THE SPENCER-PIERCE HOUSE
An unusually picturesque location has the Spencer-Pierce house at
Newbury, Massachusetts, which stands at the end of a long, grassy lane,
leading off from the main road not far above the old town church. The
house itself is unique and forms a fascinating study for architects in
its fine state of preservation, its beauty enhanced by overhanging
vines. Old houses are like open books, disclosing by their type to what
period they belong, and it is interesting to find one that stands out so
distinctly from other houses of long ago as does the Spencer-Pierce
mansion. At first glance of its foreground of open lawn and its
background of trees, one readily perceives that it was intended for a
gentleman's residence. It has been falsely called a garrison house from
the fact that its walls are of stone and brick, but a knowledge of the
first owners and their time shows this to be a fallacy. Later it might
have been used for some such purpose, but if so there is no record.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXVIII.--The Spencer-Pierce House, Newburyport,
Mass.]
Whoever built the house had an eye for the beautiful. It stands in the
midst of a large farm surrounded by grass land and trees, with the ocean
stretching beyond. In construction it is different from others of the
period, being shaped like a cross.
The northern projection, the kitchen end of the house, shows a large
brick chimney built on the outside with a stone foundation. It is so
high and big that it reaches far above the roof, and possibly is the
first one of its kind ever shown in colonial architecture. The
self-evident age of both the brick and the plaster, broken here and
there, leaves no reasonable doubt to the student of the antique as to
the period of its building.
On the opposite side is the porch. This is familiarly known as the great
porch of the house. Architects come from all over the country to copy
the lines of this particular bit of architecture, for it is one of the
most beautiful specimens in New England. Much of its beauty, however,
lies in the mellow, many-toned coloring of the exterior produced by its
two hundred years' exposure to wind and weather. A settled air of old
age surrounds it, and without doubt it will last as it is for centuries.
The arches of this mansion are interesting, showing bevelled brick
and most carefully introduced casements, while the wonderful
ornamentation has helped to establish the fact that it is not in reality
a genuine garrison house.
Much doubt is expressed as to the exact year of its building, the
erection of the house being generally credited to John Spencer, the
younger, while others assert it is the elder who was the first owner and
occupant of the house. This leads to a confusion of dates, placing the
time of building anywhere from 1635 to 1651, at which time it fell into
the hands of one Daniel Pierce.
One of the first settlers was John Spencer, the reputed builder of the
house. He came to this country in the _Mary and John_ and settled on the
banks of the river Parker in 1635, his name showing on the first page of
the proprietors' records, where it appears that he was the grantee of
the houselot which was next the great river. He was a man of means and
took an important part in the formation of the little settlement which
was established by his influence. Searching through the records of the
time, we find his name constantly mentioned in the list of proprietors,
and the statement that he built a mill at the falls of Newbury, where he
had a mill lot of fifty acres, and rose to such prominence that the
following year he was chosen magistrate in Newbury in the General Court.
In other ways, too, he was a prominent man, being very much interested
in military affairs. In April, 1637, we find him captain of a battalion
that had been sent out under Captain Stoughton against the Pequod
Indians. His religious opinions, however, did not agree with those of
the settlers, and he was discharged from his command and returned to
England after having been disarmed and condemned, being one of three
under sentence; the other two were Richard Dummer and Nicholas Eaton,
but he was the only one who went to England, where he remained until his
death, which took place about 1647.
Considering the enormous amount of work that went into the building of
this house, which was a very large one, it is evident that he could not
have built it before he left for England, as it could not possibly have
been completed before then. While the records are scanty on this point,
we have reason to believe that even if he commenced it, his nephew, who
succeeded to the property, must have finished it. The brick used in the
making of the old porch, and the square tile we find in the floor, were
both in all probability brought over from the motherland. History
relates that previous to 1680 brickyards had been established in Salem,
as well as in Medford, but the bricks found to-day that were made at
that period show them to be of very inferior quality. They were made by
order of the Superior Court and measured nine inches long, two and a
half inches thick, and four and a half inches wide.
In this house the bricks used were much smaller and were also very
smoothly molded. This leads one to believe that they were imported
English brick, perhaps brought over as ballast in some of the ships that
came to this country with settlers. The walls, however, were composed of
a great variety of stone, some of which was probably brought by boats
and rafts down the Merrimac River. There were also many that doubtless
came from a long distance, but these facts are difficult to determine
because of the scanty information to be obtained.
Young Spencer, who was the next to own the land and who may have begun
the construction of this house, was a careless, improvident man. He soon
became involved in pecuniary troubles and sold the farm in small lots,
eventually getting rid of the entire property. His uncle, Daniel
Pierce, a village blacksmith, bought part of the land in 1651 with the
proviso that any time within the next seven years, if Spencer wished, it
could be repurchased on the same terms. This transaction was through the
old ceremony of "turf and twig," the transfer being supplemented by a
deed. It was a blind transaction, there being nothing to ascertain the
worth of the place. Pierce was a thrifty man, and tradition relates that
he kept all the money he possessed tied up in an old stocking that was
hung up in his shop.
Through Mr. Coffin, the historian of Newbury, we learn that the house
was not built until 1666 to 1670, but no matter how carefully we trace
the records, we find it impossible to determine the accuracy of this
fact. Nowhere in the Pierce family is there a tradition that it was
built by any of their ancestors, and even the oldest inhabitants failed
to swerve from their assertions that the Spencers were the first
occupants of this stone house. The only fact that points to its
presumable erection by a Pierce is that Daniel Pierce, who was a member
of Governor Carteret's first Council, and who with others founded the
town of Woodbridge, two years later returned to his native place with a
well-lined purse. We read how he valued his estate highly and desired
to entail it in his will, saying: "It shall never be sold nor any part
divided." Whatever his intentions were, they were never carried out, as
is shown later on.
Pierce supported the cause of the pastor in the famous Parker
controversy, and died in 1677 at the age of sixty-six years. His son
Daniel was his sole executor, and he was asked to do for his brother
Joshua's children as he thought best. The will also has a singular
provision, allowing that his wife Anne, according to his marriage
agreement, should have "twenty pounds a year and all the proper
necessaries of which she stands in need, and during her life to enjoy
her former liberties in the house."
Daniel Pierce, Jr., or Colonel Daniel Pierce, was the next to live in
the house. He was most prominent in military and civil affairs, marrying
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Anne Millwood, who was only sixteen
years of age at the time of her marriage. He was considered the most
important man in town, as is shown by an extract from the town records,
where is found a statement that the minister's wife's pew shall be built
close to the pulpit stairs and that Daniel Pierce shall have the first
choice of pews. This was a difficult and delicate matter, as the seats
were assigned according to age, dignity, and deafness.
"To my son Benjamin" was the estate next left. Benjamin received it on
August, 1771, and died in May of the following year. Charles, his eldest
son, became the next owner. He was a man prominent in church affairs. We
find him a firm adherent of Whitfield, taking part in the great
controversy which eventually divided the old town church and led to the
establishment of the old South Society at the Port. Among the most
distinguished descendants of the Pierce family was the late Franklin
Pierce, the fourteenth President of the United States, who was said to
have been a visitor at this historic house.
It is hard to say whether Nathaniel Tracy, the merchant, or his father
was the next owner of this house. It was sold by Daniel Pierce, who
owned half of the estate, to Nathaniel Tracy in 1778, and by the widow
of William Pierce the same year. This was at a time when Tracy was
possessed of great wealth and lived in magnificent style, owning a large
house on State Street in Newburyport nearly opposite the Dalton house,
and a large farm at Medford, as well as the Craigie house in Cambridge.
Nathaniel Tracy was well known in the mercantile profession. He was a
dashing young man, who loved to change his place of residence at his
whim. Few men of the period had a more brilliant career than did he. At
the breaking out of the Revolution he was a very young man, and with
patriotic zeal he fitted out a fleet of privateers to prey on British
commerce, the first privateer ever fitted out in our country being his,
and sailing in 1775. They were small vessels, manned by intrepid men and
having but few guns which, however, were handled in so masterly a manner
that many valuable prizes were brought by them to both Boston and
Newburyport.
During the next eight years he was the principal owner, according to
records, of one hundred and ten merchant vessels which had a gross
tonnage of fifteen thousand six hundred and sixty tons and cargoes
valued at $2,733,300. Many of his fleet were lost or captured,--so many
indeed that at the end of the war there were only thirteen left. The
value of the work they had done in aiding the government can never be
estimated. They brought into port quantities of stores and ammunition
that were designed primarily to supply the British army. The records
show that during this period Tracy's men captured one hundred and
twenty vessels with twenty-two hundred and twenty-five men, and their
cargoes were sold for $3,950,000. His patriotism is well shown from the
fact that in addition to these services he loaned the government
$167,000.
Rivalling Tristram Dalton, he is said to have had some of the finest
horses and coaches in the country and to have lived in grandeur and
luxury, his house being the meeting place for the dignitaries of the
land. He was also very fond of reading and had in his possession a large
and well selected library. With the close of the war, his money
vanished. His successful ventures met with disaster, so that in 1786 he
was bankrupt. His estates were all given over to his creditors with the
exception of the Newbury farm, which had been secured by his father to
his family. Here he lived the remainder of his life, pressed by no
claims for money, and loved and respected by all. This was his favorite
home, and it was no disappointment to spend his declining years here,
walking around his extensive estate and listening to the sound of the
seas while reviewing the troublous times of the Revolution.
In size he was a large man, comely of feature, and noted for his wit and
humor. He married in early life the daughter of Colonel Jeremiah Lee of
Marblehead, who was a great beauty; during her lifetime the house was
filled with noted guests.
Few houses with such numerous changes in occupants have had so many
noted owners as the Spencer-Pierce house, which after the death of Mr.
Tracy was sold by his wife, through the authority of the General Court,
to one Offin Boardman for $12,800. Captain Boardman was well known,
particularly in a military way, on account of his performing the daring
feat of capturing a transport as it came into Newburyport harbor. It was
a British ship, _Friends_, with Captain Bowie commanding, that appeared
off the mouth of the harbor, tacking and wearing in such a way as to
indicate that she did not know her bearings. This led Captain Boardman,
whose house guarded the mouth of the river, to suspect that it was a
British ship bringing ammunition for the troops that were stationed in
Boston. Calling seventeen men to his aid, they manned three whale-boats
and rowed off to the stranger. When in speaking distance, they hailed
her to know where bound, rightly suspecting she bore contraband goods.
She replied that she hailed from London and was uncertain as to her
situation, whereupon she was offered a pilot. The vessel was boarded by
Captain Boardman and his valiant crew who carried no arms in sight, thus
preventing the suspicion of the captain. The boldness of the attack won
success, and the ship was taken into Newburyport, where she was
overhauled.
For twenty years afterwards the house was occupied by the same owner,
being sold at auction in 1813. It was purchased by one John Pettingell,
who is said to have used it as a summer residence only; during the time
of his occupancy the wooden buildings at the back, together with the
farm, were let to tenants.
The mansion house has been owned and occupied by wealthy families ever
since it was built. It is considered one of the most picturesque homes
in New England. Unlike other houses built at that period, the walls,
which are two feet thick, were made of granite interspersed with stone
and brick, over which a thick overlay of plaster was placed, and having
arched doorways and windows and small niches introduced over the door.
The wooden additions at the back were built for the use of servants. The
porch of the house is unique. The bricks that form the arch of the door
have fancy, rounded edges that distinguish them from those made in the
colony. Hanging vines add to the picturesqueness of the house.
The entrance door is divided like the Dutch doors of to-day, showing two
sections acting independently, the upper part being at one time
protected by an inner shutter. This was arranged so as to hang down from
the ceiling, the old hinges which are still left plainly attesting to
this fact. There are also shown to-day marks of the pulley through which
ran the cords to raise and lower the shutter. The old-fashioned door
swings back on wrought hinges twenty-four inches in length. These, as
well as the old hardware in the house, have been carefully preserved.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXIX.--Hallway, Spencer-Pierce House.]
Between the outside porch and the inner one is a second set of doors, in
between which are hanging buckets. These are of leather and were kept in
the hall of every house for use in case of fire. The stairway starts at
the right-hand side of the hall, which is merely a narrow passageway. It
leads by two turns to the second-story floor and has a most unusual
background in the brick work of a large chimney. Tradition tells us that
the builder of these stairs received no ready money for his work but,
instead, eight acres of land, since it was a very common practice at
that time to pay for work in this way.
[Illustration: PLATE XL.--Dining Room, Spencer-Pierce House; Living
Room, Spencer-Pierce House.]
[Illustration: PLATE XLI.--Parlor, Spencer-Pierce House.]
At the right is the old parlor, which is now used as the family
dining-room. It is a spacious apartment, nineteen feet square, with
walls two feet thick, corresponding in depth to all those found in the
main house. Great oak beams, rough with marks of the adze, support the
chamber floors. These beams, for many years boxed in, have been lately
revealed. The table in the parlor is of the empire period, while the
chairs are rough bottomed, Windsor, and other types, all colonial,
though of mixed periods.
Singularly enough, the house differs from most of its kind in that it
has two main chimneys, one providing fireplaces between the front rooms
and the other built in the kitchen. During the summer months these are
still used, but in the winter stoves are substituted.
The inner kitchen is now used as a living-room. It has been remodelled
within the last few years, there being no plaster on the wall except
that which was put directly on the stone. The old fireplace is still
seen in this room, although adorned with a new mantel. Window-seats have
been introduced, and many Sheraton chairs and Hepplewhite tables are
seen. Indeed, every piece of furniture belongs to the same period.
While the eastern part of the house is the original building, the
western end shows an attractive addition that was built on during
Captain Boardman's lifetime for the benefit of his wife, who was a
confirmed invalid. She had believed it was unhealthful to live between
stone walls and so asked that this addition be built. This part shows
the same finishing as other rooms in the house and is furnished like
them in colonial style. The central feature is a gate-leg table, while a
Sheraton chair of the Martha Washington type is found here, and a
Chippendale, together with Dutch chairs having rush bottoms, dating back
to 1740.
The chambers show a likeness to the lower rooms, and the attic is
especially large. In the chambers there is little or no hand-carving but
very good woodwork.
Long before this house came into its present ownership, during the time
of the Pierce occupancy it was used to stow away a part of the town's
powder. While this was stored here, one of Pierce's slaves, a negro
woman, went up-stairs to her room and carelessly placed a lighted candle
near one of the kegs. She was weary from a long day's work and fell
asleep without any thought of serious consequences. While she slept, the
candle burned lower and lower, finally sputtering and falling over. A
grain of powder that had been carelessly spilt on the floor was ignited.
A blinding flash, a tremendous report, an unearthly yell, and the
negress flew out of the window, bed and all, and landed safe in the top
of an apple-tree which is still standing!
The old home is a splendid example of the houses of that day. It is in a
perfect state of preservation, and from its windows one still overlooks
the river, where in the olden days the ships of the Tracys passed to and
fro, bearing rich cargoes in their holds.