Putnam patriot., 1921-08-12


ell added to il 20 years ago. The
stones on the treplaces are CAREFUL,
fitted into each other with absolute
accuracy Hinges. latches. nails. att
show expert Workmanship.
In front Of the house stands an i'm.
mense doorstep One day the mother
Of Mrs. Elizabeth Flynn Bingham and
Mary Louise Flynn. who now occupy
the house. went To the door and found
Oliver Wendell Holmes awaiting .en.
trance. Mr.. Holmes said i would
ike to ask of you first Of all. Mrs
Flynn. Just where you obtained thu.
doorstep. Il is the largest / have
ever seen. When the cellar wal
eaKed IN one summer during heavy
rain the doorstep fell out Of position
and It took seven yoke of oxen te "a;
it back in place Il was at one tins
evidently a part Of a mill stone.
The son Of trumpeter John carried
out the family military tradition by
taking part in the War Of 1872. one
night Adjutant William Flynn rode
through the farming districts Of
Mindham County and before morn.
Ing had summoned 500 men for the
march to the aid Of New London. The
present military representative Of the
Flynn family Is Lieut. Col. William F
Flynn. graduate Of West Point in the
same class with General Edwards. and
during the war commandment of thu
student soldiers at Harvard
The antique relics in the Flynn
home include some rare and costly
china displayed in a small built-ir
cupboard. an old fashioned roekinl
chair fitted with little drawer for
knitting, curious old samplers such a.
small girls made during Revolution
airy days. old fashioned hedsteads. bee
warming pans. a grandfather's desk
and, in fact, almost every article OF
furniture and household equipment
such as would be found in hom,
during the late seventies.
Just across the common and on the
hill above. Hamilton Holt, editor OIL
the New York Independent, Is living
with his family. Mr.. Holt is descen
dant in the fifth generation of William
Bowen. who many years ago managed
the famous Bowen Inn and who's,
son. Henry Bowen, founded the mag
azine Of which Mr.. Holt is now editor
The Inn was built in 1871 by Asa
Bishop. who sold It 10 Elijah Williams
who in turn sold it to William Bowen
The Bowen Inn was very famous Z
century and more ago. L was on tbs
main road between New York ane
Boston and the stage coaches woult
always meet at this point Connected
with the old Inn is the Grange hall
which is 100 years old, and at which
Grange meetings used 10 be held ey
cry month.
There is not a piece of modern fur
niture in the house. For years Mr.
Holt has been collecting household
equipment from New England homes
and occasionally from old Southern
homesteads The old Inn IS now com
NletelA ULlth with NAiati = "a AAhAAtA &"
theirs clock, tables and desks, all o.
the Revolutionary period. The fire
place in the dining room is five fee
wide inside and has been termed b,
one who has visited many New Eng
land homesteads 1.-THE finest fireplace
in New England.
Interesting features of the home IN
clude an old ham closet in the from
hall. double doors with knockers. low
ceilings and old fashioned windows
Mr.. Holt has had partitions between
many of the rooms removed. In the
ceilings of the downstairs rooms are
bayonet holes made by American sol
diers while drilling for the war OF
1912. The site Of the whipping posts
and stocks, used in the early days, i
close by the house.
About a mile and a half from the
old Bowen and Flynn homes s.Lyons.
dale Farm" Gardiner Sumner and
his family are living there in the
house built by Captain William Lyon
an American officer during the Reyo-
lutionary War, and great-grandfather
Of Mr.. Sumner. For 200 years the
home has been occupied BY the de-
scendants OF Captain Lyon.
The estate formerly included the
farm Of Mr.. Sumner and the present