Myth and Memory: the Legacy of the John Hancock House
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MYTH AND MEMORY: THE LEGACY OF THE JOHN HANCOCK HOUSE by Rebecca J. Bertrand A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Material Culture Spring 2010 Copyright 2010 Rebecca J. Bertrand All Rights Reserved MYTH AND MEMORY: THE LEGACY OF THE JOHN HANCOCK HOUSE by Rebecca J. Bertrand Approved: __________________________________________________________ Brock Jobe, M.A. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Director of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Debra Hess Norris, M.S. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Every Massachusetts schoolchild walks Boston’s Freedom Trail and learns the story of the Hancock house. Its demolition served as a rallying cry for early preservationists and students of historic preservation study its importance. Having been both a Massachusetts schoolchild and student of historic preservation, this project has inspired and challenged me for the past nine months. To begin, I must thank those who came before me who studied the objects and legacy of the Hancock house. I am greatly indebted to the research efforts of Henry Ayling Phillips (1852- 1926) and Harriette Merrifield Forbes (1856-1951). Their research notes, at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts served as the launching point for this project. This thesis would not have been possible without the assistance and guidance of my thesis adviser, Brock Jobe. I am extremely grateful for his commitment to the project, excellent advice and careful edits. I am also indebted to Robert Mussey, Richard Nylander and Claire Dempsey for their encouragement and thoughtful insights. I especially thank Robert Mussey for all he taught me in the summer of 2009 and his continued interest in my research. The following institutions and staff aided in my research: Gigi Barnhill and Jaclyn Penny at the American Antiquarian Society, Adele Barbato at the Bostonian iii Society/Old State House Museum, Nancy Carlisle, Lorna Condon and Jeanne Gamble at Historic New England, Sarah Chasse and Dean Lahikainen at the Peabody Essex Museum, Mary Robinson at the Quincy Homestead, Kelly Cobble at the Adams National Historic Park, Maureen O’Brien at the Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design, Margi Hofer and Jill Slaight at the New-York Historical Society, Dr. Deidre Martin at the University of South Carolina Aiken, Elaine Doran at the Lexington Historical Society, Randall Griffey at the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston Athenaeum, the Boston Public Library, Skinner, Inc., Sotheby’s, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Laura Feych Sprague and Ron Bourgeault. Many thanks to the staff of the Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust: Executive Director Mark Smith, Education Director Erica Max and Buildings and Ground Staff Dave Cafaro whose help in the initial stages of my research helped this thesis get off the ground. My academic growth is the result of the attentiveness of many patient individuals who provided me with training and mentorship. I thank Dr. James C. Garman and Dr. Catherine W. Zipf for encouraging me to think creatively about preservation, architecture and material culture. I am additionally grateful to the support offered by J. Ritchie Garrison, Rosemary Krill, Greg Landrey, Susan Newton, Helena Richardson, Emily Guthrie and Pauline and Jim Eversmann. Without the help, encouragement and good humor of Jeanne Solensky, this project certainly never would have reached completion. iv During the duration of this project, the insight and encouragement offered to me by my classmates, family and friends has been invaluable. I offer many thanks to my professional colleagues and dear friends, Winterthur fellows in the classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011. I am forever grateful for many late night conversations with my classmates, especially Cheryl-Lynn May, Tim Andreadis and Kate LaPrad. Finally, I must thank my family for their unending love and support. To my brothers Tim, Ted and Ben, thank you for supporting my academic pursuits. I could not thank my parents enough for cultivating my passion for history. My education is the result of every burying ground, museum, historic house and antique store visit on a Bertrand family adventure. Thank you to my father, Joe Bertrand, who is the most valuable “research assistant” anyone could ever ask for. Finally, to my mother, Nancy Bertrand- one day I only hope to become half the historian that you are. Your commitment to local history and preservation has always inspired and guided me. Rebecca Bertrand Wilmington, Delaware, 16 April 2010 v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................vii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCITION........................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORIOGRAPHY....................................................................... 5 Architectural Significance.................................................................................. 6 Architectural Significance to the Colonial Revival............................................ 9 Hancock Estate’s Significance in Boston’s Development ............................... 10 The Hancock House’s Significance to the Historic Preservation Movement................................................................................................ 12 Hancock House Contents ................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER THREE: CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOUSE........................................... 19 CHAPTER FOUR: THE ARCHITECTURAL MEMORY OF THE HANCOCK HOUSE........................................................................................ 30 CHAPTER FIVE: CHRONOLOGY OF HANCOCK HOUSE FURNISHINGS ....... 44 1737-1764: Thomas Hancock’s Ownership ..................................................... 45 1764-1793: John Hancock’s Ownership .......................................................... 50 1793-1817: Captain James Scott and Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott’s Ownership................................................................................................ 58 1817-1863: Ownership by Hancock Descendents............................................ 59 CHAPTER SIX: DISPERSAL OF FURNISHINGS FROM THE HANCOCK HOUSE............................................................................................................. 63 Auction Sale: 1793 ........................................................................................... 65 Auction Sale: 1817 ........................................................................................... 69 Auction Sale: 1830 ........................................................................................... 70 Auction Sale: 1837 ........................................................................................... 73 Auction Sale: 1863 ........................................................................................... 76 Inheritance of Hancock Objects ....................................................................... 77 CHAPTER SEVEN: MODES OF COMMEMORATION .......................................... 80 Reappropriated Materials ................................................................................. 80 Modified Objects.............................................................................................. 83 Modes of Commemoration: Forgotten Provenance ......................................... 86 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION........................................................................... 89 APPENDIX A: REFERENCED IMAGES .................................................................. 96 APPENDIX B: CATALOG OF FURNITURE AND REFERENCED ITEMS ....... 141 Notes to the Catalog ....................................................................................... 141 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 222 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. A Perspective View of Part of the Commons, 1768, reprinted 1902, Christian Remick. Courtesy Isaac Davenport House, Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust…………………………………………………...…..97 Figure 2. View of the Seat of His Excellency John Hancock, Esq., Boston. Image: from engraving by Hill, in the Massachusetts Magazine, July 1789………98 Figure 3. Watercolor of Brewer and Beebe Townhouses, c. 1917. Courtesy of Historic New England…………………………………………………………99 Figure 4. Plaque Commemorating Site of Hancock House, Beacon Street, Boston. September 2009. Photograph by Author……………………………100 Figure 5. John Hancock Exhibit, Hancock Building 1961-1962. Courtesy of Historic New England……………………………………………...……...…101 Figure 6. John Hancock Exhibit, Hancock Building 1961-1962. Courtesy of Historic New England……………………………………………………...... 102 Figure 7. John Hancock Exhibit, Hancock Building 1961-1962. Courtesy of Historic New England………………………………………………...……..