Historic Homes Part 16

Coddington built a house that consisted of a large kitchen, a living-room, and two chambers. Near him was a small colony of settlers, including Reverend John Wheelwright, Anne Hutchinson, and Sir Harry Vane. They composed a congenial group of free thinkers, who met often in the Coddington kitchen to sit around the large open fireplace, while they discussed religious views much more liberal than the Puritan's way of thinking. Many of them, for holding these views, were banished to Rhode Island.

Coddington did not live long after the house-building, and was succeeded by Edmund Quincy, the first of the name to live in what is now known as the Quincy homestead. He was a man of considerable wealth and importance, coming here from Boston and bringing with him six servants, which was considered a most pretentious establishment in those days. His wife, named Judith, was a woman of great ability, and after the death of her husband, managed the estate with good judgment. Her daughter, also named Judith, married John Hull, the mint-master, and became the mother of Hannah Hull. Hannah became the wife of Judge Samuel Sewall, and as the story runs, received for her dowry her weight in pine-tree s.h.i.+llings.

The second of the name of Quincy to occupy this house was also named Edmund and afterwards received the t.i.tle of colonel. He was a man of dignified personality and forceful character and had held at various times most of the important offices in the town. His death in 1698 was followed by that of his wife, two years later, and the reins of government fell into the hands of Edmund third, then a youth of twenty.

The responsibility made the latter a very thoughtful man. He became more distinguished than either his father or his grandfather, pa.s.sing nearly his whole life in public service. It was this Edmund who, in his twenty-first year, married Dorothy Flynt, the first Dorothy Q. of history, and ancestress of all the other Dorothy Q's.

In 1706, as the house had become too small for the family, Quincy built additions at the front of the old mansion, giving it its present appearance. The rooms added were the present dining-room, the parlor, and the chambers above these rooms. With the raising of the new part, little attempt was made to have the dimensions match, so that the rooms of the older building showed a different floor level from those at the front.

Later on, a two-story ell was added near the brook, consisting of a study and bedroom. These were occupied by Dorothy's brother, Henry Flynt, who was the famous Tutor Flynt of Harvard.

Of the children born to Edmund, third, and Dorothy Q., two are well known in history. Edmund, the fourth, who married Elizabeth Wendell and became the father of the Dorothy Q. who married John Hanc.o.c.k, and the Dorothy Q., "My Dorothy," as Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes called her, who married Edward Jackson, and was the great-grandmother of the poet.

After the death of Judge Quincy, the house was not used as a permanent residence by the family, for Edmund, who inherited it, had a fine home in Boston. It was kept open, however, and used at frequent intervals as a summer place. We read of large parties coming down by coach and horseback from Boston, to be entertained at the Quincy mansion. Many a pretty bit of romance has been enacted within these walls, and many a famous traveler has found shelter in this house.

When the wedding of Dorothy Q. to John Hanc.o.c.k was planned, preparations suitable for the important event were made, and a wall-paper was ordered from Paris to be hung upon the walls of the parlor. This room was destined not to be used, however, for the purpose intended. The Revolution broke out and Hanc.o.c.k was forced to flee for safety to Lexington. Here he was joined by his aunt, Madam Hanc.o.c.k, and Dorothy, on the memorable "18th of April, '75." Dorothy, fearing the approach of the Redcoats, desired to return to Boston, to seek refuge in her father's house, but her lover knew only too well the hatred of the Tory for the Quincy family that had been shown when a British soldier thrust his rapier through the portrait of Dorothy Q., the niece of this Dorothy, and he forbade the attempted journey. Wis.h.i.+ng to a.s.sert her independence and also to have her own way, Dorothy insisted, and a lovers' quarrel ensued. Hanc.o.c.k and Samuel Adams were forced to make their escape to Woburn, with Madam Hanc.o.c.k and Dorothy, who continued on to Fairfield, Connecticut, taking up their abode in the family of Thaddeus Burr. In consequence, the Quincy mansion did not see them again for a long time. The patriot troops were stationed at Fairfield, and Aaron Burr, meeting Dorothy, fell in love with her. He paid her such serious attention that Madam Hanc.o.c.k became alarmed for the consequences and sent to her nephew, explaining the situation.

John Hanc.o.c.k was a wise lover and wrote Dorothy immediately, asking her if she had made him the hair chain promised and reproaching her for her unfaithfulness, sending with the letter a box of silk stockings.

Dorothy, with little liking for his interference, continued her flirtation with Lieutenant Burr; again Madam Hanc.o.c.k wrote to her nephew in such a peremptory manner that during a recess of Congress he came to Fairfield. Once there, he swept away all resentment, and Dorothy became his wife on August 28.

Sir Harry Frankland, previous to this, came to the Quincy Mansion bringing with him Agnes Surriage, and a merry house party spent part of the time catching trout from the little black brook and cooking them in the old kitchen fireplace.

Benjamin Franklin was also a visitor at this house, accepting the hospitality shown him by Mr. Quincy, and sending in return a stove, still shown in one of the chambers. A Flemish grape-vine was also sent by him to the family; this took root and until a few years ago was in thriving condition. Many other men of note came as visitors to this noted mansion, including Lafayette, who was entertained here when he returned to America after the Revolution.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE Lx.x.xVII.--The Porch, Quincy Mansion.]

During the Revolutionary period, the house pa.s.sed out of the hands of the Quincy family. It has been recently restored by the Colonial Dames of Ma.s.sachusetts, who have brought back as far as possible its old-time dignity. In the restoration, great care has been taken with the furnis.h.i.+ng. The central hall is entered through the colonial porch. It is long and wide, wainscotted and showing above this an odd, colonial paper, representing an English hunting scene. The bal.u.s.ter and newel-post are hand carved and fine examples of the early work of that period.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE Lx.x.xVIII.--Dining Room, Quincy Mansion, showing the old Chinese Wallpaper.]

At the right of the hall is the dining-room, hung with a quaint Chinese paper. This room shows high wainscot, wooden shutters, and the original beams cased in. The furniture is all of that period, including simple Dutch chairs, about 1770, with rush bottoms. The sideboard, too, is of the seventeenth century, and on this is a knife box of the latter quarter of this century. The corner buffet is about 1740, and unlike the majority of these cupboards, is movable, instead of being fastened to the walls. The table is a beautiful old Empire piece and a china closet at one side containing several rare pieces, shows the sh.e.l.l pattern at the top. The fireplace is tiled in blue and white Delft, dating back to about 1750.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE Lx.x.xIX.--Kitchen, Quincy Mansion; Parlor, Quincy Mansion.]

On the opposite side of the house is the parlor, which still shows the old wall-paper intended to grace the wedding of John Hanc.o.c.k to Dorothy Quincy. Here are Venuses and Cupids in vivid blue, with garlands of red flowers, all as fresh as when first hung. The panel front of the chimney-piece was recently removed, and the original fireplace, fifteen feet wide, discovered. The back of this chimney is curiously bricked in herring-bone pattern. Many interesting relics are kept in one of the cupboards. There is a parasol which once belonged to Mrs. Hanc.o.c.k, a shoe of a little son who died in childhood, a pipe filler which belonged to John Hanc.o.c.k, Edmund Quincy third's baptismal robe and cap, and a piece of the dress worn by Abigail Adams when she was presented at the Court of St. James. On the wall hangs her portrait showing the same gown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XC.--Paper hung for Wedding of Dorothy Quincy, Quincy Mansion.]

The chairs in this room are rare examples of Chippendale, 1791, and Sheraton, the latter being one of the best examples of the master's make, and showing the fan back design, which is more usually found in the South, rather than in the North. Here, as in the dining-room, are narrow shutters with hinged panels, which could be bolted and barred against attacks of the Indians.

Back of the dining-room, and one step lower, is the old kitchen, built in 1636, the most interesting room in the house, containing a great many household articles of early colonial days. The broad, hand-hewn beams bear the marks of the axe, and the great fireplace is flanked on one side by larger brick ovens and on the other by a secret pa.s.sage. Back of the chimney is a ladder which leads to the secret closet above, also a little dumbwaiter shaft, through which food and water could be sent to the people in hiding.

In previous years, an underground pa.s.sage led out of the kitchen to the brook. Through this contraband goods were smuggled. The entrance to this pa.s.sage has now disappeared, so that the exact locality is not definitely known.

The window gla.s.s was made at the first gla.s.s factory in America. This was erected by a guild of Hollanders who had established themselves in Quincy. The worthies of Quincy objected to the large families of the emigrants, and they were driven out and moved to Maine. The first iron foundry in this country was built beside this brook, which was sometimes known as Furnace Brook.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XCI.--Chambers in the Quincy Mansion.]

Above the kitchen is the Coddington Chamber, named for the original builder of the house and fittingly furnished with rare pieces of the colonial period. Above this is a very low attic, lighted from the upper panes of the chamber windows and reached by the secret pa.s.sage behind the chimney. At the further end of this attic is a trap-door connecting with a second attic, through which one could escape by galleries below the dormer windows, and thence reach the ground.

Across the hall is a smaller room known as the nursery. Tradition has it that John Hanc.o.c.k concealed himself from the British in this apartment, making use of the secret pa.s.sageway. On one of the window-panes is scratched with a diamond the initials, "J. H." and again in handwriting similar to his: "You I love and you alone." In this room are preserved the breakfast-table of John Hanc.o.c.k; a linen chest which belonged to the wife of William Penn; various articles of clothing that at one time were used by the Quincy family; a bed spread hand-embroidered on homespun linen quilted by Madam Burr and used in her guest chamber when Dorothy Quincy was staying at her house.

Over the dining-room is the Quincy room, so named from the fact that many of the Quincy children, including the two Dorothys, were born here. By a curious trick of fate, there still remains here a nail-studded chest which once belonged to George III of England, bearing the date 1790. One wonders, if the old chest could speak, whether it would pour vituperations upon the heads of those who brought the possessions of the tyrant to the colonies, to be stored in the Quincy mansion.

Across the hall is the guest chamber with its canopied Field bed, and the little trundle-bed underneath, used in the olden times for the children of the family. The Franklin stove, presented by the inventor, is also in this room. Opening from it, and approached by a second staircase, we find the chamber of Tutor Flynt, here the recessed bed is an interesting feature. The room is furnished with fine pieces of the olden times.

Every room in this house contains mementoes of the days of long ago. The house was one of the first to be built on American soil, and has sheltered some of our most important citizens. To-day it reminds us of the past, carrying us back to the earliest days of our country's history.

CHAPTER XXII

"HEY BONNIE HALL"

As a nation Americans have grown to feel a deep reverence for the homes of their ancestors, those stately colonial houses that were erected during the period of commercial prosperity. These mansions were built from about the middle of the sixteenth to the early part of the seventeenth century. Recently a wave of sentiment has swept through the country, awakening a desire to save the old mansions, many of which were fast falling into decay. Prominent among those which have been preserved is "Hey Bonnie Hall," a quaint house built in the Maryland manor-house style of architecture, with long, projecting ells, a type prevailing throughout the South. "Hey Bonnie Hall" is situated on Papoosesquaw Neck in Bristol, Rhode Island. It was built in 1808 by Honorable William deWolf, great-grandfather of the present occupant.

These Middletons and the family into which they married have been makers of history. They date back to the time of Charles V, of France, being among his followers. The name was originally St. Etienne, but for valiant services it was changed to deWolf. The Middletons have played an important part both in English and American history, and the English branch of the family still occupies its ancient Middleton Hall. The American line starts with the immigrant ancestor, Henry Middleton, who settled in Carolina and became a considerable landowner at a time when there were only three states in the Union--New England, Virginia, and the Carolinas. This is shown in the old atlas inherited from the immigrant ancestor and still treasured at "Hey Bonnie Hall." Henry Middleton became a politician and was an important agitator before the Revolution. For his distinguished services he was made president of the Continental Congress. He was not the only member of the family whose name has been handed down in history. His son Arthur was also very prominent and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The name "Hey Bonnie Hall," given to their country-seat in the Carolinas and transferred to the Rhode Island mansion, grew out of a pretty custom of Mrs. Middleton, who used to sing a little Scotch song called _Hey Bonnie Hall_ over and over again to please her grandfather.

The house stands back from the road, being approached through a broad, colonial gateway flanked on either side by beds of old-fas.h.i.+oned flowers. The semicircular drive is shaded by magnificent trees, which hide the mansion from the main road so effectively that it is not until one is half-way up the avenue that a glimpse of the house is obtained.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XCII.--Porch of the Middleton House, Bristol, R. I.]

The mansion itself is about one hundred and forty feet long, showing the most perfect type of Southern architecture. There is about it a dignity that is impressive and at the same time an air of comfort. The eastern portico is formed by two dignified Corinthian pillars, which rise to the very roof. The smaller columns at either side of the entrance door support a balcony protected by the porch roof. Verandas have been planned on either side of the house, facing north and south. The southern one overlooks the blue water of the harbor with the picturesque old town of Bristol in the background.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XCIII.--Hallway, Middleton House; Fireplace, Middleton House.]

Old-fas.h.i.+oned flower-beds are scattered here and there over the smooth lawn, making a landscape picture that is most alluring. The entrance door opens into a s.p.a.cious hallway that is about twenty feet in width.

The staircase at the left is five feet in width, an unusual breadth, even for one of that period. It has treads of solid mahogany, with simple but substantial bal.u.s.ters on either side, topped with mahogany rails. This hall is used for a living-room and a hall combined and is well lighted by doors on either side showing well-proportioned fan and sidelights. Like many halls of the colonial period, there is a groined arch. This was specially designed by one of the Middletons who married Henry deWolf. This is supported at the corners by slender white columns, the woodwork being white pine.

In every room are found examples of the most impressive pieces of furniture designed by the old masters. Many were originally in the Southern home and brought over by their immigrant ancestor. Among them are some most artistic pieces, including Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Chippendale. Two chairs of the latter make show sh.e.l.l pattern, one of the most popular of Chippendale's designs. Upon the Chippendale sideboard are specimens of thirteenth century silver, including some tiny spoons that date back to the Tudor period, and saltcellars engraved with the McGregor crest. In the china closet are rare specimens of Lowestoft, Chelsea, and Sevres, while on the wall are hung original Stuarts, and paintings by Benjamin West. In many colonial mansions of that period we find the well-designed windows opening off the broad landing, a feature which has been cleverly introduced into the Middleton mansion. The type and characteristics of this entrance hall are more in keeping with Southern architecture than are most houses of New England.

There is little ornamental woodwork, but a great dignity and charm.

Two large, square rooms open on either side of the hallway, and the arrangement of the interior is on the exact lines followed in Southern manor-houses, a wing being introduced on either side of the main building. One of these is used for kitchen and servants' quarters; the opposite wing, connected with the house proper by a covered pa.s.sageway, is used as a carriage-house and harness-room. This gives the house interesting and unusual proportions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XCIV.--Living Room, Middleton House.]

In the main building are two rooms, one on either side of the hall. At the right is the large living-room, and back of it the dining-room, both of which are filled with treasures,--wonderful old pieces that have been in the family since its earliest days, each having its individual story.

On the left are the double drawing-rooms and showing an elliptical arch that has a frieze motif with dentation ornamentation and reeded pilasters. The dividing arch is gracefully ended in the cornice. This is a feature in many colonial homes and is generally echoed in other rooms of the house. There are no carved wooden fire-frames in the lower story, but we find some of foreign marble that were set at the time the house was built. This is an unusual feature in houses of that date, where wooden mantels and elaborate hand-carving were the prevailing style.

Many pieces of furniture are historic. Some belonged to President Adams, an intimate friend of the deWolfs, who were frequent visitors at the Adams house in Quincy, Ma.s.sachusetts. Over the fireplace is a charming portrait, the work of a master, showing a child in an early eighteenth-century gown. It pictures Mrs. Nathaniel Russell Middleton, when only six years of age. About the time of this painting she was visiting her uncle, and was present at the reconciliation of Lafayette and President Adams, which occurred during Lafayette's second visit to America. She was at that time a very beautiful child and attracted the attention of the general, who finding she was of French descent, took her in his arms and kissed her.

Every piece of furniture here is of the old-time type. The Hepplewhite chairs have been handed down from generation to generation, as has a great deal of the furniture that is used in this room, including the chair in which President Adams died.

The long, or east room leads out of the parlor and is filled with rare furniture. The most important piece being the French piano, one of the earlier makes. This was imported by Henry deWolf for his daughter Alicia. It was considered of such fine quality that it attracted the attention of celebrated musicians all over the country. Pianos in those days were rarely seen, for the old-time harpsichord and spinet had scarcely gone out of style. Even to-day it would be considered a wonderful piece of work, with its ornamentations of gold showing scroll patterns and musical designs.

Directly above the piano is hung the most famous picture in the house, a Madonna supposedly by the hand of the Italian master Mazzuoli, better known as Parmigiana. This Madonna was originally known as one of the world's lost art treasures, since its whereabouts were unknown for several years. There exists abundant historical evidence of its value, and prominent artists have pointed out the merits and the peculiarities that stamp this canvas as a Parmigiana, although definite proof is lacking.