LITTLE ORCHARD
The old farmhouse can well be copied as a type for the modern summer
home, for its lines are excellent, and its design is often so striking
that it lends itself to easy reproduction. To the house owner of to-day
it may seem a little strange that, with the trend of modern
improvements, the old houses should be used for this purpose, and the
architecture of the master builders of long ago shown preference over
that of modern architects who have given their life to this subject.
The builders and designers of old houses had to depend on their own
ideas or possibly on a few designs that were sent over in the cumbersome
ships that plied between England and the new country,--the work of Sir
Christopher Wren, one of the most celebrated architects of his day.
There are no more satisfactory details of house construction than we
find in these old houses, where fireplaces, doors, porches, and carving
show individuality. These ideas, modified and improved upon, are found
in many a twentieth-century home, lending a dignity and charm that would
otherwise be lacking.
If you are remodeling an old house and wish to change a fireplace that
is unsatisfactory or a stairway that is not artistic in design, do not
introduce modern ideas, but rather seek for an old house that is being
torn down and from it take bits that will satisfactorily fit into the
work of remodeling. It is not a hard matter to find details of this
kind, for many an old farmhouse has been neglected so long that it is
past redemption, and it is the blending of the old with the old that
does much to keep distinctive the period that you are seeking to
preserve.
Sometimes the house has been badly mutilated, often to such an extent
that its best features are disguised, and it is a serious problem to
eliminate the wrong ideas and duplicate the original. The old craftsmen
before Colonial times were apt to build houses along certain lines which
often failed to bring proper results; details varied and sometimes were
incongruous with the type of the house. The first houses were generally
one-roomed; later, other rooms like units were gathered around it, and
the result in some cases was the appearance of a lean-to. Later on came
the ell, and, to save steps, chambers were designed on the lower floor,
leading off the main rooms of the houses. Naturally in houses of this
kind the largest room was the kitchen, for this was the
family-living-room, more especially during the cold weather.
We will find as we examine an old farmhouse that the dominant portion of
the building was the first floor, and that the chambers were adapted to
the lower-story plan. These were not always satisfactory, as little or
no care was given to the arrangement of the rooms, and in many houses
closets were little considered. The partitions between these rooms were
not double, like those found to-day, but were made of matched board and
accommodated themselves to the framework. Later on plastering came into
vogue and this made the rooms warmer and much more habitable.
The windows were generally spaced carefully and were in harmony with the
front door, making an attractive exterior. The walls were of wood, often
with a layer of brick to keep out the cold and also to form a better
protection. The roofs, more especially in the early houses, were very
steep, since they were planned for thatching; later on, when shingles
came into use, they grew lower and wider. It was not until 1700 that the
gambrel roof came into style. In considering the evolution of the house
we must look backward, and thus we come to realize the progression of
architecture. We then discover that every old house shows interesting
features, and it is the house with a history that makes its greatest
appeal to the antiquarian; while the revival of Colonial architecture
brings a renewed interest in the history of that period.
There is no more attractive remodeled farmhouse than that of Mr. Roland
C. Lincoln, which is a charming, rambling, summer home situated on the
Gloucester road half way between Manchester-by-the-Sea and Magnolia. It
is a low, yellow cottage, picturesquely placed against a background of
trees and nestled on the side of a hill seemingly as if it had been
there for centuries. At the front is the ocean, while surrounding it is
well-placed shrubbery and artistically trained vines.
[Illustration: The House from the Driveway]
The grounds are just at the left of the main road and separated from it
by a low stone wall; the entrance is by a driveway at one side that
winds to an entrance porch. All around the house are carefully trimmed
lawns and gardens gay with flowers, while the soft expanse of green
sward extends to the shadowing trees and the background of forest and
rock. The house was built two hundred and fifteen years ago. At that
time it stood on the road and was overshadowed by the very oldest house
there was in the town, which stood on the crest of an adjoining hill. It
then contained four rooms only, each one of which was thirteen and a
half feet square. Surrounding the old farmhouse was an orchard of
apple-trees that even in the early days gave to it its present name of
Little Orchard.
[Illustration: The Angle of the Ell]
The possibilities of the little cottage, as it stood forlorn by the side
of the road, attracted the attention of the present owner, who purchased
it, moved it back from the road to its present location, and remodeled
it, adding a wing at the left. The old front door was improved by the
addition of a semicircular porch which is an exact reproduction of the
porch on the White house at Salem, Massachusetts. The side porch was
unique and most picturesque in its design. Ivy has been trained to cover
the veranda and outline many of the windows.
At the rear, facing the garden with its frontage of gnarled apple-trees,
we find the veranda or out-of-doors living-room. This is used during the
summer months and commands one of the most picturesque views on the
estate, overlooking lawns and forest.
[Illustration: The Entrance Porch]
[Illustration: The Stairway]
Entrance to the old house is through the porch, and one finds himself in
a most charming hallway, at one side of which is an alcoved recess. This
is hung in blue and white Morris paper. Near the front door at the right
is the staircase which leads with low treads and broad landing to the
second-story floor; it has a hand-carved balustrade with a mahogany
rail, while its newel post shows fine carving. Half way up between two
huge beams have been placed some wonderful old pieces of china of the
Colonial period, and under them is the quaint inscription, a welcome to
the home, "In God's hands stands this house, may good luck come to it
and bad luck go out of it." The staircase is reproduced from a
particularly fine model found in a house in Boston that was originally
the home of one of America's greatest statesmen, Edward Everett. It fits
into its new surroundings as if it had always been there and is exactly
the type one would expect to find in such a house as this. There is a
fine old cabinet near the staircase that is considered one of the best
pieces in the country. Inside is an entire tea-set of Lowestoft
originally brought to Manchester by one of the old sea captains as a
commercial venture and placed on sale. It was purchased by the present
owner and holds a prominent place in her collection.
At the foot of the stairs, inside the front door, the name of the house
has been done in burnt wood. Mrs. Lincoln arranged to have this executed
while she was traveling abroad and when talking with the workman she
told him the story of her remodeled farmhouse and why it was named
Little Orchard. He was very much interested in her description, and when
the inscription was finished, it bore not only the name, but decorations
in each corner of tiny little apples.
[Illustration: The Dining Room]
At the end of the entrance hall is the dining-room which is long and
well lighted by many windows on two sides. This was a part of the
original house, enlarged and added to. Here we find the low stud and the
beamed ceiling so prevalent in houses of that day. It is hung with a
most interesting Morris paper done in pink and blue, and at one end is a
recessed sideboard. The upper part of this is used as a china
cupboard, while on either side bookcases have been inserted. The
furnishing of this room is all of the Colonial period; the chairs are
Sheraton, as is also the sideboard. The fireplace is unusually good,
being handsomely carved with a basket of fruit as the central
decoration.
Opening from the dining-room is the living-room, a large, square room
with beamed ceiling, a feature being a built-in bookcase at the farther
end. On the walls are many original paintings including one by the late
William H. Hunt, "Tired of Work." An interesting inglenook is a
space-saving device that has been introduced. Underneath the
window-seat, studded in brass nails, is the name of the house again,
Little Orchard.
The reception-room is back of the living-room and shows the staircase of
old Colonial design at the farther end. The fireplace was taken from a
house which once sheltered General Lafayette. When the house was torn
down, the beauty of the carving and the graceful design attracted the
attention of the present owner, who purchased it for his remodeled
house. When it was brought home, it was found to be almost
impracticable, through being so badly worm-eaten; under the hands of
skilful workmen, however, it has been thoroughly renovated and is now a
prominent feature of the room. The apartment is well lighted by many
windows, each one of which is of a different design. These have been
perfectly planned, and there is no discordant note.
The second story has been so arranged that all the rooms open into each
other and also into the hallway. They are of low stud and contain dormer
windows. The Colonial atmosphere has been carefully observed, so that
new pieces which have been introduced fit in harmoniously with the old
ones. Each room has a large, open fireplace with a crane, suggestive of
good cheer.
The success of this house has been attained through the careful thought
of the owners, and it is an example of a charmingly remodeled farmhouse
of a type such as one seldom finds.