Write of passage

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 5, 2003 | by Carma Wadley Deseret Morning News

"She unlatches the door to one house and . . . all find it is their own house which they enter," wrote Cyrus Bartol of Louisa May's works. You share that feeling at Orchard House, where Louisa May lived until her death in 1888.

How gently, too, did the sight of the Old Manse . . . best seen from the river, overshadowed with its willows, and all environed about with the foliage of its orchard and avenue -- how gently did its gray, homely aspect rebuke the speculative extravagances of the day! -- Nathaniel Hawthorne

At first glance, the Old Manse looks more barn than manor house; but it has a rich and varied history. It was built in 1770 for the Reverend William Emerson, grandfather of Ralph Waldo. The minister, also a patriot, was one of the first to respond to the cry of alarm in April of 1775. His wife, Phebe, watched the famous battle at the bridge from an upstairs window.

William joined the Continental Army and died of "camp fever," leaving his wife and five children. Phebe later married the new minister, Ezra Ripley, and they continued to live in the house.

In 1834, Ezra invited his step-grandson, Ralph Waldo, to live at the house. Ralph's first wife had died of consumption, and he was just returning from the European trip he took for his health. And it was here that he started work on his first collection of essays.

After the Ripleys died, Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne came to live at the Old Manse -- directly from their wedding in Boston. As a wedding present, Thoreau planted a vegetable garden for them.

The Hawthornes lived here "the three happiest years" of their lives -- and obviously felt right at home. On the upstairs window panes, you will see some graffiti etched by Sophia. And Nathaniel's desk remains -- built to face the wall so he would not be distracted while at work.

Here, Nathaniel wrote stories and essays that were gathered into a book called "Mosses from the Old Manse."

For more of the Hawthorne story, you will need to venture on to Salem, about an hour or so to the east. There you'll find the House of Seven Gables, which inspired one of Hawthorne's most famous novels. It is also his birthplace.

The gabled house belonged to Hawthorne's cousin, and he was always fascinated by it. It was built in 1668 by John Turner, one of Salem's early millionaire ship captains. The house has been restored to those earlier days. One of the most interesting features is a secret staircase that led from the kitchen to an attic chamber.

The dark wood gives the house a spooky look -- or maybe the sinister aura of Hawthorne's story hangs over it. Anyway, there is plenty of scope for imagination.

The house where Hawthorne was born in 1804 has been moved to this location from nearby Union Street. A number of other historic houses make a mini-historic village. If you have time, stop for lemonade and scones in the rose arbor. Even if roses aren't blooming, you get a pretty view of the Salem harbor.

After their sojourn at the Old Manse, Nathaniel and Sophia returned to Salem, where he took a job at the customs house to supplement his income, until "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of Seven Gables" ensured his literary fame.