A Study of Decorative Hand-Carving 
homes of the present day. Many of the old wood- 
carvings went under the ax, and new and modern 
fireplaces succeeded them. With the introduction 
of the furnace, fireplaces practically went out of use, 
and were closed up and 
forgotten. With the 
present craze for an¬ 
tiques, however, many 
of these have been re¬ 
opened and in some, 
interesting pieces have 
been found. 
The revival of Colo¬ 
nial tastes has brought 
the twentieth century 
house owner to a real¬ 
izing sense of the value 
of these old-time hand- 
carvings, and from 
many an old tumbled- 
down homestead have 
these features been re¬ 
moved, to serve in the 
homes of possible de¬ 
scendants. Replicas 
are often seen, and 
these, while bearing a 
striking resemblance 
to the seventeenth cen- 
tury work, yet lack 
materially the delicacy 
of touch and grace of 
design of the exquisite 
old woodwork. The 
awakening has come 
just in time. In the 
South, the old man¬ 
sions which once re¬ 
echoed with the sound 
of mirth, are fast fall¬ 
ing into decay. Since 
the close of the Civil 
War, and the breaking 
up of many homes, 
these fine old mansions 
have been put to me¬ 
nial uses, which has 
hastened this devas¬ 
tating work. In the North, however, the old land¬ 
marks have been treasured more carefully and in 
the old New England States, especially in Massa¬ 
chusetts, are found many fine examples of classic 
art both in exterior and interior decoration. 
Samuel Mclntire, designer, wood-carver and archi¬ 
tect, stands forth as one of the prominent old-time 
master workmen. His work has done much to make 
Salem, Massachusetts, his home town, famous, and 
there are still shown in many of the Colonial man¬ 
sions exquisite bits of his handiwork. The most 
elaborate of these is found in the Cadet Armory, 
which was once the home of Colonel Francis Pea¬ 
body, and where Prince Arthur of England was enter¬ 
tained. At the time of 
its erection, this house 
was considered the 
finest in the town. 
Surely the graceful¬ 
ness of the work can¬ 
not be excelled, and as 
an example of his rare 
skill, is beyond criti¬ 
cism. Phe severe cor¬ 
nice, the richness of 
treatment, the reserve 
and dignity shown, 
lend character to un¬ 
usual work. Adams 
had the greatest ad¬ 
miration for Mcln- 
tire’s conceptions, and 
speaks in the highest 
terms of his work. 
While many of the 
old fireplaces are of 
wood, yet marble is 
sometimes found. One 
of these magnificent 
marble mantles is 
shown in the home of 
Hon. David M. Little, 
Salem, having for its 
central carving the 
head of Bacchus,while 
ornamenting the panel 
on either side are rich 
carvings of grape vines. 
Pilasters stand in mon¬ 
umental e ff e c t and 
seemingly support the 
mantel in its place. 
Fine specimens of 
Mclntire’s beautiful 
and original handi¬ 
work are shown in 
many of Salem’s fine 
old porches, notably 
the porch of the Assembly House on Federal Street, 
where both General George Washington and General 
Lafayette were entertained. If one ever stopped to 
think of the old master wood-carvers, who made it 
their life work, and compare them with the skdled 
architectural workmen of to-day, they would suffer 
nothing by comparison, for it is the old masters 
who strike a reverberating chord untouched by the 
hand of moderns, and to their skill we are indebted 
for many of the best ideas of to-day. 
DOORWAY SHOWING MCINTIRE WOODWORK 
