Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-13
THE ADAMS no EsrEAD.
HoW IL Looks TO-Day-An In
side HteW.-Heaps OF PaDers-
The Furniture, Etc, EaC-

During John Adams term Of oaoe a.
President, be sent Z commission 10 bis
business agent. in Massachusetts,, to pur-
chase him an estate, and the house aud
land about It have ever since remained
IN the possession Of the family. Il
stands about q mile distant from the
house in which be had formerly lived,
and another house close by in which he
first drew the breath Of life.
Both these houses, each the birthnIses
Of President, are still standing and
are in tolerable state Of repair. Their
style attests their antiquity, bat they do
not differ greatly from the common farm
houses Of the period. As relics the form
only can be preserved Wood DECAYS.
and when it thus yields TO time it must
be replaced. Rotten timber can be taksa
out and sound ones put in, bat the house
viii be the same only in the same ssaSa
as the sailors jsck-kuifs preser7ss is
identity through successive and alternate
changes Of blade and haagie. Even Ia
this way it Is well to Keep together "a
many remains of tie past as possible. Il
IS fortunate that these houses are in the
hands or Mr.. Charles Francis Adams.
va9 can afford to keep them as they are.
and IS also interested to do 50.
The house purchased By Dir. John
Adams, as stated above, and the present
residence Of Mr.. Charles Francis Adams.
was built by wealthy West India plant
er, who went to Quincy during the last
eenturYs and erected 1t for his own nze
For some reason he vas obliged TO sci! IT,
and 1t came iEto Mr.. Adams hands. TIE
latter Immediately enlarged It bv aril5-
ing an addition at the side .a that :, :.
to appearance a dosbls tepemant Tts
front IS shaded sy noble elms, and the
Little plot seneath is tastefuIly laid out
as lower garden To gain admission
/ Jou give an alarm, if your strength e
equal to it, By means Of brass knoeksr
weighing several pounds, and covering
only rather less than a square foot Of
the surface Of the door. There Is not
very decided appearance Of great anti
quity about the house, without or within.
The rooms are quite large and square,
not high studded, but with higher walls
than were common at the period when II
was built The doors are generally Of
oak, and the fasteBings are Of a Quaint
pattern IAe rooms, most interesting Of
themselves, are the library and the ma
hogany room The former Is On the
second floor, in the new" part Of the
house. 1t Overlooks the street. Around
all the walls but tina. facing the street
are shelves containing the books of three
generations Here, too, are gathered
many Of the papers Of the two Presi-
deEtss some Of them in large chests
with the initials of the former owner
painted upon them.
The quantity Of paper >rfnted and
written upon IN this hCdse Is something
enormous. The g.ory i, told that in the
early life Of John Adams. as a LAWYER.
1t once Became 4 necessity for hin, in
ofder TO save his case for his client, to
establish certain date. The suit was
concerning a debt Mr.. Adams tried
every means to FIX this date. but failed
in all, until, by chance, he found the re-
quired evidence BY the post-mork upon
the back of an old letter Impressed
by the importance of this little sorap Of
paper, and determined never again to
lack for documentary evidence bY his
own fault, be adopted the practice Of
saving every piece Of paper that came
into his possession, and continued it
through life. His son learned the les
son fEon him, and was fully as careful
IN this respect. The consequence is that
the house is now burdened and groaning
with the papers collected during the
long lives Of these two public men. Mr..
@ Z. Adams Is at present engaged ID
editing his fathers papers, including
great many Of a private nature yaich
have never been before tbe pubic. The
for such work are, as may Be
abundant enough, aad large
numbers Of the memorials of both tha
distinguished men, those OF the slightest
possible intrinsic value, will be com
nitted TO the flames
In this room are some pieces of furni-
ure of great age. Among others is
ooking glass Of very old-fashioned shape
Fhich came 70 the family Of Mr. John
adams through his wife. She Gas the
granddaughter of Mr.. JOHN Quincy. 4
lan Of much note i9 ais day, who died
{ good old age, % the very day in which
Ohm Quincy Adams was born, and It
Tas this coincidence which determined
be name of the infant In the room
Glow IS a portrait Of this Jonu Quincy
the age of two years. It is coase-
uently more than hundred and iftv
ears old, and has been for ss7eral gen
rations an heirloom.
The mahogany" room Is one On
hieh the cid planter who built the
ouse lavisbed his wealth. At that day
was expensive to bring cargo Of ma-
ogany from the West Indies and use it
J he did. The walls are entirely Cam
osed of paneled mahogany, giving the
,om a very rich and cosy appearance.
is used as a winter sitting-room, and
, as might be supposed, the warmsst
'om in the house.
Nearly all the lower rooms arc plene.
lily adorned With portraits, some Of
em of great historical and iptriusio
Ilue. In the summer sittin2-room are
e portraits, all by Gilbert Stuart, of the
and their wives. Those Of
e elder Adams and his lady, are not
Ily valuable as most excellent portraits,
1t are worthy Of study as works of art.
be other two are far Inferior In all re-
ects, and the paint upon them has
aeksd badly with age and the variable
mate of New England. Here snd
sewhere are portraits Of Washington
d Lafayette, Of Joseph Warren, the
70 Of Bunker Hill, and family physi.
IN Of the Adamses, Of Thomas jefer-
a, and others, all painted specially fer
: ancestor Of the present owners.
The portrait Of Washington shows
N very different from the usuaIIii7 &C.
Dted pictures; nevertheles.s. It il said
be one of the best hksaesses extant.
ave not nearly exhsasted the treasures
the house as a portrait gallery. In
, of the balls hangs a very elaborate
ee Of needlswork and embroidery
de By the school girls Of some scade-
!. and presented 70 Mrs. John Adams
en- her husband was President-Cin-
~