Chapter I: 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