The Portland daily press., 1891-10-07
HOUSE HAWTHORNE LIVED IN
which is Now a Meeting House
"reminiscences of the Great Ro-
mancer and His Days.

IUharles o. Stickney In the Home journal, New
York;
sat an early age," remarked Nathaniel
Hawthorne in the course of an autobio-
graphical chat the year before his death, II
accompanied my mother and sisters to this
township (Raymond) In Maine. which my
grandfather had purchased. That was the
happiest period of my life, and it lasted
through several years, when was sent to
school In Salem, lived in Maine like
bird in the air, so perfect was the freedom
enjoyed. But 1t was there l first got my
cursed habits of solitude. During the moon
light nights of winter l would skate all alone
upon Sebago lake, with the deep shadows Of
Icy hills on either hand. When l found my
self far away from home and weary with
the exhaustion of skating, l would some
times take refuge In log cabin, where half
a tree would be burning on the broad hearth.
l would sit In the ample chimney, and look
at the stars through the great aperture
through which the flames went roaring up.
Alb, how well recall the summer days also,
when with my gun roamed at will through
the woods of Maine How sad middle life
looks to people of erratic temperament
ENcIyLulUB lOUho UCdubiluA III 1uubhs AOt oil
things are allowed to 1t them"
To this wild. picturesque and somewhat
romantic region / recently made pilgrim
age. 1t was to me an interesting visit. l
sough out the few. very few. old people in
the neighborhood who could tell me any
thing about the family, especially the flaxen-
haired youth who was destined to fame i'm
mortal. In short, made the most of my
sentimental journey. This erstwhile home
of the Hawtnornes Is situated about 20
.,stI A-fh 80 2 MAJ h.
from that city by two routes; by the old
Raymond stage road, In the little mail
wagon, or by private team; or, what Is far
more preferable by rail to Sebago lake
station, thence by steamer Hawthorne past
the Images to the lock on Songo river. made
famous by LoDgfellow's poem Of that title,
and from there back P0rtlandward three or
four miles on foot or In the wagon of some
oblging farmer.
Eyes, 1 can distinctly recollect Nat Ha-
liam w. Cross. a venerable business man
and ex-State Senator, now nearly 80, in an
interview the writer had with him. MAT
was about ten years older than /. My grand
father, Squire Longley, kept store and tav.-
ern In that school district In those days, and
! often used to see Nat trudging along to or
from school with his satchel of books. be-
ing q little shaver, and he In his teens. he
and his playmates formed a different circle
Of associates. you see, than mine. But he
W
his. own business, was called an apt scholar.
and some folks prophesed he'd some day get
so well up in the world as to be district
school teacherl Wish Icould tell you more
about Nat. but that's about the best can
do"
1 had chat with old Uncle Leach, kind
ly octogenarian of the place. But his know
ledge of my hero and his personality was
about as meager as Mr.. Cross. He, how
ever, corroborated what the latter had said
To Hawth0rnn'e 0uiat OQntiamanlu MAI
anecdotes of MATS somewhat eccentric
uncle, Richard Manning. One of these sto-
ries, which uckled him even more than the
termed it. "When any of the neighbors
were veI-tardy in hoeing their crops" said
Mr.. Leach. 1T was favOrite joke of Man
ning's to send some OF his hired men into the
piece when the owner was away and hoe 1t
for him. But in the course of time he some
how allowed certain potato patch of his to
get very weedy, and what did his watchful
neighbors do but pay him in his own coin by
secretly holding hoeing bee in that field
one bright moonlight night, and astonishing
as well as enraging him next morning by
this result Of their magical black art"
BY examination of the town record, find
under date of 1897 the name of Richard Man
ming, Jr.. as treasurer of the township. He
was a bachelor; kept servants both about
the home and on the farm, and abou3 sonce
year or so his kinsfolk from Salem would
visit him, when his rural home would he the
scene of such elaborate festivities and jolly
merrymaking as literally to astonish the ma
tiyes. Later on he married Susan Dingley
of that place, and in the same neighbor6ood
he died, was buried and sleeps today In the
old cemetery. as blue slate headst0ne bears
witness.
Mrs. Hawthorne came here and dwelt
several years in the utmost seclusion with
her three children; Nat, lad in his early
teens, and two daughters. Barring the touch
"a slight touch-of time, the house bears
Outwardly the same appearance as 1t did
when tenanted by the Hawthornes. And
still, the structure and its surroundings to-
The walls are implanted and tlme-stained;
the fences have disappeared; the garden
wall Is down, the garden itself has lapsed
into state of nature. The old road remains
mail route, and is little Travelled, thus rem
dering the isolation more complete Not
many years ago there could be seen iold-time
mementoes of Hawthorne days in the shape
Salem by the Mannings, but these too are
things. OF the past. The location of the
house Is in region of silence and solitude.
and such indeed 1t was in Hawthorne's boy
hood. when his plastic mind, as he himself
declared, was to certain extent nodded by
Its sober surroundings.
:. At the time Nathaniel Hawthorne entered
BowdOin college, which was when he was
about 16. the family had moved back to Sa-
lem. For a while after the house was un-
tenanted, then it was leased and kept for
several years as tavern by Mr.. Scrlbner,
and by-and-by, on the death of Mr.. Manning
little over half century ago. it became the
Joint property of the people Of the neighbor-
hood, he having bequeathed it to them on
condition that they should fit it up for
house of worship and open it to the various
denominations for union religious services.
This they did. and from that time to the
present It has borne a dual appellation-the