BOULDER FARM
The remodeling of an old farmhouse is apparently a simple matter; it
would at first seem necessary only to preserve the main lines and
characteristics of the original in the alterations that are required to
meet the conditions of modern life. But when one realizes that the less
conspicuous details are also important, in order to maintain the
essential harmony of the whole, it becomes a more intricate proposition.
One cannot merely study the details already on the building and
slavishly copy them for the new parts, because frequently it will be
found that doors or windows or shutters have been added by more recent
owners and are not really in keeping with the old structure at all. In
order to reclaim the house, then, so that it shall have a consistent
unity throughout, one must have some understanding of the evolution of
these details.
There is no more significant element in these old Colonial houses than
the front door. It was placed in the center of the front wall and
formed the unit of the exterior design. The very early doors were of
heavy oak boards placed vertically and fastened together with horizontal
strips. These batten doors, as they were called, were made very sturdy
and strong, in order to resist attacks from Indians or other marauders.
Often they were marked with an awl into diamond and lozenge patterns and
sometimes studded with hand-wrought nails. Not for a good many years did
the panel door come into use. At first it was a flat panel, flush with
the sides of the door and separated from the sides and top only by a
small bead molding. This was soon developed into the flat sunken panel,
meeting the surrounding wood with several moldings; and then the panels
were beveled and raised in the center, and the moldings gradually became
more elaborate and delicate in outline. The early doors were solid for
purposes of protection, but as the country became more settled, thick
bull's-eye glass was inserted into the top horizontal panel to let light
into the hall. As the interior plan was changed in its evolution, the
hall became larger, and these bull's-eyes did not provide sufficient
light, so the transom was introduced over the door. For some time a
simple top light was used, divided by lead and then wooden muntins. Then
side lights were introduced, and the treatment became more elaborate in
the beautiful styles of the later Georgian period.
The frame about the door was at first of flat, undecorated boards, the
upper one resting on the two at the sides. Then these were molded and
mitered at the corners, and later a cap of heavier moldings was put
across the top. This hood became more and more prominent and required
the use of definite support. Console brackets were sometimes used but
more frequently flat pilasters set against the wall. These gradually
became more important, developing into the three-quarter round and
finally the isolated column. The pediment and cornice were then extended
into the open porch that is one of the splendid features of the Georgian
style. Here in cornice and capital was a field for the development of
all the most delicate and beautiful motives of classic carving.
As this door and porch was the center of the design of the exterior, the
windows were grouped symmetrically about it, the same on each side.
There were few of them at first, and they were of rather small size.
Casement windows were the earliest kind used, and the small, diamond
panes were sunk in lead, as were those made in the mother country. It is
probable that most of these windows were brought over from England and
not constructed here. After 1700, the sliding sash was introduced,
dividing the windows horizontally, and these had wooden muntins. It must
have been considered a more elegant type of window, for it was used in
the front of the house for a long time, while the leaded casement was
still put in rear windows for many years. The early wooden muntins were
quite heavy but later became nearly as delicate as the leaden ones. They
divided the sash horizontally and vertically into squares.
The window casings, like the door frames, were at first entirely plain
and then had a heavier band across the top which developed into a molded
cap or cornice, as at the entrance. When sliding sashes were introduced,
the walls of the houses were not thick enough to contain them, so the
frames and the sashes were built on to the outside, frequently
projecting quite a distance. The necessity for constructing them in this
way led to the deep jambs and sills which are such a charming
characteristic of the Colonial style.
Shutters were used on the outside of the house as a means of protection
from the Indians, when the country was being settled, and these were
made of heavy, battened wood three or four inches thick, like the doors.
Subsequently a small diamond was cut in the top to admit some light when
the shutter was closed. Then a shutter with a solid upper and lower
panel was used, and finally these panels were replaced with slats.
There was one other part of the exterior which developed interesting
characteristics to be observed in the remodeling: that is, the cornice
of the roof. This was merely the overhang in the early buildings and
sometimes consisted of the framing beam actually exposed. In the
Georgian houses, this was boxed and later elaborated with splendid
carvings that deserve perpetuation in more lasting material than wood.
There was no gutter for rain-water, and the drip from the eaves was
caught on flagstones on the ground at the corners of the house. This
detail, although not needed with modern gutters and rain pipes, gives a
charming old-time touch when retained in the remodeled home.
It is by attention to such seemingly insignificant points that the
atmosphere of the original buildings has been consistently retained in
so many cases. An excellent instance of how this has been done may be
seen in a late Georgian type of farmhouse that stands somewhat back from
the old Londonderry turnpike on an estate at Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
Although it is not very old, having been built in 1820, it is typical of
the better class of simple home in the early days of the Republic.
[Illustration: BOULDER FARM--FRONT VIEW]
The history of the building of this old house is rather interesting. In
the days when lotteries were still in flourishing condition, and some of
the best men in the community were interesting themselves in the various
schemes, a member of one of the churches induced Deacon Philip Brown's
hired man to purchase a ticket for a paltry sum. Repenting his
investment, he afterwards sold it to his employer, who was a clever
silversmith and clock-maker, much respected and well known in the
community through his yearly rounds about Hopkinton to repair the clocks
of the farmers. The ticket proved to be the winning one, that drew a
great prize. With part of this money, Deacon Brown purchased the old
"Boulder Farm," as it was called from a great rock that still stands in
an open field just south of the house. Here he erected the Georgian
farmhouse that is standing to-day. The rest of the money, so the legend
runs, he buried somewhere in the field, but he probably removed it
later, as it has never been found.
He placed the house on rising land, a short distance from the broad
highway, built in the same year and for a long time the straight
thoroughfare from Londonderry to Concord and Boston. Deacon Brown lived
on the estate until 1846, with the exception of the year 1830, when it
was occupied by Governor Matthew Harvey of New Hampshire. The property,
placed on the market, then fell into the hands of a man named Kelly,
brother-in-law to Grace Fletcher, the first wife of Daniel Webster.
During his life, the great American statesman often visited there. What
happened during the period between this occupancy and the time of its
purchase by Mr. Harry Dudley of Concord, New Hampshire, is not recorded,
but we can be confident that the house had careful treatment from its
state of preservation.
It was while Mr. Dudley was looking around for a home with ample
grounds, and near enough to his business to allow him to go back and
forth every day, that he discovered this historic place. Its
attractiveness and the healthfulness of the surroundings appealed to
him. Very little was needed to bring the house back to good condition
and make it habitable. The land was attractive and could be improved. In
front of the house was a wide stretch of meadow that was easily terraced
to meet the boundary line. To the many old trees shading the house and
lawn were added young trees to replace some of the ancient ones that
were dying.
[Illustration: The Front Doorway]
Although the house was a model type of the architecture of its day, and
there had been abundant room for the old-time residents, modern ways of
living demanded additional space. A long ell, built at the rear for the
service department, and a wide veranda in dignified Colonial style along
one side were the two main exterior alterations. The appearance of the
windows was changed by putting in larger panes in order to admit more
light, but they were still in keeping with the old-time atmosphere. The
reshingling and repainting of the house and the addition of the
trellises at one side completed the exterior improvements. The splendid
front entrance porch with its graceful fanlight, Doric columns, and
straight cornice, and the equally interesting though less imposing side
porch were left practically unchanged. The old blinds were restored, to
give the stately, old-time atmosphere to the mansion.
The new veranda is wide and extends along the whole side of the house.
Its flat roof rests on coupled Doric columns that carry out the
classical Georgian detail of the entrance porch; the second story is
finished with a simple balustrade, in keeping with the fine simplicity
of the main lines. During the summer months this broad piazza is a
delightful out-of-door living-room, from which there is a splendid view
over the green country; and one can, in imagination, picture the old
stage-coaches of former days lumbering by on the highroad. The upper
part of the veranda opening from the chambers on that side of the house
is used as a sleeping-porch.
The path that leads to the main entrance passes through a wicket gate
and ascends the terrace over stone steps to the granite block before the
door. The pleasant formality of this porch is accentuated by two
close-clipped bay trees, one on either side of the step.
[Illustration: The Hall]
This door opens directly into the hall and faces the long, straight
flight of stairs which reaches the second floor without a turn. The
woodwork of these stairs is particularly nice in proportion and line;
and the carving under the ends of the steps, in a simple but beautiful
scroll design, is most interesting. The hand-rail is mahogany, and the
molding which follows it on the wall side above the wainscoting is also
mahogany.
[Illustration: The Parlor]
In the parlor at the left no innovation has been introduced, and it
remains almost as when the house was built. There we find the old white
wainscoting unpaneled, with a fine carved molding defining the top. The
windows, recessed in the Colonial style, retain their original inside
shutters that are still used. It is unusual to find these to-day, for in
remodeling houses the shutters are almost always removed in favor of
more modern conveniences. Shutters were formerly used as we now employ
curtains, to be closed at night-fall or to shut out light and cold. The
fireplace in this room is a fine example of Colonial work. It shows a
central medallion of a plentifully filled fruit basket and wheat sheaves
over the fluted side columns; the edge of the mantel shelf has an
unusual ball and string ornamentation finely carved. The wall-paper
dates back to the time of the fireplace. It shows a Grecian pastoral
design in shades of brown, yellow, and old rose and was hand-printed
from blocks made in England. Through all these years it has retained its
brightness, escaping the hands of time, and lends a charming and quaint
atmosphere to this room. All of the movable furnishings are equally well
in keeping; the slat-back chairs and tables conform to the spirit of the
period, as does the fine old Empire mirror, resting on its rosettes.
On the opposite side of the hall from the parlor is the living-room.
This is similar in character, with a fireplace only slightly less
interesting. It has the same old white wainscoting, but the upper walls
have been covered with a modern foliage paper which, strangely enough,
blends harmoniously with the setting of the room. It is furnished with
eighteenth-century pieces corresponding to those in the other parts of
the house.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Two Views of the Dining Room]
At the end of the hall is the dining-room, reached through an open arch.
The old wall and door here were cut away in the remodeling to produce an
impression of spaciousness and give a vista from the entrance clear
through the house and into the garden at the rear. The arch was added to
finish the opening, but it conforms carefully to the details found in
the architecture of that day. This room was originally divided, and one
part used as a kitchen, but the partition was removed and the two thrown
into one, making a long dining-room which occupies the greater part of
the rear of the house. At the end, the old single window was enlarged,
and two smaller ones cut through on either side to make a delightful
sunny group which adds materially to the charm of the room. In the
fireplace, which was the original old kitchen one, used for cooking and
baking, the brick oven was removed to admit the introduction of a door
opening into the living-room. Otherwise it was left unchanged, and the
white painted woodwork about it, although simple and unpretentious, is
beautifully proportioned. The old flint-lock and warming-pan which hang
there pleasantly emphasize the Colonial idea. The wall-paper is a
reproduction of a Colonial block pattern in soft shades of gray and
green. The floors in this room, as all over the house, are covered with
matting laid over the original boards, which were found to be in too bad
a condition to restore; entirely new ones would have been necessitated
had bare, polished floors been demanded.
[Illustration: The Den]
At the end of the dining-room, opposite the triple window, a door leads
into a small room which is used as a den. This retains the old fireplace
opening from the same chimney and directly back of that in the parlor.
The walls have been papered in a plain green and are sparingly decorated
with sporting prints and trophies suggestive of the hunt and the
master's particular domain. Doors lead from this room not only into the
dining-room, but to the parlor and the veranda at the side.
The ell of the house, opening from the dining-room, is devoted to
butler's pantry, kitchen, servants' dining-room, and servants' chambers
on the second floor.
The upper story of the main part of the house has been kept almost as
when it was built, and the large square chambers are well-lighted and
airy. The open fireplaces and the Colonial furniture, four-posters and
highboys and chests, give to the rooms a delightfully old-fashioned
atmosphere.
The whole house is a fine example of late Georgian architecture,
preserved in all its interesting detail.