractive with its rare, old,
white painted panelling and old-fashioned furniture. The sideboard,
dining-table, and secretary are fine old pieces of mahogany. The chairs
are of the Windsor pattern. On the wall are pictures of clipper ships
and foreign ports and one portrait of a rather grim old gentleman. Under
the portrait is the dinner-wagon and a red lacquer tray, once the
property of Miss Ingersoll.

In the novel this room is called "the parlor of more moderate size" in
contrast to the grand reception room. And here, more than anywhere else,
the scene of the story is laid. For this was the room where Colonel
Pyncheon was discovered dead by his little grandson, and here after many
years that grandson received Matthew Maule the carpenter and sent for
his daughter Alice to join them. And this was the room that Miss
Hepzibah Pyncheon used as the living-room, and where she and her
brother Clifford and her little cousin Phoebe ate their meals under
their ancestor's frowning portrait. Here it was that Judge Pyncheon came
and bullied Hepzibah and sent her to find her brother. The story tells
how poor Hepzibah, sadly against her will, goes over the house looking
for Clifford. But she does not find him in his room, and when she
hurries back to the living-room, Clifford himself comes out of it and
points to the judge, who is sitting dead in his chair. Hawthorne does
not explain in the novel how Clifford left his room and got down to the
living-room, but the house itself offers an explanation.

Beside the fireplace in the living-room is a round-topped door opening
into a brick-lined closet. Entering the closet the guide opens a secret
door, revealing a mysterious staircase by which the visitor mounts
apparently right into the heart of the huge central chimney. The
staircase is very steep and narrow and makes many a turn. Finally, the
door at the top opens, and the visitor steps out into Clifford's room.
The door closes with a snap behind him. The visitor looks round but sees
only the pine sheathing with the pattern peculiar to the House of the
Seven Gables.

In response to the question: "Why was the secret staircase built?" the
guide confesses that no one knows. There have been many surmises. Some
have thought it was a refuge from the Indians. Others have fancied it
was for purposes of smuggling. The most probable explanation seems to be
that it was a temporary hiding-place in case of a recurrence of the
witchcraft delusion. About 1889 Mr. Upton began to take down the great
central chimney and then discovered the secret staircase, which was
rebuilt in 1909 from his description. It looks so old that the visitor
can hardly believe that it is only a very exact reproduction of the
original.

Clifford's room is only a small attic chamber with a mahogany bed and
bureau and an attractive set of painted chairs, which belonged in the
House of the Seven Gables but were given away at the time the house was
sold for Horace Ingersoll's debts. All the furniture was scattered at
that time, but since then many pieces have found their way back, either
by gift or purchase.

[Illustration: Copyright, 1910, by C. O. Emmerton.

PLATE VIII.--Attic, House of the Seven Gables]

The visitor leaves Clifford's room and makes his way into the open
attic, for he came up two stories by the secret staircase and is now
under the sharply pointed roof and surrounded by trunks, chests, and
bandboxes. This is a good place to understand the structure of the
house. The main building had at first just two gables in front and one
at each end; then a wing was built on in front, covering one of the
gables, which was largely cut away. This wing had three gables, and the
porch, which was built in the angle of the wing and the main house, was
roofed by another gable. An old plan of the house shows a wing built on
to the lean-to in the rear, which was probably roofed by another gable;
so the house in the time of the first two John Turners probably had
eight gables. It seems likely that the third John Turner took off the
porch gable, which must certainly have been very troublesome, as its
position made it a pocket for the ice and snow. If we omit the porch
gable, assuming that it was gone long before the Ingersolls bought the
house, we find that the rest correspond very closely to Hawthorne's
description of them as they are mentioned in different parts of the
novel.

The stump of the cut-off gable is a great object of interest in the
attic, as is also a piece of the old front door, which is studded with
nails after the fashion of the early colonial days.

One flight below the attic is the great chamber, Phoebe's room in
the story. This splendid, great, sunny room has fine panelling, dating
from about 1720, and good examples of early furniture. To give an idea
of how the room looked when first built the guide moves aside the Queen
Anne mirror and opens a small door behind it, cut in the wall of the
room. This reveals one of the great supporting posts, which is roughly
carved in mediæval manner. This post, with its companion beams and
posts, once stood out in the room, but since the panelling was put in,
that is nearly two hundred years ago, it has been hidden from sight.
This silent witness indicates the great age of the house, which has
outlived so many styles and fashions. Another flight below is the parlor
or "grand reception room," as it was called.

In the story it is described as unfurnished--an empty room that Miss
Hepzibah was too poor to heat, where Clifford took his exercise on rainy
days. Into this room the hero Holgrave drew little Phoebe, that she
might not enter the living-room and have the shock of discovering Judge
Pyncheon sitting there dead. One forgets about the story in admiring the
very happy color scheme of this finely proportioned room. The wall-paper
is gray, a reproduction of some wall-paper found in the house. The
graceful little classical groups indicate that it was designed in the
early part of the last century. Against the gray wall-paper and fine
white painted panelling, the red curtains at the three windows are seen
in pleasant contrast. They are a wonderfully soft yet brilliant red,
with a beautiful brocaded design. A set of Sheraton chairs covered with
black figured hair-cloth give character to the room, and the warm Turkey
rug on the floor helps to carry out the color scheme.

The fireplace in this room is of especial interest. It is large, but the
guide opens a wood closet and shows that the original fireplace was very
much larger. At the right of the fireplace opens a quaintly panelled
door, disclosing a buffet with a carved shell overhead and shelves
crowded with delicate and beautiful old china, while on the floor of the
closet an array of ginger jars reminds one of the Salem ships that
brought home such good things from the East. One is also reminded of the
East by the lacquered work-box, chess-board, and teapoys. In front of a
slant-top desk stands Hawthorne's favorite chair. It looks so
comfortable that we can readily believe that he would select it when
making a call on his cousin.

Her portrait looks down on the chair. Hers is an unusual face, striking
though hardly beautiful. Was she the original of Miss Hepzibah? Her
lonely life in this old, gabled house, the wealth of affection she
bestowed on a weak and selfish man, certainly suggest that Hawthorne had
his cousin in mind when he drew this character.

After a lingering inspection of the parlor, which looks so homelike
because, like the dining-room, it is really lived in by the settlement
residents, the visitor passes out the front door to study the exterior
of the house and enjoy the old-fashioned garden.

The first object of interest is the overhanging second story. The
"overhang," as it is called, was closed in, probably for a century or
more, simply because overhangs had gone out of fashion. It was
accidentally discovered when the house was repaired by the carpenter,
who was examining the soundness of the sills. Some of the old clapboards
can still be seen, and a small piece of the drops which originally
ornamented the corner posts. The present drops are reproductions, except
a bit of the old drops that were left to nail to.

At the end of the garden, which is bright with old-fashioned flowers,
stands the counting-house. This is a small building found on the estate
in use as a wood-shed. Its age and previous history are not known, but
as it is of the same size and shape as the old counting-house mentioned
in the inventories of the Turner family, it has been furnished to
represent it. There is the master's desk, a wonderful affair with many
secret drawers, the clerk's desk, and armchairs, models of ships, a
barometer, a telescope, etc.

Adjoining the counting-house is a grape arbor, where the visitor can
refresh himself with a cup of tea, and while he sits there enjoy a view
of the harbor across the garden. On his left is the House of the Seven
Gables, and on his right is another old house used for the settlement
clubs and classes. It is the Hathaway house, dating from 1683, but that
is another story.




CHAPTER III

THE PICKERING HOUSE


It is doubtful if any other historic home in New England can boast, as
does the Pickering house situated in Salem, Massachusetts, of being in
the direct line of a family for nine generations.

This family originated in Yorkshire, England. John Pickering, the
founder of the Salem branch, was born in old England in 1614; he came to
the colonies and lived in Ipswich from 1634 to 1636. In the early part
of 1636 he came to Salem, and on December 7, 1636, John Pickering,
carpenter, was granted to be an inhabitant of that city.

[Illustration: PLATE IX.--The Pickering House, Salem, Mass.]

Long years ago, when this city was in its youth and sparsely settled,
large estates, many of them original grants, were founded. It was then
that this now famous house was erected. It was commenced in 1650 and
finished in 1651 by one John Pickering, the emigrant ancestor of the
present owner of the old mansion, who became a considerable landowner,
purchasing his estate in different lots until his property extended
from Chestnut Street to the Mill Pond, then known as South River.

[Illustration: PLATE X.--Pickering House, Side View.]

The twenty-acre lot known as the home lot, on which he built the
historic mansion, was originally a part of the governor's field, once
owned by Governor John Endicott. It was conveyed by him to Emmanuel
Downing, who sold it, so tradition tells, to one John Pickering to pay
for the commencement dinner of Sir George Downing, who was graduated in
the first class at Harvard. The original deed is still in the possession
of the family.

[Illustration: PLATE XI.--Entrance Door, Pickering House; Entrance Door
in the Pickering House.]

The house was built in the Elizabethan style of architecture and
resembled the famous Peacock Inn in Rouseley, England. It was
constructed of white oak, which grew in a swamp on the estate. The
exterior is practically unchanged; and the interior shows low, beamed
ceilings and small windows. The entrance door opens into a low hall,
from which the stairs ascend to the second story floor. This has been
lengthened within the last few years by taking out one of the chimneys.
As in many old houses, large rooms open on either side. At the right is
the library, which has been enlarged by opening up an alcoved recess.
This was formerly a chamber, and is used to-day to accommodate several
bookcases filled with rare old books, many of which are in manuscript.
The colonial fireplace, with its scriptural tiles, is a feature of this
room, where is shown a wonderful old English ball table that was brought
over by the emigrant ancestor. The chairs, many of them, were made by
Theophilus Pickering, whose old desk where he wrote many of his sermons
stands at one side of the fireplace. Rare books and interesting
mementoes are found on every side.

[Illustration: PLATE XII.--Hallway, Pickering House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XIII.--Dining Room, Pickering House; Alcove,
Pickering House.]

Opposite is a large drawing-room filled with Chippendale and colonial
furniture, and showing Colonel Timothy Pickering's picture on the wall.
At the rear of this room is a dining-room which, as does the rest of the
house, contains more fine furniture.

[Illustration: PLATE XIV.--Living Room, Pickering House; Drawing Room,
Pickering House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XV.--Fireplace with Scriptural Tiles, Pickering
House; The Old Pickering Sideboard.]

Autograph letters fill many books, some of them received by Colonel
Timothy Pickering from President Washington. Rare old glass, china, and
silver speak of bygone days.

Up-stairs are interesting, rare old four-posters, still showing their
quaint hangings; and one notes the old chimney that occupies such a
large space in the house. Inside one of the closets is the old army
chest marked with Pickering's initials and showing his rank. It was
used by him when quartermaster in the Revolutionary War.

The builder of the house married Elizabeth, whose surname is not known.
He resided upon the estate until his death, which occurred in 1657; the
property descended to his son John, who increased his landownings by the
purchase of the eastern or Anthrum lot from Edmund Batter.

The second John married Alice Flint, a most estimable lady, in 1657. He
served as a lieutenant in the Indian War, in 1675, and particularly
distinguished himself in the memorable fight of Bloody Brook at
Deerfield, Massachusetts. He died in 1694 and was succeeded by another
John, third in line, who was a farmer, frugal and industrious, and who
held many positions of trust in the community. He married Sarah Burrill,
of an influential Lynn family. There were two sons, Timothy and
Theophilus. The latter was graduated from Harvard and was called to
Chebacco parish, first as assistant to Reverend John Wise, and
afterwards as minister. There is in the Pickering house a manuscript
book on physics bound in leather and illustrated by him. There is also a
set of ten chairs made by his hand in 1724.

His brother Timothy, who inherited the estate, was deacon of the
Tabernacle Church in Salem at his father's death. He was the father of
nine children. During his lifetime he added three more rooms on the
northern side, raising the roof, which sloped almost to the ground after
the fashion of buildings of that period. At the time of these
improvements, the eastern part of the house was one hundred years old
and the western part eighty. When the weather boards were ripped off,
the sills of white oak were so sound that it was decided they would last
longer than new ones. One of the peaks was removed at this time because
of leaks but was replaced in 1840 by John, the son of Colonel Pickering.

When Timothy inherited the estate, he was the first to break the line of
Johns. He is described as a gentleman of great piety, firmness of
character, and decided convictions. He died at the age of seventy-five
and left the estate to his son John, the fifth of the line, who was a
bachelor and lived in the old home with his sister, Mrs. Gool, as
housekeeper. His occupation was agricultural, but he held several public
positions. He represented the town in the General Court for many years,
and was town treasurer in 1782. His brother Timothy, who was Clerk of
Register of Deeds, entered the Continental Army, and at that time John
took his place with the intention of returning the office to him on his
return from the war, but he became so accustomed to the work that he
kept the position until 1806, when he was compelled to resign through
the infirmities of age. It is related of him that at one time he was
supposedly fatally ill, and the question of his successor in office
coming up, it was proposed to canvass for a candidate. This so enraged
John that he recovered from his illness. He was one of the original
members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and was noted for his
honesty, industry, and the careful management of his affairs. At his
death, the ancestral estate passed to his nephew John (the fifth), the
only break in the transmission of the property from father to son.

John's father, Colonel Timothy, the brother of John (fourth), although
never owning the estate, spent his early boyhood upon it, and much of
its fame comes from his connection with it. Colonel Timothy was born in
the old house July 17, 1745. Upon his graduation from college, he
entered the office of the Register of Deeds as clerk and was appointed
head of this department a few years later. In 1768, he was admitted to
the Bar, and became the leader and champion of the patriots of Essex
County; he wrote the famous address from the citizens of Salem to
General Gage, relative to the Boston Port Bill. He held the office of
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County, being sole Judge of
the Maritime Court of the Middle District. This was an office involving
great responsibility and decisions concerning large amounts of property,
as that was the day of privateers. His military service began in 1766,
when he was commissioned lieutenant of the Fourth Military Company of
Salem.

Three years later he was promoted to the rank of captain and by his
interest and careful training raised appreciably the standard of
discipline. He was commissioned by the Royal Government colonel of the
First Regiment, Essex County Militia. He led the troops who marched out
to oppose the entry of Leslie and his Redcoats into Salem on February
26, 1775, when the famous colloquy on North Bridge took place, and the
munitions of war concealed in the town were saved to the colonists.

In the fall of 1776, he joined Washington in New Jersey with a regiment
of seven hundred men, and the next year he was made Adjutant-general of
the Continental Army, commencing his service July 17, 1777. When
Congress decided to change the personnel of the Continental Board of War
from members of Congress to three men not congressmen, Colonel Pickering
was chosen to serve on the Board, whose powers and duties were many and
important. He was made Quartermaster-general of the Army, also, holding
this position until its abolishment, July 25, 1785. He was a member of
the committee which wrote the farewell address delivered to Washington,
November 15, 1783. With the close of the war, Colonel Pickering withdrew
from public life to devote himself to agriculture. He settled in
Philadelphia, but his private life was of short duration, as his
services were needed for the adjustment of claims made by Wyoming
settlers. He had a thrilling experience in the West, being captured by a
band of masked men who carried him off and subjected him to horrible
torture.

Colonel Pickering was a most charming host and though apparently stern
and forbidding, delightful in the midst of his family. He retained his
inherited fondness for agriculture, at seventy-five still filling the
position of President of the Agricultural Societies of Essex County and
bearing off the first prize for plowing, in competition with the
farmers of the vicinity. It was his habit to preserve letters and
documents of every description, the most important of which were
published after his death in 1829, and which, owing to his prominence in
national affairs, are very interesting reading.

Colonel Pickering is an example of one of the best types of a New
Englander of his time: a brave, patriotic soldier, a talented writer, an
impartial, able, and energetic public official, a leader of the Federal
party, occupying four Cabinet positions, serving his country whenever he
was needed, but content to return to his simple life when the need for
him in public life was over.

At the death of Colonel Pickering's brother, John, the ancestral estate
descended to the colonel's son, John (fifth). He inherited his father's
public spirit and served in the General Court, three times as
representative from Essex and twice from Norfolk and Suffolk counties.
He was Secretary of the Legation at Lisbon and later under Rufus King in
London, and finally became United States Minister to England. He was a
member of many learned societies in Europe, received several diplomas,
and brought home a fine library collected on the continent. He was a
profound scholar, a writer in law, and especially interested in
philology, understanding twenty-two different languages.

The house is now in the possession of John Pickering, the eighth of the
line, whose son John will succeed his father. The ancient house, in all
the dignity of old age, is the central feature of the lot, a picturesque
historic mansion, considered one of the most important landmarks of
Salem, Massachusetts.




CHAPTER IV

"THE LINDENS"


Nowhere in American history is there a colonial home more closely linked
with England than is "The Lindens," for here it was that Governor Gage,
during his sojourn in the colonies, made his official home. This house,
situated at Danvers, Massachusetts, was erected in or about 1770. The
exact year is not definitely known, as at that early period the records
were scanty, but about this time the mansion, which is now standing, was
built by one Robert Hooper, a rich Marblehead merchant, who was thought
to be a Tory at heart.

[Illustration: PLATE XVI.--"The Lindens," Danvers, Mass.]

When Governor Gage, sent over by order of the king from England to
convene the General Court, came to this country as a stranger, he
naturally demanded a residence suited for his station. This was in 1774,
probably four years after the completion of the building.

Robert Hooper offered this house to the governor as a summer home. Being
retired, as it was several miles from Salem where the court convened,
and also surrounded by extensive grounds, it proved most suitable for
the general's residence, a magnificent home in keeping with what he
demanded.

Those were troublous times. The edict had gone forth forbidding the
passage of many measures that would have given to the colonies more
freedom than the mother country thought best. It was even feared that if
these measures were adopted, the colonies would eventually be allowed to
do practically as they chose.

In considering this subject, it must be remembered that the colonies
were supposed by England to have very rich possessions, and it behooved
her to keep a strict hand on her unruly subjects who were planning for
separation from the mother land.

General Gage was sent over to look into the condition of affairs and to
see what could be done to bring about harmony. It was the middle of July
when the troop ships sailed into the harbor of Boston, and landed
General Gage, who later made his way through Salem streets to his
headquarters in the Hooper house. During his residence, this mansion was
the scene of many a merrymaking, and within its walls was often heard
the clanking of his officers' swords as the brilliantly uniformed men,
members of His Majesty's army, visited the house and were entertained by
their commander.

While "The Lindens" was the headquarters of General Gage, or Governor
Gage, as he was generally known, he had his office at the Page house in
Danvers, where the tea drinking episode took place on the roof. He
formed a brilliant spectacle, with his officers accompanying him, as he
rode over the highway every day in the fulfilment of his official
duties.

At that time the country was not thickly settled, and the houses were so
few that from his windows he could obtain an uninterrupted view of Salem
harbor. One reason for his taking the Page house was because he could
watch the vessels sailing in and out and thus guard himself against
capture by surprise.

Not long afterwards British troops were brought into Salem harbor,
disembarking at the point where Derby Wharf now is. There were two
companies of the Sixty-fourth Royal Infantry who, with their brilliant
red uniforms, made a striking spectacle as they marched through the
streets to the governor's house, where they encamped on the plain
opposite the headquarters. Later on these troops were followed by the
Fifty-ninth Regiment, who were quartered at Fort Pickering on Winter
Island. Messengers were constantly passing from one body of troops to
the other, carrying messages from the commander.

But little imagination was required to realize that the defender was not
popular, and that the people had very little respect for him. They had
never forgotten the Boston Massacre, neither did they fail to remember
that they had come to this country for freedom of thought. There was a
growing hostility among them, though they were under discipline and
generally kept within bounds. Still, enough restlessness was manifested
for the camp to be watchful against surprise. They knew only too well
that the independent citizens would let no occasion pass for a taunt or
a scornful word. During their encampment many practical jokes were
played on the troops, one of which was particularly amusing. At the drum
call to arms one morning, a thoroughly disguised man dashed in among
them on horseback and in a very loud voice cried: "Hurry to Boston, the
devil is to pay!" The troops were on the alert, however, and paid no
attention to his cry.

Standing near "The Lindens" in those days was a large oak tree, to which
culprits were tied and flogged. This was known as the whipping-post.
Singularly enough a part of it was used for the sternpost of the frigate
_Essex_.

In late September the British soldiers were withdrawn, and Hooper was
given back his summer home. Still visible on the door is a large hole
made by a musket ball which is said to have been fired to warn the Tory
owner. A more probable legend, however, is that the gate-posts were
ornamented with large balls showing lead ornaments attached, and that
one day a party of patriots who were going by to join the army spied the
precious metal and helped themselves to it to melt for bullets. This
aroused the wrath of the owner, who came to the door and remonstrated in
such a violent way that one of the men lifted his rifle and fired close
by his head, the bullet entering the door.

The estate on which this house stands was originally a part of the
Governor Endicott grant. It must be remembered that this grant covered
one thousand acres.

At the death of the governor in 1665, this land which was owned by him
came into controversy, and the courts were called upon to settle
definitely the boundary line. A part of this grant fell into the hands
of one Doctor Amos Putnam, familiarly known the country around as the
good old Doctor Amos on account of his gentle manner and his extreme
kindness to the poor. When he came into possession and how long he held
it can never be definitely known, as there is no record of any deed
passing until 1753, when we learn that the doctor and his good wife
Hannah transferred the property to Doctor Robert Hooper of Marblehead,
or as much of it as that on which the house stands, the exact number of
feet not being recorded. This was in consideration of £186 13_s._ 4_d._
It is definitely known that the Marblehead merchant added to his
original purchase from the fact that in 1755, two years later, more land
was bought.

Robert Hooper, who erected this colonial mansion, though a man of lowly
birth, was a wealthy merchant who lived in Marblehead. He possessed
great prudence and sagacity, so that he rose to be a man of power and
for a period of years practically monopolized the fishing industry of
Marblehead. During his life there, he entertained in a most lavish way,
rivalling Colonel Jeremiah Lee, not only in grandeur of equipage but in
liberality as well. His name of "King" was given to him by the
fishermen on account of his integrity and his personal honesty in
dealing with them. His ships sailed to almost every part of the
civilized world, and his name became well known in every country.

King Hooper erected a beautiful residence in Marblehead, one of the few
elaborate mansions that still remain. It was a common sight in those
days to see his magnificent equipages, drawn often by four prancing
steeds, come dashing through Salem on his way to Danvers.

The first record of the Danvers house we find is in 1774. Who the
builders were will always remain a mystery, but one fact can never be
challenged: that the work was done honestly and well, and that McIntire
must have been connected with its wood-carving as is shown from the fine
examples which are to be found in the interior.

The house, as it now stands, is recognized as one of the best examples
of provincial architecture in Massachusetts, ranking in the same class
with the famous John Hancock house in Boston, which was later torn down.

The mansion, surrounded at the front by a stone wall, stands far back
from the street. The entrance is by a wide, circular driveway enclosing
a central grass plot of carefully shaven lawn, the decorative feature
then as to-day being the magnificent elms that shaded the home. It
received its name from the fact that lindens lined either side of the
entrance drive. The grounds are extensive, mowing fields and grass land
interspersed with fine old trees showing at the rear of the house. At
the rear, also, is a fine old-fashioned garden carefully preserved,
where appear the same kinds of flowers that blossomed in our
grandmothers' day.

The building itself is a stern, dignified, two-story house with a
gambrel roof. This is surrounded with a curved balustrade similar to
that found in the Page house, as well as in many others of that period.
At the front are four dormer windows, but the central feature is the
high porch extending to the dentation in the roof and showing a pointed
cap above. The Corinthian column supporting it on either side is an
example of fine hand-carving, while the white trim corresponds
picturesquely with the gray of the exterior. The house is panelled on
the outside and painted to represent a stone house, although in reality
it is wood. The entrance door is unique, lacking the distinguishing
porch that is found on so many colonial homes. It is framed with white
instead.

Just how long the estate was owned by Robert Hooper will never be
definitely known. We find that later Judge Benager Collins lived there,
thus giving the name of "Collins House" to the mansion. Subsequently
Francis Peabody, one of Salem's most noted citizens, occupied this
residence as his summer home until his death, when it passed into the
hands of his son. During the elder Mr. Peabody's residence, the place
was restored to its former dignity. The grounds were materially
improved, and the garden was changed back to its original design.

Within the walls of this house have been entertained some of the most
notable men in the country. Mr. Peabody was a lavish entertainer, and
many important events occurred during the time of his residence. One of
the most frequent visitors at the house was the late J. Pierpont Morgan.

[Illustration: PLATE XVII.--Hallway, "The Lindens."]

Dignified and imposing as is the outside of the house, the interior is
even more impressive. Entering the sturdy door that swings back on its
long strap hinges, one finds himself in a wide hall extending entirely
through the house and opening on to the old-fashioned garden in the
rear. This remarkable hall shows some of the most wonderful
wood-carvings found in any colonial home. This is particularly
noticeable in the balustrades, probably McIntire's work. The newel post
and the balustrade are of mahogany, the former most elaborately carved.
The walls are hung above the panelling with a rich old-time paper,
depicting different scenes in the story of the adventures of Telemachus.

The furniture throughout the house is of either the colonial type or
massive old carved English pieces brought over centuries ago, most of
them heirlooms that have descended in the family for many generations.
On the extreme right are the stairs, rising by low treads; on the wide
landing is a window flanked by pilasters on either side. On this same
landing stands a rare colonial chair associated with the witchcraft
times. The upper hall, practically a replica of the lower one, is wide
and ample in its dimensions.

Opening from the hallway at the right is the library, finished in
mahogany and showing an Oriental paper of the seventeenth century
design. The mantel is one of McIntire's best, the central feature being
a basket of flowers with festooned ornamentations on either side. Here,
as in every room of the house, we find massive pieces of English oak,
richly carved cabinets and chairs.

[Illustration: PLATE XVIII.--Dining Room, "The Lindens"; Chamber, "The
Lindens."]

[Illustration: PLATE XIX.--Drawing Room, "The Lindens"; Library, "The
Lindens."]

The drawing-room, also finished in mahogany, is perhaps the most elegant
room in the house, with its fireplace of supporting pilasters rich in
elaborate hand-carving. There is a dignity and charm that surrounds
every room in this house, telling of the days when honest labor gave
thorough workmanship. All through this mansion the woodwork is
particularly impressive in its richness and careful finish of
hand-carving.

The dining-room, a large room in the rear of the house, is in close
harmony with the other apartments, the most notable feature here being
the strap hinges of wrought brass. These show most unusual
ornamentations, which differ from those on the entrance floor. Here the
trim is painted white and gives a most effective background to the brass
hinge. On every door is a ponderous brass lock of elaborate design. Few
houses, even among the most famous found in this vicinity, can boast of
more wonderful furniture and such a wealth of old-time wall-paper.

[Illustration: PLATE XX.--Chambers in "The Lindens."]

No two chambers are alike. Many of the fireplaces are particularly fine,
as McIntire has taken special pains to give good samples of his work.
The fireplace motive all through the house seemingly runs to baskets of
flowers.

In the days of commercial prosperity, the Peabody family was among the
most prominent of the Salem merchants. On the walls of "The Lindens" are
many paintings of ships that were at one time in the service of the
Peabodys.

The house to-day is owned by the son of the late Francis Peabody, who
has kept it in perfect preservation and intact as in his father's day.
Little wonder that romance clings about the place, leading one to tread
reverently through the different rooms, where, during the colonial
period, both American and English history were made.




CHAPTER V

THE ROGERS HOUSE


There was built in Peabody, Massachusetts, in the early part of the
nineteenth century, one of the most magnificent colonial homes of the
period. It still stands, a large, pretentious, two-storied house, known
as "Oak Hill" and the summer residence of Mrs. Jacob C. Rogers. The
house itself is in the center of well laid out grounds, being placed far
back from the road and showing at the front a wide stretch of lawn
interspersed with trees, one of which, a purple beech, is among the
tallest and largest in New England.

[Illustration: PLATE XXI.--The Rogers House, Peabody, Mass.]

The avenue which starts between stone gate-posts shows a wide gravelled
road lined on either side by magnificent trees, many of which were
planted at the time of the house building. At the left, standing by
itself, is a wonderful oak, notable for its symmetry and its height. It
is from this tree that the house derives its name "Oak Hill." The
grounds at the rear of the house show a garden that covers three acres,
the garden proper being geometrically laid out with a fountain in the
center and a sun-dial at the end. Back of it all are arches of woodbine
that make a most effective setting for the floral display, while catalpa
trees, weeping mulberry, and other varieties are found scattered through
the estate.

At the left one comes upon the most wonderful feature of the place. It
is a large lotus pond, where during the season are found many varieties
of the Egyptian lotus, there being sometimes one hundred of these
marvellous blossoms open at once. Just back of the house is a lily pond,
which is laid out in a decorative manner. It shows many varieties,
including the Cape Cod lily, the blue, the pink, and the white.

The grounds cover an area of two hundred acres, which are laid out at
the front and sides in lawns resembling those of England. The rear gives
a background of flowers, while beyond sweep to the boundary line
extensive grain fields and vegetable gardens. Entrance to the grounds is
through carved gateways, the boundary being a well built wall of stone.

In the early days these grounds belonged to Nathaniel West, who was a
very noted merchant and the owner of the ship _Minerva_, the first of
the Salem vessels that circumnavigated the globe. Nathan West married
Elizabeth Derby, one of the daughters of Elias Hasket Derby, familiarly
known as King Derby and who was one of the three merchant princes that
led the commerce in Salem. The house, which at the time of its building
was one of the most notable ever erected, was designed by a celebrated
English architect and is a type of the Adams period. Originally it was
much larger than it is now, for at the death of Mrs. West two portions
of the house were detached and moved away to meet present-day
requirements. The parts taken were so large that one of them to-day
forms a private residence on Chestnut Street in Salem.

The Rogers house is colonial in design. It is two stories in height and
was built at the time when wood-carving had reached the highest degree
of excellence in the historic city by the sea, and when skilled workmen
had been attracted there from every part of the land. Doubtless many of
them were employed by Samuel McIntire on this house which contains some
of his most wonderful work. These men, with the native ingenuity and
wonderful skill in the handling of tools, took great pains to execute
in wood what many of the master architects across the sea were doing in
stone, more particularly as regards decorative molding. In studying the
work on this house, one cannot too carefully take into consideration the
tools which these men had to use, and the precision with which the fine
scale detail is carefully thought out, making these workmen compare
favorably with those of to-day.

[Illustration: PLATE XXII.--Doorway, Rogers House.]

The house where so much fine woodwork is shown is painted white, with
green blinds, and is an exceptionally good example of what the
century-old architecture in and around Salem stands for, possessing
character, dignity, and grace such as is seldom found. This is
particularly exemplified in the front doorway, the porch being perfectly
balanced, its well proportioned fanlights and sidelights giving it rare
dignity and refinement. Ornamentation in the balcony shows McIntire's
work in baskets of flowers picturesquely carved, while the steps are
flanked with marble vases filled with geraniums, the bright blossoms
giving just the right touch of color to bring out the white of the
house. The flooring of the porch is tiled, and the hallway is most
imposing, the stairway being lined with pictures of the old masters,
including Van Dykes, and Salvator Rosas, Oliver Cromwell proroguing
the Long Parliament, Diogenes with his lantern hunting for an honest
man, and many others. The dado here is most unusual, being fabric
painted red, while the hand-painted landscape decorations show a section
of the classic Zuber wall-paper.

The front entrance displays on the inside a well planned elliptical arch
over the door, with a frieze motif of reeded sections between applied
rosettes tied into the cornice, the charming pattern in these sashes
being brought about by iron bent against the glass. In most houses of
this period, as in this, the elliptical arch of the fanlight is echoed
elsewhere in the house.

The staircase cannot fail to attract notice, with its twisted newel post
and balusters and the molded mahogany railing. The box stairs with
panelled ends show decorative brackets. It is interesting to note the
twisted portion of the three balusters on each stair, each differing,
although the tops and bottoms are alike. The newel, hand-carved and
turned, is a specially good specimen of its type, and with the
balusters, which are also hand-carved and turned, represent a direct
development of the shipbuilding industry in their likeness to the rope
moldings of the ship cabins, so much used in those days.

In this hallway the door caps are placed above the lintel, showing no
supporting pilasters. They represent different designs of McIntire, in
some cases showing baskets, in some flowers, and in others garlands.

[Illustration: PLATE XXIII.--Parlor, Rogers House; Drawing Room, Rogers
House.]

The entire house is finished in white pine, a wood that is rather rare
to-day but which shows lasting qualities. This is particularly
noticeable in the drawing-room, which lies at the right of the hallway.
Over the fireplace is a wonderful old painting representing Saturday
Night. This is almost priceless in value, and shows a European peasant
scene where little children are gathered around their grandmother for a
good night parting.

The woodwork of this room is painted a soft brown, the carving on the
mantelpiece showing Neptune with sheaves of wheat, and the whole is
supported by Ionic columns. The center of the room at the rear is
arched, showing wonderful carving, molded pilasters giving an effect
that is fine and distinctive. Here we find, as through all the house,
the marked individuality of the Adams period.

Inside this arch is a background of rich, dark red leather, on which
are fastened wonderful old plates, many of them brought over by the
ancestors of the owner, and without duplicates in this country. These
plates are arranged to form a most artistic archway. Most of the prints
on the wall are from Sir Joshua Reynolds' paintings. Upon the
chimneypieces, not only in this room but also in the several others, it
would seem as if McIntire had put his best work. They appear to stand
out with exceptional grace and dignity, with charm of line and
proportion. Here we find applied work of the most delicate nature and
hand-carving that is exquisite in detail, adorning not only the moldings
of cornice or frieze, but re-echoed in the pilasters of the over-mantel.
The architrave of the mantelboard proper and its frieze, the capitals of
the colonnettes, the edge of the shelf, and the molding that surrounds
the panel over the chimney-breast, are masterpieces in bas-relief. The
architectural treatment in this room convinces one of the great
possibilities that lie in the white wood finish and how appropriate it
is as a background for the rare pieces of old furniture that were used
in our forefathers' day.

The living-room on the opposite side of the hall furnishes a most
satisfactory tone for mahogany furniture in its white wood finish,
there being a somber richness in the combination of the mahogany and
white that is most harmonious. For instances of that, we have only to go
back to our great-grandfathers' time, for a white finish was a popular
fad in colonial days.

Over the mantel in this room is "Sunday Morning," a choice picture that
is worthy of its setting. The casings of doorways which are often
elaborated by the addition of a beautiful cornice and frieze, are
further examples of McIntire's wonderful skill. Sometimes the cornice
includes wonderful hand-carved molding showing between the dentiles fine
spears which are supported by pilasters on each side. There are dainty
grapevines and superbly modelled fruit baskets, while the door-cap
frieze often shows dainty festoons and straight hanging garlands, with
rosettes between. In the pilasters we find carved eagles and
fruit-filled urns.

While most of these decorations are carved in wood, some of them are
made in French putty and applied to the surface of the wood with glue.
This idea is being carried out to-day by our leading decorators.

The morning-room is at the rear of the living-room, a large, handsome
apartment opening on to the wide veranda, which is a feature of one side
and approached by broad steps. The dining-room leads off the
morning-room and is finished in English oak. The entire house, more
especially in its interior decoration, is considered by architects all
over the country to be one of the finest examples of colonial
architecture that was built during the period of Salem's prosperity.

The furniture follows also the same period. Rarely in any private home
does one find such a gathering of rare pieces of the three masters:
Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Chippendale. Most of these pieces, in fact
practically all, are heirlooms which have descended directly from
generation to generation, for this family has the distinction of being
one of the oldest connected with Salem's early history.

It is fitting that McIntire should have put his best work into a house
like this, where one finds no plain spaces, no wide panels without
decoration, and no simple pilasters, for there is a dignity and a charm
both in exterior and interior bespeaking not only wealth but good taste.

While the house does not contain as much old-time paper as do many of
the residences of that day, yet the pieces that are shown are
exceptional and comprise subjects such as one can seldom find. It is
refreshing to find such a house as this, where great taste has been
shown in the selection of furnishings, and where there is so much
harmony in surroundings.




CHAPTER VI

THE COLONEL JEREMIAH LEE HOUSE


Of the many noted colonial houses found in New England, one of the most
distinguished is the Colonel Jeremiah Lee house situated on Washington
Street, in the picturesque old town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The
quaintness of Marblehead, situated on a rocky peninsula, is world
renowned; and its name heads the list of patriotic towns in New England,
for from its rugged shores went forth a larger majority of soldiers than
from any other place of its size in our country.

[Illustration: PLATE XXIV.--The Lee Mansion, Marblehead, Mass.]

The celebrated Lee mansion, erected in 1768, is of the purest colonial
type, and was the most costly residence ever built in this seaport town.
Many traditions relate that the timber and the finish were brought over
in one of the colonel's trading ships as ballast. However that may be,
the material used was pine, such as was known in the old days as pumpkin
pine. The trees of that species sometimes allow for boards four feet in
width, and the fact that boards of this width are found in the Lee
mansion is claimed by many to refute the idea of English wood, as the
pines in the old country did not produce boards of such width when
Jeremiah Lee commenced to build.

Standing back from the street behind a granite curb and iron paling is
the old mansion, its dimensions being sixty-four feet by forty-six feet,
and containing fifteen large rooms. The exterior was built of brick,
over which were placed huge, bevelled, wooden clapboards, more than two
feet in width, and one and a half in height. From a distance the
observer might mistake the gray of the exterior for stone, as the block
style of construction was employed, the wooden cube being painted and
sanded to resemble dark gray rock.

[Illustration: PLATE XXV.--Porch, Lee Mansion.]

This gray wooden building, with its two wide-girthed chimneys pushing up
from the red roof, has the same appearance as in the days when the first
housewarming took place, in 1768. The handsome porch and the gray cupola
are distinguishing features, and from the former in the olden days the
colonel swept the seas with his spy-glass to watch for incoming ships
just as sea captains do to-day.

In the early part of the eighteenth century Jeremiah Lee came to this
country and settled at Manchester-by-the-Sea. The little that can be
learned of him shows him to have been a keen trader, who took care to
make his savings increase his income. In 1760 we find him living in
Marblehead, prominent in town affairs and serving on important
committees, being one of the Board of Fire-wards in the first fire
department of the town. He was also one of the building committee that
had charge of the construction of the powder house erected about that
time.

Originally Lee was a Loyalist, but he later became a patriot and was
foremost in all the movements that kindled the spirit of independence in
the colonists. Before the struggle had fairly commenced, his career was
cut short by an early death; otherwise he would have been as well known
to posterity as was his intimate friend and fellow-townsman, Elbridge
Gerry. As a member of the Province Committee of Safety and Supplies,
which held a meeting on April 18, 1775, at Weatherby's Black Horse
Tavern, situated on the highway between Concord and Lexington, he was
among the number who decided to spend the night at the tavern rather
than to go on to Lexington. The advance guard of the British troops was
sighted in the early morning, and the colonel and his friends hastily
dressed and escaped by a rear door, the colonel thereby contracting a
cold from which he died.

During Lee's life in Marblehead he entertained royally in this mansion,
which was erected at a cost of ten thousand pounds. Within a few steps
of this mansion there was also a cooking-house, the same building being
used to shelter the carriages of the family. Originally the large brick
building now used for the store was made his slaves' quarters. Not long
ago was found inside the house a small brass button, bearing the coat of
arms of the Lee family, which was doubtless once worn on the livery of
one of his slaves.

In the flagging that leads to the side door has lately been uncovered a
central stone bearing the date of the erection of the house.

[Illustration: PLATE XXVI.--Two Views of the Hallway, Lee Mansion.]

As the ponderous front door swings open, one enters a grandly spaced
hall, wainscoted waist high in solid mahogany. At the right is a deeply
recessed window, and a door on either side of the hall leads into rooms
beyond. Above the casing of these entrances runs the classic egg and
tongue molding. The feature of the hallway is the wall-paper. This
represents scenes of Grecian ruins, such as shattered columns,
temples, landscapes, coats of mail, each set in a separate panel,
handsomely carved. It is finished in soft tones of gray, beautifully
blended, doubtless the highest development of early decorative art.

[Illustration: PLATE XXVII.--Wallpapers, Lee Mansion.]

At the rear of the hall, ascends the grand staircase, with boxed stairs
spacious enough for several people to walk abreast. It is quite likely
that the stair rail was made on the other side of the water. The finely
turned balusters of regularly varying style, together with the
exquisitely wrought carvings and delicate panels running along the side
of the staircase, are expressive of the taste and skill which went into
its building. A great, arched window, which floods the hall with light,
is inserted at the landing, and is flanked by several pilasters, which
seem to support the high ceiling encircled with heavily dentated
corners, and heighten the effect of grandeur. From this lofty window the
broad hall is lighted.

[Illustration: PLATE XXVIII.--Wood Carving, Lee Mansion.]

In this hallway at the time of Lafayette's visit to the house, the
banquet tables were set. The ever-loyal ladies of Marblehead sent for
the entertainment some of their choicest belongings: table-cloths of
wonderful damask brought from over the seas, rare old silver, and choice
English glass.

At the right of the hallway is the drawing-room in white and gray. Two
Corinthian pilasters flank the fireplace, rising to the molding and
following the line of the wall. The whole chimneyside of this room was
panelled in huge white slabs. This was the living-room of the house, and
here were doubtless entertained the members of the Secret Council.

[Illustration: PLATE XXIX.--Banquet Hall, Lee Mansion; Fireplace, Lee
Mansion.]

On the opposite side of the hallway is the dining-room, which was known
as the banquet hall. Here Washington was entertained, also Monroe and
Jackson. This room shows a huge open fireplace and a richly carved
mantel. So carefully have the chimneypieces been wrought, that there are
no two alike in the large house.

The tiles in many of the fireplaces are fascinating. We find some quaint
and humorous, while others are sentimental. There is the wide-skirted
shepherdess climbing the stile with the aid of the swain, a sailor
taking leave of his lass, a ship lying in the offing, nymphs and
shepherdesses piping and playing. These tiles of blue and pale pink
afford a study of interesting pictures to the lover of the antique.

In the former days scriptural texts and marble tablets were placed over
the mantel in one of the chambers. One of these, a representation of
Susannah and the Elders, was purchased from the family and is now found
in the Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Great care as to detail has been exercised in the finish of every room.
Notwithstanding the talk of secret stairways and mysterious trap-doors,
there is nothing at all uncanny about the place, which was built for
comfort and good living.

It is easy to be carried back in imagination to the days when Colonel
Lee and Mistress Martha, noted for their open-handed hospitality, dwelt
in this mansion. Its great rooms echoed with the laughter of the
gallants of the day, who in short clothes, silver buckles, and laces,
made love to the stately dames in trailing gowns and powdered hair and
danced in the state chamber over the parlor, used then as a dance hall.

In this house the venerable Marquis de Lafayette accepted the
hospitality of the Lees, when he came to America in 1824 at the
invitation of Congress, accompanied by his son, George Washington
Lafayette. It was during this visit that he danced a minuet in the great
southwest room. An old letter, discovered recently by Miss Dixie, of
Marblehead, discloses the fact that her mother led the dance with the
gallant Frenchman.

This room is panelled in wood of dark finish, with exquisite designs
over the fireplace, where a shelf on consoles shows over it an ornate
panel made from a single board and exquisitely carved. On the opposite
side of the room is the large apartment which was originally used as a
chamber, probably by Colonel Lee. Here the pictures all relate to the
sea,--one of them depicting Neptune and another a fish.

[Illustration: PLATE XXX.--Chamber, Lee Mansion; Four-poster, Lee
Mansion.]

The Lee mansion, like many of the Marblehead houses, stands with one
foot on the land and the other almost on the water, bespeaking the
maritime side of the community. Within the house, the arrangement of
rooms and passages suggests the troublous times in the years just before
the Revolution. A secret stairway connects two of the upper rooms, while
the front hall shows a trap-door which led to the cellar. This doubtless
gave rise to stories of intrigue but probably was concerned only with
the contents of the cellar. A small cupboard door, leading apparently
into a clothes-press, gave access to a narrow secret stair leading to a
bedchamber above. A smaller panel, sounding hollow, was discovered to
have a pair of hinges. On being opened, this revealed an iron safe with
double doors, buried in the brick work of the chimney. Doubtless it
was the private safe of Colonel Lee, for according to tradition there
was always plenty of money in the house.

In the early days an effort was once made to surprise the bank of which
Lee was an official. A party of men came into town after the closing
hour, and meeting the genial colonel, explained that they had come to
collect money on a note. Without a moment's hesitation, they were
escorted to the Lee mansion, where the entire sum, which was an
unusually large one, was paid by him in gold. This story has been
vouched for by one of the earliest inhabitants of the historic town, and
the finding of the safe discounts the idea of the secret closet being
used for any other purpose. In the upper floor are plainly found marks
of sliding panels to mask a retreat by secret floors and false walls to
reach the garret.

The kitchen fireplace has been a recent discovery. When the house was
restored, the fireplace was a practical but shallow affair, not showing
the generous depths found in many houses of that day. In the process of
repairs it was discovered that this was a false fireplace, back of which
two feet more were found, and behind them the deep oven that had not
been used for cooking since Massachusetts Bay was a royal colony. This
kitchen fireplace is believed to be in what was used as the family
dining-room, for doubtless the cooking was done in the slave quarters,
much as in the Southern homes, the food being brought into the house
through a covered passageway.

In the early days, a little after the building of the house, there was a
great demand for lead to make bullets for the Continental army. It has
been discovered that in the upper casements of the house, in rooms which
were rarely occupied, the lead weights are wanting. This leads one to
believe that the old tradition of their being melted during the time of
the Revolution for ammunition may be true.

In the attic is a mark which shows the house to have been built by
English architects. This is an inside dormer window used in those days
by architects in the motherland for ventilation. This idea is rarely if
ever carried out in a house where the architects or master builders are
of this country.

On the death of Colonel Lee, the house was occupied by his widow, who
continued to extend hospitality to the townspeople and visitors from
other places, much as during her husband's lifetime. At her death the
estate passed into the hands of her son, and afterwards was owned and
occupied by Judge Samuel Sewall.

A grand old landmark this colonial mansion makes, and even now the old
sea captains climb to the gray cupola to scan the horizon for incoming
ships, much as they did in the days of long ago.




CHAPTER VII

THE LADD-GILMAN HOUSE


Closely linked with romance and history is the Ladd-Gilman house, one of
the notable colonial houses at Exeter, New Hampshire. This mansion was
not always of its present dimensions. When built by Nathaniel Ladd in
1721 it was of brick and about half the size of the present structure.
It is situated on a large area of land, with a frontage on Water Street,
on a part of the original lot that was purchased of Oliphalet Coffin in
the year above mentioned. For many years this estate was held in the
possession of the Ladd family, descending from father to son until 1747,
when it was purchased by Colonel Nathaniel Gilman, a leading citizen of
the place and a man of influence. Gilman came from a family which had
been prominent in the town for many years.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXI.--Ladd-Gilman House, Exeter, N. H.]

Here in 1752 his son, Colonel Nicholas Gilman, then only twenty-one
years of age, brought his bride, Anne Taylor, a very beautiful young
woman who had descended from Puritan ancestors and who was very
popular with the patriots of that day. During their residency the house,
considered at that period one of the best in Exeter, was enlarged to its
present size, and the exterior was entirely covered with wood to
correspond with the additions.

Colonel Gilman was distinguished as one of a quartet who furnished
brains for the Old Granite State, being known as the Robert Morris of
the province and possessing not only influence but wealth and ability.
He was a close friend of Governor Wentworth who, with his son, was a
frequent visitor at the house; so sincere was their intimacy that when
Colonel Gilman sided with the colonists Governor Wentworth declared that
instead of making a rupture in their friendship, if the Rebellion were
crushed, he should save his friend. This great intimacy was also shared
with Count Rumford.

It was in 1775, several years after the house was enlarged, that Gilman
was made Treasurer and Receiver-general of the State, in which office he
stayed until his death in 1783. The treasury building was a room in his
own house. This may in a way account for there being two entrance
doors, one for family guests and the other for business purposes. The
house has never been altered, with the exception of the introduction of
modern improvements, since the day that it was enlarged. It is a fine,
substantial building, two and a half stories in height, showing dormer
windows and a six-foot chimney. The huge fireplaces are still kept
intact, few if any showing hand-carving. The porches are dignified but
ample in their lines of architecture, and the entire exterior shows an
unusual type.

The room nearest the entrance door at the extreme left was used as a
treasury, for in addition to the office of State Treasurer, Colonel
Gilman held the position of Continental Loan Officer of the State, all
the money being received here. In this same room the Committee of Safety
used to meet, and it was here that the Battle of Bennington was
discussed and planned.

Gilman was a great friend of Daniel Webster, who never came to Exeter
without passing the principal part of his time in this house, the bed in
which he slept being still shown in one of the large continental
chambers.

The house was noted for its hospitality, a home where many gatherings,
both for charity and pleasure, were held. The mistress of the household
was a famous New England housekeeper, who possessed the whole art of
housekeeping at her fingers' end. Beautiful as a young bride, she was
even more so in after years. Her trim figure became rounded out, while
her dark eyes and fresh, rich color preserved their brightness. Colonel
Gilman was a striking figure, six feet tall, with an erect carriage. He
wore until the day of his death a ruffled shirt-front and a cue.

It was during his occupancy that the Declaration of Independence was
passed. The Legislature had not adjourned when the message came, and the
President, who was in waiting, decided the documents must be publicly
read. The news spread like lightning; the farmer eager to hear all
dropped his scythe in the swath, the mechanic rushed from his shop,
while the housewife forsook her spinning-wheel, all meeting in a general
enthusiasm to hear the words that gave them freedom and a country. The
document was brought into Exeter by a courier, who dashed suddenly into
the village, bearing in his hand a letter addressed to the Convention of
New Hampshire and signed by no less a personage than John Hancock. On,
on, he rode, until he reached the Gilman house and delivered it into
the hands of the host. It was read in the village square amid intense
enthusiasm by his son, John Taylor Gilman, who was also destined to play
an important part in our country's history.

John Taylor Gilman was then just out of his teens. He was a handsome man
with magnetic power and an idol of the people. No one in the whole
audience was more thrilled than was the father of the reader, who,
filled with ardor, paused often to crush down the rush of sentiment that
overmastered speech. Colonel Gilman was distinguished as one of those
who financed the Revolution, and his son succeeded him in this service.

After Colonel Gilman's death, in 1783, the house was left to John Taylor
Gilman, who inherited his father's love for political power. He, like
his sire, was a most comely man, just entering into manhood when he
married Dorothea Folsom, a great-granddaughter of the noted
Revolutionary hero. She was only twenty-one years old when she married,
being one of the belles of the village and a most estimable young lady.
For sixty years she directed the affairs of her household in a most
exemplary manner and was the personification of hospitality.

Directly after their marriage, the young husband, then only twenty-two
years of age, gathered a company together and marched for Cambridge,
where he was encamped for a short time only. Later on he acted as
commissary to supply the three regiments of the State at Cambridge, for
he was considered too important a person to be allowed to take a place
in the field.

In 1779 he was elected a member of the New Hampshire Legislature and was
called in 1780 as the only delegate to attend the gathering which was to
take place at Hartford, Connecticut. Those were the days when there was
no money or credit in the treasury, so that he was forced to take the
journey on horseback. He was absent six weeks, paying his own expenses
everywhere out of his personal income.

So popular did he become that he was elected to Congress in 1782, being
one of the youngest and most popular members. Later on he became
Treasurer of State, succeeding his father in this work. He was made
Governor of New Hampshire, which office he held for fourteen consecutive
years and later on accepted the nomination for two years more. In 1816
he declined the election, giving as an excuse that he preferred to spend
his remaining days in quietness.

This Governor Gilman was a portly man, weighing two hundred pounds and
standing six feet in his stockings. He was a dignified old gentleman,
preserving his vigor to the very end. While the latter part of his life
was spent in renewing social relations with his friends, the memories of
the past were always with him, and he was never so happy as when he
recalled the days of Washington, who was a personal friend. Strong and
original in intellect, few men were able to foresee as he did the future
of his country.

It is said that the night before his death he was brought downstairs by
a faithful old negro retainer to spend his last evening with his family.
He had a clear realization that his time was drawing near, and he gave
full instructions to his family concerning his burial and the manner in
which they should cherish his memory. He requested particularly that no
one should wear mourning for him--"Spend upon the living, not the dead,"
he said. After a short time he was reminded that he was getting very
tired, and he left the room remarking: "I have no disposition to leave
this precious circle. I love to be here surrounded by my family and my
friends." He commended them to God, saying: "I am ready to go and I wish
you all good night."

The brothers of this noted man also held positions in State affairs and
in the militia. His brother Nicholas at one time lived in this house. He
occupied the position of lieutenant, captain, adjutant, and
adjutant-general in the Revolution, being also a member of Congress. He
took his seat in the United States Senate on March 3, 1797, and came out
in views a solid Federal.

Governor John Taylor Gilman, who succeeded his father, Colonel Nicholas,
had eleven children, many of whom were married in the State Room of this
house, which is so closely connected with the political events of the
Revolution and where so many distinguished guests have been entertained.

The Gilmans were one of the most distinguished families in Exeter,
coming up from Massachusetts to join Reverend John Wheelwright's little
colony. Their enterprise, energy, and thrift made them natural leaders
in the community. If there was a meeting-house to be erected, there was
always a Gilman on the committee. Should there be a military company to
be enlisted, there would always be a man of that name in the ranks. When
the commissioners, seven in number, distributed the common lands in
1739, there were four of this family among the band. Little wonder then
that their name is allied with the principal events of history.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXII.--Parlor, Ladd-Gilman House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIII.--Living Room, Ladd-Gilman House; Robert
Treat Room, Ladd-Gilman House.]

The hallway of this home is found to be a small and unpretentious one,
with a winding flight of stairs at one side that leads to the
second-story floor. At the left of the side entrance is the Treasury
Room, where, during the lifetime of Gilman, important meetings were held
and State secrets were often discussed. The furniture from this room has
long since been gone, but the white pine walls with their coat of paint
are still as fresh as they were the day they were built. The huge
fireplace without tiles bespeaks plainly the days of prosperity. At the
right of the hallway is a large, square room that was used in the olden
times as a dining-room. There are no secret closets in this house, with
the exception of a sliding panel in the Grill Room, which when lifted
gives access to the wine closet below. Beyond that is the old kitchen,
which is now used as a dining-room. It still shows the old brick oven,
where during Governor Gilman's occupancy the baking was done, and also
the Dutch oven, where the meat was roasted in the governor's day. On the
mantel over the old fireplace are displayed some fine bits of old
pewter, while the windows of this house still retain the small panes.

The room at the right of the family entrance is known as the State Room.
It is a dignified room, large enough to have held easily the notable
assemblages that must have met there during his occupancy. The fireplace
has no mantel, but a wide panelling, such as is found only in houses of
that period. The only ornamentations are the elaborate columns that
define the fireplace and panelling. The room is finished in wood panels.
The huge beams have been cased in, and the windows with their wooden
shutters remain as they were first built. The furnishing is all of the
colonial period, showing slat-back chairs and cane-seated ones. A
feature of this room is the wonderful old mirror, one of the largest
ever made and so tall that an opening had to be made in the ceiling,
that it might be set up. It is a room typical of the period and shows
woodwork that has never been replaced. The andirons are painted in
brilliant colors, showing the Hessian soldiers,--a kind that were in use
directly after the Revolution.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIV.--Ladd-Gilman House; Prison, Ladd-Gilman
House.]

The chambers have each an old four-poster, while their fireplaces are
unlike many of that period, being finished in stone instead of wood. In
the middle chamber is a fine example of a field bed, which was used by
Daniel Webster. In this room also is a queer little mahogany piece that,
when the cover is lifted, shows a foot-bath that was taken by Governor
Gilman to Washington during his term of service there. In addition to
this there is a quaint little trunk of leather, which was used by the
governor to transport his belongings to and fro,--not a very elaborate
wardrobe if it all went into the one trunk.

The Middle Chamber, as this is familiarly known, has also one of the old
fireplaces without a mantel. Every room in the house shows the
wide-beamed ceilings that came into use about that period.

Probably the most interesting room is a small one at one side which was
used as a prisoner's room. Here the windows are very small and were
formerly barred over. In this room the poor debtors were kept until
released by their friends.

In the capacity of Treasurer of State, Colonel Gilman had his office in
the house, and here he affixed his signature to the paper bills of
credit to which the State and country were obliged to resort in order to
carry on the war. It was a duty, however, that still permitted him to
devote part of his time to military service, holding the position of
colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Militia and aiding in the capture of
General Burgoyne. Within the walls of this mansion were born his
children, three of whom became conspicuous in the history of the State.

John Taylor Gilman, who succeeded his father, held many offices of trust
and in 1814, at the alarm of Portsmouth, he took personal command of a
large detachment of militia stationed by his order in that vicinity.

Nicholas Gilman, Jr., who resided in the house until the age of
twenty-one, became senior Deputy Adjutant-general of the Continental
army on the staff of General Washington and participated in all the
important battles and campaigns in which, under Washington, the army
engaged. In 1787 Captain Nicholas Gilman and John Langdon were chosen
delegates to the Federal Convention of States, which assembled at
Philadelphia and framed and adopted the Constitution, the delegates
signing in the order of States. The signatures of Langdon and Gilman
followed immediately after that of General Washington, as President of
the Convention. Gilman was one of the youngest members of that body,
that combined patriotism, experience, and character.

The third son, Colonel Nathaniel Gilman, succeeded his father Colonel
Nicholas Gilman, Sr., in the treasury department--The Continental Loan
Office--as early as 1783. From 1818 to 1824 the mansion was occupied by
Captain Nathaniel Gilman, son of Colonel Nathaniel Gilman and grandson
of Colonel Nicholas Gilman, Sr.

The house itself is in an excellent state of preservation. The partially
panelled walls, the quaint windows with wide sills, the large and
cheerful fireplaces in which the original dogs still do duty, belong
distinctively to colonial days. The small, high windows fitted with
wooden shutters show the great thickness of the house wall, and the
whole surroundings impress one with solidity and comfort.




CHAPTER VIII

THE ADAMS HOUSE


One of the first settlers at Newbury, Massachusetts, was one Henry
Sewall, who came over from England in 1634, bringing with him cattle,
servants, and provisions. He was allotted six hundred acres of upland
and marsh land at Newbury, according to agreement made before he left
his native country. This land bordered the river Parker, near what is
now known as Byfield proper, a fertile, woodland country with rolling
hills and rich land. He married Jane Dummer, settling later on the grant
of land that had been apportioned to him for the first stock farm in
America.

Near the foot of the hill, at the parting of four roads, was a lot of
land that he bequeathed to his wife, with ten pounds yearly. The grant
of land later on was divided into several house lots, one of which was
the home of William Longfellow, the emigrant ancestor of the Longfellow
family in America, who married Anne Sewall. This shows the connection
through marriage of the prominent families who settled in this region.

Captain Abraham Adams was born in Newbury, May 2, 1676. He followed the
sea in early life, sailing first to the West Indies, and soon rose to
the command of a vessel, making fourteen trips to England, besides many
coastwise trading voyages. In 1703 he married Anne Longfellow. She was a
niece of Judge Samuel Sewall, and lived on the part of the old Sewall
grant then known as "Highfield," which name was given to the estate that
Abraham Adams' father gave to him at the time of his marriage, although
the deed was not passed until two years afterwards. Upon this land
Captain Adams built his mansion, an unpretentious house following the
lines of that period. It stood in the midst of the tract which at that
time was much larger than it is to-day, although even now it is still
possible to walk a mile in a straight line from the homestead on
ancestral ground covered with heavy timber and showing broad meadows.

Stone walls were not then built to define boundaries, and the highway
was a mere bridle-path running by the door and on between the houses of
Henry Sewall and William Longfellow to the ford over the brook, at that
time a considerable stream. The captain, who took kindly to farming,
greatly improved the land, and on the grant are still found small
apple-trees that grew from those set out by him in 1706. The seeds for
these trees were brought by Captain Adams when he returned from one of
his voyages. Tradition relates that while bringing them from the ship
his oxen stopped in the ford at Cart Creek, and the captain, in a
discouraged mood said: "I would rather dump the seeds in this cart into
the creek than to put them in the ground." He changed his mind, however,
and became a very successful farmer.

After Captain Adams' marriage to Anne Longfellow, he promised to give up
his life on the sea and devote his time to farming. Whether with this he
made a mental reservation is not known, but in his shipyard half a mile
away he afterwards built several vessels and engaged in a
coasting-trade. Unlike the other farmers of the day, the products of his
farm were carried to New Orleans and other ports and bartered for rice
and molasses. The old shipyard can still be seen, but the vessels have
long ago disappeared. The narrow river winding to the sea shows little
space for shipping, and even in its most prosperous days it was
necessary to launch the rudely built ships sidewise.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXV.--The Adams House, Newbury,
Massachusetts.]

The old house is still standing. Some of the original shingles and
clapboards, covering a solid wall of home-made bricks, are still in a
good state of preservation, especially on the west end. The innovation
of a modern porch has added to rather than detracted from the pleasing
appearance of the house. The diamond paned windows that were imported
from England have been removed. Inside, the smoothly finished beams, the
great fireplaces with panelled sides, the heavy doors, the broad, low
steps, the fine woodwork in staircase and mantel, all speak of former
pride and prosperity.

Many an ancient legend is related concerning this old dwelling. Under
the attic eaves is still shown a bunk known as Booth's bin, on account
of an Indian slave by that name who for many years slept in it. Many
years ago David Adams, while on a visit to Deny, New Hampshire, took
with him a slave who became suddenly ill. No regular physician could be
secured who was willing to attend him, so a cow doctor was called. He
advised a hot bath. As nothing could be found large enough for the bath,
an old dug-out was dragged up from the river, pitched, and filled with
boiling water, into which the negro was unceremoniously thrust but
escaped with his life.

During a fire that occurred in this house sometime during the residence
of Abraham Adams, this slave wished to aid in putting it out, he rushed
up over the stairs to cut a hole in the roof with a hatchet. The hatchet
was dull and the roof was high, so he battered it with his head until a
hole was made.

Somewhere on the bridle-path that led to the house in the early days of
its occupancy there lived for a time a little band of twenty-five
Indians, many of whom died there. One beautiful day in the early spring
Mother Anne sauntered down the lane and strolled across the fields, as
was her custom, to sit down outside the wigwam and chat with the old
squaw. She was all alone, as Quanto, the brave, was absent attending to
work around the place. Soon the old squaw stirred up the blaze of the
camp-fire and set the kettle on to boil, making ready for the return of
her husband for the midday meal. She put in beef and turnips, for it was
before the days of potatoes. The smell of the savory stew was most
appetizing, and Mother Anne, who had been often urged to partake of the
Indian hospitality, decided this time to accept. Suddenly a slight
rustle in the branches caused her to turn her head, and there by her
side stood the brave, Quanto, who had come out silently from the
shadows. His blankets were cast aside, and twined around his arm and
shoulder was a big black snake which he held by its head. With the
characteristic grunt of the Indian he saluted his guest, then stepping
quickly forward, he removed the cover of the kettle with his left hand
and with his right threw the writhing snake into the stew. Needless to
say, Mother Anne's important household duties called her home before the
meal was ready.

When the house was first built, the land was covered with forests which
were afterwards felled. Since then many generations have ploughed and
sowed the fields which, with incredible toil, were wrested from the
wilderness. Six ponderous oxen and a pair of steers were attached to a
massive wooden plough, on which rode a man and boy; the stronger of the
two held the plough upright. Thus were the sods turned and the fields
prepared.

The labor of Mother Anne in those days was as arduous as was that of
Captain Abraham. At the east side of the house, close by the old well,
stood the leach-tub holding one hundred gallons. Here lye was made to
be used in working the flax. Soap-making followed the cattle-killing in
the early spring, for butcher and baker did not come near the house at
that period.

From the apple trees cider was made, forty barrels being put in for a
yearly allowance, for it was drunk much as tea and coffee are to-day.
The Indians naturally craved some of this drink. One of them, after
being repeatedly refused, came with a basket filled with gifts from the
woods and asked slyly if "Him Captain" would fill it with cider in
return. So persistent was he that the captain told him yes. The Indian
answered: "Him, Captain, wait a little!"

Quick as a flash, attaching the basket to the rope, he swung it down the
well. After several dippings it froze, making an excellent receptacle in
which to carry the cider home.

Captain Adams was a very prominent man. He had two sons, twins, who both
were sent through Harvard. There was a daughter, Anne. All three of
these were very religious, for we read that the twins established the
Lynnfield church and also the Old South in Newburyport, while the
daughter Anne, with her husband, established the First Baptist Church in
New Hampshire. Jacob, another son, started the first seminary for girls
in America, called the Adams Female Seminary, one of its teachers being
Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College.

Samuel Adams was the same type of man as his father and succeeded to the
homestead. He had five sons, the eldest of whom was blind, and with four
of these sons he fought through the long war of the Revolution. From
this old doorway loving wives looked anxiously for the return of their
husbands and sons from the wars.

Singularly enough, although five generations of Adams' went to war, and
the heads of the families wore side-arms, no trace of them is found in
the household, with the exception of one sword that did duty at Bunker
Hill. What they did with their arms was never known, but if they were
melted into ploughshares, the work must have been done quickly.

After the death of Abraham, the house was left to Samuel, his son, in
consideration of one pound and the love and affection borne him; after
his death it went to Samuel's son, Captain Stevens, born in 1760.
Captain Stevens, so the legend runs, was a very tall man, standing six
feet four inches in his stockings at the time of his enlistment in the
Continental army when sixteen years of age. Still kept in the house are
his spectacles which were made to order from silver dollars which he had
saved. His desk still stands in the living-room and was bought with
money paid him as a soldier. It cost forty dollars even at that period.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXVI.--Parlor, Adams House; Living Room, Adams
House.]

Entrance to the house is through a colonial porch that gives into a
small hallway. At the left is a large, square room that is used as a
living room. In one corner is the old desk in which is the original deed
of the house, signed by Samuel Sewall and Hannah Sewall. The dwelling is
a treasure-house of old colonial furniture, many of the pieces having
been originally in the old Longfellow house. One of the most interesting
of these is a fine example of banister chair, the one that was brought
by Anne Longfellow across the fields to the Adams house when she came
there a bride.

On the opposite side of the house is a second large, square room, also
filled with heirlooms, among which is a fine example of an 1800 mirror
of the picturesque type showing "Dawn." This was also brought by the
Longfellow bride. The fireplace in this house is the original one around
which the Adams father and son gathered the night before the battle of
Bunker Hill, to mold bullets that would be used on that occasion.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXVII.--Dining Room, Adams House.]

Back of this room, which is used for a parlor, is a dining-room with an
old desk secretary, of 1800, showing the ball and eagle ornamentation.
Here also is another large old fireplace, for the interior of the house
has been unchanged since it was built by Abraham Adams, in 1676.

The house has descended in a direct, unbroken line, and has been handed
down from sire to son for the consideration of one dollar. It is one of
the most charming of country-seats, enriched by history, and retaining
still all the atmosphere of the old colonial homestead.




CHAPTER IX

THE SPENCER-PIERCE HOUSE


An unusually picturesque location has the Spencer-Pierce house at
Newbury, Massachusetts, which stands at the end of a long, grassy lane,
leading off from the main road not far above the old town church. The
house itself is unique and forms a fascinating study for architects in
its fine state of preservation, its beauty enhanced by overhanging
vines. Old houses are like open books, disclosing by their type to what
period they belong, and it is interesting to find one that stands out so
distinctly from other houses of long ago as does the Spencer-Pierce
mansion. At first glance of its foreground of open lawn and its
background of trees, one readily perceives that it was intended for a
gentleman's residence. It has been falsely called a garrison house from
the fact that its walls are of stone and brick, but a knowledge of the
first owners and their time shows this to be a fallacy. Later it might
have been used for some such purpose, but if so there is no record.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXVIII.--The Spencer-Pierce House, Newburyport,
Mass.]

Whoever built the house had an eye for the beautiful. It stands in the
midst of a large farm surrounded by grass land and trees, with the ocean
stretching beyond. In construction it is different from others of the
period, being shaped like a cross.

The northern projection, the kitchen end of the house, shows a large
brick chimney built on the outside with a stone foundation. It is so
high and big that it reaches far above the roof, and possibly is the
first one of its kind ever shown in colonial architecture. The
self-evident age of both the brick and the plaster, broken here and
there, leaves no reasonable doubt to the student of the antique as to
the period of its building.

On the opposite side is the porch. This is familiarly known as the great
porch of the house. Architects come from all over the country to copy
the lines of this particular bit of architecture, for it is one of the
most beautiful specimens in New England. Much of its beauty, however,
lies in the mellow, many-toned coloring of the exterior produced by its
two hundred years' exposure to wind and weather. A settled air of old
age surrounds it, and without doubt it will last as it is for centuries.
The arches of this mansion are interesting, showing bevelled brick
and most carefully introduced casements, while the wonderful
ornamentation has helped to establish the fact that it is not in reality
a genuine garrison house.

Much doubt is expressed as to the exact year of its building, the
erection of the house being generally credited to John Spencer, the
younger, while others assert it is the elder who was the first owner and
occupant of the house. This leads to a confusion of dates, placing the
time of building anywhere from 1635 to 1651, at which time it fell into
the hands of one Daniel Pierce.

One of the first settlers was John Spencer, the reputed builder of the
house. He came to this country in the _Mary and John_ and settled on the
banks of the river Parker in 1635, his name showing on the first page of
the proprietors' records, where it appears that he was the grantee of
the houselot which was next the great river. He was a man of means and
took an important part in the formation of the little settlement which
was established by his influence. Searching through the records of the
time, we find his name constantly mentioned in the list of proprietors,
and the statement that he built a mill at the falls of Newbury, where he
had a mill lot of fifty acres, and rose to such prominence that the
following year he was chosen magistrate in Newbury in the General Court.

In other ways, too, he was a prominent man, being very much interested
in military affairs. In April, 1637, we find him captain of a battalion
that had been sent out under Captain Stoughton against the Pequod
Indians. His religious opinions, however, did not agree with those of
the settlers, and he was discharged from his command and returned to
England after having been disarmed and condemned, being one of three
under sentence; the other two were Richard Dummer and Nicholas Eaton,
but he was the only one who went to England, where he remained until his
death, which took place about 1647.

Considering the enormous amount of work that went into the building of
this house, which was a very large one, it is evident that he could not
have built it before he left for England, as it could not possibly have
been completed before then. While the records are scanty on this point,
we have reason to believe that even if he commenced it, his nephew, who
succeeded to the property, must have finished it. The brick used in the
making of the old porch, and the square tile we find in the floor, were
both in all probability brought over from the motherland. History
relates that previous to 1680 brickyards had been established in Salem,
as well as in Medford, but the bricks found to-day that were made at
that period show them to be of very inferior quality. They were made by
order of the Superior Court and measured nine inches long, two and a
half inches thick, and four and a half inches wide.

In this house the bricks used were much smaller and were also very
smoothly molded. This leads one to believe that they were imported
English brick, perhaps brought over as ballast in some of the ships that
came to this country with settlers. The walls, however, were composed of
a great variety of stone, some of which was probably brought by boats
and rafts down the Merrimac River. There were also many that doubtless
came from a long distance, but these facts are difficult to determine
because of the scanty information to be obtained.

Young Spencer, who was the next to own the land and who may have begun
the construction of this house, was a careless, improvident man. He soon
became involved in pecuniary troubles and sold the farm in small lots,
eventually getting rid of the entire property. His uncle, Daniel
Pierce, a village blacksmith, bought part of the land in 1651 with the
proviso that any time within the next seven years, if Spencer wished, it
could be repurchased on the same terms. This transaction was through the
old ceremony of "turf and twig," the transfer being supplemented by a
deed. It was a blind transaction, there being nothing to ascertain the
worth of the place. Pierce was a thrifty man, and tradition relates that
he kept all the money he possessed tied up in an old stocking that was
hung up in his shop.

Through Mr. Coffin, the historian of Newbury, we learn that the house
was not built until 1666 to 1670, but no matter how carefully we trace
the records, we find it impossible to determine the accuracy of this
fact. Nowhere in the Pierce family is there a tradition that it was
built by any of their ancestors, and even the oldest inhabitants failed
to swerve from their assertions that the Spencers were the first
occupants of this stone house. The only fact that points to its
presumable erection by a Pierce is that Daniel Pierce, who was a member
of Governor Carteret's first Council, and who with others founded the
town of Woodbridge, two years later returned to his native place with a
well-lined purse. We read how he valued his estate highly and desired
to entail it in his will, saying: "It shall never be sold nor any part
divided." Whatever his intentions were, they were never carried out, as
is shown later on.

Pierce supported the cause of the pastor in the famous Parker
controversy, and died in 1677 at the age of sixty-six years. His son
Daniel was his sole executor, and he was asked to do for his brother
Joshua's children as he thought best. The will also has a singular
provision, allowing that his wife Anne, according to his marriage
agreement, should have "twenty pounds a year and all the proper
necessaries of which she stands in need, and during her life to enjoy
her former liberties in the house."

Daniel Pierce, Jr., or Colonel Daniel Pierce, was the next to live in
the house. He was most prominent in military and civil affairs, marrying
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Anne Millwood, who was only sixteen
years of age at the time of her marriage. He was considered the most
important man in town, as is shown by an extract from the town records,
where is found a statement that the minister's wife's pew shall be built
close to the pulpit stairs and that Daniel Pierce shall have the first
choice of pews. This was a difficult and delicate matter, as the seats
were assigned according to age, dignity, and deafness.

"To my son Benjamin" was the estate next left. Benjamin received it on
August, 1771, and died in May of the following year. Charles, his eldest
son, became the next owner. He was a man prominent in church affairs. We
find him a firm adherent of Whitfield, taking part in the great
controversy which eventually divided the old town church and led to the
establishment of the old South Society at the Port. Among the most
distinguished descendants of the Pierce family was the late Franklin
Pierce, the fourteenth President of the United States, who was said to
have been a visitor at this historic house.

It is hard to say whether Nathaniel Tracy, the merchant, or his father
was the next owner of this house. It was sold by Daniel Pierce, who
owned half of the estate, to Nathaniel Tracy in 1778, and by the widow
of William Pierce the same year. This was at a time when Tracy was
possessed of great wealth and lived in magnificent style, owning a large
house on State Street in Newburyport nearly opposite the Dalton house,
and a large farm at Medford, as well as the Craigie house in Cambridge.
Nathaniel Tracy was well known in the mercantile profession. He was a
dashing young man, who loved to change his place of residence at his
whim. Few men of the period had a more brilliant career than did he. At
the breaking out of the Revolution he was a very young man, and with
patriotic zeal he fitted out a fleet of privateers to prey on British
commerce, the first privateer ever fitted out in our country being his,
and sailing in 1775. They were small vessels, manned by intrepid men and
having but few guns which, however, were handled in so masterly a manner
that many valuable prizes were brought by them to both Boston and
Newburyport.

During the next eight years he was the principal owner, according to
records, of one hundred and ten merchant vessels which had a gross
tonnage of fifteen thousand six hundred and sixty tons and cargoes
valued at $2,733,300. Many of his fleet were lost or captured,--so many
indeed that at the end of the war there were only thirteen left. The
value of the work they had done in aiding the government can never be
estimated. They brought into port quantities of stores and ammunition
that were designed primarily to supply the British army. The records
show that during this period Tracy's men captured one hundred and
twenty vessels with twenty-two hundred and twenty-five men, and their
cargoes were sold for $3,950,000. His patriotism is well shown from the
fact that in addition to these services he loaned the government
$167,000.

Rivalling Tristram Dalton, he is said to have had some of the finest
horses and coaches in the country and to have lived in grandeur and
luxury, his house being the meeting place for the dignitaries of the
land. He was also very fond of reading and had in his possession a large
and well selected library. With the close of the war, his money
vanished. His successful ventures met with disaster, so that in 1786 he
was bankrupt. His estates were all given over to his creditors with the
exception of the Newbury farm, which had been secured by his father to
his family. Here he lived the remainder of his life, pressed by no
claims for money, and loved and respected by all. This was his favorite
home, and it was no disappointment to spend his declining years here,
walking around his extensive estate and listening to the sound of the
seas while reviewing the troublous times of the Revolution.

In size he was a large man, comely of feature, and noted for his wit and
humor. He married in early life the daughter of Colonel Jeremiah Lee of
Marblehead, who was a great beauty; during her lifetime the house was
filled with noted guests.

Few houses with such numerous changes in occupants have had so many
noted owners as the Spencer-Pierce house, which after the death of Mr.
Tracy was sold by his wife, through the authority of the General Court,
to one Offin Boardman for $12,800. Captain Boardman was well known,
particularly in a military way, on account of his performing the daring
feat of capturing a transport as it came into Newburyport harbor. It was
a British ship, _Friends_, with Captain Bowie commanding, that appeared
off the mouth of the harbor, tacking and wearing in such a way as to
indicate that she did not know her bearings. This led Captain Boardman,
whose house guarded the mouth of the river, to suspect that it was a
British ship bringing ammunition for the troops that were stationed in
Boston. Calling seventeen men to his aid, they manned three whale-boats
and rowed off to the stranger. When in speaking distance, they hailed
her to know where bound, rightly suspecting she bore contraband goods.
She replied that she hailed from London and was uncertain as to her
situation, whereupon she was offered a pilot. The vessel was boarded by
Captain Boardman and his valiant crew who carried no arms in sight, thus
preventing the suspicion of the captain. The boldness of the attack won
success, and the ship was taken into Newburyport, where she was
overhauled.

For twenty years afterwards the house was occupied by the same owner,
being sold at auction in 1813. It was purchased by one John Pettingell,
who is said to have used it as a summer residence only; during the time
of his occupancy the wooden buildings at the back, together with the
farm, were let to tenants.

The mansion house has been owned and occupied by wealthy families ever
since it was built. It is considered one of the most picturesque homes
in New England. Unlike other houses built at that period, the walls,
which are two feet thick, were made of granite interspersed with stone
and brick, over which a thick overlay of plaster was placed, and having
arched doorways and windows and small niches introduced over the door.
The wooden additions at the back were built for the use of servants. The
porch of the house is unique. The bricks that form the arch of the door
have fancy, rounded edges that distinguish them from those made in the
colony. Hanging vines add to the picturesqueness of the house.

The entrance door is divided like the Dutch doors of to-day, showing two
sections acting independently, the upper part being at one time
protected by an inner shutter. This was arranged so as to hang down from
the ceiling, the old hinges which are still left plainly attesting to
this fact. There are also shown to-day marks of the pulley through which
ran the cords to raise and lower the shutter. The old-fashioned door
swings back on wrought hinges twenty-four inches in length. These, as
well as the old hardware in the house, have been carefully preserved.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIX.--Hallway, Spencer-Pierce House.]

Between the outside porch and the inner one is a second set of doors, in
between which are hanging buckets. These are of leather and were kept in
the hall of every house for use in case of fire. The stairway starts at
the right-hand side of the hall, which is merely a narrow passageway. It
leads by two turns to the second-story floor and has a most unusual
background in the brick work of a large chimney. Tradition tells us that
the builder of these stairs received no ready money for his work but,
instead, eight acres of land, since it was a very common practice at
that time to pay for work in this way.

[Illustration: PLATE XL.--Dining Room, Spencer-Pierce House; Living
Room, Spencer-Pierce House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XLI.--Parlor, Spencer-Pierce House.]

At the right is the old parlor, which is now used as the family
dining-room. It is a spacious apartment, nineteen feet square, with
walls two feet thick, corresponding in depth to all those found in the
main house. Great oak beams, rough with marks of the adze, support the
chamber floors. These beams, for many years boxed in, have been lately
revealed. The table in the parlor is of the empire period, while the
chairs are rough bottomed, Windsor, and other types, all colonial,
though of mixed periods.

Singularly enough, the house differs from most of its kind in that it
has two main chimneys, one providing fireplaces between the front rooms
and the other built in the kitchen. During the summer months these are
still used, but in the winter stoves are substituted.

The inner kitchen is now used as a living-room. It has been remodelled
within the last few years, there being no plaster on the wall except
that which was put directly on the stone. The old fireplace is still
seen in this room, although adorned with a new mantel. Window-seats have
been introduced, and many Sheraton chairs and Hepplewhite tables are
seen. Indeed, every piece of furniture belongs to the same period.

While the eastern part of the house is the original building, the
western end shows an attractive addition that was built on during
Captain Boardman's lifetime for the benefit of his wife, who was a
confirmed invalid. She had believed it was unhealthful to live between
stone walls and so asked that this addition be built. This part shows
the same finishing as other rooms in the house and is furnished like
them in colonial style. The central feature is a gate-leg table, while a
Sheraton chair of the Martha Washington type is found here, and a
Chippendale, together with Dutch chairs having rush bottoms, dating back
to 1740.

The chambers show a likeness to the lower rooms, and the attic is
especially large. In the chambers there is little or no hand-carving but
very good woodwork.

Long before this house came into its present ownership, during the time
of the Pierce occupancy it was used to stow away a part of the town's
powder. While this was stored here, one of Pierce's slaves, a negro
woman, went up-stairs to her room and carelessly placed a lighted candle
near one of the kegs. She was weary from a long day's work and fell
asleep without any thought of serious consequences. While she slept, the
candle burned lower and lower, finally sputtering and falling over. A
grain of powder that had been carelessly spilt on the floor was ignited.
A blinding flash, a tremendous report, an unearthly yell, and the
negress flew out of the window, bed and all, and landed safe in the top
of an apple-tree which is still standing!

The old home is a splendid example of the houses of that day. It is in a
perfect state of preservation, and from its windows one still overlooks
the river, where in the olden days the ships of the Tracys passed to and
fro, bearing rich cargoes in their holds.




CHAPTER X

THE GOVERNOR DUMMER MANSION


Richard Dummer, emigrant ancestor of the family of that name, came to
America in 1632, joining the little company who were banded together at
Massachusetts Bay in 1632. His first residence was in Roxbury, but he
removed afterwards to Boston. While here, he became interested in
starting a stock farm, in which venture he was joined by two other
prominent citizens named Richard Saltonstall and Henry Sewall, the
ancestor of the chief justice who bore that name. When looking about for
a suitable place to start their enterprise, they came to Newbury,
Massachusetts. This was in 1634. Here they selected the territory
bordering on the river Parker, or Great River as it was called at that
time.

It was a most suitable place to carry on this enterprise, both on
account of the fertility of the upland and because of the large quantity
of salt marsh grass which was considered of special value for forage,
so they immediately contracted for the importation of a large number of
cattle. In May, 1635, the same day that this territory, known as
Wessacumcon, was by the General Court of the colony allowed to be a
plantation under the name of Newbury, a committee was appointed to set
out a farm for Richard Dummer about the falls of Newbury, not to exceed
five hundred acres, that is, provided it be not prejudicial to Newbury.

On the eighth day of July it was further ordered by the General Court
that a convenient quantity of land be set out within the bounds of
Newbury for the keeping of the cattle that came over in the Dutch ship
that year and to belong to the owners of said cattle.

Richard Dummer removed to Newbury in the spring or summer of 1635, and
other grants of land were subsequently made to him. It is a little
difficult to determine the precise boundaries, on account of the scanty
records. A short time before his death he executed deeds for his sons
that showed him to be the owner of most of the uplands and marshes
bordering on the south side of the river Parker, a tract more than three
miles in length and including most of the extensive marshes,
assembling a farm of three hundred and thirty acres. Whether he had more
land or not is uncertain, but it is known that it never exceeded five
hundred acres.

Since the early grant this farm has been in the family, Richard Dummer
making his first home on Newbury Neck on the place that was known as Mr.
Dummer's farm. A very rich and benevolent man, he contributed much
toward the growth of Newbury, being elected one of the assistants of the
colony in 1635 and re-elected in 1636, taking the highest office with
the exception of governor and deputy-governor. He was an ardent
supporter of Governor Sir Harry Vane, taking active part in the election
of 1637 which resulted in Vane's defeat. Although he was disarmed, with
seventy-two others, he was not removed from the colony.

Richard Dummer was an unusual man. Manifesting no resentment at his
treatment, two years afterwards, when Winthrop, owing to his
impoverishment, called for contributions, Dummer gave one hundred
pounds,--more than one-fifth of that contributed in the colony. Two of
his sons, Richard and Jeremiah, became very prominent, the former living
on the farm by the falls and the latter becoming a judge. It was this
Jeremiah who was the father of the governor, William Dummer, and also
of Jeremiah, Jr., who was graduated from Harvard in 1699.

At this period the names of the students were arranged in the catalogue
in rank of family, and Jeremiah's headed the list. He was also the first
scholar in his class and was spoken of by President Mather as the best
scholar ever at the college. He was very prominent all his life.
Bancroft, speaking of him, said: "His writings were the fruit of loyal
colonial liberties and contained the seed of American independence."

In 1687 his brother William was born in Boston. William was not a
student, being educated simply at the Boston Grammar School. Enlisting
in the Artillery Company in 1702, he rose to its captaincy. England was
his residence for several years prior to his marriage in 1714 to
Katherine, daughter of Joseph Dudley, then governor of the province and
son of Thomas Dudley, one of the early governors of the colony. In 1716
Governor Dudley refused re-appointment, and Colonel Samuel Shute was
appointed in his place by the Crown, who under the Province Charter
reserved the right to appoint governor, lieutenant-governor, and
secretary. This was a time of continual conflicts in the colony through
disagreements in appointments, so that the province governors enjoyed
little ease.

After an uneasy administration of six years, Governor Shute left in 1723
in disgust, remaining in England until the arrival of his successor,
William Burnett, in 1728. This left Dummer in the gubernatorial chair
for nearly six years.

Governor Dummer was placed in a very trying position. The Administration
made it practically impossible for him to render strict and impartial
judgment and give satisfaction to the people. His alliance with Dudley
and Shute, however, proved no obstacle to his influence with them, for
Governor Dummer was born in the province, and his education, his
experience, and his family traditions were with the people. It is said
of him, too, that during the critical period of his administration, his
wisdom and impartiality, as well as his kind, conciliatory spirit
brought about the confidence and respect of all who were thrown in
contact with him.

The office of lieutenant-governor was his until 1730, when he was
succeeded by Lieutenant-governor Tailer. The house in Newbury was only a
summer estate, for he occupied in winter a brick house on School Street
in Boston, bounded northerly on Province Street, and being separated
from the Province House estate by a six-foot passageway.

Governor Dummer was a very religious man, attending the Hollis Street
Church and presenting it with an imperial folio Bible in two volumes,
richly bound in rich crimson Levant morocco, splendidly gilt on the
edges and elaborately tooled by the bookbinders. It was presented on
condition that it should be read as a part of the Divine service, and at
the present day retains its former richness of color and gilding. The
paper is rich and smooth and creamy as though just made, while the size
and clearness of type are a comfort to any minister's eyes. After
Dummer's death he was buried in the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont
Street, Boston.

Governor Dummer was a man of great firmness, strict integrity, and warm
benevolence. In civil and administrative affairs he showed a rare
combination of qualities, leading his administration to be spoken of by
Dudley as the "wise administration of Dummer."

[Illustration: PLATE XLII.--Dummer Mansion, Byfield, Mass.]

The Dummer Mansion, which is situated in Byfield, then Newbury,
Massachusetts is prominently connected with the town's history, being
one of the most notable colonial homes in New England. It was built by
Governor Dummer about 1715 on a farm which was given him by his father
on October 15, 1713, a few months before his marriage. It is a fine
specimen of the houses of that day, showing brick sides and resembling
in architecture the Royall House at Medford, Massachusetts.

Just after he and his bride took up their abode in the newly completed
mansion, a housewarming was held. Governor Dummer, so the legend runs,
was a famous horseman, and on this occasion he is said to have dashed up
the broad front staircase to the second floor, mounted on a magnificent
white charger, much to the consternation of the guests. This event took
place in the month of August in the time of the full moon, and tradition
relates that he repeats this performance even unto the present day
whenever in August there are two full moons, riding forth on the
occasion of the first full moon and charging up the stairs and down
again.

In the kitchen of the mansion house on several occasions a little child
appeared. Whenever the apartment was left vacant, the next person to
come in would find a little golden-haired, blue-eyed girl about five
years of age, balancing herself upon the door-sill and peeping in and
out just as a real child naturally would do at play. She was never seen
in any other part of the house. Where she came from no one ever knew.
She always appeared in the same doorway and after standing awhile would
vanish. She became so familiar to the people of the house that they
called her Elizabeth. She had such a pleasant, smiling face that even
the most timid person felt no fear of her.

During the oiling of the kitchen floor a child's ring was discovered in
a crack where it had lain for years. In trying to get it out, a secret
spring was seen and a trap-door was disclosed. On opening it, an old
ladder was revealed, leading to the space below, but it fell to
fragments at a touch. The cellar underneath was explored. In a secret
recess was a small chamber not larger than a grave. Inside was a large,
round, cheese box, which contained the bones of a child. These were
properly buried, and the apparition ceased to appear.

In the slave quarters, which were in the ell of the mansion house, the
slaves were chained each night to prevent their escaping. The rings to
which the chains were attached were to be seen until quite recently, and
when the wind was right, the clanking of the chains could plainly be
heard.

Outside the house on the green, so the story runs, a duel was fought
by an English officer and a gentleman over an affront concerning Madam
Dummer. The English officer was killed, and tradition relates that he
appeared subsequently. He was clad in epaulets and gold lace, wandering
about as if in search of his adversary. He always wore an amazingly
large, powdered white wig and carried a dress sword in its sheath, as on
the occasion of the fateful encounter.

[Illustration: PLATE XLIII.--Doorway, Dummer Mansion; Hallway, Dummer
Mansion.]

The present mansion, remodelled, is to-day a famous landmark. It is
considered an excellent example of a colonial home, with its pitched
roof, its huge stone chimneys covered with mortar, its dormer windows,
and its Georgian porch. One enters through the wide doors into a noble
hallway extending entirely through the house, the woodwork showing fine
panelling of white pine. The box stairs rise by easy treads to the wide
landing, where a colonial window gives light to the apartment. At the
foot of the staircase is an arch, a great ornament to the hallway. The
balusters are hand-carved, the newel post being plain. The balusters and
stairs are of mahogany and the furniture is Windsor.

Opening from the hall at the right are double parlors. On the wall hangs
a fine portrait of Governor Dummer and his wife, Katherine Dudley. The
portrait of the governor is in oil by Smibert, while a copy of it by the
late Frederick Vinton is in the Senate Chamber of the State House in
Boston. The parlor shows woodwork in place of plastering or paper. The
old shutters have been carefully preserved as have the window-seats. The
furniture is of the colonial type, including Chippendale and Windsor
pieces.

[Illustration: PLATE XLIV.--Dining Room, Dummer Mansion; Den, Dummer
Mansion.]

[Illustration: PLATE XLV.--Two Views of the Living Room, Dummer
Mansion.]

Opposite the parlor is the living-room, with its fine carvings shown in
the mantel. This carving is done in wood and not in French putty glued
on, as is the case with many ornamentations. Although there is fine
panelling and woodwork in this room, it shows plaster and paper as well.
Double doors open into the rear parlor, now used as a dining-room. These
doors show strap hinges and are considered fine specimens of the
colonial period. Wonderful woodwork is seen in this room, as in other
rooms in the house.

When the parish was renamed, the name of Dummer was proposed. Finally,
however, it was called after Judge Byfield on account of a handsome gift
proposed by him. In acknowledgment of this compliment a bell was
presented to the church by Judge Byfield.




CHAPTER XI

THE MACPHAEDRIS-WARNER HOUSE


One of the noted houses in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the Warner
house. This is a large brick mansion of ample dimensions, which stands
at the corner of Daniel and Chapel Streets, and has the distinction of
being the oldest brick residence in town. It must be remembered that the
use of brick in house-building was not extensively carried out in the
colonies, even as late as the early nineteenth century. Occasionally we
find houses where brick was used to cover the frame, outside of which
was an exterior of wood. This was for the sake of warmth, for, as we
know, in the early days not only was the climate more severe, but there
were not the scientific methods of heating known to-day.

[Illustration: PLATE XLVI.--The Warner House, Portsmouth, N. H.]

While the frame of these houses was generally of oak, yet the shingles
or clapboards were of white pine. White pine was very generally used
then, chiefly on account of its lasting quality. This is evidenced very
plainly in many old houses of that period which are found to-day in a
remarkable state of preservation. This same wood was used not only for
clapboards but for the principal interior finish, and we often find it
in large panels as perfect as when put in place two hundred years or
more ago.

Wood was generally used during the eighteenth century, but we
occasionally find a brick house such as the Macphaedris-Warner house.
The brick used was generally imported in those days, for the American
brick was of rather an inferior quality to that obtained on the other
side of the water. The bricks and tiles used in this house were imported
as ballast from Holland in some of the vessels owned by Captain
Macphaedris.

It is two centuries ago that this mansion was erected and it is still as
perfect in construction as it was the day of its finish. There has been
no change in either exterior or interior, so that it can well be
considered a fine example of a house that represents true honest labor
and the skill of the master mechanic. Another thing in its favor is that
it has always remained in the family. Much of the furniture shown there
to-day was formerly imported by Captain Macphaedris, who felt the
need of furnishing it for his bride in accordance with his station.

At the time of its erection, Captain Archibald Macphaedris was a wealthy
merchant and Tory at heart, being a member of the King's Council. He
came over from Scotland, attracted by stories of the new country's
wealth, in the early part of the eighteenth century, and taking kindly
to life here, he entered into trade and was so prudent that later on he
was able to build this splendid house. The building was designed as a
town residence, and although twelve miles distant from his industry, was
considered a suitable situation for this very reason. He preferred to
leave business cares at the close of the day and spend the intervening
time as far removed from them as possible.

Early in the eighteenth century iron works were founded at Dover, New
Hampshire. They were the first of the kind ever established in this
country, and Captain Macphaedris was the chief promoter of the new
industry. In addition to this, he carried on an extensive fur trade with
the Indians, with whom he was very friendly; by combining the profits
from his two ventures he was able to amass a considerable fortune.

A distinct feature of this house is the design of the roof and the high
brick chimneys, which convey a hint of Dutch sturdiness and which
resemble many of the houses in the Netherlands. This goes to show that
the valiant captain imported Dutch ideas along with his bricks and
tiles.

[Illustration: PLATE XLVII.--Doorway, Warner House; Porch, Warner
House.]

When finished, this mansion was three stories in height, being perfectly
plain with the exception of two fine doorways, the one on the front
being much the more elaborate. These have never been changed since the
days they were placed there. Whether the walls were built to resist
attacks of the Indians or not will never be known, but they are eighteen
inches thick, making the house one of the warmest of that period.

The plans of the house were designed in accordance with the wishes of
the bride, who was no less a personage than Sarah Wentworth, the
daughter of Governor John Wentworth, and one of the reigning belles of
Portsmouth. That it was an expensive house is shown from the fact that
it cost six thousand pounds or thirty thousand dollars, a considerable
sum to be spent in those early days, when money was not plentiful. The
furniture was all imported, brought over in Captain Macphaedris' ships
and especially designed for the house. It was in many respects quite
different from much of the furniture that had been brought into the
colony, and as much of the original is still shown, we realize how
carefully the captain must have sought to combine beauty and comfort.

The house was most carefully built, for it was first commenced in 1718
and not completed until five years later, in 1723. In all probability
the opening of the house was attended by a large housewarming, to which
the dignitaries of Portsmouth, including Governor John Wentworth, were
invited, but the event was considered of too little importance to be
mentioned in the annals that are left concerning the mansion.

By a strange irony of fate, the name of the man whose money and brains
built the house is rarely associated with it; the fine old pile is known
far and near by the name of the man who married the captain's daughter
Mary, a comely lass who was a great belle in the town. He was the Hon.
Jonathan Warner, a member of the King's Council until the Revolution
made his commission ineffective. Mr. Warner was a familiar figure about
Portsmouth in the latter days of the eighteenth century and is spoken
of, in an old review, as "one of the last of the cocked hats." He
invariably wore a long-skirted brown coat, small clothes, silk
stockings, and buckles on his shoes. He always carried a cane, and his
dignified bearing never failed to impress the youngsters of the place
with proper respect, and they always courteously saluted him as he
passed. And to-day the visitor at Portsmouth has the Macphaedris-Warner
house pointed out to him as the Warner house.

There can be no better proof that this house was well built than the
fact that it has withstood the ravages of New England weather for nearly
two hundred years and is still in good condition, the eighteen-inch
walls of honest Dutch brick as staunch as the day they were laid. The
gambrel roof, the Lutheran windows, and the quaint cupola all mark this
three-storied house as a genuine old-timer, and the broad, simply
ornamented doorways are suggestive of good old colonial hospitality, for
this house was the scene of many a merrymaking. Over the brick pavement,
laid herring-bone pattern, and up the stone steps came many a dignitary
of the land, who lifted the ponderous brass knocker, and as the panelled
door swung back on its long, strapped hinges, entered the spacious hall,
which extends the entire length of the house.

There are a few pieces of the old mahogany furniture left, showing to
best advantage against the white panelling of the wall. The staircase at
the extreme left is hand-carved, the newel post being exceedingly plain.

The heavy iron bar that still securely fastens the entrance door
bespeaks a time when the red men lurked in Portsmouth and made this
protection a necessity. If reliance is to be placed on old traditions,
the captain was a great friend of the Indians. The fact that two
portraits of Indian chiefs are still hanging upon the wall seems to
corroborate this story.

But the most distinctive and remarkable feature of this hall is the wall
fresco, reaching from the foot of the stairs to the second-story
landing, on the rough plaster of which are depicted various scenes, all
the work of a master hand. These wonderful frescoes, covering an area of
from four to five hundred feet, were hidden many years ago, and have
only been exposed within the last sixty years. As proof of the fact that
the frescoes must have been covered up for many years, the story is told
of an old lady eighty years of age who was a constant visitor at the
Warner house during her girlhood days. When shown these paintings she
looked at them wonderingly and asserted that their existence was
unknown at the time when she was an intimate of the family.

[Illustration: PLATE XLVIII.--Living Room, Warner House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XLIX.--Parlor, Warner House.]

Opening from the hallway on the right is the parlor, a spacious
apartment, panelled from floor to ceiling. A great fireplace, faced with
quaint Dutch tiles, occupies one corner; and on the narrow mantel above,
resting against a beautiful old mirror, is the Warner coat of arms.
Beside this is the coat of arms of the Sherburne family, into whose
possession the old house passed in the early part of the nineteenth
century. At one side of the room is a broad, arched doorway, where once
stood a large pipe organ which was removed some years ago.

Several fine pieces of Chippendale and Sheraton furniture are placed
about the room, and from the panelled walls stately dames and old-time
gallants deign to give the intruder a haughty glance. These fine old
portraits, all painted by the famous Copley, were originally encased in
Paul Revere frames. During the great fire which swept through the town a
number of years ago, the pictures were removed to insure their safety,
and before their return all the frames, with the exception of the one
encasing the portrait of Mary Macphaedris Warner, had mysteriously
disappeared, and no trace of them has ever been found. Included in
the collection are portraits of Captain Macphaedris, Hon. Jonathan
Warner, and his daughter Mary. The latter is pictured as an old-time
belle, in a gown of stiff brocade and rich red lace.

Opposite the parlor is the living-room, panelled like the hall, and
possessing the same charm as the rest of the house. The walls are
adorned by queer, old-fashioned pictures and heavy, gilt-framed mirrors,
the latter reflecting in their depths the beauty of the rare old
mahogany with which the room is furnished.

Beside the broad fireplace, tiled in brown, is a spacious cupboard,
deftly concealed in the panelling, where are stored quantities of fine
old silver and china, the treasured possessions of many generations of
Warners and Sherburnes. This fireplace is framed in quaint Dutch tiles,
but instead of grate and andirons it contains a Franklin stove,
surmounted by a queer coffee-urn once owned by Governor Langdon.
Although quaintly attractive, this stove is not nearly so interesting
from an historic point of view as is a stove still used in one of the
chambers. The latter, although not nearly so pretentious, has the
distinction of having been set up by Franklin himself, one of three in
Portsmouth whose installment he personally supervised.

A fine example of mahogany is shown in a beautiful secretary standing at
one side of the room, and through its traceried-glass doors are caught
glimpses of curious shells and bits of pink and red coral--brought home
by some seafaring Sherburne--as well as numerous Indian relics. It has
also a few old books left from a rare collection. Near by is a
diminutive desk, interesting from the fact that it is said to be an
exact reproduction in every detail of one brought to this country by
John Alden.

Each chamber shows wonderful four-posters, hand-knotted spreads, odd
candlesticks, foot-stoves, and powder-horns, each piece enhancing the
flavor and romance that clings to every nook and corner of the old
house. All these relics, as well as the fire-buckets hanging in the rear
hall, have been in the family for generations.

Carefully treasured in an old chest up-stairs are many things connected
with Colonel Jonathan Warner. There is the embroidered military suit
which he wore when serving in the Continental army, together with his
sword and cocked hat. These, with a bill of lading presented with much
of the family plate and imported furniture, have been preserved in the
family ever since 1713. Indeed, every piece of furniture and every
treasure is historic and has its own distinctive story.

The fine simplicity of colonial designs is well illustrated by the
outside of this house. Its simplicity verges almost upon the forbidding,
as there is nothing but flat walls of brick, windows of severe design,
and a simple cornice that sets off fine old doorways enriched with
delicate dentations and supported by hand-carved Corinthian columns.

To-day, after nearly two centuries of existence, the house is as solid
as it was on the day it was erected, and with its quiet atmosphere of
age, its old-time flavor obtained through steady and long continued use,
and the treasury of relics shown here, is conceded to be the most
picturesque house in Portsmouth.




CHAPTER XII

THE WENTWORTH HOUSE


One of the most historic houses in New Hampshire is situated at Little
Harbor, about two miles from the city of Portsmouth. It was built in the
latter sixteenth century, or early seventeenth, the exact date not being
known, for the records of the early days were carelessly kept, so that
there is nothing legible to determine the time of its erection. The
houses that were built during this period are generally of such a
distinct type that there is little or no difficulty in placing them and
ascertaining their age.

[Illustration: PLATE L.--The Wentworth House, Little Harbor, N. H.]

This is not true of the Wentworth Mansion, for its design does not
definitely indicate the architecture of any special period. One does not
wonder, when history tells us that it was bought by Governor Bennington
Wentworth in 1750, that it was at that time simply a farmhouse of
moderate size which had been occupied by one of the earliest settlers in
this section, whose name has never been handed down.

After its purchase, great pains were taken to make it an attractive and
habitable house. Rooms were added, and ells were built, until it assumed
its present size. It is a stately pile, with wings joined to either side
of the long main building, occupying three sides of a hollow square, and
showing open ends facing the water.

Its original appearance has been carefully maintained by the present
owner, who occupies the estate as a summer residence. With great care
the garden has been restored to the distinctly old-fashioned type, while
all the memorable traditions of the building have been preserved. There
is about it an atmosphere differing from most houses of that time,
partly due to its retired situation.

From the high road one enters the curving avenue to seek the house,
hidden from the entrance behind hills and trees. The main entrance is
the same as in the governor's day. There is a second entrance, however,
nearer the house, through which we get glimpses of the mansion beyond.
This is flanked by two marble statues, one of which represents an angler
dressed in colonial costume, while the second is a hunter, armed with a
Rip Van Winkle fowling-piece.

They seem to extend, with outstretched arms, a mute welcome to the
guest, for hospitality has ever been a characteristic of the Wentworth
mansion.

The grounds are extensive and are laid out in lawns and grass lands. The
house is surrounded by shade trees, some of which were there when the
governor occupied the mansion.

Its exterior shows a gray finish, the same coloring that was originally
in use. The porch through which the house is entered is the same one
through which Washington passed when, during his visit to Portsmouth, he
came to this mansion on his return from a fishing trip, and was royally
entertained by the widow of Governor Wentworth.

The rear of the house faces the harbor, at the spot where the governor's
wharf used to be, for in the early days ships were anchored near by, and
their officers were frequently entertained at the mansion.

It is said that in the early days of its occupancy by the governor, a
secret passage connected the house with the wharf, and boats were kept
always in waiting, ready to be off at a moment's notice. This was done
so that the unpopular head of the government might escape at any time if
an attempt was made to take his life.

On a neighboring island which is in plain sight, there were several
small houses, moved there on a scow.

Governor Wentworth, who was the first owner of this house, was the
governor of New Hampshire during the most troublesome times of our
country's history. He was elected in 1741 and served for twenty-five
years, during which period he conducted the affairs of government
through stormy times and two bloody wars, and there is little doubt that
he administered the affairs as well as most men could have done under
such trying circumstances. It is well known, however, that he pleased
neither people nor king. At the end of his term of office he was
courteously superseded by his nephew, John Wentworth, whose popularity
had won him favor.

It was then, in 1767, that Governor Wentworth retired to the colonial
home at Portsmouth. During his administration, his wife and his children
had died. Lonely and discouraged, he offered himself in marriage to one
Molly Pitman, who chose instead Richard Shortridge, a mechanic by trade.
Doubtless through his instigation, because piqued at the indignity of
her refusal, a press gang seized Shortridge and carried him away. He
was sent from ship to ship, until a friendly officer listened to his sad
tale and allowed him to escape and return home, to find his wife still
true, although tempted by the allurements of wealth.

Not cast down, however, by his ill luck, the governor soon after made
the house at Little Harbor his all-the-year-round home. The house became
the rendezvous for prominent personages--not only in New Hampshire, but
through the land. During one dinner party given to distinguished guests
an important event occurred. In the governor's employ was a girl of most
attractive personality, who had entered the house as a domestic, and
bore the name of Martha Hilton. Her beauty attracted the attention of
the governor, so that he desired to marry her. Among the guests was one
Reverend Arthur Brown, of the Episcopal church. The dinner was served in
the style becoming to the governor's table. Just as it was over, the
governor whispered, so low that no one else could hear, to a messenger
who stood near by. Then Martha Hilton came in through the hall door, on
the west side of the parlor, and looking down, a blush upon her cheek,
took her stand in front of the open fireplace.

She did not bring anything with her, nor did she seem to expect to take
anything out. The governor, his hair bleached with the frost of sixty
winters, arose, and turning to the rector, he asked: "Mr. Brown, will
you marry me?"

The pastor looked up aghast. "To whom?" he asked.

Stepping to Martha's side, and taking her hand in his, the governor
answered: "To this lady."

The rector still stood confounded, and the governor, angered by the
delay, in an imperative manner said: "As the Governor of New Hampshire,
I command you to marry us."

Then and there, in the presence of the assembled guests, the ceremony
was duly performed, and Martha Hilton became Madam Wentworth. As a
careless, laughing girl, barefooted, and carrying a pail of water, with
a dress scarcely sufficient to cover her, Martha was said to have
declared: "No matter how I look, I shall ride in my chariot yet," and
she now achieved her ambition. In a charming little poem Longfellow
relates this incident and assures us that she filled the position with
great dignity.

The old governor did not live long to enjoy his New Hampshire home. His
widow, however, soon forgot her solitude, after rejecting many offers
of marriage, for we read of her marriage not very long afterwards to
Michael Wentworth, a retired colonel of the British army. One daughter,
Martha, was born as the fruit of their marriage.

In 1789 Washington came to Portsmouth to visit the Wentworth mansion. He
sailed into the harbor on one of his ships and was received with
characteristic hospitality by Colonel Michael Wentworth and his lady,
both of whom accorded him a royal welcome.

The colonel was a high liver and prided himself on his horsemanship. The
legend runs that he started from Boston at eight o'clock in the morning
and arrived in Portsmouth at 6 o'clock in the afternoon, a feat which
was considered remarkable.

He was not master of the house for many years, for he died suddenly in
1795. After his death, Sir John Wentworth, a lawyer in Portsmouth,
married Martha Wentworth, the daughter, and they occupied the house in
Little Harbor together with Madam Wentworth until the time of her death
in 1805. Upon their departure to Europe in 1816, the house passed out of
the family.

The house stands as it was built, the massive door, three inches in
thickness, at its main entrance, showing enormous locks and strapped
hinges that extended eighteen inches in either direction. Strap
hinges were a necessity in those days, as the doors were fastened
together with wooden pegs, and unless this precaution was taken, they
would sag.

[Illustration: PLATE LI.--Hallway, Wentworth House.]

One enters a narrow vestibule which gives into an inner hallway. This,
too, is narrow, severely plain, and strictly colonial in type. The old
staircase has hand-carved balusters. There is no change in the panelling
upon the walls, and the original bull's-eyes are in the door opposite
the entrance.

The hallway leads at the left into a colonial dining-room, with rich
panelling, and an old fireplace which is large enough to hold a yule
log. The room is spacious and fitted with furnishings of colonial type.
Over the mantel is hung an old powder-horn and flint-lock, while at one
side are colonial relics: a cabinet of old china and a Sheraton table
with late mahogany chairs form the furnishings.

Adjoining the dining-room is a large pantry, which contains some ovens
that were at one time used for the making of rum, doubtless partaken of
very freely during the governor's residence there.

[Illustration: PLATE LII.--Dance Hall, Wentworth House, showing Marble
Fireplace.]

[Illustration: PLATE LIII.--Room in Wentworth House where Martha Hilton
was made Bride; Council Chamber, Wentworth House.]

At the right of the hallway is the present living-room, where are many
relics of the old governor; in one corner is a chair in which he sat.
The old fireplace before which Martha Hilton stood on her wedding night
is in this room.

Passing through, one reaches a narrow landing and a short flight of
stairs which connect with the hallway below, where we come upon the
original entrance. The walls on either side over the door are decorated
with arms. These are thirteen in number, and are the muskets of the
governor's guard, so long ago dismissed. Yonder is the Council Chamber.
In this spacious apartment for many years were discussed public affairs
of the utmost importance; heated debates were carried on in the stormy
times that ante-dated the Revolution. It is finished in the best style
of the last century, the carved work around the mantel taking more than
a year's work with the knife and chisel of a master carpenter.

Around the room were formerly a great many pictures of the family. Among
them was a choice painting by Copley of the beautiful Dorothy Quincy who
became the wife of John Hancock, and who came frequently to visit in
Portsmouth. There were wonderful pictures of Secretary Waldron, who was
killed by the Indians at Dover, and also of his son Westbrook. Sofas and
rare bits of colonial furniture furnished the room in the governor's
day, and the closely jointed, smooth white floors, which are none the
worse for a century's wear, have been pressed by the feet of many a
merry dancer.

We look at pictures of the old-time occupants, in periwigs and silver
buckles, who people the shadows in the dim grandeur of this wonderful
old room. In one corner still stands a rack, with sixteen flint-locks,
some of which have bayonets attached. This stand of arms was discovered
by the present owner hidden away under plaster. Just what is concealed
to-day in the old house is not known, for it has never been fully
explored. Naturally one conjectures secret closets and hidden
passageways, such as were built in many houses of that period.

Beyond is the billiard-room. There is now no billiard table but instead
a spinning-wheel, and a dainty, old-fashioned spinet upon which little
Martha Wentworth learned to play. One wonders if it was in this room
that Madam Wentworth dropped her ring to be picked up by the maid. All
at once the maid became near-sighted, and it was not until Martha
herself stooped down and touched her ring that it could be found.

Several smaller rooms lead out of the billiard-room. They were used in
the olden times as card-rooms, and here many a close rubber was played
by the great and reverend patriots of the land.

Underneath is a huge, rambling cellar where the builder of the mansion
kept stalls for thirty horses, ready at a moment's notice to be off. The
gun-rack in the hall of the Council Chamber does much to convince us
that the great man whose personality is stamped so deeply on this
interesting pile, must have led a very uneasy life. There were no
descendants to inherit the old home, but he left a lasting memorial to
himself in the house which embodied so many of his ideals.




CHAPTER XIII

THE FRANKLIN PIERCE HOUSE


In the little town of Hillsboro, New Hampshire, stand two notable
houses. One of them was formerly the home of Governor Benjamin Pierce,
while the other was occupied by his son, Franklin Pierce, who was the
fourteenth president of the United States. Both houses are in a good
state of preservation, the former being used as a village inn, while the
latter, still filled with interesting mementoes connected with the life
of President Pierce, is now occupied by his nephew, Mr. Kirk Pierce.
These houses are not in the village proper but just outside, in a
location known as Hillsboro Bridge, a romantic, wooded section on the
main road, where in the early days the stage-coach passed on its way to
Concord, New Hampshire, not so very far away.

Franklin Pierce was born on November 23, 1804, in the old homestead
where his father, Governor Pierce, lived, and here he passed his early
days. The old governor was a prominent character in the history of New
Hampshire, being one of the heroes of Bunker Hill, afterwards becoming
governor of the State of New Hampshire, a man revered and loved, not
only by the military element of the State but by politicians as well.

Even when Franklin Pierce was a child, there existed a true
companionship between the boy and his father. He was an attractive lad,
with light curling hair that fell to his shoulders, blue eyes, and a
winsome face. Not particularly fond of study, he was the ringleader in
all the pranks played in the neighborhood; yet he was beloved by all the
townspeople, who were a bit suspicious of him, however, never knowing
what tricks would be played on them through his love of fun and
influence with the other boys.

It was a pleasant sight during the long winter evenings to see this
fair-haired boy sitting upon his father's knee, listening to stories of
his army life. These filled the boy with a desire to enter the militia
and win for himself glory on the battlefield.

His early education was obtained in a little brick schoolhouse that is
still standing at Hillsboro Centre, about a mile and a half distant
from his home. Here in his boyhood days he attended school with
twenty other children. At one time during his school life here, a
visitor who was talking to the children told them to have a high aim in
life, for in that very room might be a future president of the United
States,--a prophecy that rang true.

Later on Pierce was sent to Hancock to enter the academy. Unused to
discipline, he became very homesick and walked all the way home to see
his family. It was on a Sunday morning that he appeared in the yard and
found that the household had gone to church. On their return, they found
him sitting on a bench waiting for them. When asked the reason why he
came home unannounced, he pleaded homesickness. His father was a stern
disciplinarian and without a word had a horse harnessed into a chaise;
Franklin was driven into the midst of a dense wood and left to walk the
rest of the way back to the academy. It was a dark day and a heavy
thunder shower came up, so that he was drenched to his skin by the time
he reached school. In speaking of it afterwards he said: "It was the
turning-point of my life. I learned the lesson that my father wished to
impress upon me."

At the age of sixteen he entered Bowdoin College and became one of the
most popular students. Not inclined to study, the first two years of his
life were spent in partial idleness, until suddenly he awoke to the
value of education and was graduated with honors.

Another turning-point in his life lay in the time when he first met
Nathaniel Hawthorne. This meeting was in a stage-coach, in 1821, when
Pierce was returning to college during his sophomore year. In the same
coach also were Jonathan Cilley and Alfred Mason, both intimates then
and in after years.

It might be said that Pierce's political campaign commenced at college,
for here he held his first civic office as chairman of the Athenean
Society, also being elected captain of a little company formed in the
college.

There are still treasured in the college library at Brunswick, Maine,
two mementoes of his college life. The one is a silhouette found in a
little red book containing the pictures of the members of the class,
which was made before the art of photography was known. The second is a
theme that was written in Latin, one of his later works.

He followed his father's career as politician, making his first stump
speech in favor of the victor of New Orleans and against John Quincy
Adams. He entered Congress at the age of twenty-nine and quickly rose to
high political favor; he was elected to the Senate in 1837, being at
that time its youngest member.

During his term of office, he stood firm for his party against the
opposing members, and yet so popular was he that when his hour of
departure came, the senators crowded around him as though he were a
personal friend, and no member of the Senate ever retired with warmer
friends. Among his associates in Congress were such men as Calhoun,
Wentworth, and Clay,--men who were helpful to him in his political life.
He decided, however, that he had had enough of politics so he returned
to his own State and took up his profession of attorney, devoting much
of his time to caring for his invalid wife.

His views, nevertheless, did not meet with the approbation of the
people. Soon the Mexican War broke out, and he was forced to enter the
fight, accepting the position of Colonel of the Ninth Regiment. During
all this time Hawthorne and he remained intimates.

Across the road is a simple little farmhouse where Pierce spent his
early married life, and where Hawthorne was a frequent guest. The life
of Hawthorne is connected with that of Franklin Pierce far more than is
realized, unless one has delved deep into the unusual friendship of
these two men. The one, standing at the front of the literary world,
sad, morbid, and needing the helpful hand of a friend, was encouraged to
work by the other, whom he loved. He shows his appreciation by his
dedication of _Our Old Home_ and _Biographical Sketches_. In the preface
he tells of the love and appreciation of his work given to him by
Pierce, and the praise the latter considered his due.

On the other hand stood Franklin Pierce, the lawyer, soldier, statesmen,
friend, one who had battled with the world and whose term of office fell
at a time when it was hardest to fill--when the slavery question was
being weighed. These two men, strongly differing from each other in
every trait, were peculiarly united by strong ties of mutual love and
helpfulness.

It was not to the Hillsboro house alone that Hawthorne came, but also to
the colonial mansion where Pierce spent his childhood days. There is
still seen on the grounds an old tree where one can just decipher, cut
on the bark, the names of Hawthorne and Franklin Pierce.

This old homestead in which Franklin Pierce's father lived, has on the
drawing-room wall a wonderful old paper as fresh and bright as when
placed there a century ago by the original owner. During the governor's
lifetime, this mansion was on the direct route of the Washington stage,
which brought many a distinguished guest to enjoy the bounteous
hospitality that was dispensed here. Nearly all the leading men of New
Hampshire visited Squire Pierce's house, among them being Judge
Woodbury, Governor Steele, and the McNeils.

The grounds were not extensive, comprising a little more than an acre of
land, but were for those days wonderfully laid out with walks, gardens,
summer-house, and artificial pond, well stocked with trout. The garden
was considered to be one of the show places of the time, and here from
the summer-house the casual visitor fished for trout in the pond
beneath.

[Illustration: PLATE LIV.--The Franklin Pierce House, Hillsboro, N. H.]

The mansion, a colonial type, stands just back of the road. It was a
pretentious house in the olden days, as revealed by the broad stairs and
hand-carved balusters. The walls are lined with family portraits,
representing three generations of this distinguished family. The great
parlor at the left shows heavy cornices, massive hearthstones, and many
historical relics. The wall-paper shows landscapes, tournaments, and
festivals. In this house Franklin Pierce lived until he was married in
1834 to Jane Means, daughter of Rev. Dr. Appleton.

Following this event, he purchased the farmhouse across the way, which
remains in the family and which contains a wonderful collection of fine
paintings, autograph letters, and historical relics. Among the latter is
a picture of William H. Marcy, Secretary of State under President
Pierce, who ordered the picture painted at a cost of one thousand
dollars. Near by is one of the best paintings of Hawthorne extant, which
was also painted at the same cost by order of the president. In addition
to these paintings are many others of distinguished men, including one
of Pierce's father and many of himself. His wife's picture is not among
the collection, but is owned by Mrs. Charles M. Stark of Dunbarton, New
Hampshire, who descended from the same ancestry.

Many mementoes connected with the life of Franklin Pierce are still
treasured in the old house and include several swords, one of which was
given by the ladies of Hillsboro when Pierce entered service in the
Mexican War. This, together with a letter that accompanied it, is shown
to the visitor, as well as a second sword given him by the State of New
Hampshire at the close of the war. There can also be seen many
interesting and historical canes.

But the most important collection in the house is that of autograph
letters representing correspondence with his old friend Hawthorne, whose
friendship was terminated only by death; of Presidents Jackson and Polk,
and many others of equal note. Perhaps the most pathetic of this
collection of letters, however, is a little one written in a childish
hand by his son Benjamin, who was killed in a railroad accident near
Andover. This letter is as follows:

  "ANDOVER, MASS.,
  "June 11, 1852.

     "DEAR MOTHER:

     "I am having a pleasant time at Aunt Mary's and I should
     like to stay until next week. To-day is a rainy day. I don't
     go out much but stay in the house and play with Jamie.
     Edward has just brought the news from Boston that father is
     a candidate for the presidency. I hope he won't be elected,
     for I should not like to live in Washington, and I know you
     would not either. I am very well and so are the rest of the
     family. Little Fanny is quite well again and as bright as a
     bird. Little Mary can walk if somebody takes hold of her
     hands. Aunt Rebecca sends love to you. I hope you are much
     better than when you went away. I want you to excuse my bad
     writing. I have an extra bad pen. It is full of everything
     but ink. Give my love to father. I will now end this letter,
     so good-bye.

  "Your affectionate son,
  "BENJAMIN."

He had his wish gratified, for on the threshold of the presidency his
father's heart was broken by the untimely death of his son.

Among the many treasured letters of Hawthorne's is one written from the
Old Manse.

  "CONCORD, Dec. 3, 1861.

     "DEAR PIERCE:

     "Here is a letter from old Sullivan, and as he wished a
     portion of it to be communicated to you, I think it best to
     send the whole. After reading it, please return it. You will
     be glad to see how confidently he writes respecting the
     success of his copper mines, but I shall hardly share his
     hopes at present. After knowing him for so many years and
     seeing him always on the verge of making a fortune and
     always disappointed, poor fellow, I am not sure that the
     fate he half anticipates would not be the best thing for
     him--to be shot or hung--but perhaps I am as usual too
     despondent as he is too sanguine.

     "We are all perfectly well and as happy as the times will
     permit anybody to be.

     "With kindest regard to Mrs. Pierce,

  "Sincerely yours,
  "NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE."

There is another letter from Hawthorne showing the close intimacy that
existed between the two men.

     "I suppose your election to Congress is absolutely certain.
     Of course, however, there will be opposition and I wish you
     would send me papers laudatory and abusive of you. I shall
     read them with great interest, be what they may. It is a
     pity that I am not in a situation to use my pen in your
     behalf though you do not seem to need the assistance of
     newspaper scribblers. I do not feel very well and will
     close my letter here, especially as your many associations
     will not permit you to read a longer one. I shall be happy
     to hear from you as often as you find leisure and
     inclination to write.

     "I observe the paper styled you as Hon. Franklin Pierce.
     Have you already an official claim to that title?

  "Your friend,
  "NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, alias HATH."

And again we find a letter written later.

     "DEAR GENERAL:

     "I deeply regret we are not to have our mountain excursion
     together, and especially grieved that the disappointment
     should be on account of Mrs. Pierce's ill health. As the
     greater part of my pleasure would have been your
     companionship I question whether I shall press the matter
     any farther, although I do not as yet decidedly give up the
     idea.

     "Some spiteful abolitionist took trouble to send to me a
     compendium of abusive paragraphs from the newspapers in
     reference to you, and it seems to me that the best way of
     disappointing his malice was to lay them aside without
     reading one of them, which I accordingly did.

     "With best regard to Mrs. Pierce and most earnest wishes for
     a speedy recovery,

  "Faithfully yours,
  "HATH."

In addition to the Hawthorne letters are some written by Jefferson
Davis, who was a close friend of President Pierce, and who was appointed
by the latter Secretary of War during his administration. The friendship
between Jefferson Davis and President Pierce commenced during the time
when Pierce was a member of the Senate. Mr. Davis thus writes concerning
him to one of his personal friends.

     "Mr. Pierce, then a member of the Senate, sustained every
     cardinal principle asserted by Mr. Calhoun, and there was
     not a member of the Senate who more uniformly voted to
     sustain them. As an auditor I heard the debate, watched the
     votes, and then commenced the affectionate esteem and high
     appreciation of Mr. Pierce which grew and strengthened with
     every succeeding year of his life. The position he then
     assumed clearly indicated the views subsequently expressed
     in the extract you have incorporated in your article.

     "Like many other practical statesmen, he was not disposed to
     disturb the 'Missouri Compromise,' but I have little doubt
     that at any period of his political career he would have
     said that it should have never been adopted. When he saw by
     the legislation of 1850, with which he was no more connected
     than that of 1820, the manifestation of a purpose to assert
     sound political principles and follow more closely the
     Constitution as it was written, he could but rejoice in this
     triumph of the creed he had so bravely defended in 1837-8.

     "The situation made by you from his message of Dec. 1885,
     and especially the closing words of the extract, 'Existing
     or Incipient States,' proved undoubtedly that his
     understanding was that institutions were to be ordained and
     established not by the first adventurers into a wilderness,
     but by organized, self-governing communities, such as the
     people of States, either of the Union or about to enter it.

     "I send back one of the two copies received of the Granite
     Monthly and on the magazine you will find pencil marks
     opposite the passages on which I have ventured freely to
     comment.

  "Truly yours,
  "JEFFERSON DAVIS."

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jefferson Davis were two of his most intimate
friends, men entirely different in standards, political ideas, and life.
The friendship between Hawthorne and Pierce lasted until the death of
the former, May 19, 1864, Pierce being with him much of the time during
his last illness and was by his side when he passed away.

Hawthorne in his "Life of Pierce" tells us: "The administration of
Franklin Pierce presents the only instance in our history of the
continuance of a cabinet for four years without any change in personnel.
When it will be remembered that there was much dissimilarity, if not
incongruity, of character among the members of the cabinet, some idea
may be formed of the power over men that was possessed by Mr. Pierce.
Chivalrous, generous, amiable, true to his friends and faith, frank and
bold in the declaration of his opinions, he never deceived any one, and
if treachery ever came near him, it would have stood abashed in the
presence of his truth, his manliness, and his confiding simplicity."

[Illustration: PLATE LV.--Library, Franklin Pierce House.]

The old Hillsboro house stands to-day unchanged. By its side is a small
building formerly used by the ex-President as a library and it still
contains a part of his books, many volumes of which have been
transferred to the library of the main house.

[Illustration: PLATE LVI.--Sword given by the State of New Hampshire to
President Pierce; Bowie Knife used at Barbecue given at Hillsboro for
Pres. Pierce and Canes presented to him by Notable Personages; Sword
presented by ladies of Concord, to President Pierce.]

This room is a perfect treasure trove, for on the walls hang pictures of
historic value, many of them painted at the order of the late President.
The most valuable collection of all, however, are the autograph letters,
the most important of which are written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and
Jefferson Davis, letters that form a connecting link between the history
of the Civil War and the life of men who made history.




CHAPTER XIV

THE SAVORY HOUSE


We turn to old houses as we turn to old books--for information--for
inside old mansions is generally a wealth of furniture and china, the
history of which has a never-dying charm to the collector and the lover
of the antique. These houses are rapidly passing away, and it is only
now and then that we come across one where furniture may be found that
covers the periods between the Chippendale and the Empire.

One of these old houses, in which there is an especially rich collection
of antiques, is found at Groveland, Massachusetts, and is known as the
Savory house. Let us step over its threshold, and wander through its
rooms, studying the furniture and the periods which they represent.

Here we find many of the works of the great masters: the simple,
dignified charm of Chippendale gives way to the more elaborate and
delicate pieces of Hepplewhite and Sheraton, leading us on to the Adams
period, and ending with the Empire. Examples of all these are seldom
found under the same roof, and to the student of the antique, such a
collection is far more instructive than pictured examples in books.

Much of this old furniture was brought from over the seas about 1800, at
a time when colonial homes were in vogue. Others came with the earliest
settlers. These pieces, however, are rare, for the ships of that day had
but limited capacity, fitted to bring only the bare necessities to
furnish a home. Many of them were rare and unusual bits, and connected
with them are stories of the past, which carry us back to the early
struggles for existence in an untried land.

[Illustration: PLATE LVII.--The Savory House, Groveland, Mass.]

The Peter Parker, or Savory house was built early in the eighteenth
century. It is situated just back from the street, surrounded by
well-laid-out grounds and has preserved intact all its original
characteristics.

The keynote in its construction is a dignified solidity. It represents
an example of careful thought that gives to it an air of quiet elegance
which is rarely seen, even in houses of this same type. It is to be
numbered among the really few genuine old dwellings which date back to
pre-Revolutionary days,--a veritable old home, combining in
construction unusual architectural features.

The house differs much from the square houses of colonial time. It has a
wing-like projection at one side and was designed with two front doors.
This is a departure from the old-time custom of a central porch and is
not without significance, for each door has its own special use.

[Illustration: PLATE LVIII.--Porch and Gateway, Savory House.]

The main porch is in the central part of the house. It is a very
handsome entrance, well proportioned, showing a fan light over the
entrance door. It has for ornamentation a knocker of the ring type. The
second door in the ell was the family entrance. This opened upon a hall
which led to the living-room. On the opposite side of the house is a
small ell, showing domed windows and a handsomely carved entrance. At
the rear is the orchard, where can still be seen some of the fruit trees
that were planted when the house was built. The old-fashioned garden,
with its box-borders and its wealth of old-time flowers so popular in
colonial days, lies at the right of the orchard.

This estate was purchased by one Moses Parker, the great-grandfather of
the present owner, in 1777, for the consideration of one thousand
pounds sterling. The house has sheltered since then five generations of
that name. During its early life, it was the haunt of most of the
prominent men of that time, for the owner was a chosen leader in all
town affairs and was also considered one of the most prominent men of
his day. There was a secret chamber in this house, shut off from the
main part of the building. It is spoken of in the old records and
letters that are still treasured in the family. This was reached from
the outside only, through a secret door, all traces of which have long
since disappeared. In this room were held the most important of the many
Masonic meetings of that day. The little group of men who formed this
secret society, at the time of Groveland's settlement, chose this
meeting-place on account of the privacy of the chamber and the thickness
of the walls enclosing it. There were curious neighbors even in those
days, and secret meetings were a necessity. Where could they better be
held than in this secluded room, beyond the bounds of unwelcome
intruders?

[Illustration: PLATE LIX.--Hallway, Savory House; Chamber, Savory
House.]

The main hallway is reached from the family entrance,--the company door
opening into the large room used in the olden times only on special
occasions, such as a marriage, death, or ministerial calls. This
hallway is unusual: it is panelled and painted white, showing at one
side a quaintly designed staircase. The narrow stairs wind to the
second-story floor by two turns, instead of one. At the foot of the
stairs are two fine examples of the Chippendale type. These are
chairs which formed a part of the wedding furniture of the
great-great-grandmother Parker and were brought over from England by the
emigrant ancestor. They are a rare type of Chippendale, showing the
splat, diamond pierced, and handsome carving. They were made about the
middle of the eighteenth century, before Chippendale began to lose favor
or had any rivals in the field.

On the first landing is a little light-stand, now so rarely seen, which
was designed about 1765, and still holds the guest candles which were
used in colonial days to light the family to bed.

[Illustration: PLATE LX.--China Closet, Savory House; China Closet,
Savory House, where China of Three Generations of Brides is kept.]

[Illustration: PLATE LXI.--Parlor, Savory House; Living Room, Savory
House.]

The old-time parlor opens out of the hallway. It is now in common use,
being converted into the family sitting-room. On one side of the room
is rare and choice woodwork with panel effect, broken in the center by
a deep and wide fireplace, a dominating feature of this homelike
room. The cheery glow of the great oak logs, as they burn on the
seventeenth-century, steeple-topped andirons, fills the imagination
with pictures of the people who lived here many years ago. The furniture
could no doubt unfold many an interesting story: the Dutch table in the
center of the room, for instance, was a part of great-grandmother
Parker's wedding furniture; and the Hepplewhite card-table, designed in
1785, was a part of the first bride's furnishings.

There are Chippendale chairs, with carved rosettes, in low relief,
vis-a-vis with a child's slat-back chair. The carpet, which has always
been in this room, is one of the first ever laid in a Groveland home.

The well-lighted living-room shows many quaint windows with small paned
glass and broad sills. These, during the winter time, are used as
conservatories. Large, built-in cupboards, with glass doors, are filled
with the rarest sets of old-time china. A full set of old Lowestoft,
with the monogram of the bride, was imported from China, arriving just
before the wedding. There is Staffordshire ware of the choicest kind,
and a wealth of English glass. Not a piece has been broken since it was
brought to the house, a century and a half ago.

In this same room are many of the rarest bits of china to be found in
all New England, while in the bookcases which line two sides of the room
are many old books, some of which show the Parker bookplate.

Between the living-room and the dining-room is the den, where, on the
shelves of a built-in cupboard, are wonderful pieces of old pewter.
These date back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a period
when this metal was in vogue for household use. Many of the pieces bear
the excise stamp, a cross and a crown, showing that they are of early
make. The rarest pieces, however, show three distinct stamps.
Fortunately, even though pewter went out of fashion, and was
consequently melted, the family was one of the few who appreciated its
worth, so that not even one piece has ever been destroyed.

Rarely are found even in New England houses such a wealth of closets as
are seen here. They have been carefully built to conform with the
general breadth of construction and low stud that emphasize the interior
finish of this house. In each one is a collection such as would make a
connoisseur envious, for in handing down through the generations, there
has been no division, a fact which gives the collections additional
historic value.

The most interesting room is the dining-room. Here the furnishing has
never been changed. The sideboard is of the Empire period, and on it is
shown wonderful old family silver, including some communion pieces of
rare make. The chairs are of the Windsor type, painted white, with the
exception of one, an old pulpit chair. This was originally used by an
ancestor of the family, who was a pastor of the Groveland church. At the
time of remodelling, it was removed and brought to the Parker home.

A very rare set of Canton ware is on the closet shelves. It differs from
the usual Canton, and is said to be the only set of its kind to be found
in America. The blue is much deeper and richer, and the pattern is
unusual. This set was brought over as a wedding gift in one of the old
Newburyport ships, during the height of commercial prosperity.

There is a peculiar charm and mystery to a house like this, which
endears itself even to a stranger who steps over its threshold for the
first time. It is a revelation of colonial furnishing which is most
interesting. The sturdy old house is both simple and dignified. It
typifies in the best manner the construction of the early days; the
staunchness of its build is evinced in its frame and walls, which are
as sound as when first laid. To-day none of the rooms are unused. The
partition in the secret chamber has been torn down, so that it now
connects with the other rooms.

An unusual feature of the house is its many windows, which give it
abundant light and sunshine. Cheeriness lies in its open fireplaces, one
of which is found in every room of the house. There is no elaboration in
wood-carving, this being perfectly plain, though varying in shape and
design.

The chambers are also furnished with ancestral furniture, and in a room
facing the south is a fine example of an old sleigh-bed, finished in
mahogany veneer. The chairs are of Sheraton make, while the little low
table was designed about the middle of the seventeenth century. In every
chamber in the house four-posters are still seen, some of which are
Field beds, while others have testers. Each room is kept as near as
possible as it was when first occupied by the Parker family.

In the attic under the eaves is a veritable treasure house. Innumerable
hair trunks, studded with brass-headed nails, are filled with beautiful
silken damask gowns, camel's-hair shawls, and rare laces, which were
once worn by the brides. In one of them lies Lady Catherine, a most
wonderful doll, dressed in the fashion of colonial days. Her gown of
fine white mull is yellowed by age, and, as you take her out, she holds
in her hand a letter which tells her name and age. It is over a century
ago since she came into existence, but she has been so carefully
preserved that she is in perfect condition.

The exact date of the erection of this house is not definitely known. It
ante-dated the Revolutionary war, and at the time of its purchase by Mr.
Parker, in 1777, it was considered by the residents of the town as an
old mansion. In build, it resembles the seventeenth century houses,
while in design it is unique and, save for its colonial porches and
fences, might have belonged to an earlier period. It stands to-day a
landmark of the old town, and the touch of time has not marred it with
the air of age.




CHAPTER XV

THE STARK MANSION


There is no more fascinating study, both for historian and architect,
than that of colonial houses: homes that represent an epoch-making
period in our country's history. They are the dividing line between the
early days and the period when we ceased to be colonists, the time when
we secured a firm footing in the land we have made our country.

[Illustration: PLATE LXII.--The Stark Mansion, Dunbarton, N. H.]

One of these old houses stands not many miles from Concord, New
Hampshire. This is the Stark mansion at Dunbarton, a colonial house
which is of especial interest for the reason that under its roof are
gathered the relics of five famous families: the Starks, McNeils,
Wentworths, Morrises, and Pierces. This house is one of the few old
landmarks which still remain in the possession of the descendants
original patentees. More than almost any other house which has historic
connections, this one has been made famous in American history through
two of its owners,--General John Stark and his son, Major Caleb Stark.

One leaves the little railroad station at East Weir, New Hampshire and
drives along country roads to visit the historic place, which is
situated about a mile from the heart of the country village. The grant
itself comprises over one hundred acres, in the midst of a fertile
country, and includes woodland and meadow, orchards and gardens, the
latter in the immediate vicinity of the house. The home lot is in the
very center of the estate, and here the old-time details have been most
carefully preserved.

The grounds are entered through a wide road, lined on either side by
stately trees, whose branches, meeting overhead, form a shaded driveway.
Just before the boundary line is reached, one sees at the right-hand
side of the road a small wooden structure. This is the little old
schoolhouse, where in the days long gone by the neighbors received their
early education. As a memento of those early days, it is still kept
carefully preserved, but unoccupied.

[Illustration: PLATE LXIII.--Old Mill, Stark Homestead.]

The fine country drive stretches on ahead, winding in and out under the
leafy archway. At a sharp turn of the road, is seen at the left,
ensconced among the trees, a picturesque old mill. This was erected
in 1760 for the grinding of grain, being the fulfillment of one
condition of the grant. Here the farmers from far and near brought their
loads of corn to be ground, and it ran uninterruptedly until 1889, when
its voice was stilled. The stream which once ran merrily over the rocks,
turning the great wheel, is now silent, while the mill is fast falling
into decay. Nature has done much to make this one of the most
picturesque parts of the estate.

Keeping to the left, a sweep of the road takes us to the old cemetery,
laid out, as was the custom of the early days, on every large estate. It
is surrounded by an iron fence and is fringed with trees, among which is
a staunch willow which was brought as a slip from the grave of Napoleon
I. It was fittingly planted here, and taking kindly to its new home,
lends additional interest to the historic estate.

Inside the cemetery all of the Stark family lie buried, with the
exception of the emigrant ancestor, Archibald Stark. Passing through the
gates and up a flight of stone steps, a second enclosure is reached.
Here lies Caleb Stark, so famous in American history, and over his grave
a monument is erected to his memory.

Leaving the cemetery and following the wide stretch of road which winds
in and out, with stone walls on either side, we drive through the heart
of a woodland in the direction of the house. The road was bounded by
monarchs of the forest,--tall, lofty trees, many of which bear the mark
of the broad arrow and were known as "King's Trees," being marked in
this manner in the early days, when they were set apart for use in the
royal shipyard. Fortunately the king was cut down by One greater than an
earthly forester, and they still stand to-day in all their
glory,--monuments of the past and ornaments of the present.

In and out winds the wide avenue, between the drooping branches of these
fine old trees, until it reaches the colonial mansion, which is a full
half mile from the wooded entrance. The house is hidden from view, until
the home plot is reached, by the dense foliage. It stands in the center
of a large, open space showing fine lawns and old-fashioned gardens,
bordered by more venerable trees, some of which are worth more than
passing notice. For instance, a certain black walnut, which Major Stark
transplanted from Ohio to its new home, took root here and is now grown
to be one of the finest trees on the estate. Another, a beautiful elm,
was set out by Miss Charlotte Stark, the last owner of the grant.
Ancient button woods, veterans scarred and faithful, still stand as
sentinels to guard the house, while mulberry trees shade the opposite
side of the road. At the rear of the house is the garden, bright with
old-fashioned flowers and fragrant with the odor of the blossoms our
grandmothers loved.

Across the street are the barns. Here is stored many an interesting
relic, including a saddle with silver mountings that was used by
President Franklin Pierce during his term of service in the Mexican War.
In the corner is the queer, old-fashioned, two-wheeled chaise used by
Madam Stark for their annual drive to Portsmouth. In the house is still
preserved the old-fashioned green calash which was worn by Miss Harriet
Stark on this all-important trip.

The house was erected in 1785 by Major Caleb Stark and is known as the
Mansion House. It was modelled after the manor houses of England,
combining stately grandeur and picturesque repose. It is built of wood,
two stories and a half in height, showing dormer windows, a gambrel
roof, and a large, two-storied ell.

Everywhere an old-time atmosphere prevails--from the time one enters
the grounds until the front door is reached. This entrance door is a
curious one, being three inches thick and bearing a handsome brass lock
and knocker which were brought over from England by Major Stark. Over
the door is a row of old bull's-eyes, specimens of early American glass,
green in coloring and rough inside where they were taken from the
molding bar.

[Illustration: PLATE LXIV.--Hallway, Stark Mansion; Parlor, Stark
Mansion.]

The door swings open on large, wrought-iron strap hinges, which extend
two feet each way, and one enters the long hallway. This apartment
divides the house into two parts and ends in a duplicate door at the
rear, which opens upon the old-fashioned garden. During the summer-time
this door is left open, and here, in the cool recess of the hall,
accompanied by the droning of bees and the sweet scents from the posy
beds in the garden below, it is a favorite custom to serve tea in the
long, warm, summer afternoons.

Flowers, books, old-fashioned furniture, and pictures of the choicest
are everywhere. A fine portrait of General John Stark, painted in 1830
by Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, is hung on the
wall at the right. Facing the door another beautiful portrait is seen.
This is of Miss Charlotte Stark and was done by Jane Stuart, the
daughter of Gilbert Stuart. A third picture, which is a fitting
companion for the others, is a portrait of the great American statesman,
Daniel Webster, done by Lawson.

Curious old prints, priceless in value, have their appropriate places on
the wall, and beside them are queer old miniatures. Hepplewhite tables
and chairs are artistically arranged to form the furnishing of this old
hall, while the crowning piece of furniture is the old roll-top desk,
which has drawers underneath. This, as did many of the other ornaments
and furnishings found in this old homestead, belonged originally to
Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution.

The hall opens at the right into an old-fashioned parlor, where hangs a
portrait of the mother of President Pierce. On the table is a
Baskerville Bible, in two volumes, illustrated by valuable prints by old
masters and also once owned by the "Great Financier." A set of Dresden
china, originally in the possession of the first French Minister to
America, and presented by him on his return to France to Mr. Morris, is
kept here. A large mirror, once the property of Robert Morris, fine old
paintings, including those of Governor and Mrs. Pierce, and of
Lieutenant John and Mrs. McNeil, painted over a century ago, a brace of
flint-lock pistols carried by General Stark at the battle of Bennington,
a magnificent, gold-headed cane with the inscription "Robert Morris,
from his friend, John Hancock" are among the relics shown in the
interesting room.

Opening out from the parlor is the den of Mr. Charles Morris Stark, the
present owner, who is of the sixth generation, his maternal grandfather
being Robert Morris. This room is also an interesting apartment,
exemplifying his life as a sportsman.

Opposite the parlor is the library, which is fitted with bookcases
filled with queer and valuable old books, while cosy seats are placed in
the windows. The hearth of stone, as originally made, is still shown in
the fireplace. In this room is placed a cane given to Major Stark for
valiant conduct in the defense of Fort William, and another, made from
the bone of a whale and headed with ivory, is also kept here. Statuettes
in bronze of Napoleon Bonaparte, brought from France and presented to
Major Stark by Lafayette, as well as General McNeil's mahogany desk, are
other mementoes of the past.

Everywhere historic bits are displayed. Especially noteworthy are a fine
old mezzotint of the Duke of Wellington, and one of the Morris mirrors.

[Illustration: PLATE LXV.--Dining Room, Stark Mansion.]

The bright and sunny dining-room, which leads off the library, ends with
a wide fireplace, over which are hung portraits, painted from life, of
Daniel Webster and Jackson. The house is filled with the most beautiful
pieces of old colonial furniture, a rare old sideboard and grandfather's
clock, which were the property of Governor Pierce, being found in the
dining-room. Both of these stood originally in the governor's house at
Hillsboro, New Hampshire.

Opposite the sideboard is a wonderful old wine cooler which belonged to
Robert Morris, while above it hangs a speaking likeness of the man
himself, painted by Gilbert Stuart. This is indeed a rare and beautiful
treasure, as is the framed letter below it, which is addressed to Mrs.
Morris, bearing the date 1790, and signed by both George and Martha
Washington.

Rare old china, a full set of Tokio, together with cut glass presented
to Governor Pierce when he was the chief magistrate of New Hampshire,
are among the treasures in this room. Throughout this old house there is
not a piece of furniture or a bit of china that is not rich in historic
associations. Every room has its large old fireplace, fitted with old
brass and iron fenders and accessories, each of unusual shape. The
hearths are filled with birch logs and pine cones.

Ascending the odd old staircase at the end of the entrance hall, which
winds by low treads to the second-story floor, one finds, lining the
walls, wonderful old ancestral portraits, not only of inestimable value,
but of great public interest.

There are several chambers in this upper story, one of which is of
special note, since General Lafayette slept here during his visit to
Major Stark in 1824. All the furniture in this room, including the high
four-poster, is the same that furnished the room when visited by the
distinguished guest. It has been left unchanged, and is held to-day in
great reverence by the survivors of the Stark family.

The house has always been in the family since its erection and was
occupied by Charlotte Stark previous to its coming into the possession
of the present owners. Miss Charlotte was one of Major Stark's favorite
daughters.

This house, more than most colonial houses, is of abounding interest.
Everywhere within its four walls are treasures which could not be found
elsewhere. It was the home of the brave Indian fighter, John Stark, the
friend of Washington, and later on of Major Caleb Stark, the friend of
Lafayette, who retired at the close of the Revolution, at the age of
twenty-four. Few, if any colonial mansions are filled with such
veritable treasures,--and there are still fewer houses where from five
distinguished families have been gathered relics of such extraordinary
interest, as in this home of long ago.




CHAPTER XVI

THE SALTONSTALL HOUSE


One of the most distinguished of Haverhill families was and is the
Saltonstall family, who are first mentioned in the history of that town
through Nathaniel, who was born at Ipswich and who came to Haverhill and
married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Ward, December 28, 1663; from
this union are descended all the people of that name in America.
Saltonstall is spoken of by Sewall in his diary, where he tells of "Son
Saltonstall comforting me on account of his father-in-law's health;" and
Whittier, in a supposed journey of his heroine, tells of a visit to this
man who later on lived in a fine house.

Saltonstall was in command of the militia in Newbury and many adjoining
towns and is mentioned as among the most popular and well principled
military men. He was judge of the Inferior Court of Pleas for Essex
until his death. Samuel Sewall, who gossiped about everybody, gives us
a little glimpse of this noted man, who was appointed one of the judges
for the trial of witches, but who would not sit upon the case, being
very much dissatisfied with the proceedings.

His grandson Richard became a judge of the Superior Court in 1736, and
it is of him that the celebrated Samuel Moody speaks.

  "Lynde, Dudley, Remington and Saltonstall
  With Sewall meeting at the judgment hall,
  Making a learned, wise and faithful set
  Of Godlike judges by God's counsel met."

Judge Saltonstall had three sons: Colonel Richard, who lived at
Buttonwood, a loyalist and refugee; Leverett, who died in the British
army, and Doctor Nathaniel, who was descended through his mother from
the patriotic Cooke family in Boston. It was he who built the house
which is now situated on the border of Lake Saltonstall in Haverhill,
Massachusetts.

[Illustration: PLATE LXVI.--The Saltonstall House, Haverhill, Mass.]

This mansion is one of the historic houses in Massachusetts. It is a
large, square dwelling, painted yellow with green blinds, showing at the
front a porch ornamented with dentation. The house has never been out of
the possession of the Saltonstall family.

He was a descendant of Sir Richard, who came to America with Winthrop in
the _Arabella_ and helped to form the settlement at Watertown, bringing
with him cattle and servants, showing thereby that he was a man of
property.

Nathaniel Saltonstall, who built this house, was sent to Harvard after
his father's death and was graduated in 1766. He devoted himself to the
study of medicine during the early Revolutionary movements of the Stamp
Act Riot and the Tea Party. Returning to Haverhill against the wishes of
his family, he began the practice of medicine in his native town. Later,
he enlisted as a volunteer in an artillery company, being the only one
of the family who espoused the colonists' cause, but more interested in
establishing a comfortable practice than in war, he soon resigned and
continued his profession.

In 1778 he married the daughter of Samuel White. His father-in-law
presented him with a lot of land on Merrimack Street, and here he built
his residence, at a cost of three thousand dollars, which in that time
gave him the handsomest house in the vicinity. This land abutted on the
river, and was one hundred and fifty feet deep, laid out in terraced
grassland and garden. On July 24, 1788, a contract was made between
Doctor Saltonstall and Marsh and Carleton, joiners, to build the house,
to be completed on or before the first of July of the following year.

In the day book of the young physician, opened in 1774, we note that
many of his patients worked out their indebtedness on the house. One
Enoch Page gave work for nine days, and also helped out upon the
doctor's flax. David Bryant brought him five thousand bricks, and among
the many others who paid in product was Joseph Whittier, the grandfather
of the Quaker poet, who brought a jug of hay, six pounds of butter, and
one and a half bushels of oats, "in full payment of my bill, one pound,
five shillings, and eleven pence."

We also find an entry in the same note-book that in 1774 he received for
services rendered in the town proper a shilling. If he had to cross the
river to Bradford, in 1800, it cost thirty-three cents, and in 1812 the
charge was raised to fifty cents.

The house was wonderfully furnished with fine old furniture, china, and
glass, much of which has descended in the family, and is owned to-day by
the present mistress, Mrs. Gurdon Saltonstall Howe.

In 1806, Doctor Saltonstall's daughter married one John Varnum, who was
the leading lawyer of the town, and was given as her marriage portion a
handsome outfit, a highly respectable sum of money, and one warming-pan,
one silver teapot, one sugar pitcher, one cream pitcher, one jug, twelve
silver spoons, and one brass kettle. Many of these articles are still to
be seen in the old home.

Sally Saltonstall married her neighbor, Isaac R. Howe, who was said to
be descended from the old-fashioned stock, with "beauty of conduct"
which was, alas, even then a little old-fashioned.

As years went by, Haverhill became more thickly settled, and the estate
grew so valuable that it was necessary to move the house. This was no
easy matter in those days, and in order that it might be more
conveniently accomplished, the structure was sawed in two, the separate
parts being carefully boxed in and moved by oxen. The timbers, which
were brought from England, were so strong that although moved for
several miles, not a single part of the frame was started. As the oxen
toiled up the long hill near the Pentucket Club, they became stalled,
and more oxen had to be brought before the building could be finally
landed in its present position.

[Illustration: PLATE LXVII.--Two Views of the Hallway, Saltonstall
House.]

It stands back from the road, facing Lake Saltonstall, in the midst
of green fields, over which are scattered beautiful trees and flower
gardens. Entrance is at the front through a colonial porch, supported by
dignified columns and showing dentation, which is repeated in the
roof-line of the house. The entrance door, with its ponderous brass
knocker, swings back on its long strap hinges, and reveals a wide
hallway which extends entirely through the house to a second door, which
leads to a garden beyond. This door shows plainly the mark of the saw
where it was cut apart at the time of moving, and the scars of the
joining are shown with great pride by the present owners as evidence of
this achievement.

At the right of the entrance is the staircase, showing the spiral newel
post and carved balusters of the early period. The wainscoting is a
feature of this central hall, as is the arch midway between the two
entrance doors. A grandfather's clock ticks off the time, and beyond is
a wonderful old dresser with a rare collection of pewter, showing many
pieces that cannot be duplicated in this country. There is enough of
this metal collected to set an entire dinner table, reminding us of the
days when it was used extensively in this country, before the
introduction of china and glass.

Opening out of this room at the right is the den, where a wonderful
Franklin stove is used for heating. All around the room are pieces of
furniture which are not only historic but have much intrinsic value.

Opposite is the drawing-room, with its let-in window-seats and narrow,
panelled, wooden shutters, locked at night and serving, if need be,
instead of curtains. Many of the chairs found in this room were covered
with wonderful specimens of handiwork done by the wife of Elisha Cooke,
one of Doctor Saltonstall's ancestors, while much of the furniture came
over, as did the timbers, from the mother country, for the first
occupant of the house.

[Illustration: PLATE LXVIII.--Two Views of the Dining Room, Saltonstall
House.]

The dining-room is, perhaps, one of the most attractive rooms in the
house. It is well lighted by small-paned windows and contains
Hepplewhite chairs and side-table. At one side stands a sideboard which
was originally in the possession of Governor John Leverett, who was
Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time of King Philip's War
and who was a friend of Cromwell's, and created baronet and knight by
Charles II in 1676. Governor Leverett was an ancestor of the present
owner. On this sideboard are many pieces of old family silver,
including a tankard which was also owned by the governor.

The fireplace is a true colonial one, showing blue and white tiles two
deep, each illustrative of a Bible story. The upper hall has undergone a
change since it was built through the introduction of low, built-in
bookcases. Here the furniture includes Chippendale chairs of a design
that was very popular all through this period, being of beautiful
proportions and showing fine workmanship.

[Illustration: PLATE LXIX.--Chambers in the Saltonstall House.]

Chambers open off the hallway, each of which contains a great deal of
rare furniture. There are the Field beds with their drapings of white,
some showing testers of 1800. Modern wall-paper and frieze, as well as
the draperies, have been introduced within the last few years, but are
in harmony with the old-fashioned furniture, many pieces of which were
inherited from the maternal side of the family, being the property,
originally, of Middleton Cooke and also of Mary Cooke, third daughter of
Judge Saltonstall and great-granddaughter of Governor Leverett.

The Cookes were a noted family and eminent politicians. Elisha Cooke,
before mentioned, was an assistant under the old government, holding for
forty years many positions of public trust; he was also a noted orator
and politician, a member of the General Court and of the Council, and a
leader of the Public Party.

The Saltonstalls also were a distinguished family, Dudley being in
command of the Continental navy and captain of the _Alfred_ in Hopkin's
fleet in February, 1776, while Gurdon Saltonstall, a governor of
Connecticut from 1707 until his death, was distinguished as an orator
and statesman, and bequeathed to Harvard University one thousand pounds
to students studying for the ministry.

Singularly enough, since the first class graduated from Harvard, there
has always been a Saltonstall connected with the college. This covers a
period of over two hundred and fifty years, and during this time not one
of these men has ever done anything to disgrace his Alma Mater.

Pieces of furniture associated with all three of these distinguished
families are to be found in this house, many of them belonging to the
old governor and handed down in direct line to the present owner.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of all is an old desk which was once
owned by Daniel Webster, who at one time was a law partner of the late
Mr. Gurdon Howe's grandfather. It is filled with valuable papers,
almost all bearing upon different business transactions in the great
statesman's life.

This was brought from Boston at the time that Mr. Howe removed his law
office from that city. One of these documents, a note characteristic of
Daniel Webster, is still treasured.

  "UNITED STATES SENATE, June 3d, ...

     "DEAR SIR:

     "I arrived here last evening and found all well. One of the
     latter trials, as it happened, comes on this very day, or is
     expected to. This may delay me,--otherwise I expect to be at
     home on Saturday. A note enclosed, as this falls due the
     9th. Please do the needful.

  "D. WEBSTER."

The house has stood practically unchanged since the day of building,
some slight changes having been made, but not enough to mar the colonial
architecture. It is large and square, three stories in height, of
simple, dignified proportions, and showing colonial details. The windows
are the small-paned ones that were used in the long ago, with the
exception of one of stained glass, which has been introduced over the
entrance porch. The house is one which reflects the period,--a notable
mansion filled with interesting colonial relics which formerly were
owned by some of the most prominent men in our country.




CHAPTER XVII

THE DALTON HOUSE


Because of the distinctive place that houses of the middle period hold
in the present architectural world, architects from all over the country
are now looking for specimens of these dwellings to which they may turn
for copy. The master builders of that time knew well their art, and
their work is characteristic of us as a nation. Houses of that period,
while comparatively similar in type to those of the old world, yet show
enough variation to make them interesting, and stand in favorable
comparison. There is the large, square house, three stories in height,
which came into vogue early in the nineteenth century. Then there is the
double-decked house with its roof ornamentations, and the plain house of
the purest colonial type, an illustration of the latter being the Dalton
house at Newburyport, Massachusetts.

This house stands on the principal street in Newburyport, a seaport
city, where in the days of commercial prosperity ships lined the
wharves, as they came and went in their traffic with foreign lands.
Those were the days when merchants made and lost fortunes, the days of
golden prosperity and of flashes of romance. To these days we turn as a
most interesting period of our country's architectural history.

In fancy we see the Newburyport of that day, situated on the banks of
the Merrimac River, a breezy old town propped up on a granite base. Its
principal street, three miles in length, overlooked the quays, where in
the olden days vessels arrived from Russia or Antwerp or perhaps from
the West Indies, laden with rich furs, strange wooden shoes, guava
jellies, wonderful old shawls, and many other exports that were piled
high on the now silent wharves.

[Illustration: PLATE LXX.--The Dalton House, Newburyport, Mass.]

On this the principal street stands the Dalton house, two and a half
stories in height, with gambrel roof and a wide, inviting porch--a
mansion that suggests the days when money was piled high in the coffers
and when the prosperous men flaunted their wealth, spending it freely,
not only in frequent entertainments but in equipages that were the envy
of the less fortunate townsmen. There were no more beautiful or
expensive carriages than those owned by Tristram Dalton, who
succeeded his father, Michael Dalton, in the ownership of the house.

When the mansion was first built, there was a spacious estate in keeping
with the house instead of the limited grounds that we see to-day. At the
rear, just back of the courtyard, were large, well-built stables, in
which were sheltered fine horses. Beyond, were gardens and grass lands,
for, when the estate was first planned, it consisted of three acres of
land bounded westerly on Greenleafs Lane, southerly on Nathan Hale's
land, easterly on Newman's land, and northeast or northerly on the land
of James Pierson.

Michael Dalton, who built the house in 1720, was a great-grandson of
Philemon Dalton, who came to New England in 1635. Michael was very
ambitious, and when quite young he left his father's home to engage in a
seafaring life. He made many successful voyages and augmented his wealth
to such a degree that he added greatly to the family possessions. Later
on he became a prominent merchant, and married in 1733 one Mary Little.
His means continuing to increase, he became interested in agricultural
pursuits and bought a country estate at Pipestave Hill at West Newbury.
Just before his death, he deeded his house to his son Tristram Dalton,
who became a prominent figure in American history.

Tristram Dalton was graduated from Harvard in 1755. There is still seen
in the house a portrait supposed to have been painted at about that
time. One of his closest intimates was a classmate, John Adams, their
friendship ending only with death. Young Dalton began studying law in
Salem but afterwards entered business with his father; in 1758 he
married Ruth Hooper, the daughter of Robert Hooper, a rich merchant of
Marblehead, familiarly known as "King" Hooper on account of his great
wealth. Until within the last few years there was a pane of glass in one
of the windows, on which was written with a diamond the name of Ruth
Hooper Dalton. It is still preserved and from letters kept is shown to
be a perfect facsimile of her handwriting.

During his life, he became devoted to public interests and was a very
prominent citizen of the town, the State, and nation. He served on
numerous town committees, was a delegate to the Provincial Congress, a
representative of the General Court, a Speaker of the House, a member of
the State Senate and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of
1788, being a zealous advocate of the adoption of the Constitution. He
was ever active and energetic in his many efforts to reconcile political
differences. So successful was his political life that after a long and
sharply contested battle he was elected senator from 1789-1791.

He came of Irish descent and was considered one of the most learned,
wealthy, and influential persons in the country. He was a near and
confidential friend of President Washington, who induced him to remove
his household goods to the city of Washington, foreseeing that it would
eventually become one of the grandest cities in the country. There is a
portrait of Dalton painted by Blackburn, that is still kept in the
house, which shows him tall and well-formed, with fine, clear complexion
and smooth, open brow. His dress was after the fashion of the time, with
short clothes and knee breeches, coat with standing collar and broad
deep lapels faced with silk, white satin waistcoat, ruffled shirt bosom,
and deep lace cuffs. That he was fond of dress is shown from the
picture, his hair was puffed on either side, giving him an appearance of
dignity and age, and making it difficult to believe that the portrait is
of one so young. He was a fine specimen of a gentleman of the old
school and was well fitted to take a leading part in the best New
England societies. The distinguishing traits of his personality
continued all through his life, for even as late as 1816 we read of him
as erect, firm, and showing a fine presence. He was a man of emotions
rather than of ideas, the warmth and sincerity of his feelings lifting
him above all personal considerations and giving him that elevation and
nobility of character that appeals so strongly to one's affections.

At that period the Dalton house was noted for its hospitality, and many
men of national and world-wide fame, whose portraits hang upon the walls
to-day, were entertained therein. Stately hospitality continually opened
the door of this dwelling, to which had been brought from the
treasure-laden ships embroidered shawls, sheer muslins, and bright silks
for the ladies, as well as rich furniture for the house. During the
Daltons' life here, their house was a perfect treasure-house of
wonderfully fine old furniture, now generally scattered among the
descendants; but there are still kept in the mansion some wonderfully
fine specimens of Hepplewhite chairs, originally owned by the Daltons.

They were lavish entertainers, these Daltons, and it was here that
Washington came during a visit to Newburyport. He later writes that he
partook of an early breakfast at the home of his friend, Honorable
Tristram Dalton, on State Street. While he was being entertained at this
meal, an imperative voice was heard in the hallway demanding entrance to
the dining-room. Washington recognized the voice of his old servitor,
Toffee, and requested that he be admitted. The most cordial greeting
took place between the two, and the old commander gave to Toffee a
silver piece which the servant wore about his neck all the rest of his
life. It must have been an early breakfast, for Washington left town at
eight o'clock in the morning, crossing the river at Salisbury, two miles
above. This was no uncommon deviation for the president, as we find that
while visiting New England he was often entertained at the houses of
private citizens and personal friends.

In addition to George Washington, President Monroe, Talleyrand,
Jefferson in 1784, Lafayette in 1824, John Quincy Adams, and John
Hancock were also among the personages of note who accepted the
hospitality of this house.

On September 13, 1775, Colonel Benedict Arnold, at the head of his
troops, left Cambridge, dining at Mr. Tristram Dalton's on the Monday
following, before sailing from Newburyport to aid in the capture of
Quebec. The fleet consisted of eleven sailing vessels, which carried
eleven hundred men.

In those days lavish wealth blazed in the town, and the owner of the
Dalton house made the people sigh as he drove into town or to his
country-seat at Pipestave Hill in his white satin lined coach drawn by
six prancing white horses, with four outriders in white livery. Inside
were such guests as Talleyrand, George Peabody, and even that eccentric
personage, Lord Timothy Dexter, who had the ambition to figure in
genteel society and cultivated as much as possible the society of
Dalton. His coaches and open phaetons drawn by two or three spans of
horses with the liveried outriders, after the style of the nobility of
Europe, were more magnificent than were those of any other citizen of
the town. His sideboards were weighted with silver, and his chests
filled with money, for the incoming ships brought back great bags of
gold realized by the sale of cargoes in foreign lands, and large amounts
of money were kept in the house by the merchant princes of that day.

In addition to his large house in Newburyport, and his country-seat at
Pipestave Hill, Mr. Dalton had his fishing station, with boats and
outfits, on the banks of the Merrimac, while his hunting-lodge was in
the upper woods of West Newbury. All his surroundings were of a princely
nature, befitting the fortune that he owned.

Many were the weddings that took place here, among them being that of
Mary, the eldest daughter of Tristram Dalton, who, upon her marriage to
Honorable Leonard White of Haverhill, "drove out" in the large white
satin coach drawn by six prancing white horses with four white-liveried
outriders. Later on, her sister Ruth married Louis Deblois, a prominent
Boston merchant, leaving her home in the same coach.

The house itself is one of the best preserved buildings of that day. It
has never deteriorated, always being occupied by people of wealth. With
the growth of building in the town, the estate has become reduced, until
there is now very little of the original tract left. The courtyard has
disappeared, as have the expensive stables, for with the dwindling of
wealth the need of them has vanished. The house, which was built in
1720, is of gambrel-roof type and a fine example of that period. The
blinds are the same ones that were hung at the time when Michael Dalton
built the house. Its façade, the lines of which are dignified, seems
beaming with welcome.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXI.--Porch, Dalton House.]

Entrance to the house is through a colonial porch of ample dimensions,
showing dentation, which is supported by Corinthian columns; the hall is
lighted by a fanlight and sidelights on either side the wide, hospitable
door. The exterior is painted white, as it always has been. A feature of
the house is the wide clapboards. The original small-paned windows have
been kept, so that the exterior remains practically unchanged. Who the
carver was is unknown. It must be remembered that in those days ship
carvers were employed to work upon the ornamentation of the ships, so
that it was probably some one employed by the Daltons on their vessels
who designed and carried out the carving of the woodwork, both on the
exterior and in the interior.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXII.--Lower Hall, Dalton House; Upper Hall,
Dalton House.]

The entrance door gives into a large hall with wonderfully fine
panellings on either side. Each of the three balusters has a different
design. The stairs are box stairs leading by low treads to a wide
landing, where a colonial window admits a flood of light to the hall. A
second low flight of stairs leads to the second story, where the hall
corresponds with the lower one. It is here the Hepplewhite chairs are
found and also a wonderful picture of the late Tristram Dalton, painted
later in life than the one already mentioned. The woodwork in this house
is considered the finest to be found in any house in Newburyport. The
hall is finished in panel effects, but the door-casings and the
fireplaces in many instances show rich hand-carving.

The house contains twenty-five rooms, sixty cupboards, and ample halls,
and yet even then was scarcely large enough to accommodate the Dalton
family, their many guests, and their servants. Many of the latter were
slaves, who in those days were kept in the household. One of them was
buried on Burying Hill in Newburyport, and on a stone placed at the head
of his grave is carved "Faithful Pompey."

[Illustration: PLATE LXXIII.--Fireplaces, Dalton House.]

The living-room, or drawing-room as it was called in those days, is a
large, square room that is at the left of the hallway. In this room are
shown the pictures of many of the distinguished guests who in former
years were visitors at the house and intimate friends of the owner. The
fireplace is a large one, the woodwork hand-carved, and in the large
panels above has been inserted the Dalton coat of arms. The windows are
recessed, showing window-seats; each one has the hinged shutter such as
was used in the early days for security, being closed and barred every
night. These are still used in this same way in this mansion to-day. A
feature of this room is the fine wood-carving shown in the casing of the
door. At one side, hanging on the wall, is a scrap of the old wall-paper
that once adorned the wall. It is of seventeenth-century pattern, with
garlands, and is finished in light colors and pink groundwork, a
delicate and most unusual wall-paper. This is the only room in the
house, so far as is known, which was covered with the old-time
wall-paper.

At the right are double parlors which may have been used for
dining-room, or living-room and dining-room, combined. Here are also
found wonderful panellings, but very little of the elaborate
hand-carving. All of the wood in this house, as in most of the houses of
the same period, is of white pine, for this wood is considered one of
the best wearing kinds that has ever grown. The timbers are of solid oak
and are as staunch as they were in the days when the house was built. In
these rooms have been entertained the dignitaries of the land, while in
the parlor were celebrated the marriages of the daughters of the
household.

The mansion has an atmosphere of attraction and spaciousness rarely
found in houses of this description. It is shown in the abundance of
light and in the arrangement of the rooms, which have been planned for
elaborate entertaining. At the rear of the house are the servants'
quarters. The large, old-fashioned fireplace, where in former days the
cooking for the Dalton family was done, is now a thing of the past,
modern appliances having replaced the spit and the large brick oven. The
ell of the house, a part of which was removed, was originally nearly as
large as the main portion. It was once used exclusively for servants'
quarters, and even then was barely large enough for the enormous retinue
that was needed to run the Dalton household.

Up-stairs the rooms correspond to the large ones downstairs, with the
exception that on the right-hand side a partition divides what was
formerly a large room into two smaller ones. These rooms still show the
same fine panelling, the old-time brass locks and hardware that were
features of the house at the time of its building. They have never been
replaced by modern fixtures.

The third story was used for guests' rooms, the slope of the roof being
eliminated by boarding the gambrel roof so as to make square chambers.
The old chimneys, six feet square, have been taken down, and small ones
have replaced them. The railing of this house, which was originally a
two decker, has been removed and while not materially changing its
appearance, still gives it a little different look. An iron fence has
been substituted for the old paling fence which once enclosed the
grounds, while new posts have replaced the old ones. The courtyard is
grassed over, also the space between house and fence, and a wide, paved
stone walk leads to the entrance porch. In 1796 this house was sold,
together with Dalton's other residences, after he had been defeated for
re-election, a serious disappointment, although his letters written at
the time do not show any signs of anger or ill-nature.

The Pipestave Hill Great Farm residence was sold for thirty-seven
hundred pounds, while his land on State Street brought a much lower sum.
The house was practically cleared of all the Dalton furniture, the
household goods being carefully packed and shipped on a sailing vessel
bound to Georgetown, District of Columbia. During the voyage the vessel
was wrecked, and a part of his household belongings were thus lost.
Since then the house has passed into various hands. Fortunately the
different owners venerated the old homestead and it has been carefully
preserved, so that notwithstanding its many years of life, it is
practically in perfect condition.




CHAPTER XVIII

THE KITTREDGE HOUSE


Among the most prominent delegates to the convention that was summoned
by the Legislature to meet in Boston, in 1787, to take under
consideration the perfecting of the National Constitution, we find
heading the list one Doctor Thomas Kittredge of North Andover, a
prominent gentleman and one whose loyalty has never been questioned.

North Andover lies to the north of the town of that name and was
originally known as the North Parish. It was divided from the original
town in 1709. Previous to that it had been reserved for inland
plantations, all persons who settled there having three years' immunity
from taxation. During that period farms were cultivated, dwellings
erected, and the church built, where doctrines most severe were meted
out, those neglecting to attend meeting for three months being publicly
whipped. The houses erected in this village, with the exception of a
very few, were not distinguished for architectural beauty or for fine
or costly furniture. Of the better class only a few remain. Prominent
among these is the Kittredge mansion, which is typical of the highest
development of colonial architecture in the early part of the eighteenth
century. The owner was not only one of the ablest surgeons of the
Revolutionary army, but a public-spirited citizen, a capable officer,
and the ancestor of a line of surgeons and physicians who have done most
important things in the community.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXIV.--The Kittredge House, Andover, Mass.]

The fine old house at Andover is closely associated with the history of
the family in this country. It is a large, square mansion, three stories
in height, crowning the crest of a hill. It is situated far back from
the main road, a terraced lawn reaching down to a colonial fence that
surrounds the entire estate. Entrance is through a picket gate that
swings between dignified colonial posts and which gives into a path
leading by terraces straight to the house, at the rear of which the
grounds extend for many acres. On them are large barns, which provide
ample space for cattle.

The house has sheltered many generations of the same family. It was
built in 1784 by the doctor, who was one of the third generation in
America, a son of Doctor John Kittredge, who came to North Andover from
Tewksbury about 1741. At the time of his settlement, this Doctor John
Kittredge purchased large tracts of land, covering the entire site of
the present village, and lived in an old farmhouse which has only
recently been torn down.

Doctor Thomas Kittredge was one of three sons. He secured a portion of
the holding from his father about 1745, and on it he erected what was
considered to be the second finest house that had been built in that
section of the country. It was so dignified and impressive that it was
surpassed only by the residence of Joshua Phillips, whose mansion was
situated in the so-called South Parish of the town. In its construction
skilled labor was employed, as was shown by the fine hand-carving around
the fireplaces in many of the important rooms of the house. The site
occupied originally many acres, including what was once known as the old
training field. It was here, in the early period of our history and
before the estate was used for private grounds, that the early militia
were wont to gather on Muster Day, dressed in the picturesque old-time
uniform. Here they performed wonderful feats of skill that were viewed
by the country folk for many miles around.

On these same grounds was the first Kittredge mansion, and not far away
were the slave quarters, significant of the fact that the owner of the
old homestead was a man of means and also that he owned many slaves, as
was customary in those days among the wealthier class in Massachusetts.
To-day the old quarters have disappeared, and only tradition hands down
the many stories connected with their past.

The immediate surroundings of the present mansion are very much the same
as when it was erected so many years ago. There have been some
improvements, however, since the time when the great housewarming took
place, an important event in those days and attended by friends and
neighbors for miles around.

The dignified house is well proportioned, fitting picturesquely into its
surroundings. The main portion is square of build; in each corner a
massive yet graceful pilaster shows hand-carving wonderfully fine in
design. The windows have retained their small panes and show carved
cornices. These, by their formal appearance, lend an additional dignity
and carry out the scheme of simplicity evident in the handsome,
well-proportioned porch, which is a feature of the home.

The main approach is through the quaint gateway in the center of the
colonial fence. This gives upon a narrow path leading between
tree-dotted grass plots to the main entrance. This entrance is
characterized by finely carved columns that prove an admirable foil to
the door of dark, panelled wood, flanked on either side by narrow lights
of glass and ornamented with a colonial knocker of the hammer type. From
this porch one obtains a most extensive view of the surrounding country,
for picturesque vistas are found on every side.

The heavy door swings back on its strap hinges and the visitor finds
himself in a wide, large hallway extending entirely through the house,
dividing it in two. The interior remains unchanged, and the lofty
ceilings, the great hallway, and broad staircases are in contrast to the
small entry and narrow, winding stairs found in many colonial dwellings.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXV.--Hallway, Kittredge House.]

As one steps into the great hall, with its handsome, panelled woodwork
and old-fashioned furniture, he feels no jarring note. The deep cornice
showing dentation affords a correct finish to the soft-toned hangings
which divide it from the wainscot. To the left and right lead fine,
large, square rooms filled with the rarest models of Chippendale,
Hepplewhite, and Sheraton.

The colonial staircase with its fine, hand-carved newel-post and
balusters is at the left of the hallway. The stairs are boxed, the
risers low, and the treads wide. Half-way up is a wide landing, lighted
by a fine example of a colonial window, showing an arched top. Through
this the sunlight streams upon an old grandfather's clock, which has
steadily ticked off the hours since placed there in the early days when
the house was first furnished.

A short flight of steps that turn at the right leads to the second-story
hall, which corresponds in size and finish to the one below. It is
finished with wonderful examples of the old masters' pieces shown in
Sheraton and Chippendale design. No modern touch has been introduced to
rob this home of its colonial atmosphere, and everywhere are found rich
relics of a distinguished past.

The house is divided into four large rooms on the entrance floor. Here
one discovers a perfect treasure trove of antiques, for in addition to
wonderful furniture, there is some of the finest china to be found in
the country.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXVI.--Living Room, Kittredge House; Parlor,
Kittredge House.]

[Illustration: PLATE LXXVII.--Soapstone Fire Frame, Kittredge House
Fireplace, Kittredge House.]

At the right is the living-room, where the woodwork shows wide panels,
the fireplace having an old-time, soapstone fire-frame. Every piece of
furniture is of the colonial type, the sofas being of the Empire period,
and the chairs of Sheraton, showing rush bottom and often known as fancy
chairs. A wonderful old cabinet is filled with relics such as are rarely
found, even in a colonial home.

The parlor is on the opposite side of the hallway; the woodwork around
the fireplace in this room is hand-carved, with baskets of flowers for
the center ornamentation, and festoon effects on either side. It has a
facing of tiles, on which are depicted Biblical scenes. The woodwork
shows well planned panelling, with a deep cornice above the quaint wall
hangings. The recessed windows are fitted with built-in seats and the
old-time shutters which were originally used as safeguard against the
Indians.

Every piece of furniture is a genuine antique, the Hepplewhite with the
favorite shield or heart-shaped back and straight legs, and the cozy
arm-chair of Sheraton design known in this country as "Martha
Washington," owing to the fact that one of this design was included in
the furnishings at Mt. Vernon, all being choice examples. Equally as
interesting as these fine bits is a quaint, old bronze lamp, 1820, with
lusters and glass shades. The Roundabout Chippendale chair, and the
center table, with its thin top, plain tripod, and ball feet, are
typical of those designed about the first of the nineteenth century.

In the dining-room, which opens from the rear of the hallway, the same
dignified simplicity is a dominant feature. The furnishing of mahogany,
the china cupboards, and the rare pieces of Chippendale and Sheraton are
worthy of their attractive setting. The fireplace, with its exquisite
carving, brings into relief the fine lines of the mantel above. Rare old
pewter, silver, and exquisite bits of Sheffield plate are found in the
deep closets in this room.

The second story is in keeping with the good taste displayed on the
lower floor. The furnishings here are antique also, including some of
the best examples of four-posters to be found in New England. The
fireplaces vary from the Franklin stove, to the large, open fireplaces
of our grand-dames' time, with broad spaces of panelled woodwork; the
white finish, mellowed to ivory tones, affords a suitable background for
the wonderful old pictures.

The house as a whole typifies the highest ideals of a bygone period. No
modern touch is allowed to mar the beauty of its simple dignity. Never
since its erection has it been out of the family. As before stated, the
builder was one of three sons, all physicians. There was also a sister
Elizabeth, who inherited medical ability to such a marked degree that
she took charge of her father's patients, and after her marriage and
removal to Londonderry, New Hampshire, was frequently called upon to
assist at surgical operations. There is a story extant relating to her
visit to a patient during a dark night. While on her way she slipped and
fell, breaking her leg. Nothing daunted, she set the bone herself, and
so well did she do it that she suffered no serious inconvenience from
her mishap.

Doctor Thomas Kittredge commenced his practice in Andover about 1775. At
the commencement of the Revolution, he enlisted in the Continental army,
rendering very valuable services as surgeon in Colonel James Fry's
regiment. Of him it has been well said that he had more natural skill
than any man in the country. A dignified and commanding gentleman, he
enjoyed unusual facilities for aiding the sick and the wounded, not
only through his wealth, which allowed him to procure for them many
delicacies, but through the services of his brother-in-law, Major Samuel
Osgood, who was in charge of the department of supplies.

His father, while not taking an active part in the work, did much for
the welfare of the soldiers who were sent home to recuperate. He
frequently kept them in the old house for many months, or until they had
fully recovered their health.

At the close of the Revolution, Doctor Thomas served a long term in the
Legislature, and his sterling character and fine intellect combined to
make him one of the most valued members of this learned body of men. The
last act of his life was in keeping with the kindly traits that had
always distinguished him and had made him generally beloved. He
encountered at the roadway a man coming from afar, with yet many miles
to go before his destination was reached. Noticing the worn-out
condition of the horse he rode, the doctor commanded the animal to be
installed in his own barn and offered the stranger the use of one of his
horses that he might continue on his way. The next morning the borrowed
animal was sent home, but the kindly master who had so graciously
loaned him was not present to note his return, having passed quietly
away in his sleep during the night.

In his day slavery was countenanced in Massachusetts, and the affairs of
the colored servants, however trivial, were attended to by the good
doctor and his wife, who were ever thoughtful of the interests of their
slaves. The raising of the great house, known as the Kittredge mansion,
was a source of great rejoicing among those servitors, and one of the
slaves, Cæsar by name, held in his arms the baby of the family, Doctor
Joseph Kittredge, first, then nine months old, that he might be able to
say, when he was a man grown, that he was at the raising.

There were many incidents in which the slaves afforded the doctor great
amusement, particularly one which occurred when Cato was about to be
married. The family and guests were gathered in the parlor, and Doctor
Sims, the pastor of the church, was asked to officiate. Cato had been
presented for the occasion with a suit of small-clothes, and half a
crown for a wedding fee. He was very much impressed with the
responsibility of the money, but he could not determine when or where
the fee was to come in. This led him to keep his ears and eyes wide
open, watching the minister's every word and action. The ceremony
concluded, Doctor Sims said in a solemn voice: "Let us pray," stretching
out his hand as he spoke. The nervous bridegroom understood it as "Let
us pay," and he thrust his hand hastily into his pocket and brought out
the half-crown, placing it in the minister's hand before the voice of
supplication showed him that the summons was to "pray" and not to "pay."

Doctor Joseph Kittredge succeeded to his father's practice in 1818. He
married Miss Hannah Hodges of Salem, and two of their sons were educated
for the medical profession,--Doctor Joseph Kittredge, second, and Doctor
John Kittredge. The first named succeeded his father in practice and was
a highly respected and beloved physician of North Andover until his
death in 1878. Two of his sons are doctors, Doctor Thomas Kittredge of
Salem, and Doctor Joseph Kittredge, third.

The standard of hospitality established by the builder has been rigidly
adhered to through all the passing years, and more especially during the
summer season the old rooms re-echo with the merry chatter of gay young
voices, much as they did in the olden days.




CHAPTER XIX

THE ROYALL HOUSE


The types of mansions described in this book are found not only in New
England but through the South. They show marked differences, which give
to them picturesqueness and absence of monotony in build. In studying
these homes, we must remember that master carpenters were steadily
gaining opportunities to brighten their wits by books dealing with
architecture, which were being imported into the colonies. We must also
remember that increase of wealth had brought about more advantages, and
that the nation was demanding better and more elaborate homes.

With change in exterior came a corresponding one in the interior.
Transatlantic ideas were incorporated in the newer homes. There came a
progress in the interior finish, showing artistic staircases, colonial
windows, and hand-carving in mantel and cornice. Thus was introduced a
new and lasting development along architectural lines.

With the larger houses many features of the original ones were
discarded. There was no longer the wide central chimney around which the
rooms clustered. We find no longer in the chimney-places bricks set in
clay, and lathes split from logs, but better and more lasting work. The
wood commonly used in these old houses was white pine, which is not so
common to-day, although there is nothing more lasting.

Unfortunately, not many of these mansions have survived, many having
fallen into decay and disappeared. There are, however, enough left to
aid the growth of colonial ideas in twentieth century homes.

One of these houses that deserves more than passing notice stands on
Main Street in Medford, Massachusetts, "a house within a house," and is
called the Royall house. It is the only building standing on this land,
which is known as "The Ten Hills Farm." This estate, with additional
grounds, was granted to Governor Winthrop in 1631, and as early as 1637
the homestead lot was set apart and walled in. Not long afterward we
find that tenants and employees of the governor were located here, the
Royall house being one of their places of abode.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXVIII.--The Royall House, Medford, Mass.]

The original mansion, which was two and a half stories in height, was
much plainer and smaller than is the present one. Since its erection it
has been raised one story, and the present house has been made to
enclose the original structure. Among the old houses that are still
standing, few have the dignity and stateliness of this mansion, and its
roof has sheltered some of the most important men and women connected
with our country's history.

The estate is situated on the western side of the main road of what was
then known as Mead's Ford, from which the town of Medford derived its
name. It was owned by John Winthrop between 1641 and 1645, becoming the
property of his son, John Winthrop, Jr., after this period. It was
purchased of the Winthrops by Mrs. Elizabeth Lidgett, who made it over
to her son Charles. He, however, being an adherent of Andros, was
ordered to leave the province, together with the unpopular governor.

The house at that time was two and one half stories in height, with
dormer windows in the attic. There were two rooms on each floor, and the
dimensions over all were eighteen by forty-five feet, the west, north,
and south walls being of brick.

Lieutenant-governor John Usher, brother-in-law of Colonel Lidgett, came
into possession of the house through the entanglement of its owner in
lawsuits. During his possession he enlarged it by building a lean-to on
the west side, leaving the original brick wall to form a partition
between the eastern and western rooms.

By careful inspection of this brick work on the south side of the
building, one can follow the original outline of the gable end. There is
a little window in the lean-to, differing in finish from the two others
above it and yet not in line with them. This directs the attention to
the second period in the evolution of this historic mansion.

Lieutenant-governor Usher was Councilor and Treasurer of Massachusetts
under Andros. He married the daughter of Peter Lidgett, and later on
married for a second wife the daughter of George Allen, who bought the
New Hampshire grants from the heirs of Mason. This home on the Mystic
was a favorite resort of the Tories but the last of the governor's life
was surrounded by business troubles and lawsuits, in which he was most
unsuccessful. In fact, before his death, he put his farm out of his own
control, the deed to be returned to his widow at the time of his death.

In 1732, nine years later, Isaac Royall, who owned a large plantation in
Antigua in the Leeward Islands, a man of considerable means, purchased
the estate, and it has since borne his name. At the time of its purchase
it embraced five hundred and four and three quarters acres and
twenty-three rods of land, and the house and grounds were bought for
£10,230 10_s._ 9_d._

Isaac Royall was a wealthy man; he brought to the estate twenty-seven
slaves, for whom he paid as head-tax, five pounds each, the slaves
acting as his body servants and coachmen. Immediately work was started
on remodelling the whole building, and it took five years to complete
it. The house was made three stories high throughout. Barns were laid
out; the slave quarters and summer-house were built, and a high wall
enclosed the grounds from the highway. This was broken by a low wall and
a fence that ran directly in front of the house. In those days an
elm-shaded driveway led from the main road to a paved courtyard that was
on the west side of the house, its picturesqueness enhanced by
flower-bordered walks that reached from the mansion on the west to the
summer-house, and on the east to the road.

The house was clapboarded on the north side, panelled and embellished
with hand-carving, on the garden side, while the street front was not
greatly changed. It is to-day in fine repair and probably contains the
only slave quarters to be found in Massachusetts. There is still to be
seen in the interior the original fireplace where the slaves did their
cooking; the brick portion of this was built in 1732, while the wooden
part is much older. An arch of masonry underneath the fireplace is one
of the largest in existence and is used as a support for this portion of
the building.

At the west of the house is an extensive courtyard with a foundation of
cobblestones. Here, in olden days, Royall's chariot, the only one north
of Boston, with four horses, would come rolling up to the side door to
leave the guests. This led to the erroneous idea that the western side
of the house was the front.

The Royalls were descended from William Royall, who came to Salem with
Governor Craddock; during the time he lived here it was a rallying place
for social life, no one of importance riding by without alighting. It
was the scene of many a merrymaking and was the show place of the town.

At the end of the garden was the summer-house that is still carefully
treasured, being octagonal in shape, with carved pilasters, bell-shaped
roof, and cupola surmounted by a winged Mercury that swings with the
breeze, and was used as a weather-vane. This figure is a fine piece of
carving that stands nearly five feet high. The summer-house stood on an
artificial mound, within which was a walled cellar which was entered by
a trap-door, adding great mystery to the structure. Tradition states
that this was a prison for slaves, but it is more practical if less
romantic to believe that it was used for storage purposes. This
summer-house, with its arched windows and the tender sentiments
scratched upon the woodwork, was a pleasant place in all weathers except
the more severe.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXIX.--Doorway, Royall House.]

The architecture of the house is interesting. The doorway on the east is
the true entrance door, showing Corinthian columns, while the Georgian
porch at the west, supporting Ionic columns, is also considered a fine
bit of architecture.

There can be but little doubt that a house showing the dignity of
exterior of the Royall house must have equally good interior woodwork.
One realizes before opening the colonial door that he will see inside a
fine old staircase, richly carved newel-post and balusters. The carving
in this house as well as others of its type is not confined to the
capitals that adorn its architraves.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXX.--Hallway from the Rear, Royall House.]

The long hallway extends the entire length of the house, with doors at
either end. The stairway is on the eastern side facing the entrance, and
is approached through an arch showing fine hand-carving. The balusters
are carved in three different designs, while the newel-post is a
combination of the three, one carved within the other. The staircase
leads by low treads to the second-story floor. It is made under the old
stair-builders' rule:

  "Twice the rise plus the tread equals twenty-five,
    Then cut on the string."

There is no stucco work either in the hallway or in any other part of
the house, and the wood throughout is pine.

At the right of the hallway are double parlors, the western one being
finished in wood which shows wonderful hand-carving done in 1732, and is
lighted by arched windows. The outside shutters remain just as they were
all through the lower part of the house when remodelled. The fireplace
is finished in old Mulberry Dutch tiles and contains Hessian andirons,
which differ from those generally seen in that they face each other.
These andirons came into vogue just after the Revolution and were used
to support backlogs.

The eastern parlor is reached through folding-doors, which mask the
original walls of the Winthrop House. These rooms, during the Royalls'
reign, were used for many social events. The old wing arm-chair with
Dutch legs came in about 1750. The silk-embroidered, Chippendale
fire-screen shows beautiful, mythological pictures, while the old,
steeple-topped brass andirons display to advantage the Mulberry tiles of
1847 and also the quaint old fireback. On the wall hangs a picture of
Isaac Royall, who gave money to Harvard College to found the Royall
Professorship of Law which was the foundation of the Harvard Law School.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXI.--Spinning Room, Royall House.]

During the life history of the house, nineteen marriages have taken
place in these rooms, one of them being that of the oldest daughter,
Elizabeth Royall, to Sir William (Sparhawk) Pepperrell. Here also
Penelope Royall married Henry Vassall of Cambridge, uncle of the builder
of the Longfellow House and of Christ Church. Vassall and his wife are
the only ones buried under the church. It was during their life here
that Agnes Surriage, according to Abigail Adams' diary, came to the
house frequently with Henry Frankland.

The dining-room which is opposite the double parlors is at the present
time being restored to the Royall period and will include much of the
rare old panelling and fine hand-carving that are shown all through the
house, as well as quaint closets.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXII.--Kitchen Fireplace, Royall House.]

The kitchen contains many old relics. Among them is the Porter sign
which was used in Medford Square in 1769, on the Royall Oak Tavern. The
New Hampshire soldiers had such an intense feeling against the English
sign that before the battle of Bunker Hill they fired against it in
anger, the bullet marks being still plainly seen. In this kitchen, also,
is kept the first fork in the colony, brought over by Governor Winthrop,
also candle-dips made over one hundred and twenty-five years ago by the
old process of taking wicks of twine and dipping them in fat in a cold
room.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXIII.--Chambers in the Royall House.]

The chambers are, many of them, most interesting. Several of them show
quaint tiles. One of them, the northeast chamber, has a wonderful old
fireplace with sixty ancient Bible tiles, many of them original. These
depict different scenes in Bible stories, such as Cain slaying his
brother with his left hand, the whale and Jonah, Mary and Joseph
fleeing into Egypt.

The southeast chamber shows a great deal of the old Winthrop panelling.
This was transferred when Royall reconstructed the building. Here, as in
the northeast chamber, are wonderful old tiles, the Royall house
boasting more of the best specimens of that early period than any other.

Everywhere through the house we find indications of the luxury
introduced by the wealthy Royalists. All of the rooms are large, with
high ceilings and wide windows showing inside shutters. The hand-carving
is especially noticeable, being beautifully done and most original in
design.

In the guest room, or marble chamber as it is generally known, cornices
or moldings are exquisitely carved. There is one panelling over the
fireplace that is three feet wide and five feet long, while the
thickness of the walls is shown by the width of the window-seats. Each
window is enclosed in an alcove, and some of them retain the original
glass.

It is said of Isaac Royall, second, that his love of display and his
liking for good things were known throughout the town. He was one of
the most hospitable citizens, giving the finest of dinners to his
friends, the Vassalls, who occupied the Craigie House, the Olivers, and
other citizens of Tory Row, besides dignitaries of Church and State. His
wines were the best, his horses and carriages the most stylish, and it
was said of him that he was one of the most eccentric men in the colony.
He kept a journal describing minutely every incident and every visitor,
even going so far as to tell what slippers he wore. His ambitions were
political, but he was never very prominent.

At the outbreak of the Revolution, Isaac Royall left the house, and his
estate was taken under the Confiscation Act. Finding that the place was
deserted by a hated Tory, it was made a lawful retreat for the
Continental army, and used by Colonel John Stark for headquarters. He
lived there with his officers, and his regiment was quartered near by.
In the old summer-house were held many councils of war, and from here
the troops went forth to fight at the battle of Bunker Hill.

During the time that General Stark and his wife lived here, which was
over a year, they entertained a great deal. Molly was a most loyal wife.
At the time of the evacuation of Boston, it was said that she went to
the top of the stairs leading to the roof above the attic after her
husband had marched to Dorchester Heights, and watched to see whether
the British ships in the harbor landed troops on the north side of the
Mystic. In such an event, she had orders to alarm the people.

Lee and Sullivan were quartered here for a short time. The fine old
wines left by Colonel Royall did service for the officers. The cellar
was ransacked in search of goodies; the soldiers, in oddly designed
uniforms, passed up and down, stacking their guns in the wide hall,
while their flag of thirteen stars fluttered over the entrance.

After the government took possession of the property, it was returned to
the Royall heirs in 1790, and they in turn sold it to a syndicate.

In 1810 Jacob Tidd came into possession of the estate, his wife living
there for fifty-one years. She was Ruth Dawes, sister of William Dawes,
who took the midnight ride to Concord, April 18, 1775. Her bedchamber,
in which hangs a picture of William Dawes, has been restored by her
descendants.

The house has been acquired by the Royall House Association, being used
to-day for patriotic and educational purposes. In a closet of one of
the rooms is shown a tea-chest, the only one left from the memorable
Boston Tea Party. Few houses in colonial history possess the interest of
this one, and the Royall House stands unique and distinctive among the
many colonial houses of the period.




CHAPTER XX

THE LONGFELLOW HOUSE


With the exception of Mount Vernon, there is perhaps no house better
known in America than the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow house at Cambridge,
Massachusetts, its reputation having been gained from the fact that it
was the home of the late distinguished and beloved poet. Here have come
most illustrious guests from all over the world, and under the roof-tree
was given to Longfellow the theme for his famous poem of Evangeline,
during a visit of Horace Conelly and of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

There are few mansions of more stately dignity than this large, colonial
house, standing back from the main road, surrounded by smooth, velvety
lawns dotted here and there with mighty elms. It was built in 1760 by
John Vassall, of a family prominent in the history of our country, whose
name had been traced back to the year 1500, and many members of which
have married into distinguished families.

John Vassall was the son of "Colonel" John Vassall, who married
Elizabeth Phipps, daughter of Lieutenant-governor Phipps. His uncle,
Henry Vassall, married Penelope Royall of Medford. These two brothers
were sons of "Major" Leonard Vassall, who was twice married and had
eighteen children.

John Vassall, like his father, was graduated from Harvard. On January
12, 1761, he married Elizabeth Oliver, daughter of Lieutenant-governor
Oliver. His sister Elizabeth had previously been married to
Lieutenant-governor Oliver, who lived near by at Elmwood.

When John Vassall built the Longfellow house, the estate was not so
contracted as it is to-day, but embraced large grounds of more than a
hundred acres. Concerning his life here, there is little known, save
that the family were very hospitable and were numbered among the
Royalists, who in those days formed a small colony of their own, later
known as "Old Tory Row." This included many wealthy people of Boston who
had not as yet embraced the cause of the colonists.

In 1775, at the commencement of the Revolutionary troubles, this group
of men were naturally out of favor and eventually it ceased to exist.
About this time Vassall left to take up his residence in Boston, and
soon afterward, failing to agree with the colonists' ideas, he removed
with his family to England. In accordance with the custom of that
period, the estate was confiscated in 1778, shortly after its desertion
by its original owner. This was some years after the encampment of
continental troops in Cambridge, when this mansion, like many others,
was used for officers' headquarters.

On the grounds were encamped the regiment from Marblehead under the
command of Colonel Glover. This seems to have been a favorite rendezvous
for the colonial troops, for later on General Washington made this his
headquarters, remaining for a long period. While he was here, Madam
Washington joined him, and tradition tells of much gaiety and many
banquets given at the residence by the general and his wife. There are
still in existence notes from his account book which deal with this
house, as for instance:

     "July 15, 1775, Paid for cleaning the House which was
     provided for my Quarters, and which had been occupied by the
     Marblehead regiment, £2 10_s._ 9_d._"

It is probable that this house was used for a longer period than any
other during the war for headquarters of Washington, as it was not until
March of the following year after the evacuation of Boston by the
British that it was again left empty. In this dwelling the generals met
often to hold secret discussions. Representatives from the Legislature,
then convened at Watertown, held here many long conferences concerning
the advisability of different schemes to defeat the British, and many
people of note from all over the world came here to meet Washington on
both social and political affairs.

We are told that a "Twelfth Night" party was given in the drawing-room
opposite the Longfellow study, where many entertainments took place, and
that the oldest inhabitants were invited to this party. Down the stairs,
where now stands the old grandfather's clock made famous by Longfellow's
poems, the stately colonial dames of Revolutionary times came slowly,
dressed in their silks and satins, with powdered hair and patches, to
take part in the festivities within.

Longfellow's study, which is at the right of the house, and which to-day
fronts the long conservatory occupying the entire side of the house, was
used by Washington as his dining-room. Above it was his private office,
where councils of war were held. It was a very convenient room for this
purpose, being off from the main house, quiet and retired. When
Longfellow first purchased the house, he also used this room for a
study, afterwards converting it into a chamber.

It is said that Washington never permitted his affairs to destroy his
sense of humor. During the time of his occupancy here, an elderly woman
was brought before General Putnam. She was believed to be a spy,
although she stoutly denied it. It is said that the general, familiarly
known as "Put," regarded the case of sufficient importance to be brought
to the attention of his commander and insisted that she come with him to
headquarters. She was an obstinate woman, and having no fear of capture,
resented his treatment, absolutely refusing to enter the gate to the
grounds. In vain was she reasoned with until at last, in desperation,
the valiant general slung her on his back and brought her up to the
house. As Washington witnessed his most courageous officer entering his
house in this manner, he could not refrain from laughter, which only
incensed the woman all the more.

During conferences at headquarters, great care had to be taken lest
they be surprised by the British. While one of these conferences was
being held, word was sent out that the British were on their way.
Without a moment's delay each officer hurried for his necessary adjuncts
to meet the emergency. In the midst of the confusion, however, General
Greene lost his head and could be heard above the din, calling loudly:
"My wig, my wig; where is my wig?" His demand was so emphatic that the
attention of the little group was instantly seized. General Lee was the
first to regain his composure and with ready wit called out in an
equally loud voice: "Behind the looking-glass, General." Greene, passing
the mirror, found to his consternation that the wig was on his head.
Overjoyed that he was not to go into battle wigless, he joined in the
general laugh that followed. The report of the British approach proved
false, however, and the officers returned to their consultation.

After the estate had been confiscated, it was purchased by one Nathaniel
Tracy, an intimate of Washington, whose principal home was in
Newburyport, Massachusetts. Tracy was a very wealthy merchant, indeed
one of the most brilliant financiers in the country, and his
spectacular ventures had given him a prominent name in local history.
Tracy was a large landowner, having estates practically all over the
country, and while he owned the Vassall house, he rarely lived there,
using it simply as a place where he could spend week-ends if he so
desired.

Andrew Craigie was the next prominent owner of the house, purchasing it
on January 1, 1793. At that time the grounds had been enlarged until
they comprised one hundred and fifty acres, a part of which is now used
for the Harvard Observatory. This Craigie was an "apothecary-general"
or, as he would be known now, a commissary, for the Continental army. He
was a most eccentric man but clever enough to acquire a large estate.
This house appealed to him, both from the fact that it had been
Washington's headquarters and from its own beauty both of exterior and
interior. He married a Miss Shaw of Nantucket, who had been in love with
a young sailor of limited means. The wealth of Craigie dazzled her, and
while she never forgot her early lover, treasuring his love letters
until just before her death, she made a charming mistress for the
mansion.

Craigie, like other wealthy men of his time, was pretentious and
spent money lavishly. While it is believed that he built the service
department on the western wing of the house, yet this is not definitely
known. During his occupancy, the large, square, eastern room was
enlarged and adorned with many columns to afford more space for his
frequent entertainments. Prominent merchants of Boston and many noted
people accepted his hospitality. An amusing instance is told of a visit
of Talleyrand, who conversed entirely in French with Mrs. Craigie, the
host not understanding a word that was spoken. It is currently reported
that the Duke of Kent, Queen Victoria's father, who for a long time was
stationed at Halifax, paid a visit here; impressed with the honor,
Craigie afterwards purchased the coach and horses the duke had used in
Boston.

Craigie built the bridge from Boston to East Cambridge which bears his
name and engaged in many investments. He speculated once too often,
however, and lost nearly all of his money. He died soon after, but his
widow remained in the same house, yet under such reduced circumstances
that she was obliged to let rooms to college students. Two of these were
Edward Everett and Jared Sparks, who afterwards brought their brides
here.

Later on, when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow left Bowdoin College to take a
position as professor in Harvard University, and desired extensive
apartments, he appealed to her. She at first refused him, having tired
of the care of students and not wishing to let rooms any longer. He was
an attractive and agreeable young man, and when Mrs. Craigie learned
that he was a professor, she invited him to visit the different rooms,
telling him of Washington's connection with the house, but informing him
that he could not have the use of any of the apartments. At length,
however, after a long controversy, she agreed to let him take the
southeast chamber, to which was afterwards added the west front chamber
for his dining-room.

At that time the back part of the house was given over to a farmer and
his wife, the latter caring for Longfellow's rooms and supplying his
meals. During a part of the time that Longfellow had rooms here,
Worcester, who wrote the dictionary, was another occupant. To this house
came Cornelius G. Felton, Charles Sumner, and many others to visit
Longfellow, who in 1842 entertained Charles Dickens here.

In 1843 Longfellow bought the house of Mrs. Craigie. He was the last
occupant, and every room in the house is connected with him. In one of
the upper chambers _Hyperion_ was written, as were many other poems,
including _The Courtship of Miles Standish_ and _Hiawatha_.

To this mansion one pleasant day in June came Hawthorne to dine with
Longfellow, bringing with him his friend, Horace Conelly. On reaching
the house, to Hawthorne's surprise and chagrin, he found two other
visitors, George S. Hillard and Professor Felton of Harvard College.
Hawthorne had hoped in this visit to review with Longfellow old times in
Brunswick and the history of some of his class of whom he had lost sight
since leaving college. After the departure of the other guests,
Longfellow, Hawthorne, and Conelly held an animated conversation on
their literary work. At this time the story of the French Acadian girl,
just married, exiled and separated from her husband, was told. Hawthorne
had never been interested, but Longfellow saw in it a popular theme and
with permission wrote the poem that has been considered one of his best
works.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXIV.--The Longfellow House, Cambridge, Mass.]

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXV.--Library, Longfellow House.]

The Longfellow house faces the main road, a large, square mansion with
entrance porch. The grounds are now reduced to a small area surrounding
the house and are pleasantly laid out in gardens and lawns. The main
door bears a ponderous knocker, and one enters a wide, dignified
hallway. On the first landing of the staircase stands the old
grandfather's clock so familiar to all readers of Longfellow's poems.
The principal room open to the public is the library, which leads from
the right of the hall, a square room finished in brown and containing
many mementoes that were there during Longfellow's lifetime. This room
has been left practically unchanged. Over the fireplace is a beautiful
girandole, with convex glass and gilt frame and ebony rim inside. This
is said to have been made in 1800--an heirloom. There are many fine old
pieces of furniture, each one of which bespeaks some event connected
with the poet's life. The furniture is not old-fashioned and no attempt
has been made to keep it up to any period. It is simply left as a
memorial in the room where Longfellow sat and wrote and received his
friends.

The grounds cover scarcely half an acre, but the mansion with a few
modern improvements remains as it was in the early days when it was
first built by John Vassall.




CHAPTER XXI

THE QUINCY MANSION


Long years ago before our country was thickly settled, and when our
forefathers extracted from the soil a scanty living, the houses were
simple little ones, often built with only four rooms. It was in such a
house as this that William Coddington made his early home. It was
delightfully situated, close to the bank of Black Brook, and surrounded
by overhanging trees.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXVI.--The Quincy Mansion, Quincy, Mass.]

In 1635 William Coddington and his fellow associates received a grant of
five hundred acres at Braintree, now Quincy, Massachusetts, extending
from the old Dorchester line at Squantum to Howe's Neck, and about a
mile inland. This was a goodly tract of land, with level meadows that
promised good plowing. The next year, in the heart of the grant, Mr.
Coddington built a house that consisted of a large kitchen, a
living-room, and two chambers. Near him was a small colony of settlers,
including Reverend John Wheelwright, Anne Hutchinson, and Sir Harry
Vane. They composed a congenial group of free thinkers, who met often in
the Coddington kitchen to sit around the large open fireplace, while
they discussed religious views much more liberal than the Puritan's way
of thinking. Many of them, for holding these views, were banished to
Rhode Island.

Coddington did not live long after the house-building, and was succeeded
by Edmund Quincy, the first of the name to live in what is now known as
the Quincy homestead. He was a man of considerable wealth and
importance, coming here from Boston and bringing with him six servants,
which was considered a most pretentious establishment in those days. His
wife, named Judith, was a woman of great ability, and after the death of
her husband, managed the estate with good judgment. Her daughter, also
named Judith, married John Hull, the mint-master, and became the mother
of Hannah Hull. Hannah became the wife of Judge Samuel Sewall, and as
the story runs, received for her dowry her weight in pine-tree
shillings.

The second of the name of Quincy to occupy this house was also named
Edmund and afterwards received the title of colonel. He was a man of
dignified personality and forceful character and had held at various
times most of the important offices in the town. His death in 1698 was
followed by that of his wife, two years later, and the reins of
government fell into the hands of Edmund third, then a youth of twenty.
The responsibility made the latter a very thoughtful man. He became more
distinguished than either his father or his grandfather, passing nearly
his whole life in public service. It was this Edmund who, in his
twenty-first year, married Dorothy Flynt, the first Dorothy Q. of
history, and ancestress of all the other Dorothy Q's.

In 1706, as the house had become too small for the family, Quincy built
additions at the front of the old mansion, giving it its present
appearance. The rooms added were the present dining-room, the parlor,
and the chambers above these rooms. With the raising of the new part,
little attempt was made to have the dimensions match, so that the rooms
of the older building showed a different floor level from those at the
front.

Later on, a two-story ell was added near the brook, consisting of a
study and bedroom. These were occupied by Dorothy's brother, Henry
Flynt, who was the famous Tutor Flynt of Harvard.

Of the children born to Edmund, third, and Dorothy Q., two are well
known in history. Edmund, the fourth, who married Elizabeth Wendell and
became the father of the Dorothy Q. who married John Hancock, and the
Dorothy Q., "My Dorothy," as Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes called her, who
married Edward Jackson, and was the great-grandmother of the poet.

After the death of Judge Quincy, the house was not used as a permanent
residence by the family, for Edmund, who inherited it, had a fine home
in Boston. It was kept open, however, and used at frequent intervals as
a summer place. We read of large parties coming down by coach and
horseback from Boston, to be entertained at the Quincy mansion. Many a
pretty bit of romance has been enacted within these walls, and many a
famous traveler has found shelter in this house.

When the wedding of Dorothy Q. to John Hancock was planned, preparations
suitable for the important event were made, and a wall-paper was ordered
from Paris to be hung upon the walls of the parlor. This room was
destined not to be used, however, for the purpose intended. The
Revolution broke out and Hancock was forced to flee for safety to
Lexington. Here he was joined by his aunt, Madam Hancock, and Dorothy,
on the memorable "18th of April, '75." Dorothy, fearing the approach of
the Redcoats, desired to return to Boston, to seek refuge in her
father's house, but her lover knew only too well the hatred of the Tory
for the Quincy family that had been shown when a British soldier thrust
his rapier through the portrait of Dorothy Q., the niece of this
Dorothy, and he forbade the attempted journey. Wishing to assert her
independence and also to have her own way, Dorothy insisted, and a
lovers' quarrel ensued. Hancock and Samuel Adams were forced to make
their escape to Woburn, with Madam Hancock and Dorothy, who continued on
to Fairfield, Connecticut, taking up their abode in the family of
Thaddeus Burr. In consequence, the Quincy mansion did not see them again
for a long time. The patriot troops were stationed at Fairfield, and
Aaron Burr, meeting Dorothy, fell in love with her. He paid her such
serious attention that Madam Hancock became alarmed for the consequences
and sent to her nephew, explaining the situation.

John Hancock was a wise lover and wrote Dorothy immediately, asking her
if she had made him the hair chain promised and reproaching her for her
unfaithfulness, sending with the letter a box of silk stockings.
Dorothy, with little liking for his interference, continued her
flirtation with Lieutenant Burr; again Madam Hancock wrote to her nephew
in such a peremptory manner that during a recess of Congress he came to
Fairfield. Once there, he swept away all resentment, and Dorothy became
his wife on August 28.

Sir Harry Frankland, previous to this, came to the Quincy Mansion
bringing with him Agnes Surriage, and a merry house party spent part of
the time catching trout from the little black brook and cooking them in
the old kitchen fireplace.

Benjamin Franklin was also a visitor at this house, accepting the
hospitality shown him by Mr. Quincy, and sending in return a stove,
still shown in one of the chambers. A Flemish grape-vine was also sent
by him to the family; this took root and until a few years ago was in
thriving condition. Many other men of note came as visitors to this
noted mansion, including Lafayette, who was entertained here when he
returned to America after the Revolution.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXVII.--The Porch, Quincy Mansion.]

During the Revolutionary period, the house passed out of the hands of
the Quincy family. It has been recently restored by the Colonial
Dames of Massachusetts, who have brought back as far as possible its
old-time dignity. In the restoration, great care has been taken with the
furnishing. The central hall is entered through the colonial porch. It
is long and wide, wainscotted and showing above this an odd, colonial
paper, representing an English hunting scene. The baluster and
newel-post are hand carved and fine examples of the early work of that
period.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXVIII.--Dining Room, Quincy Mansion, showing the
old Chinese Wallpaper.]

At the right of the hall is the dining-room, hung with a quaint Chinese
paper. This room shows high wainscot, wooden shutters, and the original
beams cased in. The furniture is all of that period, including simple
Dutch chairs, about 1770, with rush bottoms. The sideboard, too, is of
the seventeenth century, and on this is a knife box of the latter
quarter of this century. The corner buffet is about 1740, and unlike the
majority of these cupboards, is movable, instead of being fastened to
the walls. The table is a beautiful old Empire piece and a china closet
at one side containing several rare pieces, shows the shell pattern at
the top. The fireplace is tiled in blue and white Delft, dating back to
about 1750.

[Illustration: PLATE LXXXIX.--Kitchen, Quincy Mansion; Parlor, Quincy
Mansion.]

On the opposite side of the house is the parlor, which still shows the
old wall-paper intended to grace the wedding of John Hancock to Dorothy
Quincy. Here are Venuses and Cupids in vivid blue, with garlands of red
flowers, all as fresh as when first hung. The panel front of the
chimney-piece was recently removed, and the original fireplace, fifteen
feet wide, discovered. The back of this chimney is curiously bricked in
herring-bone pattern. Many interesting relics are kept in one of the
cupboards. There is a parasol which once belonged to Mrs. Hancock, a
shoe of a little son who died in childhood, a pipe filler which belonged
to John Hancock, Edmund Quincy third's baptismal robe and cap, and a
piece of the dress worn by Abigail Adams when she was presented at the
Court of St. James. On the wall hangs her portrait showing the same
gown.

[Illustration: PLATE XC.--Paper hung for Wedding of Dorothy Quincy,
Quincy Mansion.]

The chairs in this room are rare examples of Chippendale, 1791, and
Sheraton, the latter being one of the best examples of the master's
make, and showing the fan back design, which is more usually found in
the South, rather than in the North. Here, as in the dining-room, are
narrow shutters with hinged panels, which could be bolted and barred
against attacks of the Indians.

Back of the dining-room, and one step lower, is the old kitchen, built
in 1636, the most interesting room in the house, containing a great many
household articles of early colonial days. The broad, hand-hewn beams
bear the marks of the axe, and the great fireplace is flanked on one
side by larger brick ovens and on the other by a secret passage. Back of
the chimney is a ladder which leads to the secret closet above, also a
little dumbwaiter shaft, through which food and water could be sent to
the people in hiding.

In previous years, an underground passage led out of the kitchen to the
brook. Through this contraband goods were smuggled. The entrance to this
passage has now disappeared, so that the exact locality is not
definitely known.

The window glass was made at the first glass factory in America. This
was erected by a guild of Hollanders who had established themselves in
Quincy. The worthies of Quincy objected to the large families of the
emigrants, and they were driven out and moved to Maine. The first iron
foundry in this country was built beside this brook, which was sometimes
known as Furnace Brook.

[Illustration: PLATE XCI.--Chambers in the Quincy Mansion.]

Above the kitchen is the Coddington Chamber, named for the original
builder of the house and fittingly furnished with rare pieces of the
colonial period. Above this is a very low attic, lighted from the upper
panes of the chamber windows and reached by the secret passage behind
the chimney. At the further end of this attic is a trap-door connecting
with a second attic, through which one could escape by galleries below
the dormer windows, and thence reach the ground.

Across the hall is a smaller room known as the nursery. Tradition has it
that John Hancock concealed himself from the British in this apartment,
making use of the secret passageway. On one of the window-panes is
scratched with a diamond the initials, "J. H." and again in handwriting
similar to his: "You I love and you alone." In this room are preserved
the breakfast-table of John Hancock; a linen chest which belonged to the
wife of William Penn; various articles of clothing that at one time were
used by the Quincy family; a bed spread hand-embroidered on homespun
linen quilted by Madam Burr and used in her guest chamber when Dorothy
Quincy was staying at her house.

Over the dining-room is the Quincy room, so named from the fact that
many of the Quincy children, including the two Dorothys, were born
here. By a curious trick of fate, there still remains here a
nail-studded chest which once belonged to George III of England, bearing
the date 1790. One wonders, if the old chest could speak, whether it
would pour vituperations upon the heads of those who brought the
possessions of the tyrant to the colonies, to be stored in the Quincy
mansion.

Across the hall is the guest chamber with its canopied Field bed, and
the little trundle-bed underneath, used in the olden times for the
children of the family. The Franklin stove, presented by the inventor,
is also in this room. Opening from it, and approached by a second
staircase, we find the chamber of Tutor Flynt, here the recessed bed is
an interesting feature. The room is furnished with fine pieces of the
olden times.

Every room in this house contains mementoes of the days of long ago. The
house was one of the first to be built on American soil, and has
sheltered some of our most important citizens. To-day it reminds us of
the past, carrying us back to the earliest days of our country's
history.




CHAPTER XXII

"HEY BONNIE HALL"


As a nation Americans have grown to feel a deep reverence for the homes
of their ancestors, those stately colonial houses that were erected
during the period of commercial prosperity. These mansions were built
from about the middle of the sixteenth to the early part of the
seventeenth century. Recently a wave of sentiment has swept through the
country, awakening a desire to save the old mansions, many of which were
fast falling into decay. Prominent among those which have been preserved
is "Hey Bonnie Hall," a quaint house built in the Maryland manor-house
style of architecture, with long, projecting ells, a type prevailing
throughout the South. "Hey Bonnie Hall" is situated on Papoosesquaw Neck
in Bristol, Rhode Island. It was built in 1808 by Honorable William
deWolf, great-grandfather of the present occupant.

These Middletons and the family into which they married have been
makers of history. They date back to the time of Charles V, of France,
being among his followers. The name was originally St. Etienne, but for
valiant services it was changed to deWolf. The Middletons have played an
important part both in English and American history, and the English
branch of the family still occupies its ancient Middleton Hall. The
American line starts with the immigrant ancestor, Henry Middleton, who
settled in Carolina and became a considerable landowner at a time when
there were only three states in the Union--New England, Virginia, and
the Carolinas. This is shown in the old atlas inherited from the
immigrant ancestor and still treasured at "Hey Bonnie Hall." Henry
Middleton became a politician and was an important agitator before the
Revolution. For his distinguished services he was made president of the
Continental Congress. He was not the only member of the family whose
name has been handed down in history. His son Arthur was also very
prominent and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
The name "Hey Bonnie Hall," given to their country-seat in the Carolinas
and transferred to the Rhode Island mansion, grew out of a pretty custom
of Mrs. Middleton, who used to sing a little Scotch song called _Hey
Bonnie Hall_ over and over again to please her grandfather.

The house stands back from the road, being approached through a broad,
colonial gateway flanked on either side by beds of old-fashioned
flowers. The semicircular drive is shaded by magnificent trees, which
hide the mansion from the main road so effectively that it is not until
one is half-way up the avenue that a glimpse of the house is obtained.

[Illustration: PLATE XCII.--Porch of the Middleton House, Bristol,
R. I.]

The mansion itself is about one hundred and forty feet long, showing the
most perfect type of Southern architecture. There is about it a dignity
that is impressive and at the same time an air of comfort. The eastern
portico is formed by two dignified Corinthian pillars, which rise to the
very roof. The smaller columns at either side of the entrance door
support a balcony protected by the porch roof. Verandas have been
planned on either side of the house, facing north and south. The
southern one overlooks the blue water of the harbor with the picturesque
old town of Bristol in the background.

[Illustration: PLATE XCIII.--Hallway, Middleton House; Fireplace,
Middleton House.]

Old-fashioned flower-beds are scattered here and there over the smooth
lawn, making a landscape picture that is most alluring. The entrance
door opens into a spacious hallway that is about twenty feet in width.
The staircase at the left is five feet in width, an unusual breadth,
even for one of that period. It has treads of solid mahogany, with
simple but substantial balusters on either side, topped with mahogany
rails. This hall is used for a living-room and a hall combined and is
well lighted by doors on either side showing well-proportioned fan and
sidelights. Like many halls of the colonial period, there is a groined
arch. This was specially designed by one of the Middletons who married
Henry deWolf. This is supported at the corners by slender white columns,
the woodwork being white pine.

In every room are found examples of the most impressive pieces of
furniture designed by the old masters. Many were originally in the
Southern home and brought over by their immigrant ancestor. Among them
are some most artistic pieces, including Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and
Chippendale. Two chairs of the latter make show shell pattern, one of
the most popular of Chippendale's designs. Upon the Chippendale
sideboard are specimens of thirteenth century silver, including some
tiny spoons that date back to the Tudor period, and saltcellars
engraved with the McGregor crest. In the china closet are rare specimens
of Lowestoft, Chelsea, and Sevres, while on the wall are hung original
Stuarts, and paintings by Benjamin West. In many colonial mansions of
that period we find the well-designed windows opening off the broad
landing, a feature which has been cleverly introduced into the Middleton
mansion. The type and characteristics of this entrance hall are more in
keeping with Southern architecture than are most houses of New England.
There is little ornamental woodwork, but a great dignity and charm.

Two large, square rooms open on either side of the hallway, and the
arrangement of the interior is on the exact lines followed in Southern
manor-houses, a wing being introduced on either side of the main
building. One of these is used for kitchen and servants' quarters; the
opposite wing, connected with the house proper by a covered passageway,
is used as a carriage-house and harness-room. This gives the house
interesting and unusual proportions.

[Illustration: PLATE XCIV.--Living Room, Middleton House.]

In the main building are two rooms, one on either side of the hall. At
the right is the large living-room, and back of it the dining-room,
both of which are filled with treasures,--wonderful old pieces that
have been in the family since its earliest days, each having its
individual story.

On the left are the double drawing-rooms and showing an elliptical arch
that has a frieze motif with dentation ornamentation and reeded
pilasters. The dividing arch is gracefully ended in the cornice. This is
a feature in many colonial homes and is generally echoed in other rooms
of the house. There are no carved wooden fire-frames in the lower story,
but we find some of foreign marble that were set at the time the house
was built. This is an unusual feature in houses of that date, where
wooden mantels and elaborate hand-carving were the prevailing style.

Many pieces of furniture are historic. Some belonged to President Adams,
an intimate friend of the deWolfs, who were frequent visitors at the
Adams house in Quincy, Massachusetts. Over the fireplace is a charming
portrait, the work of a master, showing a child in an early
eighteenth-century gown. It pictures Mrs. Nathaniel Russell Middleton,
when only six years of age. About the time of this painting she was
visiting her uncle, and was present at the reconciliation of Lafayette
and President Adams, which occurred during Lafayette's second visit to
America. She was at that time a very beautiful child and attracted the
attention of the general, who finding she was of French descent, took
her in his arms and kissed her.

Every piece of furniture here is of the old-time type. The Hepplewhite
chairs have been handed down from generation to generation, as has a
great deal of the furniture that is used in this room, including the
chair in which President Adams died.

The long, or east room leads out of the parlor and is filled with rare
furniture. The most important piece being the French piano, one of the
earlier makes. This was imported by Henry deWolf for his daughter
Alicia. It was considered of such fine quality that it attracted the
attention of celebrated musicians all over the country. Pianos in those
days were rarely seen, for the old-time harpsichord and spinet had
scarcely gone out of style. Even to-day it would be considered a
wonderful piece of work, with its ornamentations of gold showing scroll
patterns and musical designs.

Directly above the piano is hung the most famous picture in the house, a
Madonna supposedly by the hand of the Italian master Mazzuoli, better
known as Parmigiana. This Madonna was originally known as one of the
world's lost art treasures, since its whereabouts were unknown for
several years. There exists abundant historical evidence of its value,
and prominent artists have pointed out the merits and the peculiarities
that stamp this canvas as a Parmigiana, although definite proof is
lacking.

The interior of the house is most interesting from an architectural
standpoint. The proportions are well balanced, there is a dignity of
design and a care in its finish that attracts experts. The value lies
not so much in the workmanship as in the choice bits of design shown
principally in the exterior, and that are well worth introducing into a
twentieth-century home.

The upper hall has an elliptical arched window and a hand-carved
balustrade. It is of the same proportions as the lower hall, and it,
too, is fitted up as a living-room. Beautiful pieces of furniture are
well chosen and well placed. A large bookcase showing torch
ornamentations contains rare books that cannot be duplicated. In each
one is a bookplate, the work of Henry Middleton. A certain charm
pervades the second story of this mansion, which does not lie in the
furnishing but in the architectural details of the window, the
pilasters, the hand-carving of the balusters, all of which are simple
but unusual.

Large, square chambers open from either side of the hallway, and like
the rest of the house are furnished in seventeenth-century pieces. The
fireplace, decorated with bow and arrow design, is of Scaglioni
composition and was found in an Italian palace. The furniture of this
room is unusually rare. There is not a single piece of ordinary make.

The bed is a fine example of Sheraton, showing a tester, and decorated
in gilt bows and arrows brought out clearly on the white enamel. This
bed, showing the cupid pattern, was purchased for the first bride of the
Middleton house. It has within recent years been repainted, but the
pattern kept intact. Unique are the drapings of this bed, the
counterpane being very rich gold and white satin lined with white and
edged with French lace. The same idea has been carried out in flounce
and hangings. The chairs are also rare examples of Sheraton, and follow
the color scheme of the room.

[Illustration: PLATE XCV.--Bridal Chamber, Middleton House.]

A second chamber in this house has a fine four-poster imported from
Leghorn at the time when the house was built. It is a Chippendale and
one of the best examples of that master's designs. A painting in this
room is very valuable, being a picture of Lady Mornington, the mother of
Wellington. It was painted by her daughter, Lady Berghurst, who posed
her model with a gazette in her hand containing an account of the battle
of Waterloo.

A most interesting collection of furniture belonging to the deWolfs
shows earmarks of the old masters' designs kept in the group of houses
that were built by this distinguished family. The most prominent being
the house of Charles deWolf. It was a large, square structure with roof
sloping on all sides, and containing low-studded and spacious rooms that
were heated by fireplaces only. An odd feature of this house were the
hallways, running at right angles and meeting in the center. Spanish
furniture, richly carved and showing odd patterns, vied with French
pieces in magnificence.

The walls of the double drawing-rooms were hung with paper showing birds
of paradise in brilliant plumage. Between the two rooms were gorgeous
portières of gold and silver damask. On state occasions the table bore
solid silver candelabra and goblets of gold, spoils of the early siege
of Oyapoc.

Here General Knox of Revolutionary fame was a frequent visitor. After
his death the splendid estate of ten square miles given him by Congress
and situated in Maine was sold, and much of the beautiful furniture was
introduced into the deWolf house.

A third house, which was destroyed by fire, was built by Captain Jim,
the youngest son of old Mark Anthony deWolf, who built the first house
for his family in Bristol. The builder was a most successful merchant,
his estate at one time comprising nearly the whole eastern part of the
town. The mansion was built at about the same time as "Hey Bonnie Hall."
It is of plain exterior with simple lines and shows fine proportions.

Inside are twenty-eight rooms that were fitted up with the choicest
pieces of Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton. So wealthy was the
house owner that when the fashion changed from English to French, and
the Empire style came into vogue, this furniture was replaced by
examples of the best designs and construction, including both European
and American styles. Many of these pieces were worthy a museum.

On the walls were wonderful portraits by Copley, Stuart, Thompson,
Alexander, and many other famous artists, as well as miniatures by
Malbone and Hall. In many of these rooms the walls were decorated with
veritable works of art.

These old colonial houses with their beauty of line, their harmony of
detail, and their air of dignity, richly repay study by architects and
house owners. More and more we turn to them as models for our modern
homes. They are a rich heritage from one of the most important periods
of the nation's history, and will ever be cherished for the memories
they evoke. Truly American in every respect, they will remain
forevermore as revelations of the sturdy spirit, the breadth of mind,
the gracious hospitality, and the fine ideals of our forefathers who
built them.




INDEX


  Academy of Arts and Sciences, 32
  Adams, Abigail, 225, 248
      portrait of, 248
    Abraham (Captain), 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92
    Anne, 89
    David, 86
    Jacob, 89
    John Quincy, 145, 192, 195, 257, 258
    Mother Anne (_see_ ANNE LONGFELLOW)
    Samuel, 90, 245
    Stevens (Captain), 90
  Adams family, 90
  Adams Female Seminary, 90
  Adams house, 83-92, 257
  Adams period, 51, 54, 158
  Alden, John, 128
  Alexander (painter), 262
  _Alfred_, The, 186
  Allen, George, 219
  Andirons, 79, 161, 223
  Andover, Massachusetts, 212
  Andros, Governor, 218, 219
  Antigua, Leeward Islands, 220
  Antwerp, 190
  Apparitions, 115-117
  Appleton, Reverend Doctor, 148
  _Arabella_, The, 180
  Arches, 53, 54, 95, 117, 183, 221, 223, 257
  Arms, Stand of, 138, 139, 140
  Arnold, Colonel Benedict, 195
  Athenean Society, 144

  Bancroft, George (historian), 112
  Bennington, Battle of, 72, 174
  Berghurst, Lady, 261
  Bible, Baskerville, 173
    at Hollis Street Church, 114
  Billiard room, 139
  _Biographical Sketches_, 146
  Black Brook, 241
  Blackburn (painter), 193
  Bloody Brook (Deerfield), 30
  Boardman, Offin, 103, 104, 107
  Booth (slave), 86-87
  Booth's bin (Adams house), 86
  Boston, Massachusetts, 10, 11, 43, 101, 103, 109, 204, 231, 232, 233,
       237, 242, 244, 245
  Boston Harbor, 38
  Boston Massacre, 40
  Boston Port Bill, 33
  Boston Tea Party, 180, 229
  Bowdoin College, 144, 238
  Bowie, Captain, 103
  Bradford, Massachusetts, 181
  Braintree, Massachusetts, 241
  Bricks, 86, 95, 97, 104, 105, 119, 120, 124
  Bristol, Rhode Island, 252-263
  Brown, Reverend Arthur, 134, 135
  Brunswick, Maine, 144, 239
  Bryant, David, 181
  Buckets, Fire, 105, 128
  Bunker Hill, 90, 92, 142, 225, 227
  Burgoyne, General, 81
  Burnett, William, 113
  Burr, Aaron, 245, 246
    Madam, 250
    Thaddeus, 245
  Burrill, Sarah, 30
  Burying Hill, Newburyport, 199
  Byfield, Massachusetts, 83, 114
  Byfield, Judge, 118

  Cabot, Joseph, 12
  Cabot house, 12
  Cæsar (slave), 214
  Calhoun, John C., 145
  Cambridge, Massachusetts, 75, 100, 195, 224, 230-240
  Card room, 140
  Carleton, Mr., 181
  Carolinas, The, 253
  Carpet, First, 162
  Carriages, 171, 190, 196, 197, 221
  Cartaret, Governor, 98
  Castle Island, 11
  Cato (slave), 214-215
  Ceilings, 28, 80, 226
  Cemetery on Stark estate, 169
  Chambers, 22, 47, 79-80, 107, 128, 165, 225, 249, 250, 251, 260
    Secret, 160, 165
  Charles II, 184
  Charles V of France, 253
  Chebacco, 30
  Chimneys, 4, 13, 20, 21, 60, 72, 94, 106, 117, 122, 202, 217
  China (_see_ WARE)
  Christ Church, 224
  Cilley, Jonathan, 144
  Clay, Henry, 145
  Cleveland, President, 12
  Closets, 162, 163, 225
    Secret, 4, 10, 67, 78, 127, 249
  Coats of arms, 126, 199
  Coddington, William, 241
  Coddington Chamber, 249
  Coffin, Oliphalet, 70
    Mr., 98
  Collections, Historic, 163, 127, 148
  Collins, Judge Benager, 45
    house, 45
  Colonial Dames of Massachusetts, 247
  Committee of Safety, 72
  Concord, Massachusetts, 61, 228
  Concord, New Hampshire, 141, 167
  Conelly, Horace, 16, 230, 239
  Confiscation Act, 227
  Constitution, The, 81, 193
  Constitutional Convention of 1788, 192
  Continental Army, 10, 32, 34, 68, 81, 91, 128, 212, 227, 236
  Continental Board of War, 34
  Continental Congress, 253
  Continental Navy, 186
  Cook, Captain, 7
    Elisha, 184, 185
  Cooke, Mary, 185
    Middleton, 185
  Cooke family, 179, 185
  Copley (painter), 126, 262
  Corwan (_see_ CURWIN)
  Council Chamber, 138, 140
  Court of St James, 248
  _Courtship of Miles Standish_, 239
  Courtyards, 191, 197, 202, 220, 221
  Craddock, Governor, 221
  Craigie, Andrew, 236-237
    Mrs., 236, 237, 238, 239
  Craigie bridge, 237
  Craigie house (_see_ LONGFELLOW)
  Cromwell, Oliver, 184
  Cupolas, 60, 69
  Curwin, Jonathan, 11
    Samuel, 11

  Dalton, Mary, 197
    Michael, 191-194, 197
    Philemon, 91
    Ruth, 197
    Tristram, 102, 191-197, 198
      portrait of, 192, 193, 199
  Dalton, carriages, 190, 196, 197
  Dalton coat of arms, 199
  Dalton family, 194, 198, 199-201
  Dalton house, 100, 189-203
  Dalton vessels, 194, 198
  Dalton wealth, 193, 196
  Danvers, Massachusetts, 37-48
  Davenport, Captain, 11
  Davis, Jefferson, Letter from, 153-154
  Dawes, Ruth, 228
    William, 228
    picture of, 228
  Deblois, Louis, 197
  Declaration of Independence, 73, 253
  Derby, Elias Hasket, 7, 51
    Elizabeth, 51
  Derby Mansion, 7, 8
  Derby Square (Salem), 7
  Derby Wharf, 29
  Derry, New Hampshire, 86
  deWolf, Alicia, 258
    Charles, 261
    Henry, 255, 258
    Jim (Captain), 262
    Mark Anthony, 262
    William, 252
  deWolf family, 257
  Dexter, Lord Timothy, 196
  Dickens, Charles, 238
  Dining-rooms, 19, 47, 57, 64, 78, 92, 137, 164, 175, 184, 211, 225,
      247, 256
  Dixie, Miss, 65
  Doorways, 44, 53, 72, 104, 105, 122, 124, 125, 126, 136, 159, 172,
      183, 198, 208, 222
  Dorchester, Massachusetts, 241
  Dorchester Heights, 228
  Dover, New Hampshire, 121, 138
  Downing, Emmanuel, 28
    Sir George, 28
  Drawing-rooms, 47, 54, 64, 184, 199, 257, 261
  Dudley, Joseph (Governor), 112, 114
    Katherine, 112
      portrait of, 118
    Thomas, 112
  Dummer, Jane, 83
    Jeremiah, 111, 112
    Madam, 117
    Richard, 96, 109-112
    William (Governor), 112-115
      portrait of, 118
  Dunbarton, New Hampshire, 148, 167-177

  East Cambridge, Massachusetts, 237
  East Weir, New Hampshire, 168
  Eaton, Nicholas, 96
  Elmwood, 231
  Empire period, 158, 164, 210, 247
  Endicott, John (Governor), 28, 41
    William Crowninshield, 12
  England, 11, 27, 37, 83, 86, 96, 112, 113, 161, 232
  Essex, Agricultural Society of, 34
  _Essex_ (frigate), 41
  Essex County, 33, 35
  _Evangeline_, 230
  Everett, Edward, 237
  Exeter, New Hampshire, 70-82

  Fairfield, 245, 246
  "Faithful Pompey," Grave of, 199
  Fanlights, 52, 53, 159, 198, 255
  Federal Convention, 81
    Party, 35
  Felton, Cornelius G., 238, 239
  Fences, 202, 205, 208, 220
    iron, 60
  Fifty-ninth Regiment, 40
  Fireplaces, 4, 9, 17, 24, 29, 47, 64, 67, 72, 78, 79, 82, 86, 92, 106,
      126, 127, 137, 138, 161, 165, 174, 175, 176, 185, 199, 201, 210,
      211, 221, 223, 247, 248, 249, 260
  First Regiment Essex County Militia, 33
  Flint, Alice, 30
  Flynt, Dorothy, 243
    Henry (Tutor), 243, 251
  Folsom, Dorothea, 74
  Fort Pickering, 40
  Fort William, 174
  Fourth Military Company of Salem, 33
  Fourth Regiment of Militia, 81
  Frankland, Sir Henry, 225, 246
  Franklin, Benjamin, 127, 246
  Franklin Pierce house, 141-156
  Frescoes, 125
  _Friends_ (frigate), 103
  Fry, Colonel James, 212
  Furnace Brook, 249
  Furniture, 6, 17, 18, 19, 24, 29, 46, 79, 80, 91, 92, 106, 107,
      122-123, 127, 128, 137, 138, 158, 161, 165, 173, 176, 184, 185,
      186, 194, 202, 210-211, 240, 247, 260
    Adams, 157, 158
    Chippendale, 9, 29, 57, 107, 118, 126, 157, 161, 162, 185, 209, 211,
      224, 248, 255, 260, 262
    Dutch, 107, 162, 224, 247
    Empire, 158, 164, 210, 247
    Field, 165, 185, 251
    French, 261
    Hepplewhite, 57, 106, 157, 162, 184, 194, 199, 209, 210, 255, 258,
      262
    Sheraton, 24, 57, 106, 107, 126, 137, 157, 165, 209, 210, 248, 255,
      260, 262
    Spanish, 261
    Windsor, 19, 106, 117, 118, 164

  Gables, 22
  Gage, General (Governor), 33, 37, 38
  Gardens, 8, 24, 44, 49, 131, 147, 159, 171, 183, 191
  General Court, 9, 31, 35, 37, 96, 103, 110, 186, 192
  George III, 251
  Georgetown, D.C., 202
  Gerry, Elbridge, 61
  Gilman, John Taylor, 74-77, 81
    Nathaniel (Captain), 82
    Nathaniel (Colonel), 70, 82
    Nicholas (Colonel), 70-73, 77
    Nicholas, Jr., 77, 81
  Gilman family, 77
  Glass, American, 137, 172, 249
    English, 162, 175
  Glover, Colonel, 232
  Gool, Mrs., 31
  Granary Burying Ground, 114
  Grate, Hob, 8
  Great River (_see_ PARKER)
  Greene, General, 235
  Greenleaf's Lane, 191
  Grey, William, 7
  Grill Room, 78
  Groveland, Massachusetts, 157-166
  Guest room, 4

  Hale, Nathan, 191
  Halifax, Nova Scotia, 237
  Hall (painter), 263
  Halls, 4, 28, 45, 46, 52, 54, 62, 63, 78, 91, 117, 137, 160, 161, 172,
      183, 208, 210, 211, 223, 240, 247, 255, 261
  Hancock, New Hampshire, 143
  Hancock, John, 73, 138, 195, 244, 246, 248, 250
    Madame, 245, 246
  Hancock house, 43
  Hartford, Connecticut, 75
  Harvard University, 10, 11, 30, 112, 180, 186, 192, 224, 231, 238
  Harvard Law School, 224
  Harvard Observatory, 236
  Hathaway house, 26
  Haverhill, Massachusetts, 178-188, 197
  Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 12, 15, 22, 24, 144, 145, 146, 149, 150, 151,
      152, 153, 230, 239
    portrait of, 148
  Hawthorne family, 15
  "Hepzibah, Miss" (_see_ PYNCHEON)
  "Hey Bonnie Hall," 252-263
  _Hiawatha_, 239
  "Highfield," 84
  Hillard, George S., 239
  Hillsboro, New Hampshire, 141-156
  Hillsboro Bridge, 141
  Hillsboro Centre, 142
  Hilton, Martha, 134-136, 138
  Hinges, Strap, 45, 47, 118, 124, 136, 183, 208
    Wrought, 105, 172
  Hodges, Hannah, 215
  "Holgrave," 23
  Hollanders, Guild of, 249
  Holmes Street Church, 114
  Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 244
  Hooper, Robert (King), 37, 41, 42, 45, 192
    Ruth, 192
  Hopkin's fleet, 186
  Houses, Adams, 83-92, 257
    Cabot, 12
    Collins, 45
    Craigie (_see_ LONGFELLOW)
    Cross-shaped, 94
    Dalton, 100, 189-203
    Derby, 8
    Dummer, 109-118
    First, 3
    Frame, 3
    Hathaway, 26
    "Hey Bonnie Hall," 252-263
    "House of Seven Gables," 12-26
    John Hancock, 43
    Kittredge, 204-215
    Ladd-Gilman, 70-82
    Lee, 50-69
    Longfellow, 10, 100, 224, 227, 230-240
    Macphaedris-Warner (_see_ WARNER)
    Mansion (_see_ STARKE)
    Middleton Hall, England, 253
    Mount Vernon, 210, 230
    Oak Hill (_see_ ROGERS)
    Old Witch, 11
    Page, 39, 44
    Peter Parker (_see_ SAVORY)
    Pickering, 27-36
    Pierce, 141-156
    Province, 114
    Quincy, 241-251
    Rogers, 49-58
    Royall, 115, 216-229
    Saltonstall, 178-188
    Savory, 157-166
    Spencer-Pierce, 93-108
    Sprague, 9
    Square, 7
    Stark, 167-177
    "The Lindens," 37-48
    Types of, 94, 131, 159, 189, 216, 252
    Warner, 119-129
    Wentworth, 130-140
  House of Seven Gables structure of, 22
  House of Seven Gables Settlement, 16
  Howe, Gurdon Saltonstall 186, 187
    Mrs. Gurdon Saltonstall, 181
    Isaac R., 182
  Howe's Neck, Massachusetts, 241
  Hull, Hannah, 242
    John, 242
  Hutchinson, Anne, 242
  _Hyperion_, 239

  Independence Hall, Philadelphia, 63
  Indians, 96, 121, 125, 138, 211, 248
    portraits of, 125
    Indian War, 30
  Ingersoll, Horace, 15-16, 21
    Samuel (Captain), 15
    Susan, 12
    Susannah, 15, 17, 19
      portrait of, 24
  Ingersoll family, 22
  Ipswich, 27, 178
  Iron works, First, 121, 249

  Jackson, Edward, 244
    President, 64
      portrait of, 175
  Jefferson, Thomas, 195
  Josephine, Empress, 11

  Kent, Duke of, 237
  King Philip's War, 184
  King's Council, 121, 123
  "King's Trees," 170
  Kitchens, 4, 16, 78, 106, 115, 249
  Kit's Dancing Hall, 6
  Kittredge, Doctor John, 206, 215
    Doctor Joseph, 214, 215
    Doctor Thomas, 204, 205, 212-213, 215
    Elizabeth, 212
  Kittredge family, 205
  Kittredge house, 204-215
  Knockers, 9, 124, 159, 172, 183, 208, 240
  Knox, General, 262

  Ladd, Nathaniel, 70
  Ladd family, 70
  Ladd-Gilman house, 70-62
  Lady Catherine (doll), 166
  Lafayette, George Washington, 65
    Marquis de, 63, 65, 174, 176, 177, 195, 246, 257
  Langdon, John, 81
    Governor, 127
  Lawson, Cecil G., 173
  Lean-to, 13, 14, 16
  Lee, General, 228, 235
    Jeremiah (Colonel), 42, 60, 61, 62, 67, 103
    Martha, 62
  Lee family, 62
  Lee house, 59-69
  Leghorn, Italy, 260
  Leslie, Mr., 33
  Letters, Autograph, 29, 149, 175, 187
    to Franklin Pierce, 149-156
  Leverett, John (Governor), 184, 185
  Lexington, Massachusetts, 61, 244
  Libraries, 28-29, 46, 102, 156, 174, 240
  Lidgett, Charles, 218, 219
  Lidgett, Elizabeth, 218
    Peter, 219
  Light Infantry, First company of, 9
  "Lindens, The," 37-48
  Lisbon, Spain, 35
  Little, Mary, 191
  Little Harbor, New Hampshire, 130-140
  Living-rooms, 20, 55, 91, 118, 127, 137, 162, 209, 256
  London, England, 35, 103
  Londonderry, New Hampshire, 212
  Longfellow, Anne, 84, 85, 87, 88, 91
    Henry Wadsworth, 10, 233, 234, 238-240
    William, 83, 84
  Longfellow family, 83
  Longfellow house, 10, 100, 224, 227, 230-240
  Lotus pond, 50
  Louisburg, Nova Scotia, 11
  Lyon, Mary, 90

  Macphaedris Archibald (Captain), 120-121
      portrait of, 127
    Mary, 123
      portrait of, 126
  Macphaedris family, 120
  Macphaedris house (_see_ WARNER)
  "Madonna," 258
  Maine, 249, 262
  Malbone (painter), 263
  Manchester-by-the-Sea, 61
  Mansion house (see Stark)
  Mantels, 46, 54, 55, 56, 64, 66, 106, 118, 126
  Manuscripts, 29, 30
  Marblehead, Massachusetts, 13, 37, 42, 43, 59-69, 103, 192, 232
  Marcy, William H., portrait of, 148
  Marsh, Mr., 181
  _Mary and John, The_, 95
  Mason, Mr., 219
    Alfred, 144
  Masonic meetings, 160
  Massachusetts Bay Colony, 68
  Mather, President of Harvard, 112
  Maule, Matthew, 19
  McGregor crest, 256
  McIntire, Samuel, 7, 43, 46, 47, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57
  McNeil, General, 174
    John (Lieutenant), portrait of, 174
    John, Mrs., portrait of, 174
  McNeil family, 147, 167
  Mead's Ford, 218
  Means, Jane, 148
  Medford, Massachusetts, 100, 115, 216-229, 231
  Medford Square, 225
  Merrimac River, 97, 190, 197
  Mexican War, 145, 171
  Middleton, Arthur, 253
    Henry, 253
    Mrs., 253
    Nathaniel Russell, portrait of, 257
  Middleton bookplate, 259
  Middleton family, 252, 254, 255
  Middleton Hall, England, 253
  Mill, Stark estate, 169
  Mill Pond, 28
  Millwood, Anne, 99
    Elizabeth, 99
    Thomas, 99
  _Minerva_, 51
  Miniatures, 173
  Mirrors, 23, 79, 91, 126, 127, 175
  Monroe, President, 64, 195
  Moody, Samuel, 179
  Morgan, J. Pierpont, 45
  Morning-room, 56
  Mornington, Lady, portrait of, 261
  Morris, Robert, 71, 173
      portrait of, 175
    Robert, Mrs., 175
  Morris family, 167
  Morse, Samuel F. B., 172
  Mount Holyoke College, 90
  Mount Vernon, 210, 230
  Muster Day, 206
  Mystic River, 10, 219, 228

  Napoleon, 11, 169
  Netherlands, The, 122
  Newbury, Massachusetts, 83-92, 93-108, 109-118
  Newburyport, Massachusetts, 100, 101, 189-203, 235-236
  New Jersey, 33
  Newman, Mr., 191
  New Orleans, Louisiana, 85, 145
  Ninth Regiment, 145
  Norfolk County, 35
  North Andover, Massachusetts, 204-215
  North Bridge, 33
  North Pariah, 204

  Oak Hill (_see_ ROGERS HOUSE)
  Ohio, 170
  "Old Manse," 150
  Old Witch House, 11
  Oliver, Elizabeth, 231
    Henry K., 8
    Lieutenant-Governor, 231
  Oliver family, 227
  Osgood, Major Samuel, 213
  _Our Old Home_, 146
  Ovens, 17, 67, 68, 78, 137, 201, 249
  "Overhang," The, 25
  Oyapoc, 261

  Page, Enoch, 181
  Page home, 39, 44
  Panelling, 16-17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 44, 64, 66, 79, 82, 86, 117, 118,
      125, 127, 137, 161, 198, 200, 201, 208, 210, 211, 221, 225, 226
  Papoosesquaw Neck, 252
  Parker, Moses, 159, 166
  Parker controversy, 99
  Parker family, 160, 165
  Parker River, 83, 95, 109, 110
  Parlors, 23, 106, 117, 126, 148, 161, 173, 200, 210, 223, 247
  Parmigiana, 258, 259
  Passage, Secret, 132, 249, 250
  Peabody, Francis, 45, 48
    George, 196
    Joseph, 7
  Peabody, Massachusetts, 49-58
  Peabody family, 48
  Peacock Inn, England, 28
  Pentucket Club, 182
  Pepperrell, Sir William (Sparhawk), 224
    Expedition, 11
  Peter Parker house (_see_ SAVORY)
  Pewter, 79, 163, 183, 211
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 34, 81
  Phillips, Joshua, 206
  Phipps, Elizabeth, 231
    Lieutenant-governor, 231
  Piano, "Hey Bonnie Hall," 258
  Pickering, John, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 35-36
    Theophilus, 29, 30
    Timothy (Colonel), 29, 30, 31, 32-35
  Pickering family, 27
  Pickering house, 27-36
  Pictures, 24, 48, 54, 55, 56, 66, 118, 125, 126-127, 138, 139, 148,
      172, 174, 176, 192, 193, 194, 199, 211, 224, 228, 245, 248, 256,
      257, 258, 261, 262
  Pierce, Anne, 99
    Benjamin (Governor), 100, 141, 142, 149, 175
      portrait of, 148, 174
    Benjamin, Mrs., portrait of, 173, 174
    Charles, 100
    Daniel, 95, 98, 100
    Franklin (President), 100, 141, 142-147, 150, 152, 153, 155, 156,
      171
      portrait of, 148
    Joshua, 99
    Kirk, 141
    William, 100
  Pierce family, 98, 100, 167
  Pierce house, 141-156
  Pierson, James, 191
  Pipestave Farm, 202
  Pipestave Hill, 191, 195
  Pitman, Molly, 133
  Plates, 55
  Porches, 44, 52, 60, 72, 86, 91, 94, 96, 104, 117, 132, 159, 179, 188,
      190, 198, 207, 208, 222, 239, 247
  Porter sign, 225
  Portraits (_see_ PICTURES)
  Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 81, 119-129, 130, 132, 133, 136, 138
  Prisoner's Room (Ladd-Gilman house), 80
  Privateers, 101
  Province Charter, 112
  Province Committee of Safety and Supplies, 61
  Province House, 114
  Provincial Congress, 192
  Prints (_see_ PICTURES)
  Putnam, Amos (Doctor), 42
    General, 234
    Hannah, 42
  Pyncheon, Alice, 19
    Clifford, 20, 21, 23
    Colonel, 19
    Hepzibah, 14, 20, 23
    Judge, 20, 23
    Phoebe, 20, 23

  Quanto (Indian), 87, 88
  Quebec, 196
  Queen Victoria, 237
  Quincy, Edmund, 242, 243
    Dorothy ("Q"), 243, 244, 245, 246, 248, 250
      portrait of, 138, 245
    Josiah, 248
    Judith, 242
  Quincy, Massachusetts, 241-251, 257
  Quincy house, 241-251
  Quincy room, 250

  Relics, 29, 80, 91, 128, 137, 141, 148, 165, 166, 167, 171, 174, 182,
      209, 210, 211, 225, 229, 231, 240, 247, 248, 250, 251
  Revolutionary Army, 205
  Revolutionary War, 8, 10, 30, 66, 77, 90,
  101, 123, 212, 213, 224, 246
  Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 55
  Rhode Island, 241
  Rogers, Mrs. Jacob C., 49
    house, 49-58
  Roofs, Dutch, 122
    gambrel, 44, 171, 190, 197, 202
    ornamented, 183, 189
    pitched, 117
    sloping, 3, 14, 261
  Rouseley, England, 28
  Roxbury, Massachusetts, 109
  Royall, Elizabeth, 224
    Isaac, 220, 226-227, 228
      portrait of, 224
    Penelope, 224, 231
    William, 221
  Royall chariot, 221
  Royall family, 221
  Royall house, 115, 216-229
  Royall House Association, 228
  Royall Oak Tavern, 225
  Royall Professorship of Law, 224
  Rumford, Count, 71
  Russia, 190

  Salem, Massachusetts, 5-36, 38, 43, 45, 48, 51, 57, 192, 215, 221
  Salisbury, Massachusetts, 195
  Saltonstall, Dudley, 185
    Guidon, 185
    Leverett, 179
    Nathaniel (Doctor), 179, 180-181, 184
    Nathaniel (Judge), 178, 185
    Richard, 109, 179
    Richard (Colonel), 179
    Sally, 182
    Sir Richard, 180
  Saltonstall day book, 181
  Saltonstall family, 178, 179, 186
  Saltonstall house, 178-188
  Saltonstall, Lake, 179, 182
  Salvator Rosa, 53
  Savory house, 157-166
  Schoolhouse, Stark estate, 168
  Scotland, 121
  Sewall, Anne, 83
    Hannah, 91
    Henry, 83, 84, 109
    Samuel (Judge), 69, 84, 178, 242
  Shaw, Miss, 236
  Sherburne family, 126
  Shortridge, Richard, 133
  Shute, Samuel (Colonel), 112, 113
  Silhouette, 144
  Silver, 63, 164, 182, 185, 211, 261
  Sims, Doctor, 214-215
  Sixty-fourth Royal Infantry, 39
  Slave quarters, 68, 116, 207, 221
  Slaves, 62, 76, 86, 107, 116, 195, 199, 207, 214, 220
  Smibert (painter), 118
  South Parish, 206
  South River, 28
  South Society, 100
  Sparks, Jared, 237
  Spencer, John, 95-96, 97
  Sprague, Joseph, 9, 10
    Sarah, 10
  Squantum, Massachusetts, 241
  St. Andrew, Agnes, 10
  St. Etienne, (_see_ DEWOLF)
  Staircases, 8, 9, 16, 28, 52, 53, 63, 66, 105, 125, 137, 161, 176,
      183, 198, 209, 222, 223, 255
    Secret, 20-21, 66-67
  Stamp Act Riot, 180
  Stark, Archibald, 169
    Caleb (Major), 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 174, 176, 177
    Charles Morris, 174
    Charles Morris, Mrs., 148
    Charlotte, 171, 176
      portrait of, 173
    Harriet, 171
    John (General), 168, 174, 177, 227
      portrait of, 174
    Madam, 171
    Molly, 227-228
  Stark family, 167, 176
  Stark house, 167-177
  Stark schoolhouse, 168
  State Room, 77, 79
  Stearns, William, 10
  Steele, Governor, 147
  Stoughton, Captain, 96
  Stoves, Franklin, 127, 184, 211, 246
  Streets, Chapel (Portsmouth), 119
    Chestnut (Salem), 28, 51
    Daniel (Portsmouth), 119
    Derby (Salem), 5, 6, 12
    Essex (Salem), 9
    Federal (Salem), 8
    Main (Medford), 217
    Merrimack (Haverhill), 180
    Province (Boston), 114
    School (Boston), 113
    State (Newburyport), 100, 195, 202
    Tremont (Boston), 114
    Turner (Salem), 13
    Washington (Marblehead), 59
    Water (Exeter), 70
  Stuart, Gilbert, 173, 175, 256, 262
    Jane, 173
  Suffolk County, 35
  Sullivan, General, 228
  Summer-houses, 147, 221-222, 227
  Sumner, Charles, 238
  Surriage, Agnes, 224, 246
  Swords, 149

  Tailer, Lieutenant-governor, 113
  Talleyrand, 195, 196, 237
  Taylor, Anne, 70
  Ten Hills Farm, 217
  Tewksbury, 206
  Thompson (painter), 262
  Tidd, Jacob, 228
  Tiles, 64, 96, 120, 126, 127, 226
    Dutch, 223, 224, 247
    Scriptural, 10, 29, 185, 210, 225-226
  Tories, the, 219
  Tory Row, 227, 231
  Tracy, Nathaniel, 100-103, 235
  Tracy family, 108
  Treasury Room, 71, 78
  Trees, Oak Hill, 49-50
    Stark estate, 170, 171
  Trinidad, 10
  Tudor period, 255
  Turf and twig ceremony, 98
  Turner, John, 15
  Turner family, 17, 19, 22, 26
  "Twelfth Night Party," 233
  Types of houses, 94, 131, 159, 189, 216, 252

  Upton, Mr., 21
  Upton family, 16
  Usher, lieutenant-governor, 219

  Van Dyke, 52
  Vane, Sir Harry, 111, 242
  Varnum, John, 182
  Vassall, Elizabeth, 231
    Henry, 224, 231
    John, 230, 231-232, 240
    "Major," Leonard, 231
  Vassall family, 227, 230
  Vinton, Frederick, 118
  Virginia, 253

  Waldron, Secretary, Portrait of, 138
    Westbrook, portrait of, 138
  Wallpaper, 23, 57, 62-63, 147, 148, 185, 200, 244, 247, 248, 261
    Oriental, 46
    scenic, 8, 46
    Zuber, 53
  Walls, 82, 104, 106, 122, 124, 138, 219, 224
  Ward, Elizabeth, 178
    John, 178
  Ware, 18, 127, 137, 221
    Bennington, 18
    Canton, 164
    Chelsea, 256
    Dresden, 173
    Lowestoft, 18, 162, 256
    Lustre, 18
    Salt glaze, 18
    Sevres, 256
    Staffordshire, 162
    Tokio, 175
  Warner, Honorable Jonathan, 123-124
      portrait of, 127, 128
    Mary, portrait of, 127
  Warner house, 119-129
  Washington, D.C., 147, 193
  Washington, President, 29, 33, 34, 64, 73, 76, 80, 81, 132, 136, 175,
      177, 193, 195, 232, 233, 234
    Martha, 175, 232
  Watertown, Massachusetts, 180, 232
  Weatherby's Black Horse Tavern, 61
  Webster, Daniel, 72, 80, 186, 187
    portrait of, 173, 175
  Wellington, Duke of, 261
    portrait of, 175
  Wendell, Elizabeth, 243
  Wentworth, Bennington (Governor), 130, 132
    John (Governor), 71, 122, 123, 133, 145
    Martha, 136, 139
    Michael, 136
    Sarah, 122
    Sir John, 136
  Wentworth family, 167
  Wentworth house, 130-140
  Wessacumcon, 110
  West, Benjamin, 256
    Nathaniel, 50, 51
  West Indies, 84, 190
  West Newbury, Massachusetts, 191, 197
  Wheelwright, Reverend John, 77, 241
  White, Honorable Leonard, 197
    Samuel, 180
  Whitfield, Reverend Mr., 100
  Whittier, John G., 178
    Joseph, 181
  Windows, 82, 198, 207
    arched, 63, 259
    barred, 80
    casement, 14
    colonial, 198, 209
    diamond-paned, 3, 79, 86
    domed, 159
    dormer, 44, 68, 72, 117, 171, 250
    Lutheran, 124
    recessed, 199, 211, 226
    stained glass, 187
  Winter Island, 40
  Winthrop, Governor, 111, 180, 217, 218, 225
  Wise, Reverend John, 30
  Woburn, Massachusetts, 245
  Woodbridge, Massachusetts, 98
  Woodbury, Judge, 147
  Wood-carving, 8, 44, 45, 47, 51, 55, 56, 63, 66, 118, 129, 137, 138,
      147, 165, 198, 199, 200, 206, 207, 210, 222, 223, 225, 226, 259
  Woods, English oak, 57
    pumpkin pine, 59
    white oak, 3, 28, 106, 119, 200
    white pine, 54, 78, 119, 200, 217, 223, 255
  Worcester, Joseph Emerson, 238
  Wyoming, 34

  Yorkshire, England, 27