34 NORTH SHORE BREEZE amd Reminder 
NORTH SHORE FIGURE-HEADS 
By Mary Harrod Northend a 
qpee recent war rumors 
awaken an interest in 
warships and their history. 
This is particularly true re- 
garding the old warships that 
fifty years ago rode the waves 
wearing on their prows gilt 
insignias, symphonies of gold 
and white. The figure-head, 
as this is familiarly termed, 
has been in use ever since the 
days of Cleopatra. It was 
adopted by almost every coun- 
try in the -world, reaching 
America when Columbus came 
with his little fleet of ships. 
While this ornamentation, 
which has been in use for cen- 
turies, is now a thing of the 
past, owing to the order of the 
Hon. von L. Meyer when See- 
retary of the Navy, who 
thought it a target drawing 
the guns of the enemy towards 
the ship, yet there are still to 
be found along the North 
Shore, emblems that once 
adorned the oldtime ships. 
Many of these figure-heads, 
each bearing its own interest- 
ing history, are to be found in 
the garden of Mr. R. S. Peabody, a noted architect at 
Peach’s Point, Marblehead; and on the estate of Mrs. 
Chester Dane. are still shown unique speciment of this 
old-time art. There are probably no finer collections 
in existence than those shown at Marblehead. Into 
this harbor doubtless many an old warship has sailed 
and even within recent years as they rounded the point 
who knows but the call of the figure-head might have 
met them as they passed the Dane garden which bor- 
ders the harbor. 
The ‘‘ Western Belle’’ is one of the old figure-heads 
that has been preserved by Mr. Peabody. It is a large, 
full length figure of a woman carved by a man who 
doubtless knew his art. It once graced the _ ship, 
‘“Western Belle,’’ which was built at Bath, Maine, as 
late as 1876. The design was carried out by one Samp- 
son who was perhaps one of the best known figure- 
head artists in the state. The left arm of the woman 
is outstretched, the left hand holding carelessly a few 
spears of wheat. With her right hand she gracefully 
holds up her skirt while a curl falls over her shoulder. 
It is said that the grace of this figure attracted the 
attention of a South Sea islander who sent an order 
back for a full set of idols. 
Another of the old figure-heads was the ‘‘Indian 
Prinecess,’’? a graceful full length figure once adorn- 
ing a clipper, while the third of interest is ‘‘Marie,’’ 
a wonderful graceful wooden image that had an in- 
teresting peculiarity. This lay in the arm which was 
detachable, being removed while at sea and screwed 
on when nearing port. 
This scheme was often employed with -delicate 
carving and more especially on the old warships. It 
was true in the case of ‘‘The Glory of the Sea,’’ the 
Figure-head of the Old Clipper ‘‘Western Belle’’ at 
R. S. Peabody Garden, Marblehead 
image of a woman whose ex- 
tended arms holding a trumpet 
were detached and _ stowed 
away once they had left port, 
and also with the wings of the 
‘*Cyclone.’’ 
On the Dane estate we find 
standing out from under the 
eaves of the house a very 
graceful representation of a 
woman. This was taken from 
a Newburyport ship and has 
been there practically ever 
since the house was built by 
Mrs. Dane’s mother, Mrs. 
Grace Oliver, who gave the 
name ‘‘Wharf House’’ to the 
estate. This was from the fact 
that originally there was an 
old wharf here from which 
during the days of the grand 
bank fisheries, many a_ ship 
left, some never to return. 
It is not known surely 
whether fishing vessels bore on 
their prows figure-heads or not, 
but it is a notable fact that 
half a century ago not a mer- 
chantman left port, more es- 
pecially in the days of com- 
mercial prosperity, that did 
not wear figureheads proudly perched on its prow and 
often repeated on the stern. Those used in Mar- 
blehead, if there were any, have not come down to 
history, except the ones shown on these two estates, 
but in Salem scarcely a ship left port that was not 
ornamented. 
The owners of these ships often vied with each 
other as to who should excel in ornamentation. There 
were often figures of their wives or sweethearts, and 
sometimes of the owners themselves. Joseph True 
was one of the most prominent of these carvers of wood, 
men being hired expressly for this purpose. 
The cost of the figure-heads varied with the wealth 
of the owners and was usually very high. In the ear- 
lier days yellow-paint. was not in existence for this 
purpose and therefore gold-leaf had to be used. A 
bust of Elias Hasket Derby covered with the gold-leaf 
riaterial adorned one of the ships and was most ex- 
pensive. It braved the fury of the gale until one day 
it loosened, falling to the bottom of the sea and was 
never seen again. 
Another statue, this a red-gowned figure-head, an 
emblem of a Salem ship, was ‘‘The Witch,’’ while from 
Beverly a most emblematic insignia was shown. The 
latter represented a large beanpot filled with beans 
and underneath were the words in large letters ‘‘Bev- 
erly.’’ One questions if the captain of this ship could 
be the same one who put up a signal of distress when 
nine days from land and on being approached to find 
out the cause, replied there were only two barrels of 
beans left on board. 
In addition to the full length figure of the Dane 
house in Marblehead there is shown over the porch an 
eagle, while at the entrance to the veranda is a won- 
Pigs Sige 
