Franklin Pierce Homestead

Franklin Pierce Homestead
Nearest city Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Coordinates 43°6′59″N 71°57′2″W / 43.11639°N 71.95056°WCoordinates: 43°6′59″N 71°57′2″W / 43.11639°N 71.95056°W
Area 13 acres (5.3 ha)
Built 1804
Governing body State
NRHP Reference # 66000027
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHL July 4, 1961[2]

The Franklin Pierce Homestead was the childhood home of the fourteenth President of the United States, Franklin Pierce. Located in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, the home was built in 1804 by Pierce's father, Benjamin Pierce. The home is one of Franklin Pierce's probable places of birth, the other now lying beneath the nearby impoundment of Franklin Pierce Lake. Pierce lived at the homestead until 1834 when he married, with the exception of a seven-year span spent away for school, college, and law study.[3] It is now operated by the Hillsborough Historical Society and has been designated a state park. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.[2][3]

The house is located on the east side of Washington Road (New Hampshire Route 31), about 100 yards north of its intersection with New Hampshire Route 9, on a 13-acre (5.3 ha) property in the Lower Village area of Hillsborough. It is a two-story hip-roofed wood frame structure whose main block was built in 1804. There are two entries, one on the west (street-facing) facade and one on the south facade. Both are topped by five-light transom windows, and flanked by pilasters which support an entablature and triangular pediment. A two-story wing was added to the rear of the house, probably later in the 19th century. Attached to this wing are a small wellhouse, and a single-story shed connecting the house to a gable-roofed barn.[3]

The interior of the main block has four rooms in the first floor, organized around a central hall and stairs. The parlor is to the left, and the dining room to the right. The kitchen is behind the dining room, and the master bedroom is behind the parlor. On the second floor, the front of the house is taken up by a full-width ballroom, while the back has two bedrooms, each with a dressing room. All of the rooms of the main block were originally decorated with stenciling, some of which has survived. The wing contains a kitchen and laundry below, and bedrooms (presumably for servants) above.[3]

The home remained in the Pierce family until 1925, when it was donated to the state of New Hampshire. It underwent restoration and renovation in the 1940s and the 1960s.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Franklin Pierce Homestead". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Polly M. Rettig and Charles E. Shedd, Jr. (January 30, 1976) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Franklin Pierce Homestead, National Park Service and Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1975 and undated.

External links