 |
| A few changes have been made to our house, pictured in a history book. It no longer has shutters, the Elm trees have since been taken down, as has the fence to the north of the house. It is no longer gray in color. |
In 1821 Abel J. Baker, Jr., a mill owner and timber reeves, built his Federal style house in West Concord, NH. It is a 2 1/2 story dwelling that sits on 3/4 acre of land, with land on either side of the house and in the back (including part of an old mill stream that used to provide power to the textile mill that sat on the adjacent lot to the north of the property). The land in back of the house extends all the way to the Merrimack River and is heavily wooded. Thus, we see a lot of wildlife in the yard such as wild turkeys, deer, mink, beavers, opossums, raccoons and other species.
 |
| Frontal view. The house has an extended back ell. A side porch was added at a later date. Date of this photo unknown. |
Abel Baker's grandfather, Samuel Baker, operated a grist mill and a saw mill in the Boroughs section of the city. Abel Baker, moved to Concord from Henniker, NH when his son Nathaniel was still a toddler. Nathaniel had a fine education, attending Dartmouth College and graduating from Harvard in 1839 and then "reading" law under Pierce and Fowler. Franklin Pierce became our 14th president (1853-1857). He also studied with Charles H. Peaslee, finishing in 1842. Baker served as governor of the state of New Hampshire from 1854 to 1855 and then moved to Iowa. He worked as an attorney there, also serving in the legislature, and was named Adjutant General for the Union cause during the American Civil War. Nathaniel Baker died in Des Moines on September 12, 1876.
Abel Baker lived in the North State Street home until about 1835 when he sold it to Benjamin Holden. B.F. Holden was a successful mill owner. In a letter written by descendant Henry Holden on March 1, 1930 from Napa, California, it is stated that he believes that all of B.F. Holden's children were born in the house.
 |
| Side view of our house, taken in 2017. Photo by James Cummings |
In 1920, Albert Johnson bought the home and started a business called "Fairview Gardens" from which he sold flowers to the local church and residents. He raised Peonies, Tulips, Iris and many other flowers, some of which still bloom in our yard. Agnes Johnson could be seen working with her husband in the outdoor gardens for more than 50 years, according to the book, Village of West Concord, New Hampshire: 1726-1976. In addition, Mrs. Johnson raised African Violets under grow lights in the room that is now our bedroom and she sold them to folks from near and far. Reportedly, she once had more than 1,000 plants. Albert Johnson died in 1975 at the age of 98. Apparently, gardening agreed with him. He was active until the time of his death.
 |
| The old mill that once stood on the lot adjacent to our property |
Today, James Cummings carries on the gardening tradition outside with a large vegetable garden, many flowers, a raspberry patch, blackberries, and flowering bushes. With any old house, there is always some interior project to attend. Indoors, I have African Violets, as well, but more like five plants, not 1,000! We have a very happy time imagining what life was like here when the old mill next door was still in place. It dyed wool blue. The wool was used to make uniforms for Civil War soldiers. One time Jim found a rock in the old mill stream that still carries indigo dye on its surface: a little piece of history! If only walls could talk, these walls would have a rich story to tell!
Patricia Cummings
August 7, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment