Colonial Homes and Their Furnishings

In Short

Mary Harrod Northend takes readers on an architectural and decorative survey of New England’s early domestic heritage. Moving systematically from exterior structures and entryways into grand hallways, intimate parlors, and bedchambers, the text catalogs the woodwork, paper, furniture, glass, and metals that defined early American homes. Northend documents how European imports and domestic craftsmanship evolved together from simple survival tools into refined expressions of taste. By preserving the stories behind specific heirlooms—from pineapple pediments to pewter mugs—the book safeguards a tangible record of early American social history, trade, and domestic life.

The Story

The book opens with an investigation of early American residential design, tracking how basic domestic architecture shifted from early shelter into grand, enduring mansions. Northend establishes her survey in New England's historic coastal towns, where maritime commerce provided the wealth needed to erect ambitious homes. She examines the structural framing, rooflines, and majestic entryways of prominent dwellings, showing how European traditions were adapted to local materials and climates. Moving from the overall silhouette of the house to its primary threshold, the author explores doorways, carved pediments, and brass knockers, highlighting how these elements signaled the owner's status and hospitality.

From the threshold, the narrative guides the reader inside, beginning with broad central halls and sweeping staircases that structured domestic movement. Northend moves systematically through the interior spaces room by room, focusing on the fireplace as both the practical and visual center of the household. She details the transition from large open hearths fueled by giant logs to specialized Franklin stoves, hob grates, and decorative tiling. This evolution reflects broader industrial changes, including the discovery and eventual adoption of coal for domestic heating. Walls are similarly transformed in this account, progressing from bare, unplastered wood and painted surfaces to intricate, hand-printed scenic wall papers imported from England and France.

The survey then turns its focus to the furnishings that populated these rooms. Northend details the progression of furniture design, starting with primitive forms and settles before tracing the arrival of refined turned chairs, carved highboys, lowboys, and four-poster beds designed with heavy drapes to ward off drafty winters. Mirrors, tall case clocks, and delicate lighting apparatuses—ranging from pine-knot "candlewood" splinters to brass candlesticks—are systematically categorized to illustrate growing comfort and luxury.

In its final movement, the text focuses on portable decorative objects and tableware, including imported china, domestic glass, pewter, and fine silver. Northend charts the rise of global commerce through these household items, describing how foreign porcelain like Wedgwood and Lowestoft, along with commemorative glass flasks and engraved silver, filled New England cupboards. She concludes by showing how local silversmiths and artisans gradually established an American style, leaving behind labeled, highly prized heirlooms that continue to preserve the history of early American domestic culture.

How It Unfolds

The threshold of the home The text opens with an examination of historic New England architecture, highlighting grand mansions, heavy doorways, and brass knockers that marked the entryways of wealthy merchants and early governors.

Gardens and central halls Moving inside, the narrative explores old-fashioned posy plots and vine-covered arbors before stepping through the front entrance into wide central hallways featuring carved staircases and scenic wallpaper.

Hearth and heating The survey turns to the fireplace, detailing the progression from massive log-burning open hearths to Franklin stoves, tiled grates, and the eventual, slow adoption of coal fuel.

Furniture and bedchambers Interior furnishings are systematically categorized, tracing how crude early benches evolved into elaborate Chippendale chairs, massive highboys, and curtained four-poster beds meant to block winter drafts.

Objects and heirlooms The final movement examines household treasures, cataloging old-time clocks, candlewood lights, commemorative glass bottles, imported china, and fine silver stamped by early American craftsmen.

The People

The Merchant Builders Seafaring captains, merchants, and colonial leaders—such as Captain Joseph Peabody, Governor Benning Wentworth, and Thomas Poynton—drive the architecture of the book. Seeking refuge or displaying trade wealth, they construct expansive mansions, import carved ornamentation like brightly painted pineapple pediments, and fill their homes with foreign goods brought back in the holds of their trading ships.

The Master Craftsmen and Artisans Cabinetmakers, potters, and silversmiths represent the creative engine behind early domestic life. Master designers like Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton transform basic seating into fine art, while potters like Josiah Wedgwood and American silversmiths like John Hull, Jeremiah Dummer, and Paul Revere shape silver and clay into functional, beautifully rendered symbols of status.

The Early Settlers and Homemakers The early colonists and household residents manage the daily realities of domestic life. They spin flax into durable blue-and-white homespun bed hangings, gather pine-knot "candlewood" splinters to illuminate dark evenings, and carefully preserve family china and furniture through generations of continuous use.

In Its Own Voice

"The wonderfully good collection of antiques for which Salem is noted was of great interest to me, being owned by personal friends who kindly consented to allow me for the first time to go through their homes and pick out the cream of their inheritance."

"The earliest artificial light used by the colonist was candlewood, or pine torches."

"Only the identity of the maker is revealed by the hallmark on American silver."

What It's Really About

Beneath its detailed inventory of architecture and furniture, the book explores how material objects anchor human memory and cultural identity. Northend views everyday household items not merely as functional craft, but as physical evidence of historical change, global trade, and human devotion. The narrative examines how European artistic traditions were transplanted, adapted, and altered by American artisans working with local materials. By documenting the exact provenance of door knockers, wall papers, and silver beakers, the book argues that a society's values, social structures, and domestic aspirations are directly visible in the objects it chooses to build, display, and pass down to future generations.

Why Read It Today

This work offers an immersive window for readers interested in decorative arts, early American history, and historic preservation. Northend writes with clear, direct affection for her subject, bringing an insider's access to private New England collections that are rarely open to the public. Reading the text feels like taking a quiet, guided stroll through an extraordinarily well-curated historic house, where every piece of furniture, hearth tile, and silver pitcher carries a specific family story or local legend.

The reader must navigate a dry, highly detailed cataloging style typical of early twentieth-century antiquarian surveys. The narrative prioritizes itemized descriptions, lists of owners, and historical anecdotes over overarching narrative drama. Additionally, readers will encounter period attitudes that romanticize the colonial era, viewing early New England life through a nostalgic lens. Yet, for those fascinated by craftsmanship and the physical spaces of the past, the book remains a valuable, highly textured record of early American design. It leaves the reader with a heightened appreciation for the quiet durability of handmade things.