The Portland daily press., 1885-04-17
TmE ERorH1NGEHAnn HOUSE.


Am Ancient Landmark TO be Removed.
The time-honored rnansion-the Frothing-
ham house-is to be removed. 1t is honored
also as being the residence Of the first regular
ly educated judge appointed in Maine, from
his marriage to his death. The exact year of
its building is not known. In a newspaper ar
ticle, written twenty years ago, Mr.. Willis
said, "This house was built by Benjamin
Thomes about 1868; he was married that year."
The year OF the building OF this house, as
given by the historian, must be mistake, as
Thomes did not come into possession of the
lot until 1866. That year he bought twenty
seven square rods of land con the sontherly
side Of Love Lane" the description in the
deed is very explicit, and forbids the possibili-
tg of a mistake in the lot. "Philip Hodgkins
of Georgetown, shipwright," who sold the lot
to Thomes, had formerly lived at the foot Of
Love Lane (Centre street,, on the south corner
of Fore street, and owned the land on that
side Of the lane mp to the lot in question. In
the deed to Thomes, of the land, he says,
being part of three aerea laid out to me by
the town of Falmouth in 1742." If Thones
was married in 1868, as Mr. Willis wrote, (al-
though there is no public record of the fact),
he probably built the house soon after the pur-
chase of the lot in 1866, and lived in it at the
bcmbardment in ITS, but it being SO remote
from the centre of the settlement it escaped
Mowatt's hot shot and shells. When the house
under consideration was built the only pas
sageway to get to it was by the upper end of
Love Lane, now Centre street. This was ao-
tad I.x5fh he is, t,1t I
was not passable on account of streams from
springs. There was a run of water from
'Noyes's spring. yft Running, under the
Kimball block, Congress street, which spread
itself into bog through which Free street.
was built in 1884. The outlet Of this bog was
in the rear of the FrothiDgham house.
John rockingham, whose name is always in
connection with this house, was born in
Charlestown in 1850, graduated at Harvard
College in It'll, and came to Falmouth Neck
as schoolmaster 10 1878 or 1774. While pur-
suing his avocation as a teacher, he read law
with Theophilas Bradbury, and was admitted
to practice in the courts of Cumberland coun-
ty in 1779.
OF the three lawyers on the Neck at the
time of the burning in 1775, Brad bury and
Parsons fed from the smouldering ruins, and
Wyer died the next year, leaving the field to
rockingham, who was the first TO venture mp
on this apparently forlorn hope. He did not
abandon his vocation as teacher, which he
must have found the most profitable. Mr.,
rockingham spent the remainder OF his ac-
tive life in Portland. In 1880 he was appoint
ed county attorney; was collector of excise for
Maine; one OF the trustees of Bowdoin Col
lege twenty-four yesrs, and its secretary; a
representative Of the General Court in 1885;
twelve years register OF probate and eight
years judge OF the court of common pleas
In 1874, Mr.. rockingham WAS married to
Martha May, of Boston.
In the meantime Benjamin Thomes had
died. In l1S5 rockingham bought of Benja-
min Thomes junior, for 100 pounds, the house
and lot, "being assigued TO me as part of tho
estate OF my late father, Benjamin Thomes"
MIR. rockingham Immediately commenced
housekeeping here, and here he spent the re-
mainder of his life.
Judge rockingham died in this house in
1926, aged 76. In the latter part OF his life he
was deprived OF his sight. His two sons went
to Montreal, and became respectable mer-
chants. One Of them was the father of Rev.
Frederick Frothipgham, who was minister OF
Park street church from 1856 TO 1861.
few years later Col John May, of Boston,
followed his sister Frothingham to Portland,
and opened store on Sam, now Park street.
returned to Boston, and continued commercial
business succeaafully. He became wealthy
and lived to great age.
AT the time Thomes built this house, th ere
were few better ones in town. There were
several larger ones. There were in all, on the
Neck, about 140; most of them OF an ordinary
character, and not one of brick. These were
occupied by population not exceeding one
thousand in number.
The late DR.. Gilman was married in 1887,
and commenced Housekeeping in this house,
where he remained until bis new house was
ready to occupy. The old house has always
been kept in good repair, and has been occu-
pied by respectable people, 1t has besn very
little altered. The original chimney has been
replaced by smaller one, but the finish
around it remains the same, and the windows
have had new sashes with large panes. The
heavy wooden cornice and the most OF the
wainBcotting of the rooms are yet in place.
showing some very wide panels Evidence OF
the abundance of the best pine lumber when
the house was built, is to be seen in the attic.
The roof timbers are all hewn with an axe,
and the roof boards are of pine, very wide, and
put on with one end at the ridge, and reaching
to the caves in one piece. The attic floor is Of
boards Of the same quality. Ii must be ex-
pected that these wooden fabrics, however sub
/ stantially built, will yield to the progress of
time, if they are not sooner demanded by the
progress of Improvements. Aud while We can
not but regret that old things are passing away
We may console ourselves by reviving the story
OF their early splendor, and singing requiem
over their inevitable doom.
"On these oaken floors
High-sboed ladies trod
Through those ample doors
Traiied their furbelows:
Long their day has ceased
Now beneath the sod
With the worms they feast