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974.202 
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1277110 


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M.U 


GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


r-jt. 


fJ 


LEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC 


3  1833  01188  4308 


■;  -.Bv^O; 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/portsmouthhistorOOgurn 


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Portsmouth . . . 


Historic  and    Picturesque 

A  Volume  of  Information 


D  KING  a  very  complete  and  accurate  compendium  of 
over  two  hundred  historic  places  and  tilings,  from 
the  earliest  settlement,  in  l()-23.  Illustrated  with  nearl)' 
four  hundred  half-tone  engravings  from  photographs 
especially  made  for  this  work;  with  old  maps,  drawings, 
etc.  Over  one  hundred  pages  of  history  ;  more  than 
one  hundred  pages  of  engravings    ..... 


C.  S.  GURNEY,  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire 

1902 


Copyright  1902  by 

C.    S.    GfRNEY,    PoRTSlIOrTH,    N,    H. 


x^ 


^ 

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A 


PREFACE. 


1277110 


N  placing  this  pul)lication   1)ef()rc  tlie  i)0()ple  wc  offer  no  aijoloury,  (lie  work  nuist  speak  for  itself, 
leaving  the   puhlic  to   he  the   indgc  of   it.s   merits  or  demerits.      We  have  made   no   attempt  at 
^S^l^W        lengthy  delail.  l)ut  merely  to  jiresent  tiie  faels  as  we  Hnd  them   in  plain  Knglish,  and  in  the  most 
^M-^       condensed  form  possil)lc  with  comprehension.     That  which  is  stated,  to  our  best  knowledge  and 
belief,  is  correct,  for  we  have  spared  no  reasonable  pains  in  ferreting  out  disputed  questions,  or 
previous  dcnibtful  statements.      We  presume  there  will  l)e  found  mistakes,  but  we  feel  it  reason- 
able to  believe  there  should  be  less  errctrs  of  fact   appear   tiian   in    incvious   jjublications  l)earino-  upon  these 
subjects,  for  very  many  such  have  l)een  corrected,  and  we  trust  that  less  new  ones  have  been  added. 

Our  main  sources  of  information  have  been  from  "  Early  Planting  of  New  Hampshire,"  by  John  S. 
Jenness  :  "Annals  of  Portsmouth,"  by  Nathaniel  Adams;  "  Rambles  Al)out  Portsmouth,"  l)y  Charles  ^V . 
Brewster:  "Portsmouth  (iuide  Pook,"  by  INIiss  Sarah  K.Foster;  old  records  and  documents,  and  from 
many  old  people  much  valuable  infoi-mation  ha*  been  gleaned.  Jn  fact  we  have  consulted  such  books,  jjain- 
phlcts  and  documents  within  our  knowledge,  as  would  aid  or  add  to  the  general  information  desired. 

A\'e  acknowledge  our  obligations  to  Mr.  Robert  K.  Rich,  Lil)rarian  of  the  Public  Library,  for  valued 
material  on  the  "Early  History";  to  Mr.  Charles  A.  lla/.lett,  for  contributions  l)earing  on  old  residents, 
places,  incidents  and  things;  to  Colonel  James  R.  Stanwood,  for  valued  services;  also  to  Mr.  Israel  P.  ]\Iiller, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanuiel  Dodge  and  to  jNIr.  Samuel  P.  Treadwcll  for  many  favors  and  points  of  interest, 
and  to  many  old  people  and  others  who  have  aided  in  furthering  the  work  herein  represented.  The  half-tone 
engravings  are  nearly  all  made  from  j)hotographs  designed  esjiecially  for  this  work. 

If  there  are  found  in  this  publication  statements  which  appear  incorrect,  and  the  claim  can  be  substan- 
tiated, any  information  Ijearing  on  such  will  be  thankfully  received,  and  the  correction  embodied  in  the 
succeeding  edition,  if  one  is  found  necessary.  C.   S.   G. 

Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  September,  1W2. 


INDEX, 


PAGE 

Alabama-Keaisarge 214 

Assembly  House 46 

Atlieiijt'um 27 

Atkinson  House 110 

Bailey  House 110 

Bath  House 40 

Bell  Tavern 20 

Brackett  House 125 

Boardman  House 133 

Boston  it  Maine  Station 47 

Boyd-Raynes  House 49 

Brewster  House 66 

Buckminster  House....' 70 

Cameneum 44 

Canoe  Bridge 113 

Cemeteries- 
Cotton  95 

Green  Street 35 

Harmony  Grove 90 

Nortli 49 

rieasant  Street 87 

I'oint  of  Graves 100 

Proprietors 95 

Sagamore 90 

St.  Jolm's 119 

Cliapels- 

Episcopal 122 

I>ord 44 

Nortli  Cliurcli 129 

Unitarian 115 

Chase  House ill 

Churches — 

Baptist,  Middle  Street.. . .  148 

Free  Will  Baptist 148 

Clirist 148 

Christian 147 

Metliodist 148 

Mill-Dam 130 

North 138 


PAGK 

Churches- 
Pleasant  Street 149 

South 140  142 

St.  John's 142 

Second  Advent 149 

Univer.salist 145 

Roman  Catholic 149 

Congress  Block 26 

Cottage  Hospital 93 

Court  House  (New) 123 

Court  House  (Old) 125 

Court  Street 108 

Cushman  Hou.se 113 

Custom  House  (Old! 121 

Custom  House  (New) 70 

CuttFarm,  Ursula 54 

Cutter  House 71 

Cutts  House,  Capt.  Samuel..  32 
Cutts  House,  Edward 64-128 

Davenport  House 126 

Dean  Building 23 

Deer  Tavern 36 

Dennett  House 53 

Drown-Moses  House 41 

Earl  ofHalifax  Tavern  (Old). .110 

Early  History 5-11 

E.\ change  Block 201 

Farmers'  Hotel 76 

Fay  Block 27 

Fernald  House 101 

Francis  House 135 

Fitch  House 38 

Fowle  Printing  Ottice 87 

Fowle  Printing  I'ress 88 

Franklin  Block 25-208 

Fountain  Head 58 

Freeman  Block 23 

Frenchman's  Lane R9 


PAGE 

Gardner  House,  Samuel 93 

Gardner  House,  Major 101 

Glebe  Building 74 

Glebe  Lands 149 

Goodwin  Park 64 

Goodwin  Hou.se 64 

Great  House 108 

Hackett  House 73 

Haliburton  House 04 

Ham  House,  Asa 59 

Ham  House,  Waterhouse 51 

Halt  House,  Richard 38 

Hart  House,  William 122 

Haven  House,  Dr 40 

Haven  House,  Joseph 82 

Haven  House,  Dr.  Samuel.. .  85 

Haven  House,  Thomas 134 

Haven  Block 201 

Haymarket  Square 133 

High  School  Site 120 

Hill  House..  44 

Hutchings  House ill 

Jackson  House 53 

Jackson  House,  Dr.  Hall 115 

Jaffrey  House 120 

Jail,  Islington  Street 06 

Jefferson  Market 21 

Jenness  House,  Peter 38 

Jenness  House,  Richard 76 

Johnson  House,  Wentwortli..  43 

Jones  Farm 54 

Kearsarge  Mills 68 

Kearsarge  House 73 

Kearsarge-Alabama  Celebra- 
tion  214 

Kennard  House 70 

Lai  gh  ton  House  115 

Laugdon  House,  Gov 79 


PAGE 

Langdon  House,  Rev.  Samuel  78 

Langdon  Park 93 

Larkin  House 134 

Lear  House lOl 

Leavitt  House 71 

Liberty  Bridge 106 

Lincoln  Hill 135 

Li vius  House 40 

Lord  House 129 

Mackliu  Lot 23 

Manning  House 103 

Marcy  Street 99 

Martine  House 169 

Market  Street 29 

Mason  House,  John  Tufton.,  44 
Ma.son  House,  State  Street...  131 

McClintock  House.. 126 

Map  of  Portsmouth,  1813 2 

Map  of  Portsmouth  Guide. ..    3 

Me,serve- Webster  House 41 

Mitchell  House 93 

Moffat  House 32 

National  Hotel 23 

National  Mechanics  &  Trad- 
ers Bank  Building 30-176 

Navy  Yard 156 

New  Hampshire  Union  Bank  74 

North  Ferry 36 

North  Mills  and  Bridge 51 

Odiorne's  Point 11 

Oracle  House 131 

Pannaway  or  Odiorne's  Point 

11-12 
Parade  or  Market  Square...  17 

Parker  House 34 

Parry  House 82 

Parsonage  (Old) 78 

Peirce  Block 27 


PAGE 

I'eirce  House,  Col 73 

Peirce  Mansion 131 

renhallow  House,  Dea.  Sam- 
uel  78-111 

Pickering,  Capt.  Tliomas.. ..  09 

I'iscataqua  River 1G2 

Pitt  Tavern lOS 

Pleasant  Street 73 

Porter  House S5 

Portsmouth  in  1850 4 

Portsmouth  in  1031 8 

Portsnioutli  Bridge 30 

I'ortsniouth  City  Farm 5ii 

Portsmouth  Hosiery  Go.  Bldg  68 

Portsmouth  Plains 59 

Portsmouth  Public  Library..  70 
Portsmouth  Savings  and  First 

Nat'l  Bank  Building 21-204 

Portsmouth  Steain  Factory..  C.S 

Post  Oltice 7C 

I'ound  Okli 130 

Powder  House 59 


PACK 

Raynes  House.  Boyd 49 

Reinick  House 08 

Rice  House 40 

Richards  Avenue 134 

Rockingham  Hou.se  lOld) 129 

Rockingham  Bank 74 

Rogers  House 22 

Rope  Walks 47  91 

Sagamore  Creek 108 

Salter  House,  Capt.  Titus....  91 

Salter  House,  Capt.  John 113 

Schools,  Public 151 

Cabot  Street 155 

Farragut 154 

Franklin 155 

Haven 91-154 

High  120-153 

Old  Brick 123 

.Suburban 150 

Whipple 165 

Sewall  Hou.se 103 


PAGE 

Sheaf e  House 34 

Sherburne  House,  Henry  2d..  40 
SherburneHou.se,  Samuel...  57 

Sherburne  Hou.se,  Henry 110 

Sherburne  House,  Judge 117 

Shillaber  House. CO 

South  Mill  Bridge 89 

Spanish  Prisoners ISO 

Spence  Hou.se 120 

Spring  Market 30 

.State  Arsenal 91 

State  House,  Old  Colonial...   17 

State  Street 116-131 

States  and  I'nion  Office 121 

Stone  Store 35 

Stoodley's  Tavern 120 

Sunday      School      Building 
(First) 87 

Tanneries 47 

Temple 25 

Tibbetts  House 80 

Treat  JIarble  Works 41 


PAGE 

I'liderwood  Hou.se.  John 40 

I'nderwood  House,  Court  St.. 110 

Vaughan  House,  Gov 35 

Veteran  Group 175 

WaldronHou.se,  Secretary...  62 

Warner  House 119 

Waterliouse-Ham  House 51 

Webster  Houses 38-70 

Weeks  House 62 

Wendell  House 80 

Weutworth  Houses— 

Hunking 22 

MarkH 80 

Gov.  John 88 

Gov.  Beniiing 97 

First 103 

Wentworth-Johnson  Hou.se..  43 

Whipple  House,  Col 128 

Whilcomb  House 12C 

Woodbury  Mansion 57 


PKI^XtlKS.     l*HOTO-E?."GRAVEBS    AXD    BlXDEKS 


MAP    OF    I'ORTSJIOITH    IN    1S13,    BEFORE    THE    GREAT    FIRE. 


GUIDE    MAP   TO   STREETS   AND    LOCALITIES. 


A.    DOWN    THE    RIVER    FROM   ST.    JOHN'S    BELFRV. 
B.    PORTSMOUTH    IN    IS50. 


PKEVIOUS  to  the  reign  of  His  ^Majesty,  King 
James  tiie  First  of  England,  until  the 
spring-time,  in  the  year  1623,  the  great 
ocean  bordering  our  coast  rolled  unvexed  to 
the  shore,  barren  of  sail  or  oar.  Along  the  rugged, 
irregular  coast  line  stood  no  settler's  rude  hut,  nor 
did  the  hum  of  traffic  gladden  the  vision  of  the 
exile,  voyaging  from  over  seas.  The  surging  rote 
of  the  Atlantic,  pierced  by  the  strident  scream  of 
the  sea-fowl,  echoed  alone  to  the  howl  of  the  wolf 
and  the  dread  war-whoop  of  the  Indian,  lurking  in 
the  primeval  forest. 

Glancing  westward,  the  eye  descried  the  sky 
line  of  far-reaching  woodland,  encircling  in  its 
sweep  neither  field  nor  clearing,  save  on  some  narrow 
oasis  planted  by  the  Indian,  where  the  rows  of  maize 
lifted  their  leaves  exultantly  toward  the  sun,  partly 
screening  in  the  woody  depths  the  leafy  wigwam  of 
the  savage.  The  silent  estuaries,  M'inding  inland 
their  sinuous  course  in  the  shadow  of  the  immemo- 
rial oaks  and  ancient  pines,  recked  naught  of  the 
presence  of  man.  They  saw  liut  the  simple  child  of 
the  forest,  following  the  wild  trail  of  the  wilderness, 
and  anon  watching  with  wondering  eyes  the  un- 
wonted sight  of  an  approaching  sail,  l)earing  the 
good  ship  Jonathan,  an  English  l)ark,  high-pooped, 
and  with  an  antique  prow,  hailing  from  Plymouth, 
in  English  Devon,  and  holding  straight  on  her 
course  to  the  mainland.  A  strange  argosy,  indeed  I 
and  to  the  startled  gaze  of  the  red  man  a  sign  j)or- 
tentous  in  its  presage,  mysterious  as  a  fleeting  vision 
of  the  air  freighted  with  spoil  of  celestial  cities,  a 
wondrous  revelation  vouchsafed  to  mortal  view. 


The  shallop  Jonatiian,  from  the  jiort  of  Ply- 
mouth, lu'ings  our  pioneer,  the  hardy  Scotchman, 
David  Thomson,  and  ten  adventurous  spirits,  of 
whom  the  names  of  nine  have  not  come  down  to  us. 
We  may  fancy  their  profound  thankfulness  at  the 
approaching  end  of  so  long  and  eventful  a  voyage, 
confined  to  their  little  craft  of  l)etween  sevenfj^  and 
eighty  tons  l)urden,  upon  beholding  the  vernal 
shores  and  wide-si)reading  forests  of  this  untrodden 
ground. 

A  change,  indeed,  all  the  more  marvelous,  after 
breasting  the  wild  and  boisterous  waves  of  relentless 
ocean,  to  arrive  at  last  upon  a  virgin  coast,  so 
impressive  in  its  wild  and  picturesque  beauty  !  Of 
their  hardships  we  know  naught,  nor  have  we  evi- 
dence of  the  delight  which  must  have  been  theirs, 
as  the  sylvan  prospect  of  the  fair  shore  to  which 
they  sailed  fell  upon  their  astonished  eyes.  There 
rose  the  view  of  this  primeval  strand,  never  before 
pressed  l)y  the  foot  of  the  white  man,  where,  it  maj^ 
be  said,  as  Shillaber  has  written  : 

"  Rose  gentle  isles  witti  verdure  clad 
That  seemed  fair  satellites  of  the  majestic  main, 
Resting  like  emerald  bubbles  on  the  sea, 
And  all  was  wonderful,  and  new  and  grand." 

Early  writers  have  made  it  apjiear  that  David 
Thomson  came  as  the  agent  of  Captain  John  Mason, 
l)ut  the  late  John  Scribner  Jenness,  in  his  "First 
Planting  of  New  Hampshire,"  and  John  X.  ]McClin- 
tock,  the  author  of  a  very  comprehensive  history  of 
New  Hampshire,  have  clearly  shown  that  Thomson's 
sponsors  and  pai'tners  were  three  merchants  of 
Plymouth,  in  Devonshire,  to  wit,  Abraham  Colmer, 


Nicli()l;is  Sherwt-'ll  and  Leonard  PoiiimcM'ie.  It  is 
true  that  Captain  JMason  had  olrtaincd  a  patent  of 
land  in  l(i22,  cnilnacing  all  territoiy  between  the 
Merrimack  and  Keniiebeck  Rivers,  -but  nothing 
came  of  it  as  to  settlement  until  1629  or  1(5;^0. 
David  Thomson  had  been  granted  a  tract  of  six 
thousand  acres,  including  an  island — later  known  as 
Thompson's  Island,  in  Boston  Harbor  —  the  latter 
almost  as  indctinite  a  description  as  that  which  Don 
(Quixote  promised  Sancho,  when  he  became  anxious 
al)out  his  salary.  And  now,  thanks  to  Mr.  Jenness, 
it  is  shown  beyond  a  doubt  that  this  Scotchman 
with  his  ten  companions  were  the  tirst  to  settle  at 
Little  IIarl)or,  so-called,  on  the  ridge  of  land  now 
known  as  Odiorne's  Point.  Thomson  Ijrought  his 
wife  with  him,  and  their  son  John  was  the  tirst 
child  born  in  the  Colony  of  New  Hampshire.  This 
plantation  received  the  Indian  name  of  Pannaway. 
Here  Thomson  built  a  comfortable  house  of  rubble 
stone,  which,  however,  at  the  time  was  not  known 
as  Mason  Hall ;  Init  it  was  referred  to  by  the  colo- 
nists as  the  Stone  House  until  Captain  Walter  Neale 
came  into  authority,  when  it  was  called  by  him  the 
Pascata(|ua  House;  and  it  was  not  until  ](i30,  when 
Caj)tain  flohn  ]\Iason  came,  that  it  tinally  received 
the  designation  of  Mason  Hall.  These  adventurers 
of  Pannaway  came  not  to  escape  religious  persecu- 
tion ;  they  came  to  tish  in  the  sea,  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  for  peltries,  and  after  staying  little  more 
than  four  years,  Thomson,  their  leader,  being  visited 
by  Captain  Myles  Standish,  of  the  Plymouth  Colony, 
left  Pannaway  wifli  him,  and  subsequently  settled 
on  his  own  island  in  Boston  Harbor,  whence,  as  far 


as  known,  he  never  returned.  As  Mr.  .(enness  well 
says:  "It  was  then  that  the  doughty  soldier  of 
fortune,  C'aptain  Walter  Neale,  the  Governor  for 
that  comjiany  and  the  worthy  compeer  of  Mjles 
Standish  himself,  took  possession  of  Pannaway  as  his 
'chiefe  habitacon,'  and  thus  preserved  the  nucleus 
of  the  future  State  of  New  Hampshire."  John 
Albee,  in  his  history  of  Newcastle,  has  this  to  .say 
of  Xeale :  "  He  was  a  true  soldier  of  fortune, 
always  ready  for  an  expedition  or  campaign  ;  always 
seeking  that  kind  of  employment  from  the  English 
Court  or  any  transient  patron  among  the  gentry  ; 
always  begging  for  something,  and  not  averse  to 
recounting  his  own  services,  merits  or  demerits. 
He  describes  himself,  when  seeking  an  appointment 
in  these  parts,  as  never  ha\ing  had  any  other  jiro- 
fession  but  his  sword,  nor  other  fortunes  than  war; 
and  he  adds  pathetically  that  his  debts  are  clamor- 
ous and  his  wants  insupportable." 

When  not  otherwise  engaged  he  acted  as  cap- 
tain and  drill-master  of  the  London  train-bands. 
He  was  a  free  lance  among  the  last  of  the  Knights- 
errant  and  of  the  Kouiid  Table.  Such  was  the  tir.st 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire  and  of  all  the  lands  east- 
ward of  Massachusetts  Bay.  He  has  nothing  in 
connnon  with  the  solenni  and  pragmatical  Winthrops 
and  Endicotts,  and  instead  of  settling  down  at  INIason 
Ilall  to  found  a  church,  or  raise  corn  (or  codfish), 
he  went  in  search  of  the  fabled  Itmd  of  Laconia,  in 
expectation  of  finding  precious  stones  or  mines  of 
gold.  For  three  years  he  explored  the  woods, 
]ilanned  fortifications,  drilled  the  settlers  in  arms 
and  chased  pirates.     He  is  a  typical  character  of  the 


sill n (•  hull ily  ns  Halci^li,  Sinilli  and  Standish  :  iiicn 
wild  (lisfovn-od  new  countries,  founded  eolonies, 
uiiilinii' the  real  and  the  romantic  as  never  before  ; 
and  went  tradin<>:  and  explorinji-  round  the  world, 
writinji'  love  soniis  and  marvelous  narrati\es,  all 
as  if  it  were  the  pastime  of  the  moment,  and  every 
day  would  bring  a  noble  chance.  AVhen,  in  l(i30, 
the  Pannaway  Colony  had  given  up  their  venture, 
and  their  shares  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mason, 
Xeule  still  controlled  affairs  within  the  limits  of  the 
Pascataway  Settlement.  lie  made  a  long  journey 
to  the  White  Mountains,  in  command  of  an  exjilor- 
ing  party,  and  probal»ly  then  journeyed  thence  to 
Mason  and  Gorges"  land  of  Laconia,  at  or  near  what 
is  now  known  as  Lake  Chamjilain,  and,  not  long 
after  his  return  to  Pannaway.  unaccounlalily  disap- 
[lears  as  a  factor  in  our  iiistory. 

About  this  timeC'aptain  John  Mason  sent  to 
tlie  Pascata(|ua  Plantation  titty  men  and  twenty-two 
women,  with  a  large  nunilier  of  cattle,  from  Den- 
mark. There  were  eight  Danes  who  [lut  up  a  saw- 
mill near  Dover.  Under  the  management  of  Walter 
Xeale,  and  associated  with  him  were  Ambrose 
(iibbins,  (xeorge  Vaughan,  Thomas  AA'arnerton, 
Humphrey  C'hadbournc  and  Edward  Godfrey,  as 
su])erintendents  of  trade,  fishing,  saltmakiiig,  liuild- 
ing  and  husbandry.  Xeale  lived  at  Pannaway  with 
(iodfrey,  who  had  charge  of  the  tishing ;  Ghad- 
bourne  built  a  Great  House  at  Strawberry  Bank, 
which  was  sometimes  called  ]\Iason  Hall,  and  in 
which  the  thrifty  AVarnerton  resided :  Aml)rose 
(iib))ins  took  charge  of  the  saw-mill  u])  ri\er,  and 
lived    in    the    fortified    house   at    X'ewicliewannock, 


where  he  also  traded  with  the  Indians,  that  place 
being  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Penacook  tribe, 
because  of  the  al)undaiiec  of  fish  to  be  had  at  the 
falls.  The  settlements  at  Pascataway  grew  very 
slowly,  and  in  1(');')1  not  many  liuildings  were  erected, 
though  it  was  in  this  year  that  Humphrey  Gliad- 
bourne  built  the  Great  House,  about  three  miles  up 
the  river  from  Pannaway,  the  rtrst  or  second  build- 
ing put  up  in  the  settlement  projier. 

Caiitain  Mason  had  expended  upon  the  settle- 
ment three  thousand  pounds,  and  upon  Xovember  3, 
ll!2o,  the  (ireat  Council  at  Plymouth  made  a  grant 
to  Captain  .lohn  Mason  and  Ferdinando  Gorges, 
with  John  Cotton,  Henry  Gardner,  George  Griffith, 
Edwin  Gay,  Thomas  Warnerton,  Thomas  Eyre 
and  Eleazar  Eyre,  to  promote  the  settlement  of  that 
})art  of  the  jilantation  on  which  the  Imildings  and 
salt  works  were  placed,  "situate  on  lioth  sides  of 
the  river  and  harbor  to  the  extent  of  five  miles 
westward  to  the  seacoast,  and  crossing  thence  to 
Dover  Point."'  These  were  the  original  limits  of 
Portsmouth,  while  within  them  were  included  a  part 
of  X'ewington  and  the  whole  of  Greenland,  Eye  and 
X'ewcastle. 

Captain  Mason  never  saw  his  ])lantation  here. 
It  is  said  that  he  once  sailed  in  this  direction,  after 
coming  from  Port  Royal.  He  died  in  XovemI)er, 
l(i35,  leaving  his  title  to  lands  in  Xew  England  to 
be  a  source  of  bitter  litigation  for  several  genera- 
tions. He  be(iueathed  to  his  grandson,  Kobert 
Tufton,  —  then  an  infant,  to  whose  name  was  added 
that  of  Mason,  —  his  manor  of  ^lason  Hall,  and  to 
his  gr;indson,  John  Tufton  (Mason),  the  remainder 


bird's-eye   VIKW    OF   POKTSMOl'TH    IN    163I. 


of  his  estate  in  New  IIam})shiro.  In  l(j3il  INIrs. 
Anne  Mason,  who  was  executrix  of  the  Captain, 
found  that  tiie  income  from  the  j)hvntation  would 
not  justify  the  expense  incurred.  She  neglected  to 
furnish  supplies,  and  therefore  her  agents  and  stew- 
ards made  her  no  more  remittances,  hut  proceeded 
to  divide  the  goods  and  cattle  among  themselves. 
Many  of  the  jjeojile  left  the  plantations,  and  those 
who  remained  kept  possession  of  the  buildings  and 
land  and  claimed  them  as  their  own.  Thomas 
Warnerton,  who  had  lived  at  the  Great  House,  now 
gathered  all  the  goods  he  could  get  and  shipped 
them  to  Port  Royal,  where  he  sold  them  to  the 
French,  and  was  there  slain  by  the  inhabitants. 
Thomas  Norton  drove  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  to 
Boston  and  sold  them  at  twenty  pounds  sterling  per 
head. 

These  men  then  proceeded  to  establish  a  gov- 
ernment, and,  as  none  then  existed,  entered  into  a 
social  contract  to  effect  its  organization,  electing 
Francis  Williams,  Governor,  with  Ambrose  Gib- 
bins  as  assistant.  AVilliams  then  continued  as 
Governor  of  the  Pascataway  Plantations,  or  of  the 
Province  of  New  Ilamjishire,  until  liittl,  or  until 
the  union  with  ^Massachusetts. 

Sampson  Lane,  who  had  Ijeen  one  of  Mason's 
stewards,  succeeded  Warnerton  at  the  Great  House. 
There  were  attached  to  this  estate  about  one  thou- 
sand acres  of  land,  consisting  of  marsh,  meadow, 
planting  and  pasture,  all  largely  under  improve- 
ment ;  this  comprised  a  large  portion  of  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Portsmouth,  and  what  was  then  known 
as  Strawlierr}'  Bank,  or  simply,  "the   Bank."     The 


Great  House  was  situated  upon  the  corner  of  Court 
and  ^Vatcr  Streets,  and  was  the  tirst  house  of  im- 
portance l)uilt  in  the  settlement.  The  field  which 
extended  from  this  point  over  Church  Hill  and  as 
far  as  "the  Spring,"  is  said  to  be  the  one  which 
gave  this  old  town  its  name.  Sampson  Lane  occu- 
pied the  Great  House  for  aljout  two  years  ;  he  then 
returned  to  England,  and  was  succeeded  by  Richard 
Cutt,  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  in  l(37li,  when  his 
brother,  Robert  Cutt,  lived  here  until  he  moved  to 
Kittery,  while  the  house  remained  in  the  Cutt 
fannly  until  IGS.T,  when  it  fell  into  decay. 

Now  from  here  let  us  revert  to  the  true 
company  of  Laconia.  i^gain  we  learn  from  Mr. 
.lenness'  researches  that  the  design  of  the  Laconia 
ad\'enturers  was  to  seize  upon  and  engross  to  their 
own  ]n-oHt  the  rich  ]ieltry  trafhc  of  that  great  region, 
then  in  the  hands  of  the  French  and  the  Dutch. 

It  was  believed,  in  the  absence  of  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  interior  country,  that  Lake  Cham- 
plain  (then  called  the  Iroquois)  could  be  reached 
from  the  New  England  coast  by  a  journey  of  about 
ninety  miles,  and  that  only  a  narrow  portage  sepa- 
rated it  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Pascataqua 
River.  Under  this  delusion,  the  Laconians  hired 
the  buildings  which  had  been  erected  seven  years 
Ijefore  by  David  Thomson  at  Pannaway  and  estab- 
lished there,  under  command  of  Captain  AValter 
Xeale.  a  factory  or  entrepot  as  a  basis  for  their 
an)l)itious  designs  upon  the  New  York  lakes.  The 
company  of  liaconia  was  in  actual  possession  of 
Pannaway,  at  Little  Har])or,  when  Edward  Hilton 
and  his  company  sailed   up   the   river  to  establish 


their  j)lantati(in  at  Hilton's  Point,  eight  miles  ahovc, 
and  before  Hilton's  title  was  protected  l)v  lirerij  of 
sflzlii,  8tra\vl)erry  Bank  had  lieuiin  to  l)e  settled: 
no  less  than  .sixty  men  were  employed  in  the  com- 
pany's business  on  the  Pascata(|ua. 

There  came  to  the  Pascata()na  from  ]\lassa- 
chusetts.  in  Ki^l,  one  Ca])tain  Thomas  Wiggin,  a 
stern  Puritan,  and  a  confidential  friend  of  Gov- 
ernor John  Winthro|i  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony. 
Before  long  a  dispute  arose  between  Wiggin  and 
Captain  Walter  Xcale  over  the  (|uostion  of  jurisdic- 
tion, and  the  former  was  forbidden  to  come  on 
"a  certain  point  of  land  that  lieth  in  the  midway 
between  Dover  and  Kxetcr."  It  was  the  intention 
of  Ca})tain  Wigiiin  to  have  defended  his  right  by 
the  sword  :  but  it  apjieared  that  both  litigants  had 
so  much  wit  in  their  anger  as  to  waive  the  contest, 
each  accounting  himself  to  have  done  manfully  in 
what  had  been  threatened,  in  consideration,  not  to 
irliat  he  did,  but  what  he  )iii(jlit  have  done.  The 
place  to  this  day  bears  the  foiMnidable  name  of 
"Bloody  Point,"  now  known  by  its  present  name  of 
Fox  Point. 

This  Captain  Wiggin,  under  the  advice  of  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop,  seemed  determined  to  have  the 
Pascata((ua  settlements  lirought  under  the  sway  of 
the  Puritans,  under  the  great  charter  of  1(528  (that 
granted  to  Massachusetts  Bay).  As  the  construc- 
tion which  the  Bay  (Jolony  put  upon  it  would, 
had  it  been  enforced,  have  swept  away  the 
entire  ))roperty  of  the  Pascataqua  i>lanters,  it  nuist 
have  encountered  a  hot  and  determined  opjiosition 
from  the  whole   river.     The   ^Massachusetts   people 


knew  that  the  Pascata(|ua  planters  were  bitterly  hos- 
tile to  them  in  political  and  religious  princi|)les,  and 
would,  on  that  account,  be  likely  to  receive  ctlicient 
aid  from  the  mother  country,  in  case  of  an  open 
conflict.  Again,  they  nuist  have  known  that  the 
intention  of  the  King  was  only  to  grant  them  as 
their  northern  boundary  a  strip  of  land  three  miles 
wide,  following  the  course  of  the  ^Merrimack  River. 
The  strij),  or  selvedge,  of  that  breadth,  was  doubtless 
intended  to  protect  the  river  from  the  artillery  of 
any  adjoining  province.  The  Privy  Council,  as 
Massachusetts  well  knew,  were  inimical  to  the 
Bay  Colony,  and  would  seize  with  avidity  upon 
the  slightest  frangression  of  their  chartered  limits, 
or  corporate  powers,  as  a  ground  for  vacating 
the  charter  itself.  Accordingly,  after  concerting 
the  plan  with  Governor  Winthrop  and  his  assistants, 
Captain  Wiggin,  shortly  after  his  quarrel  with 
Captain  Xealc,  went  to  England  in  l(i82,  and 
forming  a  company  of  "honest  men,"  as  Wintlux)p 
calls  them,  succeeded,  with  their  aid,  in  jmrciiasing 
from  Hilton  and  his  Bristol  associates  the  entire 
Hilton  Patent,  at  the  price  of  2,150  pounds.  The 
purchasers  were  Lord  Say,  Lord  Brooke,  Sir  Rich- 
ard Saltonstall,  Sir  Arthur  Hazelrigg,  IMr.  Whiting, 
and  other  men  of  Shrewsl)urv,  all  of  them  Puritans, 
and  friends  of  ^lassachusetts  Bay,  who  had  been 
"writ  unto,"  we  are  informed,  "by  the  Gt>vernor 
and  magistrates  of  Massachusetts,  who  encouraged 
them  to  purchase  the  said  lands  of  the  Bristol  men 
in  respect  they  feared  some  ill  neighborhood 
from  them."  Captain  Wiggin,  ap)>ointcd  manager 
for  the   new   tompany,   returned   to    New    England 


with  leiiifoiTciiu'iits  and  supplies,  and  a  "godly 
minister,"  arriving  at  Salcni,  Ooto1)cr  10,  l(i;^3. 
As  soon  as  he  had  entered  into  possession  of  the 
newly  purchased  territory,  he  took  immediate  stejis, 
in  accordance  with  the  original  understanding,  to 
submit  that  territory  to  the  jurisdiction  of  ^lassa- 
chusetts.  Early  in  the  following  month  he  wrote 
to  Governor  Winthrop  that  "one  of  his  people  had 
stabbed  another,  and  desired  he  might  be  tried  in 
the  15ay,  if  the  l)arty  died."  The  (Governor  replied 
"that  if  Passcata(iuack  lay  within  their  limits  (as  it 
was  su})posed)  they  would  try  him."  But  all  these 
intrigues  came  to  naught.  The  scheme  to  purchase 
the  Hilton  Patent,  and  turn  it  over  to  Massachusetts 
Bay,  had  for  the  present  utterly  failed.  AViggin 
found  it  impossible  to  deliver  his  territory  accord- 
ing to  the  bargain.  Edward  Hilton  was  a  man  of 
probity,  a  royalist  and  a  churchman,  and  intense 
hostility  sprang  uji  among  the  (ihinters.  These  men 
had  now  taken  up  and  improved  the  lands  on  Bloody 
Point,  and  around  the  easterly  side  of  (ireat  Bay,  in 
considerable  numb(>rs,  although  without  any  legal 
title  to  them  whatever.  But  as  none  of  the  j)atents 
of  the  Pascata(|ua  countrv',  not  even  that  of  Cajitain 
John  Mason,  of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire, 
conferred  any  rights  of  government  and  jurisdiction, 
but  were  all  of  them  simply  indentures,  or  deeds  of 
territory,  it  is  obvious  that  thei'e  were  no  courts  or 
trii)unals  on  the  land  before  which  these  siiuatter 
rights  could  be  called  in  question.  The  squatters 
upon  the  Pascata(jua  thus  found  their  titles  of  ]k)s- 
session  practical!}'  unquestionable,  as  long  as  they 
kept    aloof    from    Massachusetts.     From    this    was 


initiated  a  vigorous  contest  among  the  planters 
against  the  prosecution  of  Captain  Wiggin's  anil)i- 
tious  designs,  as  a  se(iuencc  of  which  resulted  his 
complete  deposition  from  the  office  of  Governor, 
and  the  election  of  an  indeiiendent  goverinuent  by 
the  jilanters  in  the  early  jiart  of  KloT. 

ODIORNE'S  POINT. 

This  jn)iut  of  land,  called  by  the  tirst  settlers 
Pannaway,  should  be  venerated,  from  the  fact  that 
it  was  here  where  the  white  man  tirst  set  foot  on 
New  Hampshire  soil,  and  here  planted  the  seeds 
which  have  germinated  into  our  present  robust  civ- 
ilization. The  engraving  which  shows  this  portion 
of  the  coast  is  from  an  old  drawing  made  in  a])out 
16.')5,  the  original  now  being  in  the  English  archives, 
an  exact  copy  having  l)een  reproduced  for  "  Early 
Planting  of  New  Hampshire,"  by  John  S.  Jenness, 
from  which  we  have  made  an  eidarged  copy  of  this 
point  and  immediate  surroundings  as  then  existed. 

The  old  drawing  represents  three  Iniildings  as 
being  here  at  that  time  ;  yet  as  to  their  identity  we 
must  draw  our  own  conclusions,  inasmuch  as  the 
buildings  were  not  designated.  But  we  are  led 
to  believe  that  the  house  at  the  right,  near  the  point, 
is  the  old  IManor,  as  its  location  is  correct  to 
represent  that  historic  structure.  The  l)uilding  at 
the  left  we  are  convinced  is  the  old  log  forti- 
iication,  for  that  too  is  situated  in  the  right  position 
to  I)e  readily  identified  as  being  the  old  "citadel 
of  safety,"  referred  to  in  history.  The  building 
between   these   two    we   know  not  of,  unless    it    be 


-/. 


■0"'^ 
^ 

H 


4.011; 


TANNAUAV,    OK    OUlokNE's    POINT    IN    1655,    AND   THE    OLD    BURYING    GROUND. 


the  first  Odiornc  house,  built  by  John  Odii)riic,  who 
came  to  this  point  about  that  time  and  erected  a 
house,  known  to  have  been  situated  on  about  this 
spot.  Tlie  little  apparent  rise  in  ground  to  the  left 
of  the  fortress  is  probaljh^  "  Flake  Mill,"  for  its  loca- 
tion also  is  exact  to  represent  that  important  fish 
mart  of  nearly  three  hundred  years  aQo.  The  small 
tract  of  land  on  the  extreme  right  is  part  of  "(ireat 
Island,"  the  water  fiowing  between  it  and  the  })()int 
is  Little  Harbor:  the  inlet  or  estuary  fiowing  l)ack 
into  the  land,  nearly  forming  an  island  of  the  point 
at  high  tide,  is  what  is  now  known  as  Scavcy's  Creek. 

The  IManor  house  stood  on  the  crest  of  the  hill, 
on  the  road  leading  toward  the  ocean,  to  the  left, 
just  before  reaching  the  old  Odiorne  homestead. 

The  I'oad  runs  directly  over  the  former  site  of 
tlie  old  Manor  house,  as  will  readily  be  observed  at  a 
glance  upon  turning  to  the  photograph  taken  of  the 
ancient  site  as  it  now  is,  looking  toward  the  sea. 

Upon  the  left  bank,  at  its  highest  point,  by  the 
bush,  is  wdiere  one  end  of  the  old  Manor  house  stood, 
and  here  some  of  its  original  foundation  may  yet 
be  seen.  Upon  the  rigiit  side  of  the  highway,  as 
now  existing,  the  remaining  end  of  the  old  Manor 
house  rested.  This  bank  is  now  in  process  of  exca- 
vation as  a  gravel  pit,  and  when  the  writer  was  there 
the  workmen  were  taking  out  the  gravel  for  rejiair- 
ing  the  roads  of  Rye,  and  in  making  excavations,  had 
reached  what  might  have  been  an  ancient  cellar,  for 
quite  well  down  in  the  ground  were  found  quantities 
of  well-arranged,  fair-sized  rocks,  with  evident 
traces  of  decayed  tiinl)ers,  falling  into  dust,  together 
with  pieces  of  l)rick,  wrought  iron  spikes,  nails,  etc.. 


and  at  divers  places  old  pieces  of  earthenware,  pipes 
and  many  odd  bits  were  uncovered.  Quite  a  col- 
lection of  the  l)ctter  specimens  here  offered  were 
made  by  the  writer  and  brought  thence,  as  otherwise 
they  would  have  been  dumped  in  the  road  and  for- 
ever lost,  as  doubtless  were  the  remainder.  No  care 
or  interest  whatever  appeared  to  lie  exercised  in 
making  any  attemiit  to  save  "treasure  trove,"  if  any 
such  were  unearthed,  or  the  slightest  regard  i)aid  to 
the  conse(juent  obliteration  of  ancient  landmarks. 
The  work  of  excavation  was  pushed  ruthlessly 
through,  the  spade,  pick  and  shovel  doing  their  in- 
exorable work  in  effectually  scattering  to  the  winds 
the  vanishing  relics  lingering  upon  the  site  of  that 
first  structure  built  by  the  white  man  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Just  beyond  the  site  of  the  INIanor  house,  close 
to  a  gnarled  and  scraggy  tree,  l)y  the  stone-wall,  is  the 
spotwhere,  in  the  ancient  settlement  of  Pannawav, 
stood  the  first  smith's  shop.  ]\Iany  of  the  adjacent 
stones  of  the  wall  in-oclaim  their  original  jiositions 
in  having  formed  the  historic  wall  of  the  old  smith's 
shop,  and  some  i)ortion  even  of  the  original  founda- 
tion wall  yet  remains. 

The  ancient  spring,  where,  it  is  likely  the  adven- 
turers of  that  old  time  first  slaked  their  thirst,  upon 
their  landing  here,  lies  at  the  end  of  the  road,  on 
the  beach,  now  covered  with  lichened  rocks  and 
bowlders,  first  placed  there,  doulrtless,  by  the  hand 
of  man,  in  order  that  the  road  to  the  seashore  might 
be  easier  of  access  ;  although,  since  man  began  the 
work,  old  ocean  has  materially  aided,  until  now 
nothing  of  the  spring  is  to  be  seen  save  only  that  its 


A.    SITE    OF   THE   OLD   MANOR    HOUSE. 

C.    SITE   OF   THE   OLD   FORT,    WELL   ANU   OLD    BURVING-GROUND. 


B.    THE    MONUMENT. 
D.    THE    OLD   WELL. 


waters,  trickling  from  aiiioiif;'  the  rot-lxs,  run  sUiwiy 
to  the  sea. 

Near  the  eiul  of  the  road,  before  one  reaches  the 
spring,  is  the  monument  recently  erected  in  com- 
memoration of  the  l)and  of  Englishmen,  pioneers 
of  New  Ilamiishire  civilization,  who  are  supposed  to 
have  lirst  landed  near  this  spot,  dedicating  this  virgin 
soil  to  the  service  of  a  larger  and  gi'eater  future  than 
it  had  ever  known  before. 

Without  presuming  to  exercise  the  othcc  of  the 
critic,  it  may  l)e  said  that  the  latter  jiortion  of  the 
inscription  l)orne  thereon  apjjcars  to  be  a  little 
digression  from  the  facts,  inasmuch  as  the  first 
planters  of  this  shore  journeyed  hither  under  grant 
of  His  Majesty,  the  King,  as  history  indelibly 
records :  "  To  found  a  Plantacon  on  the  river  of 
Pascataqua,  to  cultivate  the  vine,  discover  mines, 
carry  on  the  lisheries,  and  trade  with  the  natives," 
and  only  incidentally  "to  consecrate  this  soil  to  the 
service  of  God  and  liberty,"  as  might  best  have 
suited  their  convenience. 

The  site  of  the  old  garrison,  or  lilock-housc, 
the  burial-ground,  the  ancient  well,  and  thi'  old  tisli 
"flakes"  upon  "Flake  Hill,"  is  next  in  order. 
Concerning  these,  it  may  be  said  that  the  illustration 
shown  herewith  was  taken  on  a  small  ledge  in  the 
field,  a  little  south  of  i\Ir.  Odiorne's  barn.  Upon 
the  extreme  right  is  the  burial-jilace  :  upon  the  left 
the  old  well  is  to  be  found  ;  and  near  the  center,  indi- 
cated by  a  cross  (x),  is  the  site  of  the  old  garrison, 
or  block-house  ;  and  upon  the  hill,  seen  on  the  left, 
beyond  the  well,  is  where  the  pioneei'  settlers  placed 
their  fish  "flakes." 


The  old  burial-ground,  the  oldest  in  the  State, 
is  the  ])lace  where  lie  the  bones  of  those  who  suc- 
cumbed to  the  hardships  and  privations  of  that  first 
New  Enirland  wintci',  and  who  first  set  foot  uj)on 
New  Hampshire  soil  in  that  memorable  spring  of 
the  year  of  srace,  sixteen  hundred  and  twenty-three. 

There  are  about  forty  graves  to  l)e  seen,  with 
simple  bowlders,  unmarked,  at  the  head  and  feet,  so 
that  the  exercise  of  this  well-known  habit  of  our 
forefathers  affords  no  clue  to  those  whose  mortal 
])art  molders  into  dust  beneath  each  rude  monu- 
ment; yet  it  is  known,  indisputably,  that  herein 
rest  the  bones  of  those  early  jiioneers.  whose  sinewy 
hands  first  "blazed"  the  primeval  forest  with  the 
settler's  axe. 

In  this  cemetery,  by  the  ancient  nu)unds,  is 
a  large  walnut  tree,  which  may  be  as  old  or  older 
than  the  settlement,  and  no  one  knows  but  this  aged 
sentinel  of  the  woodland  was  here  and  a  witness  to 
the  scene  as  the  first  of  the  small  ])and  of  inunigrants, 
yieldinrr  to  the  rigors  of  a  pioneer  life,  were  laid  at 
rest  in  the  sands  beneath  its  protecting  branches. 

The  old  garrison,  or  block-house,  was  used  as 
a  fort ;  also,  probably,  as  a  place  of  worshij).  AVe 
are  informed  by  ^Nlr.  Charles  A.  Odiorne,  who  re- 
sides in  the  old  Odiorne  homestead,  that  his  uncle, 
who  helped  remove  the  old  fortification,  told  him 
that  the  building  was  situated  in  the  field,  as  is  indi- 
cated, about  midway  between  the  old  burial-ground 
and  the  well.  The  main  part  of  the  fortification  was 
made  of  logs,  and  was  of  considerable  dimensions, 
being  somewhat  greater  in  length  than  width.  Upon 
opposite  corners,  the  one  looking  toward  the  Manor 


AROUND   MARKET    Si>VAKE. 


A.  I'LEASANT   STREET. 

B.  CITY   ROOMS. 


D.    CONGRESS   STREET. 
C.    MARKET   SQU.\RE. 


house  and  the  other  toward  the  Hsh  tiakes,  were  two 
emlirasures  for  small  camion,  doubtless  the  "cul- 
verin"  or  "saker"  of  the  colonial  day,  and  for  other 
piu"])oses.  These  embrasures  wore  substantially 
constructed  either  of  brick,  or  of  stone  and  brick 
together. 

The  old  well  lies  just  over  the  wail,  which  runs 
at  right  angles  to  the  one  back  of  the  old  garrison, 
u))on  the  southeast  side,  and  is  yet  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation. 

THE  PARADE,  OR  MARKET  SQUARE. 

From  IT.iS  the  "Parade,"  as  it  is  more  fre- 
(|uently  and  jiroperly  called,  was  nearly  tilled  by  the 
old  State  House,  until  its  removal  in  the  latter  part 
of  183(i,  leaving  fortunately  an  open  space  in  the 
business  center  of  the  town. 

On  the  east  side,  toward  Daniel  Street,  was  the 
town  puni[),  which  was  also  used  as  a  whipping-post, 
where  men  and  women,  for  minor  offenses,  were 
tied  and  whipj)ed  on  their  l)arc  backs,  as  late  as 
17(i4,  and  even  afterwards,  for  we  have  the  record 
of  a  hostler  in  one  of  the  stage  stables  being  "pub- 
licly whipped  at  the  pumji  with  ten  lashes  on  his 
bare  l)ack"'  for  stealing  a  bucketful  of  West  India 
rum  from  his  employer.  And  also  that  of  a  woman 
for  concealing  and  taking  away  a  pair  of  small  shoes 
from  a  store,  subse((uent  to  this  date. 

The  street  then  was  not  so  wide  here  as  it  now 
is,  for  the  old  Pearse  l)uilding,  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Daniel  Street,  extended,  until  the  fire  of 
1802,  on  a  line  with  the  City  Building,  twenty-five 


feet  westward  into  the  Parade,  and  also  twelve  feet 
north  into  Daniel  Street. 

Formerly,  on  account  of  a  ledge,  no  carriao-e 
could  pass  between  the  State  House  and  the  pro- 
jecting jiorch  of  the  North  Meeting-house.  But 
later,  probal)ly  aljout  1789,  some  of  the  led^e  was 
taken  away,  and  at  odd  times  afterward  until  nearly 
all  was  removed  except  a  little  near  the  State  House, 
which  remained,  thus  making  a  street  way  on  the 
south  as  well  as  on  the  north  side  of  the  l)uildino-. 
The  S(|uare,  from  the  North  Meeting-house  across, 
was  at  this  point  about  one  hundred  feet  in  width. 

The  name  "Parade"  was  formerly  given  to  the 
wide  space  in  front  of  the  iiost-oflice  ;  but  after  the 
renu)val  of  the  State  House  the  name  was  applied  to 
the  square,  and  very  appropriately,  for  hero  the 
large  processions  were  formed,  including  the  cele- 
brations of  lS;i3  and  1873,  when  the  "Sons  and 
Daughters  of  Portsmouth"  returned  to  the  city. 

THE  OLD  STATE  HOUSE. 

As  shown  liy  Hales'  survey  of  1813,  this  build- 
ing was  thirty  by  eighty-four  feet.  The  west  end 
was  on  a  line  with  the  west  side  of  High  Street.  It 
was  built  in  17.t8  upon  a  ledoe  of  rocks  occupyino- 
the  center  of  the  Parade  (now  Market  Square),  by 
order  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  a  resolve  passed 
that  year,  empowering  Daniel  Warner,  Henry  Sher- 
burne and  Clement  March  a  committee  to  carry  the 
same  into  execution. 

^Vhcn  first  built,  the  easterly  room  was  appro- 
priated   for  the  Council    Chamber,  the  middle  for 


the  House  of  Representatives,  and  the  west  for  the 
Court  of  Conunon  Law.  Afterward  the  Masons  had 
the  eastern  chamber  and  the  Fire  Companies  another 
room,  while  the  Fire  Department  was  in  the  lower 
story,  which  consisted  of  one  immense  room.  In 
the  attic  were  several  convenient  committee  rooms. 

On  November  1,  17(;5,  the  day  the  obnoxious 
Stamp  Act  was  to  take  effect,  a  novel  though  then 
solemn  scene  was  here  enacted.  All  the  bells  in 
town  were  tollins  the  death  knell,  the  flags  were  at 
half-mast,  everything  was  draped  as  though  for 
death,  and  people  for  miles  around  were  congregated 
at  and  around  the  State  House.  At  the  appropriate 
time  a  funeral  procession  could  be  seen  moving 
from  the  State  House  bearing  a  coffin  with  this  in- 
scription, "Liberty,  aged  145."  The  procession, 
headed  by  two  muffled  drums,  beating  the  funeral 
march,  paraded  the  streets  ;  as  it  passed  the  Parade 
minute-guns  were  tired,  and  upon  arriving  at  the 
place  for  burial  a]ipropriate  services  were  held.  As 
the  coffin  was  being  lowered  into  the  grave,  shouts 
were  heard  that  Iviberty  was  not  dead.  The  coffin 
was  then  raised,  and  I.iiberty  was  not  put  in  the 
grave,  but  instead  the  detestal)le  Stamp  Act  itself 
was  buried  in  its  place,  the  clods  of  earth  were 
thrown  upon  it,  and  stamped  in  by  the  feet  of  Lib- 
erty's sons.  The  l)ells  changed  their  doleful  tone 
into  a  joyous  peal,  flags  were  raised  to  mast-head, 
the  cannon  echoed  from  hilltop  to  hilltop,  and  every- 
thing was  changed  to  good  cheer  as  the  procession 
marched  l)ack  to  the  lively  beat  of  the  drums. 

Again,  on  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  in  17(i(i, 
this   Square  and    House  M'as  the  scene  of  another 


tremendous  outl)urst  of  enthusiasm.  A  grand  jjro- 
cession  marched  through  the  streets,  accompanied 
with  the  ringing  of  bells,  tiring  of  cannon,  beating 
of  drums,  and  everything  calculated  to  increase  the 
hilarity  of  the  occasion  was  indulged  in  without 
restraint.  Fireworks  of  an  elaborate  nature  were  set 
off  in  the  evening,  while  in  the  State  House  were 
congregated  all  the  dignitaries  and  their  friends, 
toasting  to  the  joyful  occasion  and  to  those  instru- 
mental in  the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  Act. 

Gov.  John  Wcntworth,  in  17(i7,  was  formally 
inducted  into  office  in  this  l)uilding,  after  a  trium))hal 
journey  of  marked  attention  from  Charleston,  S.  C, 
where  he  landed  in  ]\Iarch,  to  this  town.  He  was 
met  by  the  members  of  the  General  Asseml)ly,  and 
a  grand  military  cavalcade  from  all  the  surrounding- 
towns  escorted  him  to  the  State  House,  amid  nuich 
enthusiasm,  and  with  great  pomji,  where  the  conmiis- 
sion  ajipointing  him  Governor  and  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  ]irovince,  and  a  commission  from  the 
Ijords  of  Admiralty  ajipointing  him  Vice  Admiral, 
wei'e  pul)licly  read  to  the  assemblage  by  the  High 
Sheriff.  In  the  Council  Chamber  he  was  formally 
introduced  to  the  officers  of  State,  and  here  the 
(Jovernor,  Council  and  other  officers  and  gentlemen 
j^resent  partook  of  an  elegant  ban(|ui't  prepared  for 
the  occasion. 

In  the  exciting  times  of  the  Kevohilion,  en- 
thusiastic meetings  were  held  here  by  the  ])atriots. 
The  Declaration  of  Independence  having  just  been 
issued,  it  was  read  to  the  excited  inhal)it:ints  from 
the  balcony  by  the  Sheriff,  John  Parker.  After  the 
reading  was  finished,  Thomas  Manninir,  a  di<rnified 


OLD   COLONIAL   STATE    HOUSE. 


and  spirited  j)atri()t,  inouulcd  tiic  steps  at  the  west 
end  and  proposed  tliat  the  name  of  "King  Street" 
at  once  be  changed  to  "Congress  Street,"  which 
was  carried  by  accluniation  witii  h)ud  huzzas.  The 
steps  from  which  Captain  Manning  made  his  historic 
proposition  can  now  l>e  seen  in  front  of  the  iMeser\e- 
Weljster  house  on  Vaughan  Street.  The  east  end 
ste))s  are  in  front  of  the  Ti-eat  lioniestead,  on  the 
north  side  of  Deer  Street,  the  third  housi>  east 
from  Vaugiian  Street. 

In  17^;^,  when  tlie  provisional  articles  of  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  had 
been  ratified  by  Congress,  they  were  to  lie  publicly 
proclaimed  in  each  State  by  the  Supreme  Executive 
Power  thereof.  Monday,  April  :^.Sth,  the  President 
and  Committee  of  Safety  a]ipointed  as  the  time  for 
proclaiming  the  same.  The  day  was  ushered  in  l)y 
the  ringing  of  Ijells ;  salutes  of  thirteen  guns  wt'rc 
tired  from  the  Fort,  at  Liberty  Bridge,  and  Church 
Hill,  to  which  His  Most  Christian  Majesty's  shij), 
the  "America,"  being  in  the  har])or,  resjionded. 
Patriotic  services  were  held  at  the  North  Chuich,  by 
the  Rev.  Drs.  Haven  and  Buckminster,  after  which, 
at  noon,  the  President  of  the  State,  otticers  of  gov- 
ernment and  others  proceeded  to  the  State  House  and 
from  the  balcony  the  Sheriff  read  the  ]irocIamation 
to  a  large  assemblage  of  people  on  the  Parade,  who 
received  it  with  nnich  joy  sind  acclamation.  An  ele- 
gant dinner  was  served  at  the  Assembly  House,  and 
also  at  the  State  House,  and,  according  to  Adams" 
Annals,  "at  both  jilaces  a  number  of  ]iatriotic  toasts 
were  drunk."  In  the  e\ening  a  sjilendid  ball  was 
given  at  the  Assembly  House,  which  with  the  State 


House  was  beautifully  illuminated,  while  supeib  tire- 
works  were  displayed  outside. 

In  flune,  1788,  New  Hampshire,  being  the  ninth 
State  to  adopt  the  Federal  Constitution,  celel)rated 
the  event  with  great  rejoicings.  An  innnense  pro- 
cession, I'epresenting  all  the  different  trades,  pro- 
fessions and  callings,  assemljled  here,  and  from  the 
Parade,  headed  by  a  band  of  nnisic  in  an  open  coach, 
drawn  by  six  decorated  horses,  marched  thiough  the 
})rinci])al  streets,  l)eing  saluted  in  the  most  emphatic 
manner  as  it  passed  with  all  the  enthusiasm  that 
patriotic  zeal  could  furnish,  mingled  with  that  of  the 
noise  and  acclamation  characteristic  of  young  Amer- 
ica on  such  occasions.  In  the  evening,  Nathaniel 
Adams,  in  the  "Annals  of  Portsmouth,"  states  that 
"the  State  House  was  beautifully  illuminated  with 
nine  lights  in  each  window,  while  a  large  company 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  on  the  Parade  were  enter- 
tained with  music  from  the  balcony."  In  the 
year  1789  President  Washington  was  formally 
received  by  the  citizens  on  the  balcony  over  the 
eastern  door. 

Previous  to  1818  all  the  town-meetings  and 
elections  were  held  in  this  building.  And  within 
these  walls  have  echoed  the  voices  of  many  who  have 
gained  distinction  in  the  nation's  councils,  and  that 
of  one,  beside  President  AVashington,  the  highest 
within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  this  nation. 

In  183t)  the  citizens  subscribed  seven  hundred 
dollars  to  have  the  old  building  removed,  and  on 
September  lUth  the  selectmen  ordered  its  removal 
within  ninety  days.  The  courts  were  afterwards 
held  in   the    new    Court    House    on    Court    Street. 


Part  of  the  old  State  H(»ase  is  still  standing, 
altered  into  a  dwelling-house,  on  the  north  side  of 
Court  Street,  midway  hetween  Atkinson  and  Water 
Streets.  The  old  building  has  l)een  very  accurately 
reproduced,  by  a  jirocess  of  photography,  especially 
for  this  l)ook,  and  according  to  the  testimony  of 
many  old  people,  who  can  rcnieinlier  it  distinctly, 
is  correct,  even  to  the  small  details. 


act.     The  jn-cdccessor  of  the   First   National   Bank 
was  the  Piscatacjua  Bank,  incorporated  in  1824. 

In  1840  this  ])ank  had  nine  directors  with  only 
three  different  surnames  :  Sanuiel  Hale,  Samuel  E. 
Cones,  Samuel  Lord,  William  Stavers,  William  M. 
Shackford,  William  II.  Y.  Ilackott,  Ichabod  Rollins, 
Ichabod  Bartlett  and  Ichal)od  Goodwin,  and  there 
was  no  other  Ichabod  in  the  town. 


PORTSMOUTH  SAVINGS  AND  FIRST 
NATIONAL  BANK  BUILDING. 

This  is  the  oldest  bank  building  built  and  con- 
tinuously occuj)ied  for  banking  jiuqjoses  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  situated  on  the  cast  side  of 
the  Parade.  After  the  old  gambrel-roof  dwelling, 
occupied  as  a  bank,  was  burned  in  the  great  tire  of 
1802,  this  building  was  erected  from  designs  by 
Eliphalet  Ladd  for  the  New  Hampshire  Bank,  which 
was  incorporated  .January  ;i,  17'.t2,  l)cing  the  first 
l)ank  established  in  the  State.  Its  charter  expired 
in  1842.  The  present  New  Hampshire  National 
Bank  was  chartered  with  the  name  of  "  New  Hamp- 
shire Bank"  1)y  the  State  in  18.5o.  The  chaml)ers 
over  the  bank  have  been  occupied  by  the  distin- 
guished lawyers,  .leremiah  Mason,  (iovernor  Levi 
Woodliurv,  and  his  pupil.  President  Fraid^lin  Pierce. 

The  present  owneis  of  the  building  are  the 
Portsmouth  Savings  Bank,  which  was  incorporated 
in  182;-}  and  is  the  oldest  savings  bank  in  the  State, 
and  the  First  National  Bank,  owning  the  eastern 
half ;  the  latter  was  the  first  to  tile  its  Ixinds  in 
Washington   in    l.S(i;i    under   the   National    bankini:- 


JEFFERSON  MARKET  AND  HALL. 

in  ISi'il  the  hall  was  cut  up  and  altered  into 
tity  rooms,  and  in  1.S7.')  the  market  was  abolished, 
although  the  conditions  of  the  sale  of  the  land  in 
1  7114  were  that  the  land  should  be  used  and  occupied 
for  a  public  market  place  for  the  town  of  Ports- 
mouth forever. 

.lames  Grouard  formerly  occujjicd  an  old  house 
on  the  site  of  this  building.  He  ke})t  a  hat  store  in 
front  and  let  a  large  chiuiiber  over  it  for  singing 
schools  and  other  public  uses.  Here  the  first  town 
school  for  girls  was  kept  in  17.S4,  after  which  no 
school  of  the  kind  was  maintained  until  181."). 

In  17«J4  the  town  liought  this  lot  of  -lohn 
Fisher,  of  London,  for  four  hundred  and  fifty 
])ounds  and  l)uilt  a  market  with  a  town  hall  over  it 
in  ISOO,  which  the  next  year  received  the  nnnie  of 
".lefferson"  in  honor  of  the  newly  elected  President. 
In  1802  all  but  the  brick  walls  was  consumed.  In 
1804  it  was  rebuilt.  In  I-SIS  the  hall  was  first  used 
instead  of  the  old  State  House  for  election  pur- 
poses, and  town-meetings  were  held  here  until  the 
adoption  of  the  city  charter  in  1.S49.      In   181;*   it 


was  used  as  the  great  Suiulav-school  I'oom  of  Ports- 
mouth, which  children  of  all  parishes  attended. 

When  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
settlement  of  Portsmouth  was  celebrated,  May  21, 
1823,  two  hundred  gentlemen  dined  in  the  hall. 
In  1844  a  public  reception  was  given  to  Daniel 
Webster  in  Jefferson  Hall. 

THE  HUNKING  WENT  WORTH  HOUSE 

Is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Congress 
Streets,  next  west  of  the  North  Church.  Hunking 
Wentworth  was  the  uncle  of  Governor  John  Went- 
worth,  and  was  a  zealous  patriot.  The  local  Com- 
mittee of  Public  Safety  held  their  meetings  at 
this  house.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  and 
obtained  the  signatures  of  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven  inhabitants  to  the  Association  Test  of  177(3, 
promising  that  they  would  "at  the  risk  of  their  lives 
and  fortunes,  with  arms  oppose  the  hostile  pro- 
ceedings of  the  British  fleets  and  armies  against  the 
united  American  colonies."  They  also  reported  the 
names  of  thirty-one  inhaliitants,  the  majority  of 
whom  refused  to  sign.  He  was  an  efficient  friend 
of  the  American  Revolution  from  the  first  agitation 
of  the  subject.  So  numerous  were  his  relatives  in 
official  positions  that  in  taking  sides  with  the  people 
he  seemed  to  be  l)ut  quarreling  with  his  own  family. 
His  father,  John  Wentworth,  had  liecn  I.,icutenant 
Governor.  His  brother,  Benning  Wentworth,  had 
been  (xovernor,  his  nephew.  John  Wentworth,  was 
then  Governor,  and  his  younger  brother,  ilark 
Hunking  Wentworth,  had  refused  to  sign  the  Asso- 
ciation Test. 


THE  ROGERS  HOUSE. 

The  house  of  Thomas  Phijips,  the  first  i)uljlic 
schoolmaster  in  Portsmouth,  was  built  on  the  lot 
west  of  the  Hunking  Wentworth  dwelling,  liis  being 
the  first  erected  on  the  glebe  land,  and  was  there 
when  the  glebe  land  was  plotted  in  1 70.5 .  In  Octobei', 
1704,  the  house  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Rogers,  on 
Pleasant  Street  ( without  much  doubt  the  old  Ejjis- 
copal  parsonage),  was  destroyed  by  fire,  three 
members  of  his  family  having  perished  in  the 
flames.  The  ne.xt  year  the  town  voted  ^Ir.  Rogers 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  assist  in  building  a 
house  on  his  own  land,  and  it  is  said  this  was  the  first 
house  in  Portsmouth  built  with  windows  constructed 
for  .square  panes  of  glass,  instead  of  the  small 
diamond  shape. 

]Mr.  Rogers,  the  successor  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
bloody,  was  a  son  of  President  Rogers,  of  Harvard 
College.  He  accepted  the  offer  of  the  parisli  in 
11)97,  at  a  salary  of  one  hundred  pounds  and  use  of 
the  glebe  lands  and  i)arsonage.  He  remained  pastor 
of  the  parish  until  his  death  in  17^3.  In  some  of 
the  earlier  histories  of  the  town  it  was  stated  that 
he  was  a  direct  descendant  from  John  Rogers,  the 
martyr,  but  recent  researches  have  proved  otherwise, 
the  details  of  which  may  be  found  in  "  The  Direct 
Ancestry  of  the  late  Jacob  Wendell."  published  by 
James  Rindge  Stanwood  :  Boston  :  1882. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  l)uried  at  the  Point  of  Graves, 
but  the  slate  slab  which  was  inserted  in  the  monu- 
ment is  illegible  :  the  Latin  inscription,  however,  is 
printed  in  full  in  Adams"  Annals.     The  house  and 


lot  were  assijiiiod  to  Daniel  Ko<;ors  in  175.5  and 
remained  in  the  Roiicrs  family,  descending  to  Mary 
C.  Hogei-s,  until  Deeeniber  8,  1871,  when  it  was 
sold  l)y  the  exceiitors  to  the  pres(>nt  owners.  The 
old  dwelling  was  then  raised  and  stores  placed 
hencath.     See  page  1.S5. 

THE  FREEMAN  BLOCK. 

This  Iniilding,  situated  east  of  the  National 
Block,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  house  built  by 
Charles  Tread  well  in  1729  on  a  lot  leased  to  him 
that  year  by  the  wardens  of  the  j^arish  for  nine 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  years  for  tifteen  shillings 
amiually.  Mr.  Treadwell  came  from  Ijiswich,  Mass., 
in  1724.  Mrs.  Treadwell  was  a  remarkable  woman, 
energetic,  intelligent  and  obliging,  who,  with  her 
husband,  carried  on  an  extensive  business  in  pro- 
visions and  furnishing  goods,  and  acquired  a  large 
fortune,  with  which  they  built  some  of  the  best 
houses  in  Portsmouth.  Tier  portrait,  undoubtedl_y 
by  Copley,  is  preserved  by  one  of  her  descendants. 

NATIONAL  HOTEL. 

This  house  stood  on  the  corner  of  Fleet  and 
Congress  Streets  ;  it  was  built  by  Mr.  Treadwell  for 
his  only  daughter,  aliout  1745,  who  married  Dr. 
Ammi  K.  Cutter.  Dr.  Cutter  became  a  surgeon  in 
a  New  Hampshire  regiment  and  served  through  the 
French  and  Indian  War.  He  was  at  the  capture  of 
Louisburg  in  1758,  and  served  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary AVar.      In  18."j7,  John  E.  Robinson  adver- 


tised that  he  had  taken  the  Mansion  House,  and 
renamed  it  the  Temjjcranee  Mansion  House,  and 
that  it  would  be  kept  as  a  temperance  house.  The 
l)uilding,  including  the  stone  stable  in  the  rear, 
was.  jiurchased  from  Daniel  R.  Rogers,  who  in  1841 
owned  the  S(|uare  Ijounded  In'  Congress,  Church, 
Warren  and  Fleet  Streets.  The  house  was  after- 
ward called  the  City  Hotel,  and  then  the  National 
Hotel.  It  was  burned  in  December,  1877,  and  the 
National  Block  was  erected  on  its  site. 

THE  DEAN  BUILDING. 

On  the  sou,thwcst  corner  of  Fleet  and  Congress 
Streets  is  a  gambrcl  roof  dwelling  which  was  built 
soon  after  the  jieace  of  17<S.")  liy  Nathaniel  Dean.  It 
was  also  occupied  by  Willis  Barnabee,  the  father  of 
the  famous  singer,  Henry  Clay  Barnai)ee.  The 
house  of  the  eccentric  Dr.  ]\Ioses  foi-merly  stood  on 
this  site,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  Ma'am 
Moses,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Moses,  kept  a  school 
here.  The  house  was  one  story,  with  two  rooms, 
one  occupied  by  the  father,  mother  and  nine  chil- 
dren;  in  the  other  the  cow  was  kept.  The  building- 
was  owned  and  occupied  for  many  years,  and  until 
recently,  l)y  George  W.  Phunmer,  a  baker. 

THE  MACKLIN  LOT. 

The  middle  lot,  between  Fleet  and  Chestnut 
Streets,  was  leased  tirst  in  1712  to  Capt.  Richard 
Oerrish,  then  in  ]\Iarch,  17;)0,  to  Robert  Macklin,  a 
baker,  who    lived  to  the  a<i'e  of    115.      He  afterward 


A.    OLD    FkANKI.lN    HlllSfc:. 
C.    THE    OLD    BELL   TAVERN. 


1).    TOWER    OF    HIE    oLL>    Ih.Mi'Lh    IN    ljl^rA.\>_E. 
D.    NATIONAL    HOTEL. 


occupied  :i  Imildinii'  on  tlio  silc  (if  ('(ingress  Bloclv, 
on  tlie  o])p()sitc  side  of  tiie  street.  He  l)oiii;lit  his 
Hour  in  Boston,  a  distance  of  sixty-three  miles.  He 
used  to  walk  thither,  a'oing  one  day  and  returning' 
tlie  next,  even  wlien  past  eiolity  years  of  age.  In 
17i>l,  tiiis  lot  was  leased  to  .lames  and  Matthew 
Haslctt,  leather  dressers  and  dealers  in  wool,  whose 
i|uaint  sion  of  a  huck  and  a  glove,  with  the  date 
ITtiii.  was  reproduced  in  the  Ncn'  JlauijixJiirp 
< ,'ii::i'll<'  in  ITiiT,  it  lieing  the  first  newspaper  adver- 
tisement illustrated  with  a  cut  in  New  Hampshire. 

On  the  next  lot,  on  the  corner,  thei'e  stood  orig- 
inally a  tine  gamlirel-roof  l)uiiding,  owned  by  the 
Boyd  family.'  P'rom  IT.SO  to  17;it»,  Robert  Gerrisli 
})rinted  the  Xeir  IlitinpKjiirc  Mercnri/  in  this  Imild- 
ing.  John  Melcher,  who  was  an  appientice  of 
Robert  Fowle,  and  succeeded  iiim  in  the  ^W^'- 
llidiijislni'e  (U(;:elte,  afterward  })ulilished  the  pa})cr 
in  this  imilding:  sultsequently  he  purchased  the 
house,  which  was  burned  in  187;').  Formerly  the 
waters  from  the  North  Pond,  at  times,  extended  to 
this  corner,  and  the  front  door  to  the  house  had 
four  steps  to  the  former  level  of  the  street. 


THE  TEMPLE. 

In  the  snowstorm  view  taken  Feliruary  17,  I8ii7, 
the  dome  of  the  Temple  can  be  seen,  and  it  is  the 
only  view  that  can  be  found,  showing  the  old  hull  of 
entertainment. 

The  site  at  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and  Porter 
Streets  was  formerly  occupied  by  the  first  Ports- 
mouth almshouse   liuildimr  in  17K),   and  used  until 


1  7.').'i,  i)C'ing  the  tirst  almshouse  erected  in  the  country. 
Chestnut  Street  was  then  named  Prison  Lane,  and 
Fetter  Lane  was  the  predecessor  of  Warren  and 
Porter  Streets.  The  original  names  were  very  ap- 
pro])riate,  as  the  jail  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  two 
lanes.  The  Temjile  was  built  in  l.SO.')  by  the  Free 
AVill  Baptist  Societv  and  was  used  until  1844  as 
their  i)lace  of  worshij).  when  the  Washingtonian 
Temperance  Society  remodeled  it  for  a  lecture  room. 
The  seats  were  arranged  as  an  ami)hitheatre  without 
a  gallery.  After  its  destruction  l)y  tire  in  December, 
bS7(;,  Music  Hall  was  erected  on  the  site,  and  opened 
in  .bmuary,  1878,  l)eing  remodeled  in  litOl.  Re- 
turning from  Chestnut  Street  Xo  the  north  side  of 
Congress  Street,  on   the  corner  of  Fleet  is 


FRANKLIN  BLOCK. 

The  site  of  this  block,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century,  was  occupied  by  two  dwellings,  built 
l)y  Langley  Boardman  :  they  were  soon  after  con- 
verted into  a  tavern  kn((wn  as  the  Portsmouth  Hotel 
and  Stage  House. 

The  part  on  the  ccn-ner  of  Fleet  Street  (then 
Mason  Street)  in  18UI  was  removed  and  the  brick 
structure  known  as  Franklin  Hall  erected,  con- 
taining a  hall  for  assemblies,  with  a  spring  floor,  the 
Masons  occuj)ying  the  upper  rooms. 

On  May  21,  18:^3,  nearly  four  hundred  peojile 
were  present  at  a  ball  celebrating  the  two  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  tirst  settlement  of  New  Hamiishire. 
The  majority  of  the  40()  (numerically  and  socially) 
present  inscril)ed  their  names  and    ages  on  a  j)arch- 


ment  still  preserved  in  the  Athemeuiii,  where  niiiy 
be  read  the  names  of  Daniel  and  Grace  Webster, 
Jeremiah  and  Mary  Mason,  the  families  of  the 
Wendells,  the  Sheafes,  the  Wentworths,  the  Rices, 
and  all  the  names  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
town,  which  certainly  included  the  descendants  of 
the  guests  at  the  wedding  of  Governor  Wentworth  : 

"He  had  invited  all  his  friends  and  peers, — 
The  Pepperels,  the  Langdons  and  the  Lears, 
The  Sparhavvks,  the  Penhallows  and  the  rest; 
But  why  repeat  the  name  of  every  guest?" 

Lafayette  held  a  reception  here  Septeml)er  21, 
1824,  at  which  thirty  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  who 
had  served  under  him  were  present. 

Between  the  years  of  Stavers'  "Flying  Coach" 
and  that  of  railroads,  this  tavern  was  the  head- 
quarters for  the  coaches  which  ran  between  Boston 
and  Portland.  Here  was  the  booking  office  for  the 
large  town  and  smaller  country  stages ;  and  from 
here  .lohn  Menduni,  Robert  W.  Annable,  Sherburne 
Somerby,  Willis  Barnabee  and  other  knights  of  the 
whip,  drove  to  Boston,  Concord  and  Portland,  the 
fare  ])eing  about  three  dollars  per  trip. 

BELL  TAVERN. 

The  front  of  this  old  tavern  projected  into  the 
street  and  was  situated  on  the  site  of  the  building 
now  occupied  by  C.  H.  Clark  and  others,  next  west 
of  Congress  Block.  It  was  built  by  Paul  ]March  in 
1743,  who  was  a  merchant  of  means  and  married  a 
daughter  of  .lohn  Newmarch,  who  resided  next  door. 
This  house  was  kejit,  previous  to   the   Revolution, 


by  John  (ireenleaf.  From  a  post  in  front  of  the 
house  he  hung  the  sign  of  the  "Bell,'"  painted  l)lue, 
famous  in  after  years.  At  this  tavern,  during  the 
Revolution,  the  Patriots  made  their  head(juarters, 
and  here  laid  their  plans  for  future  execution,  while 
the  Tory  party  assembled  at  the  "Earl  of  Halifax 
Tavern,"  on  Court  Street.  AVhen  the  French  fleet 
was  in  the  harbor,  in  17S2,  ]\Iarquis  de  Chastelleaux, 
who  was  the  commander,  boarded  at  this  house  while 
he  remained  in  town. 

The  walls  of  this  old  house  probably  have  been 
witness  to  many  interesting  incidents  of  bygone 
days,  and  if  all  were  known,  volumes  could  l)e  writ- 
ten revealing  things  we  know  not  of.  The  Probate 
Court  for  many  years  held  their  sessions  in  this 
house.  Until  18.")2  it  was  kept  as  a  tavern,  and  at 
that  time  was  changed  into  dwellings,  and  in  18()7 
was  destroyed  by  iire,  and  the  brick  l)lock  erected 
on  the  site. 

A  guest  at  the  old  Bell  Tavern  wrote  :  "  It  was 
not  a  beautiful  structure.  An  architect  would  not 
hold  it  up  as  a  model.  It  had  no  stately  columns  or 
pillars,  dome  or  tower,  but  it  had  a  history  and  hal- 
lowed memories,  which  are  more  signiticant  and 
enduring." 

CONGRESS  BLOCK. 

In  1738  a  house  was  destroyed  here  by  fire 
which  had  been  occupied  by  Robert  Macklin,  tlie  old 
baker.  Soon  after  the  fire  a  part  of  tlie  old  meeting- 
house at  the  South  Mill-dam  was  removed  to  this 
spot  and  converted  into  a  dwelling  by  John  New- 
march.     It  was  afterward  occupied  by  his  son-in-law, 


Richard  Billiii<>s,  who  was  clerk  at  one  time  for 
John  Hancock  :  and  hi.s  old  master  used  to  honor 
him  with  a  call  when  he  came  down  from  Boston  in 
his  coach.  i\Ir.  Billings  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
Brick  Market  when  it  was  opened  in  1800. 

In  1846  the  Billings  house  was  taken  down,  and 
Frederick  W.  Rogers,  having  bought  the  timber, 
removed  it  to  Jackson  Street,  where  he  used  the 
lumber  in  ])uilding  a  cottage,  it  being  the  rtrst  house 
on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  al)out  one  hundred 
feet  in  from  the  entrance,  near  the  railroad  tracks, 
and  sits  end  to  the  street,  this  l)eing  the  only  known 
remains  of  the  "Old  Meeting-house." 

Congress  Block  was  built  on  the  site  of  the 
Billings  house.  The  block  was  seriously  damaged 
by  tire  in  1864,  but  was  rebuilt,  the  upper  stories 
being  occupied  l)y  the  Masons. 

THE  FAY  BLOCK. 

There  formerly  stood  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  Congress  and  High  Streets  a  three-story  frame 
building  which  was  occupied  for  many  years  by 
Dominick  Peduzzi,  a  confectioner,  and  in  one  of  the 
rooms  was  held  the  tirst  Roman  Catholic  service 
in  the  city.      The  buildino-  was  taken  down  in  ISiK). 


PEIRCE  BLOCK. 

On  the  northeast  corner  of  High  Street  and 
Market  Square  is  the  brick  Ijuilding  known  as  the 
"Peirce  Block."  John  Peirce  came  to  this  country 
about  1700.     He  kept  a  store  in  his  house  on  this 


site,  and  the  present  three-story  building  was  erected 
in  1804  by  his  descendants,  who  still  own  the  prop- 
erty. 

The  next  building,  so  long  occupied  by  William 
P.  Walker,  is  also  still  in  the  hands  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  original  owner,  having  passed  to  the 
seventh  generation  without  a  deed.  It  was  occupied 
for  forty  years  by  the  Portsmouth  Bank,  which  was 
organized  in  180o,  principally  that  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Fire  &  ]\Iarine  Insurance  Company,  which  oc- 
cupied the  Athcnanim  Building  adjoining,  might 
have  a  safe  place  to  keep  their  stocks  and  moneys. 
A  portion  of  the  original  safe  is  still  in  the  building. 

In  the  rear  of  these  buildings,  and  opening  on 
High  Street,  was  Nelson's  Lane,  now  built  over  by 
the  new  Peirce  Block,  and  led  up  to  the  rear  of 
Walker's  store.  When  digging  for  the  foundation 
of  Peirce  Block,  there  was  found  the  site  of  the  fort 
formerly  erected  there,  which  was  a  part  of  the  line 
of  fortifications  surrounding  Strawljerry  Bank. 

THE  ATHENAEUM. 

After  the  destruction  by  tire  of  the  Portsmouth 
Library  there  was  no  institution  of  the  kind  in  the 
town  until  1817,  when,  upon  June  oOth  of  that  year, 
by  an  act  of  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature,  a  cor- 
poration was  created  under  the  title  of  "The  Pro- 
prietors of  the  Portsmouth  Athena'uni."  It  is 
owned  in  one  hundred  shares,  and  jiossesses  a  valu- 
able library  of  over  twenty  thousand  volumes.  This 
is  in  no  sense  a  public  library,  as  only  the  share- 
holders can  use  the  Ixmks.      In  1<S4()  the  lunnber  of 


nil.  ATiiEXAia  .\i. 


ri;iiL:/./,i  uLii.iJiM, 


volumes  contained  in  tiie  lilmirv  aggregated  five 
thousand,  and  in  1864  that  number  was  doul)led. 
The  present  building  was  erected  hy  John  Peirce, 
in  1803,  for  the  use  of  the  New  Hampshire  Fire  and 
Marine  Insurance  Co.,  which  was  failed  l)_y  tiie  War 
of  1812,  and  was  purciiased  ]>y  the  Athenieuni  cor- 
poration in  1817. 

The  library  ]X)ssesses  many  rare  imprints,  and 
is  especially  sti'ong  in  works  of  the  early  (ieorgian 
period.  It  also  owns  a  valuable  collei'tion  of  pam- 
phlets and  manuscripts  of  the  Provincial  day.  Its 
representation  is  also  rich  in  material  i)ertaining  to 
early  New  Hampshire  history,  and  of  the  towns 
therein  embraced.  It  has  been  the  recipient  of  many 
legacies  of  valuable  l)ooks,  among  the  more  valuable 
of  which  may  1)e  mentioned,  the  beautifully  l)ound 
library  of  the  late  Benjamin  T.  Tredick,  of  Phila- 
delphia, of  over  fifteen  hundred  volumes,  and  the 
library  of  the  late  Charles  Le\  i  Woodbury,  received 
in  18<"tit. 

The  Hrst  annual  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  Portsnmuth  .\then;eum  was  held  in  eJanuary, 
1811).  All  of  the  one  hundred  shares,  excelling 
eight,  had  been  sold,  and  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  volumes  ac(juired  by  gift  or  purchase.  The 
corporation  organized  with  Nathaniel  Adams  as  Pres- 
ident, with  .lohn  Pitman,  (Jeorge  .laffrey  and 
Nathaniel  A.  Haven  as  Directors,  and  Timothy 
Farrar  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

For  more  than  fifteen  years  it  was  the  custom 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  present  at  the  annual 
meeting  a  report  which,  Ijesides  giving  an  accui'ate 
statement  of  the  condition  of  the  institution,  con- 


tained a  more  or  less  elaborate  e.\j)osition  of  the 
value  of  the  books  embraced  in  the  collections  of  the 
Athena-um.  Urgent  ajipeals  for  new  subscriptions 
and  for  gifts  of  books  ap}ieared  in  each  rej)ort,  on 
the  ground  that  an  institution  like  the  Atliemeum 
is  a  public  benefit,  an  important  means  of  intellectual 
improvement  in  the  community,  as  well  as  a  credit 
and  ornament  to  the  town. 

In  the  above  reports  the  fact  is  emphasized  that 
the  Alhena'um  is  a  jiublic  library.  This  seems 
strange,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  use  of  the 
books  owned  by  the  institution  has  always  been 
strictly  limited  to  stockholders  and  their  families,  or 
those  to  whom  they  may  have  temporarily  assigned 
their  rights. 

MARKET  STREET. 

Kunning  nearly  noi-th  from  the  Parade  is  ]\Iarket 
Street,  formerly  "Paved"  Street,  so-called  from  its 
stone  ]>aving  laid  in  17(J7,  being  the  first  pavement 
in  the  town.  From  Bow  Street  to  the  ferry  it  was 
called  "Fore"  Street.  The  tire  of  1802  started  in 
the  New  Hampshire  Bank  Building  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  First  National  Bank,  and  destroyed 
all  the  buildings  on  both  sides  of  Market  Street  to 
the  Ladd  house  :  all  those  on  the  west  end  of  Bow 
Street,  and  on  Ijoth  sides  of  Ladd  Street,  except 
one,  were  consumed.  Market  Street  then  was  very 
narrow,  but  its  width  was  more  than  doubled  as 
shown  by  the  plan  made  in  .lanuary,  18();!,  "with 
lines  drawn  l)y  tlie  direction  of  the  Genu.  Selectmen," 
recently  remounted  and  preserved  in  the  city  rooms. 


This  street  was  arched  witli  evergreen  on  the 
tirst  return  of  the  "Sons  of  Portsmouth"  in  1853. 
In  the  second  story  of  the  second  huildinp-  on  the 
west  side  of  the  street,  now  occupied  ))y  H.  Peyser 
&  Son,  was  the  law  office  of  Daniel  AVehster.  (See 
page  182). 


MECHANICS  &  TRADERS  NATIONAL  BANK 
BUILDING. 

On  the  southeast  corner  of  Conmiercial  -Vlley 
and  Market  Street  was  the  house  formerly  occupied 
I)y  Benjamin  Dearborn,  the  inventor  of  the  famous 
Dearborn  Patent  Balances.  In  this  house  he  kept  a 
l)rivate  school,  admitting  both  ])oys  and  girls,  it 
being  the  first  in  which  girls  could  attend,  thus 
recognizing  the  fact  that  girls  should,  as  well  as  boys, 
receive  some  attention  in  educational  matters. 

This  house  was  l)uilt  in  ITTjO  by  a  Mr.  Eo))inson 
who  came  hei'e  from  England  with  his  daughter 
Mary,  then  only  a  child,  living  here  happily  for 
several  years  ;  but  unfortunately  the  father  died, 
leaving  tiie  girl,  then  a  young  lady,  alone  with  l)ut  a 
guardian,  and  lietween  the  short-sighted  kindness  of 
an  indulgent  father  and  the  long-visaged  treachery 
of  a  faithless  guardian,  jioor  "Molly"  came  to  grief. 

A  full  relation  of  this  incident  can  be  found  in 
the  "Rambles,"  Vol.  I.,  page  302. 

The  house  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  1802. 
The  predecessor  of  the  Mechanics  and  Traders 
National  Bank  was  the  Commercial  Bank,  chartered 
in  1825. 


SPRING  MARKET. 

From  the  very  earliest  settlements  this  rise  of 
land  from  the  river  has  been  called  "Spring  Hill," 
and  the  unfailing  spring  of  water  flowing  from 
the  rocks  near  its  base,  inspired  the  name.  Foi- 
merly,  at  veiy  high  tides,  it  is  said  the  water  flowed 
over  it.  In  later  years  the  water  from  the  spring- 
was  conducted  to  the  river  through  a  log  acjueduct. 

In  171)1,  the  town  built  a  market  house  at  the 
siu'ing  one  story  high,  facing  on  ^Market  Street,  and 
al)out  thirty-five  years  afterward  moved  it  down  over 
the  river,  enlarging  it  to  nearly  twice  its  former 
size,  leaving  about  one-half  of  the  ))uilding  open  on 
two  sides  and  one  end,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  country  people  who  came  here  with  their  farm 
products  to  sell.  Some  of  the  timbers  in  the  exten- 
sion came  from  the  old  Durham  church,  under  which 
the  powder  was  stored  when  seized  and  removed 
from  Fort  William  and  ]\Iarv,  in  Deceml)er,  1774. 

In  former  times  Spring  Market  was  the  great 
resort  for  country  traders  from  Kittery  and  Eliot, 
the  women  rowing  across  the  river  in  their  own 
boats  with  loads  of  fruit,  vegetables  and  farm  prod- 
uce. From  here  and  near-l)y  wharves,  jiackets  with 
latfeen  sails  formerly  left  at  the  proper  tide  with 
freight  and  passengers  daily,  Sundays  exce})ted,  for 
Berwick,  Dover,  Durham  and  Newmarket,  and  once, 
and  sometimes  twice  a  week,  for  Exeter.  The  fare 
was  twelve  and  a  half  cents. 

In  1834,  the  steamer  "Portsmouth"  left  the  Sheafe 
Wharf,  foot  of  Deer  Street,  three  times  a  week  for 
Boston,  fare  $1.50  ;  and  there  were  regular  trijts  of 
schooners  to  Boston,  New  York  and  Phiiadelpiiia. 


30 


A.    MOFFAT   HOUSE. 

C.    REV.    NOAH    PARKER    HOUSE. 


B.    SA.MUEL   SHEAFE  HOUSE. 
D.    THE    OLD   SPRING   MARKET. 


CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  CUTTS  HOUSE. 

This  lioiisc  was  sitLiatcd  midway  l)et\\ptMi  the 
corner  of  Hanover  Street  (formerly  Cross  Street) 
and  the  Moffat  house,  on  tlie  lot  wiiere  the  old 
furniture  store  ])uildino;  was  torn  down  in  ]!M)1. 
Here  resided  Samuel  Cutts,  a  direct  descendant  of 
Robert  Cutt,  who  was  a  rich  mei-chant  and  shij)- 
owner  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  his  wharf  l)ein<:' 
op]iosite  to  his  house.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Asseniblj-  in  177(),  and  was  one  of 
the  connnittee  of  three  appointed  to  draw  up  the 
New  Hampshire  declaration  of  the  "Bill  of  Ri<;hts," 
setting  forth  the  sentiments  of  the  jieople  and  in- 
structing our  delegates  to  the  ( 'ontinental  Congress 
to  join  with  other  colonies  in  proclaiming  the  inde- 
l)endence  of  the  country  from  Great  Britain.  It  was 
to  Captain  Cutts  that  Paul  Revere  brought  a  letter 
of  warning  from  the  Boston  Patriots.  In  Governor 
Wentworth"s  letter  of  December  Hi,  1774,  he  wrote 
in  reference  to  the  attack  on  the  fort  at  Newcastle  : 
"The  present  distractions  seem  to  have  luirst  forth 
by  means  of  a  letter  from  William  Cooper  to  Sam- 
uel Cutts.  delivered  licre  on  Tuesday  last  P.  ^\.,  l)y 
Paul  Revere." 

On  December  13,  1774,  Paul  Revere  took  his 
FIRST  historic  ride,  and  while  it  may  not  have  been 
so  far  reaching  in  importance  as  his  later  one,  yet  it 
is  deserving  a  prominent  jilace  in  American  history, 
as  it  led  to  the  attack  on  Fort  William  and  ^lary, 
and  securing  the  ]iowder,  a  portion  of  which  was 
concealed  under  the  Durham  Meeting-house,  and 
afterward    used    at  the  Battle  of  Buid^er  Hill   (as 


related  elsewhere),  this  being  the  first  overt  act  of 
armed  hostility  connnitted  against  (ireat  Britain  by 
the  Colonists,  and  was  the  begimiing  of  the  long 
struggle,  whit'h  resulted  in  the  independence  of  and 
the  birth  of  the  Ignited  States  of  America. 


THE  MOFFAT  HOUSE. 

On  the  west  side  of  Market  Street,  midway 
between  Hanover  and  Deer  Streets.  Built  by  Ca))- 
tain  .lohn  Moffat,  in  17fio,  for  his  son  Samuel. 
Captain  Moffat  was  born  in  Hertfordshire,  Kngland, 
in  1()'.I2,  and  tirst  came  to  this  country  as  Connnander 
of  one  of  the  King's  mast-ships,  which,  in  those  days, 
were  accustomed  to  take  in  their  cargoes  of  masts 
for  the  Royal  Navy,  at  the  Cove,  later  known  as 
Pepperrell's  Cove,  at  Kittery  Point.  Captain  Moffat 
married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Robert  ('utt,  2d,  by 
whom  he  had  a  numerous  family.  He  settled  in 
Portsmouth,  becoming  an  opulent  merchant.  His 
son,  Sanuiel  Cutt  Moffat,  married  ( E'eb.  1,  17(U) 
Sarah  ('atherine,  daughter  of  Colonel  .lohn  Tufton 
Mason,  and  they  were  the  grandfather  and  grand- 
mother of  Maria  Tufton  Haven,  wife  of  Alexander 
Ladd.  Sauuiel  Cutt  Moffat  graduated  at  Harvard 
University  in  17.")8.  He  was  bred  u\)  as  a  merchant 
in  the  counting-house  of  his  father,  and  it  was  then 
that  he  built  for  his  son  this  commodious  and  still 
elegant  old  mansion-house,  at  that  time  the  wonder 
of  the  town,  which  was  most  elaborately  furnished 
throughout. 

At  his  marriage,  Samuel  Cutt  Moffat  occupied 
the  mansion,  doing    business  as  a  ship-owner  and 


32 


importer  of  poods  from  Eimlaiid  :  Imt  in  the  sprinsi 
of  the  year  17(;s  lie  foiled  in  business  and  as  a  i-esult 
was  eonipelled  to  tly  from  his  creditors  and  country 
to  the  West  Indies,  to  avoid  the  severe  debtor  laws 
which  were  at  that  time  in  force  in  England  and 
the  ('olonics.  Soon  after  his  departure  his  father, 
who  had  made  him  laroe  advances,  attached  all  his 
property,  on  which  he  recovered  judirnient.  The 
whole  was  subsei|uently  bid  in  for  his  father,  beins; 
at  a  j)rice  hiirher  than  any  one  else  would  srive. 
Captain  Moffat  took  possession  of  the  property,  in- 
cluding- the  furniture,  and  moved  from  his  house  on 
Buck  (now  State)  Street,  into  the  house.  Here  his 
daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Sanuiel  C  Moftat,  and  her 
children  continued  to  live  with  him,  together  with 
his  own  daughter,  Catherine,  afterward  the  wife  of 
(ieneral  AVhi])ple  :  and  here  Mary  Tufton,  the  third 
child  of  Sanuiel  and  Sarah  Cathei'ine  Moffat,  was 
born  duly  S,  \H'-,S.  Mrs.  Moffat  followed  her  hus- 
l)and  the  ne.xt  year,  and  sailed  for  St.  Kusfatius  on 
.July  1,  ITC)!!,  "with  her  oldest  daughter,  Elizabeth: 
but  the  daughter,  Mary  Tufton,  lived  with  her  grand- 
father until  his  death,  and  then  with  her  aunt 
(Madam  Whij)ple)  until  she  married  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Appleton  llaven,  at  the  aixe  of  eiuhteen,  Api'il  "J.'), 
ITSii. 

Sanuiel  Cutt  Moffat,  long  before  the  death  of 
his  father,  had  removed  from  St.  Eustatius  to  the 
then  new  Dutch  settlement  of  Demarara,  where  he 
comuu'nce<l  and  made  a  good  progress  in  a  cotton 
and  coffee  j)lantation,  from  which  he  was  fast  acijuir- 
ing  wealth,  when  he  was  suddenly  arrested  by  death, 
in  the  vcar  ITSO,  his  familv  later  returninu'  here. 


Catherine.  John  Moffat's  younger  daughter, 
married  Captain  William  Whipple,  her  cousin,  after- 
ward (ieneral  Whipple,  of  the  Continental  Army, 
who  became  very  distinguished  in  the  history  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  commanded  the  First  New  Hamp- 
shire Brigade  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  while 
he  was  also  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. He  later  served  as  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  New  Hampshire  and  as  a  Delegate  to  the 
first  Provincial  Congress.  General  Whipple  lived 
in  the  Moffat  house  with  his  father-in-law,  then  in 
the  decline  of  life,  and  the  large  horse-chestnut  tree 
in  the  yard  was  jilanted  by  him.  Here  Creneral 
AVhip]ile  died  of  a  disease  of  the  heart,  very  sud- 
denly, November  10,  1785,  aged  tifty-ti\e  years, 
leaving  no  living  children  or  issue.  Madam  Whip- 
ple, his  widow,  survived  him  many  years. 

Ca))tain  John  Moffat  lived  to  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-four  years,  and  died  January  -J-J,  \7st\. 
For  several  years  previous  to  his  decease  he  had  been 
Itoth  blind  and  very  deaf.  A  long  litigation  resulted 
in  the  proceedings  incident  to  the  settlement  of  Cap- 
tain Moffat's  estate,  between  the  executors  and  the 
heirs.  Hon.  Jeremiah  Mason  for  the  |)laintiffs,  and 
Thomas  L.  Elwyn  for  the  defendants.  The  Court 
decided  that  the  proceedings  of  the  executors  in  the 
sale  of  the  property  were  illegal  and  fraudulent,  and 
judgment  was  given  in  favor  of  Robert  C.  ^loffat, 
son  of  Samuel,  and  in  the  name  of  his  attorney  he 
was  empowered  to  enter  upon  and  take  possession  of 
the  i)roperty.  At  tliis  time  ^ladam  Whiiiple  removed 
to  her  farm  near  the  Plains,  where  she  died  some 
vears   later.      Dr.   Nathaniel    Ajipleton    Haven  soon 


after  ixirthascd  the  estate  of  Eohert  C.  ^loffat.  and 
afterward,  pai'tly  l)y  his  deed  and  partly  by  his  will, 
he  gave  it  to  his  oldest  daughter,  Maria  T.  Ladd, 
wife  of  Alexander  Ladd.  by  the  descendants  of 
whom  it  is  yet  occupied. 

The  architecture  of  this  beautiful  l)uilding  is  of 
the  highest  type :  its  spirit  is  that  of  the  best  which 
has  been  bequeathed  to  us  from  the  Provincial 
period.  I..arge  and  generous  in  its  proportions,  the 
mansion  was  the  first  of  the  square,  three-story  type 
erected  in  the  State,  of  which  it  may  be  esteemed 
an  unusually  com])lete  example.  It  is  related  that 
the  lines  of  the  hall  are  reproduced  from  those 
shown  in  the  house  occupied  by  Captain  ^loffat's 
father  in  England,  while  the  carved  wooden  mantel- 
piece in  the  parlor  is  a  genuine  bit  transferred  in  its 
entirety  from  the  same  l)uilding,  the  elal)oratc  flori- 
ated work  upon  which  is  attrilnited  to  the  celebrated 
architect,  Grinling  Gilibons,  who  flourished  in  ItJiiii. 
Upon  the  walls  of  the  hall  hang  excellent  portraits 
in  oil,  representing  seven  generations. 

General  Whipple  had  two  slaves.  Prince  and 
Cuffee,  l)rought  from  Africa  prior  to  ITtiii,  when 
they  were  al)out  ten  years  of  age.  After  General 
"Whipple's  death  they  lived  in  a  small  house  on  land 
given  them,  at  the  foot  of  the  garden,  on  High 
Street.  Cuffee  resideci  here  until  18;^2.  Prince  was 
with  his  master  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  and  for 
his  services  was  given  his  freedom  papers. 

NOAH  PARKER  HOUSE 

Is  situated  next  north  of  the  Moffat  house.  The  roof 
of  this  house,  made  with  a  double  pitch,  is  called  a 


gambrel  roof.  The  oldest  houses  in  the  city  gener- 
ally had  steep  roofs.  The  gambrels  came  into 
fashion  as  cai'ly  as  1720  and  went  out  after  the 
Revolution,  when  the  large,  square,  three-story 
houses  with  flat  roofs  became  the  rage,  a  great  many 
being  built  in  the  city  between  179(1  and  LSnO. 

Rev.  Noah  Parker  was  the  first  Universalist 
minister  in  Poi'tsmouth,  and  for  him  the  church  in 
Vaughan  Street,  afterward  called  the  Cameneum, 
was  built  in  1784.  He  moved  into  this  house  during 
the  Revolution,  after  selling  his  residence  on  Ark 
Street,  and  died  hei'e  in  1787. 

"Adams' Annals"  says  "he  was  a  black  and  white 
smith."  The  house  was  afterward  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  John  X.  Frost. 

THOMAS  SHEAFE  HOUSE. 

Situated  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Market  and 
Deer  Streets.  It  was  built  and  formerly  occujiied 
l)v  Thomas  Sheafe,  son  of  Jacob  Sheafe.  In  171I8, 
the  ship  "Mentor,"  belonging  to  ]Mr.  .Sheafe.  with 
John  Flagg  master,  arrived  in  a  short  passage  from 
^Martinique,  where  the  yellow  fever  had  been  raging. 
The  ship  was  discharging  her  cargo  at  .Sheafe's 
Wharf,  which  was  nearly  opposite  his  house  :  the 
fever  was  aboard  and  several  of  the  workmen  became 
infected.  The  disease  spread  rapidly,  and  during 
August  and  Septemlier  nearly  one  hundred  persons 
were  stricken  with  the  malady,  of  which  fifty-five 
cases  proved  fatal,  three  of  which  were  from  the 
family  of  Mr.  Sheafe.  The  district  in  that  locality 
was  deserted,  and  manj' families  left  town.     A  guard 


34 


1277110 


was  placed  around  (he  infected  district,  and  all  who 
died  were  Imried  in  one  connnon  <:ra\e  in  the  North 
Buryin<r-o:round.  Like  the  V)iirial  of  Sir  John 
Moore,  they  were  hurried  off  "at  dead  of  niiiht,  with 
the  lantern  dimly  burninu'.'" 

GOVERNOR  VAUGHAN  HOUSE. 

Until  a  few  years  ajro  there  stood  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Deer  and  Market  Streets  a  house  that 
was  the  former  residence  of  George  A'auahan,  orand- 
son  of  Richard  Cutt.  He  was  commissioned  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  New  Hampshire  in  171o,  and  in 
1717  was  .superseded  in  office  by  Lieut. -(Tovernor 
John  Wentworth.      He  died  in  December,  1724. 

In  l(iil8  Mr.  Vaushan  was  livinir  here  with  his 
bride,  the  sister  of  Governor  Belcher,  of  ]\Iaine. 
His  son  William,  who  was  the  first  projector  of  the 
Louisburg  expedition  in  174.'),  was  born  in  this  house 
in  1703,  and  died  in  London  in  174().  The  house 
desenerated  into  a  disreputable  boarding-house,  and 
after  a  mol)  of  men  and  l)oys  had  broken  the  windows, 
the  house  was  pulled  down  al)out  ISiil. 

The  Vaughan  family  tomb  is  at  the  Point  of 
Graves,  on  the  extreme  westerly  side. 

GREEN  STREET  CEMETERY. 

Prominent  among  the  first  settlers  on  the  Pas- 
cataqua  were  thi'ee  brothers  from  Wales,  John, 
Robert  and  Richard  Cutt. 

When  New  Hampshire,  l)y  action  of  the  towns 
of  Portsmouth,  Dover,  Exeter  and  Hampton,  became 
separated  from  Massachusetts,  under  a  provincial  gov- 
ernment of  their  own,  the  commission  issued  by  King 


(.'harles  the  Second,  which  went  into  effect  January 
21,  ICSO,  named  John  Cutt  the  first  President.  He 
was  the  first  connnander,  in  liiiKl,  of  the  ])Viniarv 
fortification  on  the  present  site  of  Fort  Constitution, 
which  mounted  eleven  six-pounders  in  lii.SU.  The 
greater  part  of  the  land  now  comprising  the  compact 
part  of  the  city  was  owned  by  him  and  his  Ijrother 
Richard,  their  holdings  being  the  largest  of  any  in 
Portsmouth. 

The  site  of  President  Cult's  house  was  probably 
about  where  the  stone  store  on  the  east  side  of 
^Market  Street  now  stands.  The  family  cemetery 
was  situated  in  his  orchard,  enclosed  1)V  a  wall  of 
"lime  and  stone"  as  directed  by  the  President's  will, 
made  in  1(580.  About  twenty-five  years  ago  the 
I'emains  were  removed  to  a  lot  in  the  South  Ceme- 
terv,  on  the  east  side,  south  of  the  pond,  where  the 
monuments  may  be  seen  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, the  oldest  inscription  Ijeing  on  that  of  his  first 
wife's,  "1()74."  Green  Street  now  runs  through 
what  was  President  Cutt's  orchard  and  l)urial- 
ground. 

After  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  in  174.i,  the  Cutt 
familv  added  an  "s"  to  their  name.  Green  Street 
was  named  for  ]\Iark  W.  Green,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  who  carried  on  a  large  bo,at 
building  shop  at   its  junction  with  Vaughan  Street. 

STONE  STORE 

Is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Market  Street,  near 
Russell  Street.  The  site  of  this  building  is  prol)- 
ably  the  spot  where  the  house  of  President  Cutt 
stood,  and  during  the  Revolution  the  custom  house 


and  post-office  were  situated  liere.  It  was  kept  froin 
1778,  until  liis  death  in  17ilS,  hy  Eleazer  Kusseii, 
who  performed  the  duties  of  liotii  eolleetor  and  })()st- 
master,  it  lieinnfor  several  years  the  only  post-office 
in  New  Ilanipsliirc,  the  collector,  at  that  time  being 
called  naval  officer.  Kusscll  Street  was  named 
for  him.  He  contril)uted  to  Bellvnaji's  History  of 
New  Hampshire  statistics  of  foreign  commerce  of 
Portsmouth,  showing  an  average  of  over  one  hundred 
entrances  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  clearances  of 
vessels  each  year.     Sec  page  1<S4. 

NORTH  FERRY. 

Previous  to  1822,  when  the  Portsmouth  Bridge 
M'as  l)uilt,  there  was  a  regular  ferry  running  from 
the  wharf,  north  of  the  stone  store  on  ^Market  Street, 
to  llicc"s  Wharf  in  Kittery,  situated  at  the  end  of  what 
was  called  Love  Lane.  The  town  obtained  the  pro- 
prietorship of  this  ferry  in  1722,  as  the  result  of  a 
suit,  and  let  it  out  hy  lease.  After  the  l)uilding  of 
the  bridge,  the  ferry  was  practically  discontinued, 
the  proprietors  of  the  bridge  paying  Alexander  Rice 
$4,000  for  his  loss  of  the  ferry. 

Some  thirty  years  ago  the  CV)ncord  Railroad 
was  granted  l)y  the  city  the  use  of  this  water-way  to 
extend  their  wharf  over  it.  on  condition  that  the 
i-ailroad  during  their  occupancy,  should  keep  in  the 
dock  of  the  wharf,  then  called  Pray's  AV^iarf,  a  good 
and  safe  landing  stage  for  the  acconnnodation  of 
those  of  our  ncighljors  who  visited  us  by  water. 
Our  city  authorities  should  kee})  a  watchful  eye  on 
this  property. 


PORTSMOUTH  BRIDGE. 

Built  in  1S22  and  incorporated  in  .lunc,  l.S2.'i, 
with  a  capital  of  |i;;i,()(lO.  That  part  of  the  bridge 
between  Noble's  Island  and  Rittery  is  a  toll-bridge 
and  is  about  1,700  feet  long.  'Jiii'  water,  for  a 
greater  ])art  across  thi'  river,  is  over  tifty  feet  deep 
at  low  tide.  The  craft  formerly  used  on  the  river 
were,  in  great  i)art,  constructed  with  latteen  sails, 
having  sliort  masts  and  very  long  yards,  being- 
well  calculated  and  esjiccially  adapted  for  the  purj)ose 
of  spreading  a  great  extent  of  sail,  and  allowing 
them  to  pass  freely  under  the  In-idge  without  hin- 
drance. A  noted  feature  of  this  river  in  those  days 
were  these  i)icturestjue  boats,  w'hich  could  be  seen 
in  considerable  numbers  in  the  busy  season  of  local 
freighting.  This  latteen  rig  was  not  connnon,  Ports- 
mouth l)eing  about  the  only  place  in  America  where 
it  was  used,  or  in  fact  re(juired. 

Returning  to  Deer  Street,  ])assiiig  th(>  \'aughan 
house  site,  the  first  l)uilding  of  any  interest  is  the 

DEER  TAVERN. 

The  third  house  from  Market  Street,  on  the 
north  side  of  Deer  Street,  was  once  a  tavern  with  the 
sign  of  a  deer,  and  from  this  house  the  street  derived 
its  name.  It  was  built  l)y  John  Newmarch,  a  son 
of  Rev.  John  Newmarch,  of  Kittery.  He  was  a 
merchant  who  lived  on  the  site  of  C'cnigress  Block. 
The  next  house  on  the  west  has  on  the  chinniey 
on  the  eastern  end  the  date  170.").  This  house  also 
was  built  by  John  Newmarch,  whose  wife  was  a 
sister  of  Sir  William  Pepperrell. 


A.       DEER    TAVERN    AND    I705    HOUSE. 
C.       FITCH    HOUSE. 


B.      JENNESS    HOUSE. 
D.      HART    HOUSE 


HART  HOUSE, 

This  old  residence  is  in  the  rear  f)f  the  hirge 
garden,  the  house  fronting  on  Russell  Street.  It 
Avas  ])uilt  in  1787  l)y  Captain  John  Collings.  It 
remained  almost  unchanged  in  the  family  for  five 
generations.  Captain  Collings  had,  it  is  said,  a  very 
intelligent  house  servant  named  Ctvsar,  and  by  him 
the  parlor  was  nicely  finished.  For  many  years  it 
was  the  residence  of  the  venerable  Richard  Hart, 
and  one  of  his  daughters,  who  married  Oliver  W. 
Penhallow,  lived  there  afterward.  Miss  II.  L.  Pen- 
Iiallow,  the  daughter  of  O.  W.  Penhallow,  gave  in 
her  will  $1,000  to  the  Portsmouth  Public  Library 
in  1883,  which  was  the  largest  legacy  made  to  the 
library  previous  to  the  |(i,000  from  the  Haven  sisters, 
and  $.H,000  from  the  IMarcellus  Eldredge  bequest  in 
1898.  In  the  little  window  over  the  front  door  on 
Russell  Street  arc  five  glass  bull's-eyes,  and  the  side- 
walk is  paved  with  Durham  flag-stones,  so  counnon 
fifty  years  ago  in  our  streets. 

PETER  JENNESS  HOUSE. 

On  the  north  side  of  Deer  Street,  o]>posite 
High  Street.  Built  by  Daniel  Hart,  brother  of 
Richard,  some  time  before  the  Revolution  ;  and  dur- 
ing that  struggle  Mrs.  Richard  Shortridge  kept  a 
lioarding-house  here.  In  1782,  when  the  French 
fleet  was  in  our  harbor,  many  of  tiie  officers  boarded 
at  this  house.  Ricliard  Shortridge  was  imprisoned 
by  arrangements  of  (iov.  Renning  A^'entworth,  as 
will  be  found  related  in  the  "Whitcoml)  House." 

In  May,  l.S7(i,  the  house  was  purciiased  from 
the  estate  of  Peter  Jenncss  ])v  a  society  formed  for 


tiie  purpose  of  maintaining  destitute  and  aged  women, 
under  the  name  of  "Faith  Home.''  The  society  was 
incorporated  in  July,  1N77,  with  the  title  of  "Home 
for  Indigent  Women." 

Turning    soutli   into   High   Street,   the   second 
dwelling  on  the  west,  with  end  to  the  street,  is  the 

FITCH  HOUSE, 

Tiie  residence  of  the  Rev.  Jabez  Fitch,  who  suc- 
ceeded Rev.  Nathaniel  Rogers  in  his  pastorate  of 
the  North  Church  in  172.^),  and  remained  faitliful  and 
profoundly  resjiected  until  his  death  in  174().  Mr. 
Fitch,  having  natural  literary  ability,  wrote  several 
histories,  including  a  manuscrijjt  history  of  New 
Hampshire  which  is  now  in  the  library  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Historical  Society,  Boston.  The  original 
solid  oak  sills  to  the  house  remain  in  a  perfect  state 
of  preservation.  Mr.  Simeon  Stiles,  a  wheelwright, 
afterward  owned  the  house,  and  it  is  often  called 
file  Stiles  house. 

Continuing  south  toward  the  Parade,   on  the 
corner  of  Webster  Court  is  the 

WEBSTER  HOUSE, 

Which  was  occupied  l)y  Daniel  Webster  after  the  fire 
ccmsumed  his  residence  on  Pleasant  Street  in  1813, 
until  1S17,  when  he  removed  to  Boston.  It  was  the 
third  house  in  which  he  had  lived  in  the  city.  The 
large  addition  in  the  rear  was  built  by  the  present 
owner. 

The    next    house  on  the  south,   standing  back 
from  the  street,  is  the 


38 


A.      WEBSTER    HOUSE. 
C.      RICE   HOUSE. 


H.       HENRY   SHERIiURNE,    2D,    HOUSE. 
D.      UNDERWOOD   HOUSE. 


DR.  HAVEN  HOUSE, 
Built  ]>y  Dr.  Nathaniel  A.  Haven,  son  of  Kev.  Dr. 
8anmel  Haven,  aljoiit  1799.  lie  was  a  graduate  at 
Harvard  College  in  177!),  and  an  enthusiastic-  patriot. 
For  several  yeai's  he  was  a  physician,  later  a  mer- 
chant, and  in  LS09  a  Kejiresentative  to  Congress. 
This  site  is  a  part  of  the  original  Mason  estate.  The 
old  "Pilgrim  Oak"  in  the  garden  was  without  doubt 
a  grown  tree  when  the  tirst  settlement  was  made  :  it 
was  taken  down  a  few  years  ago,  it  being  nearly 
lifeless  in  1<S7;).  Charles  II.  Ladd,  who  owned  and 
occupied  this  house  in  1.S57,  was  of  the  tenth  gen- 
eration from  .John  Mason,  the  original  grantee  of 
the  Pr()\ince  of  New  Hampshire,  and  at  that  lime 
the  jiroperty  had  never  been  out  of  the  family. 

Returning  to  Deer  Street,  the  tine  house  stand- 
ing back  from  the  street,  next  west  of  the  Jenness 
house,  is  the  house  of 

HENRY  SHERBURNE,  2d, 

Built  by  him  as  early  as  \12^>.  Both  he,  his  fatiier 
and  his  son-in-law,  Daniel  Warner,  wore  Provincial 
Councillors.  He  nuirried  Dorothy,  a  sister  of  Ijieu- 
tenant-Oovernor  John  Went  worth.  The  house  was 
owned  for  many  years  by  the  Parsons  family,  and 
more  recently  by  the  late  'William  D.  Fernald. 
The  next  house  on  liie  west  is  the 

WILLIAM  RICE  HOUSE. 

William  Rice  was  a  successful  mcrclianl,  who 
died  in  1.S.">1,  leaving  his  i)ro])eity  in  (lie  care  of 
trustees,  who  held  the  ])rincipal  for  fifty  years,  until 


the  death  of  the  hist  daughter,  iMrs.  Ichabod  (iood- 
win.  He  {)urchased  the  house  of  the  Daniel  Hart 
estate  in  1S04.  Previous  to  1741,  it  was  the  prop- 
erty of  .John  Newmarch.  A  calico  party  was  held 
here  in  1<S14,  when  the  lady  relatives  and  friends  of 
Captain  Rice  wei'c  invited  to  cut  from  the  bales  of 
calico,  eaptui'ed  by  his  privateers  from  English 
merchantmen,  all  the  dress  patterns  they  could 
carry  home. 

THE  JOHN  UNDERWOOD  HOUSE 

Is  on  till'  northeast  corner  of  Deer  and  Vaughan 
Streets,  formerly  called  "Underwood's  Corner."  He 
was  the  owner  of  one  of  the  I'ojie-walks  which  occu- 
pied the  site  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  Station.  The 
house  was  l)uilt  about  17.iO  by  Michael  Whidden, 
who  also  built  the  Li\ius  and  ]Meserve  houses. 

LIVIUS  HOUSE. 

I.,ooking  from  Underwood's  Corner,  the  Livius 
house  can  l)e  seen  on  the  north  side  of  Deer  Street, 
in  front  of  the  Boston  iSc  Maine  restaurant.  It  was 
built  and  occupied  by  ^lichael  Whidden  about  1750, 
and  Peter  Livius  succeeded  Whidden  when  he  left 
the  Boyd  estate.  Livius  was  educated  abroad,  and 
received  an  honorar}'  degree  from  IIar\ard  College  in 
17()7.  He  married  a  daughter  of  John  Tufton  Mason, 
who  was  tinishing  her  education  in  Kngland,  and  they 
resided  here,  living  in  ct)nsiderable  state,  keeping 
three  slaves.  The  house  and  grounds  having  an  im- 
]iosing  appearance  for  those  times,  was  called  the 
"AVhi'te  House." 


]Mr.  I^iviiis  was  an  lu)nt)ral)le  <;cntl('iuaii,  Imt  not 
being  in  .synipatliy  witli  tlio  ])revailing-  sentiment  at 
tlie  time  ol  the  Revolution,  lie  wa.s  ohlijicd  to  leave 
the  countrv,  and  his  goods  were  contiseated,  his 
family  Iteing  obliged  to  procure  a  special  permit  from 
the  government  to  folk)\v  him.  lie  was  afterward  aji- 
pointed  Chief  Justice  of  (Quebec  and  died  in  P^ngland 
in  17;K">.  The  property  fell  into  the  possession  of  a 
relative  of  Mrs.  Livius,  Cti\)t.  Thomas  Martin,  grand- 
father of  the  late  Miss  Arabella  Kice,  who  lived  in  the 
Robert  Rice  house  on  Islington  Street,  later  owned 
by  Josei)h  Pettigrew.  She  left  a  legacy  of  jiSO.OOII 
to  the  Rice  Public  Library  in  Kittery. 

On  the  southeast  corner  of  Deer  and  \'aughan 
Streets  are  the 

TREAT  MARBLE  WORKS. 

More  than  a  century  ago,  a  stone-cutter,  ISIr. 
Marble,  occupied  this  site,  and  made  gravestones, 
marble  not  then  being  used  for  this  ]>urpos<>.  Samuel 
Treat  purchased  the  business  and  afterward  removed 
it  to  where  the  "Willow  Cottage,"  formerly  so-called, 
now  stands  on  Deer  Street.  Christoi)her  S.  Toppan. 
who  lived  on  the  corner  opposite,  used  this  site  for  a 
oarden.  Kx-Mayor  John  S.  Treat,  a  grandson  of 
Samuel  Treat,  returned  to  the  original  locality,  and 
the  familiar  sign,  "  Estalilished  in  ITiiS,"  was  jjlaced 
over  the  door,  with  the  wooden  image  of  the  reaper 
"Father  Time"  fastened  above  the  sign. 

DROWN -MOSES  HOUSE 

Is   next   south   of  the  Treat   linilding,  and   was  the 
residence  of  Rev.  Samuel  Drown,  who  was  invited 


here  by  the  Independent  Congregational  Society, 
wliich  had  recently  built  a  meeting-house  on  Pitt 
Street  (now  Court)  on  the  site  where  the  Unitarian 
chapel  now  stands.  He  accej)ted  tiie  invitation  and 
with  his  family  moved  here  from  Coventry,  R.  I., 
arriving  on  July  7,  1758,  and  immediately  began  his 
l)astorate.  His  laiiors  were  faitiif ally  performed  and 
to  the  satisfaction  of  his  congregation,  until  his 
death  in  1770.  He  was  grandfather  of  Daniel  P. 
Drown,  the  blind  ]ioet,  whose  Ijook,  entitled  "Idyls  of 
Strawberry  Bank"  was  jiublisiied  in  187;-?.  The 
house  was  l)uilt  by  Benjamin  Moses  and  his  brother, 
l)nth  occupying  it  for  several  years,  probably  until 
Mr.  Drown  move<l  into  it,  occupying  the  northerly 
part.  The  south  half  is  still  in  possession  of,  and 
is  the  residence  of  a  grand-daughter  of  Benjamin, 
the  builder,  jNIiss  Lydia  Moses,  who  has  just  passed 
her  95th  birthday. 

THE  MESERVE-WEBSTER  HOUSE. 

'I'his  gaml)rel-roof  dwelling  is  the  third  hou.sc 
from  Deer  Street  on  the  east  side  of  Vaughan  Street, 
with  the  garden  extending  to  School  Street,  and 
was  built  by  Michael  Whidden  in  171)0.  George 
Meserve,  son  of  Colonel  Nathaniel  Meserve,  lived 
here  at  the  time  of  the  attempted  Stamp  Act  en- 
forcement in  17li.").  At  this  time  INIr.  jMeserve  was 
in  England,  and  while  there  was  appointed  "Stamp 
Master"  for  New  Plampshire,  he  not  knowing  the 
sentiment  of  the  people  in  this  country  respecting 
the  obnoxious  Act.  But  on  his  arrival  in  Boston 
and  finding  the  excitement  intense  and  bitter,  he 
resigned  the  otHce  at  once.     His  action,  however, 


A.      JOSHUA   VVENTWORTH-JOHNSON    HOUSE. 
C.      DROWN-MOSES   HOUSE. 


B.      MESEKVE-VVEBSTER    HOUSE. 
D.      LIVIUS    HOUSE. 


not  l)ping  known  in  Porttsnioutli,  lie  with  Lord  Bute 
!ind  tilt'  Devil  on  September  l:itli  were  luing  in 
eftigy  at  Ilayniarket  S(|iiare.  They  remained  there 
throuiili  the  day,  and  in  the  evening  were  earried 
through  the  town  with  mueh  clamor  and  puliliely 
burned.     The  efMgy  bore  the  inscription  : 

"  George,  my  son,  you  are  rich  in  station, 
But  1  would  have  you  serve  this  nation." 

A  few  days  later,  on  his  arrival  in  Portsmouth, 
he  was,  by  the  demands  of  the  enraged  populace, 
obliged  to  make  a  public  resignation  on  the  Parade. 
His  commission  and  instructions  arrived  later,  and 
the  inhabitants,  jealous  of  their  rights  and  fearing 
lietrayal,  assembled  and  demanded  his  documents, 
requiring  another  oath,  more  binding  than  the  tirst. 
He  gave  up  the  commission  and  pa})ers  to  the  assem- 
blage, who  carried  them  through  the  town  on  the 
point  of  a  sword,  and  later  they  were  sent  back  to 
England  by  a  shijmiaster,  as  a  special  messenger, 
sworn  to  deliver  them  safely  to  the  English  au- 
thorities,  whence  they  came. 

The  house  was  afterward  occupied  hy  James 
Shcafe,  later  United  States  Senator,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Alescrve  ;  by  Doctor  X.  A.  Haven, 
until  he  Iniilt  his  dwelling  on  High  Street ;  ))}'  Jere- 
miah Mason  from  ISOO  to  ISO.S,  and  by  a  luunber 
of  other  prominent  men,  including  Daniel  Webster, 
who  brought  his  beautiful  bride,  rirat'e  Fletcher,  to 
this  house  and  lived  here  until  he  bought  the  resi- 
dence on  the  corner  of  Court  and  Pleasant  Streets. 
A  sassafras  tree,  the  largest  in  the  State,  is  undoubt- 
edly as  old  as  the  dwelling.  The  stone  steps  came 
from  the  west  end  of  the  old  State  House.     Robert 


Gray,    father  of  the   present    owner  and  occupant, 
purchased  the  house  in  1839. 

The  third  house  from  the  next  corner,  on  the 
north  side  of  Hanover  Street,  standing  back  from 
the  street,  and  now  occupied  in  part  as  a  bakery, 
is  the 


WENTWORTH- JOHNSON  HOUSE. 

It  was  built  about  1770  by  Cohmel  Joshua 
Went  worth,  a  Commissary  and  Navy  Asent  durinc 
the  Revolutionary  AVar,  and  was  occupied  bv  him 
for  many  years,  before  he  built  his  house  on  Middle 
Street,  on  the  spot  where  the  brick  house  of  Doctor 
Richter  now  stands.  In  177(i  he  was  Colonel  of  the 
1st  New  Hampshire  regiment ;  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Senate  in  17S.5,  for  several  years  Repre- 
sentative to  Congress  ;  and  was  appointed  by  Wash- 
ington in  1791  Supervisor  for  New  Hampshire.  The 
house  was  well  built,  having  a  tine  garden  in  front. 
The  originalpaper  on  the  parlor  walls  remained  until 
1887,  when  it  was  removed  Ijy  the  proprietor  of  the 
bakery.  Rev.  Tobias  H.  Miller  resided  here  at 
one  time.  He  published  the  J^^ew  IIantpi<h!ve  Ee- 
positofi/  and  Ohserrer,  one  of  the  tirst  religious 
weeklies  issued  in  the  United  States.  In  1828,  after 
ten  volumes  had  been  issued,  he  changed  the  name 
to  ypir  llaiiipNjilre  OJiserrer,  and  continued  to  pub- 
lish it  weekly.  He  was  a  i^artner  of  C.W.  Brewster 
in  the  Pui-lfOKOiifJi  Jnitrnal  from  1S2.')  to  1S34. 

^Midway  lietween  Hanover  and  Congress  Streets, 
near  the  east  side  of  Vaughan  Street,  formerlj^  stood 
the  mansion  of 


43 


JOHN  TUFTON  MASON. 

It  was  built  ))revi()iis  to  174(i  liy  Col.  John 
Tiifton  Mason,  the  fifth  descendant  from  .lohn 
Mason,  the  oriuinal  grantee  of  the  province,  who 
sold  his  inheritance  to  the  title  that  year  to  twelve 
individuals  for  1,50(1  j)ounds.  lie  had  a  spacious 
yard,  extcndinji;  from  what  is  now  Congress  Street 
to  Hanover  Street  and  from  Vaughan  to  High 
Streets,  it  conijjrising  the  whole  land  enihraced  in 
this  square,  except  a  few  front  lots  hetween  Fleet 
and  High  Streets,  'i'lie  iiouse,  it  is  said,  was  beau- 
tifully furnished  and  had  tajx-stried  walls,  the  first 
embellislmuMits  of  this  kind  iu  Portsmouth. 

THE  CAMENEUM. 

On  the  west  side  of  Vaughan  Street,  near 
Congress  Street,  in  the  jtassageway  formei'ly  called 
"Methodist  Lane"  and  Lyceum  Avenue,  and  on  the 
site  of  the  present  livery  stal)lc,  formerly  stood  the 
building  known  as  the  Cameneum.  It  was  built 
for  a  Lniversalist  church  in  1784,  Noah  Parker 
l)eing  the  first  pastor.  The  building  was  occu])ied 
by  them  until  they  moved  into  the  Pleasant  Street 
Church  in  180s.  It  was  tiien  purchased  by  the 
Methodists  and  occupied  ])v  them  until  l.s-27.  It 
was  altered  over  into  a  theatre  and  a  lyceum  hall 
in  188L  when  Rev.  Dr.  Burroughs  iu  an  opening 
address  gave  it  the  name  of  the  "Cameneum.'" 
Afterward  it  was  owned  1)V  the  Portsmouth 
Musical  Society.  AVhen  Daniel  AVebster  made  iiis 
last  visit  to  Portsmouth,  ^May  17,  1844,  he  met 
his  friends  here  for  a  social  evening.  The  building 
was  burned  in  l.S8;^.      At  the    same  time  the  fiames 


consiuned  the  century-old   Pickci'iiig  house  fronting 
on  Vaughan  Street. 

On  the  southerly  corner  of  Vaughan  and  Han- 
over Streets,  with  a  large  garden  and  high  l)oard 
fence  in  front,    is  the 

HILL  HOUSE. 

In  this  house,  about  1777,  ( 'aiitain  David  Culhaii 
went  to  housekcei)ing  with  his  new  bride  {nee  Mar- 
garet Foss),  whom  he  had  just  married  for  a  second 
wife.  He  was  a  lieutenant  with  Elijah  Hall,  under 
John  Paul  Jones,  in  either  the  "  Kanger "  or  the 
"Bon  Homme  Richard,"'  when  many  exciting  times 
were  experienced  and  valua))le  prizes  captured,  and 
numerous  interesting  anecdotes  arc  told  of  him. 

In  17r)()  this  pr()i)erty  was  deeded  l)y  Joseph 
Brewster  to  his  son  Josei)h  :  and  in  17N.1-4  l)y  two 
deeds  Josc|ih  Brewster  conveyed  it  to  his  son  John, 
who  in  the  latter  year  deeded  the  property  to  Colonel 
Suiijily  Clapp :  afterward  it  was  owned  by  U  illiam 
Furness,  and  from  him  it  was  transferred  to  John 
Hill  in  isi't. 

LORD'S  CHAPEL. 

On  the  north  side  of  IIauo\cr  Street ,  midway 
between  Vaughan  and  Bridge  Streets,  is  the  engine 
and  chemical  house,  formerly  Lord's  Chapel.  It 
now  bears  no  resemblance  to  the  tasteful  building 
erected  by  John  M.  Lord,  surrounded  as  it  was  by 
well-kei)t  grounds  )ilanted  with  shrubbery  and  trees. 
He  contril)iited  liberally  to  the  maintenance  of  a 
Sunday-school  in  this  building.  It  was  afterward 
oc<'ui)ie(l  by  the  Free  AVill  Ba))tist  Society. 


I 


A.      HILL   HOUSE. 

C.      BOYD-RAYNES    HOUSE. 


B.      OLD    ASSEMBLY   HOUSE 

D.      MKSERVE-RAYNES   SHIPYARD. 


On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from  the 
Advent  Church  formerly  stood  the  old 

BATH  HOUSE. 

The  building,  which  was  twenty  feet  by  fifty 
feet,  was  erected  in  LSO')  and  was  owned  ))y  a  com- 
pany incorporated  in  1804.  In  their  advertisement 
the  company  informed  the  pu))lic  that  "This  estab- 
lishment is  open,  from  al)out  JNIay  1st  to  October 
1st,  daily,  Sundays  excepted,  from  sunrise  to  10 
p.  M.  ;  Sundays,  till  the  ringing  of  the  first  bell  for 
meeting.  Keeper,  Thomas  Moses,  whose  family  re- 
sides in  the  house.  N.  B.  Mrs.  Moses  waits  upon 
females.     Tickets,  25  cents  each  or  five  for  $1.00." 

For  over  sixty  years  the  Bath  House  was 
maintained.  The  water  was  forced  up  ])y  means  of 
a  huge  pump,  often  by  the  united  efforts  of  a  family 
of  four,  into  large  tanks  and  boilers.  The  water 
came  from  a  deep  well,  from  the  same  source  that 
sui)i)lied  afterward  the  reservoir  of  i;3,0()0  gallons 
that  the  cily  built  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
in  the  engine  }'ard.  The  building  had  three  rooms 
on  each  side,  to  each  of  which  hot  and  cold  water 
was  conveyed. 

Returning  to  Vaughan  Street,  on  the  west 
side,  opposite  the  Meserve  house,  and  half  standino- 
on  each  side  of  the  entrance  to  Kaitt's  Court,  is 
what  remains  of  the 

ASSEMBLY  HOUSE. 

This  house  of  entertainment  was  ijuilt  about 
1750,  by  INIichael  AVhidden,  and  for  nearly  a  century 


it  was  used  for  dancing  parties,  musical  festivals, 
theatres  and  general  ainuscnients,  where  the  elite  of 
the  town  were  wont  to  hold  fortii  in  all  the  splendor 
of  their  day.  It  was  occasionally  used  for  church 
services,  and  for  several  years  previous  fo  its  trans- 
formation into  dwellings  the  rooms  were  used  for 
school  purposes.  Washington,  while  on  his  visit  to 
Portsmouth  in  1789,  attended  a  ball  here,  of  great 
sjjlendor,  given  in  his  honor,  and  in  his  diary  he 
\vrote  that  it  was  one  of  the  finest  halls  he  had  seen 
in  the  United  States.  He  also  wrote  that  "at  half 
after  seven  I  went  to  the  Assembly,  where  there 
were  al>out  seventj^-five  well-dressed  and  many  very 
handsome  ladies.  About  nine  I  returned  to  my 
quarters.''  Washington's  diary  was  read  to  the  pul>- 
lic  for  the  first  time  in  is.")!^,  l)y  P^dward  P^verett,  at 
the  Temple. 

The  Asseml)ly  House  was  forty-one  by  sixty 
feet,  fronting  on  the  street,  two  stories  high.  The 
upper  story  was  somewhat  higher  than  the  ground 
floor,  and  contained  the  Assembly  Hall,  which  ran 
the  length  of  the  building  on  the  front,  was  thirty 
feet  wide,  with  two  dressing  rooms  on  the  back 
side,  with  the  orchestra  over  the  entrance  to  the  hall. 
The  lower  fioor  was  divided  into  three  large  rooms 
and  a  kitchen,  with  a  spacious  hallway  twelve  feet 
wide  running  through  from  the  street  and  opening 
into  a  fine  garden  in  the  rear,  which  extended  around 
the  south  end  of  the  building.  In  this  hall  was  the 
stairway  leading  to  the  ujjper  rooms,  which  was 
constructed  in  the  form  of  an  enlresol ;  ascending 
to  a  little  more  than  one-half  the  distance  was  the 
mezzanine  landino;,  thence    in    a  counter   direction 


completing  the  ascent  to  the  .second  story,  nearly 
over  the  entrance  to  the  stairway  in  the  lower  iiall. 

In  1838,  when  the  l)uildins>-  was  changed,  the 
roof  was  entirely  removed,  and  the  upper,  or  hall, 
story  cut  down  considerably.  The  hallway  of 
twelve  feet  was  entirel}'  removed,  leaving  the 
Assembly  House  in  two  parts  of  twenty-four  ]>y 
forty-one  feet  each,  the  southerly  part  ])eing  moved 
down  eight  feet.  This,  with  the  twelve  feet  hallway 
taken  out,  makes  Kaitt's  Coiut  of  twenty  feet, 
with  parts  of  the  Asseml)ly  House  standing  on 
either  side.  The  roofs,  when  replaced,  were  made 
to  run  from  the  street,  while  that  of  the  Asseml)Iy 
House  ran  with  the  street,  or  lengthwise  of  the 
building. 

]\Irs.  Ichabod  Goodwin's  interesting  account  of 
the  hall,  and  reminiscences,  is  j)ublished  in  the 
Portsmouth  Book,  printed  in  1900. 

Returning  through  Yaughan  Street  and  crossing 
Deer  Street,  on  the  left  hand  is  the 

BOSTON  &  MAINE  STATION. 

In  1840  the  Eastern  Railroad  was  complcteil  to 
Boston,  it  being  the  tirst  one  entering  Portsmoutii 
and  connecting  it  with  the  neighboring  towns  and 
cities  by  rail.  An  extension  to  Portland,  called  the 
Portland,  Saco  t^  Portsmouth  Railroad,  was  opened 
in  18-i'2.  The  Portsmouth  iSc  Dover  Railroad  was 
operative  in  18 7o. 

Previous  to  18(53,  when  the  present  station  was 
built,  there  stood  here  a  wooden  depot  with  a  belfry  ; 
hanging  therein  was  a  bell,  which  was  rung  previous 
to  the  departure  of  all  trains. 


Before  the  Revolution  two  rojie-walks  occupied 
this  site,  extending  from  Vaughan  Street  to  the  North 
Pond,  they  remaining  in  use  until  after  the  War  of 
1812  ;  and  one  of  them  for  several  years  afterward 
was  carried  on  by  John  Underwood,  who  lived  at 
the  corner,  just  above,  bearing  his  name.  It  was 
here  that  the  ropes  for  the  seventy-four-gun  ship 
"Washington"  were  made:  and  it  is  related  that 
the  mammoth  rigs  were  conducted  to  the  wharf  on 
the  shoulders  of  a  comj)auy  of  eighty  sailors.  In 
this  rope-walk  on  »Iidy  4,  1812,  seven  hundred  peo- 
ple were  banqueted  at  a  public  dinner. 

The  freight  house,  at  the  end  of  Deer  Street, 
was  formerly  the  depot  of  the  Portsmouth  it  Con- 
cord Railroad,  which,  as  far  as  E})]iing,  was  opera- 
tive in  1848,  and  to  its  terminus  at  Concord  in  1852. 
Previously  an  old  dihipidated  distillery  occupied  this 
site,  and  just  across  was  an  old  windmill  for  grind- 
ing l)ark.  On  the  site  of  H.  A.  Yeaton  &  Son's 
mill,  once  .stood  an  old  tannery,  ofjcrated  by  Jacol) 
Treadwell,  and  when  making  excavations  for  their 
mill  foundation  the  old  vats  were  found  ;  the  bark 
mill,  referred  to  above,  was  in  connection  with  this 
industry  and  was  situated  a  little  to  the  north,  near 
the  car  bumpers.  Between  this  tannery  and  the 
l)rick  machine  shop,  formerly  the  Kearsarge  Mill, 
was  another  old  tannery,  conducted  by  William 
Parker,  who  lived  near  by,  and  for  whom  Parker 
Street  was  named.  As  early  as  1703  the  tanning 
business  was  carried  on  at  this  place,  for  it  was 
here  where  Mr.  I'arker  located  from  England,  after 
having  married  the  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Derby, 
Zerviah  Stanley.     Returning  to  the  east  side  of  the 


47 


'^.ib?'^ 


NORTH    POND,    NORTH    CEMETERY   AND   ACROSS   THE    liRIDGE. 


station  and  crossing  Vaughan  Street  into  Russell, 
ascending  to  the  top  of  the  rise  and  turning  into 
Wall  Street,  in  olden  times  called  Batchelder's 
Lane,  near  the  end,  at  the  highest  part  by  the  ledge, 
there  stood  many  years  ago  an  old  windmill  for 
grinding  grain.  Turning  again  into  Vaughan  Street, 
leading  to  the  North  Bridge,  on  the  site  of  the 
Portsmoutli  ^Milling  Company's  Mill,  also  stood  an 
old  tannery,  removed  long  ago  to  give  place  to  the 
present  mill  buildings. 

NORTH    CEMETERY. 

The  original  lot  of  land  emlmicing  this  ceme- 
tery was,  in  1753,  i)urchased  by  the  town  for  one 
hundred  and  tifty  jtounds,  on  condition  that  it  should 
be  kept  for  a  l)urial-ground,  from  Colonel  John 
Hart,  who  connnanded  a  New  Hampshire  regiment 
at  the  Crown  Point  Expedition  in  17.')(),  and  also 
at  the  siege  of  Louisl)urg  in  llhX,  where  he  died. 
The  land  adjoining,  on  the  west  and  north  of  the 
original  "acre,"  was  sold  to  the  town  by  Dr.  William 
Cutter   afterward. 

Among  the  oldest  legible  inscriptions  are  those 
of  Jotliam  Odiornc,  a  son-in-law  of  Kobert  Cutt, 
IT.tI,  which  has  been  renewed  by  his  descendants, 
the  Tread  wells  ;  Richard  Wibird,  ITIiT),  and  Sarah 
Hart,  17.")7.  Here  may  be  found  the  toml)s  of 
Gen.  William  Whijiple,  Eleazer  Russell,  Dr.  Hall 
Jackson,  .Tonathan  M.  Sewall,  Sheriff  Packer,  and 
such  other  prominent  Portsmouth  families  as  the 
Buckminsters,  the  Sheafes,  Moffats  and  ^Mannings. 

The  town  powder  house  was  formerly  located 
in   this  cemetery.     The  poplars,  which  border  the 


enclosure  on  the  street  side,  are  about  the  only  ones 
left  of  what  was  the  favorite  street  tree  a  century 
ago,  when  they  were  introduced  by  Governor  Lang- 
don,  in  front  of  his  residence  on  Pleasant  Street. 

BOYD-RAYNES  HOUSE. 

This  house  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Maiile- 
wood  Avenue,  formerly  Elm  Street,  near  the  North 
Bridge.  It  was  built  ))y  Colonel  Nathaniel  ^leservc 
about  1740.  His  shipyard  was  in  the  rear  of  his 
house,  and  in  1741)  he  built  the  tifty-gun  man-of-war 
"America"  for  the  Royal  Navy,  the  original  model 
of  which  may  l)e  seen  in  the  Portsmouth  .Vthenieum. 
He  was  connnissioned  colonel  in  the  British  armv, 
and  was  at  the  l)attle  of  Louisburg  in  1745,  and  in 
the  Crown  Point  Expedition  in  1751!  he  commanded 
the  New  Hampshire  forces.  After  his  death  in  175^(, 
at  the  second  siege  of  Louisburg,  the  house  passed 
into  the  possession  of  Peter  Livius. 

Colonel  George  Boyd  purchased  the  jolace  about 
17li<S,  and  consideral)ly  enlarged  it.  He  had  a  tine 
large  garden,  which  extended  to  the  present  site  of 
the  Boston  iSc  Maine  Station.  It  was  an  elal)orate 
affair,  and  from  its  luunerous  outljuildings  and  pecu- 
liar decorations  received  the  cognomen  of  the  "  White 
Village."  Colonel  Boyd  took  no  part  in  the  stirring 
times  of  the  Revolution,  but  retired  to  England, 
where  he  remained  until  after  peace  was  declared 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  and 
on  returning  he  died  at  sea  two  days  before  reaching 
home,  in  17.S7.  He  brought  with  him  a  monument, 
now  to  be  seen  resting  over  his  grave  in  the  North 
Cemetery. 


NORTH    MILLS. 


OLD    GRIST-MILL   ANU    liKIDGE. 
OLD   TANNERY. 


II.       OLD    GRIST-MILL,    REAR    VIEW. 
D.      OLD   BARK-MILL. 


Ill  tlio  year  1(S32  (Tcorijo  Kayncs  lioiijilif  tlic 
yard,  iiiul  there  up  to  1<S')5  l)uilt  between  sixty  and 
seventy  vessel.s.  The  largest  was  tlie  "  Wcl)ster,"" 
built  in  IS');!,  which  measured  1,727  tons.  In  the  year 
18(H)  thci'e  were  enrolled  in  Portsmouth,  beion<>ini>' 
principally  to  resident  merchants,  twcnty-cijj:ht  ships, 
forty-seven  brigs,  thirteen  schooners,  and  twenty 
coasting  vessels:  and  SS9,()()0  were  collected  in  cus- 
toms at  this  port.  In  ISdO  thirty  shi|)s  and  sixty-four 
schooners,  aggi'egating  o.^OOO  tons,  were  enrolled. 
Between  ISOO  and  1.S40,  4()()  vessels  were  l)uilt  on 
our  river:  between  1S40  and  LS')0,  T^  vessels:  and 
between  l.s.")0  and  18ii(t,  IHi  vessels  were  l)uilt  at  the 
yards. 

NORTH  MILLS  AND  BRIDGE. 

By  a  compact  with  the  town,  Peter  Livius,  in 
17()4,  \\'as  granted  the  right  to  build  a  bridge  across 
the  mouth  of  Islington  Creek,  to  be  made  toll  free, 
twenty  feet  wide,  with  thirty  feet  to  l)e  a  lifting- 
bridge,  permitting  vessels  to  pass  through,  and  with 
rtood-gates  of  the  same  width,  upon  condition  that 
he  be  allowed  the  exclusive  right  to  dam  the  creek 
for  mill  purposes.  The  late  B.  P.  Shillabcr  graph- 
ically pictures  it  : 

"  Then  Mr.  Peter  Livius,  by  granting  of  the  town, 
Dammed  up  the  creek  called  Islington, 
And  laid  the  mill-liridge  down. 
Connecting  worldly  Strawberry  Bank  with  peaceful  Christian 

Shore  ; 
And  built  the  mill  we  recollect  in  dusty  days  of  yore." 

The  Livius  or  North  Mill,  was  built  the  same  year. 
The  bark-mill  and  tannery,  built  later,  have  been 
remodeled,  but  the  old  grist-mill  and  the    wooden 


bridge  were  removed  a  few  years  ago,  and  the  stone 
bridge  built  by  tlw  city. 

In  the  second  story  of  the  small  building  at  the 
northwest  end  of  the  bridge  was  the  jn'inting  room 
of  Alljert  W.  Ham,  who  for  several  years  printed 
books  for  the  eccentric  John  Elwyn,  who  furnished 
him  with  a  complete  outtit,  paying  him  extra  wages, 
and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  work  presented  him  with 
the  whole  printing  plant.  We  (|Uote  from  one  of  his 
pamphlets  :  "  I  kept  only  mie  gentleman  at  work 
in  a  little  out-house  of  his  own,  all  by  himself  ; 
would  he  be  worth  rioii'  a  many  of  guineas  to  some 
l)ook  man  in  the  States,  Mr.  All)ert  William  Ham  of 
Portsmouth  in  Xew  Hampshire." 

After  crossing  the  bridge,  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Maplewood  Avemie  and  Dearborn  Street 
is  the 

TIMOTHY  WATERHOUSE-HAM  HOUSE. 

In  about  1700  Timothy  Waterhouse,  a  tanner 
by  trade,  built  this  house,  which  was  situated  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  beyond  and  north  from  the 
old  Ham  mansion  at  Freeman's  Point,  then  called 
Ham's  Point,  on  land  granted  William  Ham  in 
1(552.  The  house  remained  on  its  original  site  until 
about  17(35,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  present 
location  above  referred  to.  The  cellar  to  the  house 
when  at  the  Point  may  yet  be  seen. 

About  1725  there  was  living  in  this  house  a 
merry  family  of  six  girls  and  three  boys,  and  when 
their  parents  were  absent  they  made  the  most  of 
life.  It  is  related  that  at  one  time  the  parents  were 
absent  for  the  night,  and  when  the  young  people's 


A.      OLD   JACKSON    HOUSE. 

C.      WATERHOUSE-HAM    HOUSE. 


B.      E.  CUTTS    HOUSE. 
D.      DENNETT   HOUSE. 


sport  was  iit  its  height  there  came  a  knock  at  the 
door,  which  caused  the  singing  and  merriment  to 
cease.  Finally  Margaret,  the  oldest,  led  the  way 
to  the  door,  hut  on  opening  it  she  saw  a  white  figure 
with  a  hlack  face  that  she  took  to  he  Satan  himself, 
and  she  fainted.  The  ai)i)arition  proved  to  be  the 
faithful  old  negro  slave  of  Nathaniel  Jackson, 
who  had  come  in  a  snow-storm  to  get  his  master's 
shoes. 

The  old  front  door,  which  iiangs  and  swings  on 
its  ponderous  hinges,  is  the  same  which  ojiened  and 
closed  for  those  who  entered  and  departed  from 
these  ancient  portals  two  hundred  years  ago.  Dr. 
Benjamin  Waterhouse,  a  professor  in  Cambridge, 
and  grandson  of  Timothy  Waterhouse,  was  the  first 
to  introduce  vaccination  into  this  country,  ojierating 
successfully  upon  his  own  son  in  1800. 

The  second  street  on  the  east  from  the  bridge 
is  Northwest  Street,  formerly  Jackson  Hill  Street, 
which  name  should  be  restored  as  Northwest  is  a 
misnomer.      At  the  to))  of  the  hill  is  the 

OLD  JACKSON  HOUSE, 

With  its  sharp  roof  nearly  reaching  to  the  ground. 
So  far  as  known  this  is  the  oldest  house  in  the  city. 
The  frame  is  of  oak,  and  the  timbers  for  the  sills 
project  into  the  lower  rooms,  having  afforded  con- 
tinuous seats  for  six  generations  of  Jacksons. 
Twenty-six  acres  of  land  were  owned  here  by 
Richard  Jackson,  who  built  this  house  in  l(ifi4,  and 
it  is  yet  in  possession  of  descendants  of  the  original 
owner.     The  house  fronts  on  the  river,  as  was  the 


custom  in  tlie  early  Colonial  days,  when  roads  were 
few  and  forests  extensive ;  the  rivers  and  creeks 
were  then  generally  used  as  highways.  No  building 
has  l^een  drawn  and  photographed  more  frequently 
than  this  interesting  relic  of  Colonial  architecture ; 
artists  and  camera  fiends  will  hardly  recognize  the 
front  view  taken  of  the  house,  which  is  as  it 
appears  from  the  river  side. 

Keturning  to  ]\Iaplewo(»d  Avenue  (formerly 
North  Koad)  and  })assing  the  Franklin  schoolhouse, 
and  turning  to  the  west  into  Prospect  Street,  on  the 
hill  at  the  bend  of  flie  street  is  the 

DENNETT  HOUSE. 

This  is  the  second  house  erected  on  Christian 
Shore,  and  was  built  in  1()80,  by  John  Dennett,  who 
came  here  in  Kili.s.  The  house  faces  towards  Den- 
nett Street,  which  was  named  in  his  honor,  and  in 
early  times  his  land  extended  to  the  shores  of  the 
North  ^lill  Pond.  The  dwelling  was  constructed  in 
a  substantial  manner,  the  lower  part  ])eing  l)uilt 
throughout  of  square  timl)ers.  During  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  the  house  was  owned  by  Ephraim 
Dennett,  whose  widow  in  later  years,  after  a  court- 
ship savoring  a  little  of  the  romantic,  married  Judge 
Plummer,  of  Rochester,  the  two  living  happily 
together  for  many  years,  he  dying  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety  years.  The  house  was  at  one  time 
known  as  the  "Bee  Hive." 

Returning  to  jSIajjlewood  Avenue  and  turning 
to  the  north  of  the  Jones  three  decker,  and  just 
beyond,  on  the  east  side  on  the  terraced  hill,  is  the 


EDWARD  CUTTS  HOUSE. 

Edward  Ciitt^,  a  st)ii  of  Captain  Saiuucl  Ciitts, 
of  Portsmouth,  who  was  a  iiicurliant  of  considcral)k' 
l)rominencc  in  the  early  part  of  tlie  last  century, 
built  this  house  al)out  1810.  Hampden,  a  son  of 
Edward,  lived  here  for  several  years,  and  in  1833, 
the  place  l)cing  sold,  he  moved  out  of  town.  Since 
then  it  has  had  various  owners  and  occupants. 

The  road  jjassing  the  Cutts  house  on  the  north 
leads  to  Freeman's  Point,  recently  sold  to  a  corpo- 
ration, who  are  at  the  present  doinji'  a  large  amount 
of  work  prei)aratory  to  the  erection  of  a  series  of 
extended  i)aper  mills. 

HON.  FRANK  JONES  FARM 

Is  about  three-(juarters  of  a  mile  beyond  the  Cutts 
house,  at  the  junction  of  Maplewood  Avenue  and 
Woodbury  Avenue  (formerly  Creek  Road),  both  of 
which  avenues  are  bordered  with  thrifty  maple  trees. 
Originally  the  land  about  this  house  was  the 
proi)erty  of  Theodore  Atkinson,  whose  estate,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  passed  into  the  possession  of  his 
son,  Hon.  George  Atkinson,  and  at  his  death,  in 
1790,  it  descended  to  the  related  family  of  Spar- 
hawk.  Hon.  Frank  Jones  purchased  the  estate  from 
the  late  Charles  E.  Myers,  and  now  the  premises 
embrace  an  area  of  more  than  one  thousand  acres, 
which  is  called  "Maplewood  Farm."  The  beautiful 
grounds  and  handsomelv  laid  avenues,  with  the  nu- 
merous conservatories,  ornamental  ]ionds,  artistic 
statuary  and  botanic  gardens,  with  that  of  the  ex- 
tensive farming,    on  the    most    improved  methods, 


make  this  not   only  an   interesting,    but  a  pleasant 
jilacc  to  \isit. 

Maplewood  Avenue  leads  into  liic  Xewinglon 
Koad,  and  turning  through  the  tirst  gate  on  tiie  east, 
after  jiassing  the  residence  of  Frank  .Jones,  the  lane 
leads  to  the 

URSULA  CUTT  FARM. 

This  place  was  originally  owned  by  PresidtMit 
John  e'utt,  and  in  his  will,  dated  May  C,  ICSO.  he 
provided  that  his  beloved  wife,  Frsula  (his  second 
wife),  "Shall  have  ye  use  of  that  lan<l  at  ye  Pulpit 
which  I  have  given  to  my  son  Samuel,  till  he 
comes  to  age ;  and  may  improve  so  much  of  it  as 
she  meet,  and  l)uild  upon  it  if  she  i)lease,  and  shall 
have  ye  benetit  of  it  during  her  natural  life,  and 
then  both  ye  land  and  all  ye  improvemenls  and 
building  shall  return  to  my  son,  Samuel  Cutt." 

President  Cult  died  the  next  year  and  his  wife 
went  to  reside  at  the  Pul|)it  farm.  And  here  the 
lady  of  the  tirst  President  of  New  Hampshire  lived 
hajipily  situated,  with  her  many  improvements,  in 
considerable  elegance,  for  thirteen  years. 

The  ])resent  house  was  undoubtedly  built  li\' 
Ursula  Cutt,  between  HWl  and  1().s.t.  The  cliinnu'\- 
is  over  twelve  feet  square  at  its  base,  and  is  con- 
structed of  stone  to  the  top  of  the  cellar.  It  is 
four  feet  square  in  the  attic  and  a  little  smaller  above 
the  roof.  In  what  was  probably  the  silling  room  is 
a  large  Hreplace  nine  feet  broad.  The  timbers  in 
the  dwelling  appear  as  sound  as  the  day  the  house 
was  built.  ^Nlrs.  Cutt  probably  had  tiie  house  claii- 
boarded,  for  when  some  of  them  were  removed  from 


A.       SAMUEL    SHHKIiLK.NE    HUl  SE. 
C.       LEVI   WOODBURY   HOUSE. 


B.        POKls\l''l     111     *_  1  M      lAK.M. 
D.      URSULA   CUTT    HOUSE. 


:i  part  of  the  Imildiiii;-,  in  1879,  the  oriiiinal  Ixiards 
underneath  were  found  painted  red.  No  one  knows 
tiie  age  of  the  small  wooden  clierii))inis  over  tlie  front 
door,  l)ut  Hon.  Ieluxl)od  Bartlett  (a  Kepresentati\  e 
to  Congress  in  1823  to  1829),  the  owner  tirst  suc- 
ceeding the  Cutts  family,  stated  that  they  were  there 
long  heforc  his  day,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  believe 
that  Madam  Ursula  herself  had  them  jilaeed  there. 
The  design,  very  evidently,  represents  the  arti.stic 
taste  of  woman's  genius.  The  small  extension  on 
the  west  end  was  l)uilt  within  a  few  years  by  the 
late  Mark  H.  Wentworth,  the  heirs  of  whom  are  the 
present  owners.  The  interior  of  the  house  remains 
nearly  as  tirst  ])uilt. 

On  the  night  of  -Tuly  17,  1(U(4,  the  Indians 
in  great  numbers  amlnished  themselves  near  the 
settlement,  across  and  up  the  river,  for  an  early 
attack  on  the  inhabitants  in  the  morning.  At  the 
dawn  of  day  the  war-whoop  was  sounded,  and  the 
savages  rushed  with  overwhelming  force  upon  the 
settlement.  A  terrible  l)attle  ensued,  in  which 
nearly  one  hundred  persons  were  killed  and  ca|)- 
tured,  and  about  twenty  buildings  burned.  The 
savages  retired,  taking  with  them  their  prisoners  and 
the  scalps  of  those  they  had  killed. 

A  party  of  the  Indians  crossed  the  river,  and 
came  down  to  this  ])lace  and  made  a  bloody  attack 
on  Madam  Cutt,  killing  her,  with  three  of  her  hired 
men  who  were  at  work  in  the  hay-field.  The 
Indians  finding  it  difficult  to  remove  the  jewels  from 
her  lingers,  cut  off  her  hands  and  l)()rc  them  away  : 
taking  the  scaljis  of  all.  Iler  maid  escaped  in  a 
boat    to    the    town,    w  here    she    oave    the    alarm  : 


the  Indians  were  pursued,  but  they  were  not  over- 
taken. 

Keturning  southerly  toward  the  city,  and  at 
the  Jones  residence  into  Woodbury  Avenue,  and 
turning  into  Myrtle  Aveiuie,  on  the  southerly  side 
is  the 

PORTSMOUTH  CITY  FARM. 

In  1833  the  Thomas  Sheafe  farm  of  l(i.5  acres 
was  purchased,  and  the  present  almshouse  was 
erected  the  next  year,  the  land  and  buildings  costing 
|!32,000.  Rev.  Dr.  Burroughs  delivered  an  address 
at  the  opening  of  this  building,  Deceinl)cr  1."),  1834, 
which  was  reprinted  in  the  J\tr/siiioiif/i  Jonnuil  in 
December,  1S87,  l)y  which  it  api)eai's  that  the  town 
voted  April  it,  1711,  that  an  almshouse  ])e  built, 
and  in  171l!  it  was  in  use.  It  was  situated  on  the 
site  of  ^Nlusic  Hall  on  Chestnut  Street,  and  was  the 
tirst  l)uilding  of  the  kind  erected  in  this  country,  or 
in  any  country.  It  was  not  until  1.S23  that  an  act 
was  passed  in  England  to  establish  workhouses. 

In  1755  a  new  workhouse  was  built  on  the  site  of 
the  old  Court  House,  on  Court  Street.  The  town  also 
had  their  offices  in  this  building.  The  old  house 
then  went  into  disuse  and  was  sold.  In  ISlill  a 
county  almshouse  was  established  at  Brentwood, 
and  since  then  only  the  city  dependents  have  l)een 
sent  to  this  place,  the  greater  part  of  the  farm  hav- 
ing been  sold.  Ex-rjovernor  (ioodwin,  in  his  sjn'cch 
at  the  opening  of  Langdon  Park  in  1S7(!,  related 
the  contest  over  the  location  of  the  almshouse,  the 
minority  favoring  Langdon  Park. 


THE  SAMUEL  SHERBURNE  HOUSE 

Is  on  the  hill  east  of  the  almshouse.  It  was  huilt 
previous  to  173")  l)y  Samuel  Sherhurne,  who  died  in 
17(i5,  unmarried,  and  in  his  will  gave  the  house  to 
his  nephew,  Colonel  Samuel  Sherliunie.  The  estate 
passed  out  of  the  family  some  thirty  years  auo. 

Henry  Sherhurne,  the  ancestor  of  the  Sherhurne 
families  in  this  section,  came  to  the  Pascatacpia  Col- 
ony with  the  first  settlers  in  Ki^l.  lie  was  identi- 
fied with  the  first  Ei)iscopal  Chapel,  lieing  one  of 
its  wardens  in  1(140.  The  name  of  Sherhurne  is 
prominently  connected  with  the  early  history  of 
Portsmouth,  as  the  following  will  show  :  The  Hon. 
Henry  Sherhurne,  Jr.  (Judge  Sherhurne),  was 
born  April  4,  17011.  He  was  great-grandson  through 
Henry  (born  1(174)  and  Samuel  (born  liI.'S.S)  of  the 
first  American  ancestor,  Henry  Sherburne  ( l)orn 
1()11),  who  emigrated  from  Hampshire,  Knghiiul, 
to  the  Pascata(jua  in  l(iol,  who  was  the  second  son 
of  Joseph  Sherburne,  of  Odiham,  Hampshire  (died 
1(!21),  who  was  the  lineal  descendant  in  a  younger 
branch,  through  Henry  (born  lf)55),  of  Oxford: 
Hugh  (born  15;)4),  of  Haighton ;  Richard  (Itorn 
1510),  of  Bayley  and  Haighton;  Richard  (born 
1488),  of  Wiswall,  the  second  son  of  Sir  Richard 
Sheiliurne,  Knight,  of  Stonyhurst,  in  the  town  of 
Haighton,  Lancashire  (born  14(i.')).  .Judge  Sher- 
burne married  (October  2,  1740,)  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Hill)  A\'arner,  of  I'ortsmoutli. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1728:  was 
Clerk  of  the  Courts  of  the  Province  from  1729  to 
1739,  and  from  1745  for  twenty-one  years  Rejire- 
sentative  from  Portsmouth  in  the  Provincial  Assem- 


bly-, of  which  he  was  Speaker  the  last  ten.  He  was 
Delegate  to  the  Colonial  Congress  at  Albany  in 
1754  :  in  17(!5  was  made  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supe- 
rior Court,  and  in  17(i(;  was  made  a  member  of  His 
Majcstj-'s  Council  for  the  Province. 

On  the  west  side  of  AV'()odl)urv  Avenue,  behind 
a  dense  growth  of  trees,  is  the 

LEVI  WOODBURY  MANSION, 

\\'hich  was  l)uilt  by  Cajjtain  Samuel  11am  in  1809. 
When  the  house  was  completed,  he  celebrated  the 
event  by  giving  (juite  an  elaborate  recej)tion  to  his 
friends  and  neighbors.  At  its  conclusion,  and  after 
his  guests  had  all  departed,  he  went  into  one  of  the 
upper  chambers,  and  for  some  unknown  reason  com- 
mitted suicide,  In'  hanging. 

In  1819,  when  tlie  lion.  Levi  Woodbury  eanie 
to  Portsmouth,  he  j)urchased  this  estate.  Mr. 
Woodl)ury  was  a  nati\e  of  Francestown,  and  was 
born  in  1789.  In  after  years,  he  held  more  promi- 
nent offices  than  any  New  Hampshire  man.  In  1823 
and  1824  he  was  Governor  of  the  State  ;  from  1825 
to  1831,  a  LTnited  States  Senator:  in  1831,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy;  in  1834,  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury under  President  Jackson,  and  in  1841  was 
appointed  Judge  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  and  served  for  ten  years.  He  was  always  a 
leading  Democrat,  and  was  a  possible,  and  very 
proliable.  c;indidate  for  the  Presidency  at  the  lime  of 
his  death  in  1851.  His  son,  the  genial  lawyer, 
Charles  Levi  Woodbury,  of  Boston,  owned  the 
house  until  his  recent  death.  C)ne  daughter  married 
Postmaster-General  Montgomery  Blair,  and  another. 


Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Xavv,  Gii:?tavus  V.  Fox. 
The  Boyd  Koad.  running  westerly  on  the  north 
side  of  the  A\"oodliury  mansion,  was  formerly  the 
way  l»y  which  one  t-ould  reach 

FOUNTAIN  HEAD. 

The  Portsmouth  Aijueduot  Company  was  one 
of  the  first  companies  of  the  kind  organized  in  the 
countrv.  ( )n  N<iveml>cr  27,  ITi'T.  a  petition  was 
sent  to  the  Leuishiture  of  Xew  Hampshire  l>y  the 
following  citizens,  praying  that  they  should  he  in- 
cor[>orated  as  the  Pinlsiiniuth  A'jueihirf  C'oiiijxnt;/, 
for  the  jiurpose  of  bringing  the  water  from  Foun- 
tain Head  into  Portsmouth  :  Samuel  Hill.  Thomas 
Chadltourne.  .Tamos  Sheafe.  AViiiiam  Boyd.  .Tosei>h 
Whii)ple.  Daniel  Kindge  Rogers.  John  .'^.  Sher- 
burne, Keuhen  Sliapley,  Joshua  Brackett.  John 
Fisher.  Ammi  K.  Cutter.  John  Goddard.  Xathaniel 
A.  Haven,  Eliphalet  Ladd.  John  Peirce.  Daniel 
Rindge,  .Samuel  Drowne,  John  Clark.  The  charter 
was  granted  Deceni')er  lil,  1797.  They  purchased 
the  "Warm  Springs,"  so-called,  at  the  Oak  Hill 
farm.  al)0ut  two  and  one-half  miles  from  Mar- 
ket .Sjuare.  which  were  afterward  known  as  "  Foun- 
tain Head."  The  water  was  l»rought  into  town  by 
gravity  in  wooden  logs  in  171>lt.  and  two  hundred 
and  fourteen  houses  and  stores  sup])lied  with  water. 

The  reservoir  on  Dover  Street  was  Imilt  in 
l>i52.  and  owing  to  the  increased  demand  for  water, 
a  spring  near  the  Concord  Railroad  was  added  in 
Istiii ;  and  again,  in  187.'>,  a  larger  supply  was  pro- 
cured from  the  Scott  farm  to  the  westward.  In  18!»1 
the  city  purchased  the  Aqueduct  shares,  paying  ^l,.iOO 


per  share,  and  put  in  the  high-water  service,  the 
standpipe  lieing  erectetl  near  the  jiowder  house. 

The  excellent  quality  of  the  water  supplied  by 
these  springs,  as  returned  by  strict  chemical  analy- 
sis, is  famous  throughout  New  England,  and  all 
visitoi-s  partaking  of  the  delicious  Huid.  so  abun- 
dantly jxjured  forth  at  its  source,  pronounce  it  most 
refreshing.  To  the  pure  spring  water  of  Ports- 
mouth, may  l)e  traced  beyond  a  doubf.  the  remark- 
able record  of  its  j>eople  forgreat  liealthfulness.  and 
one  of  the  many  attractive  features  to  the  summer 
tourist. 

Continuing  south  on  Wo<xlbury  Avenue  and 
following  the  curving  street,  on  the  west  is  the 
EIdre<lge  Brewing  Company,  on  the  site  of  which 
from  l.soti  to  1«53  stood  the 

PORTSMOUTH  HOSIERY  CO.  BUILDINGS. 
During  thixe  y<;ar<  it  manufactured  annually  about 
2.>,0<>i»  dozen  shirts,  drawers  and  hose.  On  Febru- 
ary 21,  lt>.")9,  the  selectmen  gi-anted  leave  to  John 
Cult  to  build  a  saw-mill  and  corn-mill  "on  the  creek 
leading  up  to  the  fresh  marsh."  With  this  grant  was 
the  condition  that  he  was  to  grind  corn  for  the  towns 
people  whenever  required  :  also  permission  was  given 
to  cut  oak  and  pine  timber  for  the  saw-mill.  These 
mills  remained  until  all  the  availalile  growth  in  this 
vicinity  had  l>een  removed,  and  the  Livius  mills,  at 
the  lower  end  ot  the  creek,  were  built,  when  they 
were  abandoned.  At  this  time,  quite  a  settlement 
was  collected  here  and  called  "Islington."  hence,  the 
former  name  of  "  Islington  Creek."  Richard  Cutt.  in 
his  will  of  lt>7.5.  srave  the  corn-mill,  situated  near  the 


duui,  to  his  wife.     Tiic  ri'iiiains  uf  the  old  dam  are 
yet  visible,  west  of  the  brewery. 

On  the  east  side  of  Bartlett  Street,  northeast  of 
the  grade  crossing,  there  stood  until  about  twenty 
Acars  ag(j  the 

ASA  HAM  HOUSE, 
Occupied  by  Asa  Hani,  whose  name  eontain<'d 
but  four  different  letters.  This  was  one  of  the  old- 
est houses  in  the  town.  When  it  was  cut  down 
from  a  two-story  building,  in  between  the  timbers 
large  quantities  of  stone  and  stubble  were  found, 
placed  there,  probably,  to  make  it  proof  against  any 
savage  attacks,  and  undoubtedly  was  built  as  a  gar- 
rison house.  The  date  of  its  erection  is  not  known. 
In  the  cellar  were  wide  doors,  provided,  no  doubt, 
for  admitting  the  large  hogsheads  of  molasses  and 
rum  which  were  stored  here  from  vessels  then  con- 
ducting a  promising  West  India  trade.  In  those 
days  vessels  could  come  up  the  creek  to  this  place 
and  discharge  their  cargoes  at  the  very  door. 

Turning  westerly  from  Bartlett  Street  between 
the  railroad  tracks,  and  turning  near  the  electric 
car  barn  and  ending  on  Islington  lioad,  is 

FRENCHMAN'S  LANE. 

Previous  to  1792  this  was  a  part  of  the  cir- 
cuitous road  to  the  Plains.  The  lane  derives  its 
name  from  the  Frenchman,  named  John  Dushan,  who 
was  robbed  and  murdered  on  the  night  of  October 
23,  1778.  At  the  time  of  the  murder  a  large 
number  of  French  officers,  marines  and  sailors 
were  in  town  from  the  vessels  which  were  anchored 
in  the  harl)or.     Thev  used  the  fresh-water  stream. 


by  the  old  slocking  factory,  as  a  place  for  doino- 
their  washing,  cooking  their  soups,  dainty  dishes, 
etc.,  made  from  the  tish  and  game,  which  was  quite 
abundant  :  and  undoubtedly  these  fellows,  at  times, 
held  high  carnival  in  this  vicinity.  The  l)ody  of 
Dushan  was  found  in  the  morning  lying  on  a  Hat 
rock  at  the  bend  of  the  lane,  probably  that  near 
where  the  ^Nlorley  Button  Factory  now  stands.  He 
was  buried  with  considerable  pomp,  but  the  per- 
l)etrators  of  the  crime  were  never  apprehended. 

When  the  Sons  of  Portsmouth  held  their  tirst 
reunion,  on  July  4,  l.S.').!,  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  landed  here  from  the  tars,  and  marched  to  the 
city. 

Turning  from  Frenchman's  Lane  weslerlv,  jiass- 
ino-  the 

POWDER  HOUSE 
on  the  left,  which  was  built  in  \S]],  after  the  old 
powder  house  in  the  North  Cemetery  was  ))ronounced 
dangerous,  and  going  directly  l)y  the  site  of  the  old 
garrison  house  on  the  knoll,  and  over  a  few  rods  of 
level,  you  reach  the 

PORTSMOUTH  PLAINS. 

In  this  neighborhood,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
colonization,  tlicre  was  quite  a  settlement,  and 
in  171(i  the  General  Assemlily  of  the  Province  made 
a  grant  to  Thomas  Westbrook,  to  kee]i  the  only 
public  house  at  the  Plains,  in  consideration  that  he 
should  lay  out  six  acres  of  land  for  the  accom- 
modation of  drawing  up  the  militia  of  the  town. 
At  a  later  period  Joseph  Akerman  deeded  one  acre 
of  land  at  the  Plains  to  the  town. 


A.  PORTSMOUTH    PLAINS. 

B.  OLD    POWDER    HOUSE. 


THE   MASSACRE. 

SCENE   OF   THE   MASSACRE. 


The  most  murdci-ous  attack  by  the  Indians  that 
our  local  history  records  occurred  here  on  the  morn- 
ing of  June  2(3,  ll>9(!.  They  Inirned  live  houses 
and  nine  barns,  and  killed  fourteen  people;  in  the 
desperate  struggle  several  others  were  severely 
wounded,  while  a  numl)er  were  made  prisoners  and 
taken  away  in  their  retreat  through  (Ireat  Swamp. 
The  inhal)itants,  who  were  unaccompanied,  were 
mostly  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  Init  those  who  kept 
together,  in  the  main,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  gar- 
rison house,  the  site  of  which  is  on  the  little  knoll 
of  rocks  ()()U  feet  northerly  from  the  old  yiierljurne 
house,  on  the  westerly  side  of  Islington  Koad. 
The  well  of  the  garrison  house  was  filled  up  liy 
Andrew  Sherburne,  who  pointed  out  its  location  to 
the  writer ;  it  is  about  seventy-tive  feet  westerly  of 
the  site  of  the  garrison  house.  As  soon  as  the  attack 
l)y  the  Indians  was  known  in  the  town,  a  train-l)and 
under  Captain  Shackford  was  sent  out  to  intercept 
them  in  their  retreat.  They  overtook  the  savages 
while  breakfasting  in  the  woods,  at  what  is  since 
known  as  "Breakfast  Hill,"  at  the  junction  of  Lafay- 
ette and  Greenland  Roads.  The  soldiers  fell  u])on 
them  and  recovered  the  prisoners  and  the  plunder, 
but  the  Indians  made  a  hasty  escape.  Mrs.  Mary 
Brewster  was  severely  wounded  and  left  for  dead, 
her  scalp  having  been  entirely  removed  frt)m  her 
head,  but  she  recovered  and  afterward  became  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  from  whom  most  of  tlie 
Brewster  families  in  this  vicinity  have  descended. 
The  cellar  of  the  Brewster  house  is  still  visible, 
although  nearly  tilled  Math  rubbish,  in  the  dense 
bushes   750  feet  east   of   the    schoolhouse,  and    on 


a  line  with  the  eastern  fence  of  the  Evans  house, 
on  tile  Middle  Koad. 

The  only  road  to  the  Plains,  from  the  town,  was 
formerly  through  Frenchman's  Lane  into  Spiiine}''s 
Lane,  and  then  midway  lietween  Islington  and 
Middle  Roads,  passing  by  the  Brewster  house.  The 
higiiway,  now  known  as  Islington  Road,  was  opened 
in  1792,  and  jNIiddlc  Koad  a  short  time  after.  Until 
within  a  few  years  the  Plains  was  the  favored  ]ilace 
for  holding  the  old-time  musters  and  military 
exercises,  and  no  douT)t  many  interesting  incidents 
have  occurred  here,  long  ago  forgotten. 

In  the  old  early  days  of  sla\ciy,  Portsmouth 
had  a  hundred  and  titty  or  more  of  these  human 
cliattcls,  and  it  was  here  where  they  used  to  meet 
each  year  to  choose  their  mock  king,  and  hold  high 
carnival  unrestrained.  In  the  records  of  St.  John's 
Lodge,  the  Plains  tavern  in  17()8  was  called  "King- 
George's  Tavern,"  and  from  1773  to  1839  the  "  (ilolie 
Tavern."  The  settlement  in  172.i  was  sufficiently 
large  to  induce  them  to  l)uild  for  themselves  a  meet- 
ing-house. The  building  remained  for  nearly  twenty- 
tive  years,  when  in  1748  it  was  destroyed  by  a  gale. 
The  old  meeting-house  stood  on  what  is  now  the 
northerly  side  of  Middle  Road,  on  the  corner  where 
it  enters  the  Plains  ;  the  old  road  passed  it  on  the 
north  side. 

In  the  engraving  lettered  D,  at  the  extreme 
left  under  the  figure  1,  is  the  old  garrison  well ;  at 
figure  2,  on  the  knoll  near  the  crest,  by  the  ledge 
on  the  westerly  side  of  the  drive,  is  the  site  of 
the  garrison  house,  in  which  the  frightened  inhab- 
itants   sought   refuge    from   the    savages,    on    that 


torrililc  inoniiiii;'  in  .Time.  Iti'.Hi.  At  tiirurc  .">,  scon 
lievond  the,  large  tree  in  tiic  licld,  on  tho  liigli 
iii'ound,  a  few  feet  east  of  tiie  stone-wall,  is  the 
old  Brewster  cellar.  A  roselmsli  yet  remains  lo 
mark  the  spot  of  a  onee  Hourishino-  garden,  and 
each  year  sends  forth  its  annnal  l)lo()m,  as  fresh 
as  when  cared  for  by  the  hands  which  nurtured  it 
more  than  two  centuries  ago.  The  old  "  King- 
George's  Tavern"  is  at  the  extreme  left,  in  letter  -V 
view,  and  has  stood  here,  prolialily,  luore  than  one 
hundred  and  tifty  years,  and  home  witness  to  the 
scenes  here  enacted. 

SECRETARY  RICHARD   WALDRON  HOUSE. 

This  large  gambrel-roof  house  is  situated  on 
the  road  leading  south  from  the  Plains,  and  was 
built  about  1740,  by  Colonel  Thomas  Westbrook, 
whose  daughter  married  Secretary  Richard  Waldron, 
born  in  r()94,  and  the  son  of  Colonel  Kichard 
Waldron,  President  of  the  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, succeeding  John  Cutt.  At  first  he  established 
his  residence  at  the  old  homestead  in  Dover,  later 
moving  to  Portsmouth,  settling  at  the  Plains.  He 
was  ajipointed  Collector  in  1728,  and  Secretary  Of 
the  Province  very  soon  afterward.  His  residence 
at  the  Plains  was  destroyed  by  tire  in  174."),  with 
the  probate  court  and  other  valuable  public  records 
in  his  keeping.  He  then  moved  into  this  house, 
furnishing  it  in  the  most  modern  style  of  the 
time,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1753.  The 
house  was  built  with  taste  and  elegance  for  those 
da}s,  and  remains  very  nuich  as  it  was  originally 
constructed,  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  years 


ago,  with  the  exception,  that  the  large  porch  on  the 
east  side  was  removed  several  years  since.  After 
the  death  of  the  Secretary,  the  house  passed  into  the 
jjossession  of  the  Moffat  family,  and  here  Madam 
Whipple  resided,  after  moving  from  the  jNIoffat 
house  on  ]\Iarket  Street,  in  1811,  until  her  death, 
several  years  later.  Afterward  the  projierty  was 
owned  l)y  the  Elwyns,  and  by  them  sold  to  Josejih 
O.  Ham,  who  now  resides  here. 

THE  WEEKS  HOUSE. 

Three  and  a  half  miles  beyond  the  Plains  and 
half  a  mile  beyond  Greenland  village,  and  north  of 
l)ut  near  the  main  road,  is  a  plastered  l)rick  house 
of  which  Brewster  says  in  his  "Rambles":  "The 
oldest  house  now  standing,  built  in  Portsmouth,  is 
the  ([uaint  brick  house  on  the  Weeks  farm  in  Green- 
land. This  is  no  blunder,  although  it  may  seem 
like  one,  for  at  the  time  that  house  was  built,  Green- 
land was  a  part  of  Portsmouth." 

No  written  record  of  the  year  this  house  was 
built  has  been  found,  but  the  "Weeks  family,  of  long- 
ago,  dates  the  time  of  its  erection  as  1G38.  If  this 
is  correct,  there  is  but  one  house  in  New  England 
which  antedates  the  AVceks  house,  that  being  the  old 
Craddock  mansion  in  Medford,  ^lass.,  which  is  said 
to  have  l)ecn  l)uilt  in  ll!o4.  The  general  architec- 
tural design  of  the  body  of  the  two  ancient  structures 
and  their  chimneys  are  almost  identical.  Leonard 
Weeks,  son  of  John,  was  born  in  ll!39,  and  in  l(i(!2, 
and  at  odd  times  later,  he  held  several  minor  town 
offices,  but  we  are  not  able  to  find  that  he  was  ever 
one  of  the  selectmen  of  Portsmouth,  as  stated  in 


WEEKS    HOISE. 

GOV.    GOODWIN    HOUSE. 


SEC  V    WALDRON    HOL"SE. 
HALIBURTON   HOUSE. 


several  publications.  At  three  different  times  he 
was  granted  lands,  in  all  aniountinn;  to  iifty-two 
acres.  Among  his  children  was  Samuel,  Ixn-n  in 
1670,  and  from  him  the  present  heirs  of  the  farm  are 
descended.  The  late  Robert  B.  Weeks  died  in  ISltS, 
and  the  place  goes  at  his  wife's  decease  to  his  nejihew, 
John  W.  Weeks,  being  of  the  seventh  generation. 

This  ancient  dwelling  is  situated  on  the  old 
highway  to  Exeter,  near  its  junction  with  the  new 
road,  which,  by  the  way,  was  built  more  than  a 
century  ago.  The  house  is  twenty-two  by  thirty- 
six  feet,  and  the  l)ricks  of  which  it  is  constructed 
were  burned  in  the  door-yard.  The  timbers  are 
hardwood  throughout  the  liuilding,  and  in  the  main 
are  large  and  massive.  The  walls  are  eighteen 
inches  thick  in  the  lower  story,  and  eight  and  one- 
half  feet  high,  the  upper  story  being  six  inches 
lower.  Originally  the  windows  were  of  the  ancient 
type,  being  small  diamond-shajied  glass  set  in  lead. 
The  house  was  probaI>ly  built  as  a  kind  of  garrison, 
with  a  view  of  safety  from  Indian  incursions.  In 
the  west  end  of  the  house  is  a  long  rent,  the  effect 
of  an  earth(|uake  in  1755. 

Keturning  to  tiie  creek,  and  continuing  easterly 
on  Islington  Street,  which  was  named  by  an  Eng- 
lishman from  Islington  near  London,  where  John 
(xilpin's  famous  ride  took  place,  and  ])assing  several 
old  houses  without  especial  historical  interest,  Corn- 
wall Street  is  reached,  and  the  little  connnon  ojjpo- 
site,  with  the  monument,  is 

GOODWIN  PARK. 

In  1887  the  heirs  of  the  late  Ichaliod  Goodwin 


sold  the  Goodwin  tick!  at  a  nominal  price,  condi- 
tional that  it  should  always  be  kept  as  a  iniblic  jjark. 
It  was  purchased  by  the  Eldredge  family  and  pre- 
sented to  the  city. 

The  Soldiers"  and  Sailors'  Monument  was  erected 
iu  1888,  by  popular  subscri])tion,  the  dedication  tak- 
ing place  on  pTuly  4th  of  that  year,  the  orator  of  the 
occasion  being  the  Hon.  Charles  Levi  Woodbury. 

THE  GOVERNOR  GOODWIN  HOUSE, 

On  the  corner  of  Islington  and  Cornwall  Streets, 
was  erected  in  1811,  and  purchased  by  Cajitain 
Goodwin  in  1832,  soon  after  he  had  retired  from 
active  sea  life.  He  was  frequently  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and  served  as  the  first  War  Governor  of 
New  Hampshire  during  the  trying  days  of  1859-(U, 
lifting  out  the  First  and  Second  Regiments  of  New 
Hampshire  A'olunteers. 

He  was  largely  interested  in  shipping,  banking 
and  railroads,  serving  as  president  of  the  Eastern 
Railroad  in  New  Hampshire,  and  the  Portland,  Saco 
i^  Portsmouth  Railroad  contiiniously  for  twenty- 
five  years. 

In  October,  18(i7,  his  daughter  Susie  was  mar- 
ried in  this  house  to  George  Dewey,  then  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  navy,  now  "Admiral  George  Dewey." 

THE  HALIBURTON  HOUSE, 

On  the  east  side  of  the  park,  was  moved  from  the 
South  End.  It  was  the  residence  of  the  late  Andrew 
Ilaliburton,  who  was  born  in  No\a  Scotia  in  1771, 
and  was  a  cousin  of  Judye  Ilaliburton,  author  of 


GOODWIN    PARK. 


"Sam  Slick,  the  Clockniakor."  In  1791  he  came  to 
PortsiJiouth,  and  was  apj)ointed  Deputy  Colleetor, 
and  afterward  for  thirty  years  held  the  ottice  of 
cashier  of  the  Portsmouth  Bank.     He  died  in  184(5. 

His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Underwood.  Be- 
ing an  invalid,  the  doctor  advised  her  to  pass  the 
sunmier  in  the  country.  Her  father,  John  Under- 
wood, owned  this  property,  as  well  as  the  (roodwin 
field.  She  improved  so  much  in  the  little  one-story 
house,  that  they  decided  to  enlarge  and  live  in  it. 
Mr.  Halihurton's  second  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Ca))tain  Thomas  Manning. 

The  old  house  was  moved  again  in  liKH  to 
Eiwyn  Avenue,  and  tinally,  after  a  pilgrimage  of 
more  than  one  hundred  years,  returns  to  a  spot  not 
far  distant  from  where  it  originally  stood,  prol)al)ly 
over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  lief  ore. 

THE  SHILLABER  HOUSE. 

Near  the  foot  of  Langdon  Street  (which  was 
tirst  Rock  Street  and  later  Ann  Street),  next  to  the 
last  house  on  the  westerly  side,  stands  a  diminutive 
one-story  dwelling,  end  to  the  street,  and  almost 
hidden  from  view  by  other  and  larger  l>uildings. 
This  little  house  was  the  I)irthplacc  and  boyhood 
home  of  the  late  Benjamin  P.  Shillaber,  the  genial 
humorist,  whose  creations,  "Mrs.  Partington"  and 
"Ike,"  gave  so  much  amusement  to  thousands  of 
American  readers  in  years  gone  l)y.  This  was  the 
"little  house  by  the  river"  occupied  by  his  jiarents, 
for  the  waters  of  the  North  Mill-pond  then  came  u]) 
to  the  foot  of  the  good-sized  garden,  which  had 
room   for  apple,  \h'hv  and   fruit  trees,  currant   and. 


gooseberry  l)ushes,  flower  l)eds  and  vegetable  patches. 
Here,  too,  lived  the  late  Captain  Robert  Shillaber, 
the  "My  Brother  Bol)"  of  the  Partingtonian  writ- 
ings, and  here,  later,  lived  and  died  an  aunt  of  the 
"Shillal)er  boys,"  who  was  always  understood  by 
INIr.  Shillaber's  friends  to  be  the  )irototyj)e  of  the 
innnortal  "Mrs.  Ruth  Partington,  widow  of  the  late 
Corporal  Paul,"  and  one  of  whose  descendants  now 
owns  and  occuj)ies  the  house. 

C.  W.  BREWSTER   HOUSE. 

Nearly  oiiposite  Brewster  Street,  t)n  the  south 
side  of  Islington  Street,  is  the  house  built  in  1817 
and  long  occupied  by  the  late  Charles  W.  Brewster, 
editor  of  the  Porfsmoulli  Journal,  until  his  death  in 
18.59.  He  spent  many  years  gathci'ing  the  exhaust- 
ive material  for  his  "Rambles  About  Portsmouth." 
He  was  a  descendant  of  Elder  William  Brewster, 
who  came  over  in  the  "Mayflower." 

THE  OLD   JAIL 

Is  on  the  north  side  of  Islington  Street,  opposite 
Summer.  On  Congress  Street,  I)etween  the  North 
Church  and  Fleet  Street,  on  the  glebe  land,  and 
)irobal)ly  adjoining  the  lot  of  Thomas  Phijips, 
the  flrst  schoolmaster,  was  built,  in  l(iS)9,  the  tirst 
jail  in  Portsmouth.  It  was  a  structure  fourteen  by 
thirty  feet,  strongly  l)uilt  with  heavy  logs.  On  the 
southerly  corner  of  Porter  and  Chestnut  Streets 
another  was  l)uilt  in  1759.  The  liuilding  was  made 
of  s(|uare-hewed  fiml)er  of  oak.  lined  on  the  inside 
with  solid  planlv  and  covered  wilii  iron  l)ars.  A 
dwelling-house    was    annexed    to    it.       When    the 


li.    p.    SllILLAUER 
THE    OLD   JAIL. 


C.    W.    BREWSTER   HOUSE. 
SIMMER   STREET. 


■Woodliiirv  Lniigdoii  1k)Usc,  <iii  llic  silo  of  llic  Kuck- 
iniihiiiii  House,  was  desli'iiyi'd  liy  lire,  in  ITS],  the 
jail  also  was  coiismiied. 

This,  tlic  islinatoii  Street  jail,  was  Imilt  in 
1782,  immediately  alter  tlic  destnielion  of  the  old 
one,  hut  the  stone  annex  was  added  some  titty  years 
afterward.  One  hundred  years  ago,  in  front  of  this 
jail,  there  remained  aftixecl  a  set  of  staples  in  whieh 
the  unruly  inmates  were  stra|)])ed  and  severely  lashed, 
aeeordinii'  to  the  degree  of  their  offense,  on  their  liare 
backs  with  a  cat-o'-nine-tails,  until  they  liegged  for 
mercy.  This  jail  was  abandoned  after  the  new  one 
on  Penhallow  Street,  in  the  rear  of  tiie  new  Court 
House,  was  built  in  liSlil. 

Turning  from  Islington  Street  to  tiie  left,  at 
the  end  of  Pearl  Street  is  the  Portsmouth  Machine 
Slmi),  formerly  tli(^ 

PORTSMOUTH  STEAM  FACTORY 

And  afterward  the  Kearsargc  INIills.  Tiiis  factory 
site  is  where  the  residence  of  Nathaniel  Adams,  the 
author  of  the  "Annals  of  Portsmouth,"  was  formerly 
situated,  his  grounds  extending  to  Islington  Street. 
The  dwelling-house  of  Dr.  F.  K.  Potter  is  situated  in 
what  was  the  orchard  of  ]Mr.  Adams,  and  the  Doc- 
tor states,  that  the  apple  trees  in  his  yard  are  the 
same  that  were  there  when  the  "Annalist"  owikmI 
the  property.  Pearl  Street  was  also  taken  out  of 
the  estate. 

Pi'evioiisly  this  ])rop(M'ty  was  owned  by 
William  Paiker,  a  gentleman  from  England,  who 
married  Zerviali  Stanley,  a  daughter  of  the  Ivirl  of 
Derb\-,  contrary   to   the    wishes   of   her    father,   and 


came  to  this  country  in  17n,").  One  of  his  sons, 
^Villiam,  was  an  eminent  lawyer  and  liecame  .ludge 
of  the  Superior  ('(Jiirl.  John,  another  sou,  was  the 
father  of  the  lirst  I'niNersalist  minister  in  I'orts- 
mouth.  lke\-.  Xoah  Parker.  The  daughter.  Eliza- 
beth Parker,  married  Captain  Nathaniel  Adams,  the 
father  of  the  "Annalist."  The  first  A\'illiani  Parker 
and  his  wife  (Zerxiah  Staidey)  were  liuried  in  these 
grounds. 

The  Portsmouth  Steam  Factory  purchasi'd  the 
jjroperty  in  1S45.  In  1847  the  roof  i)lew  off  in  a 
high  gale,  and  a  part  of  it  landed  on  the  brick  barn 
in  the  rear  of  the  Rice  house  on  Islington  Street. 
The  capital  of  the  company  was  S.'kiO.IKKI  and  it 
employed  nearly  four  hundrt'd  persons.  At  lirst 
lawns  were  manufactured,  and  in  18(i:'>  the  manu- 
facture of  spool  cotton  was  introduced.  Afterward 
the  mill  was  sold  and  the  purchasers  nanu'd  it  the 
"  Kearsarge  Mills."  It  was  nearly  destroyed  by  tire 
in  1880,  and  afterward  remodeled  and  us(>d  as  a 
machine  shoji. 

On  the  northeast  corner  of  Islington  and 
Parker  Streets  is  the 

REMICK  HOUSE, 

Which  was  built  by  Daniel  Kemark,  or  Remick,  and 
others  in  KiiHI.  When  this  house  was  being  re- 
]iaired  in  18,'il  one  of  the  timbers  was  removed,  and 
upon  it  was  found  marked  the  names  of  "  HanicI 
Remark.  John  Thom))son,  —  Holmes,  ,1.  Thomson, 
—  .Stephens,  John  '{"hoiuas.  IOIh;."  At  the  same 
time  a  jug  of  wine  was  found  imbedded  in  the 
masdurx ,  and   under  the  old   hearth  several   bushels 


A.      KEMICK   IlorSE. 

C.      BUCKMINSTER    HOUSE. 


i:.       KEiNNAKL)    HulSE. 
U.      PLT.I.IC    LI11KAR\'. 


of  salt  were  tiiUcn  out,  which  had  hccn  there  for 
more  tlian  one  liundrod  and  fifty  ^ears.  The  house 
is  noted  as  the  one  whore,  a  few  years  ago,  a  man 
shot  and  ivilledhis  tiirec  daughters  and  himself,  after 
shooting  and  wounding  a  person  of  whom  he  had 
convietions  was  holding  improi)cr  relations  with  his 
family. 

Next  to  the  Reniiek  house,  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Tanner  and  Islington  Streets,  is  the 

KENNARD  HOUSE, 

Onee  known  as  the  Eagle  Tavern,  huilt  in  ahout  1700, 
and  afterward  the  residence  of  Oliver  P.  Kennard. 
In  the  last  i)art  of  A])ril,  1717,  a  child  was  horn  in 
this  house,  the  snow  l)eing  so  deep  the  doctor  and 
nurse  were  oMiged  to  enter  the  house  through  a 
chamber  window.  The  snow  is  said  to  have  fallen 
to  a  dejith  of  eight  feet  on  a  level,  and  for  years 
was  referred  to  as  tRe  "  (ireat  Snow."  In  Boston, 
the  local  ])apcrs  stated  that  the  snow  fall,  on  a  level, 
was  six  feet  deep. 

THE  BUCKMINSTER  HOUSE. 

Tills  is  the  p()j)u!ar  name  of  this  gaml)rel-roof 
dwelling,  although  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster  lived 
here  only  a  year  or  two  after  his  marriage  to  Colonel 
Ladd's  widow.  This  tine  specimen  of  colonial 
architecture,  situated  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Bridge  and  Islington  Streets,  was  erected  l)y  Daniel 
Warner,  the  father  of  Jonathan,  of  tiie  Warner 
house  on  Daniel  Street;  and  of  Nathaniel,  who 
was  engaged   to  Miss   Lcltice    Mitchell,  and    whom 


the  father  designed  should  occupy  this  house  (see 
IMitchell  House).  In  ll[)2  it  was  purchased  hy 
Colonel  Eliphalet  Ladd,  who  was  the  projector  of 
the  Portsmouth  Aqueduct,  and  here  he  resided  until 
his  death,  in  iXOfi.  In  l.SlO  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster 
married  Colonel  Ladd's  widow  for  his  third  wife, 
and  left  the  j)arsonagc  on  Pleasant  Street  to  reside 
in  this  mansion,  dying  here  -lune  10,  ISli'. 

PORTSMOUTH  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

This  l)uilding  was  erected  in  180(i,  from  designs 
drawn  by  Charles  Bultinch,  the  eminent  architect 
who  designed  the  Massachusetts  State  House,  and 
many  other  public  buildings  and  private  dwellings. 
It  ^vas  built  hy  the  jiroprietors  of  the  Portsmouth 
Academy,  and  intended  for  public  schools.  The 
society  was  incorporated  in  December,  IHOX.  It 
was  used  as  an  academy  until  IXUS,  when  it  was  let 
to  the  city  for  jniblic  schools. 

In  the  year  ISlii)  Hon.  Frank  .lones,  then 
mayor  of  the  city,  gave  one  year's  salary  ($.">00), 
the  money  to  be  available  for  a  public  library,  when 
the  citizens  should  mise  $5,000  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. This  amount  and  accumulations,  after  the 
establishment  of  the  library,  was  exi)endt'd  by  trustees 
of  that  sjiecial  fund  for  l)ooks. 

The  library  was  opened  January  1,  1881,  in  the 
third  story  of  the  Custom  House:  from  there  the 
books  were  moved  to  an  ante-room  in  Congress 
Block,  then  to  three  rooms  in  Franklin  Block,  and 
then  back  again  to  Congress  Block,  the  books  being 
jjlaccd  in  the  large  hall.     In  May,  1881,  the  library 


was  accepted  hy  the  city,  wliicli  iirovidod  a  \wr- 
nianent  home  in  the  academy,  after  romodelino- 
it  in  1890,  at  an  expense  of"  $8,000.  The  lease 
exjiires  in  190(5,  when  the  city  can  purchase  the 
building  at  an  amount  stated  in  the  lease. 

The  Young  People's  Union  turned  over  its 
library,  of  about  eight  hundred  ^'olumes,  in  1881. 
In  Aj)ril,  1884,  the  Mercantile  Library  Association, 
which  was  established  in  18.')'J,  gave  its  collection  of 
two  thousand  volumes  to  the  Public  Library.  Other 
donations  of  books,  numbering  from  live  hundred  to 
eleven  hundred  volumes  each,  have  been  given  l)y 
the  estates  of  Joshua  Peirce,  Mrs.  Edwin  Putnam, 
Miss  H.  Louise  Penhallow,  Mrs.  Annie  Goddard 
Edd}',  the  Misses  Haven  and  Mrs.  Elbridge  Gerry. 
Colonel  George  F.  Towle,  of  Newcastle,  gave  his 
valuable  military  library  of  tifteen  hundred  books. 

Legacies  to  the  amount  of  $15,17.')  have  been 
left  to  the  Invested  Fund  Account,  ]>y  ]\Iiss  H.  L. 
Penhallow,  :\Iiss  Ellen  Pickett,  Mrs.  Joshua  Brooks, 
]Mrs.  ]Mary  Ilackett  Goodwin,  ]Miss  Louisa  Simes, 
Miss  Charlotte  M.  Haven,  Miss  :\Iary  I).  Parker, 
Mrs.  Marcy  E.  Ladd  and  Marcellus  Eldrcdgc  ;  the 
income  of  which  can  only  be  expended  for  the  jnir- 
chase  of  new  liooks. 

The  city  annually'  apju'opriates  a  sum  of  money 
for  the  necessary  running  expenses.  The  library 
now  contains  over  eighteen  thousand  volumes,  and  a 
reading-room  is  maintained  in  connection.  The 
majority  of  the  trustees  are  elected  by  the  aldermen, 
the  mayor,  e.r  officio,  being  chairman,  and  C.  A. 
Hazlett,  treasurer.  Robert  E.  Rich  has  served  as 
librarian  since  the  establishment  of  the  library. 


THE  CUTTER  HOUSE, 

Situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Congress  and 
Middle  Streets,  built  by  Charles  Treadwell  about 
17.50,  for  his  son  Jacob.  Afterward  Dr.  Ammi 
R.  Cutter  purchased  the  house  and  gave  it  to  his 
daughter,  who  married  Colonel  Storer.  It  is  still 
occupied  by  descendants  of  Dr.  Cutter.  In  the 
French  and  Indian  AVar,  and  at  the  siege  of  Louis- 
l>urg,  in  175M,  Dr.  Cutter  served  as  surgeon,  and  in 
1777  he  had  charge  of  the  medical  department  of  the 
Northern  Army,  and  served  until  the  surrender  of 
Burgoyne.  Clement  Storer  in  LSI 4  connnanded 
the  first  division  of  New  Hampshire  militia.  In 
1817  President  James  Monroe  was  entertained  in 
this  house  by  Colonel  Storer,  then  a  member  of 
Congress.  The  President  was  accompanied  by  Gen- 
eral Miller,  the  hero  of  Lundy's  Lane  ;  Commodore 
Bainbridge  and  General  Henry  Dearborn,  who  had 
been  a  Colonel  in  the  Continental  Army  and  a 
]Major  General  in  the  War  of  181:*. 

The  next  house  mi  the  south  is  the 

LEAVITT  HOUSE. 

The  date  of  the  erection  of  this  house  is  not 
known,  but  Hon.  AVyseman  Clagett  removed  here 
from  the  Hart  residence  on  Daniel  Street  after  the 
tire  of  1701,  which  destroyed  the  Stoodley  Tavern, 
and  lived  here  several  years.  He  came  to  Ports- 
mouth in  17.58,  as  King's  Attorney,  and  executed 
the  law  with  marked  severity:  to  l)e  "Clagetted" 
was  a  common  term  among  the  inhabitants,  expressive 
of  speedy  discipline.     He  married  Lettice  Mitchell 


OLD    KEAkSAKc;E    MILL. 
Y.    .M.    C.    A.    BLILDING. 


CITTEK    HorSE. 
PEIRCE    HOUSE. 


LEAVITT    HOISE. 


(si'c  Mitclicll  house),  and  proxed  hiiiiscit  as  exact inu' 
and  relentless  in  his  matrimonial  life  as  he  was  severe 
and  harsh  in  his  offieial  capacity.  He  was,  however, 
a  stanch  friend  of  the  Colonists,  and  was  a  valued 
memlier  of  the  C'onnnittee  of  Safety  during  the  Kev- 
olution  :  liavini;'  been  active  and  inHuential  in  ori;an- 
i/.inu'  that  temporary  form  of  siovernnient,  adojited 
in  New  IIami)shire  at  the  l)eginnint;-  of  hostilities. 
Under  this  irovernment  the  office  of  Solicitor  ( ien- 
eral  was  created  :  Mr.  Ciaaett  heinir  ajipointed  to 
till  the  i)osition,  and  was  the  only  jierson  ever  hold- 
ing'the  office,  whii'h  ceased  to  exist  in  ITS  I.  lie 
owned  a  large  estate  in  Litchtield,  N.  II.,  where  he 
I'emoved.  and  for  several  years  was  successixcly 
elected  to  the  (ieiieral  Court.  He  died  December  4, 
17«4. 

About  opiKisite  to  the  Leavitt  house  is  the 
French-roof  building  of  the  Young  Glen's  Christian 
Association,  forn.erly  the  residence  of 

HON.  W.   H.  Y.  HACKETT, 

\\'h()  was  promiiienl  as  a  lawyer  and  banker.  Al 
his  golden  wedding,  in  IsTlI,  he  r<'marke(l  that  for 
fifty  years  he  had  lived  in  the  same  house,  occiqiied 
the  same  pew,  served  as  director  in  the  same  bank 
and  used  the  same  building  as  an  olli<c. 

Next  south  of  the  Leaxitt  duelling  is  the 

COLONEL  PEIRCE  HOUSE, 

Which  was  built  about  ITS.'i.  by  William  Sheafe. 
Li  l.s;ill.  Colonel  Joshua  Peirce,  a  son  of  John 
Peirce,  j)urchascd  the  house,  and  occupie<l   it   after 


he  left  his  extensive  place  in  (jreenland,  a  part  of 
which  farm  was  owned  by  Captain  Francis  Cham- 
pernowne.  The  massive  granite  steps  in  front  of 
this  house  were  removed  i)y  Mr.  Peirce.  The  bal- 
ustradings  to  the  front  stairs  were  taken  fi"om  the 
(jardner  house,  on  Mechanic  Street,  several  years 
ago,  when  this  house  was  Iteing  repaired,  and  are  the 
same  that  were  placed  in  that  house  when  it  was  built. 
For  sever  d  years  Colonel  Peirce  comunnded  the 
(iilman  lilues,  receiving  his  connnissiou  from  Gov- 
ernor .lolm  Taylor  (iilman  in  IcSl;!.  He  connnanded 
the  First  New  IIain])shire  Iiei;iment  from  18^0  to 
is^.i. 

KEARSARGE  HOUSE, 

On  the  southeast  corner  of  Congress  and  Chestnut 
Streets.  The  building  was  erected  by  Colonel  Joshua 
Peirce  for  dwellings,  but  converted  soon  afterward 
into  a  hotel.  The  site  was  formerly  occupied  by  a 
house  built  about  173o  by  Jacob  Treadwell.  He 
was  a  tanner,  whose  place  was  near  Bridge  Street, 
from  which  Tanner  Street  derived  its  name.  His 
son  Nathaniel  afterward  occupied  the  house,  and 
from  him  have  descended  most  of  the  Portsmouth 
families  named  Treadwell.  It  was  afterward  owned 
and  occ'ui)ied  by  Captain  John  Parroft  and  then  by 
Adams  l'err\-,  a  botanic  )ihysician.  W'lien  the 
Kearsarge  House  was  built,  it  was  removed  to 
Albany  Street. 

PLEASANT  STREET. 

Captain  John  Pickering,  :id,  gave  to  the  town 
in    l(!7.'i    a    strip    of   land   two   rods    wide,    running 


through  liis  jjossessions  to  the  mill-diiin,  for  a  higli- 
wav.  The  water  in  Puddle  Dock  at  that  time  came 
far  uj)  into  the  land,  nearly  to  Pleasant  Street,  and 
at  ver}^  high  tides,  it  is  said,  flowed  across  between 
where  the  Langdon  and  AA'entworth  houses  now 
stand  into  the  South  Pond.  At  that  time  this  tract 
of  land  was  called  Pickering's  Neck.  That  part  of 
Pleasant  Street,  north  from  the  present  Court  Street 
to  the  Parade,  was  called  Court  Street,  so  named 
from  the  old  Court  House  or  State  House,  then  on 
Market  Scjuare. 

ROCKINGHAM   NATIONAL  BANK 

BUILDING. 
On  the  cast  side,  at  No.  1  Pleasant  Street,  is 
the  mastic-covered  bank  building.  This  bank  was 
organized  as  a  State  Bank  in  1814,  and  reorganized 
as  a  National  Bank  in  ISii.'i,  with  the  same  capital 
of  $200, (»()().  Jacob  S.  Pickering  was  cashier  from 
1814  to  I84it,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  until 
1870,  who  lias  served  as  jn-esident  from  1873  to 
the  present  year.  In  its  continuous  existence,  for 
eight^'-eight  years,  under  ))ractically  the  guidance  of 
the  same  family,  it  has  had  but  three  presidents  and 
three  cashiers.  In  front  of  this  building  stood  a 
brick  watch-house  about  twelve  feet  s(|uare,  which 
was  built  in  17lil,  and  taken  down  at  the  time  of 
Washington's  visit,  in  \7s\t. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE  UNION  BANK. 

In  the  liuilding  on  llie  iiorlheasl  corner  of  Slate 
and  Pleasant  Streets,  before  they  were  removed, 
were  two  stone  safes,  one  in  the  first  story  and  the 


other  in  the  second.  They  were  placed  in  the  build- 
ing in  1814,  by  the  New  Hampshire  L'nion  Bank  and 
were  used  by  them  and  the  Branch  Bank  of  the 
United  States.  The  building  was  remodeled  in  189G. 
The  New  Hami)shire  U^nion  Bank  was  incorporated 
in  1S02,  with  Governor  Langdon  as  its  tirst  ])resident, 
and  existed  for  forty  years. 

THE  GLEBE  BUILDING, 

In  the  rear  of  the  North  Church,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  street.  The  Portsmouth  Onic/e  l)uilding  for- 
merly occupied  this  site,  but  in  about  1799  it  was 
removed  to  the  corner  of  Court  and  Middle  Streets, 
by  Haymarket  S(|uare,  and  the  first  three-story  store 
built  in  Portsmouth  was  erected  here  in  1800,  by 
Daniel  Austin.  There  were  only  fifteen  three-stor}- 
dwellings  in  town  at  this  time,  and  the  greater  part 
of  them  had  lieen  built  within  the  last  five  years  of 
that  century.  There  were  also,  at  this  time,  five 
luindreil  and  twenty-four  two-story  houses  and 
eighty-six  one-story  dwellings  in  town.  Colonel 
Joshua  Wentworth's  jdace  of  business  was  in  this 
building.  A  high  roof  was  afterward  added,  and 
that  l)eing  destroyed  by  tire  it  was  replaced  with  the 
])resent  French  roof. 

This  was  lot  number  one  of  the  glebe  lands,  and 
was  leased  at  fifteen  shillings  per  year,  by  Richard 
Wibird  in  1709.  At  that  time  he  was  the  wealthiest 
man  in  Portsmouth.  In  1791  the  rental  was  dis- 
charged for  the  remainder  of  the  nine  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  years,  for  the  sum  of  three  pounds  and 
fifteen  shillings.     When  this  building  was  erected, 


A.      OLD    farmers'    HOTKL   AND   SITE    OF   THE    l>OST    Ol-KICE. 
C.      OLD    PARSONAGE. 


rOST    OFFICE    AND    CUSTOM   HOUSE. 
REV.    SAMUEL    LANGDON   HOUSE. 


in  1800,  Portsmouth  had  a  iiopulatioii,  accoidiiij^-  to 
the  I'nitcil  States  census,  of  r),.'!;!;!,  rankiui;-  twelfth 
in  tiie  list  of  eities  and  towns  in  the  United  Stales. 
There  were  1N7  slaves  in  Portsmouth  in  ITHT,  and 
140  in  177."). 

CUSTOM  HOUSE  AND  POST  OFFICE, 

Erected  hy  tlu'  United  States  from  Conc-onl  i^ranite 
in  iS.'iS,  on  the  site  formerly  occupied  hy  the  IJock- 
in<rham  BanU  and  Farmers'  Hotel.  The  Custom 
House  and  Post  Otlice  previously  was  on  the  corner 
of  Penhallow  and  Daniel  Streets,  and  the  huildinp- 
still  retains  its  marlile  tahlct  with  111'.'  inscription, 
"Custom  House."  Previous  to  this  the  Custom 
House  was  at  Colonel  AVhii)plc"s  otiice,  corner  of 
State  and  Che.stnut  Streets,  and  the  Post  Ottice  was 
kept  in  a  store  on  Buck  Street  until  18()'>,  then  in  a 
house  on  Market  Si|uare.  In  l.Slo  it  was  on  the 
north  side  of  Daniel  Street,  aliout  midway  between 
^larket  S(|uare  and  Penhallow  Street.  In  ,Iackson"s 
tirst  administration,  in  1S2!(,  Almei'  fTreenleaf  was 
ap])ointed  postmaster,  and  the  Post  Ottice,  which  for 
several  years  had  been  kei)t  in  the  then  new  Customs 
Buildino-,  was  removed  to  State  Street,  where  Shel- 
don Brothers'  furniture  rooms  now  are,  and  remained 
there  until  1.S4I),  when  it  was  mo\ed  l)ack  to  the 
Custom  House  ajrain,  l)einH'  huated  at  that  jilacc  until 
moved  to  the  ))resent  Post  Ottice  and  Custom  House 
I)uildini^  on  its  completion.  The  tirst  Custom  House 
and  Post  Office  was,  during  the  Revolution,  situated 
on  the  site  of  the  "  Stone  Store,"  on  .Market  Street. 
On  the  southwest  corner  of  Pleasant  and 
Porter  Streets,  on  the  grass  plot,  stood  the 


FARMERS'  HOTEL, 

Of  whicli  wc  L;i\-c  a  cut,  rcprtxhiced  from  an  old 
amhrotype.  It  was  open  as  a  hotel  as  early  as  l.sls, 
and  kept  hy  Hadley  iV::  Clark  in  IMd.  In  the  latter 
year  there  were  nine  hotels  in  the  town. 

THE  RICHARD   JENNESS  HOUSE 

Is  situated  on  the  northeast  col'uer  of  State  and 
Court  Streets.  It  was  built  in  I.SIS,  l)y  the  widow 
of  Robert  Trcadwell,  and  on  the  site  of  the  house 
in  which  Thomas  Packer,  Sheriff  of  the  Province, 
li\('d  in  17.").").  The  stone-wall  extending  down 
( 'ourt  Street,  between  the  house  and  the  ('oloncl 
Sise  tire  engine  rooms,  was  then  there,  and  yet 
remains  the  same  as  it  was  at  that  time.  Sheriff 
Packer  li\'ed  here  at  the  time  he  hung  Ruth  Blay,  in 
Hli.*^,  and  it  was  in  front  of  this  house,  and  i>robal)ly 
by  this  wall,  where  the  indignant  iieople  hung  him 
in  ettigy  that  night,  with  this  inscription  : 

"  Am  1  tci  luse  my  dinner 
this  uonian  for  to  lumg? 
Come  draw  away  the  cart,  my  Ijoys, 
Don't  stop  to  say  Amen." 

Aflerwai'd  ('oloncl  Brewster  occuiiied  the  house, 
and  titled  it  u]i  for  a  genteel  boarding-place.  It  was 
here  t  hat  Washington,  (hiring  his  visit  to  Portsmouth 
ill  17.s'.i,  was  entertaineil.  'I'he  house  was  destroyed 
in  the  great  lire  ot    IM;;. 

DANIEL  -WEBSTER  HOUSE. 

On  the  opposite  side  ot  Pleasant  Si  i-eel .  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  ('ourt  Slre(M,  where  the  three- 
tenement    house   now   stands,    was  the    residence   of 


A.      SITES   OK   THE    PACKER    AND    I'ENHALI.OW    HOUSES. 
C.      TIBBETTS   HOUSE. 


1!.        GOVERNOR    LANGDON    HOUSE. 
U.      MARK    H.    U'ENTWORTH    HOUSE. 


Daniel  Wel)stcr,  Ix'iiiii-  Ihc  second  (iccin)ied  hy 
him  here.  It  was  totally  destroyed  in  the  great  tire 
of  December,  IfSKJ.  In  Webster's  autobiography, 
written  for  Mrs.  Lee  in  l<S2i),  which  may  be  found 
in  Volume  I  of  "The  Private  CorresiJondcnce  of 
Daniel  Webster,"  published  in  1(S,')7,  he  says:  "In 
December,  181.'},  I  being  in  Washington,  my  house 
was  burned;  my  wife  and  children  had  just  time  to 
escape.  I  had  recently  boLighl  the  house  for  $(!,()()(). 
Its  loss,  with  what  was  burned  in  it,  was  no  small 
matter.  It  was  in  no  jiart  insured.""  In  the  same 
autobiography  he  wrote  :  "  I  li\ed  in  Portsmouth 
nine  years,  wanting  one  month.  Tiicy  were  verv 
happy  years.""  The  house  was  the  same  size  and 
shape  as  the  Rev.  Samuel  Langdon  house,  north  of 
the  Univer.salist  Church. 

( )n  th(>  southeast  corner  of  Court  Street,  for- 
merly stood  the  residence  of 

DEACON  SAMUEL  PENHALLOW. 

Rev.  Dr.  BucUminster  boarded  here  when  he 
began  his  ministry  of  the  North  Church,  in  177il. 
His  life  in  this  house,  and  charming  descrii)tion  of 
the  dwellings  and  home  life  of  Deacon  Penhallow,  of 
Governor  Langdon  and  other  neighbors,  are  detailed 
in  Mrs.  Eliza  Buckminster  Lee"s  memoirs  of  her 
father  and  brother,  published  in  l.S4!l.  In  the  Pen- 
hallow  house,  .lohn  Sullivan,  then  a  mere  office  boy 
for  Matthew  Livermore,  a  noted  lawyer,  pleaded  his 
tirst  case.  The  old  residence  \\'as  moved  in  18(12, 
for  which  see  Deacon  Penhallow  house,  ^Vasllini;ton 
Street. 


THE   OLD  PARSONAGE 

Is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Pleasant  Street,  the 
second  house  south  of  Court  Street.  The  leases  of 
the  thirty-eight  acres  of  upper  glel)e  land,  around 
the  j)owder  house,  were  sold  at  ])ulilic  auction,  in 
five  lots  of  from  eight  to  nine  acres  each,  at  Stood- 
ley's  Tavern,  Octo])er  '21,  1791,  and  the  jtroeeeds 
from  the  sale  were  used  in  part  by  the  North  Parish 
to  build  this  i)arsonage,  which  was  erected  the  ne.\t 
year.  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster  occupied  the  house  for 
eighteen  years,  and  was  jjastor  of  the  North  C'hurch 
for  thirty-three  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
he  succeeded  Rev.  Drs.  Langdon  and  Stiles,  who 
had  successively  removed  to  become  presidents  of 
colleges,  one  of  IIar\ard,  the  other  of  Yale. 

REV.  SAMUEL  LANGDON  HOUSE, 

.^Iso  known  as  the  "J.  K.  Pickering  house,"  and 
now  owned  and  occu|)ied  by  the  great-granddaughter 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Langdon,  is  next  north  of  the  Lniver- 
salist  Church.  It  was  built  by  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel 
Langdon  in  17411,  and  occupied  by  him.  He  was 
cluqilain  of  the  .New  Hami)shire  troojis  at  the  siege 
of  Louisburg  in  1745,  and  i)astor  of  the  North 
Church  from  1747  to  1774,  when  he  was  apjiointed 
president  of  Harvard  College.  He  offered  the 
prayer  for  the  assembled  army  at  Cambridge  Com- 
mon the  night  previous  to  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  died  at  Hampton  Falls,  N.  II.,  in  175)7.  In 
lSi;i  the  house  was  occupied  by  Hon.  John  God- 
dard,  who  had  recently  declined  an  election  to  the 
Cnited  States  Senate.  The  estate  has  never  l)een 
out  of  the  familw 


The  first  parsonage  in  Portsmouth  was  ))iiilt  on 
the  site  of  this  house,  and  adjoininji-  was  erected  the 
first  place  of  worship,  an  Kjiiseopal  chapel,  both 
l)eing  built  about  KiSS.  licv.  Kichard  (iibson 
was  the  first  cleruyinan.  Captain  John  ^lason,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  plantation,  sent  over  for  the 
chapel, — "the  great  Bible,  twelve  service  books,  one 
pewter  ilagon,  one  conmiunion  cu[)  and  cover  of 
silver,  two  fine  ta1)le-cloths  and  two  napkins."  The 
parsonage  was  probably  burned  in  1704,  when  occu- 
pied by  Rev.  Nathaniel  Rogers.  It  was  standing  in 
1657,  when  the  couimittee  was  authorized  to  Ituild 
the  first  Puritan  uieeting-house,  for  in  the  contract 
were  the  words:  "and  repairing  ye  old  nieeting- 
houfeandto  finifh  it  and  fit  it  uj)  for  a  dwelling-honfe 
for  our  niinifter."  The  building  i)asscd  through  re- 
peated changes.  First  it  was  described  as  a  "  })ar- 
sonage  house  with  chapel  attached,"  then  all  of  it  was 
used  for  a  chapel  or  meeting-house  and  afterward 
changed  into  a  dwelling-house  for  the  pastor. 

THE  GOVERNOR  LANGDON  HOUSE. 

The  mansion  opposite  the  I'niversalist  ('iuirch 
was  built  in  1784  by  Governor  .lohn  Langdon,  and 
until  his  death,  in  1819,  was  occupied  by  him.  He 
was,  with  Captain  Pickering,  .lohn  Sullivan  and 
others,  engaged  in  the  seizure  of  the  jiowdcr  at  Fort 
William  and  Mary  in  December,  1774,  a  part  of 
which  his  cousin,  Sanuiel  Langdon,  afterward  con- 
\eyed  to  the  army  at  Camliridgc,  and  which  was 
used  later  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Afterward 
this  same  cousin  Samuel,  in  177.S,  conducted  two 
loads  of  clothino-  to  "Washington's  sufferino-  armv  at 


Valley  Forge,  it  being  a  gift  from  the  inhabitants 
of  Portsmouth. 

Mr.  Langdon  was  chosen  President  of  New 
Hampshire  and  five  times  Governor  of  the  State. 
His  famous  speech  was  made  while  h(^  was  Si^eaker 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  convened  at  Kxeter 
in  1777,  during  a  protracted  and  imjiortant  session 
of  three  days.  He  rose  and  made  the  following 
declaration,  which  will  ever  enshrine  his  memory 
in  the  hearts  of  the  sons  of  Xew  Hampshire:  "I 
have  a  thousand  dollars  in  hard  money :  I  will 
liledge  my  plate  for  three  thousand  more.  I  have 
seventy  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  which  will  l)e 
sold  for  the  most  they  will  bring.  'I'hey  are  at  the 
service  of  the  State.  If  we  succeed  in  defending 
our  firesides  and  our  homes,  I  may  be  remunerated  ; 
if  we  do  not,  then  the  ])ro))erty  will  be  of  no  value 
lo  nie.  Our  friend  Stark,  who  so  nobly  upheld 
the  honor  of  our  State  at  Bunker  Hill,  maybe  safely 
entrusted  with  the  honor  of  the  enterjirise,  and  we 
will  check  the  progress  of  Burgoyne." 

He  was  the  first  President  of  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  there  l)eing  neither  President  nor  Vice- 
President  he  was  for  the  time  Acting  President,  and 
as  such  informed  (ieneral  Washington  of  his  elec- 
tion. In  1812  the  Repulilican  Congressional  Caucus 
offered  him  the  nomination  for  the  office  of  Vice- 
President  of  the  Fiiited  States,  which  he  declined. 
He  entertained  Louis  Philippe  and  his  brothers  at 
this  house ;  and  here  A\'ashington  dined  several 
times  with  Mr.  Langdon,  when  here  in  1789,  and 
recorded  it  as  the  handsomest  house  in  Portsmouth. 
The  carvings  are  fine  specimens  of  the  Corinthian 


order,  and  tli(>  iiitrodiu'tion  of  a  Heur-de-lis  in  tlic 
key.stnno  of  Ihc  urcli  in  tiic  large  iihi'ary  is  a  very 
artistie  and  .siuniticant  feature.  President  Mon- 
roe was  entertained  by  (iovernor  Lanjjfdon  iiere  in 
1817.  'J'iie  iioiise  was  afterward  owned  hy  Mcv. 
Dr.  Burrouglis,  who  was  rector  of  St.  .lolinV  C'hiireii 
for  fort y-tive  years  :  it  is  still  owned  hy  the  I^aiii,^- 
don  family.  The  small  brick  lodjics  in  front  tire  a 
unique  feature  ;  similar  ones  were  in  front  of  his 
brother's  house  l)efore  the  KocUintrliam  was  rebuilt. 
In  17(S2  the  iMar<|uis  de  ( 'hastelleux  wrote:  "After 
dinner  we  went  to  drink  lea  with  Mr.  Lani:()on. 
He  is  a  handsome  man  and  of  noble  carriaue-  His 
house  is  elegant-  and  well  furnishe<l  and  the  apart- 
ments well  wainscoted." 

MARK  H.  WENTWORTH  HOUSE. 

To  the  south  of  the  I^augdon  house  is  the  Mark 
II.  ^Ventwortli  I'esidcnce,  built  the  sami'  _\ear  as  the 
(rovernoi'  Laugdon  house,  by  ('ajitain  Thomas 
Thompson,  who  was  (Uie  of  the  Hrst  na\al  ollicers 
connnissioned  by  the  Continental  ( 'ongress.  His 
connnissjou,  dated  October  1(1,  ITTii,  and  signed  l>\- 
.lohn  IIaneocl<,  is  )ireser\'ed  in  the  home  of  ('aptain 
\\'illiani  L.  Dwight  on  Middle  Street,  lie  com- 
manded the  frigate  "Kalcigh,"  built  at  Portsmouth, 
and  in  178.')  was  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  artillery 
by  ai)pointmeut  of  (iovernor  Langdou.  Among 
the  j)aintings  in  this  house  is  a  ))aslel  jiortrait  of 
Lieutcnant-Ciovernor  dohu  A\'ent worth.  'I"he  lariic 
elm  near  the  street  measures  si\t<'cii  fi'ct  in  circum- 
ference. 

Mark  II.  A\'enl worth  was  of  the  se\enth  gener- 


ation from  Elder  William  Wentworlh,  the  emigrant. 
He  lived  in  this  house  till  his  death,  in  1!H)l',  at  the 
age  of  eighty-eight  years.  The  spot  where  the  liarn 
stands  was  formerly  occupied  by  a  Sandemanian 
meeting-house,  built  in  17t)  I  and  taken  down  twenty 
years  later.  Afterward  the  society  worsliiped  in  a 
room  in  the  brick  schoolhouse  on  State  Street. 
The  poet,  doiiathan  M.  Sewall,  was  a  member  of 
this  church  and  freiiuently  contributed  hymns  of  his 
own  composition.  The  Sandemanian  Society  was 
founded  by  Robert  Sandeman,  and  here  was  organ- 
ized tlie  first  church  of  ('hrist  in  America,  and  it 
was  one  of  three  well-established  Sandemanian 
('hurdles  that  existed  until  1.S20. 

TIBBETTS   HOUSE. 

The  date  of  the  building  of  this  house  is  not 
known,  but  there  is  a  notice  of  its  sale  in  1774  by 
Thomas  .lackson  to  Dr.  Daniel  Peirce,  of  Kiltery, 
when  it  was  described  as  situafed  on  the  street 
"leading  by  Dr.  Sanmel  Haven's  dwelling-house  to 
the  mill-dam,  and  next  to  tlu^  land  of  Daniel  Rog- 
ers." The  land  between  the  Universalis!  ("hurch 
and  the  Til)betts  house  is  still  known  as  the  "Rogers 
ticld."  The  house  was  sold  in  17'.i'.t  to  Captain 
Richard  Salter  Tibbetts,  who  died  in  the  \\'est 
Indies  almul  1.S;'>1.  The  proi>erly  now  is  part  of 
the  .lacob  \Vendell  estate. 

Just   south   of  the  Tibbetts  house  is  the 

JACOB  WENDELL   HOUSE, 

liuilt  in  1  7S!I  by  ,)ei-eniiali  Hill.  It  was  dccupied 
in    1S14    b\-   .lo-hua    llaxiMi,   who   niuii\cd    in    ISld, 


A.      JACOB   WENDELL    HOISE. 
IS.      JOSEPH    HAVEN    HOUSE. 


C.       KEV.    DR.  SA.MUEL    1IA\  HN    ilOlSE    AND    PAKK\     HDISI-;. 


in  which  yciir  it  was  ))urch:iscd  Vty  Jacob  Wendell. 
The  house  was  hcautifuiiy  furni.shed  ]>y  its  new 
owner  with  all  the  ai)i)ointn]ents  of  tiie  time,  toijether 
with  the  Chippendale  furniture  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eiffht  pieces  of  Flemish  cut  glass  imported 
especially  for  its  use,  all  of  which  have  been  pre- 
served and  are  in  its  service  to-day.  It  furnishes 
one  of  the  comparatively  rare  instances  of  an  inter- 
esting collection  of  antiques  which  have  been  well 
kei)t  together,  amid  many  changes,  during  the  pass- 
age of  a  century.  The  old  hall,  wainscoted  waist- 
high,  and  hung  with  the  ancient  tire-buckets  of  the 
Friendly  Fire  Society,  affords  a  marked  example  of 
the  French  architectural  iiiHuence  which  a])iH'aied  so 
strongly  in  the  construction  of  the  colonial  houses 
which  were  ])uilt  immediately  after  the  peace  of 
1783  ;  the  staircase  being  designed  with  an  entreaoJ, 
or  mezzanine  story,  which  speaks  volumes  for  the 
taste  of  the  builders  of  that  early  day  in  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded,  not  alone  for  commodious  access  to 
the  upper  stories,  but  also  for  raising  the  height  of 
the  rooms  there  located.  That  the  original  equip- 
ment of  this  house  should  have  been  retained  so 
largely,  may  well  rank  it  among  the  few  instances  in 
New  Hampshire  in  which  the  s]iirit  of  the  colonial 
day  has  been  retained  almost  in  its  entirety,  rendei"- 
ing  a  visit  to  it  always  a  i)leasant  experience. 

JOSEPH  HAVEN  HOUSE. 

This  house  was  built  by  Joseph  Haven,  son  of 
Dr.  Sanuiel  Haven,  in  1780,  he  living  here  until  his 
death  in  l.S2;i.  The  site  of  this  house  is  where  the 
south  end  i)oi'tion  of  the  town  wished  to  locate  the 


new  meeting-house,  which  was  under  consideration 
and  in  dispute  in  1711,  between  the  north  and  south 
end  residents.  (See  Meeting-house  at  the  South 
Mill-dam.) 

The  old  gambrel-roof  hou.se  at  the  corner  of 
Gates  Street  formerly  stood  on  this  site,  but  at  the 
time  Mr.  Haven  Ijuilt  his  new  residence,  it  was 
moved  up  the  street  to  its  present  location  and 
turned  around,  fronting  on  Pleasant  Street.  The 
history  of  this  ancient  dwelling  is  not  known,  but  it 
is  very  old  :  probably  having  been  built  as  early  as 
17:!0,  and  stood  the  storms  upward  of  two  centuries. 
At  the  ])resent  time  preparations  are  Ijeing  made  to 
demolish  the  old  l)uilding. 

THE  EDWARD  PARRY  HOUSE 

Formerlv  stood  on  the  corner  of  Pleasant  and  Kdward 
Streets,  opposite  the  A^'endell  house.  It  was  moved 
in  1'.IOO  to  the  ^Marginal  Koad,  south  of  the  old 
Court  House.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  lot 
was  vacant  and  was  used  by  Dr.  IIa\en  as  a  place 
for  the  manufacture  of  salti^etre  for  the  army.  This 
house  is  said  to  have  been  l)uilt  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  Kevolution  :  but,  on  a  pane  of  glass  in  the 
house  is  inscrilicd :  "Built  by  Edward  Parry  in 
1800."  On  June  'I'),  1774,  twenty-seven  chests  of 
tea  were  consigned  to  him,  which  caused  almost  as 
much  excitement  here  as  did  the  tea  ships  in  Bos- 
ton ;  but  he  promptly  reshij)ped  them,  untouched, 
to  Halifax.  Another  shipment  of  thirty  chests 
arrived  in  Septeml)er.  The  populace  l)roke  in  the 
windows,  and  Parry  a]i])lietl  to  Governor  Went- 
worth  for  protection,  which  was  given.      The  town 


JACOB   WENDELL   HOUSE. 


CARAFE,   UITH    SHERBL'RNE    ARMS,    1 759. 


DINING    ROOM   AND   HALL. 


SOITH    PARLOR. 


JACOIi   WENDKLL    llOl'SE. 

ENTRESOL,    AND    UPPER    HALL    FROM    THE    ENTRESOL. 


assonililed  tlic  next  day,  and  Parrv  puhlit'ly  declared 
he  Wduld  not  accept  the  consij^nnient,  and  it  also 
^va^s  reshipped  t(i  Halifax.  A\'hcn  he  hiiilt  this 
hou.sc  he  also  constnicted  a  small  fort  on  the  border 
of  the  South  Pond,  near  the  west  end  of  Edward 
Street,  on  the  south  side,  on  which  he  mounted  brass 
cannon  and  a  flag.  He  called  the  i)lace  Fort  Aniile- 
sea ;  it  had  four  jiorts  and  is  prominently  inscril)ed 
in  "  Hale's  Sur\ey  of  Portsuioutli,"  pubiisiicil  in  islo. 

REV.  DR.  SAMUEL  HAVEN  HOUSE 

Formerly  stood  on  the  south  side  of  Pleasant  Street, 
midway  between  Edward  and  Livermore  Streets. 
It  was  built  in  1751  by  Dr.  Samuel  Haven,  who, 
from  17.t2  to  ISOli,  was  pastor  of  the  South  Parish. 
He  died  March  S,  ISOli,  and  his  wife  the  following 
day,  and  both  were  deposited  at  the  same  time  in 
the  tomb  under  the  pulpit.  Under  a  provision  of 
the  will  of  the  descen<lants  of  Dr.  Haven,  upon  the 
death  of  the  last  member  of  the  family,  the  mansion 
Avas  taken  down,  and  the  grounds,  with  the  land  of 
the  Parry  and  Hatch  estates  adjoining,  were  pur- 
chased and  given  to  the  city,  in  \s[)S,  to  be  known 
as  the  "Haven  Park."  >;l"s.()(l()  were  left  for  the 
l)urchase  of  land  and  buildings:  s:^. ()()()  to  put  the 
park  in  order,  and  S."). ()()()  as  a  park  fund. 

GENERAL  FITZ  -  JOHN  PORTER  HOUSE. 

The  house  occupied  by  the  family  of  Albert  K. 
Hatch  was  built  about  1  7;i.T  by  Matthew  Livermore, 
who  came  here  in  1724  to  teach  school.  He  was 
a]i]iointed  King's  Advocate  and  Attorney  General  in 
178(>  of  the  Pi'ovincc  of  New  Ilannishire.      Sauuiel 


Livermore,  a  relative  of  his,  also  lived  here,  who 
was  the  chief  adviser  of  Governor  AVentworth.  He 
was  Attorney  General  in  17()!l,  a  member  of  the 
tirst  Congress,  and  in  17iltl  a  United  States  Senator. 
The  house  formerly  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  on  what  is  now  Haven  Park,  and  Gen- 
eral Fitz-John  Porter  was  born  here  in  August, 
1822.  After  superior  service  in  the  Mexican  ^^'ar, 
he  served  as  ^[ajor  General  of  Volunteers  in  l.sii2, 
when  he  was  court-martialed  and  dismissed  from 
service,  but  after  a  long  contest  was  reinstated  in 
his  rank  in  the  regular  ai'my,  and  placed  on  the 
retired  list  in  18<Sli.  His  stanch  friend,  the  late 
K.  H.  Eddy,  of  Boston,  provided  in  his  will  a  fund 
to  be  used  to  erect  an  e(|uestrian  bronze  statue  of 
(General  Porter  in  Portsmouth,  and  soon  after  the 
General's  death  on  May  21,  IDOl,  the  sum  of  $30,000 
was  received  by  the  city.  In  March  of  the  ensuing 
year,  in  the  administration  of  Mayor  .Tohn  Pender, 
action  was  taken  looking  toward  the  erection  of  the 
proposed  statue,  and  a  committee  was  constituted 
by  the  City  Councils  in  joint  convention,  upon  April 
10th,  charged  with  the  execution  of  the  above 
lie(|uest.  The  tirst  <|uestion  of  importance  to  be 
decided  was  the  selection  of  a  suitable  site  for  the 
pro|)oscd  statue,  this  being  a  subject  which  aroused 
considerable  public  interest.  The  conflicting  claims 
of  Haven  Park,  so-called,  at  the  South  End,  and  of 
Ilaymarket  S(juare,  at  the  intersection  of  Court  and 
Middle  Streets,  were  urged  with  great  persistence, 
but  the  latter  was  finally  ajjproved  May  llith  by 
a  unanimous  vote  of  the  committee.  By  vote  of 
the  committee  at  a  subseiiuent   meetinof,  held  Mav 


A.      C.EN.   PORTKK  AM)  DK.   I'ARKER  HOI  SES. 
C.      OLD  FOWLE  PRINTING  OFFICE. 


HAVEN    I'AKk. 

OLD  PLEASANT  STREET  CEMETERY. 


I'Sth,  it  wa^  >ettlpd  tliat  the  onntraet  for  cxecutinir 
the  l)i-(inze  statue,  to  l)e  plaeed  on  the  i)edestal.  lie 
aw  irded  to  Mr.  James  E.  Kelly,  of  New  York  City, 
and  that  gentleman  accordingly  received  the  com- 
mission, and  the  requisite  lironze  castings  are  at  the 
]iresent  time  in  process  of  construction. 

FIRST  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

In  a  small  wooden  house,  formerly  on  the  south 
side  of  the  street,  in  June.  1818,  was  convened  the 
tirst  Sunday-school  in  Portsmouth,  and  possildy  the 
first  in  the  country.  It  was  a  huilding  which  had 
been  erected  for  the  New  Ilamjjshire  Union  Bank's 
safe,  near  the  corner  of  State  and  Pleasant  Streets. 
after  the  fire  of  1813.  It  was  afterward  removed  to 
"NVentworth  Street,  being  used  as  a  lecture  room  by 
the  South  Parish,  under  Dr.  Parkers  ministry.  Dr. 
Parker  then  lived  in  the  three-story  brick  house  at 
the  end  of  Livermore  Street,  next  the  Porter  house. 
This  building  was  again  moved  from  Wentworth  to 
Livermore  Street,  and  used  as  a  vestry  by  the  chuixh 
adjoining,  and  afterward  it  was  altered  into  a  dwell- 
ing-house by  the  addition  of  a  half-story,  and  again 
moved  to  the  east  side  of  Washington  Street.  This, 
however,  was  not  strictly  speaking  the  first  Sabliath- 
scbool  in  Portsmouth.  In  1803  Mrs.  Amos  Tapjian. 
a  sister  of  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster,  collected  the  nu- 
merous negro  children  in  town  at  her  house  every 
."Sunday,  and,  with  the  aid  of  her  daughters,  gave 
thom  religious  instruction.  This  was  continued  for 
several  years,  and  constituted,  probably,  the  first 
Sabbath-school  in  New  England.  A  Sabbath-school 
was  also  established  in  June,  1818.  in  the  brick  ves- 


try of  the  North  Church,  on  the  west  side  of  Elect 
Street,  between  State  and  Porter  .Streets.  It  was 
afterward  held  in  Jefferson  Hall,  and  included  the 
children  of  the  city,  without  respect  to  denomi- 
nations. Deacon  Amos  Tappan  was  superintendent 
from  18l>«  to  I8i*l. 

PLEASANT  STREET  CEMETERY. 

The  site  of  thi-  ccniftciy  w:i-  deeded  to  the 
town  for  a  burial-jdace  by  Captain  John  Pickering 
in  17.i4.  It  has  not  been  used  for  some  years.  The 
oldest  headstones  were  those  of  two  children  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Haven,  dated  ITiJl,  later  moved  to  the 
South  Cemetery.  Another,  near  the  tomb  on  which 
is  carved  a  skeleton,  has  the  date  1773.  The  nia- 
jority  of  the  stones  were  placed  previous  to  1N(»», 
and  bear  the  names  of  the  Mannings,  Coues,  Salters 
and  Wendells. 

FOWLE'S  PRINTING  OFHCE. 

The  first  printing  otficc  in  New  Hampshire  was 
opened  by  Daniel  Fowie  in  17.')i;.  in  a  wooden  Imild- 
ing  at  the  junction  of  Pleasant.  Washington  and 
Howard  Streets,  where  now  stands  the  residence  t)f 
Mr.  John  E.  Colcord.  Fowle"s  bold  utterance  of 
his  political  ojiinions,  while  a  resident  of  Boston, 
had  offended  the  Massachusetts  authorities,  and 
their  persecution  caused  him  to  come  with  his 
presses  and  printing  materials  to  this  town,  where, 
on  the  7th  of  October,  17.">(>.  he  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  Seir  Hampshire  GuzeKe.  a  weekly 
paper  still  published  here. 


THE   OLD    KOWLE    PRINTING    I'KEBS. 


FOWLE'S  PRINTING  PRESS. 
Until  l.SiitO,  the  first  prcs.s  on  whicli  tlu-  yen- 
IJompt^hlre  (iazettp  was  printed  was  owned  in  tliis 
city.  It  was  of  a  primitive  type,  tlie  bed  l)eing  of 
stone,  and  tlie  impression  given  by  a  wooden  screw, 
operated  by  a  lever  pulled  liy  hand.  The  press 
descended  from  Fowle,  through  several  i)arties,  to 
the  late  Hon.  Frank  W.  Miller,  and  on  the  death  of 
his  widow,  her  sister,  Mrs.  Brooks,  through  Mr. 
Israel  P.  Miller,  attemjjtcd  negotiations  to  present 
it  to  the  New  Hamjishire  Historical  Society  ;  but, 
they  showing  no  visible  interest,  it  was  sold  at 
auction,  and  finally  fell  into  the  possession  of  a  New 
York  jirinting  press  comiiany.  who  exhibited  it  at 
tlio  Coluinbian  Exposition  in  Isi),;. 

GOV.    JOHN  WENTWORTH  HOUSE. 

Built  about  ITtili.  for  the  last  (iovernor  .lolin 
Wentworth,  son  of  ]Mark  Hunking  Went  worth,  and 
nephew  of  Benning  Wentworth.  Governor  Joiin 
Wentwortli  was  born  in  ITot!,  and  received  his  com- 
mission as  (iovernor,  succeeding  Governcu'  Benning 
Wentworth,  in  17(i7.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
lievolution  he  was  the  Royal  Governor,  and  eonse- 
(|uently  defended  the  Crown,  while  at  the  sanu-  time 
his  father  and  uncle  were  active  participants  in  the 
patriot  cause. 

In  177')  a  Royalist  named  Fenton,  a  former 
captain  in  the  English  army,  and  a  recent  member 
of  the  Exeter  convention,  look  refuge  at  the  Gov- 
ernors residence.  A  mob  gatliered  before  the  house, 
and  demanded  tiiat  lie  be  given  up  and  taken  to 
Exeter  for  trial.     Tliis  was  done,  and  the  Governor, 


deeming  this  :in  insult  to  iiiniseit,  left  the  house,  it 
is  said,  from  the  l);tek  way,  througli  his  garden,  to 
the  South  Pond,  where  he  hoarded  a  l)oat  and  was 
taken  to  Fort  William  and  Mary,  where  he  sought 
protection,  while  the  moh  entered  and  ransacked  the 
house.  In  one  of  the  front  rooms  a  i)roken  marble 
chimney-piece  is  yet  to  he  seen  in  its  place,  kept 
there  as  a  memento  of  the  attack.  Goveinor 
Wentworth  afterward  went  to  England,  where  he 
was  created  Baronet,  and  ajijiointed  (iovernoi'  of 
Nova  Scotia  in  17!i:?,  where  lie  died  in  1S:?(I.  The 
family  portraits  of  the  AA'entworths,  hy  C"oj)ley  and 
his  master,  Blackhurn,  are  still  preserved  in  this 
mansion.  His  large  stable  was  o])posite.  on  the 
present  site  of  the  house  of  William  J.  Fraser,  in 
which  he  kept  sixteen  horses  for  family  use. 

As  the  A\'entworth  name  will  frequently  appear 
in  the  following  pages,  it  may  l)e  well  to  locate 
the  jn'ominent  members  of  this  famous  family. 
The  Wentworth  Genealogy,  in  three  large  volumes, 
by  Hon.  John  AVentworth.  of  Chicago.  1.S78,  con- 
tains in  its  index  the  names  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  John  Wentworths,  and  more  than  that 
number  of  "flohns"  with  middle  names.  Five  John 
A\'entworths  resided  at  different  times  in  Ports- 
mouth. Lieutenant-Governor  John  AA'entworth,  of 
the  thii'd  generation  from  the  original  settler.  Elder 
William  Wentworth,  was  born  January  lH,  KiTl, 
and  was  Lieutenant-Governor  in  1717,  until  his 
death  in  17;^().  His  tirst  son,  Benning,  of  the  fourth 
generation,  born  July  ^4,  KilMi,  was  (iovernor  from 
1741  to  17(17,  and"  died  October  14,  1770.  He 
resided  at  Little  Harl)or. 


Governor  John  Wentworth,  of  the  tifth  gener- 
ation, born  in  17o(),  was  the  grandson  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Wentworth,  and  son  of  Mark  Ilunking 
Wentworth,  and  nephew  of  Benning  AVentworth. 
He  was  Governor  from  17()7  to  177.')  and  lived 
in  this  house.  Lieutenant-( iovernor  John  AA^ent- 
wortli"s  second  son  was  Hunking  AA'^entworth,  born 
December  li),  l(!it7.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  at  the  age  of  7.s  years,  and  lived 
on  Congress  Street.  He  died  in  17.S4.  ]Mark  Hunk- 
ing AVentworth,  l)rother  of  Hunking  of  the  fourth 
generation,  was  Ijorn  March  1,  17(j!l,  and  died  in 
17<S.5.  He  lived  on  Daniel  Street.  Mark  Hunking 
Wentworth,  of  the  seventh  generation,  was  born 
in  1813  and  died  in  li)02.  He  lived  on  Pleasant 
Street,  In  the  Captain  Thompson  house.  It  is  some- 
thing remarkable  that  all  of  the  above-named  houses 
are  yet  standing  excejit  that  of  Mark  IIuid\ing 
AVentworth  on  l\iniel  Street,  which  was  removed  to 
give  place  to  the  High  Si'hool  Building. 

SOUTH  MILL  AND  BRIDGE. 

Till'  town  granted  to  the  tirsi  John  Pickering, 
in  lli.")S,  this  mill  ])rivilege,  on  condition  that  he 
should  keep  in  rejiair.  a  bridge  oxer  the  dam,  for 
foot  iiassengers  going  to  church.  AA'hen  tirst  built, 
the  I)ridge  was  but  six  feet  wide.  The  mills  were 
built  at  the  sanie  time  l)y  Mr.  Pickering,  who  came 
here  from  jNIassachusetts  in  1(!;>I),  and  previously 
from  England.  The  mill  property  remained,  until 
17iM).  in  the  family.  In  18.S1  the  city  bought  the 
old  mill  and  i)rivilege  :  the  mill  being  taken  down 
and  a  store  built  on  the  site.  (For  old  meeting- 
house see  churches.) 


GOV.    JOHN    WENTWOKTH    HOUSE. 
TITUS   SALTER   HOUSE. 


Ol-U    SOUTH    MU.L    AND    BRIDGE. 
OLD   STATE   ARSENAL. 


CAPTAIN  TITUS  SALTER  HOUSE. 

This  tine  gtiinlirel-roof  flwellini::  is  .situated  south- 
east of  the  South  ]\Iill-daiii.  on  the  north  side  of 
Salter  Street.  It  was  built  hv  Captain  Titus  Salter 
aliout  174.T,  and,  as  ho  was  married  that  year  to 
Elizabeth  Bickford,  it  is  likely  they  moved  into  the 
new  house  at  that  time.  It  had  extensive  orounds 
and  wharves,  where  vessels  formerly  diseharjied  and 
loaded  their  carooes.  The  little  ganihrel-roof  house 
on  the  ojjjjosite  side  of  the  street  was  ])nilt  by  him 
at  the  same  time  for  his  servants  (])rol)al)ly  slaves). 
Captain  Titus  Salter  was  the  seeond  son  of  the 
immiirrant,  fFohn  Salter,  who  came  here  from  near 
Exeter,  County  Devon,  Eneiand,  about  lil.so.  Caji- 
tain  Salter  eonnnanded  a  eom]iany  of  one  hundred 
and  ci^ihty  men  at  Vini  ^\'asliiiii;ton  at  the  Narrows 
in  1771)  and  i-e-enlisted  in  1777  and  177S.  On  dune 
•2d,  17711,  .loshua  Braekett,  Ilunkinj:-  Wentworlh, 
Jonathan  Warner,  .Tames  Haslett,  Theodore  Atkin- 
son, Eleazer  Russell  and  other  i)rominent  eiti/.en> 
|)etitioned  the  Committee  of  Sufet\'  to  have  the  ship 
"Hampden,"  a  ])rivateer  belonijini;'  to  .John  Lan^- 
don,  (itted  out  and  join  with  Massachusetts  to  resist 
the  British.  Sh(>  was  purchased  by  the  State, 
manned  with  a  erew  of  Portsmouth  seamen  and 
placed  under  command  of  Captain  Titus  Salter. 
Previously  the  "Hampden"  was  conmianded  by  Ca}i- 
tain  Thomas  PickerinL;-,  at  the  lime  he  lost  his  life. 

THE  ROPE -WALKS 

Formerly  extended  eight   hundi-ed  feet  on  the  south- 
ern borders  of  the  South   Pond,  the  main   enti'ance 


to  which  was  through  Johnson's  Court.  In  the 
^\  ar  of  iMli'  the  rope-walk  was  used  for  i)arracks, 
and  in  JNIay,  l.siil,  during  the  administration  of 
Governor  (ioodwin,  the  Seeond  New  Hampshire 
Reg'nient  was  (piartered  here.  It  was  mustered 
into  United  States  service  .Tunc  S,  and  inarched 
from  Portsmouth  .lune  I'd,   ISiil. 

STATE   ARSENAL. 

This  liuilding  was  tonncrly  called  tlie  "(tun 
House."  The  land  on  which  it  stands  was  appro- 
priated i)y  the  town  to  the  State  in  ISOS,  and  the 
Arsenal  erected  to  hold  anununition  and  artillery 
belonging  to  the  government.  The  walls  that  en- 
closed the  yard  have  recently  l)een  taken  down. 

South  of  the  Arsenal  is  the 

HAVEN  SCHOOLHOUSE. 

The  tiist  pulilii'  schoolhouse  built  in  Portsmouth 
stoo<l  about  on  this  spot,  and  was  erected  in  17t)!) 
by  a  vote  of  the  Assembly  in  17(lS  directing  that  a 
free  ProNJnce  school  for  "  righters,  readers  and 
Latiners"  be  established  in  Portsmouth.  Pi'csident 
.John  Ciitt,  in  his  will  of  liiSO,  gave  one  hundred 
pounds  toward  the  erection  of  a  free  school,  and  his 
niece  gave  a  lot  of  land,  in  17O0,  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, spoken  of  elsewhere.  In  1  7;>2  the  schoolhouse 
was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  part  of  the  old 
meeting-house,  which  sat  near  by,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  bell  of  the  old  edifice  was  transferred  here 
and  lint  in  place,  probably  in  the  same  belfry.  (See 
pul)lic  schools. ) 


A        DR.  MITCHELL  HOUSE. 
C.       LANGDON  PARK. 


II.      .SAMTEL  GARDNER  HOL'SE. 
D.      COTTAl.E    HOSI'ITAL. 


DOCTOR  MITCHELL  HOUSE 

Is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Soutii  Sti'cet,  tiie 
tii'st  house  nortlieast  of  Blossom  Street .  'i'iie  date 
of  the  ereetion  of  this  house  is  not  known,  hut  ahout 
IToO  Doetor  Miti'iieii  lived  here,  wlio  had  a  dauiih- 
ter,  Lettiee,  a  l)eautiful  youno-  lady  of  social  promi- 
nence, who  was  betrothed  to  Nathaniel  A\'arner,  son 
of  Daniel  Warner.  Nathaniel,  not  enjoyinji'  good 
health,  made  a  voya<>e  to  Europe.  In  his  absence  a 
younji'  oliieer,  Wyseman  Clagett,  came  to  town,  l)ear- 
ing  the  title  of  Kinsi's  Attorney,  who  created  no 
little  excitement  in  social  circles.  Of  all  the  favored, 
Lettiee  was  the  oliject  of  his  especial  attention. 
Although  Miss  jNIitehell  had  pledged  her  affections  to 
another,  the  eyes  of  the  mother  being  daz/led  by  the 
glitter  of  official  title,  her  persuasion  overcame  the 
l)etter  sentiments  of  her  daughter,  and  in  1759 
Lettiee  Mitchell  lieeanie  j\Ii's.  Wyseman  Clagett. 
Young  Warner  returned,  and  on  learning  the  situa- 
tion he  gradually  declined  and,  it  is  said,  died  of  a 
broken  heart,  while  Lettiee  continued  to  live  an  un- 
hapiiy  life  with  the  choice  of  her  mother,  Wyseman 
Clagett.  They  resided  first  in  the  Hart  house  on 
Daniel  Street,  then  in  the  Leavitt  house  on  King 
Street,  now  Congress  Street. 

SAMUEL  GARDNER  HOUSE, 

On  the  southerly  side  of  South  Street,  south  of  New- 
castle Avenue.  The  descendants  who  occupy  this 
house  do  not  know  the  date  of  its  ereetion.  Peter 
Shoi'es  ]iurchased  this  estate  from  a  Mr.  Nolan  in 
1768.     Sanuiel  Gardner,  a  l)rother  to  Maj(U-  (Gard- 


ner, having  married  Mr.  Shores"  daughter,  came 
here  to  reside,  and  from  him  the  house  derived  its 
name. 

THE  COTTAGE  HOSPITAL. 

The  Ilosjiital  was  tirst  opened  on  January  23, 
lcS84,  in  a  small  house  at  the  lower  end  of  Court 
Street,  donated  for  that  purpose  liy  the  late  George 
Bilbruck.  In  ISJS!)  it  liecame  evident  that  the  house 
was  too  small  for  the  constant  demands  being  made 
upon  it,  and  the  directors  decitled  to  make  an  appeal 
to  their  charital)le  friends  for  assistance,  and  over 
thirty  thousand  dollars  were  eontributetl  to  the  fund, 
enabling  them  to  erect  this  modern  Hospital,  which 
can  comfortably  acconnnodate  thirty  patients.  Dur- 
ing the  tirst  ten  years,  over  thirteen  hundred  persons 
were  cared  for  in  the  new  building.  It  has  a  large 
endowment  fund. 

LANGDON   PARK. 

In  18()7  John  Langdon  Elw\  ii  gave  aliout  five 
acres  of  land,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  the  South 
Mill  Pond,  to  trustees  for  a  pulilic  park,  to  be  laid 
out  as  such  any  time  they  deemed  most  expedient. 
The  Langdon  Park  Association  was  formed  in  1875 
and  reorganized  in  187(;  with  Frank  W.  Miller  as 
chairman,  who  was  energetic  in  securing  and  plant- 
in<>-  over  six  hundred  trees.  The  park  was  opened 
May  25,  187(i,  with  addresses  by  Rev.  James  De- 
Normandie,  Ichal)od Goodwin,  Daniel  Austin,  Charles 
Levi  Woodbury  and  Alfred  Langdon  Elwyn,  a  full 
account  of  which  appears  in  the  pamphlet  published 
by  the  chairman. 


A.      SOL'TH  MILL  I'OND. 


B.      GALLOWS  HILL. 


C.       POND  IN  SOL'TH  CEMEIERV. 


COTTON'S  BURIAL-GROUND 

Is  on  the  south  side  of  Soutli  Street,  near  tlie  south 
end  of  Ricluirds  Avenue.  On  -Uinc  .'),  liiTl,  (iood- 
man  William  Cotton  agreed  with  the  town  to  clear 
and  fence  the  town's  land  which  now  conipi'ises  this 
and  the  adjoinini;-  cemeteries.  After  clearina'  away 
the  trees  and  shrubs,  he  was,  for  twenty  years,  to 
have  the  use  of  it  for  a  pasture.  The  ("otton  Ceme- 
tery was,  in  1721,  enclosed  separately,  the  remain- 
ing land  being  used  as  a  training  field.  There  are 
many  old  tomhstones  here,  the  oldest  legil)le  one 
being  that  of  AValter  Clarkson.  173!l. 

PROPRIETORS'  BURIAL-GROUND. 

Thi-i  tract  was  Ihc  "Trayning  P'ield,"  sn-callcd, 
and  it  was  here  that  Captain  John  Pickering  first 
drilled  his  Puritan  company.  In  1735  Rev.  Mr. 
Shurtleff  was  granted  the  use  of  tiie  property  by  the 
town  for  a  ])asture,  and  it  was  similarly  used  by 
Doctor  Haven  and  other  pastors  of  the  South  Parish. 
When  the  training  field  at  the  Plains  began  to  be 
used,  this  was  abandoned  and  was  left  for  a  pasture, 
wliich  was  known  as  the  "Minister's  Held."  On  llic 
erection  of  tile  Stone  ( 'iuirch,  this  properly  was 
given  to  the  trustees  of  the  charity  fund,  wlio  in 
1830  laid  out  the  "Proprietors"  Buiial-ground," 
this  being  the  tirsi  cemetery  in  the  town  other  than 
the  public  ones. 

The  growth  of  this  i-emetery  i-auscd,  in  1S47, 
the  adjoining  one  known  as  Harmony  (irove  to  be 
laid  out,  and  in  1S71  a  still  furthei'  addition  in  Sag- 
amore   Cemeterw      In    1(S7.t,    when   the    old    (ireen 


Street  ( 'emetery  was  abandon<Ml,  the  remains  found 
there,  including  those  of  President  Cult's  family, 
weri'  carefully  removed  hither,  anil  the  old  stones 
set  up  in  a  central  ))art  of  the  yard.  Legacies  for 
the  perpetual  care  of  lots  in  these  cemeteries  are 
entrusted  to  "The  Socie(\-  for  the  Care  of  the  South 
Cemetery,"  incorporaled  in  l.s'.t7.  The  trustees 
serve  without  pay,  and  any  excess  oi  incdine  from 
the  invested  funds  is  expended  in  iinjiniving  the 
walks  and  grounds. 

Here,  on  the  highest  part  of  the  ground  in 
PropriefiM's'  Burial-ground,  on  Deccnilier  .'lO,  17(>S, 
was  enacted  a  tragedy,  when  an  unfortunate  girl, 
Ruth  Blay.  of  Soutii  Hamjiton,  was  hung  for  the 
alleged  concealment  of  the  birth  of  a  child.  Foi'  this 
offense  the  Knglish  law  prescribed  the  i»'nalty  of 
death,  and  this  lilood-writteu  law  was  not  rcjieaiccl, 
even  in  this  State,  until  17'.li'.  The  execution  was  a 
most  pathetic  scene,  a  thousand  s|)ectators  witnessing 
the  tragic  act.  as  the  ])oor  misguided  girl,  (li-ess<'d  in 
silks,  moaning  and  shrieking,  was  drawn  in  a  cart 
un<ler  the  gallows  to  her  doom.  Much  sympathy 
had  been  aroused  foi-  the  yuung  woman,  her  Iricnds 
having  intercepted  and  iinicui-cd  a  reprieve  from 
the  (io\crn(U',  which  would  liaxc  later  resulted  in  a 
)iardon,  as  circannstances  afterward  showed  that  her 
child  was  still-born.  Sheriff  Packer  refused  to  stay 
the  execution,  it  is  said,  because  he  did  not  wish 
to  be  late  to  his  dinner.  Hardly  liad  life  become 
extinct  when  the  rejiriexc  arii\ed,  and  the  indig- 
nation of  the  jiojndace  was  such  that  they  gathered 
around  his  house  that  evening  and  hanged  Sheriff 
Packer  in  eifiav-      This  was  the  fourth  and  last  exe- 


A.       ULIJ  CI  TT  TOMBS,   FKOll  GREEN  STREET  GROl'NUS. 
U-C-D-E-F.      HARMONY  GROX'E  AND  SAGAMORE  CEMETERIES. 


oution  in  Portsmouth.  In  the  "Kaiiil)lc8"  is  inili- 
lished  a  poem  by  Albert  Laighton  on  the  Kuth  Blay 
tragedy.  Tlie  view  of  Proprietors"  Burial-ground 
titled  "Gallows  Hill"  is  the  place  where  Kuth  Blay 
was  killed  ;  the  gallows  standing  near  the  centre  of 
that  ]iortion  represented  by  this  picture.  The  view 
beside  it  shows  jiart  of  the  pond,  on  the  north  side 
of  which  Kuth  was  l)uricd,  and  it  is  said  to  have 
I)ecn  the  first  interment  made  in  this  cemetery. 

GOV.  BENNING  WENTWORTH  MANSION. 

Turning  easterly  around  the  Sagamore  Ceme- 
tery into  Little  Ilarljor  Koad,  and  about  half  a  mile 
beyond,  at  its  terminus,  is  the  Governor  Bennins 
AVentworth  mansion.  Longfellow,  in  "Lady  Went- 
worth,"  in  "Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn,"  pictures  the 
house : 

"  It  was  a  pleasant  mansion,  an  abode 
Near  and  yet  hidden  from  the  great  high-road, 
Sequestered  among  trees,  a  noble  pile, 
Baronial  and  colonial  in  its  style. 
Within,  unwonted  splendors  met  the  eye, 
Panels  and  Hoors  of  oak,  and  tapestry  ; 
Carved  chimney-pieces,  where  on  brazen  dogs 
Reveled  and  roared  the  Christmas  tires  of  logs  ; 
Doors  opening  into  darkness  unawares, 
Mysterious  passages,  and  flights  of  stairs  ; 
And  on  the  walls,  in  heavy  gilded  frames. 
The  ancestral  Wentworths  with  Old-Scripture  names." 

This  house  was  l)uilt  in  1750  by  Benning 
Wentworth  while  he  was  Governor  ;  having  been 
appointed  at  the  time  of  the  final  separation  of  this 
State  from  Massachusetts,  in  1741,  and  held  his 
commission  until  17()7,  at  which  time,  after  a  rather 
turbulent  administration,  he  was  succeeded  h\  his 


nephew,  John  Wentworth.  In  17.T!t,  after  he  had 
lost  all  of  his  children,  his  wife  died,  and  he  was  left 
alone  ;  l)ut  was  soon  after  married,  quite  romantic- 
ally, to  his  housemaid,  Martha  Hilton,  the  heroine 
in  Longfellow's  poem  of  "Lady  Wentworth."  They 
had  two  sons,  l)oth  dying  in  infancy  :  and  after  the 
Governors  death,  in  1770,  the  entire  estate  came 
into  the  possession  of  his  widow,  who  soon  after 
married  ^Michael  Wentworth,  a  retired  colonel  in  the 
English  Army,  who  was  not  related  to  the  Governor. 
They  had  one  daughter,  Martha  Wentworth,  who  in 
1802  married  John  AVentworth,  son  of  Thomas  and 
grandson  of  Alark  Hunking  AVentworth.  He  was 
educated  in  England,  and  there  wrote  a  treatise  on 
law,  for  which  he  was  appointed b}'  England,  Attorney 
General  of  Prince  Edward's  Island,  afterward  mov- 
ing to  Portsmouth  (his  native  town)  and  estal)]ishing 
himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was 
sometimes  called  "Sir  .Tohn,"  but  he  was  not  knighted. 
At  the  time  of  their  marriage  they  went  to  reside  at 
the  old  mansion  with  her  mother,  then  a  widow  ; 
Colonel  Wentworth,  her  second  husband,  having 
died  suddenly  in  New  York  in  179.T.  Martha,  the 
mother,  died  in  LSO.t  in  this  mansion.  John  and 
his  wife  continued  to  reside  here  until  LSlli,  when 
they  went  to  England,  and  some  time  after,  while 
on  a  visit  to  Paris,  he  died.  His  widow  returned 
to  London,  where  she  lived  with  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter until  her  death,  in  1851. 

President  AVashington,  when  in  Portsmouth  in 
1789,  visited  this  old  mansion,  on  his  retnrn  from  a 
fishing  trip  down  the  river,  and  was  highly  enter- 
tained with  the  hospitality  characteristic  of  Colonel 


Wentworth  and  his  lady,  then  residing  lierc.  The 
house  contains  forly-tive  rooms,  although  originally 
it  had  fifty-two. 

The  historic  edifice  still  retains  the  most  of  its 
colonial  features.  As  you  approach  the  entrance  to 
the  hall  of  the  Council  Chamber,  a  large  heavy 
door,  with  its  massive  hinges,  is  before  you.  Upon 
opening  it  you  observe  an  old  wooden  lock  of  mam- 
moth size.  In  the  hallway  is  a  short  flight  of  stairs 
leading  to  the  ancient  parlor ;  at  your  right  you 
enter  the  Council  Chamber ;  immediately  on  your 
left  will  be  seen  the  fireplace,  surrounded  by  its 
handsome  antique  mantel,  carved  ))y  hand,  Ijcfore 
which  the  Governor  stood,  with  Martlia  Milton  at  his 
side,  to  be  united  in  marriage  to  his  housemaid  by 
the  Rev.  Arthur  Browne,  nearly  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago.  Beyond,  in  the  corner  is  an  old 
gun-rack,  containing  twelve  ancient  muskets  of  the 
flint-lock  pattern,  still  in  their  places,  with  the  bay- 
onets yet  affixed  ;  in  the  oi)posite  corner  are  twelve 
more,  between  which  is  the  old  famil}^  spinet,  which 
responded  to  the  fingers'  touch  and  made  merry  the 
hearts  of  long  ago. 

The  Council  Chaml)er  is  high  and  airy,  and 
quite  richly  finished  and  imposing  in  its  general 
appearance.  It  was  in  this  room,  that  the  Governor 
and  his  Council  met  for  their  deliberations  on  im- 
portant questions  of  State,  for  many  years.  The 
opposite  entrance  leads  to  the  billiard  room,  but  the 
quaint  old  tal)le  is  not  there :  yet  there  are  many 
interesting  relics  to  be  seen.  In  the  parlor  and 
other  rooms  are  many  curious  antiquities  and  inter- 
esting portraits,  including  one  by  Cople}^  of  Dorothy 


Quincy,  afterward  Madam  Hancock.  The  cellars 
are  mainly  in  their  original  shape,  except  the  stalls 
for  the  Governor's  hirge  trooj)  of  thirty  horses, 
which  were  placed  there  for  use  in  times  of  danger, 
have  been  removed ;  but  the  walls  remain  the 
same,  and  nearly  everything  throughout  the  archi- 
tecture and  finish  of  this,  the  most  historic  and 
widely  known  of  Portsmouth's  nudtitude  of  colonial 
houses,  yet  remains  in  its  original  state.  In  1817 
the  property  was  purchased  by  Charles  Gushing,  but 
is  now  owned  and  occupied  as  a  summer  residence 
by  J.  Templeman  Coolidge,  Jr. 

MARCY  STREET. 

Returning  to  the  South  ^lill  Bridge,  thence  you 
will  be  conducted  through  ]Marcy,  V\'ater,  Court, 
^Vashington,  Daniel  and  State  Streets  to  the  Post 
Office,  and  from  there  to  points  west.  This  street, 
from  Liberty  Bridge  to  Pleasant  Street,  was  form- 
erly a  ]iart  of  AVater  Street,  the  change  being  made 
in  memory  of  Hon.  Daniel  Marcy,  who  had  a  ship- 
yard east  of  this  street,  and  there  built  a  large  num- 
ber of  vessels.  In  I860  he  was  elected  a  Repre- 
sentative to  Congress  from  this  district. 

At  the  corner  of  Marcy  and  South  Mill  Streets, 
facing  the  bridge,  is  the  three-stoiy  Morrill  house, 
which  stands  on  the  site  of  the  dwelling  of 

CAPTAIN  THOMAS  PICKERING, 

AVho  was  one  of  the  most  active  and  fearless  of 
Portsmouth's  patriots  during  the  Revolution.  It 
was  he  who,  in  company  with  John  Sullivan,  John 
Langdon  and  others,  on  the  night  of  December  15, 


A.      SOUTH    BRIDGE,    MOKRII.I.    HOUSE    I  ^i    DISTANCE. 
C.      FERNALD   HOUSE. 


H.   LEAR  HOUSE. 

D.   GARDNER  HOUSE 


1774,  surprised  and  captured  Fort  "William  and 
Mary,  carrying  away  one  hundred  barrels  of  pow- 
der, with  a  large  quantity  of  small  arms  and  numi- 
tions,  the  next  day  removing  all  the  smaller  cannon 
possible  of  conveyance  from  the  fort  :  distinguishing 
themselves  not  only  with  the  glory  of  l)eing  the 
tirst  who  forcibly  took  possession  of  British  prop- 
ei'ty  in  the  Kevolutionary  "War,  but  the  satisfaction 
of  securing  for  the  patriot  cause  the  large  amount 
of  powder  and  annuunition,  which  was  so  effectively 
used  soon  after,  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He 
was  prominent  in  capturing  a  proxision  barge  be- 
longing to  the  "Scarborough,"  man-of-war.  and  also 
in  boarding  the  British  ship,  "Prince  George," 
capturing  her,  with  nearly  two  thousand  barrels 
of  dour ;  seventeen  hundred  of  which  were  sent 
to  Washington's  army  in  Cambridge,  three  hundred 
barrels  being  reserved,  with  Washington's  consent, 
for  the  use  of  Portsmouth.  Afterward  Captain 
Pickering  had  command  of  the  "Hampden."  a 
twenty-gun  vessel,  and  while  engaged  in  a  hotly 
contested  battle  near  Annapolis,  Xova  Scotia,  with 
a  much  larger  British  ship,  was  killed,  ]\Iarch,  177!l. 
Pickering  Street,  running  to  the  river  from  ^larcy 
Street,  was  named  for  him. 

The  second  street  from  South  ]\Iill  Street,  on 
the  east  side  of  Marcy,  is  Hunking  Street,  situated 
on  the  north  side  of  which  is  the 

LEAR  HOUSE, 

Marked  with  a  bronze  tablet.  It  was  here  that 
Tobias  Lear,  who  was  private  secretary  to  General 
Washing-ton  for  sixteen  years,  was  born,  in  1760. 


In  Washington's  diary,  under  date  of  Tuesday, 
November  3,  1789,  he  wrote  :  "I  called  upon  Pres- 
ident Sullivan  and  ^Nlrs.  Lear."  ]Mrs.  Lear  was  the 
step-mother  of  his  secretary  and  occupied  this  house 
with  Sanuiel  .Storer,  who  had  married  Lear's  sister. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  late  Admiral  George 
AVashington  Storer,  who  was  a  baby  at  the  time  and 
received  AVashington's  blessing.  Lear  served  as 
secretary  until  Washington's  death.  Afterward  he 
was  Consul-Cicncral  at  San  Domingo  and  Tripoli  in 
1804.  Mr.  Lear  had  tiiree  wives,  the  tirst  being 
Mary  Long,  of  Portsmouth  :  his  second  was  Mrs. 
Ball,  a  niece  of  General  AVashington,  the  thii"d 
l)eing  Miss  Fanny  I).  Henly.  a  niece  of  Martha 
AVashington. 

THE  FERNALD  HOUSE 

Is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Howard  and  Alanning 
Streets,  nearly  opjjosite  the  ward  room.  Built  by 
Samuel  Frost  in  llni.  Captain  Nichols,  the  father 
of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Nichols,  of  Portland,  owned  it 
at  the  time  of  the  Uevolution.  Cajitain  Daniel  Fer- 
nald,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Cajitain  Nichols, 
took  the  house  in  1788  and  lived  here  until  his 
death,  in  18()6,  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight  years, 
three  and  one-half  months.  To  him  Charles  AV. 
Brewster  was  indel)ted  for  the  details  of  many  inter- 
esting "Rambles." 

THE  GARDNER  HOUSE. 

Situated  on  the  corner  of  Alechanic  and  Gard- 
ner Streets,  facing  the  river,  is  the  Gardner  house, 
which  was  built  about  1760  bv  ]\Iadam  jSIark  Hunk- 


A.      SEWAI.L    HOUSE. 
C.      MANNINC.    HOVSE. 


11.      THE    FIRST  WENTWORTH    HOUSE. 
D.       I'GINT   OF   GRAVES. 


ing  Went  worth,  for  her  son  Thomas,  who  died  here 
in  1708.  After  liein<>-  occupied  during  the  Kevohi- 
tion  by  the  Nichols  brothers,  it  was  purchased  in 
1792  by  Maj.  ^^'iIliam  Gardner,  who  removed  liithcr 
from  the  gaml)rel-roof  iiouse  on  State  Street.  He 
was  born  in  1751,  and  was  a  prominent  patriot, 
holding  the  position  of  Commissary  for  the  Revolu- 
tionary Army,  in  which  otlice  he  lost  nearly  all  his 
property.  He  lived  here  until  his  death,  in  1833. 
The  interior  of  the  building  is  a  striking  example  of 
old-time  architecture,  with  its  large  hall  and  stairwaj". 
The  woodwork  of  the  corridor  is  profusely  orna- 
mented with  hand  carvings  of  the  Corinthian  pattern, 
as  well  as  are  the  front  rooms  of  the  mansion.  In 
the  yard  is  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  linden  tree 
in  the  State,  it  now  being  fifteen  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  was  planted  by  the  Wentworths  at  the 
time  the  house  was  built.  The  dwelling  which  for- 
merly arched  Gardner  Street  was  built  by  IMajor 
Gardner,  and  after  the  war,  the  room  over  the  arch 
was  occupied  l)y  him  as  a  United  States  loan  office. 

JONATHAN  M.  SEWALL  HOUSE. 

On  the  south  side  of  Gates  Street,  the  first 
house  from  Washington  Street  is  the  dwelling 
occupied  until  1808  b}'  Lawyer  Sewall,  whose  songs 
were  so  famous  daring  the  Revolutionary  War.  His 
"^Miscellaneous  Poems,"  jiu1)lishcd  in  Portsmouth  by 
William  Treadwell  &  Company,  in  ISOI,  is  a  rare 
book  of  304  pages.  In  his  "Epilogue  to  Cato," 
written  in  1778,  appeared  the  oft-quoted  couplet : 

"  No  pent-up  Utica  contracts  your  powers, 
But  the  whole  boundless  continent  is  yours." 


He  was  the  writer  of  that  stirring  song  of  the  Rev- 
olution, entitled  "War  and  Washington,"  which  was 
sung  in  every  cam])  throughout  the  country.  He 
wrote  numberless  epitajihs,  among  them  1)eing  one 
on  the  death  of  Dr.  Hall  Jackson,  who  died  in  1797. 

"To  heal  disease,  to  calm  the  widow's  sigh, 
And  wipe  the  tear  from  Poverty's  svvol'n  eye 
Was  thine  !  but  ah  !  that  skill  on  others  shown, 
Tho'  life  to  them,  could  not  preserve  thy  own. 
Yet  still  thou  liv'st  in  many  a  grateful  breast, 
And  deeds  like  thine  enthrone  thee  with  the  blest." 

James  T.  Fields,  noted  as  a  poet,  author  and 
pul)lisher,  was  born  and  lived  in  the  house,  number 
12,  on  the  north  side  of  Gates  Street,  nearly  oppo- 
site the  Sewall  house. 

THE  MANNING  HOUSE 

Is  on  the  southerly  corner  of  Planning  and  Water 
Streets,  near  Liberty  Bridge.  Before  and  during 
the  Revolution  it  was  the  residence  of  Capt.  Thomas 
Manning,  who,  .standing  on  the  west  steps  of  the 
State  Iiouse  on  the  Parade,  made  the  hi.storic  decla- 
ration which  changed  the  name  of  King  Street  to 
Congress  Street.  He  was  very  active  during  the 
Revolutionary  period,  and  being  rich  he  contributed 
liberally  to  the  cause  of  his  countiy. 

On  the  bend  of  Manning  Street,  fronting 
toward  Water  Street,  is  the 

FIRST  WENTWORTH  HOUSE, 

Probably  the  oldest  dwelling,  except  the  Jackson 
house,  in  Portsmouth.  It  was  built  previous  to 
1(570.  The  first  settler  by  the  name  of  Wentworth 
in    the    town    was    Samuel,    who    settled    at   Xew 


Ol.U    TUMIlSTONliS,    POINT   OF   GRAN'ES. 


OLD   TOMBSTONES,    POINT   OF   GRA\  ES   AND    PLEASANT   ST. 


Castle.  On  May  3,  l(i70,  tlie  town  records  state 
that  the  selectmen  granted  "  unto  Sanuiol  AVent- 
worth  lihertie  to  entertain  strangers  and  to  sell  and 
brew  beare  as  the  law  allows."  The  si/e  of  this 
house  would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  was  built  as  a 
public  house.  His  son  John,  afterward  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  the  Province,  was  probably  born  here, 
in  ll!71.  He  lived  in  this  house  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  in  KUlo  ;  and  his  son  Benning,  afterward 
Governor,  was  l)orn  here,  in  KUH),  as  well  as  fifteen 
other  children.  The  house  is  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  Its  chimney  measures  thirteen  feet 
by  ten  feet  at  its  base,  and  the  beams  are  twelve  I)y 
eighteen  inches.  Some  of  the  wainscot  panels  are  of 
clear  pine  thirty-eight  inches  in  width.  The  house 
is  now  owned  by  descendants  of  Governor  Vaughan, 
the  predecessor  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Wentworth. 

POINT  OF  GRAVES  BURIAL-GROUND. 

('aptain  .John  Pickering,  :^d,  in  Marrii,  KiTl, 
agreed  that  the  town  should  "have  full  liberty  to 
enclose  about  half  an  acre  upon  the  neck  of  land  on 
which  he  livcth,  where  the  people  have  been  wont  to 
l)e  buried,  which  land  shall  be  impropriated  forever 
unto  the  use  of  a  burial-place."  Previously  Captain 
Pickering's  father  had  l)een  buried  here.  The  oldest 
stone  now  legible  is  dated  1().S2.  The  stones  record 
the  names  of  several  prominent  families,  including 
the  Wentworths,  the  Rogers,  jNIeserves,  Lears  and 
Vaughans ;  the  tonil)  of  the  latter  being  located  on 
the  extreme  westerly  side  of  the  ground.  In  the 
primitive  days  of  Portsmouth,  in  this  locality  was 
conducted  the  business  of  the  town. 


LIBERTY  BRIDGE. 

The  town  in  1731  gave  permission  to  a  number 
of  ))crsons  who  l)uilt  a  bridge  over  the  cove  at  their 
own  expense,  to  be  maintained  by  them.  It  was  called 
"Swing  Bridge"  from  its  having  a  hoist  or  draw  to 
let  the  A-essels  pass,  which  Canoe  Bridge,  farther  up 
the  dock,  had  not.  The  name  of  the  bridge  was 
changed  January  it,  17()l).  On  that  day  George 
Meserve,  the  stamp  agent  for  New  Hampshire,  ujion 
demand  of  the  patriot  hosts  then  assembled,  the 
leaders  of  which  were  (Japtain  Thomas  ^Manning, 
John  Davenport,  George  Gains,  and  others,  sur- 
rendered his  commission  to  them,  they  carrying  it 
through  the  streets  on  the  point  of  a  sword  to  this 
bridge,  and  there,  amid  tumultuous  acclaim,  at- 
tempted its  destruction,  l)ut  on  mature  deliberation 
decided  that  it  would  be  more  effective  on  the  Crown 
to  retui'n  it  to  England,  which  later  was  done,  as  re- 
lated elsewhere  (see  Meserve-Webster  house).  The 
flag  which  they  carried  on  this  occasion  bore  the  in- 
scription, "Liberty,  Property  and  no  Stamp,"  and 
was  here  flung  to  the  breeze  upon  a  flagstaff  erected 
for  the  occasion,  and  the  place  christened  "Liberty 
Bridge."  The  present  flagstaff,  bearing  a  shield 
inscribed  with  the  motto  of  the  flrst  flag,  stands  on 
the  same  sjiot  as  the  original ;  the  flag  being  placed 
at  half-mast  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  of  any  of  the 
contributors  to  the  former  and  jirescnt  flagstaffs  and 
flags.  A  new  pole  was  erected  July  4,  1821:,  and 
remained  until  1899.  The  subscription  papers  for 
the  poles  of  1824  and  1899,  for  repairs  in  1872  and 
for  numerous  flags,  are  preserved  l)y  the  "custodian 
of  the  flao;." 


A.      PUDDLE   DOCK   AND    LIliERTV   liRIDGE. 

C.      SITE  OF  GREAT  HOUSE   ON  LEFT,  AND  COURT  STREET. 


M  \KCV   STREET   AND   LIBERTY    URIDC 
PART   OF   OLD   STATE   HOUSE. 


THE  GREAT  HOUSE 
Formerly  stood  on  the  southerly  corner  of  Court 
and  Water  Streets.  Humphrey  C'hadhorne,  who 
was  sent  over  by  John  Mason  in  l(iol,  with  about 
fifty  emigrants,  came  three  miles  farther  uji  the 
river  from  the  little  settlement  at  Odiorne's  Point, 
then  called  Pannaway,  and  liuilt  this,  the  first  ])uild- 
ing  of  any  importance  in  what  is  now  Portsmouth. 
The  land  extending  over  Church  Ilill  was  covered 
with  strawberry  A'ines,  which  gave  the  name  "Straw- 
berry Bank"  to  the  locality.  The  farm  connected 
with  the  Great  house  covered  one  thousand  acres. 
The  Great  house  was  occupied  l)y  Thomas  Warner- 
ton  until  1644,  then  for  two  years  by  Sam])son  Lane, 
and  afterward  by  Richard  Cutt,  from  lli47  until  his 
death  in  l(i7().  After  that  date  his  brother  Kobeit 
lived  in  the  house,  which  remained  in  the  Cutt  family 
until  it  fell  in  ruins.  The  place  was  called  "Straw- 
berry Bank"  until  llif);l,  when  on  petition  of  the 
inhabitants,  then  numbering  tifty  or  sixty  families, 
the  name  of  "Portsmouth"  was  adoi)ted,  in  honor  of 
John  Mason,  the  promoter  of  the  colony,  who  lived 
in  Portsmouth,  in  English  Ilanipshirc. 

COURT  STREET. 

Court  Street  extends  westei'ly  from  Water 
Street  to  ]\Iiddle  Street.  Al)out  midway  between 
Water  and  Atkinson  Streets,  on  the  northerly  side, 
is  a  two-story  frame  house,  with  a  dormer  window, 
which  formerly  was  a  part  of  the  OiJ>  State  House, 
removed  from  the  Parade  to  this  location  in  the 
latter  part  of  183(i,  and  converted  into  a  dwelling 
(see  Old  State  House).     Court  Street,  from  Water 


to  Pleasant,  was  formerly  called  Pitt  Street.  From 
Pleasant  to  Middle  Street  it  was  called  Low  Street, 
and  afterward  Jaffrey  Street. 

On  the  southwest  corner  of  Court  and  Atkinson 
Streets  is  the 

WILLIAM  PITT  TAVERN. 

The  bronze  tablet  on  this  house  states  that  it 
was  "erected  in  1770"  ;  but  we  think  this  an  histor- 
ical error,  inasmuch  as  this  lot  of  land  was  purchased 
by  -John  Stavers  of  Hon.  Theodore  Atkinson  in 
17()5,  and  on  March  31,  17(58,  St.  John's  Lodge  of 
Masons  voted  to  move  to  the  "Earl  of  Halifax  Tav- 
ern," which  is  conclusive  that  it  was  built  previous 
to  that  date,  probably  in  17(i7.  At  first  it  was 
called  the  "Earl  of  Halifax  Tavern,"  the  sign  having 
been  l)rought  from  the  old  tavern  on  State  Street, 
and  was  the  principal  hotel  in  the  town.  During 
the  early  pail  of  the  Kevolution,  this  place  was  the 
chief  resort  of  the  Tor\'  party.  The  patriots  kept  a 
jealous  eye  on  the  house,  and  suspecting  all  was  not 
right,  made  an  attack  upon  it  in  1777,  and  much 
injured  it.  Afterward  it  was  repaired  and  the  sign 
changed  to  "William  Pitt,"  in  honor  of  the  English 
commoner  and  defender  of  the  colonists'  rights.  The 
not  altogether  kind  treatment  which  Mr.  Stavers,  the 
landlord,  i-eceived,  convinced  him  of  his  error,  and  he 
afterward  became  an  earnest  supi)orter  of  the  cause 
of  his  country,  and  often  entertained  the  officers  and 
leaders  of  the  Kevolution  at  his  house.  John  Han- 
cock, whose  bold  autograph  stands  out  in  audacious 
relief,  P^lbridge  Gerry,  Edward  Rutlcdge  and  many 
others,  who  inscribed  their  names  on  that  immortal 


A.      I'NDERWOOD   HOUSE. 
C.      BAILEV    HOUSE. 


B.      WILLIAM  PITT   TAVERN. 
D.      CHASE   HOUSE. 


doeiiiiient,  the  Declination  of  IndepeiHlence,  have 
lieeii  i£U('^ts  at  tliis  lioiise  ;  as  also  was  fieiieral  Knox 
a  trc(|uent  visitor.  Lafayette,  when  here  in  17cS2, 
stopped  at  this  tavern ;  and  here,  too,  the  three 
sons  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Louis  Phillippc  and 
his  two  brothers,  called  while  on  a  visit  during  the 
French  Revolution.  In  this  house,  on  November  4, 
1789,  the  noblest  guest  of  them  all,  the  foremost 
American,  George  Washington,  Pi-esident  of  the 
United  States,  came,  and  entering  these  ])ortals,  where 
Governor  John  Sullivan,  his  Council  and  other  nota- 
bles had  assembled,  paid  them  his  last  comi)liinents 
before  taking  his  departure  from  the  town  and  State. 
L^jion  the  organization  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Masons  in  New  Hampshire,  on  July  8,  17ilO,  by  St. 
John's  and  St.  Patrick's  Lodges,  of  Portsmouth,  and 
Rising  Sun  Lodge,  of  Keene,  their  meetings  were 
held  in  the  lodge  room  in  the  third  story,  at  "Brother 
John  Stavers,"  and  General  John  Sullivan  was 
installed  Grand  Master.  When  the  house  was  re- 
modeled recently,  there  was  found  in  the  partitions 
in  the  third  story  a  substance  resem))ling  bran, 
placed  there  presumably  to  prevent  sounds  coming 
from  the  lodge  room. 

UNDERWOOD  HOUSE, 

Situated  opposite  the  A\''illiam  Pitt  Tavern.  John 
Underwood,  who  married  a  sister  of  Margery  Bray, 
who  lived  in  the  oldest  house  in  Kittery,  moved 
here  and  built  this  house  about  1700.  The  house 
yet  remains  in  possession  of  some  of  the  Under- 
wood descendants.  It  was  in  this  house  that  the 
Roman    Catholic    people  held    some    of    their    tirst 


meetings,  pre\ious  to  their  having  any  established 
])lace  of  worship  or  church. 

ATKINSON  HOUSE. 

To  the  westward  of  the  Underwood  house  is 
the  site  of  the  mansion  which  was  built  about  1734, 
and  occupied  l)y  Theodore  Atkinson,  2d,  .Secretary 
of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire.  The  house 
was  elaltorately  furnished,  and  the  grounds  included 
nearly  the  entire  neighborhood.  It  was  patterned 
after  the  Pepperrell  house  at  Kittery.  Mr.  Atkin- 
son was  a  man  of  great  wealth,  and  at  his  death  left 
a  legacy  of  $1,000  to  St.  John's  Church,  the  income 
to  be  used  in  dispensing  bread  to  the  poor,  a  prac- 
tice that  is  still  followed. 

In  addition  to  his  duties  as  Secretary  of  the 
Province,  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Colonial  Con- 
gress held  at  Albany  in  1754,  and  also  held  the 
position  of  Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
Judicature.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Theodore 
Atkinson,  Jr.,  who  died  October  28,  17Gy,  and  was 
buried  with  stately  honors  and  imposing  ceremonies. 
Two  weeks  later,  on  November  11th,  his  widow  was 
married  to  her  cousin,  Governor  John  Wentworth, 
for  whom  she  had  entertained  an  affection  in  early 
life. 

The  Corinthian  cajiitals  from  the  Atkinson  and 
the  Deacon  Penhallow  houses  are  in  the  possession 
of  William  W.  Cotton,  of  this  city. 

THE  BAILEY  HOUSE. 

The  dwelling  west  of  the  William  Pitt  Tavern 
was   the    residence    of  Thomas  D.  Bailey    and  the 


boyhood  home  of  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich.  The 
house  and  neifjhborhood  were  the  scenes  of  many  of 
the  doings  of  the  "Imd  hoy,  who  was  not  such  a  bad 
boy  after  all."  In  January,  1877,  a  societ}'  was 
formed  for  the  l)enetit  of  or|ihan  and  destitute  chil- 
dren, and  this  house  was  obtained  for  their  accom- 
modation. The  owner,  George  Bilbruck,  afterward 
gave  it  to  the  society,  which  was  incorporated  in 
1879.  After  the  removal  to  the  Chase  Home,  the 
Bailey  house  was  used  as  a  liospital  until  the  erec- 
tion of  their  modern  structure  on  the  eminence  over- 
looking the  South  ]Mill  Pond. 

THE  CHASE  HOME  FOR  CHILDREN 

Is  situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Court  and 
Washington  Streets,  and  was  built  about  1730.  It 
was  given  to  the  society  by  George  B.  Chase,  of 
New  York,  in  1881.  In"  November,"  1883,  the  chil- 
dren were  transferred  to  their  new  abode,  which  had 
been  fitted  for  their  use  l)y  the  further  generosity  of 
Mr.  Chase.  Turning  south  around  the  Chase  Home 
into  Washington  Street  is 

THE  HUTCHINGS  HOUSE. 

This  ancient-looking  dwelling  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  street,  opposite  the  Salter  house. 
The  date  of  its  erection  is  not  known.  It  has  two 
fronts,  one  facing  Canoe  Bridge,  with  the  door 
opening  into  a  small  garden,  the  other  facing  the 
street,  with  a  large  square  liay  window  projecting 
over  the  sidewalk.  It  was  in  this  iiousc  that  the 
local  Methodists  tirst  met  for  worship,  and  in  the 
south  parlor  their  society  was  organized  :   and  here 


the  tirst  Sunday-school  class  of  this  denomination, 
in  Portsmouth,  was  formed  under  the  guidance  of 
George  Pickering,  one  of  the  active  church  workers. 

DEACON  PENHALLOW  HOUSE. 

This  house  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  old  Canoe 
Bridge,  known  in  later  years  as  Puddle  Dock,  and 
was  moved  here  in  l.sii2,  from  the  southeast  corner 
of  Pleasant  and  Court  Streets.  This  was  the  home 
of  Deacon  Sauuxel  Penhallow,  a  man  of  sterling  in- 
tegrity, who  for  years  was  the  local  trial  justice  and 
whose  opinion  was  highly  valued  on  all  matters. 
Deacon  Penhallow  died  in  this  house  in  1813,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninetj'-two  years. 

Here  in  the  Penhallow  house,  about  1760, 
John  Sullivan,  who  in  later  years  became  famous  as 
a  General  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  President  of 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire  and  afterward  District 
Judge,  jJeaded  his  tirst  case.  At  this  time  Sullivan 
was  employed  by  iNIatthew  Livermorc,  a  lawyer  of 
note,  to  take  care  of  his  horses  and  do  general  work 
al)out  the  jilace.  Being  of  a  studious  nature,  he  had 
access  to  the  Itooks  in  the  lil)rary  ;  and  while  Inisily 
eno-aged  one  evening  the  defendant,  in  an  assault 
case,  who  was  to  be  tried  I)efore  Deacon  Penhallow, 
called  at  Mr.  I.iivermore's  office.  He  was  aljsent, 
l)ut  the  man,  supposing  that  any  one  from  the  office 
might  answer  his  purpose,  asked  .Tohn  if  he  would 
not  take  his  defense,  the  latter  finally  agreeing  to 
do  so.  During  his  al)sence  Mr.  Livermore  returned  : 
tinding  no  one  to  take  care  of  his  horse  and  learning 
where  John  had  gone,  proceeded  to  Deacon  Pcnhal- 
low's    house,   where   he   slipped    into    an  adjoining 


A.       HUTCHINGS    HOUSE. 

C.      FIRST    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    UUILDING. 


B.      DEA.    SAMUEL    I'ENHALLOW   HOUSE. 
D.      CAPTAIN  JOHN  SALTER  HOUSE. 


room  to  hear  the  young  man  plead  his  case.  John 
Sullivan  was  successful  and  his  client  was  acquitted. 
The  next  morning  Mr.  Livermore  called  him  to  his 
library,  and  told  him  that  the  kitchen  was  no  place 
for  him :  to  pursue  his  law  studies  and  he  would 
assist  him  in  whatever  he  needed.  From  that  time 
he  was  a  student  with  JNIr.  T.iivermore,  and  the  result 
is  well  known,  as  he  soon  became  one  of  the  eminent 
lawyers  of  the  State.  Wiieu  Dr.  Buckminstcr  l)egau 
his  ministry  here,  in  ITTil,  he  boarded  at  the  Deacon 
Penballow  house. 

On  the  south  side  of  Washington  Street,  after 
crossing  what  was  Canoe  Bridge,  is  the  cottage 
l)uilding  in  which  the  tirst  Sunday-schools  were  held 
in  1S18.  It  was  changed  into  a  dwelling-house 
and  moved  here  from  Livermore  Street.  (See  tirst 
Sunday-school,  Livermore  Street. ) 

CANOE  BRIDGE. 

Permission  was  given  lo  sundry  individuals,  in 
1727,  to  build  a  ])ridge'over  the  cf)\e  or  dock  at  the 
lowest  part  of  AA'ashington  Street,  from  Ivieutcnant- 
Goveruor  "Weutworth's  wharf  to  Captain  ShcrliurneV 
wharf,  leaving  an  opening  of  twenty-tive  or  thirty 
feet  for  the  passage  of  ])oats,  canoes  and  snuvll  craft. 
It  was  called  "Canoe  Bridge,"  and  was  reliuilt  in 
178(i  by  Hon.  John  Langdon  and  presented  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  to  the  selectmen  of  the  town. 
Of  late  years,  what  little  was  left  of  this  cove  has 
])orne  the  suggestive  title  of  "Puddle  Dock."  From 
this  dock  water  was  conducted  to  the  grounds  of 
lion.  John  Langdon  on  Pleasant  Street  for  an  aiti- 
ticial  pond.     The  name  "  Puddle  Dock  "  was  undoulit- 


edly  derived  from  the  fact  that  one  hundred  years 
ago  Charles  Street,  on  the  north  side,  was  called 
"Puddle  Lane,"  and  Hancock  Sti-eet,  on  the  south 
side,  was  called  "Dock  I^ane,"  and  from  these  two 
names  the  water wav  between  became  known  as 
"Puddle  Dock." 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  SALTER  HOUSE, 

On  the  west  side  of  the  street,  south  of  the 
Cushman  house.  The  lot  of  land  on  which  this 
building  rests  was  bought  by  Captain  John  Salter, 
in  1770,  of  John  Beck,  who  had  begun  to  build  a 
house  upon  it.  The  deed,  dated  iNIarch  8,  1770, 
describes  it  as  "lying  on  the  street  that  leads  over 
Canoe  Bridge,  the  land  adjoining  that  of  Theodore 
Atkinson."  Cajitain  Salter  completed  the  house  and 
moved  into  it  that  year.  It  is  now  occupied  by  one 
of  his  urauddaughters,  Miss  Augusta  P.  Salter,  who 
is  the  last  survivor  of  her  father's  ))ranch  of  the 
Captain  Salter  descendants,  and  is  of  the  tifth  gen- 
eration from  the  original  settler,  John  Salter,  who 
came  fnnu  England  about  KISO. 

THE  CUSHMAN  HOUSE, 

Situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  south  of 
the  new  double  house  which  occupies  the  site  of  the 
Nicholas  Balib  house.  It  was  built  by  Captain 
Salter  in  17 ill.  This  was  the  residence  of  the  Hon. 
Samuel  Cushman,  who  was  born  in  1783,  and  moved 
to  Portsmouth  in  ISKI.  In  18;>.')  to  18;',7  he  was  a 
Representative  to  Congress,  and  for  several  years 
was  postmaster  of  Portsmouth.  He  also  held  many 
nuinicipal  offices  and  was  prominent  and  active  in 


A.       1. All, II  lux  UOL  SE. 
C.       CUSHMAN  HOUSE. 


B.       DR.  HALL  JACKSON  HOUSE. 

D.       SITE   OF   THE    TIRST    EARL   OF   HALIFAX    TAVERN. 


politics,  holding  the  office  of  United  States  Naval 
Agent  for  several  years.  He  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Robert  Cusliinan,  who  was  the  })ronioter  of 
the  Pl^-niouth  Colony  in  lli2U,  and  procured  the 
"jNIaytlower"  for  their  adventure.  The  next  year  he 
followed  them,  and  preached  at  Plymouth,  it  is  said, 
the  tirst  New  England  sermon  ever  jirinted.  Return- 
ing to  Court  Street,  a  short  distance  westerly,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  street  is  the 

UNITARIAN  CHAPEL. 

This  building  was  erected  in  l.S.")7,  and  is  located 
on  the  south  side  of  Court  Street,  opposite  the 
Colonel  Sise  engine  house.  On  this  site  formerly 
stood  the  old  Parson  Walton  meeting-house,  which 
was  built  about  1718  in  Durham,  and  later  renun'cd 
to  this  city  and  re-erected  as  a  place  of  worship  by 
the  seceders  from  Dr.  Langdon's  and  other  churches, 
who  styled  themselves  "  Independent  Congregation- 
alists."  Their  tirst  minister  was  Rev.  Samuel 
Drown,  and  from  1789  to  1822  Rev.  Joseph  Wal- 
ton, a  native  of  New  Castle,  was  their  pastor.  In 
1828  the  South  Parish  purchased  the  building,  using 
it  for  a  Sunday-school  room  and  chapel,  the  former 
occui)ants  having  organized  themselves  under  Baron 
Stowe,  as  the  Calvin  Baptist  Society,  and  moved 
to  their  new  l)uil(ling  on  ^liddle  Street. 

JOHN  LAIGHTON  HOUSE. 

The  tirst  house  on  the  south  side  of  Court 
Street,  east  of  Pleasant  Street,  was  the  Ijirthplace 
of  Portsmouth's  two  well-known  poets,  Thomas 
Baile}'   Aldrich   and  Albert  Laighton,   both    beini>- 


born  in  the  same  room.  The  verses  and  sonnets  of 
the  latter  were  pul>lished  tirst  in  18.')il.  and  then  in 
1878,  under  the  title  of  "Albert  Laighton's  Poems," 
and  dedicated  to  his  cousin,  Celia  Thaxter.  Earl}' 
in  18<;3  he  conceived  the  idea  of  publishing  in  book 
form  the  choicest  poems  written  liy  natives  of  Ports- 
mouth, and  aided  by  the  late  Aurin  M.  Payson  the 
"Poets  of  Portsmouth,"  a  volume  of  four  hundred 
pages  containing  two  hundred  and  sixt\'-seven 
poems,  was  issued  in  1865.  He  wrote  the  ode  of 
welcome,  on  the  return  home  of  the  Sons  and  Daugh- 
ters of  Portsmouth  in  1873  and  1883.  Returning 
again  to  Washington  Street,  on  the  northerly  corner 
of  Court  Street  is  the 

DR.  HALL  JACKSON  HOUSE. 

In  this  house  Dr.  Hall  Jackson  resided  for 
many  years,  dying  here  in  1797  at  the  age  of  tifty- 
eight  years.  He  was  a  physician  and  surgeon  of 
distinction,  his  practice  being  ver}'  extensive  through- 
out this  section  of  the  country.  During  the  Revo- 
lution he  was  chief  surgeon  of  the  New  Hampshire 
troops  in  the  Continental  Army,  and  captain  of  an 
artillery  corps.  He  was  Grand  Master  of  the 
^Masonic  Ijody  in  New  Hampshire  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  His  father.  Dr.  Clement  Jackson,  who 
died  in  1788  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  was 
also  renowned  in  his  profession. 

STATE  STREET. 

State  Street  is  lined  with  lirick  houses  of  very" 
uniform  appearance,  the  principal  exception  being 
the  one-story  frame  house  near    Atkinson   Street, 


which  was  built  after  the  tire  of  isl;!,  ^vhen  the  town 
passed  a  vote  that  no  wooden  liouse  of  over  one 
story  should  he  huilt  in  the  burned  district.  State 
Street,  from  A\^ater  to  Pleasant,  was  formerly  Queen 
Street,  afterward  Buck  Street,  and  previous  to  the 
great  fire  was  very  narrow,  it  Ijeino;  but  twenty-live 
feet  wide  at  its  greatest  l)readth.  The  extent  of  its 
widening  is  shown  on  the  maps  hanging  in  the  City 
Rooms.  The  old  houses  that  were  consumed  in  the 
fire  of  181.3  are  described  at  length  in  the  "Rambles." 
Westward  from  Pleasant  Street  was  formerly  called 
Broad  Street. 

OLD  EARL  OF  HALIFAX  TAVERN. 

On  the  north  side  of  State  Street,  and  a  little 
east  of  the  head  of  Washington  Street,  in  the  space 
between  the  residences  of  Washington  Freeman  and 
E.  M.  Fisher  (formerly  the  De  Normandie  house), 
is  the  site  of  the  first  "Earl  of  Halifax  Tavern." 

The  fact  that  John  Stavers  was  landlord  of  the 
tavern  on  State  Street  and  then  of  the  new  one  on 
Court  Street,  and  hung  out  in  front  of  each  the 
same  sign,  bearing  the  jiortrait  of  the  Earl  of  Hali- 
fax "in  scarlet  coat  and  iteriwig  of  flax,"  fretjuently 
misleads  citizens  as  well  as  strangers. 

The  first  tavern,  made  famous  by  Longfellow's 
poem,  "Ivady  Wentworth,"  was  situated,  as  stated 
in  the  poem,  on  Queen  Street,  the  location  being 
confirmed  by  the  plan  drawn  in  1S14,  and  now 
framed  and  hung  in  the  mayor's  office.  The  title  of 
the  land  at  that  date  was  in  the  name  of  Captain 
Seawards,  the  son-in-law  of  William  Stavers. 

On  October  10,  17.55,  the  St.  John's  Lodge  of 


Masons  met  at  "Brother  John  Stavers,"  and  the  rec- 
ords state  that  they  "dined  upon  an  elegant  dinner." 
From  this  tavern  Bartholomew  Stavers,  brother  of 
the  landlord,  ran  the  first  regular  stage  north  of 
Boston.  His  printed  bill,  dated  17(11,  reads  that  — 
"A  large  stage  chair,  with  two  horses,  will  be  ready 
Monday,  the  20th,  to  start  at  the  sign  of  the  Earl 
of  Halifax  for  Boston,  to  perform  once  a  week  and 
carry  four  passengers."  He  advertised  again  in 
1763  that  —  "The  Portsmouth  Flying  Stage  Coach, 
with  four  to  six  horses,  would  run  every  Thursday, 
fare  $3.00."  Afterward  it  left  Portsmouth  on  Moil- 
day  mornings,  stopi)ing  at  night  in  Ipswich,  and 
returning  left  Boston  on  Thursday  mornings. 

In  front  of  this  tavern  was  laid  the  first  scene 
in  the  romantic  episode  so  gracefully  told  by  Long- 
fellow in  the  "Tales  of  a  AVayside  Inn,"  the  last 
scene  picturing  the  marriage  of  Governor  Benning 
Wentworth  to'  ?klartha  Hilton. 

HENRY  SHERBURNE  HOUSE 

Was  situated  on  tiie  southeast  corner  of  State  and 
Water  Streets,  on  the  site  of  C.  E.  Walker's  coal 
office,  and  known  both  as  the  "New  Hampshire"  and 
"Portsmouth"  House.  Water  and  State  Streets 
were  widened  at  this  point  after  the  fire  of  1813. 
The  house  was  the  first  brick  residence  built  in  Ports- 
mouth, the  owner  being  Hon.  Samuel  Penhallow, 
"first  of  his  Majesty's  Council,"  who  married  ^lary, 
daughter  of  President  John  Cutt,  and  died  Decem- 
ber 2,  1726,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  Henry 
Sherburne,  who  was  a  Provincial  Councilor  as  also 
was  his  son  Henry,  purchased  the  house  and  resided 


here  ill  a  magnificent  style  for  many  years,  and  l)einij; 
a  prominent  Mason,  the  lodge  often  met  here.  He 
was  horn  in  l(i74,  and  married  Dorothy  Wentworth, 
a  sister  of  John,  the  Lieutenant-Governor.  At  the 
formation  of  the  Portsmouth  Pier  Company,  this 
house  was  jiurchased  of  the  family.  In'  them,  and 
converted  into  a  jjulilic  house,  called  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Hotel.  In  179(!  the  Pier  was  huilt  with  a  row 
of  warehouses  on  either  side,  excelling  anything  of 
the  kind  then  in  New  England.  The  wharf  was 
extended  340  feet,  with  a  Itreadth  of  li.T  feet,  with  a 
building  on  the  south  side  320  feet  long  and  30  feet 
wide,  three  stories  high,  and  divided  into  fourteen 
stores.  The  fire  of  December  22,  1813,  which 
originated  on  the  spot  where  the  Stone  Church  now 
stands,  swept  over  fifteen  acres  of  the  central  part 
of  the  town,  destroying  State  Street  and  the  Pier 
property.  Two  hundred  and  seventy-two  liuildings 
were  consumed  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  families 
made  homeless.  The  fire  also  destroyed  a  portion 
of  Daniel  Street,  but  fortunately  the  northern  side 
was  spared.  Passing  to  Daniel  Street  through  ^lul- 
berry  Street,  facing  you  will  be  seen  the 

JUDGE  SHERBURNE  HOUSE. 

This  house  is  located  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  Daniel  and  Bow  Streets,  and  was  built  l)y  Judge 
John  Sherburne,  a  descendant  of  Henry  Sherburne, 
probably  as  early  as  17150.  He  was  born  in  1720, 
and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Captain  John 
Moffat,  and  held  many  public  offices  under  the 
Crown.  He  was  educated  a  merchant,  and  employed 
early  in  life  in  public  affairs,  and  for  many  years 


was  elected  a  Representative  to  the  Provincial  Leg- 
islature from  this  town.  In  1774  he  was  appointed 
a  memlicr  of  His  Majesty's  Council  for  the  Province 
of  New  IIam|)shire,  and  was  Register  of  the  Court 
of  Vice  Admiralty  and  Judge  of  Prol)ate,  which 
positions  he  held  until  the  Revolution  ;  but,  notwith- 
standing these  several  otfices  and  his  obligations  to 
the  Crown,  he  remained  a  firm  patriot.  After  the 
death  of  Judge  Sher])urne,  in  1797,  his  son  John 
Samuel,  born  in  1757,  probably  in  this  house, 
resided  here. 

John  Samuel,  when  a  young  man,  was  a  volun- 
teer aid  to  General  John  Sullivan,  who  commanded 
the  New  Hainjishire  forces  in  the  campaign  around 
New  York  and  Rhode  Island  in  1778,  and  while  in 
the  performance  of  his  duty,  in  an  engagement  of 
several  days'  duration  before  Newport,  on  August 
29th,  he  was  hit  by  a  cannon  shot  and  lost  his  leg. 
He  then  retired  to  Portsmouth  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  after  the  war  held 
the  ofiice  of  District  Attorney  until  1793.  He  was 
elected  in  1790  a  Representative  for  three  years, 
part  of  the  time  serving  as  Speaker.  In  1793  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  serving  two  terms.  In 
1800  he  was  in  the  State  Senate,  and  in  1802  he 
was  again  aj)pointed  United  States  District  Attor- 
ney, serving  until  1804,  at  which  time  he  was 
appointed,  by  President  Jefferson,  District  Judge  of 
the  United  States,  a  ]")osition  he  held  until  his  death. 
He  married  Submit,  daughter  of  Hon.  George  Boyd, 
and  lived  here  until  he  built  his  new  residence  on 
Court  Street,  next  west  of  the  old  Court  House, 
where  he  died  in  1830. 


117 


A.       IUIK;E    SHERBUKM-;    HOl'SK. 
C.      JAFFREY    HOUSE. 


li.       WARNER    HOISE. 
D.       STOODLEY   TAVERN. 


THE  WARNER  HOUSE. 

Tlie  oldest  l)rit-k  l)iiikling  in  Portsimouth  is  tiic 
Warner  house,  located  on  the  nt)rtherly  corner  of 
Daniel  and  Chapel  Streets,  erected  at  an  expense 
of  £6,000,  in  1712-1'),  by  a  rich  merchant,  (Japtain 
Archibald  Macpheadris,  who  occu[)ied  the  house  in 
171().  He  came  here  from  Scotland  and  was  the 
chief  promoter  of  the  Iron  '\^'orks  at  Dover,  the  first 
establishment  of  its  kind  in  America,  and  in  1722 
was  a  member  of  the  King's  Council.  He  married 
Sarah  Wentworth,  one  of  the  sixteen  children  of 
Lieutenant-Governor  John  Wentworth,  and  his 
daughter  Mary  married  Hon.  Jonathan  Warner  in 
1754,  who  was  a  member  of  His  Majesty's  Council 
until  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Warner  resided  here 
until  his  death,  in  1812,  when,  dying  childless, 
the  house  passed  into  the  possession  of  his  great- 
nephew,  Colonel  John  N.  Sherburne. 

The  brick  and  other  material  used  in  tiie  con- 
struction of  the  house  were  brought  from  Holland. 
The  original  jjills  and  bills  of  lading  for  the  furniture 
and  plate,  dated  171(>,  are  still  in  jiossession  of  the 
family.  Bricks  were  also  used  for  underj)inning, 
extending  considerable  distance  below  the  surface. 
The  frescoes  in  the  great  hall  are  by  the  hand  of 
an  unknown  artist,  and  a  portion  of  them  were 
unknown  for  generations,  having  been  covered  l)y 
four  layers  of  paper,  but  were  accidentally  discov- 
ered al)out  forty  years  ago.  The  portraits  of  Cap- 
tain ^lacpheadris'  wife,  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Warner, 
and  iNIary  Warner,  painted  by  Copley,  still  orna- 
ment the  house.  The  huge  elk  antlers  that  yet  hang 
in  the  hall  were  presented  to  Captain  Macpheadris 


by  his  Indian  friends.  The  lightning  rod  on  the 
west  side  was  put  up  in  17()2  by  Benjamin  Franklin, 
and  was  probably  the  first  erected  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. Until  recently  a  little  house  occupied  the 
northwest  corner  of  Chapel  and  Sheafe  Streets, 
which  was  the  slave  quarters  and  originally  stood 
near  the  Warner  house. 

ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCHYARD. 

This  burial-ground,  next  to  the  Point  of 
Craves,  is  the  oldest  in  the  city,  and  from  the 
building  of  (Queen's  Chapel,  in  1732,  it  has  lieen 
used  as  a  l)urial-place  for  the  dead.  In  this  enclosure 
are  the  remains  of  two  of  the  provincial  governors, 
the  councilors,  secretaries '  and  others  who  held 
offices  and  worthy  positions  under  the  Crown  of 
England  in  colonial  da\-s. 

The  ground  being  high,  a  bank  wall  extends 
around  three  sides  of  the  yard,  permitting  rows  of 
tombs  with  entrances  from  the  street.  On  the  Bow 
Street  side,  the  first  on  the  south  is  the  Wentworth 
tomb,  where  lie  the  remains  of  Lieutenant-Ciovernor 
-John  Wentworth  and  Governor  Benning  Wentworth 
and  their  families.  In  the  remaining  tombs  are  the 
Atkinsons,  the  Shcrburnes,  Sheafes,  and  other 
Wcntworths,  the  Peirces  and  Alarshes,  the  Jaffreys 
and  many  others  holding  noteworthy  positions  in 
the  colonial  days.  There  is  one  tomb  here  which 
contains  the  remains  of  nearly  one  hundred  persons, 
and  several  are  buried  under  the  church.  The  old- 
est inscription  to  be  found  is  that  on  the  headstone 
of  John  Bradford,  "17;')(;."  Admiral  Parrott  is 
buried  in  the  tomb  just  back  of  the  church.     Also 


the  remains  of  that  old  hero  of  many  liattles, 
Admiral  Farragut,  tirst  rested  here.  At  the  foot 
of  the  stairs,  under  the  vestibule,  lies  the  Hon. 
Elijah  Hall,  who  held  many  positions  of  trust, 
faithfully  performed,  and  was  a  hisrh  officer  on  the 
"Ranger,"  under  the  eomniand  of  John  Paul  Jones, 
which  tirst  bore  the  American  flag  across  the  ocean. 
The  Rev.  Arthur  Browne,  who  for  fort}-  years  was 
rector  of  this  church,  is  l)uried  in  the  Governor  Went- 
worth  toml).    (For  ."^t.  John's  Church,  sec  churches. ) 

HIGH  SCHOOL  BUILDING, 

Situated  on  the  corner  of  Chapel  and  Daniel 
Streets.  On  the  site  of  this  building  was  erected, 
about  1(580,  a  tine  gambrel-roof  mansion  by  Thomas 
Daniel,  a  wealthy  merchant,  who  married  Bridget, 
daughter  of  Richard  Cutt.  After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Daniel,  his  widow,  in  1684,  married  Thomas  (iraf- 
fort,  and  in  her  will  gave  to  the  town  the  land  for 
Daniel  Street ;  at  the  same  time  she  also  bef|ueathed 
the  site  of  this  building  for  school  purposes  (see 
schools).  Mark  Hunking  Wentworth,  a  merchant 
of  wealth  and  distinction,  and  a  son  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  John  Wentworth,  lived  here  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution.  His  son  John  was  the  Provincial 
Governor  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  and 
lived  on  Pleasant  Street.  Mark  Hunking  Wentworth 
died  here  in  178.5. 

THE  JAFFREY  HOUSE. 

This  house,  situated  on  Linden  Street,  facing 
Daniel  Street,  was  built  in  the  vicinity  of  1730  by 
George  Jaffrej',  2d,  who  was  born  in  the  Jaffrey 


house  at  New  Castle.  At  the  time  this  house  was 
built  he  was  Treasurer  of  the  Province  of  New 
Hampshire,  as  well  as  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  His  son,  of  the  same  name,  occupied  the 
homestead  until  his  death  in  1802.  He  was  one  of 
the  purchasers  of  the  Mason  grant,  held  the  position 
of  Treasurer  of  the  Province,  and  was  strongly 
opposed  to  a  change  of  government,  and  remained  a 
Tory  until  his  death.  Being  without  children,  it 
was  Mr.  Jaffrey "s  intention  to  leave  his  extensive 
property  to  Colonel  .Toshua  AVentworth.  In  some 
way  his  friend  offended  him  and  he  left  it  to  his 
grand-nephew  and  namesake,  George  Jaffrey  Jef- 
fries, of  Boston,  at  that  time  only  thirteen  years 
old ;  the  principal  stipulation  lieing  that  he  should 
drop  the  name  Jeffries,  move  to  Portsmouth,  and 
never  follow  any  profession  but  that  of  a  gentleman. 
He  complied  with  the  conditions  and  lived  until 
18o().  The  house,  although  somewhat  dila{)idated 
in  ai)])earance,  still  bears  marks  of  its  former  archi- 
tectural beauty. 

STOODLEY'S  TAVERN. 

On  the  north  side  of  Daniel  Street,  between 
Linden  and  Penhallow  Streets,  is  the  house,  now  a 
doul)le  tenement,  built  by  Colonel  James  Stoodley, 
soon  after  1761,  and  kept  b}'  him  as  a  tavern, 
replacing  one  of  similar  design  which  was  l)urned 
in  the  early  part  of  that  year.  This  was  the  most 
fashionable  hotel  in  Portsmouth,  and  the  usual  stop- 
ping place  for  travelers  lietween  Boston  and  points 
in  Maine.  The  upper  story,  lighted  by  its  large 
dormer  windows,  was  a  spacious  arched  hall,  which 


120 


was  used  for  ^Masonic  gatherings,  dancing  and  otiicr 
social  functions,  and  here  Colonel  Michael  Wcnt- 
woi'th,  second  husband  of  Martha  Hilton,  often 
"tiddled  till  morning  on  his  own  favorite  violin." 

Hon.  Eliiah  Hall,  who  married  Colonel  Stood- 
ley's  daughter  Elizal^eth,  came  into  possession  of 
the  house  and  died  here  in  1830,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-ffiur  years.  He  was  a  lieutenant 
under  Captain  John  Paul  Jones  and  sailed  with 
him  on  the  "Ranger,"  and  was  aboard  that  historic 
vessel  when  the  noted  engagement  between  this 
pioneer  bearer  of  the  American  Hag  across  the 
Atlantic  and  the  "Drake"  took  place  in  English 
waters,  near  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  after  a  tierce  con- 
test of  one  hour  captured  the  "  Drake  "  and  took  her 
a  prize  to  Brest,  where  the  "  Ranger "  and  her  new 
American  Hag  were  objects  of  great  attention  and 
admiration,  and  a  wonderment  at  the  daring  adven- 
tui'e  and  its  success.  He  also  held  many  political 
offices,  including  State  Councilor,  and  was  naval 
officer  for  the  Portsmouth  district  after  he  was  eighty 
years  of  age.  In  early  life  he  was  a  shi])wright  as 
well  as  a  naval  officer,  exhibiting  nuich  al)ility  in 
the  conducting  of  affairs.  He  also  was  an  historian 
of  most  pleasing  st3'le,  and  his  graphic  descriptions 
of  the  "Ranger"  and  of  John  Paul  Jones'  speech  in 
Portsmouth  are  quoted  at  length  in  Augustus  C. 
Buell's  "Paul  Jones,"  published  in  1901.  Captain 
Jones  was  a  great  admirer  of  Elijah  Hall,  and 
while  in  Portsmouth  made  his  home  with  the  Hall 
family  much  of  the  time.  His  niece,  Dorothj^ 
Hall,  was  one  of  the  famous  "quilting  party"  of 
young  ladies  who  made  from  pieces  of  their  best 


silk  dresses  the  "  uncon(juered  and  unstricken  Hag," 
and  presented  it  to  Jones  to  hoist  on  the  "Ranger" 
on  July  4,  1777.  This  Hag  afterwai'd  was  in  the 
Hght  with  the  "Drake,"  and  still  later  was  trans- 
fered  to  the  "Bon  Homme  Richard"  and  sank  with 
her  in  that  remarkal)le  and  memorable  engagement 
with  the  "Serapis,"  the  most  desperately  fought 
l)attle  l)etween  two  vessels  that  history  records. 
Thus,  most  heroically,  did  this  tattered  Hag  from 
silken  gowns  go  down,  enjoying  the  proud  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  Hrst  Stars  and  Stripes  to  Hoat  over 
European  waters,  and  the  Hrst  to  be  saluted  l)y  the 
guns  of  foreign  powers  across  the  ocean.  It  also 
was  the  Hrst  and  only  Hag  that  ever  went  down  Hy- 
ing, on  the  shi})  that  conquered  and  captured  the 
ship  that  sank  her. 

"STATES  AND  UNION"  OFFICE. 

In  the  second  story  of  the  brick  building  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Daniel  and  Penhallow  Streets 
was  located  the  office  of  Foster's  S/ates  and  Union, 
which  was  mobb(>d  on  April  10,  186.5,  when  work 
was  suspended  at  the  Navy  Yard  to  celebrate  the 
capture  of  Richmond.  After  smashing  the  win- 
dows, the  press  and  most  of  the  ontHt  were  thrown 
into  the  street. 

OLD  CUSTOM  HOUSE   AND    POST    OFFICE, 

Situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Daniel  and  Pen- 
hallow  Streets.  It  was  ])uilt  soon  after  the  Hre  of 
1813,  by  private  parties,  but  before  its  completion 
was  purchased  by  the  United  States,  and  Htted  up 
for  a  Custom  House  and  Post  Office.     It  was  used 


for  official  piu'itoscs  until  the  new  slonc  Pt)st  Office 
and  Customs  Building  was  erected  and  ready  for 
(>ccu[)ancy,  when  it  was  vacated  and  afterward  .sold. 

HART  HOUSE. 

Situated  on  the  southi'riy  corner  of  Daniel  and 
Penhallow  Streets,  opposite  the  old  Post  Office  and 
Custom  House  Buildint;-,  is  the  Hart  house,  l)uilt 
about  1740.  This  l)uildin<;-  was  badly  damaged,  in 
171)1,  by  the  tire  which  destroyed  the  first  Stoodley 
Tavern,  and  in  consequence  of  which  Wyseman 
Clagett,  wiio  came  here  to  reside  at  the  time  he 
married  Lettice  ^Mitchell,  then  removed  to  the 
Leavitt  house  on  King  Street.  Noah  Parker  re- 
sided here  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  the 
dwelling  being  quite  pretentious  in  size  it  was  called 
"Noah's  Ark,"  from  which  Ark  Street,  now  Penlial- 
low,  derived  its  name. 

Jacob  Sheafe  l)ought  the  place  in  1791  and 
]iresented  it  to  his  daugiitcr  Hannah,  who  married 
Hugh  Henderson.  William  Hart,  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Henderson,  married  his  widow  and  resided 
here,  in  a  corner  room  of  which  they  kept  a  small 
shoj).  Mrs.  Hart  died  in  1S4.5  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-nine  years.  Passing  through  Penhallow 
Street  you  will  ()l)serve  in  front  of  .you,  on  the  south 
side  of  State  Street,  the  Methodist  Church,  for 
account  of  which  see  churches. 

THE  EPISCOPAL  CHAPEL. 

This  Doric  building  on  State  Street  was  erected 
in  l(S3-2,  liy  John  Fisher  Sheafe,  from  designs 
selected  bv  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Burroughs.      The   old 


HART  HOUSE. 

STATES  AND  UNION  MOB,    1S65. 


Brattle  organ,  so-called,  which  has  been  in  constant 
use  in  the  chapel  since  it  was  huilt,  was  the  tirst 
lirought  to  America.  It  was  made  ))y  John  Preston, 
of  York,  Eniiland,  in  ITOU  or  1710,  and  set  uf)  in 
(Jamhridije,  ^lass.,  in  the  house  of  Thomas  Brattle, 
who  imported  it.  This  organ  was  in  King's  Chapel, 
Boston.  Great  prejudice  then  existed  against  the 
use  of  musical  instruments  in  religious  services  :  it 
was,  however,  set  up  and  there  used  until  17.")(). 
Later  it  was  sold  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  Newhury- 
port,  remaining  there  until  1X3(5.  It  was  then 
sold  for  S4.')(t  to  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Burroughs,  the 
rector  of  St.  John's  Church,  and  placed  in  this 
chapel,  where  it  has  since  remained.  In  December, 
I'JOl,  it  was  taken  apart  and  sent  to  Boston  to  be 
exhil)ited  at  the  historic  nuisical  instrument  show 
which  opened  January  11,  l!i02,  in  Horticultural 
Hall,  under  the  auspices  of  Chickering  Brothers. 
Before  being  returned  to  its  original  location  in  St. 
John's  Chapel  the  organ  was  to  be  put  in  thorough 
repair,  that  being  a  stipulation  because  of  its  loan. 

On  the  site  of  the  chapel  was  the  house  of  Rev. 
John  Emerson,  who  was  an  eminent  divine,  and 
pastor  of  the  South  (Unitarian)  Church.  Soon 
after  his  death,  in  1732,  Jacob  Sheafe  purchased  the 
residence  and  moved  here  from  New  Castle.  The 
house  was  destroyed  in  the  great  tire  of  ISlo,  the 
most  destructive  conflagration  tliat  ever  \isited  the 
town. 

OLD  BRICK  SCHOOLHOUSE. 

This  l)uilding  is  on  the  soutii  -idc  of  State 
Street,  nearly  opposite  the  new  brick  Court  House, 


and  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  structure  ceded  to 
the  town  by  Ebenezer  Wentworth  in  173.'),  in  ex- 
change for  the  lot  on  the  corner  of  Daniel  and 
Chapel  Streets,  given  the  town  by  ^Irs.  Graffort  in 
170(».  Many  men  of  note  have  kept  school  here  : 
among  them  being  ^lajor  Samuel  Hale,  who  Ix-gan 
teaching  at  this  place  in  1748  and  continued  for 
over  thirty  years,  having  under  his  tutorship  the 
boys  of  Portsmouth  who  later,  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  the  most  of  them,  might  have  been 
found  in  the  ranks  of  the  Continental  Army,  like 
heroes,  doing  yeoman  service  in  breaking  the 
shackles  of  Royal  bondage.  ]\Iajor  Hale,  besides 
being  famous  as  a  teacher,- commanded  a  company  at 
the  siege  of  Louisl)urg,  hence  his  title.  The  father 
of  Salmon  P.  Ciiase.  Lincoln's  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  taught  school  here  in  17.S7.  The  old 
building  was  replaced  by  a  brick  one  in  17ilO,  which 
was  partially  destroyed  by  the  tire  of  1813,  but  was 
rebuilt  the  following  year.  The  high  schools  were 
kept  here  by  Deacon  Amos  Tapjian.  [Master  Eleazer 
Taft  and  others  until  the  new  High  School  was  l)uilt 
on  the  "Madam  Graffort  lot"  in  1858,  which  had 
been  given  the  town  by  her,  for  this  purpose,  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  years  before.  The  Su]ier- 
intendent  of  Schools  now  has  his  office  in  this  build- 
ing.     (See  schools. ) 

NEW  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE. 

This  building  stands  on  tlie  site  of  the  large 
brick  mansion  built  by  Hon.  James  Sheafe,  son  "of 
Jacob  Sheafe,  and  owned  and  occupied  afterward 
by  Jonathan  ^I.  Trcdick.      Mr.  Sheafe  was  a  pros- 


A.      OLD   BRICK    SCHOOLHOUSE. 
C.      EPISCOPAL  CHAPEL. 


NEW   COINTV    COURT    HOUSE. 
DAVENPORT  AND    BRACKETT    HOUSES. 


pei'ous  merchant  and  a  large  land  owner.  He  was 
Commissary  of  the  New  Hampshire  forces  at  the 
ca}>tnre  of  I>ouisl)urii'.  He  died  in  1791,  leaving  to 
each  of  his  ten  cliildrcii  a  lionse  in  town  and  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity. 

BRACKETT  HOUSE, 

Located  on  the  n(n-th  side  of  State  Street,  being 
the  second  house  east  of  Fleet  Street,  now  occupied 
in  part  as  a  laundry  ofEee.  During  the  Revolution 
and  for  some  time  afterward  it  was  the  residence  of 
Dr.  Joshua  Brackett,  an  eminent  physician,  who 
married  Hannah  Whipple,  a  sister  of  General 
Whipple.  The  large  stone  in  front  of  the  house 
came  from  the  Hill  house  on  Vaughan  Street.  The 
beautiful  tiles  were  stolen  from  the  fireplace  while 
the  house  was  being  remodeled  by  its  purchaser, 
Edmund  M.  Brown.  From  here  looking  down  Court 
Place  bej'ond  the  Stone  Church  (see  churches),  on 
tiie  south  side  of  Court  Street,  in  full  view,  is 

THE  OLD  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE. 

This  l)uilding  is  now  used  as  an  armory  by 
Company  B,  Second  Regiment,  N.  H.  N.  G.,  and 
the  Portsmouth  City  Band.  When  the  old  Court  or 
State  House  on  the  Parade  was  removed  in  18H(j, 
this  Ijuildiug  was  erected  and  used  until  the  more 
nuxlern  Court  House  was  constructed  on  State  Street, 
in  18iil.  The  lot  on  which  this  Inulding  stands  was 
leased  on  April  24,  17.5.5,  by  the  selectmen  of  Ports- 
mouth for  almshouse  purposes,  for  tive  shillings  per 
year,  from  the  wardens  of  the  North  Church.  The 
almshouse,  of  two  stories  and  c^uite  large,  was  built 


OLD  ORACLE  HOUSE  AND  COURT  STREET. 
OLD  COURT  HOUSE. 


that  year  ;  tlie  selcctiiuMi  usino-  a  poition  of  it  for 
town  offices  and  also  an  apartment  they  called  Union 
Hall.  On  October  20,  l<So(i,  the  wardens  released 
the  payment  of  the  rental  by  the  town  for  the  sum 
of  seventy-five  dollars.  The  l)asenient  of  the  Court 
House  was  at  tirst  used  for  the  Girls"  Hinli  School 
and  afterward  by  the  Grammar  School. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  McCLINTOCK  HOUSE, 

Is  situated  on  tiie  south  side  of  State  Street, 
l)etween  Court  Place  and  Fleet  Street.  Captain 
John  McClintock  was  master's  mate  of  a  private 
armed  vessel  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  lie  held 
the  office  of  naval  officer  of  Portsmouth  at  the  aije 
of  ninety- four  years.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  lir. 
Samuel  McClintock,  who  was  chaplain  of  the  New 
Hampshire  forces  at  Bunker  Hill  and  is  rei)resented 
in  TrumbulPs  paint ino-  of  the  death  of  General 
Warren. 

DAVENPORT  HOUSE, 

On  the  northeast  corner  of  Fleet  and  State  Streets. 
This  old  residence  was  jjuilt  I)y  ]\Irs.  Charles  Trcadwell 
for  her  son  Nathaniel  about  1758,  he  makinii'  it  his 
home.  John  Davenport  afterward  kept  a  boardinu- 
house  here  for  several  years,  and  from  him  the  house 
derived  its  name.  The  hall  and  stairway  is  a  tine 
specimen  of  old-time  architecture.  In  1814,  when 
Portsmouth  expected  an  attack  would  be  made  on  the 
town  by  the  British,  about  5,000  militia-men  were 
stationed  in  and  about  the  town  and  harbor,  under 
the  coumiand  of  (Governor  Gilman,  who  had  his  head- 
quarters at  the  hotel  kept  by  Mr.  John  Davenport. 


WHITCOMB  HOUSE. 

On  the  westerly  corner  of  Fleet  and  State 
Streets  is  an  old  house,  the  date  of  which  is  un- 
known. The  apartment  in  connection  was  occupied 
by  the  late  Benjamin  Whitcomb  as  a  candy  store  for 
fifty-eight  years.  In  1779  the  owners  of  the  lease 
were  Joseph  and  Mary  Pitman.  It  was  to  "Molly" 
Pitman  that  Governor  Benning  AVentworth  proposed 
marriage,  jjrevious  to  his  having  made  the  like 
jiroposition  to  Martha  Hilton  ;  l)ut  she  was  engaged 
to  Richard  Shortridge,  a  mechanic,  whom  she  mar- 
ried soon  after.  The  (Jovernor  was  indignant  and 
did  not  forget  the  reljuff,  for  soon  after  Shortridge 
was  seized  by  a  press-gang  from  an  English  frigate 
in  the  harbor,  and  retained  for  seven  years  l)efore 
he  escaped  and  returned  to  his  wife.  The  house 
was  occupied  afterward  by  Captain  George  Turner. 

After  the  "bad  boys"  in  1847  l)urned  the  old 
stage  coach,  called  the  "Plow  Boy,"  on  the  Parade, 
as  told  l)y  Aldrich,  who,  by  the  way,  was  not  a  ]iar- 
ticipant,  they  went  to  "Whitcomb's  and  indulged  in 
ice-creain.  Until  his  recent  death  the  ringleader 
observed  every  third-of-July  anniversary  by  par- 
taking of  an  ice-cream  in  the  same  room,  even  dur- 
ing the  four  years  he  served  as  mayor. 

SPENCE  HOUSE, 

Located  on  the  southwest  corner  of  State  and  Fleet 
Streets,  was  the  residence  of  Robert  Traill,  a  native 
of  the  Orkney  Islands.  He  was  Comptroller  of  the 
Port  of  Portsmouth  until  the  Revolution.  Like 
nearly  all  the  Crown  officials  he  was  opposed  to  the 


A.      WHITCOMB  HOI  St. 

C.      COLONEL  WHIPPLE  HOUSE. 


B.      SPENCE  HOLSE. 

D.      OLD  ROCKINGHAM  HOUSE. 


Kevolution.  and  left  the  province  at  its  beginning. 
His  wife,  Mary,  was  a  sister  of  (ieneral  Wliii)ple. 

The  government  in  ITfiG  granted  him  the  exclu- 
sive right  to  brew  strong  beer  in  the  province,  and 
from  the  fact  that  tlie  l^uilding  in  the  rear,  on  the 
corner  of  Fleet  and  Court  Streets,  was  spoken  of  in 
old  times  as  tlic  "old  Brewery  house,"  it  is  likely 
tliat  ^Ir.  Traill  carried  on  the  brewing  liusincss  in 
that  building. 

The  leases  of  both  of  these  lots  were  at  that 
time  in  the  name  of  Roljcrt  Traill,  and  in  1788  the 
lease  was  held  by  Keith  Sjience.  In  1833  the  house 
at  the  corner  of  Fleet  and  Court  Streets  was  con- 
veyed to  David  Lowd  by  Charles  Lowell,  his  wife, 
Harriet  B.  Spence  Lowell,  (iraeme  Keith  Spence, 
and  Maria  B.  and  Louisa  Sjience.  Traill's  daughter 
Mary  married  Keith  Spence,  Esq.,  a  Scotchman  : 
the  Spence  family  residing  here  for  many  years.  A 
son,  Rol)ert  Traill  Spence,  was  a  captain  in  the 
United  States  Navy.  One  of  the  daughters,  jNIiss 
Harriet,  married  Rev.  Dr.  Lowell,  of  Cambridge, 
in  1801),  and  became  the  mother  of  the  poet,  James 
Russell  Lowell. 

COLONEL  WHIPPLE  HOUSE. 

On  the  nortlierly  corner  of  State  and  Chestnut 
Streets  is  a  tine  old  residence  with  its  hall  and  stair- 
way occupying  the  front  half  of  tiic  dwelling.  This 
was  the  home  of  Colonel  floscjiii  Whipple,  Collector 
of  Customs  for  tiie  Port  of  Portsmouth,  a  l)rother  of 
(ienei'al  AVilliani  \\'iiip})le,  and  heie  for  some  time 
he  had  his  othce.  The  Cdloncl  and  his  wife  resided 
in  this  house  many  years,  and  when  the  Mai-(|uis  de 


Chastelleux  visited  Portsmouth  in  1782  he  called  on 
this  lady,  and  in  a  letter  he  speaks  of  her  and  the 
house  in  very  complimentary  terms,  saying  "she 
was  a  lady  of  understanding  and  gayety,"  and  the 
house  itself  as  beino-  "handsome  and  well  furnished." 


Although  the  visit  of  the  Marquis  de  Chastel- 
leux, in  several  publications,  is  accredited  to  the 
widow  of  Colonel  Josejih  "Whipple,  yet  in  the  old 
papers  of  Alexander  Ladd,  written  long  before  the 
death  of  Madam  Whi])ple,  it  is  stated  to  have  been 
the  wife  of  William  Whipple,  then  living  in  the 
Moffat  house.  And  as  (ieneral  AVhipple  did  not 
die  until  178;"),  and  Colonel  .Tose])h  being  alive  in 
1797,  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  water 
works,  it  is  vcr>'  evident  tiiat  neither  of  these  ladies 
was  a  widow  at  the  time  the  Mar(|uis  was  here.  It 
is  (|uite  i)rol)able.  General  Whi])])lc  l)eing  the  more 
prominent  person  of  the  two,  and  his  wife  a  talented 
lady,  a  royal  entertainer  and  an  attractive  ct)nversa- 
tionaiist,  that  it  was  at  his  house  the  Marquis  vis- 
ited, altiiough  he  might  have  called  at  both  places. 

Madam  AVhi}iple  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  and 
died  in  1823,  thirty-eight  years  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  and  was  buried  in  the  North  Cemetery, 
in  the  Langdon  tomb.  (See  Secretary  Hit'hard 
Waldron  house,  near  the  Plains.) 

THE  EDWARD  CUTTS  HOUSE 

Stands  on  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and  State  Streets, 
east  of  the  Rockingham  House.  It  has  a  handsome 
Paliadian  window  over  the  modern  porch.      It   was 


occupied  by  Edward  Cutts,  a  proiiiiiient  lawyer,  a 
collector  of  United  States  Revenue,  and  at  one  time 
president  of  the  United  States  Branch  Bank  in 
Portsmouth.  His  widow,  iSiary  H.  Cutts,  daughter 
of  ,)acoh  Sheafe,  left  a  legacy  of  about  $14,000  for 
the  imi)rovement  of  Kichards  Avenue. 

THE  ROCKINGHAM  HOUSE. 

This  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Hon.  Wood- 
bury Langdon,  born  in  17351,  an  elder  brother  of 
(iovernor  Langdon.  He  was  a  successful  merchant 
and  a  tirni  patriot,  holding  many  important  public 
offices,  among  them  that  of  Judge  of  the  Sujjrcme 
Court,  and  served  in  the  Continental  Congress  in 
1779-80. 

John  Elwyn,  in  one  of  his  eccentric  pamphlets 
published  by  him  in  LS7(),  entitled  "Some  Piscata- 
way  Things  and  a  (rood  Deal  Else,"  says  :  "  My 
great-grandmother  wanted  her  children  to  rise  in 
the  world  again.  Her  oldest  son,  Woodbury  Lang- 
don, was  a  large,  handsome  man,  my  father  said: 
the  three  handsomest  men  he  ever  saw  n'cre  (xeneral 
Washington,  Lord  Whitworth  and  Woodbury  Lang- 
don. He  built  the  costliest  house  anywhere  about 
and  now  the  Rockingham  House." 

When  the  great  tire  broke  out  in  1781  in  the 
Treadwell  barn  on  Fetter  Lane,  near  the  site  of 
jNIusic  Hall,  it  destroyed,  among  other  building's, 
the  jail  and  Mr.  Langdon's  residence.  He,  how- 
ever, rebuilt  in  1785,  occupying  it  until  his  death 
in  1805.  Li  18;)()  the  proiierty  was  purchased  li\ 
a  company  who  converted  it  info  a  pul)iic  house, 
and  conducted  it   as   such   until    1.S7II,  when   it    was 


purchased  by  Hon.  Frank  Jones,  who  had  it  remod- 
eled and  enlarged.  It  was  badly  damaged  ))y  lire 
in  1884,  but  fortunately  the  old  colonial  dining- 
room  was  saved,  and  the  main  building  was  reljuilt 
the  following  year. 

SAMUEL  LORD  HOUSE. 

This  tine  gambrel-roof  house  is  situated  on 
Middle  Street,  the  front  and  fine  grounds  facing 
State  Street,  and  was  built  about  1730  ;  the  exact 
date  is  not  known  to  the  present  occupants.  It  was 
built  by  Captain  Purcell,  a  well-known  merchant, 
and  after  his  death  his  widow  kept  a  ])oarding-house 
here  for  many  years.  Among  her  guests  was  Capt. 
John  Paul  Jones,  who  boarded  with  her  while  he 
was  superintending  the  building  of  the  "America" 
at  Badger's  Island  in  177!t.  The  house  was  next 
owned  by  Hon.  John  Langdon,  and  from  his  family 
it  came  into  possession  of  the  lale  Samuel  Lord, 
who  for  half  a  century  was  cashier  of  the  Piscataqua 
Bank  and  its  suci^essors,  and  treasurer  of  the  Ports- 
mouth Savings  Bank. 

THE  NORTH  CHURCH  CHAPEL, 

Corner  of  Middle  and  Porter  Streets,  north  of  the 
Sanuiel  Lord  house.  It  was  mainly  the  gift  to  the 
North  Parish,  in  1870,  of  Miss  Mary  C.  Rogers,  who 
lived  on  Congress  Street,  near  the  North  Church  ; 
her  name  Ijeing  associated  with  this  chapel  as  was 
tiiat  of  Governor  Langdon's  with  the  building  of  the 
l)rick  vestry  on  Fleet  Street  in  1817,  now  a  dwelling 
on  the  west  side  of  the  street  near  State.  The  open 
sjiace  on  the  west  side  of  Middle  Street,  in  front  of 


MASON    HOUSE. 
LARKIN    HOUSE. 


SAMUEL    LORD    HOUSE. 
THOMAS  HAVEN   HOUSE. 


Doctor  Benedict's  residence,  according  to  the  map  of 
1813,  was  a  way  running  westerly  tin'ougii  the 
garden  of  G.  W.  Haven,  called  Geoi'ge  Street, 
thence  to  State,  named  Lihby  Street. 

MASON  HOUSE. 

Jeremiah  INIason,  a  young  lawyer,  came  to 
Portsmouth  in  17i)7,  and  established  himself  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  becoming  eminent  as  a 
lawyer,  jurist  and  statesman.  In  1808  he  l)uilt  the 
large  three-story  house  situated  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  State  and  Sunnncr  Streets,  where  he  re- 
sided until  he  moved  to  Boston  in  1832.  He  was 
elected  a  United  States  Senator  in  1813,  to  repre- 
sent New  Hampshire,  in  which  capacity  his  great 
mental  faculties  and  shrewdness  in  conducting  the 
affairs  of  state  were  marked  for  their  keenness, 
good  judgment  and  ability.  I\Ir.  Mason  was  a  man 
of  great  stature,  Ijeing  six  feet  six  inches  in  height. 
He  died  in  Boston  in  1818.  Daniel  Webster,  the 
eminent  statesman,  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
Mason,  wrote  in  his  autobiogra)ihy  thus  :  "As  a 
lawj^er,  as  a  jurist,  no  man  in  the  Union  e(iualed 
Mason,  and  but  one  approached  him."  He  referred 
to  Chief  Justice  ^larshall.  Afterward  the  house 
became  the  property  of  Daniel  H.  Treadwell  and  is 
now  occupied  l)y  his  son.  Dr.  Robert  O.  Treadwell. 

STATE  STREET. 

Fifty  years  ago  this  portion  of  State  Street, 
formerly  IVIason  Street,  had  only  recently  been 
extended  from  Cal)ot  Street  to  Anthony,  now  Union, 
and  but  few  houses  had  been  built  upon  it.     The 


site  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  the  tield  west  of  it 
to  AVinter  Street  was  used  for  a  circus  tield.  In 
the  will  of  President  John  Cutt,  signed  in  ll!8(),  he 
referred  to  this  as  the  "windmill  Held."  The  foun- 
dation stones  of  the  old  mill  remained  until  1852, 
when  the  second  house  on  the  north  side  of  the 
street,  west  of  Summer  Street,  was  built. 

THE  "ORACLE"  HOUSE. 

Situated  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Court  and 
Middle  Streets,  hy  Ilaymarket  Sijuare.  This  small 
gambrel-roof  building  originally  stood  south  of  the 
North  Church,  and  here  the  Orach  of  t/ie  Daij  was 
printed  by  Charles  Peirce.  The  tirst  number  was 
issued  in  1793,  and  complete  tiles  of  the  Omde  and 
its  successor,  the  PortsmoufJi  JouniaJ,  are  on  file  in 
the  Puljlic  Library. 

THE  PEIRCE  MANSION. 

One  of  the  most  imposing  three-story  frame 
buildings  in  the  city  is  the  Peirce  mansion,  situated 
on  Court  Street,  fronting  on  Haymarket  Square. 
This  fine  residence  was  Iniilt  in  1799  liy  John  Peirce, 
and  at  thit  time  none  of  the  large  houses  were  stand- 
ing in  this  vicinity,  and  the  hay  scales  were  consid- 
ered on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  The  building  has 
a  commanding  situation  and  the  paneling,  pilasters 
and  ornaments  on  the  front  are  unique  and  fine 
specimens  of  workmanship.  Other  features  of  the 
structure  are  the  circular  stairs  and  the  cupola.  The 
first  of  the  Peirce  family  to  locate  in  Portsmouth 
was  Joshua  Peirce,  who  came  here  about  1700,  and 
kept  a  store  in  his  house  on  the  corner  of  High  and 


A.       I1A\MARKET   Sl^)UARE. 
U.      A.  O.   l.ARKIN  HOUSE,  AND  BOARDMAN  HOUSE.  C.       PARROTT  HOUSE,  AND  J.  W.   TEIRCE  HOUSE. 


Congress  Streets.  He  was  a  ineiul)t'r  of  the  King's 
Council,  and  was  succeeded  Ity  his  son  Daniel,  father 
of  the  l)uilder  of  this  house.  I'hc  mansion  has 
always  ])een  in  possession  of  the  family,  and  is  now 
occupied  l)y  Miss  Ann  W.  Peirce  and  Mr.  William 
A.  Peirce  and  family. 

HAYMARKET  SQUARE. 

The  old  records  state  that  in  the  year  IT.t.t  "a 
hay  market  with  convenient  scales  for  weighintj  was 
erected  near  Jliddle  Road."  By  the  map  of  18K),  the 
location  is  shown  to  have  been  Itetween  the  Oracle 
building  and  the  present  reservoir.  The  hay  scales 
were  maintained  for  nearly  a  century.  The  square  is 
surrounded  by  dwellings  of  various  styles  of  archi- 
tecture :  the  ".'^andy ""  ^larden  dwelling  of  the  early 
type  on  the  east ;  next  to  it  the  gambrel-roofed 
Oracle  house  ;  opposite  and  across  Court  Street  the 
modern  Sise  dwelling  ;  on  the  south  the  three-story 
Peirce  mansion  ;  and  on  the  northwest,  on  Middle 
Street,  the  brick  house  with  a  IMansard  roof,  built 
during  the  Civil  War  by  Captain  William  F.  Parrott 
from  designs  by  a  New  York  architect ;  ne.xt  is  the 
commodious  residence  of  Joseph  W.  Peirce,  and  the 
brick  church  on  the  west  augmenting  the  collection, 
which  with  the  many  tine  old  residences  suri'ounding 
and  about  this  sciuare,  of  similar  and  dissimilar  design 
in  architecture,  completes  a  jiicturc  which  in  variety 
is  seldom  e(|ualed.  In  this  s(|uare,  near  the  hay 
scales,  on  Septemlter  \-l,  17(!.'),  is  the  place  where 
George  ^lescrve,  the  Sfani))  Agent,  with  Lord  Bute 
and  the  Devil  were  hung  in  effigy  as  related  else- 
where (see  I\Ieserve-Wel)ster  house). 


The  "Rambles"  state  that  these  efBgies  were 
hung  in  front  of  the  old  jail,  then  on  the  corner  of 
Fetter  and  Prison  Lanes.  But  this  evidently  is  an 
error,  for  Xathaniel  Adams,  in  his  "Annals  of  Ports- 
mouth," states  it  was  "at  the  hay  market,"  and  also 
Daniel  Peirce,  in  his  diary  kept  at  the  time,  states, 
under  date  of  September  12,  176.'),  that  "effigies  of 
a  stamp  master  were  displayed  all  day  at  the  hay 
engine."  Considering  that  Mr.  Adams  was  a  large 
l)oy,  and  living  here  at  the  time  it  happened,  and 
likely  had  a  hand  in  it ;  and  that  of  ]\Ir.  Peirce  in 
his  diary  we  consider  conclusive  evidence  that  it 
was  at  Haymarket  Si|uare,  and  not  at  the  old  jail. 

THE  LANGLEY  BOARDMAN  HOUSE, 

On  the  west  side  of  ^liddle  Street,  next  south 
of  the  Parrott  brick  residence.  It  was  built  by 
Hon.  I^angley  Boardman,  a  cabinet  maker  and  a 
New  Hampshire  Councilor  and  State  Senator,  and 
owned  l)y  him  and  his  son.  Dr.  John  H.  Boardman, 
and  family  until  1900.  The  present  owner,  while 
repairing  the  house,  wisely  made  no  material  changes. 
It  has  the  finest  Ionic  jjortico  in  the  city,  and  the 
solid  mahogany  door  with  whalebone  trimmings, 
unique  side-lights,  matched  boarding  and  inside 
shutters  unite  to  make  it  one  of  the  tinest  three-story 
dwellings  of  the  period.  Among  the  noteworthy 
features  is  the  front  hall,  which  in  181()  was  hung 
with  jiajier  illustrating  different  scenes  in  Scott's 
"  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  and  is  yet  in  a  tine  state  of 
preservation. 


THE  LARKIN  HOUSE 

Is  the  brick  liousf  on  ^liddle  Strrct,  near  Austin 
Street,  on  a  slight  olcvation  whicli  couiniands  a  tine 
view  of  the  south  portion  of  the  city.  It  was  Ijuilt 
on  the  site  formerly  occupied  by  the  house  of  Colonel 
Joshua  Went  worth  until  1813.  Samuel  Larkin, 
who  married  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Wentworth,  pur- 
chased the  estate  and  erected  this  house  about  isi,"), 
and  an  extract  from  Mr.  Larkin's  diary  under  date 
of  Monday,  August  31,  1829,  says:  "This  day  I 
moved  into  the  house  from  which  I  moved  in  1817, 
November  30,  having  lived  in  the  brick  house  almost 
twelve  years."  The  dwelling  Mr.  Larkin  mentions 
as  returning  to,  is  the  three-story  fi'anie  house  ad- 
joining on  the  east.  Mr.  and  Mvs.  Larkin  had  a 
numerous  family,  there  l)eing  twenty-two  children. 
The  property  was  afterward  sold  to  Mr.  Hurd,  of 
Exeter,  whose  daughter  married  Henr}^  Ladd,  who 
came  into  possession  of  the  estate  and  lived  here 
until  his  death.  The  residence  is  usually  known  as 
the  "Henry  Ladd  house."  Mr.  Larkin,  who  was  an 
auctioneer,  had  a  large  income  from  his  coumiis- 
sions  for  selling  English  vessels  and  their  valuable 
cargoes,  the  prizes  of  Portsmouth  privateers  in  the 
War  of  1812.  It  has  been  stated  that  four  hundred 
and  nineteen  vessels  were  taken  by  fourteen  Ports- 
mouth privaleers.  Four  captured  prizes  with  their 
cargoes  were  valued  at  two  and  one-half  millions. 

There  are  numerous  claims  by  proj)erty  owners 
on  ^Middle  Street  that  their  residences  were  designed 
by  Charles  Bultinch,  the  famous  architect  of  the 
Massachusetts  Capitol.  Whether  the  claims  can  be 
substantiated  or  not,  it  is  evident  that  several  dwell- 


ings indicate  that  his  designs  were  followed  by  sev- 
eral builders  after  the  construction  of  the  Academy. 

THOMAS  HAVEN  HOUSE. 

There  formerly  stood  on  the  south  corner  of 
Middle  Street  and  Richards  Avenue  one  of  the  finest 
designed  and  unique  residences  in  the  city,  bearing 
the  marks  of  an  architect  like  Bultinch,  which  was 
built  by  Thomas  Haven  aljout  1818  or  earlier.  This 
was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  the  present  French- 
roofed  structure,  and,  although  more  money  has  been 
expended  on  the  enlarged  lot  than  upon  any  other  in 
the  city,  many  residents  regret  that  the  l)eautiful 
old  brick  mansion  was  ever  destroyed.  At  one 
time  this  was  the  residence  of  the  late  Admiral 
Storer. 

RICHARDS  AVENUE 
Extends  southeasterly  from  Middle  Street  to  South 
Street  for  half  a  mile.  At  first  it  was  called  Cow 
Lane,  afterward  Joshua  Street  from  Colonel  Joshua 
Wentworth,  who  lived  on  the  site  of  the  Larkin  house 
on  Middle  Street,  and  in  1830  the  name  was  changed 
to  Auburn  Street.  In  the  first  year  of  the  Civil 
War  the  street  was  lined  on  both  sides  with  elm 
trees,  planted  mainly  through  the  personal  exertions 
of  Dr.  Robert  O.  Treadwell  and  Henry  L.  Richards. 
The  latter  was  a  member  of  the  2d  United  States 
Sharpshooters  and  fell  on  the  field  of  Gettys- 
l)urg,  July  2,  ISii;-),  and  the  name  of  the  street 
was  changed  to  Richards  Avenue  in  his  memorj'. 
With  the"  $14,000  fund  from  the  bequest  of  Mrs. 
^Nlary  H.  Cutts  the  avenue  was  widened  on  both 
sides,  fenced,  curbed  and  graded. 


The  sharp-roofed  dwellinir,  the  seeoiid  house 
north  of  the  Marginal  Road  on  the  ^east  side  of 
Richards  Avenue,  was  huilt  in  1751  as  a  town 
schoolhouse  on  School  Street,  and  was  removed  to 
this  spot  and  made  into  a  dsvelling-house  when  the 
brick  Bartlett  schoolhouse  was  erected. 

LINCOLN  HILL. 

Turning  west  from  Richards  Avenue  at  the 
cemetery.  South  Street  leads  over  Lincoln  Hill,  the 
highest  part  of  Portsmouth.  The  land  on  the  north 
side  of  the  hill  was  formerly  known  as  "  Packer's 
pasture,"  being  the  property  of  Sheriff  Packer.  Its 
present  name  was  given  to  it  by  the  late  Frank  W. 
Miller,  who  l)uilt  the  first  house  on  the  highest  part 
of  the  pasture. 

Returning  to  Middle  Street  through  Miller 
Avenue,  on  the  left  you  jiass  the  residence  and  ex- 
tended grounds  of  II.  Fisher  Eldredge,  and  adjoin- 
ing, on  the  corner  of  Middle  Street,  is  the  residence 
of  Wallace  Hackett,  which  is  a  line  specimen  of 
modern  colonial  architecture. 

THE  FRANCIS  HOUSE 

Is  the  second  house  from  Middle  Street  on  the  east 
side  of  LTnion  Street,  next  north  of  the  stable,  which 
was  formerly  a  stocking  factory.  Union  Street  was 
pi'eviously  "Anthony,"  named  l>v  Anthony  Hale,  a 
surveyor,  who  was  told  hy  Mrs.  Coffin  that  the 
street  had  no  name.  ^Irs.  Coffin  ^vas  a  new  i-esident 
at  that  time  and  was  not  aware  that  in  the  deed  of 
Daniel  Austin  to  -John  Lowd,  in  1804,  it  had  been 
called  "Union  Street."      When    it    was    extended 


A.       KKA.NCIS    HOI  SE. 

B.        PAROCHIAL   SCHOOL. 


southerly  from  Middle  Street,  the  name  was  restored 
in  answer  to  the  petitioners  who  resided  on  the  street. 
The  identity  of  the  Francis  house  has  been  in 
doubt  for  some  years.  It  was  located,  however,  for 
the  writer  b}'  George  W.  Haven  and  also  by  Peter 
Emery,  both  of  whom  died  soon  after,  the  latter  at 
the  age  of  ninety-nine  years,  who  could  well  re- 
member the  time  of  Its  erection.  It  was  built  soon 
after  the  War  of  1812,  by  John  and  Nathaniel  A. 
Haven  for  a  negro  named  John  Francis  in  gratitude 
for  the  service  rendered  by  him  during  the  war :  a 
ship  owned  by  that  tirm  having  been  captured  Uy 
privateersmen,  Francis  succeeded  in  secreting  the 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  cargo,  $1.t,00()  in  gold 
coin,  in  a  slush  tub.  He  served  on  board  with  the 
cai)tor"s  prize  crew  until  land  was  reai-hed,  when  he 
begged  the  slush  tub  with  its  sixty  jiounds  of  greasy 
gold  for  his  penjuisite,  and  safely  returned  the 
money  to  the  Messrs.  Haven. 

THE  OLD  POUND  AND  THE  GALLOWS. 

The  old  town  Pound  was  situated  on  the  South 
Road,  at  its  junction  with  Middle  Road,  and  was 
located  at  the  side  of  the  driveway,  about  twenty 
feet  east  from  the  corner  of  the  walls  dividing 
Middle  and  South  Roads.  It  was  constructed  of 
natural  stones,  large  and  substantially  liuilt.  it  being 
about  twenty-tive  by  thirty  feet  square,  with  an 
entrance  on  the  west  end  and  a  gate  with  a  pon- 
derous padlock  fastening.  The  two  small  elm  trees 
now  standing  here  have  lately  sjirung  up,  one  at 
the  west  end  and  the  other  at  the  east  end  of  where 
the  old  Pound  formerlv  stood. 


On  May  8,  17.').'),  Kliphaz  Dow,  of  Hampton 
Falls,  was  hung  here  for  the  nmrder  of  Peter 
Clough,  the  gallows  being  erected  about  fifty  feet 
east  of  the  Pound,  opposite  to  where  the  old  Tucker 
house  now  stands,  and  he  was  buried  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road,  on  the  slope  of  the  small  hill,  al)out 
seventy-tive  feet  east  from  the  gallows. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  173;i,  two  women, 
Sarah  .Simpson  and  Penelope  Kenney,  were  hung 
for  the  murder  of  an  infant  child.  In  the  morning, 
)ire\ious  to  their  execution,  they  both  were  permitted 
to  attend  public  divine  services,  preparatory  to  their 
being  so  ruthlessly  launched  into  eternity  from  a 
pul)lic  scaffold.  Sai'ah  Simpson  attended  at  the  Old 
South  Meeting-house  and  Penelo})e  Kenney  at 
Queen's  Chapel,  where,  under  the  trying  ordeal  of 
immediate  doom,  they  listened  to  dis(|uisitions 
from  their  respective  representatives  of  the  Deity. 
"Whether  these  two  women  were  judicially  murdered 
here  or  at  the  cemetery  where  Ruth  Blay  was  killed 
we  are  unable  to  state,  but  prol)ably  at  one  or  the 
other. 

MEETING-HOUSE  AT  THE  SOUTH 
MILL-DAM. 

On  the  27th  of  .Vugust,  ll!.")7.  the  town  empow- 
ered Brian  Pendleton.  John  Cutt,  Richard  Cutt, 
William  Seavey  and  Henry  Sherburne,  the  select- 
men, to  build  a  meeting-house,  which  they  proceeded 
to  do  at  once.  The  articles  of  agreement  specify 
that  "The  meeting-house  to  be  made  40  ffect  S(|uare 
with  12  windowes  well  fitted,  3  ful)stanciall  doers  and 
a  complete  puli)it."     The  building  was  erected  upon 


136 


the  hill  l)el()w  the  niill-daiii,  south  of  the  fountiiiu. 
on  the  site  now  oociqiied  liy  the  lioljerts  hou.sc,  at 
the  "croteh  of  the  roads"  leading  to  New  Castle  and 
South  Street.  When  first  built,  it  had  neither  pews 
nor  window-shutters ;  it  was  adorned  with  a  low 
helfry,  in  which  was  hung  the  first  cluuxh-hell  in 
New  Hampshire,  in  1()(!4.  Kev.  Joshua  Moody  was 
the  first  minister,  and  hegan  his  pastorate  the  first 
of  the  year  1658,  but  was  not  regularly  ordained 
until  1()71.  He  was  at  iirst  supported  by  subscrip- 
tion, eighty-six  persons  having  sul)scribe<l  for  the 
purpose. 

There  was  preaching  by  Messrs.  Parker,  Brown 
and  others  in  the  chapel  on  Pleasant  Street  previous 
to  the  l)uilding  of  this  meeting-house.  It  was  not 
until  Mr.  Moody  had  preached  here  twelve  years 
and  had  gathered  a  congregation  which  could  hardly 
find  room  in  the  meeting-house  that  stejis  were  taken 
for  the  formation  of  a  church.  Mr.  jMoody's  own 
written  account  of  the  "(lathering  of  ye  Church  of 
Christ  in  Portsmouth"  may  still  be  read  in  the  rec- 
ords, now  in  possession  of  the  North  Church,  under 
date  of  11)71. 

In  1(3(!2,  at  a  general  town-meeting,  it  was 
"ordered  that  a  kage  be  made  for  the  unruly  and 
those  who  slept  in  meeting,  or  took  tobacco  on  the 
Lord's  day  out  of  the  meeting  in  the  time  of  the 
publi(]ue  exercise."  Not  for  nine  years  was  this 
enactment  put  in  force,  then  the  selectmen  emjjloyed 
John  Pickering  to  build  a  cage  twelve  feet  S([uare 
and  seven  feet  high.  "The  studs  to  be  si.x  inches 
broad,  four  inches  thick,  and  the  openings  between 
them  to  be  three  inches.     The  studs  are  to  l)e  round 


the  said  kage.  and  at  the  bottom  and  overhead.  The 
said  Pickering  to  make  a  good  strong  dore  and 
make  a  sul)stantial  j)ayer  of  stocks  and  place  the 
same  in  said  kage,  and  also  build  on  the  rough  of 
said  kage  a  firm  pillory.  All  which  kage,  stock  and 
pillory  to  l)e  l)uilt  and  raised  in  some  convenient 
space  from  the  westward  end  of  the  meeting-house, 
by  the  last  day  of  (October  next  ensuing."  The  cage, 
stocks  and  pillory  were  constructed  as  directed,  and 
it  is  recorded  that  it  was  quite  fre(|uently  used  in 
all  of  its  amplitications,  and  sometimes  on  those 
([iiite  high  in  the  society  of  those  days. 

In  l(i(ii)  there  was  granted  to  "Mr.  ffryer  the 
Townc's  right  of  twentie  foote  square  of  land  be- 
tween the  path  and  Mr.  Coming's  ffence  neere  the 
meetinghouse  to  sett  up  a  house  and  keep  wood  in 
to  acconnnodate  himself  and  family  in  winter  time 
when  he  comes  to  meeting." 

The  last  l)aptism  recorded  by  Mr.  Moody  was 
that  of  William  Pepperrell,  [May!),  ICitT,  who  was 
afterward  created  a  l)aronet  by  the  British  Crown, 
in  consei|uence  of  his  success  in  leading  the  expedi- 
tion against  Louisburg,  in  174.">. 

"At  a  generall  Town  meeting  held  at  Portsmo. 
this  24th  day  of  September,  1711,  Voted,  that  a 
new  meetinghouse  be  built  in  the  Town ;  Voted, 
that  the  new  meetinghouse  be  built  on  the  corner  of 
the  Minister's  Held  and  that  it  be  ye  stated  meeting- 
house of  ye  Town."  But  quite  a  minority,  nearly 
one-half,  deemed  this  locality  too  far  north,  and  a 
quarrel  was  soon  generated,  deveIo]iing  a  spirit  not 
conijiliinentary  to  Christian  hearts.  When  the  house 
was  comijleted,  the  minister.  Rev.  Nathaniel  Rogers, 


wa8  oi'dcred,  hy  vole  of  the  jjiuisli,  to  ]>rc:icli  the 
ensuing  Sundiiv  at  the  new  l)iiildinii-  at  Stra\vl)ei-ry 
Bank,  and  did  so,  reniovinj>-  witii  him,  at  the  same 
time,  the  plate  and  the  church  records,  while  the 
minority,  led  by  Captain  John  Pickering,  continued 
to  worship  at  the  old  meeting-house,  and  called  Rev. 
John  Emerson,  of  New  Castle,  to  l)e  their  pastor. 
The  quarrel  which  was  precipitated  by  the  l)uilding 
of  the  new  meeting-house  at  the  "Bank"  lasted  for 
many  years.  Those  going  to  the  new  church  were 
called  the  North  Parish,  and  those  remaining  at  the 
old,  the  South  Parish  :  the  main  (]uestion  at  issue 
being,  which  parish  was  entitled  to  tlie  benefits  of  the 
glebe  land  and  the  town  taxes.  The  controversy  at 
iirst  was  referred  to  an  ecclesiastical  council  of  Massa- 
chusetts, with  Cotton  Mather  at  its  head,  which  ren- 
dered a  decision  in  favor  of  the  South  Parish.  This, 
of  course,  was  not  satisfactor_y  to  the  other  contending 
party,  and  it  was  then  carried  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  Province  of  New  llamiishire,  which,  after 
several  deliberations,  finally  adjudged  the  glebe  land 
to  the  North  Parish  :  l)ut"  that  both  the  North  and 
South  were  town  ]iarishes  and  equally  entitled  to 
the  town  taxes.  This  decision  was  satisfactory  to 
no  one,  and  the  distribution  of  the  taxes  being  a 
bone  of  contention,  it  was  in  1716  agreed  that  each 
parish  should  support  its  own  minister,  and  there 
the  matter  has  since  rested. 

The  South  Parish  continued  to  worship  here 
until  1731,  when  they  erected  a  new  building  on 
Meeting-house  Hill.  The  old  meeting-house  was 
soon  after  removed ;  a  part  of  it  being  taken  to 
Congress  Street,  on  the  site  of  Congress  Block,  and 


remodeled  into  a  dwelling,  the  remainder  was  used 
to  enlarge  the  schoolhouse  at  the  south  end,  near  b}'. 
The  old  bell,  which  was  placed  in  the  belfry  in  16li4, 
was  removed  with  that  portion  of  the  meeting-house 
used  to  enlarge  the  school  building  in  17o2,  and 
remained  there  until  l.S4(>,  when  a  new  schoolhouse 
was  built,  at  which  time  it  was  sold  to  George 
Raynes,  and  erected  over  the  office  in  his  shipyard, 
remaining  until  al)out  1870.  It  then,  being  badly 
cracked,  was  sold  for  old  metal  to  Andrew  Gertish, 
a  brass  founder,  and  was  probably  melted  down. 
Thus  ended  the  identity  of  the  old  bell,  the  aged 
veteran,  which,  for  two  hundred  and  six  years,  tirst 
called  the  people  to  their  worship,  then  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  years  summoned  the  youth  to  the 
task  of  their  intellectual  development,  and  lastly  its 
peals  were  for  those  who,  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brow,  "eat  bread"  and  create  the  abundance  wdiich 
supi)lies  the  world. 

NORTH   CHURCH. 

Previous  to  the  building  of  the  First  (or  North 
Congregational)  Meeting-house  on  the  corner  of 
Congress  and  Pleasant  Streets,  in  1712,  worship  was 
held  in  the  meeting-house  at  the  mill-dam. 

In  the  record  l)ook  jireserved  by  this  church, 
liegun  by  Rev.  Joshua  Moody,  in  1(571,  there  is 
written  on  page  54  a  memorandum  by  Rev.  Ezra 
Stiles,  while  a  pastor  of  the  church  in  1777,  in  which 
he  writes  :  "There  is  an  instrument  in  being  which  I 
have  seen,  which  gives  the  foundation  of  the  jiarish 
about  1C40  and  signed  by  most  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Strawberrv  Bank." 


138 


2  £ 

7    I 


a  n 

^  o 


The  iii'st-nicctins-housc  on  this  site  was  ready 
for  occupancy  in  1712,  and  Kev.  Nathaniel  Rogers, 
who  came  here  with  tlie  parish  from  the  old  meet- 
ing-house at  the  mill-dam,  preached  his  tirst  sermon 
in  this  building  in  .lanuary,  171o.  It  was  seventy 
feet  long  and  three  stories  high,  with  two  galleries 
and  three  tiers  of  windows  set  with  diamond-shaped 
glass  in  leaden  sashes.  The  pulpit  (>ccu]Mcd  the 
middle  of  the  western  side,  and  was  surmounted  hy 
a  large  sounding-board.  A  steejile  one  hundred  and 
tifty  feet  high  was  .soon  after  added. 

Among  the  prominent  pew  holders  were  (Tcncral 
William  Whipple  and  Governor  John  Langdon,  and 
in  1815  and  1816  Daniel  Webster  served  as  warden. 
Town  meetings  were  held  in  this  meeting-house  until 
17(52,  when  the  parish  voted  not  to  permit  further 
public  use  of  the  building.  The  doors  were  locked, 
but  the  selectmen's  warrant  had  been  issued,  and  the 
citizens,  considering  the  meeting  legally  warned, 
made  forcible  entrance  and  transacted  their  business. 

In  1741)  a  clock  was  presented  to  the  town  by 
several  gentlemen,  and  jilaced  in  the  steeple.  Stoves 
were  not  put  in  until  1822.  One  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished ministries  this  church  has  seen  was  that 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Buckminster,  who  served  the 
parish  with  marked  ability  for  thirty-three  years 
from  the  beginning  of  his  pastorate  in  1779.  When 
President  Washington  visited  Portsmouth  in  1789, 
he  attended  servic;e  on  Sunday  afternoon  at  this 
church,  and  it  is  said  that  on  this  occasion  Dr. 
Buckminster  delivered  a  very  excellent  and  apjiro- 
l)riate  sermon.  Many  public  meetings  were  held  in 
this  building  during  the  exciting  times  of  the  Revo- 


lution. In  188ii  the  meeting-house  was  remodeled 
and  the  town  deeded  to  the  parish  the  present 
boundaries  marked  by  the  stone  posts,  in  exchange 
for  the  lot  on  Court  Street,  now  occupied  by  the  old 
Court  House.  In  18r)4  the  old  meeting-house  was 
j)uiled  down  and  the  present  edifice  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $;-iO,000.  A  new  organ  and  memorial  windows 
were  added  in  1890.  The  church  contains  mural 
tablets  commemorative  of  the  ministries  of  the  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Rogers  and  Rev.  Samuel  Langdon,  D.  D. 

MEETING-HOUSE  HILL  AND  SOUTH 
CHURCH. 

The  schoolhouse  and  ward  room,  with  its 
churchlike  architecture,  now  occupies  the  site  of  the 
Old  South  i\Iceting-house,  which  was  built  in  1731. 
The  land  on  which  it  stood  was  given  by  John  Pick- 
ering, second  of  that  name,  and  the  timber  for  the 
building  was  cut  on  and  about  the  premises.  After 
the  frame  was  raised.  Rev.  John  Emerson,  from 
the  staging,  offered  a  jirayer,  which  was  his  last 
public  effort.  He  died  tiiat  year  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  William  Shurtleff,  in  1732,  who  was 
the  first  pastor  after  moving  here  from  the  old 
meeting-house  at  the  mill-dum.  The  spire  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  consideral)ly  damaged  in 
1759.  This  place  of  worship  was  occupied  by  the 
South  Parish  until  the  Stone  Church  on  State  Street 
was  completed,  in  182(i,  at  which  time  they  vacated 
the  old  meotiug-house  and  removed  to  the  new  and 
sulistantial  building  which  they  now  occu|)y.  The 
old  meeting-house,  for  many  years,  was  used  for 
various  purposes,   until   18()3,   when  it    was  taken 


north  church. 

people's  church  and  south  ward  room. 


n.  ST.  JOHN  s  church. 

D.      ADVENT    CHUKCII. 


down.  Tlie  ))0(lies  of  two  of  the  former  pastors, 
Revs.  AVilliani  Sliurtk'ff  and  Job  Stroiiir,  had  Ijccn 
))uried  under  the  connnunion  table  in  the  ehureh, 
and  at  this  time  their  remains  were  disinterred  and 
removed  to  the  Soutii  Cemetery,  where  suitable 
monuments  were  erected.  Their  young  minister, 
Rev.  Job  Strong,  lived  l)ut  two  years  after  being 
ordained.  Then  followed  the  long  and  distinguished 
ministry  of  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  flaven,  who,  for  a 
time,  was  assisted  bj-  Rev.  Timothy  Alden.  After 
Dr.  Haven  came  the  brilliant  pastorate  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Nathan  Parker,  who,  in  1.S19,  attended  at  Balti- 
more the  ordination  of  licv.  -Tared  S}>arks  ;  on  which 
occasion  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Ellery  Channing 
preached  and  lioldly  proclaimed  the  Unitarian  theol- 
ogy. The  lil)eral  sentiments  there  enunciated  were 
being  disseminated  in  New  England,  and  impreg- 
nating ecclesiastical  circles  throughout  the  country  ; 
bringing  forth,  from  the  not  altogether  tolerant  in 
the  established  churches,  reproach  and  censure,  and 
in  man}'  instances  kindling  fires  of  bitter  animosity. 
On  his  return.  Dr.  Parker  was  denied  ministerial 
intercourse  by  the  Pascataqua  Association  of  Minis- 
ters, and  was  reproved  as  an  infidel.  Dr.  Parker 
remained,  and  was  their  pastor  at  the  time  the 
society  moved  to  their  new  building. 

THE  STONE  CHURCH  OF  THE  SOUTH 
PARISH, 

Built  of  Rockport  granite  ))y  the  South  Parish  in 
1824-6.  Dr.  Nathan  Parker  preached  in  the  new 
church  until  his  death,  after  an  eventful  pastorate 
of  twenty-five  years,   and  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 


Andrew  P.  Peabody,  who  served  them  until  he  loft 
for  Cambridge,  in  l.Siid,  to  accept  the  Phunmer  Pro- 
fessorshij)  of  (.'hristian  florals  at  Harvard  College. 
Rev.  James  De  Normandie  for  twenty  years  was 
their  pastor,  when  in  1883  he  was  called  to  Massa- 
chusetts, to  serve  as  pastor  of  the  First  Religious 
Society  in  Roxbury,  and  was  succeeded  in  1884  by 
Rev.  Alfred  Gooding,  the  present  pastor. 

The  ministry  of  the  South  Parish  has  been  as 
follows :  Rev.  John  P^merson,  installed  March  28, 
171.5,  died  January  21,  1781  ;  Rev.  AVilliam  Shurt- 
leff,  installed  Fel)ruarv  21,  1733,  died  ^lay  !>,  1747  ; 
Rev.  Job  Strong,  ordained  January  28,  1749,  died 
Scpteml)er  30,  1751 :  Rev.  Samuel  Haven,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  ordained  May  (i,  1752,  died  March  3,  1800  ; 
Rev.  Timothy  Alden '(colleague),  1799-1805;  Rev. 
Nathan  Parker,  D.  D.,  ordained  September  14, 
1808,  died  November  8,  1833;  Rev.  Andrew  P. 
Peabody,  D.  D.,  ordained  1833,  died  March  10, 
1893. 

The  great  fire  of  1813  started  in  the  rear  of 
the  residence  of  Daniel  Webster,  upon  the  premises 
of  Moses  Woodward,  the  site  of  this  church. 

ST.  JOHN'S   CHURCH, 

Situated  on  the  hill  at  the  corner  of  Chapel  and  Bow 
Streets.  Eminent  authorities  state  that  a  majority 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Portsmouth  belonged  to  the 
Church  of  England,  and  soon  after  the  settlement, 
probably  about  1()38,  the  exact  date  not  being  known, 
a  chapel  and  parsonage  were  erected  on  Pleasant 
Street,  on  the  site  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Langdon 
house,  north  of  the  present  Universalist  Church ; 


CHRIST   CHURCH. 
BAPTIST    CHURCH. 


11.       UNITARIAN    CHURCH. 
D.      METHODIST   CHIRCH. 


and  worsliip  was  coiidueU'd  in  the  cliai)C'l  according 
to  the  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England.  The  plate 
and  service  l)ooks  were  sent  over  from  England  hy 
Captain  .John  Mason,  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
jilantation  at  Pascataqua.  In  the  year  KiH.S  Rev. 
Richard  (iilison  was  installed  as  })astor  and  con- 
tinued until  l(i42,  when  he  was  called  before  the 
General  Court  at  Boston  to  answer  to  the  charge  of 
having  ])erfornicd  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  that 
of  baptism  at  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  without  authority 
from  the  Governor  of  Massichusetts.  He  ajjpeared 
before  the  Court  and  frankly  admitted  that  he  had 
acted  as  charged,  and  furthermore  stated  that  he 
should,  under  like  circumstances,  repeat  the  offense. 
He  was  ordered  to  leave  the  Province,  and  soon 
after  sailed  for  England,  iiaving  been  jiractically 
banished  from  these  shores. 

For  a  long  period,  mainly  on  aciount  of  eccle- 
siastical dissensions,  no  regular  Episcopal  services 
wei'e  held,  but  in  173"2  a  number  who  had  stead- 
fastly adhered  to  the  faith  organized  and  erected,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  church,  a  building  which  was 
named  "(Queen's  Chapel,"  in  honor  of  Queen  Caro- 
line, who  presented  the  society  with  a  service  of 
plate  for  use  of  the  altar,  all  stamped  with  the  royal 
arms.  This  handsome  coinnmnion  service  is  still 
used  at  St.  .Tohn"s.  At  the  same  time  was  received 
the  "Vinegar  Bible, ""  which  to-day  stands  in  its 
handsome  case  in  the  church.  In  1  7;W>  a  chalice  of 
silver  was  presented  by  Captain  Christojiher  Kyines, 
which  is  still  in  use.  The  lieauliful  marble  font  is 
an  ancient  piece  of  workmanship,  and  was  l)roughl 
from   Senesal    b\-    Captain    .liihu    'I'ufton    Mason,    a 


resident  of  Portsmouth,  who  particij>ated  in  this 
African  expedition,  and  captured  the  font  in  17.')8. 
It,  undoubtedly,  antedates  the  settlement  of  this 
country.  There  is  engraved  upon  the  metal  lid  of 
the  font,  in  Latin,  the  story  of  its  presentation  to 
Queen's  Chapel.     The  translation  is  as  follows : 

"Sarah  Catherine  and  Anna  Elizabeth,  accomplished 
daughters  of  Captain  John  Tufton  Mason,  generously 
gave  this  Baptisterinm,  acquired  from  the  French  at 
Senegal  under  the  auspices  of  the  above-mentioned 
John,  to  the  English  Churcli  at  Portsmouth  in  tlie  year 
of  our  Lord  1761  and  the  26th  of  the  preaching  of 
Arthur  Browne.  W'yseman  Chigett  and  Samuel  Liver- 
more,  Wardens." 

The  liell  which  hangs  in  the  belfry  of  St.  John's 
has  an  interesting  history,  as  it  w-as  captured  in 
174.T,  at  Louisburg,  from  the  French,  and  was 
l)rought  home  by  the  officers  of  the  Xew  Hampshire 
regiment,  which  assisted  in  the  capture.  The  bell 
was  cast  in  France,  and  had  been  sent  to  Louisburg 
in  the  early  part  of  the  century.  It  hung  in  the 
belfry  of  (Queen's  Chajiel  for  si.\ty  years,  until  180(!, 
when  that  editice  was  destroyed  by  tire.  The  bell 
was  so  badly  damaged  that  it  was  necessary  to  have 
it  recast,  the  work  being  done  by  Paul  Revere,  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  in  Boston.  When  the  present 
church  was  completed,  in  1S()8,  it  was  hung  in  the 
belfry,  and  for  a  period  of  nearly  ninety  years,  until 
181M;',  did  faithful  .service.  At  that  time  it  was 
found  that  its  tone  had  become  so  nmch  impaired 
that  another  recasting  was  necessary,  in  which  three 
hundred  pounds  of  new  metal  were  added.  Thus  we 
ha\i',  in  the  bell  which  every  Sunday  rings  out  from 
the  tower  of  St.  .John's,  the  metal  of  the  old  bell 
that  neailv  two  hundred  \ears  ayd  called  the  French 


to  praj'ers  within  the  walls  of  Ijouisburg.  If  any 
should  wish  to  clinil)  the  long  and  tedious  stairway 
to  the  bell,  they  will  find  upon  it,  cast  in  relief, 
these  inscriptions  : 

"Vox  Ego  Sum  \'itae 
\'ocQ  Vos,  Orate  Venite." 
The  English  of  this  Latin  inscription  being : 

I  am  the  voice  of  life, 

1  call  you  :     Come  !  Pray. 
Beneath  the  luottn,  the  history  of  the  bell  is  told,  as 
follows  : 

"This  bell  brought  from  Louisburg 

by  Sir  William  Pepperrell, 

A,  n.  1745. 

"  Recast  by  Paul  Revere, 
A.  D.  1S07. 

"Again  recast 
A.  D.  1896." 

Upon  the  riui  appear  these  words  : 

"  My  mouth  shall  show  forth  Thy  praise." 
On  the  o))posite  of  the  bell  is  the  following  verse  in 
English  : 

"  From  St.  John's  Steeple 
I  call  the  people 
On  Holy  Days 
To  prayer  and  praise." 

Here  in  (Queen's  Chapel,  on  the  morning  of 
November  1,  17!Sil,  President  (Tcorge  ^^  asiiington, 
accompanied  by  the  President  of  New  Hampshire, 
John  Sullivan  :  Hon.  John  Langdon,  Secretary  Lear 
and  Marshal  John  I'arker,  attended  services  and  sat 
in  what,  in  Colonial  times,  had  been  the  pew  of  the 
Royal  Governors,  a  large,  scjuare,  canopied  jiew,  in 
which  were  placed  the  two  anti(|ue  chairs  ])re- 
sented  by  (^ueen  Caroline.      In  one  of  these  chairs 


Washington  sat,  and  it  is  ])clieved  that  the  one 
saved  at  the  time  of  the  tire  in  iSOii,  and  which  now 
stands  within  the  chancel  rail  of  St.  John's,  was  the 
one  occupied  by  President  Washington  that  Sunday 
morning. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  church  was 
laid  on  St.  John's  Day,  June  24,  1807,  by  Thomas 
Thompson,  Grand  Master  of  the  iNIasonic  fraternity 
of  New  Hampshire,  tiiere  lieing  a  large  niilitaiy  and 
civic  gathering. 

In  ll'.Uj  Rev.  Arthur  Browne  was  settled  as 
rector,  retaining  the  })osition  for  thirty-seven  years, 
until  17 To,  when  he  died,  aged  seventy-four  j^ears. 
During  the  Revolutionary  days  no  regular  services 
were  held  in  this  c-hapcl.  In  the  summer  of  180tt 
Mr.  Charles  Burroughs,  of  Boston,  officiated  as 
reader  in  St.  John's  Church,  and  that  fall  he  received 
and  accepted  an  invitation  to  become  its  pastor.  On 
May  20,  1812,  nearly  two  and  one-half  years  later, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  order  of  priest,  and  on  the 
following  day  was  inducted  rector  of  St.  John's 
Church,  and  scM-vcd  until  lS.-)7. 

UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH. 

In  1  7<s4  this  society  built  a  churt'h  near  A'aughan 
Street,  afterward  known  as  "The  Cameneum,"  but 
as  early  as  1773  Rev.  John  Murray,  the  founder, 
had  preached  to  them  occasionally.  Rev.  Noah 
Parker  in  1777  officiated  as  pastor  in  a  small  school- 
house  on  Market  Street,  and  then  removed  to  the 
Sandemanian  meeting-house.  In  LSOS  a  tine  large 
edifice  was  erected  on  Pleasant  Street,  south  of  the 
site  where  stood  the  first  Episcopal  tUiapel.      It  w^as 


destroyed  by  lire   in  189G,   and  the  present   1)rick 
chnrt'h  erected  on  the  site  the  s.ame  year. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

The  tirst  meeting,  and  the  one  which  formed 
the  nucleus  of  this  association,  was  held  in  Jefferson 
Hall  in  October,  1802,  by  Elder  Ellas  Snuth,  of 
Eppins:,  who  soon  after  moved  here,  living  on  Bridge 
Street  in  a  house  belonging  to  Edward  Call.  Meet- 
ings were  conducted  there  l)y  him  every  Sunday, 
until  the  great  tire  of  Deceml)er  2(;th  of  that  year 
destroyed  the  building,  after  which  services  were 
held  in  the  North  Schoolhouse  until  March,  1803,  at 
which  time  they  procured  from  the  selectmen  the  use 
of  the  court  room  in  the  Old  State  House.  Here  in 
that  month  they  organized  their  society  ;  agreeing 
to  call  themselves  a  Church  of  Christ,  or  simply 
"  Christians,  without  the  addition  of  any  unscrip- 
tural  name."  On  the  first  Sunday  in  April  following 
they  held  their  tii'st  communion,  the  Elder  occupying 
the  judge's  stand  as  a  pulpit  and  the  members  the 
seats  of  the  lawyers,  which,  says  Elder  Smith,  "  were 
just  enough  to  contain  the  members."  Up  to  this 
time  the  society  was  very  small,  but  from  this  period 
its  growth  was  rapid,  and  in  less  than  a  year  the 
membership  was  over  one  hundred  and  tifty.  The 
society  worshiped  here  until  the  latter  jiart  of  1803, 
when  they  moved  to  their  new  church,  which  was 
erected  that  year  on  the  site  of  ]\Iusic  Hall,  where 
they  remained  many  years.  In  al)out  1839  they 
purchased  the  brick  church  on  Pleasant  Street  and 
moved  into  it,  remaining  until  185(5,  after  which 
they  occupied  Lord's  Chapel  on  Hanover  Street.     In 


1858  they  again  returned  to  worship  in  the  Temple, 
so-called,  the  place  tiiey  had  erected  tifty-tive  years 
previous.  Su))sc(|uently  they  purchased  the  Free 
AVill  Baptist  Church  on  Court  Street,  which  they 
now  occupy,  the  tirst  service  being  held  January  8, 
1862.  Several  years  later  this  I)uiiding  was  exten- 
sively repaired,  and  rededicated  Feln'uary  4,  1891. 

On  September  1,  1808,  Rev.  Elias  Smith  began 
in  Portsmouth  the  jiublication  of  the  IlemJd  of  Go>f- 
pel  Liberty,  this  being  the  tirst  religious  paper  ever 
issued  in  the  country,  if  not  in  the  world  ;  and  is 
yet  the  organ  of  the  Christian  Church,  now  pub- 
lished in  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Elder  Smith  freijuently  issued  books  and  pam- 
phlets, and  preached  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. He  was  a  bold,  energetic  and  fearless  writer 
and  preacher,  his  main  fault  seeming  to  be  in  calling 
things  by  their  right  names,  which  to  the  maculate  is 
usually  "the  unpardonable  sin."  Ills  unusual  and 
advanced  ideas  on  religious  topics  made  him  a  mark 
for  repeated  assault  upon  his  theology  from  leading 
men  of  the  established  churches,  and  in  many  in- 
stances he  suffered  persecution  of  the  most  unchris- 
tian nature,  and  often  had  to  seek  protection  from 
the  frenzy  of  violent  mobs.  Of  the  many  experi- 
ences, we  (juote  from  his  own  pen  some  of  the 
happenings  at  their  new  church,  then  situated  on 
the  site  of  Music  Hall. 

"Our  meeting-house  was  stoned  many  times 
when  full  of  people.  The  windows  were  frequently 
broken,  and  three  whole  windows  were  once  carried 
off  in  one  night.  At  one  time  they  threw  a  vial  of 
asafuetida  into  the  aisle,  which  broke  as  it  fell  upon 


the  floor.  The  opposers  fired  onus  around  the 
house,  made  liideous  uoise.s,  l)eat  drums,  played  on 
fiddles  and  fifes,  ))le\v  horns  and  whistles,  fastened 
our  door  when  the  house  was  full  of  peoj)le,  and 
came  with  a  mob  to  take  me  out  of  the  pulpit  when 
preaching.  I  was  often  disturl)ed  while  ))aptizing, 
and  once  a  man  undertook  to  baptize  another  to 
show  his  contempt  of  baptism." 


In  tlie  article  on  "The  Temple"  where  it  says 
"Free  Will  Baptist,"  it  should  read  "Christian." 
Elias  Smith  former!}'  was  a  Baptist  and  did  not 
withdraw  from  that  society  for  some  time  after 
organizing  the  Christian  Church,  and  by  this  means 
the  societies  became  somewhat  confounded. 

METHODIST  CHURCH. 

The  dogma  of  the  Methodists  was  preached  in 
Portsmouth  as  early  as  1790,  by  Jesse  Lee,  though 
no  society  was  organized  until  1808,  which  was 
effected  in  the  Hutchings  house  on  Washington 
Street.  About  tliis  time  they  purchased  the  "  Came- 
neum,"  on  Vaughan  Street,  of  the  Universalist 
Society,  for  $2,000.  It  was  occupied  by  them  until 
they  moved  to  their  new  church  on  State  Street,  in 
1827,  which  was  built  that  year  at  a  cost  of  §9,000, 
and  Rev.  John  II.  Matfit,  the  noted  revivalist,  was 
then  assigned  here  as  pastor,  and  lived  in  the  brick 
house  on  the  southerly  corner  of  Daniel  and  Chaitel 
Streets.  His  son  John,  at  this  time,  was  al)out  ten 
years  old,  and  afterward  became  noted  as  the  com- 
mander of  the  rebel  privateer,  "Florida." 


MIDDLE  STREET  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

This  church  is  situated  on  the  corniT  of  State 
and  INIiddle  Streets,  and  was  erected  in  1828.  The 
church  was  organized  August  10,  182(5,  b\^  eight 
individuals  who  met  for  worship  in  the  Assembly 
House  on  Yaughan  Street.  It  has  been  recently 
extensively  repaired  and  decorated  and  a  new  Guild 
and  Pastors  Study  erected  on  State  Street,  on  the 
site  of  the  first  chapel,  which  was  built  in  18.")2  and 
occupied  until  the  completion  of  their  new  chapel, 
situated  on  the  ojijiosite  side  of  State  Street. 

CHRIST  CHURCH    (EPISCOPAL) 

Is  situated  on  Madison  Street,  oj^posite  the  west 
end  of  Austin  Street.  The  stone  of  which  it  was 
constructed  was  taken  from  I^each's  or  Murph}''s 
Island  in  Little  Harl)or.  By  the  will  of  George  M. 
Marsh,  who  died  November  19,  1878,  there  was 
left  a  be(iuest  for  the  founding  of  this  church.  The 
corner-stone  was  laid  on  St.  John's  Day,  1880. 
The  church  was  dedicated  July  o,  18,S3.  The  seats, 
bv  will  of  the  founder,  are  made  free. 

THE  FREE  WILL  BAPTIST  CHURCH, 

Built  in  IS.'iS,  on  the  cornt'r  of  Hanover  and  Pearl 
Streets.  The  society  was  organized  in  lSo2  by 
Rev.  David  Marks,  who  was  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  denomination  in  those  days.  The  society 
was  disljanded  in  184(!  and  reorganized  in  18.51. 
The  pi'csent  building  was  remodeled  in  18(>()  during 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  L.  L.  Harmon,  who  was  pastor 
from  1806  to  1877. 


The  Free  Will  Baptist  denomination  was 
founded  by  Benjamin  Kandall,  of  New  Castle,  who 
was  once  a  sailor.  Primarily  he  was  a  memlier  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  suhseciuently  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Berwick,  Me.  He  was  of  a  studious 
and  inquiring  nature,  thinking  for  himself ;  and  not 
being  in  harmony  with  the  established  creeds,  and 
persecuted  at  home  he  retired  to  Xew  Durham,  where 
he  established  the  mother  church  of  this  denomina- 
tion in  ITrSO.  There  were  numerous  adherents  of 
this  faith,  the  "Freewillers,"  in  and  about  Ports- 
mouth, [)revious  to  and  after  IfSOl,  at  which  time 
there  were  seventeen  Free  Ba])tist  Churches  in  this 
State  ;  but  no  record  can  lie  found  of  any  organiza- 
tion having  been  perfected  here  until  183^. 

PLEASANT  STREET  CHURCH, 

On  the  corner  of  Pleasant  and  Livermore  Streets. 
This  building  was  erected  for  a  Congregational 
Church  in  18:^9  by  a  branch  of  the  North  Church, 
forty  members  having  l)ecn  dismissed  for  this  pui- 
pose.  It  was  sold  to  the  Christian  Bajitists  in  1.S39, 
and  altered  into  a  triple  dwelling-house  in  18.58. 

SECOND  ADVENT  CHURCH 

Was  organized  January  4,  185n  ;  their  house  of 
worship  being  dedicated  in  June  of  that  year,  and 
recently  has  been  (|uite  extensively  remodeled.  It 
is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Hanover  Street,  next 
the  engine  house,  once  the  old  Lord  Chapel. 

ST.  MARY'S  ROMAN    CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

The  lirst  scr\  ices  of  the  Uomaii  ('alhoiics  were 
held  in  the  Pcduzzi  Buildinu',  on  the  corner  of  (V)n- 


gress  and  High  Streets.  In  18.t2  a  frame  church 
was  built  on  the  corner  of  Summer  and  Chatham 
Streets,  over  the  ledge  in  the  old  circus  tield.  This 
was  during  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Charles  ^NlcCallion, 
who  was  the  first  resident  priest.  At  that  time  the 
congregation  numbci'ed  about  three  hundred.  The 
building  was  destroyed  by  tire  in  LSTl. 

In  1873  the  present  In'ick  church  was  built  at  a 
cost  of  $.50,000.  The  beautiful  memorial  windows 
were  the  recent  gift  of  Rev.  Father  E.  M.  O'Calla- 
ghan,  P.  R.,  a  former  rector,  now  the  Vicar-(iencral 
of  the  State.  The  society  numbers  ui)wards  of 
two  thousand  members,  and  is  one  of  the  wealthiest 
in  the  city,  owning  nearly  the  entire  square  bounded 
l)y  Sunnner,  Austin,  Winter  and  Chatham  Streets. 
On  the  corner  of  Austin  and  Winter  Streets  is 
the  large  Parochial  School  owned  by  the  society, 
built  in  1S87. 

THE  GLEBE  LANDS. 

Some  original  documents,  counterparts  of  nearly 
all  the  leases  and  the  schedules  of  the  lessees,  have 
recently  been  found  by  the  writer,  which  have  ena- 
bled him  to  compile  a  plan  of  the  lower  glebe  and  a 
more  detailed  and  accurate  account  of  the  whole 
grant  than  was  possible  heretofore.  The  accompa- 
nying plan  shows  the  first  owners  of  the  leases,  just 
after  the  land  was  laid  out  into  house  lots  in  170.3  ; 
again  in  1788,  and  a  few  as  late  as  1825  had  not 
secured  discharges  from  the  999  year  leases. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  llUO,  only  seventeen 
years  after  the  lirst  settlement,  Francis  Williams, 
the    first  ajipointed    (iovernor   of    the    colony,    and 


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PLAN    OF   THE    LOWER    GLEBE    LANDS. 


Ambrose  Gibl)oiis,  his  assistant,  witii  eighteen  of 
the  principal  inhal^itants  of  the  lower  i)art*  of  Pascat- 
aqua,  for  the  "advancement  of  the  glory  of  God  and 
for  the  suppoi't  of  the  minister,"  made  a  grant  of 
fifty  acres  of  land  for  a  glebe  or  parsonage.  Three 
acres  of  this  grant  were  at  that  time  enclosed  for  a 
cornfield,  on  which  was  a  "parsonage  with  a  chapel 
thereto  united."  Thirty-eight  acres,  called  the 
Upper  Glebe,  were  "  l^'ing  at  head  of  Strawberry 
Bank  Creek."  The  powder  house  and  water  tower 
are  about  in  the  center  of  this  lot.  For  many  years 
it  was  let  to  John  Sherburne  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  shillings  per  year. 

In  1791  the  land  was  divided  into  five  lots  of 
from  six  to  nine  acres  each,  and  the  present  Isling- 
ton Road  laid  out  through  it,  and  was  sold  by  the 
wardens  of  the  North  Parish  at  public  auction  Octo- 
ber 27,  1791,  to  obtain  a  means  for  building  the 
parsonage  house  on  Pleasant  Street.  The  remaining 
twelve  acres  were  bounded  by  Congress  Street  on 
the  north,  commencing  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  North  Church,  and  running  to  the  west  side 
of  the  Kearsarge  House  lot ;  thence  parallel  with 
Chestnut  Street  to  South  Pond  ;  thence  via  Court 
House  lot  and  the  garden  of  the  Dr.  Langdon  estate 
to  Pleasant  Street ;  thence  to  the  North  Church. 

This  tract  of  land,  known  as  the  Town  or  Min- 
ister's Field,  in  which  in  1705  "Thomas  Phipps  hath 
built  a  house  and  now  liveth,"  was  at  a  public  town- 
meeting  on  the  2nt\\  of  April,  1705,  "ordered  to  be 
laid  out  into  house  lots  for  peopling  the  town  and 
that  the  advantage  which  arises  thereby  be  for  the 
benefit  of  the  ministry,  reserving  a  conveniency  for 


a  meeting-honse,  court-house,  almshouse  and  bury- 
ing-place." 

The  main  part  oi  the  field  was  divided  into 
fifty-one  lots  f)f  aliout  fifty  by  eighty  feet  each,  and 
leases  were  made  for  999  years,  at  from  seven  to 
fifteen  shillings  per  year,  and  three-fifths  of  the  lots 
were  leased  l)etween  the  years  1709  and  1712.  For 
many  years  the  rents  were  collected  somewhat 
regularly,  l)ut  in  17'H8  many  lessees  owed  for  from 
twenty  to  thirty  years'  rent,  amounting  in  all  to  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  pounds.  A  compromise  was 
made  and  nearly  all  paid  up.  Some  lessees  at  this 
time  bought  an  acquittance  for  the  remainder  of  the 
term  for  which  the  lots  were  leased.  In  1823  nearly 
one-half  the  lots  were  still  under  the  leases,  with 
from  forty  to  one  hundred  and  si.xty-seven  dollars 
due  for  each  lot.  By  order  of  the  wardens  Charles 
W.  Cutter  was  engaged  to  commence  suit  against 
the  delin(juents,  and  he  was  later  assisted  by  Jere- 
miah Mason  and  Edward  Cutts.  This  action  re- 
sulted in  the  collection  of  the  rents  due  and  also  in 
the  payments  for  the  discharges  of  the  leases.  At 
the  time  of  the  division  of  the  North  and  South 
Parishes  their  res])ective  rights  to  the  glebe  land 
were  vehemently  disi)uted. 

This  article  and  the  glebe  plan  is  a  donation 
from  C.  A.  Ilazlett. 

THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

The  schof)ls  of  the  city  are  maintained  at  a  high 
degree  of  efficiency,  and  the  schoolhouses  will,  as  a 
rule,  compare  favora))ly  with  those  of  most  other 
cities  of  its  size.     The  first  town  schoolhouse  was 


A.      HIGH    SCHOOL. 

C.      FARKAGUT   SCHOOL. 


B.      WHIPPLE   SCHOOL. 
D.      HAVEN   SCHOOL. 


built  in  confonuity  witli  :i  vote  of  the  lown-meetino- 
of  17()!l,  and  was  opened  in  1713.  It  was  a  wooden 
struetiire  of  one  story,  and  stood  nearly  where  the 
present  Haven  schoolhouse  stands,  on  South  School 
Sti'eet.  There  had  previously  been  a  town  school, 
however,  Thomas  Phipps  having  been  appointed 
town  schoolmaster  in  1()97,  and  taught  a  number  of 
years  in  a  wooden  building  on  what  is  now  State 
Street,  which  was  rented  from  Ebenezer  Went  worth, 
and  in  1735  became  the  property  of  the  town.  This 
second  town  schoolhouse  was  replaced  in  17110  by  a 
brick  one,  which  was  partly  destroyed  by  the  great 
tire  of  1813,  and  rebuilt  to  its  present  dimensions 
in  1814.  In  the  uj))icr  story  of  this  Ituilding  the 
boys'  high  school  was  ke]it  for  many  years,  the  girls' 
high  school  l)eing  kept  in  the  l)asemcnt  of  the  old 
Court  House  on  Court  Street,  part  of  said  basement 
being  at  the  same  time  utilized  as  the  town  "bride- 
well" or  lockup.  The  State  Street  building,  up  to 
the  time  it  was  condemned  for  school  purposes,  was 
called  the  Peabody  School ;  the  lower  story  is  now 
the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the 
upper  story  is  occupied  ))y  the  Woman's  Exchange. 
The  tirst  school  in  the  town  to  which  girls  were 
admitted  was  opened  in  1780  liy  Benjamin  Dear- 
born, whose  house  was  on  JNIarket  Street  where  the 
National  Mechanics  and  Traders  Bank  now  stands, 
and  who  was  the  inventor  of  the  spring  balance. 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOL, 

At  the  junction  of  Daniel  and  Chai>el  Streets,  was 
built  in  1858  for  the  boys'  and  girls"  high  school, 
which  previously  occupied  separate  buildings,  and 


continued  to  be  taught  separately  until  187;').  The 
building  is  on  a  lot  given  to  the  town  in  1700  as  a 
site  for  a  schoolhouse,  but  which  was  not  used  for 
that  i)urposc  until  more  than  a  century  and  a  half 
later,  and  then  had  to  be  liought  by  the  city  at  a 
good  round  price.  Bridget  Cutt,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard Cutt,  brother  of  the  first  President  of  >i'ew 
Hampshire,  married  Thomas  Daniel,  and  after  his 
death  l)ecame  the  wife  of  Thomas  Gi'affort.  In  1700 
Mrs.  (iraffort,  then  a  widow,  gave  to  the  town  the 
highway  now  called  Daniel  Street,  but  which  for 
more  than  half  a  century  after  it  was  opened  was 
called  (iraffort's  Lane,  and  also  "one  lot  of  land  in 
my  great  field  for  erecting  a  schoolhouse,"  there 
being  then  no  schoolhouse  owned  by  the  town. 
This  schoolhouse  lot  was,  in  1735,  exchanged  for  the 
one  on  State  Street  where  the  Peabody  schoolhouse 
was  afterward  built ;  and  it  is  certainly  singular  that 
so  many  years  after  Mrs.  (iraffort's  generous  gift 
to  the  town  was  made,  the  lot  should  again  become 
the  property  of  the  town  and  be  put  to  the  use  for 
which  she  gave  it.  At  the  time  the  High  School 
was  Ijuilt  it  was  sujtjiosed  it  would  answer  all  de- 
mands for  a  century,  Ijut  although  it  has  since  been 
materially  enlarged  it  has  been  overcrowded  for 
many  years,  and  a  more  modern  and  much  lai'ger 
structure  is  much  needed.  Portsmouth  is  the  fifth 
city  in  the  State  in  population,  but  its  High  School 
stands  second  in  number  of  pupils,  lieing  exceeded 
by  that  of  Manchester  only.  The  need  of  a  new 
building  in  a  new  location  and  with  more  extensive 
grounds  is  universally  admitted,  but  when  and  how 
it  can  be  secured  is  an  unsolved  problem. 


THE  HAVEN  SCHOOL, 
On  South  Stlidol  Street,  at  its  junction  with  South 
Street,  was  built  in  184(5,  and  has  recently  been 
extensively  remodeled  and  improved.  It  was  the 
first  schoolhou.se  of  more  than  two  rooms  huilt  in 
the  town,  and  at  the  time  of  its  erection  the  extrav- 
agance of  providinir  so  large  and  costly  a  structure, 
which  it  was  declared  never  could  be  required  in 
that  part  of  the  town,  was  roundly  denounced.  For 
many  years  there  was  indeed  all  the  room  needed, 
but  in  recent  times  the  number  of  scholars  has 
rapidly  increased  year  by  year,  and  now  the  South 
Wardroom  Building,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the 
former  Old  South  Church  on  Meeting-house  Hill, 
has  again  been  taken  for  school  i)ur})oscs,  after 
being  disused  as  such  for  a  number  of  years,  to 
accommodate  the  kindergarten  and  first-grade  over- 
flow from  the  Haven  School.  The  Haven  School- 
house  is  a  brick  structure  of  two  stories,  with  a 
hip  roof,  and  whatever  attemjit  at  ornamentation 
there  is  about  it  is  due  to  its  recent  renuxleling. 

THE  FARRAGUT  SCHOOL, 

On  School  and  High  Streets,  is  of  about  the  same 
size  as  the  Haven  School,  but  of  a  much  more  ornate 
style  of  architecture,  having  been  liuilt  in  1889.  It 
is  a  tine  ))uilding,  in  a  wretched  location  for  a  large 
school.  It  is  on  the  very  edge  of  the  district  from 
which  its  scholars  are  drawn,  and  the  children  have 
absolutely  no  playground  but  the  adjacent  streets. 
Notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  the  attendance  is 
so  large  that  three  small  rooms,  not  intended  for 
such  use,   have  been  taken  as  classrooms,  and   in 


CABOT  STREET  SCHOOL. 
FRANKLIN  SCHOOL. 


Jill  the  other  rooms  are  many  more  .seats  than  were 
originally  planned  for. 

THE  WHIPPLE  SCHOOL, 

On  State  Street,  near  the  top  of  Mason"s  Hill,  was 
built  in  the  same  j^ear  as  the  Farragut ;  like  the 
latter,  its  style  of  architecture  is  modern,  ))ut,  unlike 
the  same,  its  situation  is  a  very  good  one,  hcing 
central  to  the  disti'iot  it  serves,  and  the  children 
having  a  good-sized  play-yard  on  each  side  of  the 
building.  That  the  same  committee  who  selected 
the  site  for  the  Whipple  School  should  have  chosen 
that  for  the  Farragut  seems  inexplicable.  The 
Whijjple  is  the  largest  schoolhouse  in  the  city,  but 
all  its  rooms  contain  mure  seats  than  the  original 
plan  called  for,  two  small  rooms  designed  for  other 
purposes  have  been  taken  for  classrooms,  and  two  or 
three  years  ago  the  Cabot  Street  Schoolhouse,  which 
was  closed  when  the  "Whipple  was  opened  in  1890, 
was  reopened  as  an  auxiliary  of  the  Whi])pl(',  to 
accommodate  its  kindergarten  and  some  of  the  first 
and  second  grade  pupils. 

CABOT  STREET  SCHOOL. 

The  two-story  wooden  sciioolhouse  fronting 
on  Cabot  Street,  at  its  junction  with  State  Street, 
was  built  in  1860,  on  the  site  of  an  old  two-story 
schoolhouse  of  brick,  with  a  pitch  roof,  the  date  of 
the  erection  of  which  much  research  and  in<[uiry 
have  failed  to  reveal.  The  old  schoolhouse  was 
probably  built  some  time  previt)us  to  1800,  for  when 
it  was  taken  down  and  its  materials  used  in  mending 
Cabot  Street  and  elsewhere,  in  1860,  it  bore  manv 


indications  of  age  ;  and  residents  of  the  West  End, 
now  over  eighty  years  old,  who  attended  school 
there,  say  it  was  considered  an  old  building  when 
they  were  children.  It  was  much  smaller  than  the 
structure  now  occupying  its  site,  and  its  desks  and 
seats  were  of  two-inch  plank,  the  back  of  each  seat 
forming  the  front  of  the  desk  in  the  rear  ;  and  there 
were  but  few  desks  that  were  not  ornamented  on  the 
top  or  side  with  jackknife  engravings  of  initials  and 
dates,  or  fly-traps.  There  was  a  big  tireplace  in 
each  room,  at  the  end  opposite  the  teachers  desk. 
The  schoolhouse  is  now  used  to  acconunodate  the 
kindergarten  and  part  of  the  j)rimary  grade  of  the 
Whipple  School. 

THE  FRANKLIN  SCHOOL, 

On  IMaplewood  Avenue,  popularly  known  as  the 
Christian  Shore  School,  was  built  in  1847.  It  is  a 
brick  structure  of  two  stories  and  two  larije  rooms, 
and  though  unpretentious  in  style  it  has  Ions  done 
good  service  and  is  doing  it  still.  A  mile  or  so  from 
the  Franklin  School,  on  Rartlett  Street,  on  the  same 
side  of  the  North  Pond,  Ijut  in  the  Creek  District, 
so-called,  is  the  Spalding  School.  l)uilt  in  the  early 
seventies.  At  that  time  the  population  at  the  Creek 
was  not  large,  but  now  the  section  is  thickly  settled 
and  children  are  more  numerous  than  cisewhei-e  in 
the  city  :  the  local  school  is  unable  to  receive  all 
the  scholars  entitled  to  attend  it,  and  many  of  them 
have  to  go  to  the  Franklin  School.  An  enlargement 
of  the  Spalding  School  and  the  dividing  of  the 
Franklin  into  four  rooms  are  planned.  The  old 
brick  schoolhouse,  used  previous  to  the  erection  of 


the  Franklin  School,  was  built  more  than  a  century 
ago,  and  is  yet  standing  on  the  corner  of  Prospect 
Street  opposite  the  Dennett  house,  converted  into 
a  dwelling. 

SUBURBAN  SCHOOLS. 

There  are  three  siilmrhan  schools,  namely,  the 
Plains  School  at  the  Plains,  the  Lafayette  School  on 
Lafayette  Road,  and  the  Woodl)ury  School  —  better 
known  locally  as  the  Gravelly  Ridge  School  —  on 
Woodlniry  Avenue.  Either  of  these  could  pose  for 
a  picture  of  "the  little  red  schoolhouse"'  of  New 
England  that  has  had  so  mighty  an  intluence  toward 
making  this  country  what  it  is  to-day  :  they  are  all 
built  of  l)rick,  of  one  story  and  one  room,  and  each 
has  a  capacity  of  aliout  forty  scholars.  Where  the 
Woodbury  School  stands  a  wooden  Ijuilding  twenty 
feet  square,  and  called  the  Gravelly  Ridge  School- 
house,  was  erected  in  1775;  the  door  and  a  huge 
chimney  took  up  the  whole  of  one  end,  and  thi"ec 
small  windows  made  a  feeble  effort  to  furnish  sutfi- 
cient  light  for  the  pupils.  In  1820  the  town  doubled 
the  size  of  the  building,  plastered  the  walls  and 
ceiling,  and  put  in  a  stove;  and  in  18.i3  the  old 
building  was  torn  down  and  the  Wood))ury  School 
erected  on  its  site.  With  the  exception  of  the 
Spalding  and  Cabot  Street  Schools,  all  the  school 
l)uildings  of  the  city  are  of  brick,  and  none  are 
above  two  stories  in  height.  In  the  near  future  the 
city  must  necessarily,  under  tiie  stress  of  a  constant 
and  soon  to  be  a  rapid  increase  of  ]iupils,  expect  to 
be  called  upon  to  make  considerable  additions  to 
their  school  capacity. 


THE  NAVY  YARD. 
The  Portsmouth,  X.  H.,  navy  yard  is  not  in 
Portsmouth  or  New  Hampshire,  but  is  situated  on 
an  island — formerly  two  islands,  now  united  1)V  the 
tilling  in  of  the  separating  channel  —  on  the  ojjposite 
side  of  the  river,  in  the  town  of  Kittery  and  State 
of  Maine.  In  the  year  1800  the  government  bought 
Fernald"s  (or  Dennetfs)  Island  of  AViliiam  and 
Sarah  Dennett  for  $5,500, — a  little  less  than  $100 
an  acre,  the  island  having  an  area  of  fifty-eight 
acres.  This  island,  increased  al)out  six  acres  by  the 
tilling  of  tlats,  was  the  entire  navy  yard  territory 
until  18fi(i,  when  Seavey's  (otherwise  known  as 
Jenkins"  or  Trefethen's)  Island  was  bought  of  twen- 
tv-eiijht  owners,  the  government  paying  therefor 
^lOo'.^OOO,  or  $1,000  an  acre  for  the  105  acres 
included  in  the  purchase.  Little  was  done  at  the 
yard  jirevious  to  the  war  with  England  in  IS  12-15. 
During  that  war  there  was  considerable  repairing  of 
vessels  done  here,  and  early  in  1813  the  tirst  keel 
of  a  warship  was  laid,  that  of  the  "  AVashington," 
which  though  rated  as  a  74-gun  ship  actually 
carried  eigiity-six  guns.  The  "Washington"  was 
not  launched  until  July,  1815,  after  the  close  of  the 
war.  She  made  one  cruise  to  Europe,  as  flagship,, 
was  used  as  a  receiving  ship  at  New  York  afterward, 
and  was  broken  up  in  18-13.  She  was  built  liy  con- 
tract, the  government  furnishing  the  materials,  in 
the  liuilding  known,  until  its  recent  removal,  as  the 
"Alabama  ship  house,"  at  a  cost  of  $335,800. 
During  the  Civil  War  the  yard  was  a  busy  ])lace, 
and  many  shi])s  wen^  built  or  rej)aired  here.  This 
activity  continued  on  a  diniinishini>-  scale  for  some 


NAVV    YARD,    WITH    THE    OLD    "  KEARSARGE  "    AND    PARADE   GROUND    IN    CENTER. 


years  after  tlic  war  :  l)itt  during  the  transition  period 
from  the  old  navy  to  the  new,  when  the  building 
and  repairing  of  wooden  ships  was  given  up,  and 
steel  adopted  in  i)lace  of  wood  as  shipbuilding  mate- 
rial, operations  at  the  yard  wholly  ceased.  At  that 
time,  ft)r  several  years,  strong  intluences  were  at 
work  to  secure  the  abandonment  of  the  yard  ;  and 
it  is  literally  true  that  the  paths  and  roadways  of 
the  yard  were  green  with  grass,  summer  after  sum- 
mer. But  there  will  never  be  any  more  talk  of 
abandoning  this  yard;  the  superlative  value  of  this 
deep  and  never-frozen  harbor  as  a  naval  station  is 
now  acknowledged,  and  more  money  has  been 
expended  in  new  buildings  and  other  permanent 
improvements  here  during  the  last  five  or  six  years 
than  was  expended  for  all  purposes,  including  the 
building  and  repairing  of  vessels,  during  the  first 
forty  years  of  its  existence  :  and  what  will  be  the 
best  dry  dock  of  its  size  in  the  world,  when  finished, 
is  now  approaching  completion.  An  al)undant  sup- 
ply of  water,  for  all  present  or  future  needs,  has 
been  secured ;  a  standard-gauge  railroad,  connected 
with  the  Boston  &  Maine  system,  runs  all  over  the 
yard  wherever  re(|uired  ;  all  the  most  modern  appli- 
ances for  the  building  or  repairing  of  steel  vessels 
have  been  or  are  being  installed  ;  and  the  Portsmouth 
Navy  Yard  will  within  a  few  years  attain  the  i)Osi- 
tion  of  conceded  importance  to  which  its  unrivaled 
natural  advantages  entitled  it  from  the  day  it  was 
started. 

Looking  across  the  river  from  the  central 
wharves  on  the  Portsmouth  side,  there  is  seen  along 
the  water  front  of  the  yard,  at  the  extreme  left  from 


the  spectator's  point  of  view,  the  Franklin  ship 
house,  jiopularly  so-called,  although  on  the  yard 
|)lan  it  is  designated  only  b}'  a  number.  To  the 
right  of  the  ship  house  is  a  long,  low  building,  orig- 
inally a  timber  shed,  now  the  steel  bending,  ship 
fitters'  and  shipwrights'  shop,  back  of  which  rises 
the  tall  chimney  of  the  new  smith  and  angle  shop, 
foundry  and  machine  shop.  Next,  near  the  center 
of  the  original  yard's  water  front,  is  the  floating  dry 
dock  :  then  comes  the  general  store,  a  large  brick 
structure  standing  end  to  the  river,  built  in  1821, 
and  the  first  brick  building  erected  at  the  yard  :  the 
big  shears,  with  a  safe  lifting  capacity  of  one  hun- 
dred tons ;  the  new  building  of  the  power  plant, 
with  the  tallest  chimney  on  the  3'ard  ;  and  then  the 
mast  house,  a  long  stone  building  standing  end  to 
the  river,  and  marking  the  southerly  boundary  of  the 
original  yard.  Next,  on  the  northerly  edge  of  what 
was  formerly  Seavey's  Island,  is  the  unfinished  stone 
dry  dock,  in  evidence  princii)ally  through  the  piles 
of  cut  stone  and  the  temporary  buildings  used  in  its 
construction:  then  the  naval  hospital,  and  at  the 
extreme  right  the  tall,  stiff-looking  standpipe,  at 
the  foot  of  the  knoll  on  the  southerly  front  of 
Seavey's  Island,  on  the  toj")  of  which  in  the  time  of 
the  Eevolution  was  Fort  Sullivan,  where  now  is  the 
reservoir.  During  the  C'i\  il  War  there  was  a  strong 
batter}'  of  eight-inch  guns  mounted  in  Fort  Sullivan, 
the  garrison,  a  regiment  of  colored  troops,  being 
(juartered  in  barracks  on  the  island.  The  Franklin 
ship  house  got  its  popular  name  through  the  building 
therein  of  the  steam  frigate  "Franklin,"  the  largest 
vessel  ever  built  at  the  yard.     Her  displacement  was 


A.  HENDERSON'S    POINT   AND   NA\'V    SARD. 

B.  OLD   GUNS. 


OLD    FRIGATE    "CONSTITUTION. 
RIVER    AND    PART   OF   NAVY    YARD. 


5,170  tons.  Ilcr  keel  was  laid  in  1(S,t4,  l)ut  siie  was 
not  launched  until  18tU.  Slu'  was  the  first  ship  to 
fly  the  flaa-  of  a  United  States  Admiral  in  European 
waters,  having  ))een  Admiral  Farragut's  flagship  in 
18ti7-68.  There  were  formerly  two  other  ship 
houses  on  the  yard  :  the  Alahama  ship  house,  a  por- 
tion of  whose  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  new  j)ower 
house,  and  the  Santee  shij)  house,  which  stood 
between  the  former  and  the  river  front,  and  whose 
site  is  now  an  open  space.  Like  the  Franklin  ship 
house,  these  buildings  took  their  popular  names 
from  long-time  tenants :  both  were  taken  down 
within  a  few  years  to  make  room  for  other  structures 
called  for  in  accordance  with  the  jjlans  for  modern- 
izing the  yard.  In  the  page  engraving  containing 
the  old  frigate  "Constitution,"  beyond  it  can  be 
seen  the  end  view  of  both  these  old  buildings.  The 
"Santee,"  a  44-gun  frigate,  was  built  in  18:^0,  but 
was  not  launched  until  18.").").  Beino-  a  sailin<i-  ship, 
she  did  not  count  for  nuich  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  was  broken  uj)  about  l.s.so.  In  1817  the 
keel  of  the  "Alabama,"  a  74-gun  shi)),  was  laid  in 
the  ship  house  from  which  the  "Washington,"  an- 
other seventy-four,  had  been  launched  two  years 
previous.  The  "Alabama"  was  not  launched  until 
18(j4,  when,  there  being  at  the  time  a  steam  slooj)- 
of-war  of  the  same  name  in  the  service,  the  anti- 
quated old  hulk  was  renamed  the  "New  Hamjjshire" 
and  fltted  as  a  store  ship  :  later  she  was  for  many 
years  the  receiving  ship  at  \ew]iort,  R.  1..  and  is 
now  the  training  ship  of  the  Xew  York  Naval  Militia. 
This  old  shij),  oi)s<)lete  years  before  she  was  launched, 
is  the  (^nly  naval   vessel   of  the  United  States  ever 


named  in  honor  of  New  Hampshire :  and  yet  Xew 
Hampshire  was  one  of  the  original  thirteen  States, 
did  its  full  share  toward  securing  the  independence 
of  the  colonies,  and  was  intimately  connected  with 
the  naval  history  of  the  country  during  the  Kevolu- 
tion,  the  War  "of  1812  and  the  Civil  War.  The 
oldest  vessel  in  the  navy,  still  borne  on  the  "service- 
able" list,  is  the  sailing  sloop-of-war  "Saratoga,"' 
built  at  this  yard  in  1842,  now  the  marine  schoolship 
at  l'hiladel))hia :  and  the  ne.xt  oldest  is  the  "Ports- 
mouth," built  here  in  1X4;'),  now  the  training  ship  of 
the  New  .lersey  Naval  IMilitia.  The  floating  dry 
dock,  built  by  contract  in  1848— .")1,  cost,  with  its 
basin  and  the  railway  at  its  head,  $1,282,000.  It 
was  denounced  at  the  time  as  an  extravagant  and 
corrupt  job,  and  lidiculed  as  an  assured  failure,  that 
would  undoubtedly  be  cast  aside  in  a  few  years. 
But  during  the  first  (juartei'  century  from  the  time 
of  its  acceptance  more  than  one  hundred  vessels 
were  lifted  out  of  water  by  it  without  difficulty  or 
damage,  and  it  is  still  serviceable  for  docking  vessels 
of  2,000  to  3,000  tons  displacement.  The  govern- 
ment test,  previous  to  its  acceptance,  was  the  taking 
up  and  hauling  out  on  the  railway  of  the  old  74-gun 
ship  "Franklin."  On  that  railway,  recently  de- 
stroyed, in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  modern 
improvement  of  the  yard,  the  old  frigate  "Constitu- 
tion" was  hauled  out  in  18.57  and  practically  rebuilt : 
and  in  ISIil  the  famous  sloop-of-war  "Kearsarge" 
was  built  on  the  railway,  her  keel  being  laid  on  the 
od  of  ]\Iay.  and  the  vessel  launched  through  the 
dock  on  the  5th  of  ()c1ober  following. 

In  this  brief  sketch  mention  is  made  of  those 


DRV    DOCK. 

PART   OF    RIVER    FRONT. 


MARINE    I!ARR.\CKS. 
MAIN   OFFICE. 


l)uil(liiigs  only  whirh  arc  on  flic  wiiivv  front  and 
prominently  visible  from  the  river:  hut  these  arc 
only  a  small  fraction  of  the  entire  number  on  the 
yard.  There  is  not  room  to  specially  notice  the 
officers"  quarters  and  their  handsome  grounds,  the 
marine  barracks  and  parade  ground,  the  office  build- 
inu',  ordnance  Iniilding.  or  man}-  other  sti-uctures, 
some  of  them  large  and  important  ones,  Ijack  from 
the  water,  there  l)eing  nearly  one  hundred  in  all. 
But  enough  has  l)een  told  to  indicate  the  importance 
to  which  the  yard  has  attained,  and  the  much  greater 
degree  of  importance  it  is  to  attain  in  the  near 
future.  Illustrating  this  article  are  three  pages  of 
photographic  engravings  made  especially  for  this 
work,  which  embrace  a  view  of  nearly  the  entire 
yard. 

ON  THE  PISCATAQUA. 

The  Piscatacjua  River,  to  which  Portsmouth 
owes  so  much,  and  to  which  in  the  future  it  must 
necessarily  be  indebted,  as  well  as  the  State  of  New 
Hami)shire,  for  the  existence  of  its  only  seaport,  is 
properly  not  a  river  at  all,  but  a  long,  narrow, 
crooked  and  deep-channeled  arm  of  the  sea,  extend- 
ino-  into  the  land  in  a  westerly  direction  al)out  a 
dozen  miles,  making  three  rectangular  turns  on  the 
wav,  and  then  expanding  into  the  Ijroad  sheet  of 
water  called  Great  P>ay.  A  number  of  small  rivers, 
of  which  the  ])rineipal  are  the  Cocheco  and  the 
Salmon  Falls,  How  into  it,  but  these,  even  during 
the  period  of  their  spring  freshets,  have  no  ]iercep- 
tible  effect  on  the  height  of  the  tides  of  the  Piscata- 
(lua,  the  current   of  which   is  so  swift,  owing  to  tlu- 


peculiar  formation  of  the  inlet  and  the  tilling  and 
emi)tying  of  Great  Bay  at  every  tide,  that  the  har- 
bor never  freezes  over.  The  Indian  name  of  the 
inlet  was  Pascataquack,  and  that  name,  in  l)ecoming 
Piscataijua,  has  undergone  less  transformation  than 
most  Indian  names  adoiited  by  the  white  man. 

The  Piscataqua  was  visited  in  1(503  by  ]Martin 
Prin<>',  who,  after  exploring  the  coast  of  Maine, 
ascended  this  inlet — which  in  his  report  he  calls 
"the  westernmost  and  best  river" — to  a  distance  of 
ten  or  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth.  In  KiO.")  the 
French  adventurer,  Champlain,  landed  at  Odi(Uiu'"s 
Point,  and  sailed  up  the  river  several  miles  ;  and  in 
1(!14  the  famous  Captain  John  Smith  came  here  and 
named  the  islands  off  our  shore,  which  he  passed  on 
the  way,  "Smith's  Isles"  —  which  name  they  should 
now  bear,  instead  of  that  of  Isles  of  Shoals  —  and 
sailed  up  the  Piscatacjua  some  twenty  miles,  in  his 
report  describing  it  as  "a  safe  harbor  with  a  rocky 
shore."  Those  old  explorers  evidently  guessed  at 
their  distances,  inasmuch  as  twenty  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Piscatacjua  would  have  taken  Gaiitain 
Smith's  vessels  several  miles  into  the  woods. 

A  row  or  sail  on  the  Piscata(iua,  in  either  direc- 
tion from  the  city,  is  a  thoroughly  enjoyable  expe- 
rience to  any  one  with  even  a  moderate  appreciation 
of  Nature's  attractions :  but  it  should  never  be; 
undertaken  by  a  jicrson  unaccustomed  to  boating, 
nor  even  by  tlie  skilled  boatman  who  is  unacquainted 
with  the  river,  unacconi])anied  by  a  local  river-man. 
But  an  imaginary  trip  on  the  Piscata([ua  is  perfectly 
safe:  Ictus  take  one.  Looking  northerly  up  the 
river  from  Portsnioutli    IJridiic,  with   Kilterv  on  the 


DOWN   AND   IP    KIVER    FROM   ST      JOHN  S    BELFRV. 


riiilil  hand  and  FroonianV  Point  on  the  left,  a  half- 
mile  or  so  distant  appears  the  village  of  Eliot  Neck. 
Here  the  ri\er  makes  ti  turn  to  the  westward  at  a 
right  angle.  Freeman's  Point,  formerly  one  of  the 
most  l)eautiful  spots  in  this  picturesque  section  of 
the  country,  is  now  the  scene  of  great  industrial 
activity,  many  hundreds  of  men,  with  horses  and 
much  machinery,  being  engaged  in  leveling  hills, 
tilling  valleys  and  otherwise  altering  the  face  of 
Nature,  preparatory  to  the  erection  of  what  is  to  be 
the  largest  paper-mill  in  the  world.  The  Kittery 
shore  of  the  river,  above  the  bridge,  is  still  as  l)eau- 
tiful  as  ever. 

Below  the  bridge,  on  the  river  front,  are  many 
points  of  historic  interest,  of  which  only  the  briefest 
mention  can  be  made.  First  on  the  westerly,  or 
New  Hampshire,  side  is  Noble's  Island,  formerly  a 
noted  tishing  statical  and  later  the  ])uilding  ])lace  of 
many  ships,  and  is  no\v  owned  by  the  Boston  &  ]Maine 
Railroad.  Just  Ijelow  the  island  are  the  railroad 
coal  wharves  of  J.  A.  t^  A.  AV.  Walker,  which 
include  the  site  of  what  was  once  Eindge's  Wharf, 
where  the  frigate  "Raleigh,"  later  run  ashore  on  the 
coast  of  Maine  and  captured  by  a  British  squadron 
after  a  hard  tight,  was  built  for  the  Continental  Navy 
in  177(1 :  and  where  the  sloop-of-war  "Ranger,"  the 
tirst  warshi])  to  display  the  stars  and  stripes  as 
the  American  ensign,  and  in  which  John  Paul  Jones 
went  to  England  in  1777,  capturing  the  British 
sloop-of-war  "Drake"  on  the  way,  was  built  after 
the  "Raleigh"  was  launched,  and  on  the  same 
))locks.  Where  once  floated  the  "Raleigh"  and 
the  "Rano-cr"  can  now  lie  seen  coal  schooners  sev- 


eral times  largei'  than  lioth  of  them  together,  and 
steam  diggers  lifting  out  several  tons  of  eoal  a 
minute.  Next  lielow  is  (iray  iSc  Prinu'"s  coal 
wharf,  where  the  late  Edward  F.  Sise  started  the 
"sea  coal"  business  in  Portsmouth;  the  Isles  of 
Shoals  steamboat  and  other  wharves  ;  and  where  the 
river  makes  one  of  its  right  angles  is  the  ferry 
station  of  the  Pcn-tsmouth,  Kittery  &  York  Street 
Railway,  formerly  the  Sjiring  Market.  From  the 
ferry  house  to  Church  Point  are  loftj'  brick  ware- 
houses, five  stories  high  on  the  river  front  and  two 
or  three  stories  high  on  the  street,  reminders  of  the 
time  when  Portsmouth's  foreign  trade  was  very 
great;  and  towering  above  them  is  old  St.  John's 
Church,  on  the  apex  of  Church  Hill.  Passing 
around  Church  Point  —  an  easy  thing  to  do  if  the 
tide  is  running  that  way,  but  not  otherwise  —  the 
excursionist  comes  to  the  big  plant  of  the  Ports- 
mouth Brewing  Company,  the  new  power  house  of 
the  Rockingham  County  Light  and  Power  Comjiany, 
the  navy  landing,  luml)er  wharves  and  another  coal 
wharf,  and  then  next  you  observe  the  new,  ecnnmo- 
dious  house  of  the  Portsmouth  Yacht  (.'lub  and 
Peiree's  Island,  which  forms  one  side  of  the  Narrows. 
On  the  Maine  side  of  the  river,  just  below  the  bridge, 
are  fields  and  farms  of  Kittery,  the  old  Rice  house, 
close  to  which  was  the  old-time  ferry  landing.  Bad- 
ger's Island  and  the  navy  yard.  Badger's  Island, 
now  the  Kittery  landing  of  the  Portsmouth,  Kittery 
L^  York  Railway  Ferry,  was  for  many  years  a  noted 
shipyard,  more  than  a  hundred  vessels,  many  of 
them  of  large  size,  having  been  built  there,  among 
them  the  "America,"  the  tirst  74-gun  ship  ever  built 


IMRTSMOUTH    YACHT   CI, IB    HOUSE,    AND   AKUIND   THE    RIVER. 


oil  thiri  ,sid(j  of  the  ^Vllautic,  tho  (■(instruction  of 
which,  on  ))loclv«  but  a  few  vodti  from  the  present 
ferry  landing,  was  superintended  l)y  John  Paul 
Jones,  and  which  was  launched  under  his  jjcrsonal 
direction  and  connnand.  Of  the  navy  yard  no  fur- 
ther mention  need  he  made  here. 

Passing  through  the  Narrows,  on  the  right  is 
seen,  at  the  top  of  the  steep  hank  of  Peircc's  Island, 
old  Fort  Washington,  an  extensive  earthwork  built 
in  1775,  and  strongly  armed  and  garrisoned  during 
the  Revolution  under  tlie  connnand  of  C'u]itain  'J'itus 
Salter,  and  again  armed  and  (M|uip|)od  in  1S1:>_15. 
Xext  on  the  same  side  is  Shnplcy's  Island,  sejiaratcd 
from  Peirce's  only  liy  a  lioat  channel,  and  not  even 
by  that  at  low  tide;  this  island  was  once  a  noted 
shipyard.  Here  the  main  river  makes  a  turn  to  the 
left  at  a  right  angle,  but  the  Little  Harbor  branch 
keeps  straight  on  to  the  southward,  Ijroadening  out 
near  the  sea  into  Little  Harl)or,  now  improved  l)y 
dredging  and  breakwaters  into  an  excellent  harbor  of 
refuge  for  small  vessels.  This  branch  is  spanned, 
between  Shapley's  and  Goat  Islands,  l)y  a  draw- 
bridge;  and  (loat  Island  and  (ireat  Island  —  the 
latter  being  the  town  of  New  Castle  —  are  connected 
by  a  road  recently  l)uilt  on  top  of  the  government 
breakwater,  Ijeside  the  old  pih'  bridge.  From  Goat 
Island  to  Fort  Point,  along  the  main  river,  the  New 
Castle  shore  is  occupied  by  quaint  old  houses  and 
new  summer  cottages,  and  at  Fort  Point  the  river 
takes  another  turn  at  a  right  angle,  and  goes  straight 
out  to  sea  in  a  southerly  direction.  At  Fort  Point 
is  old  Fort  Constitution,  formerly  Fort  "William 
and  Marv,  and  outside  of  the  old  fortification  is  the 


wreck  of  the  new  Fort  Constitution,  conmicnced  at 
the  close  of  the  Civil  "War  and  planned  to  be  a 
granite  fortress  with  three  tiers  of  guns,  but  the 
work  was  abandoned  after  many  thousand  dollars 
had  been  spent  thei'eon.  There  is  now  a  new  bat- 
tery there  of  modern  guns,  near  the  old  breastworks, 
and  another  fort  is  being  liuilt  at  Jaffrey's  Point, 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  island.  At  Fort 
Constitution  is  also  a  lighthouse,  officially  known  as 
Portsmouth  Harbor  Light,  on  the  site  of  a  former 
wooden  tower  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  high, 
l)uilt  liefore  the  Revolution,  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Governor  John  AVentworth. 

Returning  to  the  Narrows,  on  the  left  is  Hen- 
derson's Point,  the  southwesterly  point  of  Seavey's 
Island,  which  is  now  a  i)art  of  the  navy  yard.  The 
government  at  the  present  time  have  a  large  force 
at  work  removing  this  obstruction  to  navigation,  to 
the  depth  of  thirty-tive  feet,  allowing  vessels  of  the 
greatest  draught  to  pass  over  what  is  now,  Iiut 
soon  to  l)c  no  more,  Henderson's  Point.  Here  are 
range  lights  for  the  guidance  of  mariners  coming 
up  river  at  night,  and  a  house  for  the  lightkeeper. 
Not  far  away  is  a  pretty  little  house  known  as  the 
Greely  cottage,  in  which  General  Greeley,  now  head 
of  the  national  signal  service,  rested  for  several 
weeks  after  his  fearful  experience  in  the  Arctic 
regions.  Just  to  the  eastward  of  the  (ireely  cot- 
tage, at  the  top  of  the  highest  point  of  Seavey's 
Island,  seventy  feet  aljove  the  water,  is  a  curving 
ramjiart  of  stone,  looking  something  like  a  fort.  It 
is  not  a  fort,  however,  l)ut  the  to})  of  an  o]ien  reser- 
voir made  by  digging  out  old  Fort  Sullivan  and 


A.       I'OKTSMOl-TH    FKO.M    I!Arx;ER  S    ISLAND.  i].       THE   SOI  TH    K.ND   AMJ    A    SL.MMEK    SAIL. 

C.      OLD    FORT   WASHINGTON. 


comeiiliiii;'  tlic  inside  of  llic  hole.  Foil  Sulli\;iii 
was  built  ill  177."),  and  was  armed  and  gan'i.souod  in 
1812  and  aijain  durinjr  the  Civil  War.  Just  back  of 
it  is  the  tall  standpii)c  of  the  navy  yard  water  sys- 
tem. At  the  easterly  end  of  the  island  is  the  slope 
where  the  Spanish  War  prisoners  were  confined.  A 
little  farther  down  the  river  is  Clark's  Island,  tree- 
less and  uninhabited,  with  Jamaica  Island,  the  sum- 
mer home  of  a  wealthy  gentleman,  back  of  it  and 
near  the  Kittery  shore.  Then  the  channel  down  on 
the  charts  as  Crooked  Lane,  and  then  Kittery  Point, 
with  its  ancient  church,  its  summer  hotels  and  cot- 
tages and  its  many  pretty  homesteads,  and  old  Fort 
McClary,  once  of  much  importance  as  a  harbor  forti- 
fication Imt  now  useless,  though  guns  were  mounted 
there  during  the  war  with  Spain.  At  Kittery  Point 
Village  are  the  former  homes  of  the  Brays,  Pepper- 
rells  and  Sparhawks,  and  the  anchorage  between  the 
village  beach  and  the  Fishing  Islands  is  called  Pep- 
perrell's  Cove.  From  Kittery  Point  to  the  ocean 
front  extends  (ierrisli  Island,  Avhich  to  the  i)asser-l)y 
appears  to  be  a  part  of  the  maiidand,  and  which  is 
largely  taken  up  l)y  the  sunnner  homes  of  wealthy 
people,  though  not  far  from  the  sea  is  Fort  Foster, 
a  strong  fortification  recently  built,  and  right  on  the 
sea  front  a  sunnner  hotel  and  a  numl)er  of  cottages. 
There  are  several  small  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor,  including  Wood  Island,  which  has  no  wood 
on  it :  and  marking  the  entrance  is  Whalesback 
Lighthouse,  a  tall  granite  structure  with  an  iron 
tower  containing  a  fog  signal  apparatus  in  its  rear. 
The  outer  island  of  all,  a  mere  ledge  of  rocks,  is 
White   Island:    and   half   a  mile   from   there   a   bell 


buoy  marks  (lie  loc;i1ion  of  Kilfs  Kock,  a  sunken 
ledge,  on  passing  which  the  excursionist  is  well  out 
to  sea.  From  Portsmouth  Bridge  to  the  ocean, 
almost  every  spot  along  the  banks  of  the  river  is  of 
historic  or  traditional  interest. 

SAGAMORE  CREEK. 

Sagamore  Creek  is  a  salt-water  inlet,  unimpor- 
tant from  a  Ijusiness  point  of  view  but  of  rare  beauty, 
extending  westerly  from  the  Little  Ilarljor  branch 
of  the  river,  near  where  it  broadens  out  into  the 
now  much  improved  harbor  of  refuge,  to  near  the 
foot  of  Peverly  Hill,  a  distance  of  not  far  from 
three  miles.  For  a  lover  of  the  beauties  of  Nature, 
nothing  could  be  uiore  charming  than  a  boat  trip  up 
Sagamore  Creek  at  high  water  on  a  calm  day,  from 
its  mouth  to  the  Lafayette  Road  Bridge,  a  distance 
of  about  two  miles  as  the  crow  Hies :  from  this 
bridge  to  the  end  of  tide-water  the  creek  is  hardly 
more  than  a  waterway  a  few  yards  wide  through  tlic 
salt  meadow  which  ends  at  the  hills,  making  on  the 
way  as  many  crooks  and  turns  as  possible,  after  the 
usual  custom  of  such  waterways  through  salt  mead- 
ows, and  rapidly  diminishing  in  width  and  depth 
until  it  finally  ends  in  a  number  of  thread-like  rivu- 
lets. Throughout  the  winding  way  of  the  creek, 
from  its  mouth  to  Lafayette  Bridge,  the  banks  are 
at  many  points  wooded  to  the  water's  edge :  high 
and  bold  shores  alternate  with  gentle  slojies  and 
unexpected  coves,  and  here  and  there  a  small  island 
is  seen,  and  wherever  there  is  open  ground  the 
evidences  of  thrift  and  intelligent  cultivation  are 
apparent.     Sagamore  Creek  is  indeed  a  most  lieau- 


tiful  and  ])ictures(|uc  iilllc  slrcaiii,  ami  the  (Mitliusi- 
asm  with  wliicli  its  attiaclions  are  spolvcn  of  liv  (hose 
awiuainled  with  its  \ai'ie(l  Ix'aiity  is  not  extravajiant. 
The  inlet  was  at  one  time  ealleil  ^\'iteh  Creek,  and 
on  one  map  is  called  Sackem  Creek  ;  and  its  present 
name,  Sanamore,  is  supposed  to  have  come  from 
the  chieftain  of  the  minor  Indian  tribes  tliat  were 
here  M'hen  the  early  .settlors  arrived,  having  lived  on 
it.s  l)anks,  sagamore  having  been  the  Indian  title  of 
such  petty  chiefs  all  along  this  section  of  the  New 
England  coast.  A  sachem  was  superior  to  a  saga- 
more, l)eing  the  chief  of  a  more  important  tril)e  or 
tribes,  and  "  .Sackeni "  may  have  been  Ijut  a  corruption 
of  "Sachem  "as  a  name  for  the  creek.  Amljrose 
Gibljins,  a  steward  of  John  ]Mason,  the  founder  of 
the  Portsmouth  colony  proper,  was  the  earliest 
English  settler  on  the  creek,  and  there  are  evidences 
that  at  one  time  there  was  (|uite  a  numerous  jiopula- 
tion  located  on  its  ])anks  near  the  mouth,  although 
there  are  no  written  or  printed  records  to  show  this. 
It  was  a  favoraljle  location  for  fishing  and  trading, 
the  objects  for  which  the  early  colonists  came  here, 
and  the  tradition  is  that  the  tishery  was  extensively 
carried  on  from  there.  A  short  distance  northward 
from  the  entrance  to  the  creek,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Little  Harbor  Channel,  stands  a  building  "famed  in 
song  and  story" — the  Governor  Benning  Wentworth 
house,  and  Imilt  by  him  when  he  was  (lovernor  of 
the  Province  of  New  Hampshire  under  the  Crown, 
and  occupied  by  him  as  the  vice-regal  residence 
until  his  death.  But  with  all  its  historic  and 
romantic  associations  and  its  delightful  Jocation  it 
cannot  truthfullv  be  called  a  thinii'  of  beautv,  for  its 


style  of  architecture  is  of  the  nondescript  order.  At 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  on  its  northerly  side,  is  the 
sunnner  home  of  Arthur  Astor  Carey,  of  Boston,  the 
house  occupying  the  former  site  of  one  ])uilt  there 
some  sixty  years  ago  for  the  late  T.  Sheafe  Cothn, 
and  which,  when  the  new  house  was  built,  was  moved 
a  short  distance  away  and  fitted  for  the  occupancy 
of  the  servants.  Next  al)ove  the  Carey  place  is  the 
summer  home  of  R.  Clipstou  Sturgis,  of  Boston, 
formerly  the  Martine  farm.  The  ilARXiNE  holse 
is  much  older  than  the  Wentworth  mansion,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  been  Imilt  by  Richard  Martine 
about  the  year  1700,  and  remained  in  the  Martine 
name  until  between  1850  and  ISIJO,  when  it  was  sold 
by  Mrs  iNIartine  to  the  late  Clement  March,  the  title 
afterward  jiassing  to  several  persons  before  reaching 
the  present  owner  of  the  property.  In  this  house, 
in  17!tcS,  were  entertained  for  a  time  the  famous  and 
unscrupulous  French  Statesman,  Talleyrand,  and  the 
French  Princes  then  touring  this  country  in  his  com- 
pany, one  of  whom  later  i)ecanie  King  of  France. 
In  an  account  of  Louis  Philijipe's  tour  in  the  Unite<l 
States  in  1797-98,  published  shortly  after  his  death 
in  18.50,  occurs  the  following:  "Journeying  north- 
ward the  Princes  were  for  a  week  guests  at  the 
Martine  farm  on  the  borders  of  Sagamore  Creek, 
near  Portsmouth.  The  ^lartine  homestead  is  still 
standing,  and  sonu'  Howers  sent  from  its  garden  to 
theTuileries  soon  after  Louis  Philippe  had  ascended 
the  throne  were  acknowledged  by  an  autograi)h 
letter."  Next  westerly  of  the  INIartine  farm,  and 
extending  nearly  to  Sagamore  Bridge,  is  a  stretch 
of  woodland   known    duriiiL;'    most    of    the  last   cen- 


s.\c;amore  crf.kk. 
Tlie  olil  Miiitine  House  appears  in  about  tlie  center  of  llie  upper  view. 


tiiry  iis  "WeiuU'irs  Wood;?,"  now  owned  i>y  Arthur 
W.  Walker,  of  this  city,  who  has  built  near  the 
hank  of  the  creek  a  "bungalow"  for  an  occasional 
suuinier  retreat.  Next  to  Mr.  ^^'alker's,  at  the  north- 
erly end  of  Sagamore  Bridge,  is  where  the  late  Aimer 
(irecnleaf,  the  tirst  Mayor  of  Portsmouth,  lived  in 
18/)0,  the  year  in  which  the  bridge  was  built  by  the 
city  to  furnish  a  more  direct  road  to  Rye  than  had 
})rcviously  existed,  and  toward  the  building  of  which 
Maj'or  (irecnleaf "s  influence  was  potent.  The  house 
now  there  is  not  the  original  one,  that  having  been 
burned  years  ago.  This  pro})erty  is  now  owned  l)y 
Charles  P.  Wendell.  On  the  westerly  side  of  the 
road  is  the  house  of  Albert  Shedd,  built  some 
sixty  years  ago  by  the  late  AVilliam  Pettigrew  for  a 
summer  home,  at  a  time  when  suunncr  residences 
were  not  common  ;  then  the  farmhouse  of  Pxlmund 
-lames  and  a  farmhouse  bought  by  the  city  some 
years  ago  for  hospital  use,  both  the  latter  being  near 
where  Jones  Avenue  ends  at  the  creek,  and  both  a 
long  while  in  existence.  There  are  no  other  dwell- 
ings on  the  northerly  bank  of  the  creek,  and  but 
few  indications  that  this  side,  westward  fr(;m  Saga- 
more Bridge,  was  ever  thickly  settled.  The  land  on 
the  southerly  side  of  the  creek,  from  its  mouth  to 
Sagamore  Bridge  and  from  the  shore  of  the  creek  to 
Rye  Road,  now  known  as  Elwyn  Road,  was  once 
the  great  Jacob  Sheafe  farm,  which  was  sold  about 
fifty  years  ago  I)}'  the  Sheafe  heirs  to  Edmund 
Davis,  and  has  changed  titles  several  times  since, 
most  of  it  being  now  owned  by  Hon.  Frank  Jones. 
The  fine  Sheafe  mansion,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  is  now  owned  l)y  a  Mrs.  Hill,  of  Boston,  who 


makes  it  her  suunncr  abode.  On  the  creek,  at  the 
back  of  the  house,  are  the  remains  of  what  was  once 
a  large  and  substantial  wharf,  at  which  tradition 
says  large  quantities  of  fish  used  to  lie  landed  to  be 
cured.  West  of  Sagamore  Bridge,  on  the  southerly 
side  of  the  creek,  comes  a  strip  of  land  formerly  a 
jiart  of  the  Sheafe  farm,  now  owned  by  Josiah  F. 
Adams,  extending  from  the  creek  to  Elwyn  Road  : 
then  the  Moses  farm,  the  Tucker  |)lace,  the  Beck 
farm  and  the  Elwyn  farm,  all  extending  from  the 
creek  to  Elwyn  Road  and  some  of  them  far  across 
it.  Beyond  the  Elwyn  farm,  to  the  westward,  is 
Lafayette  Road,  and  westerly  of  that  road,  on  the 
line  of  the  creek,  is  the  salt  meadow  on  which  no 
houses  border.  Near  the  creek  front  of  Mr.  Adams" 
land  is  the  Sagamore  House,  which  stands  near  the 
bridge  on  the  site  once  occupied  by  the  house  of 
Ben  Lear,  "the  hermit  of  Sagamore,"  who  died  in 
lS(t2  at  a  great  age,  and  whose  chief  claim  to  famc^ 
seems  to  have  been  that  he  lived  alone  in  his  hovel 
for  many  years,  was  shiftless  and  lazy  to  the  la.st 
degree,  and  nexer  did  any  particular  harm  or  good. 
The  Tucker  place,  next  west  to  Mr.  Adams',  is  ik)W 
owned  by  James  R.  C'onnell,  of  Portsmouth.  The 
Tucker,  Moses  and  Beck  families  all  settled  on  the 
creek  at  an  early  period,  jirobably  prior  to  KiHo. 
The  first  Tucker  was  a  fanner,  who  brought  from 
England  whatever  he  needed  for  the  business,  and 
established  near  the  creek  the  first  tannery  in  the 
colony.  The  present  Tucker  house,  which  is  on 
Elwyn  Road  and  not  visible  from  the  creek,  is  not 
very  ancient,  having  l)een  built  in  1781  as  a  resi- 
dence for  ^larv  Wallis,  dauehter  of  Lieut.  Samuel 


Wallis  and  Sarah  (Moses)  AVallis,  of  AVallis"  Sands, 
Rye,  on  the  occasion  of  her  marriage  to  Joseph 
Tucker  on  Decemlwr  25th  of  that  year.  Her  sister, 
Abigail  ( Wallis)  Moses,  and  iiusljand,  Xadal)  Closes, 
who  lived  at  the  creek  in  the  old  Moses  homestead 
and  wished  Mary  to  live  near  them  when  she  got 
married,  gave  her  a  lot  of  land  on  which  to  build 
the  house,  and  her  father  gave  the  lumber  to  Ijuild 
it  with,  a  yoke  of  oxen  to  haul  the  luml)cr,  four 
cows  and  two  sheej),  as  a  wedding  present.  The 
jNIoses  house  stands  near  the  creek  and  can  l)e  seen 
from  Sagamoi'c  Bridge,  and  is  the  thii'd  to  occupy  the 
site,  and  was  built  one  hundred  and  twenty  3' ears 
ago.  The  first  one  was  erected  prior  to  1(340  liy  John 
Moses,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  (Sleeves  and  Tucker 
deeds  of  date  l()4l!.  The  estate  was  handed  down 
in  direct  line  and  in  the  ]Moses  name  until  it  came 
to  the  present  owner,  William  E.  Rand,  who  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  John  Moses,  but  on  his  mother's 
side.  The  Beck  farm  is  now  owned  liy  John  AV. 
Johnson,  whose  dwelling,  picturesquely  perciied  on 
the  top  of  a  rocky  and  tree-shaded  knoll  on  Ehvyn 
Road,  is  not  visible  from  the  creek.  There  is, 
however,  an  old  Beck  house  near  the  creek,  on  a 
liluff  commanding  an  extended  view  up  and  down  the 
stream,  and  near  it  can  still  be  traced  the  cellar  of 
the  Beck  garrison  house,  which  was  removed  early 
in  the  last  century.  The  Elwyn  farm  is  owned  by 
Rev.  Alfred  Langdon  Ehvyn,  of  Philadeliihia,  who 


usually  resides  there  sununers  in  a  modern  cottage 
out  of  sight  in  the  woods.  This  was  formerly  the 
Langdon  farm,  and  in  a  house  located  where  the 
present  farm  i)uildings  stand,  on  Ehvyn  Road,  but  in 
sight  from  the  creek,  was  born  John  Langdon,  Rev- 
olutionary patriot  and  later  Governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, who,  as  the  first  President  of  the  National 
Senate,  declared  the  vote  which  elected  riecu-ge 
AVashington  and  John  Adams  as  President  and  A'ice- 
President  of  the  United  States.  The  first  house 
built  on  this  farm  was  erected  about  1  ().")()  by  Henry 
Sherburne,  who  married  the  daughter  of  Ambrose 
Gibl)ins,  and  Tobias  Ijangdon,  who  married  a  tlaugh- 
ter  of  Mr.  Sherburne,  afterward  came  here  to  live. 
In  about  1740  this  house  was  destroyed  by  tire,  and 
another  one  was  then  built  on  its  site  by  John 
I.iangdon,  father  of  the  Governor  John.  .  This  house 
remained  until  about  1840,  when  it  was  taken  down 
and  a  large  annex,  used  by  the  Langdons  for  parties 
and  as  entertainment  rooms,  was  at  that  time 
removed  t()  town  and  now  forms  the  ])asis  for  one 
of  the  near-by  houses  westerly  from  the  Baptist 
A^estry  on  State  Street,  ])ut  which  one  we  are  not 
able  to  determine.  The  present  farmhouse,  and  the 
third  to  l)e  erected  on  the  same  site,  was  built  at  the 
time  tiu>  old  one  was  taken  down  and  the  annex 
i-emoved.  The  present  owner  of  the  farm  is  a  great- 
grandson  of  Governor  Langdon.  his  grandmother 
having  been  the  Governor's  only  child. 


172 


GOV.    LANGDON    HOUSE. 

OLD   CUSTOM    HOUSE   AND    POST   OFFICE. 


OLD    PITT   TAVERN    BEFORE   KE.MODELING. 
OLD  JACKSON   HOUSE,    REAR  VIEW. 


R' 

'HHr       -J                  .^1^ 

^       "^ '-4.'  •'■■ 

^t^      "  "«4  I 

i^^^^^^W^^^^-t^"  4-^lC**y^^' 

A    VliNERABLE   CROUP,    WITH    NAMES    AND   AC;ES    COMING    1;1KTI1DA\. 
BMijaniiii  M.  Parker,  s:i.        Moses  H.  Goodridi,  S8.  James  Saiiboni,  8:j.        Daniel  Mason,  .S'i.        William  H.  Fo.ster, 

.losepli  H.  Beny,  VI.  .1.  Woodman  Moses,  Ml,        Andrew  Sberburue,  84.        William  G.  Bell,  S3.        Samnel  P.  Treadwell,  87. 

George  Parkinson,  S^,  Oliver  Maiisou,  S'J,  Charles  £.  Hodgdon,  8*J.  Thomas  Roberts,  0'2. 


A  VENERABLE  GROUP  OF  CITIZENS. 

In  tlu-  engraving  representing  the  grou})  of 
old  gentlemen  is  revealed  an  interesting  feature. 
These  sixteen  veterans  are  all  natives  of  Portsmouth, 
or  the  inmiediate  neigh) )t)rhood,  and  all  have  l)een 
citizens  of  Portsmouth  since  their  boyhood  days 
except  one,  and  he  has  resided  here  for  more  than 
half  a  century.  Of  these,  fifteen  of  them  were  at- 
tending the  several  schools  of  this  vicinity  together 
over  seventy-tlve  years  ago  :  and  four  of  thcni,  ]Mr. 
J.  AVoodman  Moses,  lion.  jNIoses  II.  (ioodrich,  Mr. 
Sanmel  P.  TreadwcU  and  Mr.  William  II.  Foster, 
Avere  pupils  in  the  same  school  together  over  eighty 
years  ago  ;  the  three  latter  being  in  the  same  class, 
while  the  former  was  in  a  senior  class  :  and  the  two 
oldest  of  this  veneral)le  group,  ]Mr.  Joseph  H.  Berry 
and  Mr.  Thomas  Roberts,  were  attending  the  schools 
about  here  upward  of  ninety  years  ago. 

These  old  gentlemen  are  remarkably  well  pre- 
served, and  have  always  l)een  active,  wcn'king 
citizens,    representing    about    as    many    trades    and 


professions  as  there  are  individuals,  and  some  of 
thcni  are  yet  in  the  arena  of  active  business,  and  all 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  From  these  re- 
sj)ected  representatives  of  a  long  i)ast,  we  have  been 
able  to  glean  much  valuable  information,  which 
otherwise  might  have  lieen  forever  lost :  and  to 
them  we  acknowledge  our  ol)ligations,  and  trust  we 
may  l)e  allowed,  in  behalf  of  future  generations,  to 
tender  Iheir  thaid^s. 


The  National  Mechanics  and  Traders  Hank  was 
chartered  by  llie  governmenl  as  a  National  bank  in 
181)4,  succeeding  the  ^lechanics  and  Traders  Hank, 
established  in  184.").  The  capital  is  $100,000,  with 
surplus  of  $25,000.  The  Safe  Deposit  boxes  in  the 
lately  reconstructed  vault  are  conveniences  for  the 
examination  of  papers  by  box  owners.  The  officers 
are  :  President,  G.  Ralph  Laighton  :  Cashier,  C. 
F.  Shillaber  :  Directors,  Joseph  W.  Peirce,  Gustave 
Peyser,  G.  Ralph  Laighton,  C.  F.  Shillaber,  William 
E.  Marvin  and  Thomas  II.  Ridei'.      (See  page  oO. ) 


MAKKtT  SIRI.I.T  AND  DANIEL  STREET. 


I'RVOR    &    MATTHEWS    HAKUWAKIi    Bill. DING. 


NATIONAL    MECHANICS    &    TRADERS    HANK    liUlLDING. 


W.     K      I'KlRCIi    >V    CO., 
INSURANCE    AND    INVESTMENTS    IlUll.DING. 


C.liO.    I!.    I'KENCH    CO., 
DKV   COODS   AND    CAKl'ET   STORE. 


H.  C.   HOPKINS  ,>^  CO.,   IIK\    (.OUUS  AND  l-"rKNlSHIN(  ,S    IIUILDING. 


I.    H.    TAVLOK,    MANl'KACTl'RER    AND    KANCV    CONhECTIONEK 

SECOND    I'LOOR,    THE    WHITE    UENTAI,    ROOMS, 

AND    ABOVE   THE   STUDIO    OK    PERRY    E.    CONNER. 


I  B 
I  B 


MI-KCIIANTS    PARADE,    AfGUST    I4,    1S97 


1        -   y'^'*- 

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^^^^B^^^^^SS. 

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V'^'IP^WIM' 

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MERCHANTS    PARADE,    AUGIST    14,    1  Syy 


CLOTHING    AND   GENTLEMEN'S    FURNISHINGS   STORE   OF   HENKV    PEYSER    &   SON. 

The  office  of  Daniel  Webster  was  in  the  rooms  formerly  over  tlie  entrance  to  this  store. 


GREAT    SNOW    STORM,    JANUARY    31,    1S9S. 


HEiNJAMIN    GREEN  S 
PHARMACY. 


A.    P.    WENDELL    &    CO.  S 

HARDWARE   STORE, 

ESTABLISHED    liV    A.    Q.    WENDELL    IN    1S34. 


.mokris  c.  foye  s 
ladies'  furnishings  store. 

upper  floors,  offices  of 
john  sise  &  co.,  insurance. 


GRAND   ARMY    PARADE,    MEMORIAL    DAV,    I901. 


CAMP  LONG  AND  THE  SPANISH 
PRISONERS. 

On  July  ."),  ISilS,  the  United  States  auxiliuiy 
cruiser  "St.  Louis,"  Captain  C'as})ar  F.  Gciodrieli, 
left  Santiago  de  C'ul)a  with  seven  iumdred  and  forty- 
four  prisoners,  including  Rear  Admiral  Pascuel 
Cervera,  together  with  tifty-two  otKcers  rescued 
from  Cervera's  fleet,  which  was  destroyed  while  at- 
tempting to  escape  from  Santiago  Ilarlior,  July  ikl, 
arriving  in  Portsmouth  Harbor  on  the  morning  of 
July  10th. 

The  jirisoners.  ten  otticers  and  six  iumdred  and 
eighty-two  nien,  were  landed  at  Camp  Long,  on 
Seavey's  Island,  in  the  afternoon  of  July  11th  from 
barges  to  the  pier,  which  was  in  front  of  the  house 
where  (General  (ireely  regained  his  health  after  his 
last  cruise  to  the  polar  region.  Immediately  on 
landing  the  names  of  the  prisoners  were  called  off, 
and  as  each  man  answered  sijuads  \vere  formed  and  the 
march  of  the  unique  procession  yiroceeded  to  Camp 
Long,  where  comfortable  quarters  were  assigned 
them.  The  "St.  Louis,"  with  Admiral  Cervera  on 
board,  sailed  July  14th  for  Annapolis,  there  also 
being  forty-two  officers  and  their  personal  servants. 

The  auxiliary  L^nited  States  crusier  "Harvard," 
Captain  C.  S.  Cotton,  formerly  the  American  liner, 
"New  York,"  sailed  from  Siboney,  near  .Santiago, 
July  11th  and  arrived  in  Portsmouth  Harbor  July 
l.")th  with  nine  hundred  and  sixty-one  ))ris(mers  and 
two  officers,  who  were  landed  at  Camp  Lono-  Julv 
Kith. 


Camp  Long  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  guard 
of  marines  under  command  of  Colonel  James  Forne}'. 
At  the  two  entrances  Catling  guns  were  mounted, 
while  along  the  water  front  a  marine  was  posted 
every  fifty  feet.  There  were  specially  erected, 
according  to  official  reports,  the  following  buildings  : 
Kight  large  barracks  for  prisoners,  eight  for  marine 
guard,  six  cook  houses,  four  cells  for  jirisoners, 
three  eating  houses,  each  two  hundred  feet  long, 
one  wash  house,  one  for  navy  officers,  one  for  army 
officers  and  one  for  sanitary  purposes. 

The  prisoners  amused  themselves  by  giving 
mock  bull  fights,  and  a  favorite  pastime  was  fishing 
from  the  high  rocks  at  the  bank  of  the  river.  The 
grounds,  being  pleasantly  situated  and  spacious, 
afforded  them  advantages  for  indulgence  in  all 
manner  of  sports,  which  they  were  allowed  without 
restraint. 

On  September  11,  l.S9'S,  steamship  "("ily  of 
Rome,"  Captain  Young,  arrived,  and  sailed  the  fol- 
lowing day  at  noon  for  Santander,  Spain,  with  l,ii()7 
])risoncrs,  including  those  brought  on  the  "City  of 
Rome"  from  the  naval  hospital  at  Norfolk.  The 
barges  "Eliot"  and  "Berwick"  were  used  in  trans- 
jiorting  the  men  to  the  shi]>.  Admiral  Cervera  and 
his  son.  Lieutenant  Angel  Cervera,  arrived  in  Ports- 
mouth September  Hth  to  assist  in  arranging  trans- 
portation for  his  men. 

Thirty  ]irisoners  are  buried  on  a  knoll  at  the 
northeast  of  the  camj). 


GROVI'   OF   SPANISH   OFFICERS. 
i'RISONERS    LANDING   FROM  liARGE. 

E.      BARGE  DURHAM  AND  Tl'G  H. 


B.  PRISONERS    ON    BARGE   KITTERV    FOR    CAMl'    LONG. 

C.  Fl'LL    PRISON    VARD,  CAMP   LONG. 
MATHES  FOR   PRISONERS  TO  CAMP  LONG. 


A.       I'RIS(JM-;KS    WASIIINC,    TlllilK     UIMIIvS    AITEk     IlINNMU-!.  l;         I'KISdNKKS    DICAkriM;     \l>\<    S.    S      CIIV    (H      ROME. 

D.      PRISONERS    I'lSHliNG.  C.       liMliARKINC.  OX  CITV  Ul'  KUMK  l-ROM   llAKGK  l;HR\VILK. 

E.       PRISONERS    IIIDUING    GOdU-llV    TO   THEIR    OLD    CAMP. 


A.      THE   S.   S.    ST.    LOUIS. 

1).      THK    S.  S.    Crr\'    OF    ROME. 


.MJMIKAI,    CKKX'KKA,  ON    SIATK   ST. 
E.      THE    REINA    MERCEDES. 


THE  S.  S.    HARVARD. 

I-.ARGE  KITTERV  AND  TIC  II.   A.   MATIIKI 
WITH   PRISONERS  FOR  CAMP  LONG. 


THE    ROCKINGHAM. 


A.       MIDUl.E    AM)    ISl.INt;TON    STkKETS.  li.      STATK    STRKET. 

C.       RICHARDS   ANENLK,    MIDDLE   AND   AUSTIN    STREETS. 


FACTOR\     OF    THE    I'ORTS.MUITH    SHOE    CO.MPAN'i'. 

The  Portsmouth  Shoe  Company  was  org;anized  in  i8S6,  for  the  manufacture  of  women's  and  misses'  boots  and  shoes  ; 
the  officers  being,  Frank  Jones,  President;  Charles  P.  Berry,  \'ice-President  and  General  Manager,  and  Chas.  H.  Mendum,  Treas- 
urer.    The  building  is  350  feet  by  55  feet,  with  a  capacity  of  175  sixty-pair  cases  of  shoes  per  day. 


XAVAL   AND    CIVIC    PARADE,    AUGIST    I3,    1S9-. 


N.WAL   AND    CIVIC    PARADE,    AUGUST    I3,    1S97. 


THE    WHITE    SCj)rAl)KON    AT    PORTSMOUTH,    AUGl'ST    12-  I5,    1897 


I'RKERING    BLOCK 


LEWIS    E.    -STAPLES, 
DRV    GOODS   AND    FURNISHING    STORE. 


].    H.    HUTCHINSON    &    CO., 
JEWELERS     AND     OPTICIANS. 


The  site  of  this  block  was  a  part  of  the  Madam  Graffort  estate,  a  bequest  from  her  father,  Richard  Cutt,  in  1676,  upon  which 
was  built  a  large  two-story  house,  occupied  by  Ichabod  Plaisted,  later  by  Daniel  Rindge.  The  fire  of  1802  destroyed  the  old  dwell- 
ing, and  about  1812  this  block  was  erected  for  a  hotel,  but  completed  for  stores  and  tenements  ;  after  several  remodelings  it  is  now 
occupied  by  the  Warwick  Club  in  the  third  story;  in  the  second  are  the  dental  rooms  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Rlaisdell ;  the  law  offices  of  Judge 
Edward  H.  Adams  ;  the  real  estate  office  of  Frank  D.  Butler  and  others,  with  stores  underneath. 


H.    P.    MONTGOMERY, 
Ml'SIC   AND      ART   STORE. 


EXCHANGE    BLOCK. 
PAYNE   &    WALKER, 

GROCERY    MARKET.  ROCKINGHAM    COINTY 

ELECTRIC    LIGHT   AND    POWER    CO. 


PORTS.MOUTH    TRIST   AND 
GUARANTEE    CO. 
OFFICES. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE 
NATIONAL    BANK. 


EXCHANGE  BLOCK. 

The  .site  of  Exchange  Block,  and  from  the  City 
rooniis  to  State  Street  previous  to  1744,  was  the 
Adams  property,  and  Natlianicl  Adams,  father  of 
the  "Annalist,"  lived  here,  his  house  ])cino-  situated 
near  the  corner  of  State  Street,  and  here  Xatiianiel 
Adams,  the  author  of  the  "Annals  of  Portsmouth," 
was  probably  l)orn.  Part  of  this  pro})erty  was  sold 
at  the  above-named  date  and  l)uildings  erected 
thereon  which  were  destroyed  in  the  great  tire  of 
1813,  as  was  also  the  Adams  house.  This  l)lock 
was  soon  after  erected,  and  al)out  ten  years  ago 
extensively  remodeled  and  fitted  up  into  modern 
stores  and  offices,  the  occupants  of  which  are,  —  in 
the  first  on  the  north  is  that  of  II.  P.  Montgomery 
as  a  music  and  art  store.  The  Portsmouth  ('Iiraiti- 
cle.  Herald  and  the  ^'em  IlaiiqixJnre  (kizctd'  occupy 
the  rioors  over  Montgomery's  nuisic  store.  The 
Climnich,  established  in  18')"2,  is  a  morning  j)ul)li- 
cation  ;  the  Portsmouth  llpvald,  formerly  the  I'ciini/ 
Post,  is  an  evening  paper,  and  the  ^'en'  Ilduipsliirc 
Gazette,  a  weekly,  estal^lished  in  17.5(),  is  the  oldest 
newspaper  of  continuous  iiublication  in  the  country. 
The  second  store  south  and  the  fioor  above  it  are 
occupied  by  Henry  P.  Payne  and  Ralph  Walker, 
successors  to  Charles  E.  Laighton.  The  third  store 
south  is  used  as  offices  for  the  local  business  of  the 
Rockingham  County  Pjlectric  Jjight  and  Power  Com- 
pany ;  also  for  the  office  of  the  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  corporation.  The  law  firm  of  Calvin 
Page  and  John  H.  Bartlett  occupy  the  two  fioors 
over  the  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company's  offices. 
The  fourth  store  south  is  the  offices  of  the  Ports- 


mouth Trust  and  Guarantee  Conij)any,  incorporated 
in  1871,  capital  $100,000.  The  directors  are  Frank 
.Tones,  Moses  H.  Goodrich,  Sanniel  J.  Gerrish, 
Ezra  H.  Winchester,  Calvin  Page,  Justin  V.  Hans- 
com,  Benjamin  F.  We])ster,  Alfred  H.  Howard  and 
John  H.  Bartlett;  President,  Calvin  Page;  Vice- 
President,  Moses  H.  Goodrich ;  Treasurer,  Samuel 
J.  Gerrish:  Clerk,  Ht)ward  Anderson.  The  fioor 
over  these  rooms  is  occupied  for  the  law  offices  of 
John  W.  Kelley,  who  also  has  the  <  'onnty  Attorney's 
office  here.  In  the  last  store  are  the  ofiices  of  the 
New  Ilamjisliire  National  Bank,  formerly  the  Bank  of 
New  Hampshire,  organized  in  18.5."),  and  chartered  a 
National  bank  in  18().5.  The  officers  are  :  President, 
Calvin  Page  ;  Cashier,  W.  C.  AA'aiton  ;  Directors, 
Calvin  Page,  Frank  Jones,  II.  Fisher  Eldredge, 
Arthur  W.  Walker,  Justin  V.  Hanscom,  J.  Albert 
AValker,  Fred  H.  Ward  and  William  C.  Walton. 
The  fioors  over  the  New  Hampshire  Bank  are  occu- 
|)i('d  by  Joseph  Boylston  for  his  dental  parlors  ;  by 
W.  H.  Hannafoid,  'SI.  D.,  for  his  offices  and  for  the 
city  i)iiysician,  and  In'  Frank  Parker  for  his  commo- 
dious photograpiiic  studio. 

HAVEN  BLOCK, 
Corner  of  Market  Square  and  Market  Street.  Built 
by  the  Havens  soon  after  the  fire  of  1802,  on  land 
bought  of  John  Melcher,  upon  which  previously 
stood  his  large  wooden  dwelling.  The  l)lock  has 
since  had  various  owners  and  occupants,  and  recently' 
the  tiiird  story  has  l)een  fitted  into  the  commodious 
Conservatory  Hall,  which  is  used  for  a  nuisic  school, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Gerald  Bertrand  Whit- 
man, and  for  private  dancing  parties  and  socials. 


Z  H 

<  O 

2:  o 


1  ACTORV    OF   THE   MORLEV   BUTTON   MANUFACTURING    COMPANY. 

The  Factory  of  the  Morley  Button  Manufacturing  Company  is  located  on  IsHngton  Street,  the  east  end  resting  on  what  was 
Frenchman's  Lane,  so-called.  Established  in  1891  for  the  manufacture  of  papier-mache  buttons,  for  shoes  and  clothing.  This 
firm  also  manufactures  tufting  buttons  and  nails,  also  upholstery  buttons  and  nails,  and  ring  spinning  travelers  and  twisters.  The 
Morley  Button  Sewing  Machine  Company  occupy  a  part  of  the  building,  and  manufacture  machines  for  sewing  shoe  and  clothing 
buttons.  Both  companies  were  established  by  the  late  Charles  A.  Sinclair.  About  125  operatives  are  employed.  The  Hon.  Frank 
Jones  is  President ;  S,  M.  Merrill,  Treasurer  ;  and  W.  E.  Bennett,  Superintendent. 


THE  PORTSMOUTH  SAVINGS  BANK, 

( )rganized  in  1823  and  located  in  the  (ireseiit  building  in  1842. 
The  officers  are  :  President,  John  S.  H.  Frink  ;  Treasurer, 
G.  Ralph  Laighton  ;  Trustees,  John  S.  H.  Frink,  Joseph  W. 
Peirce,  D.  F.  JBorthuick,  Moses  A.  Saftord,  G.  Ralph  Laighton, 
George  A.  Wiggin  and  William  E.  Marvin. 

THE  FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK 

Is  the  successor  of  the  Piscataqua  Bank,  which  was  organized 
in  1S24,  and  of  the  Piscataqua  F.xchange  Bank,  chartered  in 
1844.  I"  '863  this  bank  was  the  first  to  file  its  bonds  in  Wash- 
ington under  the  National  Banking  Act.  It  has  been  a  gov- 
ernment depository  for  nearly  forty  years.  The  capital  is 
|20o,ooo,  with  a  surplus  of  over  $60,000  and  assets  of  over 
I [,000,000.  Its  vaults  have  all  the  modern  improvements  for 
the  safety  of  valuables  in  its  rented  deposit  boxes.  The  officers 
are  :  President,  E.  P.  Kimball  ;  Cashier,  C.  A.  Hazlett ; 
Directors,  E.  P.  Kimball,  E.  H.  Winchester,  John  H    Brough- 


ton,  Henrv  A.  ^'eaton,  Walla 
Hobbs;  teller,  John  K.  Bate 


Hackett,  C.  A.  Hazlett,  J.  O. 
Bookkeeper,  C.  W.  Brewster. 


COAL  OFFICE  OF  GRAY  &  PRIME. 

The  firm  of  E.  F.  Sise  &  Co.,  coal  and  salt,  was  estab- 
lished in  1818,  by  E.  F.  Sise,  the  pioneer  in  the  coal  business 
in  New  Hampshire.  The  first  coal  shipped  into  the  State  was 
consigned  to  him  in  1831,  and  consisted  of  thirty-five  tons  of 
Lehigh  lump  coal,  and  was  part  of  the  general  cargo  of  the 
Portsmouth  and  Philadelphia  packet  schooner  "Fawn,"  In 
]847  William  H.  and  Joseph,  sons  of  E.  F.  Sise,  entered  the 
firm  and  continued  until  1894,  when  Joseph  died  and  William 
H.  conducted  the  business  luitil  his  death  in  1S96,  when  Charles 
W.  Gray  and  Herbert  O.  Prime,  clerks  for  Sise  &  Co.,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business.  The  old  firm  was  largely  interested 
in  shipping,  and  in  the  office,  on  the  walls,  may  be  seen  the 
best  collection  of  old  models  of  Portsmouth  vessels  to  be 
found,  and  some  of  them  historic. 


HOTEL  MERKICK  (SEE  JENNESS  HOUSE,   PAGE  76). 


RESIDENCE  OF  Dk.  S.  E.    loWLE. 


ON    THE    FARM. 


h.  c.  hewitt  &  co., 
gents'  furnishings  and  clothing  store. 


FRANKLIN    liLOCK. 

I'AIL   M.    HARVEV'i 
JE\VELR\'    STORE. 


PHARMACY   OF 
GOODWIN    E.    PHILBRICK. 


Franklin  Block  was  erected  in  I S79  on  the  site  of  the  old  Franklin  House  and  a  wooden  dwelling.  The  building  formerly 
had  a  theatre  and  a  hall,  but  recently  extensive  improvements  have  been  made,  the  theatre  being  removed;  and  the  hall  extended  is 
the  largest  in  the  city,  with  a  gallery  on  three  sides.  Formerly  the  hall  was  known  as  Franklin,  then  as  Philbrick  ;  but  recently  the 
block  was  purchased  by  H.  ].  Freeman  and  is  now  called  Freeman's  Hall.  On  the  ground  floor,  on  the  front  and  sides  are  stores ; 
on  the  second  floor,  besides  the  hall,  are  the  offices  of  Dr.  A.  B.  Sherburne  ;  Edwin  B.  Prime,  Special  Agent  and  Notary  Public  ; 
S.  Peter  Emery,  Attorney-at-Law,  and  the  law  offices  of  Judge  Samuel  \V.  Emery,  William  H.  Rollins,  and  of  the  law  firm  of  Emery, 
Simes  &  Corey,  and  other  offices.  On  the  third  floor  are  the  assembly  rooms  of  Damon  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  opposite 
the  Commercial  School  rooms. 


I'OKTSMOUTH    FROM    IRWkllN    scllOOIHOLSE    I  ELI  R\  ,    1  KI  EM  \N  S    I'OIN  1     IN    1  EFT    CENTRE. 


I-IRE.MEN's    I'ARADE,    SEPTEMBER    26,    19OI. 


KlKEiMEN's    FAKADE,    SEl'TE.MBER    26,    I90I. 


11AI<1<\     I.    I  kl-.l-.\l  AN,    :^i>.w    .\iA.\L  FACTORY. 


OLD  rosT  orFiCE  1S29-1S40,  NOW  Sheldon's  11  kmh  kk  k.ioms. 


A.      ARCH   AT   SOITH    BRIDGE,  RETURN    SONS,    I.S73.  II.       DOVER    STREET   ARCH,    RETURN   SONS,    1S73. 

C.      MARKET   STREET   ARCH,   RETURN   SONS,    1853.  D-      ENTRANCE    TO    MAIN    TENT,    RETURN    SONS,    1873. 


"KEARSARGE"  AND  "ALABAMA." 

On  the  eveninsr  of  September  17,  IttOO,  the 
oificers  attached  to  tlie  North  Atlantic  Squadron  and 
those  stationed  at  the  navy  _vard  were  tendered  a 
reception  and  dance  at  Peirce  Hall,  previous  to  the 
presentation  of  the  " Kearsai'ge— Alabama  Talilets,"' 
which  were  a  gift  from  the  State  of  New  Hampshire 
to  these  vessels,  which  were  so  named  in  honor  of 
the  two,  bearing  their  respective  names,  engaged  in 
the  famous  battle.  The  tablets  were  presented  the 
following  afternoon,  and  Mayor  E.  E.  Mclntire 
opened  the  exercises  with  an  address  of  welcome  : 
they  being  unveiled  by  INIiss  Mary  Thornton  Davis, 
grand-niece  of  Admiral  .John  A.  Winslow  and 
daughter  of  .Judge  Charles  Thornton  Davis,  of 
Boston,  and  Mrs.  Anna  Bryan,  of  Alal)ama,  daugh- 
ter of  Admiral  Raphael  Scmmes,  the  connnandcr 
of  the  original  "Alabama.'"  The  presentation  of  the 
State's  gift  was  by  Governor  Frank  "\Y.  Rollins,  and 
the  acceptance  by  the  Hon.  .John  D.  Long,  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  and  Governor  .Joseph  F.  Johnston,  of 
Alabama.  Remarks  of  acceptance  in  behalf  of  the 
vessels  followed  by  Captain  "William  ^I.  I^^olger, 
U.  S.  N.,  connnanding  the  United  States  steamshij) 
"Kearsarge,"  and  l)y  Captain  Willard  II.  Brownson, 
V.  S.  N.,  commanding  the  "Alal)ama.""  Short  ad- 
dresses were  also  made  by  Assistant  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  Hon.  Frank  W.  Hackett,  and  others. 

The  keel  of  the  original  "Kearsarge,"  so  named 


ill  honor  of  the  famous  mountain,  was  laid  at  Ports- 
mouth Navy  Yard  in  May,  18(il,  and  the  vessel  was 
launched  October  5th  of  the  same  year,  and  sailed 
from  the  yard  February  -t,  1862,  in  connnand  of  the 
late  Captain  Charles  W.  Pickering,  of  Portsmouth. 

The  battle  between  the  two  original  vessels  was 
on  Sunday,  June  lit,  1864,  in  the  Bay  of  Cherbourg, 
France,  the  "Kearsarge"  then  being  in  connnand  of 
Captain  .John  A.  Winslow,  the  "Alabama,"  which 
was  sunk,  being  connnanded  by  Captain  Raphael 
Semmes.  The  "Ivearsarge"  was  last  fitted  out 
here  for  sea  in  1893,  and  left  in  July  of  that  year, 
in  conmiand  of  Captain  A.  S.  Crowninshield.  The 
vessel  was  finally  wrecked  on  Roncador  Reef,  Feb- 
ruary -2,  18'J4,  and  destroyed. 

The  "Kearsarge"  —  "Alabama"  celebratiiin  oc- 
curred September  lit,  liKX).  The  line  of  the  parade 
consisted  in  part  of  the  Governor  of  New  Hampshire, 
Frank  W.  Rollins,  and  staff,  the  Naval  Brigade, 
New  Hampshire  National  Guard,  New  Hampshire 
Agricultural  College  Cadets,  of  Durham,  Storer 
Post,  No.  1,  G.  A.  R.,  Ivearsarge  Naval  Veterans, 
of  Boston,  Thornton  Naval  Veterans,  of  ^Manchester, 
and  the  Governor  of  Alabama  and  ladies  in  carriages. 
There  were  about  o, ()()()  men  in  line,  with  (ieneral 
A.  D.  Ayling  chief  marshal.  The  decorations  along 
tlu'  route  were  ju'ofuse.  and  arches  spamied  Daniel 
Street,  State  Street,  Liberty,  South  Mill  and  New 
Castle  Bridues,  and  Ilavniaiket  Sciuare. 


PRESENTATION    OF   THK    KEARSAKGE-ALAllAMA    TAliLETS,    SEPTEMBER    iS,    1 9C0. 
liATTLE    SHIP    KEARSARGE.  V.    S.    HATTLE   SHIP   ALAIiAMA. 


KEARSARGE-ALADAMA    PARADE,    SETTEMIJER    I9,    I900. 


STATE  STREET. 
DANIEL  STREET. 


KEARSARGH-ALAliAMA   AKCIIES,    SEPTK.MBEK,    I900. 


LIBERTY   BRIDGE. 
SOUTH   BRIDGE. 


|-L.\Nr    0|-    rilE    FRANK    JONES     l!KLUI.\t,    tu.,    LI.MUl.l 


ELDREDGE   BREWERY. 


11RE\VKR\'    OF   THE    I'ORTSMOrTlI    liKEWINr,    CO. 


JOHN    H.    Kl'GUEN. 


I'ORTSMOITH    .MILLING    CO.'s    PLANT. 


ROliERT    I.    SUGDEN. 


COLiNTKV    CI. IB   GOLF    LINKS,     I902. 


PLANT   OF   THK    WHITE    MOUNTAIN    I'Al'KR    COJIPANV. 


The  White  Mountain  Paper  Company  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  Piscataqua  River  on  what  is  known  as  Freeman's 
Point,  originally  Ham's  Point,  so  named  from  the  first  settler,  William  Ham,  who  was  granted  fifty  acres  of  land  here  by 
the  town  in  1652,  upon  which  he  built  a  house,  situated  east  of  the  brick  office  building  about  midway  between  it  and  the  river, 
it  remaining  there  until  taken  down  about  thirty  years  ago.  The  manufacturing  plant  of  the  Company,  that  enclosed  under 
roofs,  covers  an  area  of  twenty-two  acres;  the  machinery  being  of  the  latest  improved  patterns,  driven  by  electricity  and  steam 
engines  aggregating  20,000  horse-power.  The  Company  own  625  square  miles  of  spruce  and  poplar  timber  lands  in  Maine  and 
New  Hampshire,  with  six  ground  wood  pulp  mills,  located  on  the  Saco  River,  with  a  development  of  40,000  horse-power.  The 
daily  product  of  this  Company  being  250  tons  of  sulphite,  120  tons  soda  pulp,  200  tons  of  ground  wood  pulp,  with  a  total 
output  of  finished  paper  of  500  tons  per  day  ;  manufactured  into  book,  print,  manilla,  colored  and  super-calendered  book  papers. 


KNKS    AI,ON<;    THE    LINE   OF   THE    I'c  H<lSMOLTH ,    KITTER\    AND    M)RK    STKEET    RAn.\\A\. 


PORTSMOUTH,  KITTERY  AND  YORK 
STREET  RAILWAY. 

( )f  the  abundance  of  historic  and  interesting  places 
and  things  in  and  around  Portsmouth,  a  visit  to  the  old 
town  is  not  complete  without  crossing  the  Piscataqua, 
and  feasting  the  eyes  for  a  short  time  on  the  beauties 
Nature  has  so  lavishly  bestowed  upon  the  river's  banks 
and  along  the  coast  from  "Old  Strawberry  Bank"  to 
York  Beach.  To  reach  this  picturesque  and  historic 
locality,  you  board  the  ferry-boat  of  the  Portsmouth, 
Kittery  and  York  Street  Railway  at  their  station,  which 
is  situated  on  the  site  of  the  old  Spring  Market,  on  Bow 
Street.  In  the  three  minutes'  sail  across,  you  will 
observe,  in  the  distance,  up  the  river,  on  the  east  bank, 
the  beautiful  "(jreenacre,"  surrounded  by  fine  old  trees 
and  pleasant  delves,  fanned  by  the  gentle  breezes  from 
the  Piscataqua,  with  its  high  and  rugged  shores.  Look- 
ing down  the  river  can  be  seen  the  numerous  islands, 
nearly  all  with  a  history.  Before  you,  on  the  right,  is 
the  Navy  Yard,  and  near  where  you  land,  at  the  left,  on 
Badger's  Island,  formerly  Langdon's,  is  the  spot  where 
the  "America,"  the  second  man-of-war  of  the  name,  was 
built  by  order  of  the  Continental  Congress,  under  the 
supervision  of  John  Paul  Jones,  and  later  presented  to 
the  French  government,  and  afterward  captured  by  the 
liritish  in  an  engagement  with  Lord  Howe.  Upon 
alighting  from  the  boat  you  will  be  seated  in  a  commo- 
dious double-trucked  car,  and  in  an  instant  are  across 
the  bridge  to  the  mainland  in  Kittery.  If  you  have 
taken  the  Eliot  car  you  will  turn  a  sharp  curve  to  the 
left  and  be  on  your  way  to  the  Greenacre,  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  lined  with  beautiful  and  stately  old 
trees  and  fine  groves,  interspersed  with  graceful  coves, 
winding  inlets  and  beautiful  meadows,  abruptly  ending 
at  the  foot  of  some  rugged  hill  or  pleasant  rise.  If  you 
have  taken  the  York  car,  you  turn  the  sharp  curve  to 


the  right  and  are  soon  at  Kittery  Foreside  and  the  Navy 
Yard.  Thence  you  go  along  the  highway  over  sightly 
hills  and  through  green  and  woody  valleys  with  farm- 
houses dotted  here  and  there.  Locke's  Cove,  at  high 
tide  an  attractive  little  bay,  is  crossed,  and  ascending  the 
hill  you  see  pleasant  cottages,  with  a  fine  view  of 
the  river  and  harbor  and  picturesque  scenery.  A  few 
steps  and  you  descend  to  Spruce  Creek,  with  the  old 
toll  house  yet  standing  at  the  end  of  the  bridge.  Here 
a  small  steamer  awaits  which  runs  between  this  point 
and  New  Castle,  the  historic  old  town  by  the  sea.  As 
you  ascend  the  hill,  making  a  sharp  curve,  then  at  the 
point  of  another  is  the  Lady  Pepperrell  house,  and  near 
by  on  the  left  is  the  Sparhawk  mansion,  both  ancient 
and  of  historic  interest;  here,  too,  is  the  old  cemetery 
and  meeting-house.  Passing  on,  near  the  ruins  of  old 
Fort  McClary,  through  vales  and  over  hills,  you  soon 
find  yourself  at  Kittery  Point.  Here  close  by  the  track, 
on  the  right,  is  the  Sir  William  Pepperrell  mansion,  and 
a  few  steps  beyond  is  the  oldest  house  in  Kittery,  the 
liray  house.  Passing  these  and  along  the  banks  of 
Chauncey's  Creek,  you  soon  are  in  "Old  York,"  the 
first  chartered  city  in  this  country,  with  its  old  cemetery, 
court  house  and  ancient  jail,  built  in  1  (!.'>?).  The  car 
whirls  you  on  through  this  historic  town,  with  its 
magnificent  scenery  of  both  land  and  sea,  passing 
pleasant  and  shady  nooks  and  groves,  with  the  stately 
oaks,  the  maple  and  the  elm ;  the  tall  pine  and  the 
scraggy  old  monarchs  of  the  forest  may  be  seen  on  every 
hand.  Winding  inland  are  the  silent  estuaries,  creep- 
ing through  meadow  and  marsh  ;  interspersed  with  views 
of  the  rocks  and  the  sea,  the  hills  and  valleys,  the  forest 
and  the  streams:  to  say  nothing  of  the  beautiful  farms, 
summer  villas  and  hotels,  the  fine  bathing  beaches, 
playgrounds  and  handsome  lawns,  making  a  trip  to  \'ork 
Beach  so  \aried  in  its  picturesque  beauty  and  historic 
interest,  as  to  hold  one  in  raptured  fascination  to  the  end 


RESIDENCE    OF    A. 
RESIDEN'CE   OI'    E, 


WALKER. 
KIMDALL. 


RESIDENCE    OK    H.    FISHER    ELDKEDGE. 
RESIDENCE    OF   WALLACE    HACKETT. 


MAPl.EWOOI)    AVKNIE. 

JUNCTION    LAFA\ETTE    ANU   SlJLTIl    STREETS 

AT   freeman's    point. 


D.       PLEASANT   STREET    FROM    HAVEN    PARK. 
E    AXU    F.      FROM    LINCOLN    HILL. 


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