Evening star., 1907-07-26
VILLAGE OF BOSCAWEN
Notable for the Men That Were
Born There.
NATIVE PLACE OF WEBSTER
Old Yellow story and Half House
Still Standing
STORIES OF THE STATESMEN
Where William Pitt Fessenden and
John A. Dix First Saw the Light.
A Fine Old Highway.
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

! George Washington, the Napoleon and
! their Peter the Great. the characteristics
| of all three of these World-heroes being
| combined in the great Ieysu. We go half
! way around the world to see that avenue.
| although we cal. find many equally beauti-
| full here in New Hampshire and in other
parts of New England. which few Ameri-
cans except those who live in the immediate
ncighbOrhODd have ever admired.
Such avenue leads nGrthWard from
Concord througi- a continuous village until
the lake region is reached. The first vii
iage after leaving North Concord is called
BoSCaWen. and it is identified with the
careers of Il number of great men. No
other village of its size has produced 50
many famous characters in American his
tory. and one of the results of old Home
Week has been to stimulate the pride of the
inhabitants to the point of erecting tablets
of bronze to mark the places where they
have lived and loveG and prepared for their
careers.
w. P Fessenden's Birthplace.
On the left-hand side of the road is big
boulder upon which bronze plat has been
riveted, bearing this inscriptions:
WILLIAM PITT FESSENDEN,
Born Oct. g. AID. 1896.
United States Senator
From Maine for thirteen years.
Secretary of I. $. Treasury
1S64-1SG5
cottage which stands in the shadow
group OF elms behind this boulder oc-
the former site of an inn in which
feSSenden was born. His mother was
unmarried at the time of his birth and her
name was Ruth Green. She was the daugh-
ter of the innkeeper, and Samuel Fessen-
den of Portland Me, was in the habit of
stopping at this inn for a few days at
time while on his way to and from Dart
mouth College at Hanover. He afterward
came to Boscawen to live and was teach
ing school there and boarding at Green's
Inn while Daniel Webster was practicing
law in the village. After the baby boy
born his family, and they We're of the
proudest in Portland took charge of him,
brought him up. educated him. sent him to
Bowdoin College. and did everything they
could have done if the boy had been born
in wedlock-even giving him the honored
name of the famous prime minister of
George Ill After graduating from Bow
doin young Fesscnden studied law and be-
came the leading man in Maine. His
mother Ruth Green, was sister of Ma
thaniel and Charles II. Green. both promi-
nent in the history of Boston journalism.
and sne married a man by the name of
Bailey and became the mother of +. H. Bal
ley and G. G. Bailey. founders of one of
the Boston dailies. The inn was removed
long ago.
Home of John A. Dix.
A little farther up the road at this time,
In house where Daniel Webster had his
law office from 1903 to 1907 lived Timothy
Dix a country merchant on large scale.
who was the father of Gen. John A. Dix
The latter was born in the old homestead
July "a 179s was educated in the village
school and the BoScawen Academy, studied
law with William Writ. was admitted to
! the bar in 1898. and was in public life there
| after for fifty years. filling successfully the
same positions that We're filled by Mr.. Fes-
| sender. except in another state. The old
| Dix homestead Is marked by tablet in
| scribed follows:
Birthplace of
| Gen John A. Dix
| Born July "a AID. 1913.
| IF any one attempts
To haul down the American flag
Shoot him the spot
| The Dix family stood high among the
| local aristocracy. Besides being a mer-
| chant Timothy Dix was,a large land owner
| and a prosperous farmer. as his ancestors
| had been before him. although for some
reason he did not send his son to college
| The Boscawen Academy, in which he was
| educated has been famous achool for 200
! years. and the bell which hangs in the
tower was presented by Daniel Webster.
At the same time Ezekiel Webster gave
| $500. which was a good deal of money in
| those days. to repair the building.
| Both Daniel and Ezekiel Webster attend
| ed this academy and both were fitted for
! college by the Rev. Mr. Woods. for fifty
| years pastor of the Congrega tiona1 Church
/ at BosCawen. who prepared many other
!
! ward.
Where Webster Lived.
| The house in which Daniel Webster was
born is about four miles further Oman old
| yellow story-an and-a-haH house. with a
| group of dilapidated old barns in the rear
and a group of splendid ems in front of it.
| 1t is on the road from Franklin to Sails
bury and twenty miles from Concord. 1t
| looks like haunted house and. as Long
! fellow says,
| ''Au houses wherein men have lived and died
/ Are haunted houses
! The Webster birthplace was reproduced at
! the st. Louis exposition by private sub
scription and believe. was used as res
| taurdnt. 1t is now owned by the Daniel
| Webster Birthplace Association. composed
| chiefly of people in the town Of Franklin,
| who purchased it on speculation, and have
/ been trying for several years to get the leg
| islature to make an appropriation to pur-
! chase and preserve 1t: but their price Is
| too high 1t is surrounded by farm of
| about 100 acres, mostly meadow. 1t is fine
| grass land. but very hard to cultivate The
farm is now rented to a French-Canadan
named William Rayno, who has bright
ilttle boy. In answer TO my question the
idd said there hadn't been q Webster in the
mouse Tor a hundred years, and when |
asked him If the ghosts of the Websters
did not sometimes appear there he replied
that 1t was too far Off the main road for
even a ghost to visit The house needs
painting and repairs very badly. and the
barns are in bad shape.
You can see in the orchard opposite the
! laehucai apple tree that appears In one of
the best-known stories of the great states
! man. When he was moving the orchard
| with his father one day he complained that
/ his scythe was not hung to suit him.
| Hang 1t to suit yourself" retorted his
I father sharply.
! ''Al right" said Daniel. coolly. and hung
II over the limb of one OF the apple trees
| There is another story. quite as authentic
| about the day when his father returned
| from an all-day visit to town and scolded
| Zeke. the elder brother, because he had
! been loafing Then he turned to Daniel in
| a temper and inquired:
| And what have you been dong?"
| 'Helpin' Zeke." replied Daniel.
Character of Webster's Father.
Capt. Ebenezer Webster. the father was
| a soldier. serving in Washingtons head
quarters near West Point when the treach
cry of Benedict Arnold was discovered. and