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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 AEsop'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_.