The main porch is in the central part of the house. It is a very handsome entrance, well proportioned, showing a fan light over the entrance door. It has for ornamentation a knocker of the ring type. The second door in the ell was the family entrance. This opened upon a hall which led to the living-room. On the opposite side of the house is a small ell, showing domed windows and a handsomely carved entrance. At the rear is the orchard, where can still be seen some of the fruit trees that were planted when the house was built. The old-fashioned garden, with its box-borders and its wealth of old-time flowers so popular in colonial days, lies at the right of the orchard.
This estate was purchased by one Moses Parker, the great-grandfather of the present owner, in 1777, for the consideration of one thousand pounds sterling. The house has sheltered since then five generations of that name. During its early life, it was the haunt of most of the prominent men of that time, for the owner was a chosen leader in all town affairs and was also considered one of the most prominent men of his day. There was a secret chamber in this house, shut off from the main part of the building. It is spoken of in the old records and letters that are still treasured in the family. This was reached from the outside only, through a secret door, all traces of which have long since disappeared. In this room were held the most important of the many Masonic meetings of that day. The little group of men who formed this secret society, at the time of Groveland's settlement, chose this meeting-place on account of the privacy of the chamber and the thickness of the walls enclosing it. There were curious neighbors even in those days, and secret meetings were a necessity. Where could they better be held than in this secluded room, beyond the bounds of unwelcome intruders?
Plate LIX.—Hallway, Savory House; Chamber, Savory House.
The main hallway is reached from the family entrance,—the company door opening into the large room used in the olden times only on special occasions, such as a marriage, death, or ministerial calls. This hallway is unusual: it is panelled and painted white, showing at one side a quaintly designed staircase. The narrow stairs wind to the second-story floor by two turns, instead of one. At the foot of the stairs are two fine examples of the Chippendale type. These are chairs which formed a part of the wedding furniture of the great-great-grandmother Parker and were brought over from England by the emigrant ancestor. They are a rare type of Chippendale, showing the splat, diamond pierced, and handsome carving. They were made about the middle of the eighteenth century, before Chippendale began to lose favor or had any rivals in the field.
On the first landing is a little light-stand, now so rarely seen, which was designed about 1765, and still holds the guest candles which were used in colonial days to light the family to bed.
Plate LX.—China Closet, Savory House; China Closet, Savory House, where China of Three Generations of Brides is kept.