404 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS June, 1906 
"Don Quixote" Wall Paper in a Salem House 
soldiers and the Colonists at the time of Leslie’s 
retreat. 
Federal Street took its name from a_ popular 
hymn which was written by Hon. Henry K. Oliver, 
of Salem. Here he founded his home. In one of 
the rooms is retained a wonderfully fine wall paper. 
It has a background of red on which are thrown 
Venetian scenes in brown and white. This has been 
carefully treasured and is the admiration of con- 
noisseurs in decorative wall papers. 
Following the sea, one comes to the maritime 
town of Newburyport. Here one finds most interest- 
ing Colonial relics along this particular line. ‘The 
Old Ladies’ Home was once the house of William 
Wheelwright, who first spanned the Andes by rail. 
In one room is an old paper, done in brown and white, 
fine castellated scenes. ‘This paper has been much 
sought after by modern manufacturers in_ this 
country, who seize every chance possible to reproduce 
the old-time landscape patterns. 
At the time of the French Revolution, a little band 
of refugees of noble birth came to this seaport town. 
Some of them settled here, others pressing on, made 
a home for themselves in Rocks Village, near Haver- 
hill, Mass. One of these, Count Francis De Vipart, 
fell in love with a village maid, who became the first 
countess in America. In this humble home, in the 
simple country town, is still shown to the tourist a 
historic wall paper. Singularly enough, vandalism 
has been unknown and the hanging is as fresh to-day 
as when it was first placed upon the wall. It is gray in 
coloring and represents scenes in Venetian life. It is a 
conspicuous feature of the house, lining the walls of the 
hallway on the entrance floor. 
New England illustrates this wall decoration in a 
noted home in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. This is a 
large, square, Colonial house, which was built by Gov- 
ernor Benjamin Pierce, father of the fourteenth presi- 
dent of the United States, Franklin Pierce. The room 
which contains this landscape paper, was once the scene 
of royal festivity, for here, during the time of its oc- 
cupancy by this distinguished family, were gathered 
noted men from every land. ‘The occupants of this old 
mansion, now degenerated to a boarding-house, have 
carefully retained its historic hangings, and it is to-day 
as fresh and untarnished as when it looked down upon 
the guests at martial and political gatherings. 
Fortunately before the destruction of all these wall 
papers the fashion had turned backwards and with the 
revival of the love for antiques many which would 
have been destroyed have been carefully treasured. 
Some, too far gone for preservation, have been torn 
from the walls, and, like pictures, framed and hung 
again. It is these rare and choice designs that carry 
one back to old days and, in picture, one relives the 
days of the old English hunt, enters the country seats, 
partakes of hospitality and rejoices that vandalism has 
not destroyed all of the artistically papered Colonial 
homes. 
Not only should these old wall papers be sought for 
and their preservation encouraged, but they are worthy 
of study by all who are interested in the revival of the 
Colonial style. The true Colonial room in the modern 
A Good Example of an Old Castellated Wall Paper 
