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HISTORIC SHRINES OF AMERICA
by
JOHN T. FARIS
[Illustration: INDEPENDENCE HALL, REAR VIEW, PHILADELPHIA
_Photo by Ph. B. Wallace_]
HISTORIC SHRINES OF AMERICA
Being the Story of One Hundred and Twenty Historic Buildings
and the Pioneers Who Made Them Notable
by
JOHN T. FARIS
Member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Fellow of the
American Geographical Society
Author of "Real Stories from Our History," "Old Roads
Out of Philadelphia," etc.
Illustrated
New York
George H. Doran Company
Copyright, 1918,
By George H. Doran Company
Printed in the United States of America
FOREWORD
Circular tours have long been popular in England. There was a time--as
there will be a time again--when American visitors felt that to make
the rounds of the cathedral towns or the historic castles or the homes
and haunts of great men and women, was a necessary part of seeing the
tight little island.
"What a pity it is that we in America have no such wealth of historic
places," one returning tourist was heard to remark. "Oh, of course,
there are a few spots like Independence Hall and Concord and
Lexington," he went on, "but there are not enough of them to make it
worth while to plan a tour such as those in which we have taken
delight in England."
It was easy to point out to the traveler his mistake; most Americans
know that the country is rich in places of historic interest. Just how
rich it is they may not realize until they make a serious study of the
landmarks of their own land, as does the European tourist of the
centers noted in his guidebook.
In fact, there are in America so many houses, churches, and other
buildings having a vital connection with our history that volumes
would be required to tell of them all. Even a brief record of the
buildings whose owners or occupants played a conspicuous part in the
early history of the country would fill a large book.
It is fascinating to learn of these houses and public buildings and to
delve into the biographies which tell what happened to the people who
lived in them. Fiction seems tame after connecting, for instance, the
story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler with the Ford
Mansion and the Campfield House at Morristown, New Jersey, then with
the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York, and The Grange in New York
City. The heart of the patriot burns with new love for his country as
he reads of Faneuil Hall and the Old South Church and Carpenters'
Hall. The story of the Revolution is clothed with living interest when
Washington and his generals are followed to Valley Forge and Newburgh
and Cambridge and Morristown and Princeton. Fresh appreciation of the
sacrifice of the pioneers comes from going with them into the garrison
houses of New England, along the Wilderness Road in Kentucky, to the
settlements on the Ohio, or to the banks of the Wabash where more than
one Indian treaty was made.
Next comes the keen pleasure of visiting the houses and churches
which, through the piecing together of these facts, have become like
familiar friends. The vacation journey that includes a careful study
of a few of these buildings becomes a fascinating course in
patriotism.
It is the purpose of the author of "Historic Shrines of America" to
tell just enough about each of one hundred and twenty of these
buildings of historic interest to create a hunger for more; to present
pictures sufficiently attractive to make those who turn the pages of
the book determine to visit the places described; to arrange the brief
chapters in such sequence that it will be possible for the reader to
plan for successive vacations a series of journeys through the centers
where historic buildings may be found, and, in doing this, to pass by
so many structures of interest that the reader and the tourist will
have abundant opportunity to discover houses and churches of which he
will say, "I wonder why this was not included."
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
ONE: IN THE LAND OF THE PILGRIMS
I THE OLD STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 19
II PAUL REVERE'S HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 23
III FANEUIL HALL, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 28
IV THREE HISTORIC CHURCHES OF BOSTON 32
V ELMWOOD, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 36
VI THE CRAIGIE HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 40
VII THE ADAMS HOUSES, QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS 44
VIII THE QUINCY MANSION, QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS 49
IX FERNSIDE FARM, HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS 54
X THE DUSTON GARRISON HOUSE, HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS 56
XI THE OLD MANSE AND THE WAYSIDE, CONCORD,
MASSACHUSETTS 61
XII THE ROYALL HOUSE, MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS 66
XIII BROADHEARTH AND THE BENNET-BOARDMAN HOUSE,
SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS 69
XIV THE COLONEL JEREMIAH LEE HOUSE, MARBLEHEAD,
MASSACHUSETTS 72
XV THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH, NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS 75
XVI THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, PROVIDENCE, RHODE
ISLAND 80
TWO: WHERE PATROONS AND KNICKERBOCKERS
FLOURISHED
XVII THE MORRIS-JUMEL MANSION, NEW YORK CITY 87
XVIII THE PHILIPSE MANOR HOUSE, YONKERS, NEW YORK 91
XIX ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL, NEW YORK CITY 95
XX FRAUNCES' TAVERN, NEW YORK CITY 97
XXI THE GRANGE, NEW YORK CITY 100
XXII THE VAN CORTLANDT HOUSE, NEW YORK CITY 104
XXIII THE HASBROUCK HOUSE, NEWBURGH, NEW YORK 106
THREE: ACROSS THE JERSEYS WITH THE PATRIOTS
XXIV THE FRANKLIN PALACE, PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY 115
XXV THE CHURCH AT CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY 119
XXVI OLD TENNENT CHURCH, FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 122
XXVII THE FORD MANSION, MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 126
XXVIII NASSAU HALL, PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 130
XXIX THREE HISTORIC HOUSES AT PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 134
XXX THE SPRINGFIELD MEETING HOUSE, NEW JERSEY 138
FOUR: RAMBLES ABOUT THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
XXXI THE LETITIA PENN HOUSE, PHILADELPHIA 145
XXXII CARPENTERS' HALL, PHILADELPHIA 149
XXXIII ST. PETER'S CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA 153
XXXIV CLIVEDEN, GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA 156
XXXV OLD PINE STREET CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA 159
XXXVI INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA 162
XXXVII THE DAVID RITTENHOUSE HOME, NEAR PHILADELPHIA 170
XXXVIII THE HEADQUARTERS AT VALLEY FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA 174
XXXIX THREE HEADQUARTERS OF WASHINGTON 178
XL SWEETBRIER-ON-THE-SCHUYLKILL, PHILADELPHIA 183
XLI MILL GROVE AND FATLANDS, NEAR PHILADELPHIA 187
XLII WAYNESBOROUGH, NEAR PAOLI, PENNSYLVANIA 192
XLIII THE MORAVIAN CHURCH, BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA 196
FIVE: OVER THE MASON AND DIXON LINE
XLIV HISTORIC LANDMARKS AT NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 203
XLV THE RIDGELY HOUSE, DOVER, DELAWARE 208
XLVI REHOBOTH CHURCH ON THE POCOMOKE, MARYLAND 211
XLVII DOUGHOREGAN MANOR, NEAR ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND 216
XLVIII THE UPTON SCOTT HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 220
XLIX THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON 225
L THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON 230
LI THE OCTAGON HOUSE, WASHINGTON 234
SIX: HOMES AND HAUNTS OF THE CAVALIERS
LII MOUNT VERNON, VIRGINIA 241
LIII ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 246
LIV CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 249
LV THE MARY WASHINGTON HOUSE, FREDERICKSBURG,
VIRGINIA 251
LVI GREENWAY AND SHERWOOD FOREST, VIRGINIA 257
LVII TWO HISTORIC COURTHOUSES OF VIRGINIA 262
LVIII ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND 266
LIX THE NELSON HOUSE AND THE MOORE HOUSE, YORKTOWN,
VIRGINIA 270
LX THE JOHN MARSHALL HOUSE, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 274
LXI FIVE OLD HOUSES OF TIDEWATER, VIRGINIA 278
LXII GUNSTON HALL, VIRGINIA 281
LXIII THE WASHINGTON COLLEGE BUILDING, LEXINGTON,
VIRGINIA 285
LXIV BRUTON PARISH CHURCH, WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 288
LXV WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE, WILLIAMSBURG,
VIRGINIA 291
LXVI THE MONUMENTAL CHURCH, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 294
LXVII MONTPELIER, ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA 296
LXVIII OAK HILL, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA 301
LXIX RED HILL, CHARLOTTE COUNTY, VIRGINIA 305
LXX POHICK CHURCH, TRURO PARISH, VIRGINIA 311
LXXI MOUNT AIRY, RICHMOND COUNTY, VIRGINIA 314
LXXII TWO OF VIRGINIA'S OLDEST CHURCH BUILDINGS 318
LXXIII MONTICELLO, NEAR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 322
LXXIV THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA AT CHARLOTTESVILLE,
VIRGINIA 326
SEVEN: THROUGH THE SUNNY SOUTH
LXXV THREE OLD CHURCHES IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA 333
LXXVI THE HOUSE OF REBECCA MOTTE, CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA 336
LXXVII THE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 340
LXXVIII THE CABILDO OF NEW ORLEANS 343
LXXIX THE ALAMO, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 347
LXXX THE HERMITAGE, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 351
LXXXI ASHLAND, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 355
LXXXII SPORTSMAN'S HALL, WHITLEY'S STATION, KENTUCKY 359
LXXXIII WHITE HAVEN, NEAR ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 362
EIGHT: ALL THE WAY BACK TO NEW ENGLAND
LXXXIV THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN HOUSE, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 369
LXXXV THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE AT VINCENNES, INDIANA 374
LXXXVI THE HOUSE OF GENERAL RUFUS PUTNAM, MARIETTA,
OHIO 377
LXXXVII MONUMENT PLACE, ELM GROVE, WEST VIRGINIA 381
LXXXVIII THE CASTLE AT FORT NIAGARA, NEW YORK 386
LXXXIX THE SCHUYLER MANSION, ALBANY, NEW YORK 391
XC THE WENTWORTH HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE 395
XCI THE WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW HOUSE, PORTLAND, MAINE 400
BIBLIOGRAPHY 407
INDEX 411
ILLUSTRATIONS
INDEPENDENCE HALL, REAR VIEW, PHILADELPHIA,
PENNSYLVANIA _Frontispiece_
PAGE
OLD STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 25
PAUL REVERE HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 26
HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 26
OLD NORTH CHURCH, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 34
OLD SOUTH CHURCH, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 35
CRAIGIE HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 48
FERNSIDE FARM, HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS 48
DUSTON GARRISON HOUSE, HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS 49
ROYALL HOUSE, MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS 49
BROADHEARTH, SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS 70
BENNET-BOARDMAN HOUSE, SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS 70
OLD SOUTH CHURCH, NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS 71
MORRIS-JUMEL HOUSE, NEW YORK CITY 97
PHILIPSE MANOR HOUSE, YONKERS, NEW YORK 97
FRAUNCES' TAVERN, NEW YORK CITY 98
VAN CORTLANDT HOUSE, NEW YORK CITY 98
THE FRANKLIN PALACE, PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY 121
OLD TENNENT CHURCH, FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 121
NASSAU HALL AND THE FIRST PRESIDENT'S HOUSE, PRINCETON,
NEW JERSEY 122
MORVEN, PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 122
LETITIA PENN HOUSE, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 146
ST. PETER'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA,
PENNSYLVANIA 147
CLIVEDEN, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 160
THIRD (OLD PINE STREET) PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 160
DAVID RITTENHOUSE'S HOUSE, NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA 161
DAWESFIELD, NEAR PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 161
EMLEN HOUSE, NEAR PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 179
FATLANDS, NEAR PHOENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA 179
WAYNESBOROUGH, PAOLI, PENNSYLVANIA 180
MORAVIAN CHURCH, BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA 180
AMSTEL HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 205
DOORWAY OF AMSTEL HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 205
HALL OF READ HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 205
DOORWAY OF RODNEY HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 206
DOORWAY OF STEWART HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 206
DOORWAY OF READ HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 206
DOORWAY OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 206
IMMANUEL CHURCH, NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 217
RIDGELY HOUSE, DOVER, DELAWARE 218
DOUGHOREGAN MANOR, NEAR ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND 218
UPTON SCOTT HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 233
OCTAGON HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D. C. 233
THE STAIRWAY, OCTAGON HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D. C. 234
MOUNT VERNON, VIRGINIA, REAR VIEW 244
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 244
CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 245
MARY WASHINGTON'S HOUSE, FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA 262
HANOVER COURT HOUSE, VIRGINIA 262
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 263
NELSON HOUSE, YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA 263
WESTOVER ON THE JAMES, VIRGINIA 282
GUNSTON HALL ON THE POTOMAC, VIRGINIA 282
WASHINGTON COLLEGE BUILDING, LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 283
BRUTON PARISH CHURCH, WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA 283
MONUMENTAL CHURCH, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 314
POHICK CHURCH, VIRGINIA 314
MOUNT AIRY, RICHMOND COUNTY, VIRGINIA 315
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 315
INDEPENDENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 336
PRINGLE HOUSE, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 337
THE CABILDO, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 337
THE HERMITAGE, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 352
ASHLAND, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 352
SPORTSMAN'S HALL, WHITLEY'S STATION, KENTUCKY 353
WHITE HAVEN, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 353
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S HOUSE, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 370
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON'S HOUSE, VINCENNES, INDIANA 370
RUFUS PUTNAM'S HOUSE, MARIETTA, OHIO 371
THE SCHUYLER MANSION, ALBANY, NEW YORK 371
WENTWORTH HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE 394
WARNER HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE 394
WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW HOUSE, PORTLAND, MAINE 395
ONE: IN THE LAND OF THE PILGRIMS
The riches of the Commonwealth
Are free, strong minds, and hearts of health;
And more to her than gold or grain,
The cunning hand and cultured brain.
For well she keeps her ancient stock,
The stubborn strength of Pilgrim Rock;
And still maintains, with milder laws,
And clearer light, the Good Old Cause!
Nor heeds the skeptic's puny hands,
While near her school the church-spire stands;
Nor fears the blinded bigot's rule,
While near her church-spire stands the school.
--JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.
ONE: IN THE LAND OF THE PILGRIMS
[Illustration: OLD STATE HOUSE, BOSTON
_Photo by Halliday Historic Photograph Company, Boston_
See Page 19]
I
THE OLD STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
FROM WHOSE BALCONY THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS PROCLAIMED
Thirty-three years after Captain John Smith sailed into Boston Harbor,
the first Town House was built. This was in 1657. The second Town
House, which was built on the same site, was erected in 1712. In 1748
the third Town House, later the Old State House, followed the
structure of 1712, the outer walls of the old building being used in
the new.
Since 1689, when Governor Andros' tyranny was overthrown, the old
building has been in the thick of historic events. How it figured in
the Boston Massacre was shown by John Tudor in his diary. He wrote:
"March, 1770. On Monday evening the 5th current, a few
Minutes after 9 o'clock a most horrid murder was committed in
King Street before the custom house Door by 8 or 9 Soldiers
under the Command of Capt. Thos Preston of the Main Guard on
the South side of the Town House. This unhappy affair began
by Some Boys & young fellows throwing Snow Balls at the
sentry placed at the Custom house Door. On which 8 or 9
Soldiers Came to his Assistance. Soon after a Number of
people collected, when the Capt commanded the Soldiers to
fire, which they did and 3 Men were Kil'd on the Spot &
several Mortaly Wounded, one of which died next Morning....
Leut Governor Hutchinson, who was Commander in Chiefe, was
sent for & Came to the Council Chamber, where some of the
Magustrates attended. The Governor desired the Multitude
about 10 O'Clock to sepperat & to go home peaceable & he
would do all in his power that Justice should be done &c. The
29 Regiment being then under Arms on the south side of the
Townhouse, but the people insisted that the Soldiers should
be ordered to their Barracks first before they would
sepperat. Which being done the people sepperated aboute 1
O'Clock."
Next day the people met in Faneuil Hall, and demanded the immediate
removal of the troops. The demand being refused, they met again at
Faneuil Hall, but adjourned to Old South Church, since the larger hall
was required to accommodate the aroused citizens. A new committee,
headed by Samuel Adams, sought Hutchinson in the Council Chamber of
the Town House, and secured his permission to remove the troops
without delay.
The next event of note in the history of the old building was the
public reading there of the Declaration of Independence on July 18,
1776, in accordance with the message of John Hancock, President of the
Continental Congress, who asked that it be proclaimed "in such a mode
that the people may be impressed by it."
Abigail Adams told in a letter to her husband, John Adams, of the
reading:
"I went with the multitude to King street to hear the
Declaration Proclamation for Independence read and
proclaimed.... Great attention was given to every word....
Thus ends royal Authority in the state."
A British prisoner on parole, who was an invited guest at the reading
of the Declaration, wrote a detailed narrative of the events of the
day, in the Town Hall, in which he said:
"Exactly as the clock struck one, Colonel Crafts, who
occupied the chair, rose and, silence being obtained, read
aloud the declaration, which announced to the world that the
tie of allegiance and protection, which had so long held
Britain and her North American colonies together, was forever
separated. This being finished, the gentlemen stood up, and
each, repeating the words as they were spoken by an officer,
swore to uphold, at the sacrifice of life, the rights of his
country. Meanwhile the town clerk read from the balcony the
Declaration of Independence to the crowd; at the close of
which, a Shout began in the hall, passed like an electric
spark to the streets, which rang with loud huzzas, the slow
and measured boom of Cannon, and the rattle of musketry."
Thirteen years later, when Washington visited Boston, he passed
through a triumphal arch to the State House. In his diary he told of
what followed his entrance to the historic building:
"Three cheers was given by a vast concourse of people, Who,
by this time, had assembled at the Arch--then followed an ode
composed in honor of the President; and well sung by a band
of select singers--After this three cheers--followed by the
different Professions and Mechanics in the order they were
drawn up, with their colors, through a lane of the people
which had thronged about the arch under which they passed."
The ode sung that day was as follows:
"General Washington, the hero's come,
Each heart exulting hears the sound;
See, thousands their deliverer throng,
And shout his welcome all around.
Now in full chorus bursts the song,
And shout the deeds of Washington."
The Old State House was near destruction in 1835, as a result of the
uproar that followed the attempt of William Lloyd Garrison to make an
abolition address in the hall next door to the office of the
_Liberator_, whose editor he was. A furious crowd demanded his blood,
and he was persuaded to retire. Later the doors of the _Liberator_
office where he had taken refuge were broken down, and, after a chase,
the hunted man was seized and dragged to the rear of the Old State
House, then used as the City Hall and Post-office. The mayor rescued
him from the mob, which was talking of hanging him, and carried him
into the State House. The threats of the outwitted people became so
loud that it was feared the building would be destroyed and that
Garrison would be killed. As soon as possible, therefore, he was
spirited away to the Leverett Street jail.
For many years, until 1882, the Old State House was used for business
purposes, after previous service as Town House, City Hall, Court
House, and State House. It is now used as a historical museum by the
Bostonian Society.
The historic halls within the building have the same walls and
ceilings as when the old house was erected in 1748. For many years the
exterior was covered with unsightly paint, but this has been scraped
off, and the brick walls gleam red as in former days.
[Illustration: PAUL REVERE HOUSE, BOSTON
_Photo by Halliday Historic Photograph Company_
See Page 23]
II
PAUL REVERE'S HOUSE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
WHERE THE MERCURY OF THE REVOLUTION LIVED AND TOILED
"_Take three fourths of a Paine that makes Traitors Confess_ (RAC)
_With three parts of a place which the Wicked don't Bless_ (HEL)
_Joyne four sevenths of an Exercise which shop-keepers use_ (WALK)
_Add what Bad Men do, when they good actions refuse_ (ER)
_These four added together with great care and Art
Will point out the Fair One that is nearest my Heart._"
Thus wrote Paul Revere, the Boston goldsmith, on the back of a bill to
Mr. Benjamin Greene for "Gold buttons," "Mending a Spoon," and "Two
pr. of Silver Shoe Buckles," which was made out one day in 1773 in the
old house in North Square, built in 1676. To this house he planned to
lead as his second wife Rachel Walker; his eight children needed a
mother's care, and he wanted some one to share the joys and the
burdens of his life.
Before his first marriage, in 1757, he had served as a second
lieutenant in a company of artillery, in the expedition against Crown
Point. Soldiering was succeeded by work at his trade of goldsmith and
silversmith, learned from his father. He was a skilled engraver; most
of the silverware made in Boston at this period testified to his
ability. Later, when the rising patriotic tide seemed to call for
lithographs and broadsides, he engraved these on copper with eager
brain and active hand.
He began his patriotic work as a member of the secret order The Sons
of Liberty, which had organizations in nearly all the colonies, held
frequent meetings, and laid plans for resisting the encroachments of
Great Britain. Once, when some three hundred of these Sons dined at
Dorchester, Paul Revere was present, as well as Samuel Adams, John
Adams, and John Hancock.
It was necessary to have a trusted messenger to carry tidings of
moment from place to place, and Paul Revere was one of those chosen
for the purpose. His first important ride was at the time of the
destruction of the tea in Boston harbor. He had a leading part in
bringing together the patriots who gathered on November 29, 1773,
first at Faneuil Hall, then at Old South Meeting House, to protest
against the landing of the tea from the ship _Dartmouth_, and he was
one of the men who, on December 16, in Indian disguise, threw L18,000
worth of tea into the harbor. In preparation for the rallying of the
men of the tea party at the "Green Dragon," the following ditty was
composed:
"Rally Mohawks! bring out your axes,
And tell King George we'll pay no taxes
On his foreign tea.
His threats are vain, and vain to think
To force our girls and wives to drink
His vile Bohea!
Then rally boys, and hasten on
To meet our chief at the Green Dragon.
"Old Warren's there, and bold Revere,
With hands to do, and words to cheer,
For liberty and laws;
Our country's brave and free defenders
Shall ne'er be left by true North-Enders
Fighting Freedoms cause!
Then rally boys, and hasten on
To meet our chiefs at the Green Dragon."
Of the work done by the Mohawks on that December night John Adams
wrote on December 17, 1773, "This Destruction of the Tea is so bold,
so daring, so firm, intrepid, and inflexible, and it must have so
important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can't but consider it
as an Epoch in History."
The enactment of the Boston Port Bill was the cause of Revere's next
ride. A meeting of citizens in Boston decided to ask the other
colonies "to come into a joint resolution to stop all importation
from, and exportation to, Great Britain and every part of the West
Indies till the act be repealed," in the thought that this would
"prove the salvation of North America and her liberties."
These resolutions were given to Paul Revere by the selectmen of
Boston, and he was urged to ride with all speed to New York and
Philadelphia. On May 30, 1774, the Essex _Gazette_ told of the return
of the messenger, and announced, "Nothing can exceed the indignation
with which our brethren of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and
Philadelphia have received this proof of Ministerial madness. They
universally declare their resolution to stand by us to the last
extremity."
Four months later another ride to Philadelphia was taken, to carry to
the Continental Congress the Suffolk Resolves. Six days only were
taken for the journey. When Congress learned of the protest in New
England against the principle "that Parliament had the right to
legislate for the colonies in all cases whatsoever," there was no
question that a new nation was ready for birth. "I think I may assure
you, that America will make a point of supporting Boston to the
utmost," Samuel Adams wrote, the day after Revere's message was read.
Once more during the historic year 1774 the Boston silversmith turned
aside from his shop long enough to ride to Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
to give information of the prohibition by Great Britain of further
importations of gunpowder, and to tell of the coming of a large
garrison to Fort William and Mary at Portsmouth. The immediate result
of the ride was the sending of a party of four hundred patriots
against the fort, which surrendered at once. Little attention has been
paid to this event by historians, yet it was one of the most potent of
the events preceding the Revolution. One hundred barrels of gunpowder
were seized at the fort, and this was a large part of the ammunition
used later at Bunker Hill.
Then came April 18, 1775, the date of "that memorable ride, not only
the most brilliant, but the most important single exploit in our
national annals." The Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety
were in session at Concord. General Warren had remained in Boston to
watch the movements of the British, and Revere had been holding
himself in readiness to carry tidings as soon as there was anything of
importance to be told. Now word was to be sent to John Hancock and
Samuel Adams, who were at the residence of Rev. Mr. Clarke at
Lexington, "that a number of soldiers were marching towards the bottom
of the Common, ... and that it was thought they were the objects of
the movement." Revere had foreseen the necessity for the ride, and,
fearing that he might not be able to cross the Charles River, or get
over Boston Neck, had arranged with patriots in Charleston that two
"lanthorns" would be shown in the North Church steeple if the British
went out by water, and one if they went by land.
On the night of April 18 Revere was rowed by two friends across
Charles River, passing almost under the guns of the _Somerset_. After
conferring with the Charleston patriots, who had seen the signals, he
secured a horse, and started toward Lexington, proceeding with extreme
care, because he had been told that ten mounted British officers had
been seen going up the road. Once he was chased by two British
officers. At Medford he awakened the captain of the minute men. "After
that I alarmed almost every house till I got to Lexington," the
patriot rider later told the story. Messrs. Hancock and Adams were
aroused. Then Revere went on to Concord, accompanied by two others,
that the stores might be secured. Once more residents by the roadside
were awakened. He himself was soon surrounded by four mounted British
soldiers, but his companions were able to proceed. After a time he was
released by his captors, and he made his way to the Clarke house,
where Hancock and Adams still were.
[Illustration: HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE, LEXINGTON, MASS.
_Photo by Halliday Historic Photograph Company_
See Page 23]
Thus the way was prepared for Concord and Lexington. That the patriots
were not taken by surprise, and the stores at Concord taken, as the
British had hoped, was due to the courage and resourcefulness of Paul
Revere.
Revere's rides as messenger did not end his services to the colonists.
In 1775 he engraved the plates and printed the bills of the paper
money of Massachusetts, and later he built and operated a powder
mill. He was made lieutenant-colonel of State artillery, and took part
in the unfortunate Penobscot expedition out of which grew the charges
of which he was triumphantly acquitted by the court-martial held at
his own request.
The old house in North Square was the home of the Revere family until
about 1795.
III
FANEUIL HALL, BOSTON
"THE CRADLE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY"
Andrew Faneuil was one of the Huguenots who fled from France as a
result of the Edict of Nantes. By way of Holland he came to Boston. It
is a matter of official record that on February 1, 1691, he was
admitted by the Governor and Council of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Within a few years the refugee was looked upon as a leader both in the
French church and in business. Copies of invoices of merchandise
consigned to him show that he was a dealer in all kinds of supplies of
food, household furnishings, and dress goods.
When he died, in 1738, the Boston _News Letter_ said that "1,100
persons of all Ranks, beside the Mourners," followed the body to the
grave. "And 'tis supposed that as the Gentleman's fortune was the
greatest of any among us, so his funeral was the most generous and
expensive of any that has been known here."
Peter Faneuil, the heir and successor to the fortune and business of
his uncle, was a shrewd business man who knew how to make the most of
his opportunities. But he took time to think and plan for his
fellow-townsmen. He was disturbed because there was no adequate public
market in Boston, and he was not discouraged by the fact that numerous
attempts to establish such a convenience had been received with
hostility by the people, especially the farmers, who felt that they
would have a better chance to sell from house to house on any day than
in a fixed place on a set day.
His proposition to provide the market by gift to the town stirred up a
spirited controversy. At a town meeting called to consider the
proposition, held on July 14, 1740, the attendance was so large that
the company adjourned to the Brattle Street Meeting House.
There the people set themselves to consider the proposition of Peter
Faneuil, who "hath been generously pleased to offer at his own cost
and charge to erect and build a noble and complete structure or
edifice to be improved for a market, for the sole use, benefit and
advantage of the town, provided that the town of Boston would pass a
vote for the purpose, and lay the same under such proper regulation as
shall be thought necessary, and constantly support it for the said
use."
The gift had a narrow escape from the 727 voters who cast the ballots.
The majority in favor of accepting the market was only seven!
The average giver would have been discouraged by such a reception; but
Peter Faneuil, on the contrary, did more than he had proposed. When
the selectmen were told in August, 1742--seven months before Faneuil's
death--that the building was ready, there was not only a market
house, but above it a hall for town meetings and other gatherings. By
action of the meeting called to accept the building the hall over the
market was named Faneuil Hall.
"I hope that what I have done will be of service to the whole
country," was the donor's response to this graceful act.
At once the Hall became a Boston institution. The town offices were
removed to the building, town meetings were held there, and a series
of public concerts was given in it. The market, however, was not
popular.
The fire of January 13, 1761, destroyed the interior of the building.
The money for rebuilding was raised by a lottery.
Faneuil Hall began its career as a national institution on August 27,
1765, when the voters, in mass meeting, denounced the lawless acts of
"Persons unknown" by which they had shown their hatred of the
iniquitous Stamp Act. At a second meeting, held on September 12, the
voters instructed their Representatives "as to their conduct at this
very alarming crisis."
"The genuine Sons of Liberty" gathered in the Hall March 18, 1767,
that they might rejoice together because of the repeal of the Stamp
Act. The Boston _Gazette_ reported that "a large company of the
principal inhabitants crowded that spacious apartment, and with loud
huzzas, and repeated acclamations at each of the twenty-five toasts,
saluted the glorious and memorable heroes of America, particularly
those who distinguished themselves in the cause of Liberty, which was
ever growing under the iron hand of oppression."
What has been called "perhaps the most dramatic scene in all history"
was staged in this Cradle of Liberty on the day after the Boston
Massacre, March 6, 1770. The crowd was so large that it was necessary
to adjourn to Old South before action could be taken requesting the
governor to withdraw the troops whose presence had led to the
massacre.
Then came the tea meetings. The first of these was held in the Hall on
November 5, 1773. At this meeting committees were appointed to wait on
the several persons to whom tea had been consigned by the East India
Company, "and in the name of the town to request them from a regard to
their character, and to the peace and good order of the town,
immediately to resign their trust." The response made to these
committees and to subsequent tea meetings was unsatisfactory, and on
December 16 a number of disguised citizens gathered at the waterfront
and held the "Boston Tea Party."
The occupation of Boston by the British interrupted the Faneuil Hall
town meetings, but soon after the evacuation of the city the people
turned their steps thither for public gatherings of many sorts.
Fortunately the building had not been seriously injured. When
Washington entered the city he spoke with feeling of the safety of the
structure that had meant so much to the people.
It was fitting that, in the stirring days that preceded the War of
1812, meetings to protest against the acts of Great Britain should be
held here. Historic gatherings followed during this war, as also
during the War of 1861-65.
Three times Faneuil Hall has been rebuilt since its donor turned it
over to his fellow-citizens. The first reconstruction came after the
fire. In 1806 the building was enlarged and improved. Again in 1898 it
was completely rebuilt and made fireproof, though, wherever possible,
original materials were used. While it is much larger than in the
early days, the general appearance is so similar that the structure
would be recognized by such an ardent lover of the early structure as
Lafayette, who, when he was in Boston in 1824, said:
"May Faneuil Hall ever stand, a monument to teach the world
that resistance to oppression is a duty, and will under true
republican institutions become a blessing."
[Illustration: OLD NORTH CHURCH, BOSTON
_Photo by Halliday Historic Photograph Company_
See page 32]
IV
THREE HISTORIC CHURCHES OF BOSTON
THE STORY OF OLD NORTH, OLD SOUTH, AND KING'S CHAPEL
The First Church of Boston would have been large enough for all its
members for many years longer than they worshipped together, if they
had been of one mind politically. But the differences that separated
people in England in the troublous days of Charles I were repeated in
Boston. For this reason some of the members of the First Church
thought they would be better off by themselves, and in 1650 they
organized the Second Church. Later the church became known as North
Church, by reason of its location. As it grew older the name Old North
was applied to it.
From its organization Old North became known as the church of spirited
reformers, a real school for patriots. Increase Mather, one of its
early pastors, was responsible for developing and directing the
peculiar genius of its organization. At the time of the Revolution
the British officers spoke of the church as "a nest of traitors."
Many mass meetings to protest against the acts of Great Britain were
held in this church. The corporation used it for a time as a fire
house and a public arsenal, and when signals were given by the
direction of Paul Revere on the night of his famous ride the lanterns
were hung in the steeple of Old North.
The original building of 1652 was burned in 1673. The second building
was also burned, but by the British, who tore it down and used it for
firewood during the cold winter of the occupation of the city.
After the destruction of the building the members of New Brick Church,
an offshoot of Old North, invited the congregation to worship with
them. The invitation was accepted, and soon the congregations came
together, under the name Old North. The building occupied ever since
by the reunited congregation was erected in 1723. Ralph Waldo Emerson
served as pastor and conducted services in this structure.
In 1669 there were many earnest people who felt that the teachings of
the older church were not liberal enough for them, and they decided to
have a church after their own heart. They felt that all who had been
baptized might be citizens of the town; they were unwilling to be
associated longer with those who insisted, as the General Synod of
Massachusetts recommended, that all citizens must be church members,
as formerly. So permission to organize was asked of the other
churches. On their refusal appeal was taken to the Governor. The next
appeal, to the selectmen of Boston, was successful.
[Illustration: OLD SOUTH CHURCH, BOSTON
_Photo by Halliday Historic Photograph Company_
See page 34]
The new church, which was called the South Meeting House, was built on
the site of Governor Winthrop's house. In 1717 the people began to
call the church "The Old South," to distinguish it from another church
which was still further south.
In 1685 Governor Andros insisted that the Old South building should
be used for the Church of England service, as well as for the
services of the owners of the building. For two years Churchmen and
Congregationalists occupied it harmoniously at different hours on
Sunday.
On a Fast Day in 1696 Judge Sewall stood up before the congregation
while they heard him read his prayer for the forgiveness of God and
his fellow-citizens for any possible guilt he had incurred in the
witchcraft trials.
Ten years later, on the day he was born, January 17, 1706, Benjamin
Franklin was baptized in the church, though not in the present
building.
The building made famous by the series of town meetings before and
during the Revolution was erected in 1730. When Faneuil Hall was too
small to hold the crowds that clamored for entrance, Old South was
pressed into use. On June 14, 1768, at one of these meetings, a
petition was sent to the Governor asking that the British frigate be
removed from the harbor. John Hancock was chairman of this committee.
The Boston Tea Party followed a mass meeting held here.
Burgoyne's cavalry used Old South Church as a riding school. Pigs were
kept in one of the pews, while many of the furnishings were burned.
Since March, 1776, when the church was repaired, it has been little
changed. Services were discontinued in 1872. After the great fire
the building was used as a post-office.
Five years later there was talk of destroying the historic structure
that the valuable lot might be used for business purposes, but the
efforts of patriotic women were successful in preserving the relic.
Since that time it has been kept open as a museum.
While Old North and Old South were organizations expressing the will
of the people, the third of the famous churches of Boston was the
expression of the will of King James II of England. During more than
sixty years of the city's history there had been no congregation of
the Church of England; members of that body were required to attend
service in the existing parishes. A minister and a commission sent
from England to arrange for the new church were received with scant
courtesy by the churches when request was made that opportunity be
given to hold Church of England services in the building of one of
them.
Not satisfied with the offer of a room in the Town House, Governor
Andros demanded that Old South make arrangements to accommodate the
new body. On the refusal of the trustees to do as the Governor wished,
the sexton of the church was one day ordered to ring the bell and open
the doors for the Governor and his staff, and those who might wish to
attend with them. Then the trustees submitted to the inevitable.
This was in 1687. The first chapel was built for the new congregation
in 1689, on land appropriated for the purpose, since no one would
convey a site willingly. This building was enlarged in 1710. The
present striking structure dates from 1749-53. Peter Faneuil was
treasurer of the committee that raised the necessary funds. The
expense was but L2,500, though granite from the new Quincy quarry was
used. The colonnade surrounding the tower was not built until 1790.
King's Chapel, as the new church building came to be called, was known
as the abode of loyalists, just as Old North and Old South were famous
as the haunts of patriotic worshippers. The presence on the walls of
the insignia of royalty and varied heraldic devices seriously
disturbed the minds of those who felt that a house of worship should
have no such furnishings.
During the Revolution the building was respected by the British as
well as by the citizens of the town. When the war was over, the
congregation of Old South was invited to use the chapel because their
own church needed extensive repairs in consequence of the use the
British had made of it.
Since 1787 King's Chapel has been a Unitarian church. The change was
made under the leadership of Rev. James Freeman.
V
ELMWOOD, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
WHERE JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL WAS BORN, AND WHERE HE DIED
When Thomas Oliver, Lieutenant Governor and president of George III's
provincial council, built his house in Cambridge about 1767, he did
not dream that within nine years he would have to abandon it because
of his allegiance to the same George III. But so it proved. He was a
Tory, and his neighbors would not suffer him to remain among them. On
September 2, 1774, he wrote his resignation of the offices he held,
adding the statement, "My house at Cambridge being surrounded by five
thousand people, in compliance with their command, I sign my name." At
his request, made to General Gage and the admiral of the English
fleet, troops were not sent to Cambridge, according to plan. "But for
Thomas Oliver's intercession," Edward Everett Hale says, "Elmwood
would have been the battle-ground of the First Encounters."
After his summary departure the house was used as a hospital by the
Continental Army. When the government sold it at auction it became the
property first of Arthur Cabot, then of Elbridge Gerry, a Signer of
the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Massachusetts from 1810
to 1812, and Vice-President under Madison.
The next occupant was Rev. Charles Lowell, pastor of the West Church
of Boston. He bought the property just in time to make it ready for
his son, James Russell Lowell, who was born February 22, 1819.
As a boy James never wearied of rambling over the old house and the
ten acres of ground, all that was left of the original ninety-five
acres. Many of his poems contain references to the memories of these
early years. "The First Snowfall," "Music," and "A Year's Life" are,
in part, autobiographical. Lines on "The Power of Music" told of the
days when he was his father's companion in the chaise, on the way to
make a Sunday exchange of pulpits with a neighboring minister:
"When, with feuds like Ghibelline and Guelf,
Each parish did its music for itself,
A parson's son, through tree-arched country ways,
I rode exchange oft in dear old days,
Ere yet the boys forgot, with reverent eye,
To doff their hats as the black coat went by,
Ere skirts expanding in their apogee
Turned girls to bells without the second e;
Still in my teens, I felt the varied woes
Of volunteers, each singing as he chose,
Till much experience left me no desire
To learn new species of the village choir."
Life at Elmwood was interrupted by college days, but he returned to
the Cambridge house with his wife, Maria Lowell. The oldest children
were born here. Here, too, came the first great sorrow of the parents,
the death of their first born. At that time Mrs. Lowell found comfort
in writing "The Alpine Sheep," a poem that has helped many parents in
a like time of bereavement.
The next great sorrow came during the Civil War, when the death from
wounds was announced first of General Charles Russell Lowell, then of
James Jackson Lowell, and finally of William Lowell Putnam, all
beloved nephews. In the Biglow Papers, Second Series, the poet
referred to these three soldiers. Leslie Stephen called the lines "the
most pathetic that he ever wrote" in which he spoke of the three
likely lads,
"Whose comin' step ther' 's ears thet won't,
No, not lifelong, leave off awaitin'."
During the closing year of the war, one of the students who attended
his lectures on Dante at Harvard College wrote of a visit to his
preceptor:
"I found the serene possessor of Elmwood in good spirits,
ate a Graham biscuit and drank some delicious milk with him
and his wife, then enjoyed a very pleasant conversation. He
read some of Shakspeare's sonnets, to make me think better of
them, and succeeded.... He gave me a very welcome copy of
Macaulay's essays and poems, and the little visit was another
oasis in school life's dearth of home sociability. Mabel, his
only child, was not there at supper, but came home some time
after: 'salute your progenitor!' and the answer was a
daughter's kiss."
After spending years abroad, part of the time as Minister to Spain,
then as Minister to England, Lowell returned to Elmwood. To a friend
who congratulated him on being at home again, he said, "Yes, it is
very nice here; but the old house is full of ghosts." His cousin, as
quoted by Dr. Hale, says of these closing six years of the poet's
life:
"The house was haunted by sad memories, but at least he was
once more among his books. The library, which filled the two
rooms on the ground floor to the left of the front door, had
been constantly growing, and during his stay in Europe he had
bought rare works with the intention of leaving them to
Harvard College. Here he would sit when sad or unwell and
read Calderon, the 'Nightingale in the Study,' whom he always
found a solace. Except for occasional attacks of the gout,
his life had been singularly free from sickness, but he had
been at home only a few months when he was taken ill, and,
after the struggle of a strong man to keep up as long as
possible, he was forced to go to bed. In a few days his
condition became so serious that the physician feared he
would not live; but he rallied, and, although too weak to go
to England, as he had planned, he appeared to be
comparatively well. When taken sick, he had been preparing a
new edition of his works, the only full collection that had
ever been made, and he had the satisfaction of publishing it
soon after his recovery. This was the last literary work he
was destined to do, and it rounded off fittingly his career
as a man of letters."
He died in August, 1891, when he was seventy-two years old.
Elmwood remains in the possession of the Lowell heirs. The ten acres
of the poet's boyhood days have been reduced to two or three, but the
house is much the same as when the poet lived in it.
[Illustration: CRAIGIE HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
_Photo by Ph. B. Wallace, Philadelphia_
See page 40]
VI
THE CRAIGIE HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
MADE FAMOUS BY GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
"_Somewhat back from the village street
Stands the old-fashioned country seat.
Across its antique portico
Tall poplar-trees their shadows throw;
And from its station in the hall
An ancient timepiece says to all,--
'Forever, never!
Never--forever.'_"
The clock of which Longfellow wrote stood on the stair-landing of the
old Craigie House, Cambridge, Massachusetts, which he bought in 1843,
after having occupied it a number of years. Here he wrote the majority
of his poems. Here, one June day, Nathaniel Hawthorne dined with the
poet. In the course of conversation, the author of "The House of
Seven Gables" told Longfellow the heart-moving story of the Acadian
maiden who was separated from her lover by the cruel mandate of the
conquerors of Acadia, and here the poem was written that told the
story. Here were spent days of gladness with friends who delighted to
enter the hospitable door. Here the poet rejoiced in his home with the
children of whom he wrote in "The Children's Hour":
"Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour."