THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE 
 
 NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL 
 
 SOCIETY BUILDING 
 
 X^o- ilM^ 
 
THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE 
 
 NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL 
 
 SOCIETY BUILDING 
 
 NOW FIRST MADE KNOWN BY 
 
 CHARLES ROBERT CORNING 
 
 President of the Society 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY 
 ANNO DOMINI, 1920 
 

 fimM 
 
t 
 I 
 
 ^ THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE NEW 
 
 ^ HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 ^< 
 
 BUILDING 
 Charles R. Corning 
 
 I have been impressed since the dedication of 
 the New Hampshire Historical Society Building 
 that there still remained a historical residuum 
 worthy to be noticed and remembered. By this 
 I mean a chapter in our annals that has never been 
 written. While the history of the Society, from 
 its foundation nearly a century ago down to the 
 opening of our beautiful building, has been written 
 and preserved for all time, and the description of 
 the building and its charms and richness similarly 
 treated, there seemed to be wanting something to 
 complete the narrative. And that something I 
 denominate a historical residuum. In the objec- 
 tive point of view nothing perhaps has been left 
 unwritten, but subjectively the fact is otherwise. 
 We know that we possess one of the really beauti- 
 ful structures of the country, into whose construc- 
 
 [I] 
 
tion the willing and unlimited generosity of 
 Edward Tuck invited the exquisite skill of the 
 architect and the resources of the builder. But we 
 do not know the history of the meeting of the 
 minds that made this splendid work a reality to 
 those who had hoped and dreamed in the days 
 when the old building was our only possession. 
 
 Psychology, I think, played an unsuspected 
 part in the result. At any rate there was meet- 
 ing of minds, there was touching of souls re- 
 sponsive to beauty in things material. Call it as 
 one may, this Historical Building as we see it did 
 not spring into living beauty complete and perfect 
 in the twinkling of an eye or at a nod of com- 
 mand. Things unseen to the common vision are 
 sometimes the influence that makes possible works 
 and deeds of surprising excellence and service. 
 
 The opening year of this century marked a crisis 
 in the affairs of our Society by introducing a situa- 
 tion perplexing and disturbing. At the annual 
 meeting a year or two before, the librarian, 
 Nathan F. Carter, called the attention of members 
 to the immediate necessity for more working space 
 
and book room than were afforded in the old build- 
 ing. At the annual meeting in June, 1900, Mr. 
 Carter again referred to the matter, and was 
 followed by John C. Thorne who, understanding 
 the conditions, emphasized his remarks by saying 
 "A crisis has evidently come in the Historical 
 Society. How shall it be met.?" The President 
 of the Society was William C. Todd of Atkinson, 
 a man of scholarly instincts, an observer of men 
 and circumstances, clear-headed, generous and 
 judicious, a living asset of progress. Fortunate, 
 indeed, was our Society in possessing a member 
 endowed with Mr. Todd's characteristics. Ex- 
 perience and years had brought caution and well 
 reasoned opinions on matters in which he felt a 
 deep interest, and the Historical Society was an 
 institution he loved. Accordingly he presented 
 this communication to that June meeting: 
 
 "No object in New Hampshire is more worthy 
 of support than the New Hampshire Historical 
 Society. The most distinguished men of the 
 State were active in its formation, and have been 
 interested in its success. It was incorporated 
 
 I3] 
 
June 14, 1823, and the first named of its incorpora- 
 tors was the eminent lawyer, Ichabod Bartlett. 
 Its history has been an honorable one. Nearly 
 every prominent man in the State has taken part 
 in its proceedings; its published volumes have 
 been much sought, and its collection of rare his- 
 torical matter is of incalculable value and could 
 not be duplicated. It has received from its friends 
 many gifts, much wisdom, but little money, and 
 is financially poor. 
 
 "For years its collections were moved from place 
 to place as room could be found for them, and had 
 no permanent home till some generous friends in 
 1866 purchased the building now occupied. This 
 is now full, and the annual increase of books and 
 pamphlets is 3,000. * * * j^ j^^g been sug- 
 gested that many books of little value could be 
 disposed of and thus room provided. 
 
 "If such a plan were wise the relief would only 
 be temporary. If the Society is to be preserved 
 and to increase its usefulness, it seems as if a large 
 fireproof addition must be placed on the land 
 recently purchased adjoining the Society building 
 
 [4] 
 
on the south, known as the Chadwick property. A 
 crisis has evidently come in the history of the 
 Society. How shall it be met.^ Wisconsin is a 
 new State, but in the first year of its existence a 
 Historical Society was established, which now has 
 over 100,000 volumes, over 100,000 pamphlets, 
 10,000 bound volumes of newspapers, and is the 
 pride of the State, with a world-wide reputation. 
 A new building has been provided for its collec- 
 tions and those of the State Library at a cost of 
 ^640,000, and the State is in future to give it 
 ^15,000 annually, instead of $5,000 as in the past. 
 The Massachusetts Historical Society has become 
 rich by private munificence, and other state his- 
 torical societies are well supported. The spirit of 
 historical and genealogical research throughout the 
 country is greater than ever before. Shall New 
 Hampshire, one of the oldest and most respected 
 States of the Union, prove worthy of its past repu- 
 tation in all educational advance, and sustain its 
 Historical Society? The least sum for a suitable 
 fireproof addition is $10,000, and many thousands 
 more should be provided. If not less than $5,000 
 
 (Si 
 
can be secured from others before November i, 
 1900, I will add five thousand dollars (^5,000)." 
 
 Here was an offer to cause thought and stimu- 
 late activity. Mr. Todd had cast a coin into the 
 placid waters, creating the circle that, enlarging 
 as it journeyed, finally touched the shores of 
 France. In the meanwhile the friends of the 
 Society responded to the President's offer and sub- 
 scribed the desired sum, so that at the June meet- 
 ing, 1901, the Treasurer reported a building fund 
 of ^$10,290.89. A committee consisting of William 
 C. Todd, Benjamin A. Kimball, Samuel C. East- 
 man, Joseph B. Walker, and Virgil C. Gilman was 
 chosen to take into consideration the subject of 
 new or enlarged accommodations for the library 
 and rooms of the Society. At a meeting held 
 January 13, 1903, this committee made a careful 
 and well considered report which may be found 
 in Proceedings of the New Hampshire Historical 
 Society, vol. 4, p. 233. 
 
 The important conclusions in that report were 
 these: the committee obtained an estimate of what 
 could be done with $10,000; they found that 
 
 [6] 
 
this amount of money would be utterly inadequate 
 to build an addition on Main Street of a size and 
 style that would be in harmony with the building, 
 and be at the same time fireproof. "If such 
 a building is desired," continued the report, "a 
 much larger fund must be created." The com- 
 mittee agreed that an addition to the building was 
 not desirable. Such an addition would be only a 
 makeshift, and it would be far better in the long 
 run to secure an entirely new building adapted not 
 only to present needs, but so planned as to be 
 enlarged to meet the future growth of the Society. 
 "If the recommendations of the committee meet 
 with the approval of the Society, time can be 
 gained to secure the means for a better building 
 than could be obtained from the present fund. 
 Hopes are entertained by many interested in the 
 welfare of the Society that such a result can be 
 secured from efforts that are now being made." 
 At an adjourned meeting held in February, 1903, 
 a special committee was chosen to solicit additional 
 funds for the erection of a new building. The com- 
 mittee named were William C. Todd, William P. 
 
 [7] 
 
Fiske, William E. Chandler, Henry M. Baker, 
 John F. Jones, and John C. Thorne. The building 
 fund was soon increased to ^20,000, through the 
 efforts of Mr. Fiske and Mr. Thorne of this com- 
 mittee, Mr. Fiske securing a promise of ^5,000 
 from Nathaniel Sherman Bouton of Chicago, and 
 Mr. Thorne securing a like sum from the trustees 
 of the John H. Pearson estate. 
 
 At the annual meeting in June, 1905, a committee 
 previously appointed to procure plans for a new 
 building on the old site offered its report and 
 recommendations. A suitable building could be 
 erected for ^25,000, fireproof, well equipped and 
 good for fifty years to come. Then followed this 
 significant intimation which was to mean so much 
 to the Society: "Information has, however, come 
 to the committee recently that there is a possi- 
 bility of a large gift for building and endowment 
 which is worthy of our careful consideration. The 
 committee, after duly considering this, has deemed 
 it wise to recommend that further action in regard 
 to the erection of a new building be postponed 
 until the next annual meeting." 
 
What had happened in the meanwhile to cause 
 the committee to report that discussion of a new 
 building should be postponed? Ever since Presi- 
 dent Todd, addressing the annual meeting in 1900, 
 had called attention to the crisis in the affairs of 
 the Society, the subject had wakened a lively 
 interest in the minds of many of the members who 
 were deeply desirous to help the venerable Society 
 in its hour of distress. Naturally the idea of a 
 new building on the old site was in the minds of 
 many members, both because of long time asso- 
 ciation and the limited sum available for building 
 purposes. Something in the meantime had oc- 
 curred to stay the efforts of those who so stren- 
 uously favored building on the old foundations. 
 What was it.^ The meeting received new light 
 when a resolution was adopted declaring that "it 
 is for the best interests of the Society to erect a 
 building that shall be an ornament and credit to 
 the State, that the present fund is inadequate, 
 and that a committee of three be appointed to 
 increase the funds and procure designs for a build- 
 ing of a classical character, so that the donors may 
 
 [9] 
 
see the type of construction contemplated." Two 
 members of this committee of three were Ben- 
 jamin A. Kimball and Samuel C. Eastman, both 
 of whom were heartily in favor of a more con- 
 venient and imposing location. It became evi- 
 dent that a project larger in scope and richer in 
 detail than any heretofore discussed was assuming 
 form and gathering strength, but no public dis- 
 closure had been made. Uncertainty concerning 
 the future gradually disappeared, and there came 
 the feeling of hope. The members favorable to 
 the old site with a building fund of ^30,000, real- 
 izing the meaning of what had occurred, abandoned 
 their position and gave constant support to the 
 new plan and the new location. 
 
 The unrecorded history of what took place from 
 1901 to 191 1 began when Mr. Kimball exhibited 
 to the annual meeting sketches and plans of the 
 new building, and John C. Thorne offered this 
 resolution: "That Benjamin A. Kimball, Samuel 
 C. Eastman, Henry W. Stevens, Frank N. Parsons, 
 and Frank W. Hackett be appointed a building 
 committee, with full power to raise such sums of 
 
 [lol 
 
money as may be necessary, in addition to the funds 
 of the Society now especially pledged and available 
 therefor, to purchase the land on the corner of 
 North State and Park Streets in Concord, and to 
 erect thereon a new library building on the plan 
 submitted to the Society at this meeting, subject 
 to such modifications as may be found expedient 
 or necessary." The unrecorded or unwritten his- 
 tory during that period I will try to relate. 
 
 The publication of our proceedings has preserved 
 the story of the construction and dedication of the 
 New Hampshire Historical Society building which 
 all may read and understand, but the undisclosed 
 history of the undertaking, its inception and 
 development, makes a story worthy to be heard. 
 I have felt that the whole story ought to be told, 
 and that the telling of the personal equation and 
 its influence in this beautiful culmination was an 
 indispensable part in the history of the New Hamp- 
 shire Historical Society. How often have I been 
 asked why Edward Tuck should build so splendid 
 a memorial in a community no closer to him than 
 Concord! What influences directed him to this 
 
 [II] 
 
work? Influence, as we commonly interpret it, 
 had little or nothing to do with Mr. Tuck's great 
 donations. Influence in this instance was a gen- 
 erous and receptive mind communing with life- 
 long principles of benevolence. In truth this man 
 of profound good-will, of keen comprehension, of 
 imagination, of sane views and application, and of 
 trustful disposition was the ally of Mr. Kimball and 
 Mr. Todd in their wonderful labors. Fortunately 
 the correspondence, strengthened by recollections 
 of the leading actors in the conception and develop- 
 ment of the undertaking, has been put into my 
 hands to be treated as I should determine. My 
 beginning was this communication: 
 
 Concord, New Hampshire, July 4, 1917. 
 
 My dear Mr. Kimball: 
 
 If I am not asking too much, and I am not in- 
 sensible to your many urgent occupations, I wish 
 you would detail to me through your stenographer 
 the beginning of Mr. Tuck's interest in our His- 
 torical Society building. 
 
 During my visit at Vert Mont Mr. Tuck more 
 than once remarked to me that "you would never 
 have had your Historical building if it had not 
 
 [12] 
 
been for Mr. Kimball." With my respect for 
 historical accuracy and truth I believe that this 
 incident in your career ought to be made known 
 and preserved. No man has created so imposing 
 a memorial of work so splendid and enduring as 
 you have created in Concord. "Circumspice" 
 applies to you as it applied to Wren and St. Paul's. 
 I hope I am not asking too much of you inasmuch 
 as my request will serve history. 
 Very truly, 
 
 Charles R. Corning. 
 
 Mr. Kimball mailed this note to Mr. Tuck who 
 
 replied : 
 
 82 Champs Elysees, 
 Paris, August nth, 1917. 
 
 Dear Mr. Kimball: 
 
 Since I wrote you July 28th I have received 
 your letter written at The Broads with your eagle 
 quill on July 8th, dealing with Coming's enquiry 
 for the early history of the project of a new building 
 for the Historical Society. 
 
 I am sending you under separate registered cover 
 Mr. Todd's first letter to me dated June 25, 1901, 
 thus antedating apparently his first letter to you 
 on the subject which was in October of the same 
 year. I am returning it to you herewith, as also 
 Coming's letter. 
 
 I am very glad Corning is taking up this matter, 
 for the facts are worthy of record. To Mr. Todd 
 
 [13] 
 
is due the credit of the inception of the project 
 and awakening my early interest in it. To you 
 is due the greater credit of having multipHed his 
 efforts a hundredfold, and of having stimulated 
 my interest in the matter, with the result that 
 between us we have now, in the words of a repre- 
 sentative of Mr. Lowell who, you say, had just 
 been over the building for the first time, a monu- 
 ment "the like of which does not exist in the 
 United States." 
 
 Corning quotes me correctly as having said that 
 we never would have had such a building except 
 for Mr. Kimball. It was only my faith in your 
 wonderful taste and knowledge in artistic and 
 architectural matters, and in your fidelity and zeal, 
 heart and soul, in the work, that made me willing 
 to place such a great sum of money in such an 
 object. I can truly say that I consider it perhaps 
 the happiest inspiration of my life to have gone 
 into this enterprise, and to have brought it with 
 you to so magnificent a conclusion, of which we 
 and our successors will never cease to be proud. 
 
 With Mr. Todd's letter I am sending various 
 pieces which I have numbered in sequence. They 
 appear to be all that I have of special interest until 
 the years 1906 and 1907. They will all explain 
 themselves without further remark from me. 
 You have, I am sure, a better recollection of our 
 various conversations than I have. I wish now 
 that I had kept a record, although perhaps it is of 
 
 [14] 
 
no great consequence. I do remember that I did 
 not wish to have Carnegie's finger in our pie. We 
 have done fairly well without him; in fact you and 
 I would not be willing to trade our building for any 
 forty or more that he has ever erected. 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Edward Tuck. 
 
 William C. Todd, born in 1823, was not far from 
 eighty years of age when the condition of the 
 Society, so urgent and pressing, touched his loyal 
 nature to the quick and compelled him to act. I 
 have mentioned the offer made by him in 1900, 
 and the words he delivered at the annual meeting 
 of the following year. No one saw the critical 
 situation clearer than he, or attempted remedial 
 measures more resolutely. A graduate of Dart- 
 mouth, he chose the teacher's profession, becoming 
 head of the academy at Atkinson, his native town, 
 and later principal of the Girls' High School in 
 Newburyport. From slender beginnings, by pru- 
 dence and saving, Mr. Todd was laying up a 
 modest competence, when Fortune introduced 
 him to the Bell telephone, at that time a neglected 
 foundling in the world of finance. The result was 
 
 [15] 
 
that Mr. Todd became a wealthy man. No pen 
 picture can present William C. Todd as he walked 
 our streets and conversed with his friends, but the 
 record has been written of his generosity in life 
 and his benefactions after death. No reflective 
 member of this Society can ever efface the picture 
 of this aged man lying on his death bed, his mind 
 alive to the necessities of his beloved Society, and 
 his trembling hand composing an appeal to the 
 one responsive soul in all the world who listened, 
 and who finally wrought the miracle. 
 
 Mr. Todd's first communication with Mr. Tuck 
 was this letter: 
 
 Atkinson, N. H., June 25, 1901. 
 
 Edward Tuck, Esq. 
 
 My dear Sir: 
 After much hesitation I have concluded to 
 address you in regard to the New Hampshire 
 Historical Society in which I have become much 
 interested. It is one of the oldest of similar soci- 
 eties in the country, and has had the support of 
 the ablest and most distinguished men of the State. 
 Its origin dates back to 1823. March 3, 1823, a 
 literary society of Portsmouth addressed an invi- 
 tation to eighteen literary gentlemen of Rocking- 
 
 f 16I 
 
ham and Strafford counties on the subject, who 
 met at Exeter March 13, when that able lawyer 
 Ichabod Bartlett presided. It was decided to 
 form a society, and a committee was chosen to 
 invite gentlemen to meet in Portsmouth for that 
 purpose. This was done, and the society was 
 organized May 20, 1823, and incorporated June 13, 
 
 1823. 
 
 The first president was William Plumer, Jr., of 
 Epping, at one time Governor, followed by Levi 
 Woodbury, Ichabod Bartlett and other distin- 
 guished men of the State, who from the first have 
 been among its officers, have given addresses before 
 it, and contributed to its publications. To the 
 efforts of men like John Farmer, Jacob B. Moore, 
 Rev. Dr. Bouton, in connection with this society, 
 we owe, I think, the large amount of valuable 
 information acquired on the early history of New 
 Hampshire. 
 
 Among the past members of the Society more or 
 less active in its history can be named such men as 
 Ichabod Bartlett, Charles H. Atherton, Samuel D. 
 Bell, Jeremiah Smith, Isaac Hill, Ira Perley, Frank- 
 lin Pierce, Amos Tuck, Rev. Dr. Peabody, Rev. 
 Nathan Lord, Jeremiah Mason, John S. Wells, 
 J. J. Bell and Charles H. Bell, both its Presidents 
 for years, Joel Parker, and many others who have 
 been leading actors in the affairs of the State, and 
 few States can point to an equal number of men of 
 whom it would have more reason to be proud. 
 
 [17I 
 
Some of the collections of the Society are very 
 valuable, and more would have been published if 
 the funds had permitted, but the Society is poor. 
 Its permanent fund, after 78 years, is only ^11,400, 
 whose income is almost fully restricted. There 
 are about 170 members paying an annual assess- 
 ment of ^3. Only two gifts, I think, as large as 
 ^1,000 in money have been received in Its whole 
 history, though wisdom has been freely offered. 
 It receives from the State $500 a year, which small 
 sum is used to pay the Librarian, a retired clergyman 
 and a Dartmouth graduate. 
 
 The Massachusetts Historical Society has just 
 erected a new building at a cost of ^195,044, and 
 has invested funds of ^182,339. One of the first 
 acts of Wisconsin when It became a State was to 
 establish a Historical Society, which has been Its 
 great pride, receives from the State an annual gift 
 of $5,000 for Its support, has a national, if not a 
 European reputation, and the State has just 
 erected for its use and that of the State Library a 
 building at a cost of about $650,000. 
 
 The building used at Concord is an old bank 
 building, is literally filled with treasures, among 
 them sixteen volumes of unpublished letters of 
 Daniel Webster, the gift of Peter Harvey. The 
 Sabine collection of 7,000 volumes will come to the 
 Society on the decease of an old lady of 83, and 
 there is no room for them. 
 
 It has been impressed on me that no object in 
 New Hampshire is more worthy of aid than this 
 
 f 18I 
 
Society, and its first great want is a new fireproof 
 building. My means are limited but I have no 
 family, and I last year offered $5,000 for this pur- 
 pose if a like amount could be secured from others. 
 This was done in small amounts, over 100 aiding, 
 much of it from friends away from the State, and 
 the Society now has a building fund of $10,000, 
 but it needs $25,000 or $30,000 to build what seems 
 to be a necessity if the Society is to continue its 
 existence. 
 
 As one of the first settled States, New Hamp- 
 shire offers a wide field for historical research, for 
 which this Society seems to be the proper medium. 
 May its good work in the past be continued. 
 
 I am a stranger to you, and have seen you only 
 once. I was in i860 a member of the examining 
 committee at Dartmouth, and noticed you because 
 I knew your father. I was born in the same con- 
 gressional district, belonged to the same political 
 party, became acquainted with him, and on my 
 way to Washington, meeting him in Boston, he 
 volunteered to give me a letter to Mr. Lincoln. 
 Like all Dartmouth men I rejoice in your noble 
 gift to our alma mater. I gave it a $1,000 scholar- 
 ship years ago from money earned in teaching. 
 
 I ask pardon for this letter, and for addressing 
 you at all, knowing how many appeals of this kind 
 you must receive. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 Wm. C. Todd, Dart. 1844. 
 
 19 
 
The second act in this interesting narrative was 
 Mr. Tuck's kind acknowledgment to Mr. Todd: 
 
 Paris, September i8th, 1901. 
 
 W. C. Todd, Esq., Atkinson, N. H. 
 My dear Sir: — 
 
 Your very interesting letter of June 25th regard- 
 ing the New Hampshire Historical Society reached 
 me some time ago, and has merited a more prompt 
 reply. 
 
 You need make no apology for calling my atten- 
 tion to the present condition of the Society. On 
 the contrary, I thank you for informing me so 
 fully regarding the great interest taken in the for- 
 mation and the development of the Society by dis- 
 tinguished sons of New Hampshire in the past, and 
 of its straightened condition which ought not to be. 
 I was among those who contributed last year to 
 the building fund of which you speak, although 
 my interest in the Society was not at all awakened 
 as it has been by your letter. You, individually, 
 have certainly been more than generous in your 
 own contribution for the needed fund. I shall 
 bear in mind all you have written me, and it may 
 be that somewhat later I shall be in a position to 
 aid materially in the good work which you so 
 disinterestedly have taken up. It would certainly 
 give me great pleasure if I felt able and free to 
 do so. 
 
 ■ f20l 
 
In the meantime I shall be glad to hear from you 
 further in detail as to what you think needs to be 
 done to relieve the Society from its present distress, 
 to assure its further existence, and to provide com- 
 fortably for its installation in a suitable new build- 
 ing, over and above whatever funds and means of 
 support it already has in hand. 
 
 Thanking you for your letter I am yours very 
 
 ^' Edward Tuck. 
 
 William C. Todd then interested Benjamin A. 
 Kimball both by correspondence and interviews, 
 securing his masterful aid and co-operation which, 
 once begun, continued to the end. Mr. Kimball 
 had long been a member of the Society, and had 
 served as President during the years 1 895-1 897, 
 but, as he says, he had not in the stress of stren- 
 uous business and corporate activities given atten- 
 tion to the wants and necessities of the Society. 
 He and Mr. Todd were old friends strongly at- 
 tached to each other by college ties, as both were 
 graduates of Dartmouth. In the notes prepared 
 in response to my letter of July 4, 191 7, Mr. Kim- 
 ball says: 
 
 "My attention relative to the needs of the His- 
 
 [21] 
 
torical Society was first aroused by a letter from 
 Mr. Todd written October 28, 1901. It was from 
 an old-time friend, bristling with acuteness and 
 intelligence and suggestive of the unique person- 
 ality of the writer." 
 
 William C. Todd possessed a quaint and unusual 
 personality which, as Mr. Kimball says, Dickens 
 ought to have encountered. "That squeaky, 
 husky voice will never be forgotten." After a 
 few letters and visits from Mr. Kimball to Mr. 
 Todd, who, it should be remembered, was in bed 
 and gradually nearing the close of life, Mr. Kimball 
 received these letters which made so deep an im- 
 pression and led to results so magnificent. The 
 letter of October 28, 1901, was historically impor- 
 tant. This famous letter contained references of 
 the greatest importance to the New Hampshire 
 Historical Society, to the State, and to Concord. 
 "First of all there should be a new building for its 
 valuable treasures." This thought presented by 
 Mr. Todd gave Mr. Kimball his first positive con- 
 ception concerning the condition and the future 
 of the Society. 
 
 [22] 
 
Atkinson, N. H., Aug. 6, 1901. 
 
 Hon. Benj. A. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
 Dear Mr. Kimball: — 
 
 There is to be a meeting of the special committee 
 on the new building, or addition to the present, 
 Aug. 13. I doubt if I can be present but I trust 
 you will attend. I am more and more persuaded 
 that the Society cannot go on and prosper unless 
 something is done. The Historical Societies all 
 over the land are active, having new buildings, but 
 the New Hampshire Society has for years been 
 stationary. It took over 100 subscriptions last 
 year, many of them out of the State, to raise the 
 paltry sum of ^5,000, showing how little is the 
 general interest felt in the Society. I can do 
 nothing more. I am comparatively unknown, with 
 no influence; you are well known, and could raise 
 any needed sum for almost any worthy object. 
 My means are limited, but I have come to the 
 conclusion that it is better to try and do some good 
 with my little than leave it, as did Mr. Pearson, to 
 feed hungry lawyers. I have just paid ^50,000 
 for a needed hospital in Newburyport. I can 
 think of no object of more use to the State, and 
 especially Concord, than a new historical building, 
 and you or any one else who will secure it will 
 erect for himself a more enduring monument than 
 any of granite. 
 
 The present building is old, infirm, is not fire- 
 proof, and to add to it would make a deformity of 
 
 [23I 
 
which no one would be proud. A new structure is 
 needed, and the one who will secure it will make a 
 proud name for himself with this generation and 
 posterity. The whole matter was left open at the 
 annual meeting, as I understood you wished. 
 Hope something can be done, but it must be by 
 money from those who have it and are willing to 
 give. I have recently written to a wealthy gentle- 
 man but have had no reply. 
 
 I trust you are well after a most trying summer. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Wm. C. Todd. 
 
 Mr. Tuck replied by letter September i8, 1901. 
 This is the letter referred to by Mr. Kimball as 
 important: 
 
 Atkinson, N. H., October 28, 1901. 
 
 Hon. Benj. A. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
 Dear Mr. Kimball: — 
 
 * * * I am pleased, also, that you are inter- 
 ested in the New Hampshire Historical Society. 
 Nothing in New Hampshire, it seems to me, more 
 deserves support than this Society, and nothing 
 will make Mr. Carnegie, or whoever else may give 
 to it, longer remembered. 
 
 Historical Societies, all over the country, are 
 receiving increased attention, and no State has a 
 richer field for investigation, and in no State has 
 
 [24] 
 
there been of late so little Interest as in New Hamp- 
 shire, one of the oldest States in the Union. I 
 think that there is much to be done, and, first of all, 
 there should be a new building worthy of the State 
 and of Concord, and I trust at no distant date it can 
 be secured. You can do much more than myself 
 because you are so much better known, and people 
 have much confidence in your good judgment. Its 
 past publications are very valuable, and the Society 
 has material for more if it had the money. In the 
 volume I recently published, in the article on Gen. 
 Peabody, I stated that two thirds of the soldiers 
 at Bunker Hill were from New Hampshire, and 
 the State should have credit of it. The Nation, in 
 a review of the book, states that this is strictly 
 true, though it seems so impossible, and refers to 
 a publication of the Society to substantiate it. I 
 have faith that, sooner or later, this Society will 
 have its wants supplied, for it is a privilege to aid 
 it. I have some things in my mind, but they may 
 have no practical result. 
 
 Please pardon this long, hasty letter. I presume 
 you have such inflictions occasionally. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, with many thanks, 
 
 Wm. C. Todd. 
 
 Mr. Kimball calls this a famous letter, and it 
 certainly deserves that name, but there was to be 
 one more communication sent from the sick room 
 
 [25I 
 
I in Newburyport to Edward Tuck in Paris. Mr. 
 
 Kimball refers to this in these words, "the last and 
 
 I very important letter on the subject of a new 
 
 building was written by Mr. Todd some time in 
 1902, and it enlisted Mr. Tuck's interest in the 
 proposition." Unfortunately that letter cannot 
 be found, but its moving inspiration, soon to be 
 revealed in actions, brings to our minds the pathos 
 and force of the sick man's last appeal. "Mr. 
 Tuck," Mr. Kimball says, "sent the letter to me 
 with suggestions which later resulted in realities." 
 
 \ Well may Mr. Kimball add, "this second letter of 
 
 Mr. Todd's laid the foundations for one of the 
 finest and most enduring structures of our time." 
 Mr. Tuck acknowledged this letter, warmly and 
 sympathetically manifesting his interest and will- 
 ingness to contribute to the funds necessary to build 
 on new foundations. 
 
 Paris, December 9th, 1902. 
 
 Hon. William C. Todd, Newburyport, Mass. 
 Dear Mr. Todd:— 
 I am in receipt of your interesting letter of 
 November 28th, which bears testimony to your 
 
 [26 1 
 
faithful devotion these many years to the welfare 
 of the New Hampshire Historical Society, to which 
 you have given so much both of your time and of 
 your money. I trust that you may live to see your 
 efforts crowned with success, and preparations 
 made, if not fully completed, for the installation in 
 a new and worthy habitation of the Society's 
 valuable books and collections. 
 
 I have not forgotten the letter which you wrote 
 me two years ago, and which first aroused an 
 interest in my mind in behalf of the Society. ^ It 
 may be that I can some day make a contribution 
 with others to aid in bringing together the neces- 
 sary funds for the construction of the new building. 
 I do not feel free to do so at the present moment,^ as 
 I am committed in some other directions which 
 will require all my available resources for the time 
 being. Not the least among the reasons which 
 would impel me to make a liberal contribution for 
 this good purpose is the fact that you yourself 
 have labored so disinterestedly in its behalf, and 
 at the present time, even on your sick bed, are 
 endeavoring to enlist the co-operation of myself 
 and others in accomplishing the desired results. 
 
 I thank you for your letter and for your kind 
 words regarding my father and myself, and I am, 
 with best wishes for your restoration to health. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Edward Tuck. 
 
 This letter indicates on the part of its writer an 
 
 [27] 
 
awakening interest in the Historical Society, and 
 the disposition to contribute to its welfare. 
 
 December 8th, 1902. 
 
 Hon. B. a. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
 My dear Mr. Kimball: 
 
 I will answer at once your letter this moment 
 received, written on Thanksgiving Day, telling me 
 of your call upon Mr. Todd at Newburyport, 
 where I am sorry to learn that he is so ill. I am 
 also in receipt to-day of a letter from him in ful- 
 filment of his intention declared to you, which is 
 full of the object he has so much at heart. His 
 letter is an excellent one, most interesting and 
 lucid, and from it I should not have supposed, had 
 I not learned otherwise from you, that his illness 
 was so serious. He even expresses the hope that 
 he will meet me next year in the United States. 
 I suppose he is a very old man now, and your fears 
 as to his ever being able to leave his bed again I 
 am afraid are too well founded. I should be glad 
 to receive a copy of Mr. Todd's address at the 
 annual meeting of the New Hampshire Historical 
 Society, and also the report of the committee, of 
 which he speaks but does not mention sending 
 to me. 
 
 I have delayed replying to your letter of October 
 31st, in which you referred to the financial wants 
 of the Historical Society, but not from any lack of 
 
 [28I 
 
interest in the subject. I have a good many- 
 demands upon me just at the present time in other 
 directions, but I shall not forget the necessities of 
 your important Society, and it is possible that 
 some time in the future I may feel free to make a 
 contribution toward the fund required to place it 
 in substantial and worthy quarters. * * * 
 
 Edward Tuck. 
 
 Mr. Kimball's letter, to which Mr. Tuck referred, 
 after mentioning Dartmouth College and its busi- 
 ness affairs, continued with a direct allusion to the 
 Society which was undoubtedly the earliest com- 
 munication on the subject in which these two 
 friends had so deep an interest, and were destined 
 to work out a result so splendid. 
 
 Concord, October 31, 1902. 
 * * * Just a few lines about the New Hamp- 
 shire Historical Society, about which Mr. Todd, its 
 President, has written you more or less, and con- 
 cerning which Mr. Henry W. Stevens has talked 
 with you, thinking you might be interested in it in 
 the future or at your leisure. I know our people, 
 far and near, are indebted for your philanthropic 
 work, consequently do not feel like suggesting or 
 asking your consideration of our valuable Society 
 and its necessities, only to say that I intend, so far 
 
 [29] 
 
as I am able, to assist towards obtaining a fine 
 substantial building as a home for this venerable 
 and valuable institution, which is capable of ex- 
 erting such great influence upon the citizens of New 
 Hampshire on account of its valuable collections of 
 material. 
 
 In addition to what Mr. Todd has already 
 donated ($5,000.00), I think he will join any enter- 
 prise to the end I have suggested, a new and 
 permanent building. 
 
 He has recently given a fund for the establish- 
 ment of a city hospital in Newburyport. At his 
 request I am intending to call upon him at New- 
 buryport, where he is ill at the present time. He 
 may possibly talk over this matter. If so I shall 
 be pleased to confer with him. 
 
 Mr. Todd and myself have held up the question 
 of constructing an annex to the old building, which 
 we and other prominent men of the State regarded 
 as an unfortunate procedure. 
 
 Pardon me for mentioning the Historical Society 
 question of a new building. I did so, knowing your 
 interest in the Society as something that should 
 be safely cared for and perpetuated to the honor 
 of the old State and its distinguished roll of 
 members. 
 
 With the kindest regards and best wishes for 
 you and Mrs. Tuck, I am 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 B. A. Kimball. 
 
 30 
 
Mr. Todd's life was drawing to its close. He was 
 unable to walk out or to welcome his friends, other 
 than old friends, among whom none was closer 
 than Mr. Kimball. During the year 1902 Mr. 
 Kimball saw his old-time friend more than once, 
 the last visit taking place late in that year and is 
 recorded in these words: 
 
 "I visited Mr. Todd in Newburyport in the fall 
 of 1902, where he was ill and confined to his room 
 in Mrs. Spaulding's home. Knowing that I was 
 expected, he was ready to receive me with many 
 suggestions which he wished me to convey per- 
 sonally to Mr. Tuck relative to the New Hampshire 
 Historical Society, as he understood I intended to 
 sail for Paris within a few weeks. I remember 
 distinctly his saying to me, T am impressed with 
 the idea that you will find Mr. Tuck an important 
 factor in the upbuilding of the New Hampshire 
 Historical Society. His letter to me indicates 
 most conclusively that his mind trends in this 
 direction.' While I was with him I recall that he 
 expressed his regrets respecting his gift of ^50,000 
 to the Boston Public Library, which on reflection 
 
 [31I 
 
he considered a mistake. He then said, *My 
 estate will not be sufficient to contribute more than 
 the amount named in my will, and I want you to 
 say this to Mr. Tuck.' So far as I am able to learn 
 this was the last reference to the subject ever made 
 by the loyal old man, for he died in June, 1903." 
 
 On July 30, 191 8, Mr. Tuck wrote to me respect- 
 ing the last letter from William C. Todd. "You 
 ask me about the missing Todd letter. I doubt if 
 there is one missing. I do not remember that he 
 ever wrote me much more than what was in the 
 letter or letters you have. His ideas were very 
 modest. The project of a new building for the 
 Historical Society pleased me from the start, and 
 developed itself gradually In my mind after my 
 annual conferences with Mr. Kimball Into the 
 greater scheme which we ultimately carried out. 
 I was much impressed by Mr. Todd's passion, as 
 I might call It, for the Society, and I was inspired 
 by his example, rather than by his preaching, to 
 accomplish on a grand scale what he had to leave 
 undone at his death." Whether or not the letter 
 which Mr. Kimball considered very Important was 
 
 [32] 
 
really written or has been mislaid is now an inter- 
 esting surmise on the part of the historian. But 
 we are certainly left without any doubt, by what 
 Mr. Tuck has written, that he was inspired by Mr. 
 Todd's passion and example. 
 
 Mr. Kimball now became an important person 
 in planning and directing the greater scheme, as 
 Mr. Tuck called it. Fortunate, indeed, it was to 
 the donor and to the Society that Mr. Kimball 
 assumed control of the work from the beginning 
 and continued in charge until the completion. If 
 my purpose were to sketch a biography in this 
 connection, Mr. Kimball would occupy a large and 
 deserved place, but such is not my design. Into 
 this agreeable undertaking he entered with a full 
 heart. Endowed with accurate architectural tastes, 
 strengthened and enriched by long and varied 
 experience, much reading and observation, Mr. 
 Kimball was the ideal man for the work in hand. 
 
 In intelligent and thorough method of prepara- 
 tion, attention to details, calm judgment and sound 
 sense few men in New Hampshire have been his 
 equal. Here in Concord the railroad station, the 
 
 [33] 
 
State Library, his Main Street residence attest 
 the measure of his taste and devotion to the prin- 
 ciples of attractiveness and usefulness in construc- 
 tion. No one recognized these gifts more clearly 
 than did Edward Tuck. What he thought about 
 those gifts and the confidence they inspired are 
 set forth in his letter of August ii, 1917. Mr. 
 Kimball belongs to the class of men known and 
 recognized as masterful men in the management of 
 public affairs, but in his case the master mind "s 
 agreeable and sympathetic. Tactful in his rela- 
 tions with others, receptive in mind, free from 
 impulse, with an intelligence of high order, he 
 proved to be in this great undertaking a helpful 
 and suggestive representative of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Tuck. Among his characteristics is the extremely 
 valuable possession of a disposition that enables 
 him to work with men and bring about the desired 
 results. The preliminary and formative efforts of 
 Mr. Kimball from the death of William C. Todd 
 in 1903 to the laying of the corner stone six years 
 later make a valuable and interesting chapter in 
 personal achievement. 
 
 [34] 
 
I venture to say that, from the hour when the 
 vision of a splendid and creditable Historical Soci- 
 ety building began to assume its exquisite features, 
 to the moment when he handed the symbolical 
 key to Mr. Tuck in November, 191 1, the realiza- 
 tion of the perfect work was never absent from his 
 mind. And this means much when we think of the 
 urgent business of banks and railroads and manufac- 
 tures that beset him day and night without ceasing. 
 But his heart was in this work and it brooked no 
 rival. A new Society building erected on land in the 
 central part of Concord near the State House was 
 Mr. Kimball's purpose from the first, and to that 
 end he directed his energy and influence. When 
 asked what the probable cost of a new building 
 would be he replied "not less than a hundred thou- 
 sand dollars." This reply, made before the new site 
 had been purchased or any plans had been drawn, 
 proved to be a modest yet not an unwarranted esti- 
 mate at the time. But the project gradually grew 
 in shape and dignity as the months went on. 
 
 Mr. Tuck had now become actively interested 
 through intercourse with Mr. Kimball who, in 
 
 [35] 
 
those days, made an annual visit to Europe for 
 rest and recreation. He naturally passed much 
 time with Mr. and Mrs. Tuck at Vert Mont and in 
 Paris. At one of these early visits the subject of 
 the Historical Society came up in conversation, 
 and the cost of land and building was mentioned, 
 together with the suggestion advanced by a mem- 
 ber of the committee that an appeal might be made 
 to the generosity of Andrew Carnegie. Whereupon 
 Mr. Tuck remarked "The New Hampshire His- 
 torical Society should not ask Mr. Carnegie for 
 funds; they should furnish their own funds and 
 build their own building." Another visit brought 
 out the matter of the form and construction ac- 
 cording to some sketch designs which Mr. Kimball 
 had secured to show to Mr. and Mrs. Tuck. How 
 completely the project underwent a change in the 
 minds of those three friends of the Society is an 
 interesting feature in the unwritten history of the 
 Historical Society, for we now know that those 
 early conversations and critical examinations of 
 the tentative plans had to do wholly with a build- 
 ing to be constructed of brick. 
 
 [36] 
 
"I considered this subject for several months," 
 says Mr. Kimball, "and finally decided that the 
 matter of material, so vitally important, ought to 
 be explained in detail to Mr. Tuck; accordingly I 
 made another visit to Paris." We now become 
 informed concerning an act in the unwritten his- 
 tory of our Society, an act munificent and decisive. 
 I believe that this beautiful building and its sur- 
 roundings were due beyond any doubt to that all- 
 important visit to Paris, when the vision of what 
 might be possible to accomplish was revealed to 
 two persons whose names will always be revered 
 by ourselves and our successors. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Tuck listened to Mr. Kimball's views and com- 
 ments, examined and criticised the plans and 
 sketches laid before them, discussed the momen- 
 tous question of material, whether of brick or 
 granite, thought over and studied the architectural 
 form and features with care and devotion. This 
 continued day after day, when new details, changes, 
 modifications, ideas, were carefully considered. 
 Let Mr. Kimball tell the story: "After a few days 
 of discussion Mr. Tuck said, *I think that the best 
 
 [37] 
 
construction and design are none too good; we 
 ought to have the best.' 
 
 "This important decision meant that the build- 
 ing should be Greek in design, so I said to my 
 friends that this would entail many more tech- 
 nical details beyond what we had talked about, 
 and would increase the cost very greatly. They ex- 
 claimed 'Certainly. We know it, but we want this 
 building to be the best of its kind, so you proceed to 
 erect it as suggested and avoid publicity as much 
 as possible.' " No wonder that Mr. Kimball 
 regards that visit as the ne plus ultra of his great 
 endeavors connected with this work. The ques- 
 tion concerning the kind of material to be used was 
 settled by Mr. Tuck, whose love of his native 
 Granite State was a part of his life, and who, 
 realizing the appropriateness of granite, deter- 
 mined that the structure should be built of New 
 Hampshire's famous stone. With a light heart 
 and confident hope Mr. Kimball returned to Con- 
 cord and reported to his friends the results of his 
 conference which meant so much to the Society. 
 The purchase of the site now became a large and 
 
 [38] 
 
difficult undertaking, in view of the funds In the 
 treasury that could properly be applied to that 
 purpose. The corner at State and Park Streets, 
 which comprised the Rolfe house on State Street, 
 the Mead house on the corner, and the Lapierre 
 house west on Park Street, was the site selected and 
 purchased. This purchase was made by Samuel C. 
 Eastman, who had favored a central location from 
 the beginning, and had been very helpful in assist- 
 ing Mr. Kimball. "We gave our personal notes to 
 pay for those lots, and It was some time before the 
 reason of our action became publicly known, but 
 once the purpose was understood prices went up 
 rapidly, compelling us to furnish a large amount to 
 secure the houses and land on Green Street." 
 Here Mr. Tuck gave further proof of his abounding 
 generosity by offering to contribute to the fund 
 necessary to be raised for a suitable and spacious 
 location. But the money question involved in 
 securing the land continued to perplex those In 
 charge of the matter, and to give them serious 
 thought. The situation became intense as the 
 proposed size of the building made it clear to all 
 
 [39] 
 
that more land would be required to enlarge the 
 site comprised in the original purchase. 
 
 When new sources of money contributions be- 
 came urgent for buying the additional land, this 
 was the way Mr. Kimball managed the situation. 
 After the money in the treasury that could be used 
 for the purchase of land had been appropriated 
 there remained a further amount of ^33,000 to 
 raise before the purchase could be completed. 
 Mr. Kimball and Mr. Eastman, courageous and 
 resolute, borrowed on their own notes money 
 sufficient to acquire the land and to vest it in 
 the Society. I will now let Mr. Kimball tell how 
 he finally secured the desired ^33,000. "After 
 many months the thought came to me of erect- 
 ing a grand tablet In the building which should 
 contain the names of the persons who contributed 
 each a thousand dollars to lift the burden that 
 weighed so heavily. I outlined my idea to Guy 
 Lowell who quickly accepted it, and, in reply to 
 my enquiry respecting the place of the memo- 
 rial, suggested the space at the south end of 
 the reading room, where it remains to this day. 
 
 [40] 
 
After drawing several designs Mr. Lowell produced 
 the design so much admired, and I set about to find 
 a slab of the rare marble large enough to carry out 
 my scheme. This proved to be extremely difficult. 
 Finally I requested Timothy P. Sullivan to go into 
 the market, and in New York he found, after long 
 search, a block of marble suitable in size and quality 
 for our purpose. The marble was sent to Boston 
 where the cutting and lettering were artistically 
 executed." 
 
 Owing to the exceedingly delicate and exacting 
 labor necessary to the bronze lettering, the work- 
 men suffered from eye strain, consequently the work 
 was prolonged and made more costly than the first 
 estimate. The accomplished architect had made a 
 sketch of the finished tablet which Mr. Kimball ex- 
 hibited to the score or more of invited contributors 
 with the happiest results. In the opinion of Mr. 
 Kimball this exquisite mural tablet, richly embel- 
 lished with the names of generous men and women, 
 is one of the finest objects in art construction to be 
 seen in the building, and surpassed only by French's 
 master sculpture over the main entrance. 
 
 [41] 
 
As the building assumed its exterior form the 
 interior features became the subject of thought, 
 study and suggestion. In a really large sense this 
 is an important part in our narrative. The con- 
 sistency and the dignity of ornate beauty must be 
 studied and made effective and agreeable to the 
 eye. The interior should interpret itself to the 
 intelligence and the understanding of generations 
 to come. It should be coherent yet rich, impress- 
 ive yet inviting. As we contemplate the noble 
 beauty of the marble rotunda and the stairway, I 
 wonder if we realize the labor and the devotion to 
 artistic perfection, the continued application, and 
 the profuse generosity that so dignify this house 
 beautiful and contribute to our unwritten history. 
 "During one of my visits with Mr. and Mrs. Tuck," 
 says Mr. Kimball, "the elaboration of the interior 
 was carefully and thoroughly considered. Mr. 
 Lowell had made a beautiful set of drawings of the 
 reading room, the lecture hall, and the rotunda, 
 and to these we gave our thoughts day after day. 
 The rotunda became the subject of our constant 
 discussion. The drawings called for Old Convent 
 
 [42 1 
 
Sienna marble in solid blocks, especially so for the 
 arches and the crown. Naturally, this design 
 increased the cost very materially, but it gave a 
 stateliness and magnificence that were quickly 
 recognized and admired, and so the question about 
 the marble arches and marble walls was then and 
 there determined." Well may Mr. Kimball say 
 that that decision put the final touch on the interior 
 construction of the building. But another very 
 important feature remained to be talked about 
 and envisaged. The main entrance, its approach, 
 and the architectural interpretation of the building 
 itself became an impressive and intensive study. 
 
 Mr. Lowell had prepared a plan which did not 
 fully satisfy Mr. Tuck or Mr. Kimball, not because 
 the plan lacked beauty of design or artistic form, 
 but because it did not give the imposing prominence 
 to the entrance that the building seemed to re- 
 quire. Another plan followed later, and that plan 
 worked out in granite and marble and bronze will 
 always be a source of admiration and delight to 
 all who behold it. In the meanwhile the grandest 
 feature of all had been decided on. The genius 
 
 [43] 
 
of the sculptor was invoked, enabling the archi- 
 tect to elaborate his entrance studies into har- 
 monious and exquisite results acceptable to the 
 donor and his friend. Wise and singularly appro- 
 priate was the choice of Daniel C. French, a 
 native of New Hampshire, to execute the massive 
 figures that dignify the main entrance. 
 
 And so the Historical Society building ap- 
 proached its completion, a model of what such a 
 structure should be, and an illustration of man's 
 benevolence seldom surpassed. Nor is this all. 
 Far more than the material results was the rare 
 intercourse springing out of the profoundest 
 depths of mutual respect and confidence. Reflect 
 a moment. While I may tell you that this gift to 
 our Society cost Edward Tuck more than half a 
 million dollars, I desire to add this, and I allude to 
 it in order to emphasize what I have just said, 
 that from the beginning to the day of dedication 
 no written promise, condition, contract or agree- 
 ment ever passed between Edward Tuck and 
 Benjamin A. Kimball. The mind of the master 
 builder with its living passion for the beautiful in 
 
 [44] 
 
construction, touching the soul of a trusting friend 
 beyond the sea brought about this superb consum- 
 mation. At the dedicatory exercises Mr. Tuck, 
 in his address of presentation, referred to Mr. 
 Kimball in sincere and felicitous words: "It is 
 fitting that I should make the presentation through 
 you, for having from the inception of our plans 
 the benefit of your superior judgment in all mat- 
 ters pertaining to construction, of your artistic 
 taste, your vigilant watchfulness throughout the 
 work, and your public spirit in devoting to it your 
 valuable time, I decided to provide for the erection 
 of something more monumental and ornate than 
 a simple library building. It is due to you, also, 
 that for its plan and construction we secured the 
 services of the distinguished architect, Mr. Guy 
 Lowell." And as a supplement to those words of 
 appreciation I wish to record among the unwritten 
 facts in this narrative that Mr. Kimball from first 
 to last contributed liberally and often to this great 
 work, and time and expense were cheerfully given 
 that perfection in all respects might be attained. 
 I have now told the interesting story I wished to 
 
 [45] 
 
tell, firmly believing that its preservation in our 
 archives is something we owe to others as well as 
 to our Society. We may, I believe, search in vain 
 to find another achievement so splendid as this. 
 Rich with facts, incidents, and circumstances, 
 our beautiful home is its own model. Vision, 
 perception, endeavor, patience, perseverance are 
 recounted in granite and marble and bronze, which 
 shall endure in commemoration of the benevolence 
 of the generous donor. Our days are numbered 
 but our gratitude shall not be measured by our 
 shadows on earth. Let all our members present 
 and to come acknowledge with a full heart the 
 debt the New Hampshire Historical Society owes 
 to Edward Tuck and Benjamin A. Kimball. 
 
 46 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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