The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-05-12
The Early Homo Of Hawthorne.

A little way off the main-traveled road in
the town of Raymond there stood an old
house which has much in common with houses
of its day, but which is distinguished from
them by the more evident marks of neglect
and decay. Its implanted walls are deeply
stained by time. Cornice, and window-ledge.
and threshold are fast falling with the weight
ofyears. The fences were long since removed
from all the enclosures, the garden-wa is
broken down, and the garden itselfis now
grown up to pines whose shadows fall dark
and heavy upon the old and messy roof; fit
ting rocf-trees for such mansion. blamed
there by the hands of Nature herself as if she
could not realize that her darling child was
ever to go out from his early home. The high
way once passed its door, but the location of
the road has been changed; and, now, the old
house stands solidarity lart from the busy
world. Longer than can remember, and 1
have never learned how long, this house has
stood untenanted and wholly unused, except,
for a few years, as a place of public worship;
but, for myself, and for all who know its earlier
history, it will ever have the deepest interest,
for it was tie early home of No.hGniel HGoo-
t1oTae.
Often have /, when passing through that
town, turned aside to study the features of
that landscape, and to reflect upon the inf1u-
ence which bis surroundings had upon the de-
veiopement of this authors genius A few
rods to the north runs little mill-stream, its
sloping bank once covered with grass, now SO
worn and washed by the rains as to show but
little except yellow sand. Less than half
milo tn ,Ia of Mt MIR
arm of Sebago Lake. Doubtless, at the time
the house built, the forest was so much cut
away in that direction as to bring into view the
waters of the lake, for mill was built upon
the brook about halfway down the valley and
it is reasonable to suppose that clearing was
made from the mill to the landing upon the
shore of the pond; but the pines have so far
regained their old dominion as completely to
shut out the whole prospect in that direction.
Indeed, the site affords but limited survey,
except to the northwest Across a narrow val
ley in that direction, lie open fields and dark
pine-covered slopes. Beyond these rise long
ranges of forest crowned hills, while in the far
distant, every hue of rock and tree of field and
grove melts into the soft blue of Mount Wash
ington. The spot must ever have had the ut
IOl ioHCHHcSo III tuc pine IOIestS upon tuc uor-
ders of our northern lakes. The deep silence
and dark shadows of the old woods must
have filled the imagination of youth possess
ing Hawthrone's sensibility with images which
later years could not dispel.
To this place came the widowed mother of
Hawthorne in company with her brother, an
original proprietor, and one of the early set
tiers of the town of Raymond. This house
was built for her and here she lived with her son
for several years in the most complete seclu-
sion. Perhaps she strove to conceal here a
grief which she could not forget In what way,
and to what extent tho surroundings OF his
boyhood operated in moulding the character
and developing the genius of that gifted au-
thor, leave to the reader to determine.
have tried simply to draw faithful picture of
his early home. G..