Historic New England

Jason Russell and His House in Menotomy

Jason Russell's house in what is now Arlington, Mass., was the site of the bloodiest skirmish of the first day of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775. The house, which has seen multiple additions since it was first built, still has bullet holes in its walls of the best room, entryway and hallway...

Date: 1964

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169742

Ref. Code: SC001.1964.055.198.001

Bulfinch's Design for the Massachusetts State House

Published here for the first time are Charles Bulfinch's plans for the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Assumed lost for good in 1896 when a government committee arranged for the preservation of the building, they were finally discovered in the Phelps Stokes collection. The plans shed some light...

Date: 1964

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169743

Ref. Code: SC001.1964.055.198.002

Recent Accessions to the Society's Museum Collections : Portraits of Captain and Mrs. Isaac Manchester

The unsigned portraits of Capt. and Mrs. Isaac Manchester are believed to have been painted by Cephas Thompson, an artist better known in the southern states than in his native New England. Susan Parsons article takes a look at these paintings, part of SPNEA's museum collection.

Date: 1964

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169744

Ref. Code: SC001.1964.055.198.003

Letter to the Pacific

Lucretia M. Donald's affections for Elijah P. Chase shine through in this letter dated Sept. 2, 1841. The spelling is horrible and the syntax is a bit confusing, but nonetheless, her love for Elijah, away for two and a half years on the ship "Navigator" in the "Pac o," is unmistakeable.

Date: 1964

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169745

Ref. Code: SC001.1964.055.198.004

Preserving a New England Burying Ground : A Community Improvement Project

In 1963, the Deerfield Woman's Club undertook to individually photograph all 493 stones in the burying ground of Deerfield, Mass. This ambitious project provided the town with a permanent record of the site and began a process of preserving the historic grounds. The cemetery, which was replaced in 1...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169746

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.055.200.001

Boston's Greatest Hotel

The world's first luxury hotel, the Tremont House sat at the corner of Tremont and Beacon streets in Boston. Built in 1829, it became the model for the modern city hotel. It excelled in accommodations and service and entertained every noted visitor to pass through the city. But a little over 65 year...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169747

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.055.200.002

Notes and Gleanings

Notes and Gleanings" asks SPNEA members if they know anything about wrought-iron hooks sometimes found in plaster ceilings of early homes and addresses an earlier query about the cover illustration of the Winter 1965 issue of Old-Time New England.

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169748

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.055.200.003

"Evidences of Daily Life in New England, 1790-1810" : Catalogue of a Special Exhibition at the Harrison Gray Otis House, February 17 to March 12, 1965

A month-long special exhibition staged during the spring of 1965, "Evidences of Daily Life in New England, 1790-1810" brought together domestic items both familiar and unfamiliar. This catalog of items gives a provocative glimpse into everyday life during a formative period in American history.

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169749

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.201.001

Further Notes on Francis Alexander

A unique collaboration between father and daughter, "Hannah Blackstone" is an interesting little romance. Written in childlike verse by Esther Frances Alexander and drawn with delicate precision by her father, artist Francis Alexander, the volume is a charming piece of work. Catherine W. Pierce take...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169750

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.202.001

Peleg Chandler

The journey from New Gloucester to Halifax, Nova Scotia is a long one even by today's standards. In 1790, Peleg Chandler, Jr., barely older than 17, travelled to Halifax to become a schoolmaster and earn his way through college. His trip was documented in his journal: "Peleg Chandler's Journal from ...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169751

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.202.002

The Osborns and Their Redware : From South Danvers, Massachusetts to Loudon, New Hampshire

In 1775 there were 75 potteries operating in Danvers and Peabody, Mass. Of all the potter families, the best known was the Osborns. Their work was well-respected, and today it's appreciated by every collector with a keen eye. In this article, Madeline Osborne Merrill examines the craft of her ancest...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169752

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.202.003

Genealogy and Silver

The value of genealogy in the identification of unknown silversmiths' marks and the proper dating of silver cannot be overestimated. This article looks at several cases that illustrate how useful this method is and, at the same time, reveals some previously unknown facts concerning a few New England...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169753

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.202.004

The Lincoln County Court House

Built in 1824, the Lincoln County Court House at Wiscasset, Maine, is one of New England's best known public buildings. The account printed here, "County Agent for building a Court House - 1824," was found among the records of Lincoln County, and itemizes the work done on the building by N. Coffin, ...

Date: 1965

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169754

Ref. Code: SC001.1965.056.202.005

Embroidery in the Society's Collection

SPNEA has an excellent collection of needlework from the mid-18th to the late-19th century. This work represents some of the finest art created by women during this time. This article looks at how the work reflects the expanding artistic role of women in American society.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169755

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.056.203.001

Daniel Webster in Bronze

The statue of Daniel Webster at the foot of the State house stands proudly overlooking Boston Common. Eight feet tall, cast in bronze and occupying a 10-foot pedestal, it is a monument to one of the most popular and enduring figures in Massachusetts history. But the journey from the idea to finished...

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169756

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.056.203.002

Journal of a Peddling Trip

This is the first part of a journal documenting Ebenezer Graves' trip through New England selling his silk. Beginning on March 21, 1853, it provides insight into Graves' everyday life, economic details and even the weather.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169757

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.056.203.003

The House the Parson Built

It is rare to find documents illustrating the building of a house from beginning to end. But Rev. Jonathan Fisher, while building his house in Blue Hill, Maine, kept a journal during its 1814 construction. The journal keeps track of the day-to-day progress and includes drawings of floorplans and det...

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169758

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.056.204.001

Journal of a Peddling Trip

The conclusion of Graves' journal, detailing his peddling trip through New England.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169759

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.056.204.002

The West Parish of Salisbury, Massachusetts, and the Rocky Hill Meetinghouse

In 1793, Salisbury, Mass., was divided into two parishes, with the West Parish meeting at Rocky Hill Meetinghouse. But that church became a shell, despite the best efforts of parishioners. Charles I. Pettingell looks at the West Parish and its ultimate demise.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169760

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.057.206.001

The Treasurer's Book of the Rocky Hill Church

Old and calf-bound, the Treasurer's Book holds the financial records of West Parish Church from 1794 to 1941. These financial records provide a more intimate picture of the activities of a congregation than more formal historical records.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169761

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.057.206.002

Samplings from American Cookery, 1812

The selections from the cookbook American Cookery, published in Walpole, N.H., in 1812, are both entertaining and historically significant, providing an insight into the culinary practices of the day.

Date: 1966

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169762

Ref. Code: SC001.1966.057.206.003

Peter Banner, Architect, Moves from New Haven to Boston

Around 1805, architect Peter Banner moved to Boston from New Haven, Conn. It was a mysterious move, as sudden and strange as his departure from New York to New Haven about 7 years earlier. But during his time in Boston, he left his mark, designing churches and meetinghouses in the area. Elmer D. Kei...

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169763

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.057.207.001

An Unrecorded Portland Engraver

The discovery of an engraving by David G. Johnson sheds new light on his career. A portrait painter and engraver working in New York from 1831-35 and 1843-45, a work by Johnson depicting the Portland Nautical Society reveals that before residing in New York, Johnson worked for a few years in Portlan...

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169764

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.057.207.002

Short and Simple Annals

In a deposition taken in 1823 - reprinted here - Hannah Shaw talks about the journey she took with her husband from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts and the trouble they ran into in Sunderland, Mass.

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169765

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.057.207.003

Memoir of my life & character written by my own hand & completed January 10 1843

Born on June 25, 1774, in Barnstable, Mass., Joseph Hilliard wrote his memoir right before his death in 1843. He looks back at his life, from his childhood to the time of the writing of this memoir, as well as commenting on his perseverance in religion and his views on death, judgement and eternity.

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169766

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.058.209.001

John Davenport's Rock

Did Rev. John Davenport carve his initials into a rock in Weston, Mass., during an outing in 1639? A call for any readers to submit information to solve this historical mystery.

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169767

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.058.209.002

A Mark Upon the Land : The Life and Work of Charles D. Lawrence, A Mid-Nineteenth-Century Fairfield, Maine, Builder

Charles D. Lawrence made his mark on the land with the simple white farmhouses that comprise Fairfield Center. The houses, now more than a century old, seem to belong there, like they grew out of the ground. But with the discovery of Lawrence's architectural designs, the thought process that went in...

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169768

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.058.210.001

The Brick Trade in Early Haverhill, Part 1

While it is a commonly held belief that bricks were brought to America from England, three 18th-century brick houses in Haverhill, Mass., indicate that an early brick industry existed in Essex County before 1800. But who were the craftsmen who made the bricks? What was the nature of their trade? Joh...

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169769

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.058.210.002

Parris' Perusal

Architect and engineer Alexander Parris' buildings have always been appreciated, but what about his personal library; not how it was constructed, but what books it contained. What or who influenced Parris' designs? This article looks at the books Parris owned, examining his sources and how they insp...

Date: 1967

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169770

Ref. Code: SC001.1967.058.210.003

A Study in Early Boston Portrait Attributions : Augustine Clement, Painter-Stainer of Reading, Berkshire, and Massachusetts Bay

It has been the subject of much debate as to who could rightfully claim the title of Father of American Painting. Research shows that the title could belong to Augustine Clement. Clement, who emigrated to New England in 1635, was certainly the only Painter-Stainer in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Si...

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169771

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.211.001

The Rediscovery of Milk-Based House Paints and the Myth of "Brickdust and Buttermilk" Paints

Reports of paints in colonial America being made of brickdust and buttermilk solution are common but untrue. Where did this myth come from? It seems to derive from a common misunderstanding of terminology. This article looks at how this misunderstanding arose.

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169772

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.211.002

Pewter Communion Service of the Rocky Hill Meetinghouse

A close look at the remains of the pewter communion service from the Rocky Hill Meetinghouse of Amesbury, Mass.

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169773

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.211.003

Notes and Miscellania

Notes and Miscellania" illustrates an unusually well-documented heirloom tea service, purchased in Paris, and the original letter of transmittal.

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169774

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.211.004

Comparison of the Blackstone and Middlesex Canals

The Middlesex Canal began operation in 1803, while the Blackstone Canal began 25 years later. Both provided alternate trade routes for merchants and both ran into trouble trying to "stay afloat." Each canal's construction was an arduous task, taking huge sums of money and manpower. Brunton Dixon exa...

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169775

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.212.001

Progress Report from the Cambridge Historical Commision

An update on a Cambridge Historical Commission project established in 1963. A unique architectural history that was unrivaled in scope in this country, the survey undertook "to conduct a survey of Cambridge buildings for the purpose of determining those of historic significance architecturally or ot...

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169776

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.212.002

Local History in Legal Records

Legal records provide the historian with boundless resources for unlocking the past. The problem with the records is that they are sometimes obscure and require the reader to master new techniques. But Juliette Tomlinson argues that the reward of this hard work is bringing to light material that has...

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169777

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.212.003

Notes and Queries

The accompanying picture to this article, taken from a daguerreotype dated around 1850, is shrouded in mystery. What exactly is it (an air compressor?) and who are the men pictured with it that seem to take great pride in the object?

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169778

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.212.004

Editorial Postscript

A further look at American Cookery, which was written about in more detail in Vol. 57, No. 2.

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169779

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.058.212.005

Early Buildings of the Asylum at Charlestown, 1795-1846 : Now McLean Hospital for the Mentally Ill, Belmont, Massachusetts

One of Charles Bulfinch's first designs for a private residence, the gracious brick mansion in Charlestown became the administration building for an asylum. Nina Fletcher Little examines the work done by Bulfinch for the Asylum at Charlestown, which was originally the home of Joseph Barrell, a wealt...

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169780

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.059.214.001

Arthur Cushman Haskell : New England Architectural Photographer

Abbott Lowell Cummings profiles photographer Arthur Cushman Haskell, whose photograph collection SPNEA acquired in 1968.

Date: 1968

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169781

Ref. Code: SC001.1968.059.214.002

Nathaniel Fuller, Stonecutter of Plympton, Massachusetts

Born on Nov., 14, 1687, Nathaniel Fuller was a carver of traditional slate gravestones. Over 300 examples of his work remain standing in old burying grounds throughout Plymouth and Barnstable counties, a number that may represent half of his actual output. In this article, Peter Benes examines Fulle...

Date: 1969

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169782

Ref. Code: SC001.1969.060.217.001

A Documentary History of Plymouth Colony Architecture, 1620-1700

This survey of first-period architecture of the Plymouth Colony area emphasizes the major characteristics of form and construction as an index to the early culture of the region.

Date: 1969

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169783

Ref. Code: SC001.1969.060.218.001

In Search of Cahoone, the 1790 Diary of John Francis

John Francis was a shrewd businessman who, with John Brown, was part owner of Hope Furnace, an iron-smelting operation. In September 1790, Francis made a journey to Winchester, N.H., to find Daniel Cahoone, the "New Furnace" smelting operator. A portion of Francis' diary, which records the journey, ...

Date: 1969

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169784

Ref. Code: SC001.1969.060.218.002

Architectural Projects in the Greek Revival Style by Ammi B. Young

In 1847, four years after designing the State Capitol in Montpelier, Vt., Ammi Burnham Young won a competition for the Customhouse in Boston. Lawrence Wodehouse takes a look at how Young used the Greek Revival style in his work with the Customhouse and his designs for the expansion of the Capitol Bu...

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169785

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.219.001

Robert Salmon's Boston Patrons

Artist Robert Salmon's records reveal that almost all of his customers were engaged in Boston's prosperity as a seaport. These records provide a detailed documentation of Boston collectors in the first half of the 19th century, what they collected and how much they paid. John Wilmerding takes a look...

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169786

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.219.002

The Orcutt & Crafts Pottery in Portland, Maine

M. Lelyn Branin looks at the first stoneware pottery of Maine, that of Martin Crafts, who moved from Whately, Mass., to Portland in 1833 or 1834. His move to Portland and partnership with Eleazer Orcutt began what developed into one of the major industries of Portland in the latter part of the 19th ...

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169787

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.219.003

The First Harrison Gray Otis House in Boston : A Study in Pictoral Evidence

A picture showing the first Harrison Gray Otis House in the distance provides new insight about the building's façade. Abbott Lowell Cummings examines the changing face of SPNEA's headquarters.

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169788

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.219.004

Editorial Preface

To mark the 60th anniversary of Old-Time New England, this issue is devoted to a single subject: the startling and virtually unchronicled development of sawmills in 17th-century New England to cope in both commercial and utilitarian terms with the abundance of timber.

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169789

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.220.001

Mill Sawing in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts

The General Court of Massachusetts Bay Company awarded the first patent for a sawmill in America to Joseph Jenkins of Saugus, Mass., on May 6, 1646. So began a prosperous enterprise, a practical way to support the young colonies. Benno M. Forman follows the development of mill sawing in 17th-century...

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169790

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.220.002

Merchant and Millwright : The Water Powered Sawmills of the Piscataqua

The early development of water-powered sawmills in southern Maine and New Hampshire raises questions of English familiarity with power milling technology, while the interest of merchants in northern New England sawmills suggest the economic importance of lumbering in the region. This article traces ...

Date: 1970

Collection: Old-Time New England

GUSN: 169791

Ref. Code: SC001.1970.060.220.003

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