A very rare set of Canton ware is on the closet shelves. It differs from the usual Canton, and is said to be the only set of its kind to be found in America. The blue is much deeper and richer, and the pattern is unusual. This set was brought over as a wedding gift in one of the old Newburyport ships, during the height of commercial prosperity.
There is a peculiar charm and mystery to a house like this, which endears itself even to a stranger who steps over its threshold for the first time. It is a revelation of colonial furnishing which is most interesting. The sturdy old house is both simple and dignified. It typifies in the best manner the construction of the early days; the staunchness of its build is evinced in its frame and walls, which are as sound as when first laid. To-day none of the rooms are unused. The partition in the secret chamber has been torn down, so that it now connects with the other rooms.
An unusual feature of the house is its many windows, which give it abundant light and sunshine. Cheeriness lies in its open fireplaces, one of which is found in every room of the house. There is no elaboration in wood-carving, this being perfectly plain, though varying in shape and design.
The chambers are also furnished with ancestral furniture, and in a room facing the south is a fine example of an old sleigh-bed, finished in mahogany veneer. The chairs are of Sheraton make, while the little low table was designed about the middle of the seventeenth century. In every chamber in the house four-posters are still seen, some of which are Field beds, while others have testers. Each room is kept as near as possible as it was when first occupied by the Parker family.
In the attic under the eaves is a veritable treasure house. Innumerable hair trunks, studded with brass-headed nails, are filled with beautiful silken damask gowns, camel's-hair shawls, and rare laces, which were once worn by the brides. In one of them lies Lady Catherine, a most wonderful doll, dressed in the fashion of colonial days. Her gown of fine white mull is yellowed by age, and, as you take her out, she holds in her hand a letter which tells her name and age. It is over a century ago since she came into existence, but she has been so carefully preserved that she is in perfect condition.
The exact date of the erection of this house is not definitely known. It ante-dated the Revolutionary war, and at the time of its purchase by Mr. Parker, in 1777, it was considered by the residents of the town as an old mansion. In build, it resembles the seventeenth century houses, while in design it is unique and, save for its colonial porches and fences, might have belonged to an earlier period. It stands to-day a landmark of the old town, and the touch of time has not marred it with the air of age.
CHAPTER XV
THE STARK MANSION
There is no more fascinating study, both for historian and architect, than that of colonial houses: homes that represent an epoch-making period in our country's history. They are the dividing line between the early days and the period when we ceased to be colonists, the time when we secured a firm footing in the land we have made our country.