﻿July, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  265 
  

  

  Sleepy 
  Hollow 
  chairs 
  and 
  fine 
  old 
  claw-foot 
  table 
  handsomely 
  

   carved, 
  the 
  morning-room 
  with 
  its 
  splendid 
  mirror, 
  its 
  old 
  

   mahogany 
  bookcase, 
  grandfather's 
  clock, 
  and 
  the 
  ladder- 
  

   back 
  chairs, 
  and 
  the 
  dining-room, 
  with 
  its 
  fine 
  mahogany 
  fur- 
  

   niture, 
  all 
  have 
  a 
  charm 
  which 
  is 
  most 
  delightful. 
  This 
  

   charm 
  is 
  further 
  enhanced 
  by 
  the 
  furnishings 
  of 
  the 
  sleeping- 
  

   rooms 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  floor. 
  Each 
  of 
  the 
  rooms 
  is 
  a 
  gem 
  in 
  

   itself, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  guest 
  rooms, 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  illustration, 
  

   is 
  especially 
  notable, 
  with 
  its 
  four-poster, 
  and 
  its 
  low-boy 
  

   used 
  for 
  a 
  dressing-table, 
  over 
  which 
  is 
  hung 
  a 
  Queen 
  Anne 
  

   mirror. 
  The 
  den 
  is 
  off 
  the 
  dining-room, 
  and 
  among 
  its 
  

   treasures, 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Chase 
  prizes 
  very 
  highly, 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  

   sign 
  which, 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  hung 
  over 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  a 
  cob- 
  

   bler's 
  shop, 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  is 
  inscribed, 
  with 
  yellow-painted 
  

   letters, 
  each 
  word 
  being 
  punctuated 
  by 
  a 
  period, 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  notice 
  : 
  

  

  SEerms. 
  strittlp. 
  cast). 
  

  

  JJo. 
  fearhleen. 
  iHabournetn. 
  

  

  igapmenta;. 
  3)t. 
  map. 
  be. 
  

  

  for. 
  pears, 
  anb. 
  it. 
  

  

  map. 
  be. 
  foreber. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Mr. 
  Chase's 
  house 
  and 
  walking 
  toward 
  the 
  north, 
  

   one 
  passes 
  the 
  old 
  Congregational 
  Church, 
  which 
  is 
  typical 
  

   of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  village 
  churches 
  of 
  New 
  England. 
  The 
  

   spire 
  is 
  its 
  crowning 
  glory, 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  external 
  beauty, 
  but 
  

   for 
  its 
  construction. 
  This 
  church 
  was 
  organized 
  October 
  13, 
  

   1652, 
  by 
  seven 
  of 
  the 
  foremost 
  townsmen, 
  who 
  afterward 
  

   were 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "Seven 
  Pillars 
  of 
  the 
  Church." 
  To 
  show 
  

  

  the 
  solemn 
  nature 
  of 
  these 
  men, 
  a 
  story 
  is 
  told 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  

   deacons 
  who 
  kept 
  a 
  shop, 
  Mr. 
  Samuel 
  Richards, 
  a 
  very 
  godly 
  

   man 
  of 
  Puritanic 
  ways, 
  who 
  deemed 
  it 
  necessary, 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  his 
  office, 
  to 
  appear 
  grave 
  and 
  solemn, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  

   when 
  a 
  boy 
  appeared 
  at 
  his 
  shop 
  one 
  morning, 
  he 
  became 
  

   frightened 
  by 
  the 
  solemnity 
  of 
  the 
  man, 
  instead 
  of 
  asking 
  for 
  

   a 
  pair 
  of 
  L-hinges, 
  he 
  demanded 
  of 
  the 
  horrified 
  deacon 
  a 
  

   pair 
  of 
  archangels. 
  Mr. 
  Richards 
  was 
  also 
  the 
  first 
  post- 
  

   master 
  in 
  Farmington, 
  and 
  the 
  "Connecticut 
  Courant" 
  re- 
  

   cords, 
  on 
  July 
  22, 
  1799, 
  "A 
  Post 
  Office 
  established 
  at 
  Farm- 
  

   ington 
  for 
  public 
  accommodation, 
  Samuel 
  Richards. 
  P. 
  M." 
  

   The 
  post 
  office 
  was 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  front 
  hall 
  of 
  his 
  house, 
  and 
  

   the 
  half 
  dozen 
  letters 
  which 
  some 
  times 
  accumulated 
  were 
  

   fastened 
  on 
  the 
  wall 
  with 
  tape. 
  

  

  Beyond 
  the 
  church 
  one 
  passes 
  many 
  fine 
  old 
  houses, 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  built 
  by 
  Gad 
  Cowles, 
  and 
  

   now 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  Henry 
  N. 
  Whittlesley. 
  The 
  old 
  house 
  

   is 
  built 
  of 
  brick, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  fine 
  entrance 
  and 
  portico 
  at 
  the 
  

   side. 
  The 
  chief 
  charm 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  however, 
  is 
  its 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  mantels. 
  The 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  front 
  drawing-room 
  is 
  carved 
  

   with 
  exquisite 
  delicacy 
  and 
  detail, 
  and 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  this 
  

   mantel 
  was 
  so 
  much 
  admired 
  by 
  the 
  committee 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  

   the 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  State 
  Building 
  for 
  the 
  World's 
  

   Fair 
  at 
  Chicago 
  that 
  a 
  replica 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  

   structure. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Colonial 
  law 
  each 
  town 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  keep 
  

   a 
  tavern 
  or 
  inn 
  for 
  the 
  entertainment 
  of 
  travelers, 
  and 
  Joseph 
  

   Root, 
  of 
  the 
  village, 
  was 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  town 
  to 
  attend 
  to 
  

   this 
  duty. 
  In 
  1691 
  an 
  inn 
  with 
  a 
  swinging 
  sign 
  offered 
  en- 
  

   tertainment 
  for 
  man 
  and 
  beast, 
  and 
  it 
  subsequently 
  became 
  

   what 
  is 
  to-day 
  the 
  Elm 
  Tree 
  Inn, 
  owned 
  and 
  conducted 
  by 
  

  

  Concluded 
  on 
  page 
  280 
  

  

  Byde-a-Whyle," 
  the 
  Summer 
  Home 
  of 
  Waldo 
  K. 
  Chase, 
  Esq., 
  Originally 
  Built 
  for 
  Major 
  Timothy 
  Cowles 
  in 
  1815 
  

  

  