LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Sir' **"V »Ww; ^^ , ^ o stew*** ~0 »r« y v^v v-^-*y v^-v W * .a" Sa ~ On the River and Harbor Shores 99 slender-legged tables of quaint design. An irresistibly charming old sofa, with elaborately carved arms and feet, also allures the soul of every lover of old furniture. But most valuable and interesting of all the inherited treasures of our hostess is the incomparable old secretary of St. Domingo mahogany. In design and workmanship, this old secretary is without a rival in our colonial homes. It is a combination of bookcase and writing-desk, with carved shelves, curious pigeonholes, and fascinating secret drawers. Its lineage is most ancient and honor- able, and may be traced directly back to the year 1634. It was once the property of Governor Law, son of Honorable Richard Law, of Connecticut, and has de- scended in a direct family line to its present fortunate possessor. By the side of this old secretary stands a handsome, high-backed, splay-footed chair, of Dutch origin, made in the Queen Anne period. This chair was in the possession of Governor Law as early as 1741. The pictures of these rare old heirlooms, which we have been permitted to copy, are of intrinsic value as representing certain famous styles of colonial household furniture ; but the distinctive atmosphere of the home, of which they are but a material part, cannot be repro- duced by the art of the photographer. Just south of Brunswick, the ancient town of Harpswell stretches its long gray arms into the sea, and here, set sturdily on its barren but firm foundations, stands the Deacon Andrew Dunning house. This is the oldest house on Harpswell Neck. It was built in 1757. It is a large two-story house with a front porch, and has ioo Old Colonial Houses the air of having been the home of one of the most prominent families of the community. Across an inlet of the sea are the picturesque shores made famous by Mrs. Stowe in her story of the "Pearl of Orr's Island." Here may still be seen the low, wide- spreading, gambrel-roofed cottage which was built by Joseph Orr in 1756. As we thus continue our search for old colonial houses, we soon come to realize how important is the human element in the story, and how quickly a bit of personal history or romance invests the conventional four square walls of the old-time houses with a new and never failing interest. One would hardly expect, however, even upon our romantic Maine coast, to come in contact with royalty or even to touch the borders of its garments, and yet we have our Marie Antoinette house to which still clings an interesting tradition of the beautiful and unfortunate Queen of France. This house is frequently designated as the Clough house. It is situated in Edgecome, opposite Wiscasset, and, according to well authenticated family records, was once designed as a refuge for Marie Antoinette during the reign of terror in France. The story of this house is quite remarkable. It was first erected on Squam Island, and was for many years a conspicuous landmark at the entrance of Wiscasset harbor. It was built originally for Captain Joseph Decker in 1774, x and is described as a stately mansion of the Virginia plantation style of architecture. In 1792, this fine manor house came into the possession of Captain Stephen Clough who might have been instrumental in saving the life of Queen Marie 1 Collections of The Maine Historical Society, Series II., Vol. V., p. 286. On the River and Harbor Shores 101 Antoinette, had not fate decreed otherwise. The story- is that Captain Clough, with his good ship "Sally," was on the coast of France in 1793; and that a plan was made at that time to save the life of Marie Antoinette by- conveying her secretly on board Captain Clough 's vessel and bringing her to America. Some articles of furniture and of the queen's wardrobe, were placed on board the " Sally," but the queen was arrested on the eve of sailing and delivered over to the revolutionary mob. Thus the Clough mansion never sheltered the unfortunate queen, as its master fondly hoped ; but the royal furniture and finery came safely into Wiscasset on the "Sally." Among the souvenirs brought home by Captain Clough were " French tapestries, marquetry, silverware, rare vases, clocks, costly furniture, and no end of apparelling fit for a queen." There was even a piece of the white death robe worn by Marie Antoinette upon the guillotine, a sacred relic treasured to this day by the descendants of Captain Clough who was himself present at the execution. There was also a satin robe, once worn by Louis XVI., king of France, which, with genuine New England thrift, was "made over" for Captain Clough's wife, who doubtless trailed these robes of royalty over the sand and rocks of Squam Island with great satisfaction. A question naturally arises as to what became of all these valuable relics. The only answer tradition gives is that many of them were sent to the famous Swan house at Dorchester whose owner, Colonel Swan, was connected with Captain Clough in the shipping business. Other articles were scattered and lost ; while some are still in possession of the Clough family. A number of beautiful chairs and vases went to the family of the late Judge Silas Lee of Wiscasset ; and an inlaid, semi-circular, French mahogany sideboard sur- 102 Old Colonial Houses mounted by a large silver urn went to the Swan house, thence to the Knox mansion in Maine (on the marriage of Miss Swan to the son of General Knox), and subse- quently came into the possession of Honorable J. P. Baxter of Portland. The old Clough house, which thus missed the honor and privilege of sheltering the queen of France, stood on Squam Island until 1838, and then had the curious experience of being moved, by land and water, to the opposite shores of Edgecomb. It is a fact that this great house, of solid oak frame, was rolled onto large flat boats and ferried across the river to the mainland, and then drawn by oxen to its present site where it now overlooks the Sheepscot and has the appearance of being on immovable foundations. It is still occupied by the descendants of Captain Clough, and a great -great grand- daughter, named Marie Antoinette, now tells the long- cherished traditions of the house. The banks of the Damariscotta river presented great attractions to our early settlers and many ancient houses still stand upon its shores. In the town of Damariscotta there is a very old and interesting house which was built by Nathaniel Chapman in 1754. In later years it became the home of Rev. Adoniram Judson and subsequently of Rev. Duncan Dunbar. It is now called the Tilden Hall house. The old Joseph Glidden house built in 1760 stands in Newcastle near the famous oyster banks ; and farther up the river is the old Waters mansion built in 1768. This is a substantial, square, two-story house which once served as an inn and gave the welcome of its great open fires to Lafayette and Talleyrand when they sojourned /* On the River and Harbor Shores 103 here on their way to visit General Knox at Thomaston. In the neighboring town of Waldoborough stands the old Smouse house which was erected sometime prior to 1772. The builder of this house, one Daniel Holtzapple, must have been a member of that colony of Germans who, according to the pathetic inscription in the Waldoborough cemetery, "emigrated to this place with the promise and expectation of finding a populous city, instead of which they found nothing but a wilder- ness." But their faith and courage never failed. They cleared the land, built homes for their families, and, about the year 1772, erected the ancient Lutheran church which now stands on Meeting-house Hill. This old church at Waldoborough is one of a group of three remarkable old meeting-houses located in this part of Maine. The second, at Alna, was built just after the Revolution ; but the third, known as the Walpole meeting-house, was erected in 1772; and its ancient high-backed pews, its spacious galleries, and its massive carved pulpit, surmounted by a sounding-board, have fortunately been preserved to the present day. No sketch of colonial history in Maine, however brief, would be complete without a reference to the shores of ancient Pemaquid ; and the visitor on this romantic coast finds himself at once submerged in its historic and legendary past. If a record of all that has occurred within sight of Pemaquid Rock could have been preserved, many volumes would be required to tell the tale. There would be stories of the Scandinavian vikings, of Spanish explorers, and of adventurers from many lands ; of pirates, smugglers, captains and sailors of high and low degree ; of brave cavaliers with sword and 104 Old Colonial Houses plume ; of humble missionaries with gown and cross ; and of heroic English men and women who first dwelt in this fair land of Mavooshen. Very realistic and terribly true, also, are the tales of Indian war and massacre, of siege and pillage, and battles by land and sea, when stripped of the glamour of these " far-off, forgotten things ; " and a substantial evidence of this rich historic past remains in the mass of ruins which mark the site of the old colonial stronghold, Fort William Henry. These ruins, which consist chiefly of a huge heap of cobble stones, have lain for more than two hundred years almost completely buried in the sands. They are to-day the nearest approach to a pre-Revolutionary structure which exists at Pemaquid ; yet they are full of possibilities ; and the devoted student of our old colonial records, and all lovers of Maine's historic past, now dream of the day — and may it not be far distant — when these ancient stones shall rise from the sand, and when the great round tower of Fort William Henry shall be rebuilt from its original material to stand as a perpetual monument of the history of Ancient Pemaquid. As we began our study of old colonial houses, at Kittery Point, on the western verge of the state, it is fitting that we should come at last to the eastern border of our "hundred-harbored Maine," and rest from our travels within the hospitable walls of the old Burnham Tavern at Machias. This ancient hostelry was built in 1770 and still retains its original clapboards, windows, and interior finish. It is the only house in eastern Maine which has a Revolutionary War record. Z W > i-J > < w On the River and Harbor Shores 105 The Battle of Machias Bay, in which the British ves- sel, the " Margaretta, " was captured by the patriots of the town, was the first naval engagement of the Revolution and took place on June 12th, 1775. The plans for this encounter were formulated in the great living-room of the Burnham Tavern. Here the patriots gathered to discuss the exciting news of the battle of Concord and Lexington. Here they resolved to erect a liberty-pole upon the green and defend it with their blood. The captain of the British vessel in the harbor threatened to destroy the town unless the liberty-pole was taken down ; but before the threat could be carried out, the men of Machias had manned a vessel, sailed down the harbor, and after a brief battle, captured the "Margaretta" and her crew. The wounded sailors of the " Margaretta " were taken to the Burnham Tavern where the east room was turned into a hospital. The indomitable commander of the British vessel, Captain Moore, made a gallant defense, but was mortally wounded at the beginning of the fight. He was taken to the home of Stephen Jones where every effort was made for his recovery ; but he died on the day following the battle. Captain Moore was a brave young Irishman who in spite of his order for the destruction of the town, had won the respect of the inhabitants of Machias, and his death was greatly regretted by the people who were charitable enough to give him credit for his loyalty to the crown. He was, moreover betrothed to a niece of Stephen Jones. This beautiful young lady, then a guest at Machias, was literally heart-broken at the death of her lover. These sad circumstances still give an undertone of pathos to the story of "the first naval battle of the Revolution " which is so often told with local pride and patriotism at the hearthstone of the old Burnham Tavern. 106 Old Colonial Houses Such were some of the old colonial homes whose hearth-fires were lighted long before our Revolutionary ancestors set the torch of liberty ablaze, and thus severed our connection with the mother country. These houses may still be seen standing along the coast of Maine, upon our river shores, and on the hillsides of our inland towns. Some of them are weather-beaten, empty, and desolate ; their windows are broken, their chimneys shattered, and the dust and ashes dead upon their thresholds. Others are sound, stately, and well- preserved, still bearing with alertness and vigor the burden of many successive generations. The most of these houses were large and handsome in their prime and quite worthy of the name of "mansion, " or "great house," which was commonly bestowed upon them. They still stand as monuments, not only of the individual life, but of the general and characteristic life, of the early colonial settlers. They tell of the hardships, the sufferings, the struggles, the joys, the sorrows, the hopes, the faith — that wonderful and supreme faith — of our ancestors ; and sitting at these ancient, dimly-lighted hearthstones, we learn to know and revere the men and women who were the founders and upbuilders of our state. W92 ■ ' w -^-:::?a^,:^;.;-:-. - : ■ :•': ;■; ■■ : : ■ . :.',; ' ■ ': ■■:::;;^:? ! :, v '. ■::: •. ' ■ ■ : •. ...:.:■.:;: : ■ !' ■ ; ■: , •• ' .. . .-..