The Henry W. Wright HouseThe Henry W. Wright House
Many fine old pieces are found in the home of Mr. Henry W. Wright at Danvers, Massachusetts. Some of them are of exceptional value and rare examples such as are seldom seen even in the homes of collectors. The farmhouse itself stands close to the road, a simple, plain, unostentatious building, yet showing good lines and careful treatment. The soft gray of the exterior and the white trim blend harmoniously with the green of the grass and the bright-colored flowers of the little garden. At the front of the house at each side stand tall elms that cast a grateful shade over the old farmhouse.
The entrance porch has been made square, its lattice, designed for the support of vines, taking away the plain look of the exterior. The windows are well spaced, and the small panes have been retained. At the side of the house a porch has been thrown out which can be glassed in as a living-room or sun-parlor during the winter and used as an out-of-door veranda during the summer months. It is so situated that it commands a picturesque view of the rolling country which is on every side.
The big chimney, that was formerly the central feature of the house, has given way to two smaller ones, one on either end. The sloping roof has been treated to new shingles, while the exterior has been left practically as it was when built. The addition of green blinds has done much to soften what would otherwise be a rather bare exterior. The house is of the type that shows four rooms in each story.
The hallway has a castellated paper in gray and white and a winding staircase with box stairs and simple balusters and posts painted white and a mahogany rail. It is a simple little hall, small, compact, and truly Colonial in its type, with its Dutch armchair showing pierced slats of Chippendale influence. This chair was probably made about the time the house was built which was in the early part of the eighteenth century, the date not being definitely known.
The Living RoomThe Living Room
At the left of the hallway is the living-room, which is of the simple farmhouse type, lacking a wainscot but containing a simple mopboard and paneled door. The wide boards in the flooring have been retained here as well as in the dining-room,—plain-edged boards that, while laid close together, still show a crack between. This living-roomwas in the early days used as living-room and bedroom; the space at the farther end, which was used as a closet into which the bed folded during the daytime, is now utilized as a bookcase and makes an interesting feature. The slat-back chair beside the bookcase is the most valuable type of its period, being made about 1750. It shows a turned knob. In chairs of this kind, which were more commonly used during the first part of the eighteenth century, the number of slats varied, the most common having three, while the rarest have five.
The gate-legged table is a good example, while the Chippendale chair is unusual, showing very graceful effect, with wonderfully delicate carving, and being of the best design. An equally rare example of a Hepplewhite chair, which is beautifully carved, is contained in the same room. In addition to these are banister and Sheraton chairs, as well as a fine example of girandole, uncommon from the fact that there is a pair exactly alike, and they are seen one on either side of the room.
The Dining RoomThe Dining Room
Opposite the living-room is the dining-room, and here the same correct furnishing has been used. The plain wainscot is of the early type, the lighting has Colonial fixtures, while the chairsare painted Sheraton, being most unusual in that there is a whole set of the same pattern which are all originals. A wonderfully fine example of a mahogany dining-table has been utilized as a serving-table, and the silver is all of the Colonial pattern. Here one finds the low stud, but none of the exposed beams often found in old houses.
At the rear of the dining-room is the kitchen which is equipped with modern appliances. Leading from the dining-room at the left is a small room which has been fitted up as a music-room and den combined. It is a most livable room, there being no stiffness or formality in the arrangement of the furniture, and each piece of furniture proves a fitting foil for its mate. The wall hangings are not of the Colonial type; they are plain gray and bring out to advantage the setting of furniture, pictures, and ornaments in the room.
In the upper hall is found a fine old carved chest of the Jacobean period. This is considered one of the best examples of chests in existence, being wonderfully carved, of solid oak, and probably used originally as a dower chest. Leading off from the hallway are four large, square chambers, each one correctly furnished with Colonial pieces, many of which are family heirlooms.Here, where modern lighting has been introduced, the Colonial type of fixtures has been carefully maintained. In all the house there is no central light, all the lights being at the side. In the upper story as well as the lower, the wide flooring has been retained, as it was found in such excellent condition it could easily be used.
Two Noteworthy ChambersTwo Noteworthy Chambers
The steeple-topped andirons in the simple fireplace, the painted mirror, and the old brass candlesticks of one chamber are most appropriately chosen. The Field bed has a canopy of white with ball fringe which is an exact replica of the old-time draping. Rag mats have been used for the floor; they are not the common braided ones but woven rugs which are more suitable. Alcoved recesses are shown on either side of the fireplace; in one of them a six-legged, high chest of drawers with china steps, designed about 1720, shows drop handles, and is ornamented with rare old family china. On the opposite side is a wing or Martha Washington chair of the Sheraton type. The bureau, 1815, is a fine example of the period, while the swell-front, Hepplewhite bureau with the oval, pressed-brass handles and the painted mirror above are in conformity with the general scheme. A banister-backedchair with a rush bottom stands at one side of the bed.
Very unusual is the Colonial wall-paper which is found in a second chamber, while eighteenth-century andirons are used in the fireplace which is still of the original size and which shows a plain Colonial mantel. In this chamber, as in the other, there is a very plain wainscot of boards placed horizontally. An Empire bed which has wonderfully beautiful carving is shown in this room, and also a very unusual chair known as a comb-back rocker and dating about 1750. The rugs here are of the Arts and Crafts style, while the bureau and writing-table have cabriole legs and secret drawers, the central one with rising sun or fan carving.
Every piece in this house is genuine, for they all are heirlooms or pieces that have been carefully chosen, since the owner is an expert in determining period and correct types. It is a well-known fact that to-day one has to be a careful student of furniture not to be deceived. The popularity of the Colonial period, more especially since the vogue of the modified Colonial house, has led many a fakir to reproduce the lines of the genuine antique. Skilful workmen are employedto manufacture these pieces, and they are able, by imitating worm-holes, dentation, and other distinguishing marks, to put on the market pieces whose genuineness even the antique dealer is puzzled to decide.
All through the country the value of antiques is becoming better and better known, so that it is far more difficult to obtain bargains than it was even five years ago. To-day, so great has grown the demand, people who before were unaware of the worth of their heirlooms have been led to overestimate their value and they now ask fabulous sums for pieces hitherto neglected and ignored.
When your house is remodeled, be careful what kind of paint you use for both outside and inside finish. A variation from the right tone will mar the whole effect. So much depends on this that one should not copy from houses of to-day but turn back to the style of a century ago, so that in this particular, at least, the house shall correspond with the old Colonial idea.
Few, if any, care to use a weathered exterior, that is, unless the scientifically treated shingles that will soon turn a silver gray are employed. There are two reasons why your house should be painted: one is that it preserves the wood and if rightly treated is fireproof; the second is that it gives the finish a far better appearance than it would have without paint. Every house needs paint of some kind to improve its appearance, whether it be oil paint or stain.
There are many different brands found to-day, and they are of every conceivable color, so thatyou have a wide range of choice. It is always safe to use one made by a reliable concern or one hand-mixed, if both white lead and linseed oil are absolutely pure. There is nothing more variable in quality than paint, and even experts are puzzled at times and it is necessary to have a chemical analysis in order to determine between good and bad.
For exterior use the proper kind should be a mixture of pure white lead and linseed oil or pure zinc white and linseed oil. Manufacturers, more especially those of white lead paints, will insist that theirs is the only kind to use, and the zinc paint producers will do likewise, but a reliable dealer or architect will inform you correctly. One of the first colors to be used on any house is white,—in all probability there is nothing as durable as this. The reason for it is that the ingredients used have greater wearing qualities than any of the other pigments. There is a complaint that it is apt to yellow with age and become discolored, but in reality it remains unchanged longer than almost any other color. Green blinds secure the best effect, or trellises that relieve the monotony of the white. This the old farmers realized, and it is one of the reasons whyit was so much used. If your house is shingled, there are a great many shades of gray that need a white trim, and there is no color that harmonizes with every other as well as this.
There are a great many reliable stains for shingles; do not let the painter mix the stain himself, because that carefully prepared by a manufacturer is generally superior both in color and durability. In mixing these stains, both Creosote and oil are used, there being on the market to-day excellent brands of both kinds.
The repainting of the country house is a necessary evil that recurs periodically. We tire of one color as we weary of an old dress, and this leads to a different tone of coloring each time. For instance, the white house is changed possibly to a Colonial yellow or a gray, and with its new coat it seems to take on a new lease of life. The fall of the year is the best time for the painting, as the dry October weather is especially suited for good results. During the summer months there are insects flying about and too much dust. By October the outside has had time to cool after the heat and is in good condition for treatment.
The time to paint is before the house gets shabby, when the paint is powdery or porous. It can betested with either a knife or the finger, and if the old paint chips off, soaks up water, or can be rubbed off like a powder with the finger, it no longer protects the wood and needs another coat. With this covering of paint, wood will last practically forever, and as lumber is expensive, it is greater economy to keep your house properly painted.
The cost of painting is a serious problem to many house owners and is never alluded to by an agent when selling a house; to the novice it does not occur, so eager is he to secure for himself a new home. At the end of the second year, its freshness is dimmed through exposure to wind and storm, and at the end of the third season, it is shabby and needs a new covering. In attempting to figure the cost, it is necessary to ascertain the square feet on the outside. Any painter has a rule for this, making allowances for errors. Windows and doors are considered as plain surfaces that are to be treated to paint even though only the sills and sides are in need of it.
Good exterior paint costs from three to five dollars a gallon, and a painter can put on one hundred square yards in a day for the first coat and seventy-five for the second. This gives thehouse owner a little idea of what it will cost, although it is best to make a regular bargain with the architect to cover this expense.
For interior finish, white is always preferable. It seems to be the proper treatment for any Colonial home. To be sure, if you are planning for a den, a dark color can be used and also a stain for the kitchen part of the house.
In searching for a farmhouse to be converted into a country home, Mr. Howland S. Chandler of Boston chanced upon an old house at Needham, Massachusetts, that seemed to meet his requirements. It was a square-framed house, two stories and a half in height, with a kitchen ell at the rear. It was not handsome but quite ordinary in appearance and without any unusual exterior features. It was not even a seventeenth-century house but was built in 1801, and it was in such good condition and the frame was so sound that it hardly deserved the term "old."
The Howland S. Chandler HouseThe Howland S. Chandler House
The farmhouse fronted the southwest, so that its main rooms were dark, with little sunlight, while the rear was flooded with light and very cheerful. There were delightful views from this part of the house which overlooked a merry, gurgling brook, the mill-pond, and the distanthills. But this idea had not entered the minds of the former owners, who had given little consideration to the subject and with no forethought had inserted only two small windows, one in the kitchen and the other in a bedroom. Evidently their idea was to sacrifice view to arrangement, for to their minds, houses should be built parallel to the street and with the "best room" at the front.
The Howland S. Chandler House—End ViewThe Howland S. Chandler House—End View
The grounds showed little care, but in remodeling a brick-paved terrace was arranged at the left just outside the original parlor. An old-fashioned garden was planted near the kitchen end, and a trellis enclosed the clothes-yard. The grounds in front of the house have been laid out in well-trimmed lawns, while a brick walk now leads from the sidewalk to the house. A feature of the house is a large, overhanging elm which affords shade and picturesqueness; fresh shrubbery has been attractively planted, and vines trained to clamber over latticed work and the trellised porch which is at the front of the house. Dormer windows have been added to the roof, and the simple little farmhouse has been converted into a most attractive all-the-year-round home.
In the process of remodeling, the original housewas left unchanged, and additions were depended upon for development. A good-sized porch with brick floor and high-backed settles at the side replaced the unattractive, old-time entrance, while the dormers relieved the long, monotonous roof-line and afforded light to the apartment constructed from the formerly unfinished attic space. Just outside the original parlor, beside the shed space, an addition has been built that runs midway of the shed to the line of the chimney in the parlor, and without a large covered veranda is added. To the kitchen ell an addition of about four feet was made to provide space for a vestibule within the new back door and also to secure extra space at one side of the room so that a window might be inserted.
Due attention was paid to the rear, in the matter of windows, and here were laid out the rooms which would be most frequently used. In consequence of the rearrangement, the interior is practically wholly changed. The shed was remodeled into a charming sewing-room that opens at one side on to a veranda, and the new addition was combined with the little bedroom and a small portion from the parlor to secure space for a library. This made possible a doorway to thedining-room and sewing-room, and a broad open space to the living-room.
The Sun-ParlorThe Sun-Parlor
The old-time parlor showed two deep closets beside the fireplace. One of these was torn out, a window was inserted in the outer wall, and a seat was built beneath it. The other was made into an opening into the library. This arrangement secured additional light and at the same time permitted a glimpse of the picturesque rear view.
In the dining-room several alterations were made, resulting in a complete change in shape and size. Oblique walls replace the two rear corners, one containing the doorway leading to the library, and the other affording entrance and furnishing some space for the china closet which was inserted between the dining-room and the kitchen. The single window on the southeast was replaced by a semi-octagonal bow recess. This was fitted with small lights of glass and affords space for the grouping of many plants and incidentally adds a touch of distinct picturesqueness.
The kitchen received its share of consideration during the process of remodeling, resulting in the substitution of a pleasant, convenient apartment in place of the conspicuous, ill-lighted,original one. There was added at the right of the vestibule a built-in refrigerator, and about the side walls of the room newly built-in cupboards were grouped.
Two important changes in the body of the house consisted in the enlargement of the cellar, made necessary by the greater space required for the modern heating apparatus, and in the substitution of the original, small-paned type of window for the two panes which had been inserted to take the place of the old ones.
The HallThe Hall
The entrance hall at the front of the house is a small apartment hung with landscape paper of the Colonial period; a staircase with one landing and a half turn in its flight, showing white balusters and mahogany top, leads to the second story. In the lighting, the Colonial idea is attained by the use of a lantern, while under the stairs is a closet opened by a brass door-pull.
The Living RoomThe Living Room
At the left is the living-room, with dull red hangings and a white wainscot that provides a fitting background for the wonderful old mahogany found in this room. There are some rare Dutch chairs sometimes known as Queen Anne from the opening that is found on either side of the central slat, designed about 1710, and theearliest of that design. There is a refreshing simplicity and a dignified air to this room, brought about in part by the simple Colonial fireplace with its steeple-topped andirons, and the well-spaced windows that let plenty of sunlight into the apartment.
On the opposite side of the room is the dining-room which is finished with tapestry hanging in dark green, brown, and yellow, with a design of pine cones and needles that contrasts prettily with the white wainscot. A slight reduction in the height of the window casing affords an opportunity to carry the wall-paper and moldings across the windows and doors, thus avoiding the cramped effect of too high window arrangement. The original floor has been replaced by a new one, and a cheerful atmosphere has been given to the room by opening a semicircular bay up for a small conservatory which can be closed or opened at pleasure by the use of glass doors.
The DenThe Den
The library has been finished in dark brown with low bookcases extending around part of the room, corresponding in color with the woodwork. The hangings are tan color, and the furniture is partly Colonial and partly modern, to meet the demands of a den. This is one of the pleasantestrooms in the house, having a delightful outlook; combined with the sewing-room and living-room opening from it, it makes a charming and conveniently arranged interior.
The KitchenThe Kitchen
The kitchen at the rear of the house has been altered with the idea of saving steps. This is shown in the numberless closets at the right, for flour barrel and other supplies. At the left is the kitchen cupboard, while the china is in the built-in closet above and the groceries in the drawers below. The sink has a shelf underneath to hold the dishpan and drainer. The whole color tone, including the beamed ceiling, is a dark stain with lighter wall finish.
This house is an interesting example of successful and artistic remodeling, the interior and exterior being in harmony and giving the result of a comfortable and attractive home which was secured at much less cost than if an entirely new house had been built.
The houses described in this book cover but the merest fraction of the homes and summer places evolved from old-fashioned farmhouses. They are scattered broadcast through New England, sometimes isolated on roads which stillretain their country atmosphere, sometimes surrounded by the town which has outgrown its early limits, and sometimes the center of a large estate. Each has its individual charm, its special beauties, but wherever found these remodeled farmhouses testify to the stanchness of early American workmanship and to the appreciation of modern Americans for their forefathers' handiwork. Certainly many a one of the latter "builded better than he knew."