Franklin Pierce Homestead

 

The 14th U.S. President is not high on the hit parade of presidents for their effectiveness and smarts.  Actually he rates under tRump who comes in at 4th place for worst presidents.  I think Buchanan ranks 1st as worst.  But this didn't stop us from visiting this NH Park that offers a tour of Pierce's boyhood home.  Historic homes are always fascinating to see how people lived in other times.

The house is quite imposing.  Benjamin Pierce, the father of Franklin, was a self made man.  When he heard about the fight with the British, he grabbed his uncle's rifle and set off to serve at Bunker Hill.  He had quite a war record, too. Once returned to Hillsborough after the war he married and eventually built this house.  It served as a tavern/inn sitting as it does on NH 2nd turnpike. That front door was rarely used though.  The windows on the upper floor all open on a ballroom also used for sleeping accommodations.

Access to the tavern was by this side door.  The left lower window was the tavern and the double windows the family dining/living room.

The well was under this awning and accessed from the kitchen through that doorway.  The red barn/carriage house to the right was added on much later.

It now houses the park office and gift shop/museum.  There are tours of the house on the hour but no interior photos allowed..  No fee for senior residents of NH.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable though rather biased in Pierce's favor of course.  I'll let you read on your own why he was not viewed as a very good President.

The house has some very lovely restored wall coverings.  The stenciling is quite stunning. Some of the furnishings and paintings are original to the house or the period.

Back outside looking at the side of the house the symmetry is very Georgian.  Those middle windows open to very small rooms off bedrooms used for chamber pots, storage, or sewing rooms. They are created because of the chimneys that rise through the house.

The house is attached to a second building used as a kitchen and mud room which is then attached to the barn.  The outhouse would have been in the barn.  No reason to go out in the cold winter.

Dan purchased the biography of Pierce written for a younger high school audience.  A quick read for both of us and very good at recognizing Pierce's failings as a Congressman, Senator, and then President.  We've done it too often in this country - falling under the spell of a charmer who has no real leadership abilities, or interest in being open to solving problems.

Today -Wednesday

 

The carpenter has returned today after an absence of more than two weeks. He says he'll be here three solid days!  We'll see if that happens.  He's afraid of rain and heat.  

I'm really disgusted with his work ethic!  Luckily Dan deals with him.  He's more patient than I'd be.  I am really tired of not being able to walk out the sliding doors to the deck! Just get the work done, Mr. Carpenter!

He has his trailer parked on front lawn because of the barn work.

The barn whisperer just pulled in as I'm typing this.  He was here last evening working when we returned from a library puppet show with granddaughters.  Dan went out and helped him until 9 pm.  My evaluation of his work ethic is much better now that he's working.  I see progress with his work.

Mt. Ascutney

 From the park brochure: 

"Mt. Ascutney dominates the landscape of southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire, rising sharply from the surrounding gentle hills.  The mountain has a complex and unique geological history.  The mountain formed over 100 million years ago when magma forced up several times into surrounding  metamorphic rocks.  The magma intrusion complex cooled slowly into an igneous granitic rock. Over time, the surrounding metamorphic rock was worn down by weather and ice ages but the granite dome persisted.  The Mt. Ascutney we know today is a monadnock; it is not related geologically to surrounding hills, but rather stands alone and shares a geologic history more closely with the White Mountains of New Hampshire than that of the surrounding Green Mountains of Vermont."

Mt. Ascutney from New Hampshire view point a couple of days before our hike.

We drove to almost the summit and hiked the rest of the way when my sister and brother in law visited us recently. The road way to the upper parking lot is fairly narrow and very bumpy.  It was as though it still had frost heaves. It's a toll road $4 person, 3.7 miles long with an elevation gain of 2,300 feet.  Going down requires one's lowest gear!

From the parking lot we had a choice of two pathways up the Slot trail or the Slab trail. We took the Slab up and the Slot down. 

At the top I was expecting the mountain to be bald - devoid of trees but it wasn't.  Thankfully there's an observation tower - 24.5 feet tall - the provides the panoramic view.

My sister, brother in law and myself at the summit.  It was a cool gray day so the panorama was not spectacular. 

Now blogger always mixes up photos when I load a lot at a time so enjoy these mixed up views of the hike. up and back. 

In 2006 Dan hiked to the top from the base by himself.  Daughter Emily and I were shopping for her wedding dress .  Later he got to see her choice, approved and wrote the check! She was married the next year.

At Random

 1.

Dan and I attended the Northern Stage production of  this play on Tuesday night.

We were maskless as Vermont has removed mask requirement for vaccinated folks.  The theater was outside and created for this their first production since Covid hit last year. It opened June 9th and is closing July 4th.  We have tickets for the next production: Million Dollar Quartet in August.

It was wonderful to be in a theatre again.  The play was very funny and only 97 minutes long with no intermission.  It was very timely with references to the pandemic and closures of theaters.  Amazingly enough they covered all of Shakespeare's plays with only 3 actors.

2.

Smaller lakes in New England are called ponds.  If this were in Maryland where we moved from it would be a lake.  Anyway it's a great swimming spot. 

We were there on a hot day on Wednesday and then again on a cool day on Thursday.

Granddaughters have swim lessons all this month every week day.  We swam too on the hot day but sat it out on the cool day.

3.

Sand came on Friday morning by this dump truck.  He was in a hurry and drove much faster than our stomachs could take.  He didn't hit the house, thankfully.

This excavator arrived too and went to work, moving some sand but mostly digging the hole for the concrete pier I showed last post.

He moved the pier with the excavator to the hole.

It's in and supporting the beam for the barn.

So nice to see progress being made daily.