The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-29

ships too large to ancho, ~
built and after the railro.s
vented Boston harbor n. .
step away. SO that shiss ~
little deserted the old Ss,hs
When Hawthorne Va,
Of the port, in 1886. trad.
ready dwindling. Empicr., :: I
custom house office sav ~
work is light now, larre,, n
tine Of a small port ~.
arduous duties, no douh
answer the strange ous,,,.
hundreds Of tourists who -
see where Hawthorne vo,s..
to handle his pen. The -.
most as it was in tho 49,
time, save for electric llrhts d.
telephone, and a new dsss !.
place Hawthorne's small ~
which is in the museum ia
old fashioned room, With No..
niture than the usual modssS
eminent Office. A page fru. =
Scarlet Letter." written -,
foolscap paper which H.s,,
used, is displayed promips,,,.
the mantelpiece. 1t is al =
preface in which the novrl,.,
scribes the room.
Hawthorne RenesAwsa
Hawthorne is still IN outst., ~
figure in Salem. His birthnl...
unpretentous little house an M.
street. is still standing. Tn 4.
BUS House Of the Seven C.N.
has been restored inside TO Ioaa
it did when Hawthorne ussd "a .
long visits to his cousin, Mia ~
Ingersoll. who owned It theo, ~
thorne liked the view Of H. -
from the garden Of this hour n!
he particularly enjoyed the ~
genial company Of Miss Susaa. ~
had been crossed in love when Il.
young, and was noted for
gloomy, hermit-like disposition /
True to its name, the house p
possesses seven gables. I'M
really a departure from the ~
thorne atmosphere. for 1t had p
five when he visited it. Miss 80
is said to have shown him ~
two more gables had formerly "a
placed, and the idea Of the unvn|
number Of seven gables 80 appsI2
to the novelist that he immediuI|
planned his famous tale -
/ after the house.
1t is one Of the quaintest hon
in the country. Six of its IL rum
, are exhibited, furnished IN III
style Of Hawthorne's period, =
with a great many Of the origin
furnishings. In the keeping NJ
or parlor, the gloomy Miss Sunni
dark oils looks down on the leun1
chair where Nat" wrote paH
THE Scarlet Letter" Thea Il
are led to an attic where you Il
see an old chest of the witcAai
time, and hear the tradition that
chest once had a habit Of dandl
around the barn floor at night .
til the owner had q parsoa n
over it to su5due it..
A Secret Stairway.
! Then there Is a great bed chm
Der draped in dull chintz, the b
ing room, where most Of the sel
gables story took place, and
kitchen with 4 fireplace whersll
meal for a regiment might esl
have been cooked. About this fr
place and its chimney hangs heM
story of the house. 1t hides q sec,
staircase. connecting the DIM
room with a gabled bedroom ahc'
Who built the secret stair, or VI
/ nobody knows. 1t is certain TINT
Mr.. Turner. who owned the boz
shortly before the witchcraft
citement, made a number OF U
provements and incidentally =
larged his chimney. When Y
witchcraft scare came, Tursa
friend John English, was accus
English escaped ito England .
did not reappear until It was =
to do so. From these facts It IS I!
duced that. Turner built the star
q hiding place in case any OF
family were accused. and y
thought possible that his TN
stayed in the little bedroom, fd
at any alarm to slip back the ~
panel and disappear into the WI
ing ladder-like stairs inside
chimney. -,
| The size of the opening III w
the refugee had to spend 8
deal of his time may be judged u
the fact that the average vislto'
large proportions is nervous
fear he. or she. will get stuck u
climb is attempted.
! Part of the House OF 0e'
Gables is used now as a nome
! settlement workers The fouse
Seven Gables Settlement assO'
ton carries on regular SOCIAL .
! cational and Americanlzatloh w
among $50 families OF po'es
other foreigners who now i've
this neighborhood.