Part 3 (1/2)
At the front are four dormer windows, but the central feature is the high porch extending to the dentation in the roof and showing a pointed cap above. The Corinthian column supporting it on either side is an example of fine hand-carving, while the white trim corresponds picturesquely with the gray of the exterior. The house is panelled on the outside and painted to represent a stone house, although in reality it is wood. The entrance door is unique, lacking the distinguis.h.i.+ng porch that is found on so many colonial homes. It is framed with white instead.
Just how long the estate was owned by Robert Hooper will never be definitely known. We find that later Judge Benager Collins lived there, thus giving the name of ”Collins House” to the mansion. Subsequently Francis Peabody, one of Salem's most noted citizens, occupied this residence as his summer home until his death, when it pa.s.sed into the hands of his son. During the elder Mr. Peabody's residence, the place was restored to its former dignity. The grounds were materially improved, and the garden was changed back to its original design.
Within the walls of this house have been entertained some of the most notable men in the country. Mr. Peabody was a lavish entertainer, and many important events occurred during the time of his residence. One of the most frequent visitors at the house was the late J. Pierpont Morgan.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XVII.--Hallway, ”The Lindens.”]
Dignified and imposing as is the outside of the house, the interior is even more impressive. Entering the st.u.r.dy door that swings back on its long strap hinges, one finds himself in a wide hall extending entirely through the house and opening on to the old-fas.h.i.+oned garden in the rear. This remarkable hall shows some of the most wonderful wood-carvings found in any colonial home. This is particularly noticeable in the bal.u.s.trades, probably McIntire's work. The newel post and the bal.u.s.trade are of mahogany, the former most elaborately carved.
The walls are hung above the panelling with a rich old-time paper, depicting different scenes in the story of the adventures of Telemachus.
The furniture throughout the house is of either the colonial type or ma.s.sive old carved English pieces brought over centuries ago, most of them heirlooms that have descended in the family for many generations.
On the extreme right are the stairs, rising by low treads; on the wide landing is a window flanked by pilasters on either side. On this same landing stands a rare colonial chair a.s.sociated with the witchcraft times. The upper hall, practically a replica of the lower one, is wide and ample in its dimensions.
Opening from the hallway at the right is the library, finished in mahogany and showing an Oriental paper of the seventeenth century design. The mantel is one of McIntire's best, the central feature being a basket of flowers with festooned ornamentations on either side. Here, as in every room of the house, we find ma.s.sive pieces of English oak, richly carved cabinets and chairs.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XVIII.--Dining Room, ”The Lindens”; Chamber, ”The Lindens.”]
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XIX.--Drawing Room, ”The Lindens”; Library, ”The Lindens.”]
The drawing-room, also finished in mahogany, is perhaps the most elegant room in the house, with its fireplace of supporting pilasters rich in elaborate hand-carving. There is a dignity and charm that surrounds every room in this house, telling of the days when honest labor gave thorough workmans.h.i.+p. All through this mansion the woodwork is particularly impressive in its richness and careful finish of hand-carving.
The dining-room, a large room in the rear of the house, is in close harmony with the other apartments, the most notable feature here being the strap hinges of wrought bra.s.s. These show most unusual ornamentations, which differ from those on the entrance floor. Here the trim is painted white and gives a most effective background to the bra.s.s hinge. On every door is a ponderous bra.s.s lock of elaborate design. Few houses, even among the most famous found in this vicinity, can boast of more wonderful furniture and such a wealth of old-time wall-paper.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XX.--Chambers in ”The Lindens.”]
No two chambers are alike. Many of the fireplaces are particularly fine, as McIntire has taken special pains to give good samples of his work.
The fireplace motive all through the house seemingly runs to baskets of flowers.
In the days of commercial prosperity, the Peabody family was among the most prominent of the Salem merchants. On the walls of ”The Lindens” are many paintings of s.h.i.+ps that were at one time in the service of the Peabodys.
The house to-day is owned by the son of the late Francis Peabody, who has kept it in perfect preservation and intact as in his father's day.
Little wonder that romance clings about the place, leading one to tread reverently through the different rooms, where, during the colonial period, both American and English history were made.
CHAPTER V
THE ROGERS HOUSE
There was built in Peabody, Ma.s.sachusetts, in the early part of the nineteenth century, one of the most magnificent colonial homes of the period. It still stands, a large, pretentious, two-storied house, known as ”Oak Hill” and the summer residence of Mrs. Jacob C. Rogers. The house itself is in the center of well laid out grounds, being placed far back from the road and showing at the front a wide stretch of lawn interspersed with trees, one of which, a purple beech, is among the tallest and largest in New England.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XXI.--The Rogers House, Peabody, Ma.s.s.]
The avenue which starts between stone gate-posts shows a wide gravelled road lined on either side by magnificent trees, many of which were planted at the time of the house building. At the left, standing by itself, is a wonderful oak, notable for its symmetry and its height. It is from this tree that the house derives its name ”Oak Hill.” The grounds at the rear of the house show a garden that covers three acres, the garden proper being geometrically laid out with a fountain in the center and a sun-dial at the end. Back of it all are arches of woodbine that make a most effective setting for the floral display, while catalpa trees, weeping mulberry, and other varieties are found scattered through the estate.
At the left one comes upon the most wonderful feature of the place. It is a large lotus pond, where during the season are found many varieties of the Egyptian lotus, there being sometimes one hundred of these marvellous blossoms open at once. Just back of the house is a lily pond, which is laid out in a decorative manner. It shows many varieties, including the Cape Cod lily, the blue, the pink, and the white.
The grounds cover an area of two hundred acres, which are laid out at the front and sides in lawns resembling those of England. The rear gives a background of flowers, while beyond sweep to the boundary line extensive grain fields and vegetable gardens. Entrance to the grounds is through carved gateways, the boundary being a well built wall of stone.