Today, my wife and I joined my wife’s brother and sister for a visit to Quincy/Braintree, Massachusetts to visit the home of one of the greatest patriots of Colonial America, John Adams.  I visited the house and library about ten years ago, but I felt the great desire to see some of the fine paintings and furniture which belonged to the John Adams family.  We were greeted at the house by the most amazing guide who knew every detail and loved to share.  She was fabulous.  If you decide to visit this house and library, try to make arrangements to use this marvelous guide.

She pointed out the Copley portraits of Martha and George Washington, the portrait of John Quincy Adams, and the splendid portrait of Abigail Adams.  She talked to us about the furniture, the Bellange chairs, the two original John Adams carpets, his desk on which he wrote the Massachusetts Constitution, about Abigail Adams china, the fabulous Japanned highboy, his French desk he used while living in Paris and in Holland, on and on.  I was in a near-trance the entire visit.  When she showed us the original front door which pre-dates the Adams’ ownership in 1799, she pointed out the door knocker which John Adams purchased in London before returning to Ameria in 1788.  I thought to myself WHO HAS ENTERED THIS DOOR:  Washington, Jefferson, Hancock, John Quincy Adams, Madison, Monroe, and many more.

I was fascinated hearing about Abigail Adams’s additions to the house, doubling the size of the house.  She had lived in grand circumstances in official residences in Paris, The Hague, and London so coming back to Braintree required newer and grander receptions and dining rooms for guests.  Imagine entertaining the Marquis de Lafayette to dinner!  We saw Abigail’s fine blue and white china, her French Sevres, and other pieces of porcelain from other sets of china she had gathered.

The house was fantastic, and the garden was stunning even in this late fall date.

Walking into the granite library was a thrill I will not forget with the unfinished portrait of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the portrait of John Adams, John Adams’ original early law desk, and John Quincy Adams’ desk while in Congress.  Stunning!

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com

Today was another validation that England’s influence on the colonies was substantial.  It was a fabulous day after heavy snows and violent winds, and our exploration was picturesque.  We drove from Nahant to Newbury Port where we found a beautifully restored old town.  As we walked through the old town, every view reminded me of 18th century Britain.  The shops, the harbor, even establishments selling THE BEST OF BRITAIN were busy with locals and tourists.  We visited an establishment called THE BEST OF BRITISH where the shopkeeper was English and with great hospitality welcomed us to her quaint shop.   I bought mint sauce for our Sunday lamb dinners, lemon curd for our breakfast toast, and orange marmalade with thick slices.  Goodness,  I felt at home.

Fantastic!  We continued on down the street enjoying the colonial atmosphere.

We left Newbury Port for Ipswich enjoying all the colonial houses along the way.

The early colonial houses in Ipswich “blew me away.”  I couldn’t stop taking pictures of these wonderful houses still in beautiful condition.  Most of them proudly presented plaques with the name of the original colonial owner and the date the house was built.  Let me share a few of these images.

The earliest house was in Ipswich–a 1652 Puritan House splendidly restored and maintained.  All I could think about was THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller –visiting John Proctor.  Goodness, it was fascinating.

From Ipswich we motored over to Rockport and down to Marblehead, and back to Nahant.  I have known these towns for most of my life, and I have admired the industriously thrifty colonials who created these beautiful towns while establishing successful trade with Britain, the Mother Country. The thrifty and determined New Englander still resides in these beautiful towns.  It was a fabulous day.   I thought you would enjoy seeing my route and a few of my pictures.  We had dinner at Anthony’s by the Sea in Lynn where lobster and chowder were the wonderful way to end our day.  Wow!  I am tired.

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com

As a young man, I met an elderly lady who was a connected to the antique world of New England.  She was a great collector, and she was famous for her work in historic preservation.  Her name was Shirley Carroll whose husband invented SeaLube Paints which was bought out by Dupont.  They lived near to Reading and Lynnfield in the most wonderful typical Puritan House.  She and her husband were close friends of my parents, and our family had a close relationship with the Carrolls.  She and her husband spent every spring in London where Paul Carroll bought important books for his amazing library.  Today, I decided I was going to reacquaint myself with the neighborhoods where I spent so much time with the Carrolls.  I was near tears as I revisited this lovely part of the North Shore. When I see these clapboard houses, I am reminded of many of the 17th and early 18th century village houses all over England.   Day by day, I realize how close the colonies were with their Mother Country.  When visiting these New England townships, one can readily understand why even Benjamin Franklin was so hesitant to join the revolution/the rebellion against England.  He finally became the “First American,” but it was a long journey coming to that monumental decision.  Let’s check out the 18th century colonial homes to get the flavor of a the Massachusetts Colony in the 18th century.

18th Century Lynnfield

Lynnfield centre – the old Community Church

18th century Lynnfield Commons

Town Hall, Lynnfield, 1718

Lynnfield Commons, 1718

Lynnfield Center 1759

Lynfield Farm House 1755

Lynnfield Center Cemetery with flags indicating burial sites from the Revolutionary War

Lynnfield 1725

This early Lynnfield house could be anywhere in many English villages

This is the Carroll Hartshorn House in Reading which is very carefully restored 18th century house.  This was the residents of the Carroll family where I spent so many summers in my youth.  Magnificent house

Reading, Massachusetts 1743

Stunning 1800 Clapboard Church in Middletown, very near Lynnfield

I have really enjoyed my wandering today.  It brought back so much of my youth when I spent so man summers in this part of the world.  Interesting, but not surprising, I married a young lady from one of the fine old families from this part of the world.  It has been a wonderful day.

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com

Day three saw light showers all along Cape Cod as we drove from Boston to Province Town at the far end of the Cape.  It was a perfect day  for traveling and visiting.  Our first visit was Plymouth Rock which is a name that stirs great emotion for New Englanders and for English immigrants to the New World who were determined to find “religious freedom” –only to organize the most spiritually narrow society of all the colonies.  Everywhere these Puritans settled in the Massachusetts colony, they named community after community after their English origins.  As I read the signs from Nahant to Province Town, it was like reading the road map through Britain.

After Plymouth Rock, we wandered through the beautiful residential districts of Hyannis Port.  The Kennedy Compound sits beautifully overlooking the sea.  First was Robert and Ethel’s house, then Senator Kennedy’s home, and finally the very large home of Joe and Rose Kennedy with the President and Mrs. Kennedy’s home next door.  For many years, it appeared to Americans that this compound was the center of the universe.  Amusing.

Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s home:

Senator Ted Kennedy’s home:

The President’s House:

All along the Cape, towns trace their history to the 1660′s and 1700′s.  I am used to these dates for English towns, but we forget that New England has history dating to the early Stuart Dynasty.  I must admit, however, that today’s Dunkin Donouts shops are a long way from the small settlements which grew up along the Cape during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Province Town these days is a resort town of beautifully kept cottages along old lanes.  Lobster is abundant, and friendly people are eager to talk about their community and direct us to the best places to eat.  Province Town is growing with new condominiums which are carefully designed to fit into this small resort town.  Such a different place than it was in the late 1700′s with its old light house.

We arrived back to Nahant about 6:30 PM, just in time for dinner and a good evening of Downton Abbey and snacks.   That Maggie Smith makes me laugh with her sharp sense of humor and piercing look.  What a fabulous day!  I love driving through New England forests with their magnificent color and dense vegetation.  I can only imagine how it must have looked in colonial times.  Many of the old Cape Cod style houses  remain, and there are wonderful colonial clapboard houses with their Indian shutters dotting modern Massachusetts communities, and there is a distinct architectural unity everywhere.  It is very beautiful.  I have known these wonderful old colonial towns for years, and I enjoy a yearly visit to renew my friendship with old New England and with family.

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com

Mrs. Moore and I are in Massachusetts enjoying magnificent fall weather where my wife’s family live and where she grew up.  We have spent many years in New England with her family and are always aware of England’s influence on this early colony.  The minute you arrive at the airport in Boston, you realize English cities like Boston, Gloucester, Plymouth, Cambridge, Worcester, Salem, Lynn, Haverhill, Essex, Waltham, Reading, and Wakefield are also the names of cities in the New World Massachusetts colony.  There is a distinct English feeling in architecture, traditions, and history. We all know the stories of Faneuil Hall, Lexington, the Stamp Tax, and of course the Tea Party.  But earlier, the houses were filled with wonderful china like Chelsea, Staffordshire, Derby, Bow, and Newhall as well as with Windsor chairs and weaving and cross stitching.  My wife’s family have roots in Massachusetts since the Mayflower and were involved in banking, the China Trade, and retail for generations.  They lived in Boston on Beacon Hill and spent summers in Nahant where they have lovely homes.  Yesterday, it was magnificent weather, and I could certainly understand why early settlers enjoyed these magnificent shores.  But I could not get over how very “English” these wonderful Massachusetts coastal cities are.  My wife’s family has been in this country for over three hundred years with continuing ties to Britain, particularly as later generations married English ladies and brought them to the New World–kicking and screaming in some cases.  Let me post a few pictures of Nahant and see if you don’t agree that England’s influences are clearly evident.  In the library, I counted 53 Staffordshire figures lined on the mantel and on library shelves–I thought for sure I as in England.  It is wonderful being here with her family during these fabulous fall days.  We used to come often, but these days our time is spent in England where we meet my wife’s family, so New England is only a yearly visit these days.  Enjoy the photos.

Mrs. Moore’s mother is 86 years old and still wanders down the Nahant beaches every day

Fine old 18th century paintings have hung on the house’s walls for many years

The Island church where society weddings took place before World War II including Roosevelt weddings

If you a true resident of Nahant, you like lobster, and you check your pots daily.

Today, we are taking a ride to Provincetown on the Cape with stops in old favorite spots. I will take photographs and publish them this evening.

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com