Historic Homes Part 12

"Lynde, Dudley, Remington and Saltonstall With Sewall meeting at the judgment hall, Making a learned, wise and faithful set Of G.o.dlike judges by G.o.d's counsel met."

Judge Saltonstall had three sons: Colonel Richard, who lived at b.u.t.tonwood, a loyalist and refugee; Leverett, who died in the British army, and Doctor Nathaniel, who was descended through his mother from the patriotic Cooke family in Boston. It was he who built the house which is now situated on the border of Lake Saltonstall in Haverhill, Ma.s.sachusetts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LXVI.--The Saltonstall House, Haverhill, Ma.s.s.]

This mansion is one of the historic houses in Ma.s.sachusetts. It is a large, square dwelling, painted yellow with green blinds, showing at the front a porch ornamented with dentation. The house has never been out of the possession of the Saltonstall family.

He was a descendant of Sir Richard, who came to America with Winthrop in the _Arabella_ and helped to form the settlement at Watertown, bringing with him cattle and servants, showing thereby that he was a man of property.

Nathaniel Saltonstall, who built this house, was sent to Harvard after his father's death and was graduated in 1766. He devoted himself to the study of medicine during the early Revolutionary movements of the Stamp Act Riot and the Tea Party. Returning to Haverhill against the wishes of his family, he began the practice of medicine in his native town. Later, he enlisted as a volunteer in an artillery company, being the only one of the family who espoused the colonists' cause, but more interested in establis.h.i.+ng a comfortable practice than in war, he soon resigned and continued his profession.

In 1778 he married the daughter of Samuel White. His father-in-law presented him with a lot of land on Merrimack Street, and here he built his residence, at a cost of three thousand dollars, which in that time gave him the handsomest house in the vicinity. This land ab.u.t.ted on the river, and was one hundred and fifty feet deep, laid out in terraced gra.s.sland and garden. On July 24, 1788, a contract was made between Doctor Saltonstall and Marsh and Carleton, joiners, to build the house, to be completed on or before the first of July of the following year.

In the day book of the young physician, opened in 1774, we note that many of his patients worked out their indebtedness on the house. One Enoch Page gave work for nine days, and also helped out upon the doctor's flax. David Bryant brought him five thousand bricks, and among the many others who paid in product was Joseph Whittier, the grandfather of the Quaker poet, who brought a jug of hay, six pounds of b.u.t.ter, and one and a half bushels of oats, "in full payment of my bill, one pound, five s.h.i.+llings, and eleven pence."

We also find an entry in the same note-book that in 1774 he received for services rendered in the town proper a s.h.i.+lling. If he had to cross the river to Bradford, in 1800, it cost thirty-three cents, and in 1812 the charge was raised to fifty cents.

The house was wonderfully furnished with fine old furniture, china, and gla.s.s, much of which has descended in the family, and is owned to-day by the present mistress, Mrs. Gurdon Saltonstall Howe.

In 1806, Doctor Saltonstall's daughter married one John Varnum, who was the leading lawyer of the town, and was given as her marriage portion a handsome outfit, a highly respectable sum of money, and one warming-pan, one silver teapot, one sugar pitcher, one cream pitcher, one jug, twelve silver spoons, and one bra.s.s kettle. Many of these articles are still to be seen in the old home.

Sally Saltonstall married her neighbor, Isaac R. Howe, who was said to be descended from the old-fas.h.i.+oned stock, with "beauty of conduct"

which was, alas, even then a little old-fas.h.i.+oned.

As years went by, Haverhill became more thickly settled, and the estate grew so valuable that it was necessary to move the house. This was no easy matter in those days, and in order that it might be more conveniently accomplished, the structure was sawed in two, the separate parts being carefully boxed in and moved by oxen. The timbers, which were brought from England, were so strong that although moved for several miles, not a single part of the frame was started. As the oxen toiled up the long hill near the Pentucket Club, they became stalled, and more oxen had to be brought before the building could be finally landed in its present position.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LXVII.--Two Views of the Hallway, Saltonstall House.]

It stands back from the road, facing Lake Saltonstall, in the midst of green fields, over which are scattered beautiful trees and flower gardens. Entrance is at the front through a colonial porch, supported by dignified columns and showing dentation, which is repeated in the roof-line of the house. The entrance door, with its ponderous bra.s.s knocker, swings back on its long strap hinges, and reveals a wide hallway which extends entirely through the house to a second door, which leads to a garden beyond. This door shows plainly the mark of the saw where it was cut apart at the time of moving, and the scars of the joining are shown with great pride by the present owners as evidence of this achievement.

At the right of the entrance is the staircase, showing the spiral newel post and carved bal.u.s.ters of the early period. The wainscoting is a feature of this central hall, as is the arch midway between the two entrance doors. A grandfather's clock ticks off the time, and beyond is a wonderful old dresser with a rare collection of pewter, showing many pieces that cannot be duplicated in this country. There is enough of this metal collected to set an entire dinner table, reminding us of the days when it was used extensively in this country, before the introduction of china and gla.s.s.

Opening out of this room at the right is the den, where a wonderful Franklin stove is used for heating. All around the room are pieces of furniture which are not only historic but have much intrinsic value.

Opposite is the drawing-room, with its let-in window-seats and narrow, panelled, wooden shutters, locked at night and serving, if need be, instead of curtains. Many of the chairs found in this room were covered with wonderful specimens of handiwork done by the wife of Elisha Cooke, one of Doctor Saltonstall's ancestors, while much of the furniture came over, as did the timbers, from the mother country, for the first occupant of the house.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LXVIII.--Two Views of the Dining Room, Saltonstall House.]

The dining-room is, perhaps, one of the most attractive rooms in the house. It is well lighted by small-paned windows and contains Hepplewhite chairs and side-table. At one side stands a sideboard which was originally in the possession of Governor John Leverett, who was Governor of Ma.s.sachusetts Bay Colony at the time of King Philip's War and who was a friend of Cromwell's, and created baronet and knight by Charles II in 1676. Governor Leverett was an ancestor of the present owner. On this sideboard are many pieces of old family silver, including a tankard which was also owned by the governor.

The fireplace is a true colonial one, showing blue and white tiles two deep, each ill.u.s.trative of a Bible story. The upper hall has undergone a change since it was built through the introduction of low, built-in bookcases. Here the furniture includes Chippendale chairs of a design that was very popular all through this period, being of beautiful proportions and showing fine workmans.h.i.+p.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LXIX.--Chambers in the Saltonstall House.]

Chambers open off the hallway, each of which contains a great deal of rare furniture. There are the Field beds with their drapings of white, some showing testers of 1800. Modern wall-paper and frieze, as well as the draperies, have been introduced within the last few years, but are in harmony with the old-fas.h.i.+oned furniture, many pieces of which were inherited from the maternal side of the family, being the property, originally, of Middleton Cooke and also of Mary Cooke, third daughter of Judge Saltonstall and great-granddaughter of Governor Leverett.

The Cookes were a noted family and eminent politicians. Elisha Cooke, before mentioned, was an a.s.sistant under the old government, holding for forty years many positions of public trust; he was also a noted orator and politician, a member of the General Court and of the Council, and a leader of the Public Party.

The Saltonstalls also were a distinguished family, Dudley being in command of the Continental navy and captain of the _Alfred_ in Hopkin's fleet in February, 1776, while Gurdon Saltonstall, a governor of Connecticut from 1707 until his death, was distinguished as an orator and statesman, and bequeathed to Harvard University one thousand pounds to students studying for the ministry.

Singularly enough, since the first cla.s.s graduated from Harvard, there has always been a Saltonstall connected with the college. This covers a period of over two hundred and fifty years, and during this time not one of these men has ever done anything to disgrace his Alma Mater.

Pieces of furniture a.s.sociated with all three of these distinguished families are to be found in this house, many of them belonging to the old governor and handed down in direct line to the present owner.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of all is an old desk which was once owned by Daniel Webster, who at one time was a law partner of the late Mr. Gurdon Howe's grandfather. It is filled with valuable papers, almost all bearing upon different business transactions in the great statesman's life.

This was brought from Boston at the time that Mr. Howe removed his law office from that city. One of these doc.u.ments, a note characteristic of Daniel Webster, is still treasured.

"UNITED STATES SENATE, June 3d, ...

"DEAR SIR:

"I arrived here last evening and found all well. One of the latter trials, as it happened, comes on this very day, or is expected to. This may delay me,--otherwise I expect to be at home on Sat.u.r.day. A note enclosed, as this falls due the 9th. Please do the needful.

"D. WEBSTER."

The house has stood practically unchanged since the day of building, some slight changes having been made, but not enough to mar the colonial architecture. It is large and square, three stories in height, of simple, dignified proportions, and showing colonial details. The windows are the small-paned ones that were used in the long ago, with the exception of one of stained gla.s.s, which has been introduced over the entrance porch. The house is one which reflects the period,--a notable mansion filled with interesting colonial relics which formerly were owned by some of the most prominent men in our country.

CHAPTER XVII

THE DALTON HOUSE

Because of the distinctive place that houses of the middle period hold in the present architectural world, architects from all over the country are now looking for specimens of these dwellings to which they may turn for copy. The master builders of that time knew well their art, and their work is characteristic of us as a nation. Houses of that period, while comparatively similar in type to those of the old world, yet show enough variation to make them interesting, and stand in favorable comparison. There is the large, square house, three stories in height, which came into vogue early in the nineteenth century. Then there is the double-decked house with its roof ornamentations, and the plain house of the purest colonial type, an ill.u.s.tration of the latter being the Dalton house at Newburyport, Ma.s.sachusetts.

This house stands on the princ.i.p.al street in Newburyport, a seaport city, where in the days of commercial prosperity s.h.i.+ps lined the wharves, as they came and went in their traffic with foreign lands.

Those were the days when merchants made and lost fortunes, the days of golden prosperity and of flashes of romance. To these days we turn as a most interesting period of our country's architectural history.

In fancy we see the Newburyport of that day, situated on the banks of the Merrimac River, a breezy old town propped up on a granite base. Its princ.i.p.al street, three miles in length, overlooked the quays, where in the olden days vessels arrived from Russia or Antwerp or perhaps from the West Indies, laden with rich furs, strange wooden shoes, guava jellies, wonderful old shawls, and many other exports that were piled high on the now silent wharves.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE LXX.--The Dalton House, Newburyport, Ma.s.s.]

On this the princ.i.p.al street stands the Dalton house, two and a half stories in height, with gambrel roof and a wide, inviting porch--a mansion that suggests the days when money was piled high in the coffers and when the prosperous men flaunted their wealth, spending it freely, not only in frequent entertainments but in equipages that were the envy of the less fortunate townsmen. There were no more beautiful or expensive carriages than those owned by Tristram Dalton, who succeeded his father, Michael Dalton, in the owners.h.i.+p of the house.

When the mansion was first built, there was a s.p.a.cious estate in keeping with the house instead of the limited grounds that we see to-day. At the rear, just back of the courtyard, were large, well-built stables, in which were sheltered fine horses. Beyond, were gardens and gra.s.s lands, for, when the estate was first planned, it consisted of three acres of land bounded westerly on Greenleafs Lane, southerly on Nathan Hale's land, easterly on Newman's land, and northeast or northerly on the land of James Pierson.

Michael Dalton, who built the house in 1720, was a great-grandson of Philemon Dalton, who came to New England in 1635. Michael was very ambitious, and when quite young he left his father's home to engage in a seafaring life. He made many successful voyages and augmented his wealth to such a degree that he added greatly to the family possessions. Later on he became a prominent merchant, and married in 1733 one Mary Little.

His means continuing to increase, he became interested in agricultural pursuits and bought a country estate at Pipestave Hill at West Newbury.

Just before his death, he deeded his house to his son Tristram Dalton, who became a prominent figure in American history.

Tristram Dalton was graduated from Harvard in 1755. There is still seen in the house a portrait supposed to have been painted at about that time. One of his closest intimates was a cla.s.smate, John Adams, their friends.h.i.+p ending only with death. Young Dalton began studying law in Salem but afterwards entered business with his father; in 1758 he married Ruth Hooper, the daughter of Robert Hooper, a rich merchant of Marblehead, familiarly known as "King" Hooper on account of his great wealth. Until within the last few years there was a pane of gla.s.s in one of the windows, on which was written with a diamond the name of Ruth Hooper Dalton. It is still preserved and from letters kept is shown to be a perfect facsimile of her handwriting.

During his life, he became devoted to public interests and was a very prominent citizen of the town, the State, and nation. He served on numerous town committees, was a delegate to the Provincial Congress, a representative of the General Court, a Speaker of the House, a member of the State Senate and a delegate to the Const.i.tutional Convention of 1788, being a zealous advocate of the adoption of the Const.i.tution. He was ever active and energetic in his many efforts to reconcile political differences. So successful was his political life that after a long and sharply contested battle he was elected senator from 1789-1791.

He came of Irish descent and was considered one of the most learned, wealthy, and influential persons in the country. He was a near and confidential friend of President Was.h.i.+ngton, who induced him to remove his household goods to the city of Was.h.i.+ngton, foreseeing that it would eventually become one of the grandest cities in the country. There is a portrait of Dalton painted by Blackburn, that is still kept in the house, which shows him tall and well-formed, with fine, clear complexion and smooth, open brow. His dress was after the fas.h.i.+on of the time, with short clothes and knee breeches, coat with standing collar and broad deep lapels faced with silk, white satin waistcoat, ruffled s.h.i.+rt bosom, and deep lace cuffs. That he was fond of dress is shown from the picture, his hair was puffed on either side, giving him an appearance of dignity and age, and making it difficult to believe that the portrait is of one so young. He was a fine specimen of a gentleman of the old school and was well fitted to take a leading part in the best New England societies. The distinguis.h.i.+ng traits of his personality continued all through his life, for even as late as 1816 we read of him as erect, firm, and showing a fine presence. He was a man of emotions rather than of ideas, the warmth and sincerity of his feelings lifting him above all personal considerations and giving him that elevation and n.o.bility of character that appeals so strongly to one's affections.