Christmas at the King Caesar House

DRHS works to preserve and promote therural and historic character of Duxbury.The Society was founded in 1883 with

the mission to improve and ornament thestreets of Town. The first project

undertaken was the purchase of 27 streetlamps set out along Washington Street.

Newsletter ofTH E DU X B U RY RU R A L

& HI S T O R I C A L SO C I E T Y

— T h e L a m p l i g h t e r —

The annual “Christmas at the King Caesar House” will take placeDecember 11-13. Teams of localdesigners will converge on the 1809 federal mansion and fill it with holiday cheer.

On Friday, December 11, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Society will host the Members’ PreviewParty. The general publicmay tour the house onSaturday, December 12,from Noon until 6 p.m.and on Sunday, December13, from Noon until 4 p.m.Tickets are $10 for non-members, $5 forstudents/seniors andchildren under 6 areadmitted free.

As always, the event willfeature a Holiday Boutiqueoffering jewelry, crafts, and other unique gifts forsale from local South Shoreartisans.

The ever-popular “StoryHour with Santa” at theKing Caesar House will be held on Saturday,December 12 from 11 a.m.to noon. There will be no

charge to attend this event. Santa will be there to tell a story or two and to take photographs with children.

The King Caesar House was built in 1808 for Ezra Weston, II and his wife, Jerusha Bradford Weston.Weston was known as “King Caesar”

for his worldwide preeminence inshipbuilding and shipping during theearly 19th century. The house is afine example of Federal periodarchitecture, built with carefulattention to detail and characteristicof skilled ships’ carpenters such asEzra Weston employed.

For additional information,contact the Society at 781-934-6106 or visitwww.duxburyhistory.org. 1

�1 Fall, 2009 1

1 page 2 • The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009

There are many things about the Nathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr.House—the Society’s headquarters—that make it specialand historically significant. One of the mostextraordinary attributes of the house is thefact that its walls are graced by a charmingcollection of portraits, nearly all of whichrepresent members of Nathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr. ’sextended family. It is rare for an historichouse to have such a large and completecollection of portraits depicting individualswho actually lived in the house.

This happy fact is the result of greatgenerosity on the part of manyWinsor family descendants, beginningwith Penelope Barker Noyes ( agreat-great granddaughter ofNathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr.) who donatedmany Winsor family artifacts to theSociety in the 1950s and 1970s.Among these are beautiful portraits ofJustin Wi n s o r, his mother AnnHowland Wi n s o r, and wife CarolineTufts Barker. Justin Winsor is possibly the family’s bestclaim-to-fame. He was the among the leading historiansin the nation during the late 19th century, head librarianof the Boston Public Library, and a pioneer in the field oflibrary science. In the 1970s, the Society had no place toput the large portraits of Justin and his family, so they wereloaned to the Town and hung in the upper hallway ofTown Hall. When the Society acquired the NathanielWi n s o r, Jr. House, they were placed in the double parlor.

An additional collection of Winsor family artifacts came tous through Priscilla Williams Hall (another great-greatgranddaughter) in 2004. She descended through theSampson branch of the family and the portraits shedonated depict the children of Captain Erastus Sampson.Like so many of the Society’s acquisitions, were it not forthe diligence of Collections Committee chair Bob Hale,this collection might not have found its way to us.

In 1830, Capt. Erastus Sampson married Nathaniel’sd a u g h t e r, Elizabeth Wi n s o r. In 1835, Erastus purchased

the Nathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr. House. By thattime, Nathaniel was looking to “downsize”and moved into a small Cape nearby. Erastuswas a sea captain of very high repute. He was best known as captain of the fineShip C o r i o l a n u s, built in Duxbury by hisf a t h e r, shipwright Levi Sampson, in 1829.Although the ship was Duxbury built, shewas owned by Boston merchants. In fact,

Erastus worked most of his life forBoston merchants, and his vesselsoperated out of that port. For thatreason, he and his family split theirtime between Boston and Duxbury,probably residing in the NathanielWi n s o r, Jr. House during summers forthe next several decades. TheSampson family owned ourheadquarters from 1835 until 1893.

We were aware of other descendants ofErastus Sampson and other paintings that we hoped mightone day come home to the Nathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr. House.We are very pleased to say that, thanks to two members ofthe Sampson family, two very special pieces of the Capt.Erastus Sampson Collection are back on the walls of theC a p t a i n ’s house.

This summer, Barbara Randall Sampson donated a beautifulpastel portrait of the Captain himself. The portrait ofErastus Sampson was done in 1850 and is quite striking. It now hangs adjacent to the oil portraits of his children.The family is, symbolically, once again together in the housewhere they lived. Soon after, we received from S t e p h e nByers Sampson a portrait of the C o r i o l a n u s, the vessel withwhich Captain Sampson was associated for many years. The watercolor depicts the ship in a heavy sea, full sail set.

Our sincerest thanks to these members of the Sampsonfamily for conveying important pieces of Duxbury’sheritage. 1

Capt. Erastus Sampson Collection and the Nathaniel Wi n s o r, Jr. House

Above: Capt. Erastus Sampson. Below: The Ship Coriolanus.

The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009 • page 3 1

Here at the Society, we try to keepan eye on various auctions takingplace on the internet, hoping tofind Duxbury items. They crop upoften, and through various websiteswe’ve been fortunate enough toobtain numerous archivaldocuments, small artifacts, and evensome paintings of Duxbury peopleand places. We are aided in thisendeavor by several members of theSociety whoprovidetremendous helpas “spotters” onthe internet. One of them is Dr. David Corey,who has broughtcountless items toour attention,thereby facilitatingthe “homecoming”of many aDuxbury artifact.One such objectwas acquiredearlier this year—the handsome signwhich once hung outside the old “Bayside Inn” at 476 Washington Street.

When they heard that the Societywas considering the purchase of thispiece of Duxbury’s history, PeterFlagg Maxson and John C.R.Taylor, two residents of 476Washington, generously stepped upand offered to assist the Society in itsacquisition. Their donation wasmade in honor of another resident of

the former “Bayside Inn,” RuthIsabella Gardner Lamere.

Four seventy-six Washington Street,built in 1813, was originally thehome of Seth Sprague, Jr. (1787-1856) and his wife, Welthea LittleSprague (1788-1892). Seth, Jr. wasthe son of Seth Sprague, Esq., one ofDuxbury’s most successfulshipbuilders and regional leader ofvarious social causes, includingantislavery. Seth Sprague, Jr.followed in his father’s footsteps,becoming a Massachusetts Senator

and drafting legislation to counterJim Crow laws. His house was builtin 1813 on a portion of his father’svast estate. In 1872, the house waspurchased by a Mr. Hollis andconverted into a hotel. The hotelwent through a variety of ownersand was known as the “WinsorHotel” and the “Brunswick House.”

The house’s heyday as an inn cameabout when it waspurchased byMaurice Chandlerin 1912. Chandler,who had been apeddler inPlymouth, mademany attractivechanges to thebuilding, includingthe addition of thepiazza visible in theadjacentphotograph. Healso altered theorientation of the

building by cutting a new front doorfacing Washington Street (theoriginal front door faced HarrisonStreet). The Bayside Inn was apopular destination and operateduntil 1923.

Now, the Bayside Inn sign whichonce hung in front of the house hasreturned to Duxbury after a longjourney, passed from collector tocollector. We are most grateful toDavid Corey, Peter Flagg Maxsonand John C.R. Taylor for helping usto bring this item home. 1

Bayside Inn Sign Comes Home to Duxbury

Above: Peter Flagg Maxson, Ruth Isabella Gardner Lamere, and John C.R. Taylor.Below: The Bayside Inn pictured with the sign out front.

1 page 4 • The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009

It has been a busy andproductive autumn at theDrew Archival Library. Wehave continued to expand ourInternet presence by placingmore Finding Aids on theDRHS’s website. I am happyto report that the FindingAids have indeed been foundonline by remote patrons andhave been helpful. Inaddition, a brief article in themost recent New EnglandArchivists’ newsletterhighlighted several of our collections.It is exciting to have our materialaccessible to researchers everywhereand our goal is to keep growing ourcataloged offerings.

While I love the fact that peoplefrom around the world can view ourcollections, I also enjoy our localpatrons and volunteers. TheArchives has become a home awayfrom home lately to Monty Healy,who has been conducting extensiveresearch on the early land divisionsof Duxbury. You may have readMonty’s recent article in the DuxburyClipper entitled “Duxbury’s EarlySettlers – The Project Begins.” TheArchives has also hosted a number ofgenealogists, “dateboard” researchersand students.

In September, we had a wonderfulvisit from the donor of the CampTwin Oaks Photograph Collection,Delores Nevils. Ms. Nevils, theauthor of Amadeus, The LeghornRooster, traveled from St. Helena,

SC to view the Camp Twin OaksExhibit in the rotunda of the WrightBuilding. She was thrilled to see theimages of her family so prominentlydisplayed. The Camp Twin OaksExhibit will remain on displaythrough November. Our nextexhibit will highlight the amazingphotographs taken by the missionaryJ. Manville Lewis in the BelgianCongo during the late 19th century.These extremely rare and beautifulimages depict the people andartifacts of the Congo during theearly years of European expansion.This is an exhibit you will not wantto miss!

On October 22nd we hosted a LetterReading highlighting the travels ofCaptain Amasa Delano and isbrother, Captain Samuel Delano, Jr.Learning about the adventures of ourDuxbury forebears is one thing,hearing their voices across thegenerations through their letters isquite another. If you have notattended one of our Letter Readings,

I hope you will join us at ournext event to hear more ofour collections come to life.

Another exciting endeavorwe will be embarking uponsoon is an Oral Historyproject collecting thereminiscences of Duxbury’sresidents. I will beconducting a workshop for allthose interested inparticipating in the project inthe coming months. In the

meantime, I am seeking volunteers tolisten to the Oral History tapescollected in the 1980’s and 1990’sand write short descriptions of theircontent. Please contact me at if youwould like more information aboutthis project.

We have received some wonderfulgifts over the past few monthsincluding the Civil War letters ofJohn H. Frazee, photographs of theEllison Duck Blind, documents fromthe schooner Leader, books fromCaptain Edward Baker’s library, andmany more. Thank you to all of ourdonors, it is through your generositythat the Drew Archival Library cancontinue to preserve and makeavailable our rich history.

Finally, I encourage anyone that hasnot seen the beautiful WrightBuilding or toured the Archives tocome for a visit. The Drew ArchivalLibrary is open Monday – Friday,9am to 1pm. See you there! 1

Notes from the Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .b y Carolyn Ravenscroft, Archivist

The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009 • page 5 1

Who was Antoinette Knowles and was she the personwho carefully mended the 5/8” three-cornered tear inthe orange, green, and beige striped cotton dress? The mysteries of the Godey Room continue to intrigue the members of the Historic ClothingCollection Committee.

This well-preserved 1850s dress was displayed thissummer on the mannequin representing the“schoolmarm” in the Potter Gallery exhibit entitled“Childhood.” At the conclusion of the exhibit inOctober, we welcomed back this pretty little dress andprepared it for storage in its home location at theNathaniel Winsor, Jr. House. Previously it had beenhanging on a special acid-free padded hanger in a thirdfloor storage area at the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House,but we felt that an improved storage method would beto stuff the dress lightly with acid-free tissue and place itin an acid-free box in the Annex Room, another part ofthe clothing storage facility.

During this process we were afforded a chance toobserve once again the minutiae of the condition of thishistoric piece. We discovered a three-cornered tear thathad been meticulously mended, and we discovered ahand-written ink note on the inside of the bodice liningseam reading “worn by Margie Sampson,” and “worn byAntoinette Knowles.” The donor of the dress wasMargie S. Sampson, a familiar name to us as she hasgiven quite a few clothing items to our collection.However, Antoinette Knowles was not a name we hadencountered thus far. Who was she and did shesomehow tear the dress? We also noted that thehemline creases indicate that the dress’s hem had beenlet down and/or taken up several times.

We vacuumed the dress in our usual manner using themuseum-quality Nilfisk cleaner. We feel reasonablyconfident that we have removed the dust on the dressthat had accumulated during the course of the time outon exhibit.

We happily embraced the opportunityfor a research task. First we went toCarolyn Ravenscroft at the DrewArchives Library with our question.She agreed to begin a search aboutAntoinette Knowles and herrelationship to Margie Sampson. We then sought thehelp of the Chairman of the Textile Committee, KrisGaskins, who offered the information that Knowles hadworked a quilt square. Kris is going to follow up on thatinformation to facilitate an answer to the mystery.

There is an intriguing forensic component to our workwith historic clothing. We have many clues about theperson whose body actually touched the dress or otherarticle of clothing that we are researching. Thisprovides a unique link to the past, and shapes in parthow we regard the history we already know. As onedrives through town past homes that have a connectionto the garment, a third dimension is added to the waywe know this person or their family. Of course in manyinstances we do not know the provenance. making thesituation much more complex. Almost every piece inour collection engenders a research project. When wedo not have information about the owner or when itwas worn, because many pieces are found in the donor’sattic or cellar, we peruse books and Costume Society ofAmerica’s journal Dress for answers to our questions.

As we dress a mannequin to prepare for an exhibit, weare usually surprised about what a dress, skirt or coatactually looks like on a human form, and what isentailed in presenting it. We discover that pieces aremissing or that something is added, or a significantamendment to the basic design has occurred, a wholedifferent set of circumstances than what we expectedwhen we saw the dress in a box or on a hanger! That iswhen the creative work really begins. Look for moreabout this in a future newsletter article or in an exhibit.Share the sense of adventure that is a large part of thework of managing the Duxbury Rural and HistoricalSociety’s Historic Clothing Collection. 1

Mysteries from the Godey Room ......................By Madelon S. Ali

1 page 6 • The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009

During the third week ofSeptember, approximately35 volunteers participatedin an archaeologicaltesting procedure at theKing Caesar House. Thegoal of the project was tolocate any small shards orfragments of artifacts thatcould be dated to the19th century, hopefullyproviding a hints as towhat objects might havebeen in the house duringits early history.

The King Caesar House, once hometo Duxbury’s wealthiest shipbuilderand merchant, Ezra Weston II, iscurrently exhibited as it appearedaround the 1820s. The house is fullof period artifacts, most of themfrom Duxbury. However, very fewartifacts on display actually belongedto the Westons and we know verylittle about how they furnished thehouse. Any shards uncovered duringthe dig could tell us what they keptin their cupboards, on their table,and perhaps more. In fact, the teamfound more than just shards.

The focus area of the project was thefront lawn. This was chosen for tworeasons. First, given the amount offoot traffic from the front door tothe wharf over the years, weexpected to find many discardedobjects. Second, the front lawn isone of the few areas of the propertythat has not been disturbed byutilities, septic systems, etc.

To guide our work, Monty Healy,a retired surveyor and an activemember of the Society, generouslyagreed to plot out a tremendous gridcovering the front lawn and a smallsection of the wharf. Monty alsocarefully kept track of thecoordinates of each pit as they wereopened. Without Monty’s efforts,tracking our data and keeping ahistorical record of the work thatwas done would have beenimpossible. We are also grateful toCarole McCarthy who scanned theentire area with a metal detector,flagging each “hit” and helping us todetermine which areas were likely tocontain the most artifacts.

Over the course of seven days, atotal of 27 pits (2 by 2 feet) wereexcavated. Most pits wereexcavated to a depth of 12 inches,some as deep as 18 inches. Theteam focused mainly along the axisrunning from the front gate to thefront steps. For good measure, a fewpits were dug well off to either side

of this axis. Some pitswere also dug out on thewharf.

The great majority ofartifacts were found infront of the house, closeto the axis running fromthe gate to the frontsteps. Volunteersuncovered a tremendousvariety of glazedearthenware, most ofwhich dates to the early

19th century. Some samples of finecreamware with elegant patternsmay be large enough to be identifiedin terms of date and maker. Alsodiscovered were several buttons(some nice 19th century examples ingood condition), clay pipe stems, athimble, glass fragments, and many,many nails and spikes.

While the wharf might at first seeman attractive location for digging(given the volume of activity andthe existence of buildings there inthe 19th century) the structure hasbeen subject to massive decay atvarious points in its history. Theearth there now is almost entirelyrecent fill and any traces of KingCaesar wharf buildings or trinketsdropped by his workers are longgone. A few test pits sunk on thewharf bore out this notion. Theground there is virtually devoid ofartifacts or any signs of buildingmaterial.

continued on next page

Preliminary Findings of the King Caesar House Mini-Dig

The Lamplighter • Fall, 2009 • page 7 1

The Publications Committee of theDuxbury Rural and HistoricalSociety announces a special holidaydiscount on books purchaseddirectly through Society. From nowuntil December 25, all titles soldthrough the DRHS will be 25% off.

This includes Duxbury Past andPresent, the Society’s latestpublication, a hard-cover, full colorbook that contrasts 75 historicviews of Duxbury with 75 present-day views of the same locations. Co-authored by Patrick Browne andNorman Forgit, the book won anhonorable mention in the NewEngland Museum Association’spublications competition and spentmany weeks on the Patriot Ledger’sbest seller list. Duxbury Past and

Present, which typically sells for $40,will be available through the DRHSfor $30 until Christmas.

Books may be purchased at theheadquarters of the Duxbury Ruraland Historical Society at theNathaniel Winsor, Jr. House, 479Washington Street (open Monday-Friday, 9-4) and at the Drew

Archival Library, 147 St. GeorgeStreet (open Monday-Friday, 9-1).The Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. Housewill also be open as a stop on the“Holly Days” tour, sponsored by theDuxbury Business Association,which will take place on Sunday,November 29, from 12 to 4. Thebooks will also be available duringthe Society’s “Christmas at the KingCaesar House,” Saturday, December

12 from 12-6 and Sunday, December13 from 12-4.

The Publications Committee of theSociety is committed to publishingworks illuminating Duxbury’s past.Over the years, the Society hasindependently published 16 books orpamphlets on Duxbury history. 1

Holiday Discount on Books at the Historical Society

King Caesar House Mini-Digcontinued from previous page

Perhaps the most intriguingdiscovery was made in everypit along the line from thefront steps to the front gate.In these pits, approximately10 inches down, a layer ofbricks was found, many ofthem still intact. It wouldtherefore seem that KingCaesar once had a brickwalkway leading from hishouse to his gate. None ofthe existing photographs of the house (the earliest ofwhich is c. 1883) depict a brick walkway. This, and otherfactors including the shape and depth of the brick, wouldindicate that the walkway dates to the early 19th centuryand was possibly laid not long after the house was built.

Landscaping, as we know it,was not typically carried outaround rural 19th centuryhomes. The presence of awalkway is thereforesomewhat surprising.However, as one volunteerfacetiously observed, giventhe volume of traffic fromthe house to the wharf,Mrs. Weston likely tired ofmud in her house anddemanded the installationof the bricks.

Over the course of the winter, the hundreds of artifactswill be washed and analyzed. It is likely that we will beable to date many of them to King Caesar’s time and,possibly, obtain similar objects for the museum. 1

Archivist Carolyn Ravenscroft (left) and Joan Lyons (right) sift for artifacts. Both photos courtesy of Julius Prince.

December 11Christmas at the King Caesar House,Members Cocktail Party, 6-8 p.m.

December 12-13 Christmas at the King Caesar HouseTours and Holiday Boutique, To u r sSaturday 12-6 p.m., Sunday 12-4 p.m.Adults $10, Students/Seniors $5,children under 6 free.

January 20Annual Meeting, The Village atD u x b u r y, Business Meeting 6:30 p.m.$30 for those who plan to stay for dinner.

February 18Sarah Wingate Taylor Lecture, “The Making of ‘In the Days of KingC a e s a r.’” Animation Designer BryanFelty and DRHS Director PatrickBrowne will discuss the making of theS o c i e t y ’s mini-documentary on the

King Caesar Estate. No charge. Hoyt Reading Room in the Wr i g h tBuilding, 147 St. George Street, 7 pm.

March 4Oral History Project Wo r k s h o p ,Archivist Carolyn Ravenscroft will leada workshop to get our new oral historyproject organized and underway. Any volunteers interested in helping to document Duxbury’s more recenthistory are encouraged to attend. Hoyt Reading Room in the Wr i g h tBuilding, 147 St. George Street, 7 pm.

“The Lamplighter” is published quarterly by The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society.

Main OfficeNathaniel Winsor, Jr. House479 Washington Street, PO Box 2865,

Duxbury, MA 02331Phone: (781) 934-6106 Fax: (781) 934-5730email: pbrowne@duxburyhistory.orgwebsite: www.duxburyhistory.org

LibraryDrew Archival Library, 147 St. George St., DuxburyMonday-Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and by appointment

MuseumsKing Caesar House, 120 King Caesar Road, DuxburyOpen July-Labor Day, Wed-Sun 1-4 p.m.

Capt. Gershom Bradford House 931 Tremont Street, DuxburyOpen July-Labor Day, Sun 1-4 p.m.

Newsletter design: Lois Wood Graphic Design, Duxbury, www.loiswood.com

Winter Events