Plate LVI.—Sword given by the State of New Hampshire to President Pierce; Bowie Knife used at Barbecue given at Hillsboro for Pres. Pierce and Canes presented to him by Notable Personages; Sword presented by ladies of Concord, to President Pierce.
This room is a perfect treasure trove, for on the walls hang pictures of historic value, many of them painted at the order of the late President. The most valuable collection of all, however, are the autograph letters, the most important of which are written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jefferson Davis, letters that form a connecting link between the history of the Civil War and the life of men who made history.
CHAPTER XIV
THE SAVORY HOUSE
We turn to old houses as we turn to old books—for information—for inside old mansions is generally a wealth of furniture and china, the history of which has a never-dying charm to the collector and the lover of the antique. These houses are rapidly passing away, and it is only now and then that we come across one where furniture may be found that covers the periods between the Chippendale and the Empire.
One of these old houses, in which there is an especially rich collection of antiques, is found at Groveland, Massachusetts, and is known as the Savory house. Let us step over its threshold, and wander through its rooms, studying the furniture and the periods which they represent.
Here we find many of the works of the great masters: the simple, dignified charm of Chippendale gives way to the more elaborate and delicate pieces of Hepplewhite and Sheraton, leading us on to the Adams period, and ending with the Empire. Examples of all these are seldom found under the same roof, and to the student of the antique, such a collection is far more instructive than pictured examples in books.