Daniel Webster Family Home
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The Daniel Webster Family Home, also known as The Elms, is a historic house off South Main Street in West Franklin, New Hampshire. The house has been designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
for its importance as the summer home of
Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...
(1782–1852), who owned it from 1829 until his death.


History

Daniel Webster's father, Ebenezer, bought the property in 1800, while Daniel was a student at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
. The property passed in 1806 to Daniel and his older brother Ezekiel, and Ezekiel alone in 1813. Ezekiel died in 1829, at which time Daniel inherited it. The Elms served as an "experimental farm" and "vacation retreat" for Webster while he lived in
Marshfield, Massachusetts Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore. The population was 25,825 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It includes the census-designated places ...
, and the land was a gravesite for his parents, as well as several brothers and sisters. and   The property was sold by Webster's son Fletcher in 1855 to Rufus Tay, a merchant, who added the three-story portion of the building in 1858. In 1871, the property was purchased to serve as an
orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
, and was used for that purpose until 1958. The property is now part of the Webster Place Recovery Center, a substance abuse program of Easter Seals New Hampshire, which treats those recovering from alcohol and drug addiction."History of Webster Place", Webster Place Recovery Center
/ref> It was declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1974.


Description

The main block of the house is a -story wood-frame structure, sheathed in clapboards, and topped with a
gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof c ...
. It is five bays wide, with a center entry that is flanked by pilasters, and topped by a five-pane
transom window In architecture, a transom is a transverse horizontal structural beam or bar, or a crosspiece separating a door from a window above it. This contrasts with a mullion, a vertical structural member. Transom or transom window is also the customary ...
and cornice. The interior of the house consists of two rooms on each floor, divided by a central chimney, whose top has been removed (and thus does not project above the roof anymore). The downstairs left room was divided to provide a kitchen space. The older part of the house is dominated visually by a large addition on the east side of the building, which was probably added when the property was adapted for use as an orphanage.


See also

* Daniel Webster Birthplace *
Daniel Webster Law Office The Daniel Webster Law Office and Library, also known as Daniel Webster Law Office, is a National Historic Landmark on the grounds of the Isaac Winslow House at 64 Careswell Street in Marshfield, Massachusetts. The office was built in 1832 for ...
*
Thomas–Webster Estate The Thomas–Webster Estate is a historic estate at 238 Webster Street in Marshfield, Massachusetts. It is most notable for its association with the politician and statesman Daniel Webster, who owned a large (more than ) property in Marshfield ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire New Hampshire currently has 24 National Historic Landmarks; the most recent addition was Lucknow (Castle in the Clouds) in Moultonborough added in 2024.National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Merrimack County, New ...


References


External links


Daniel Webster Birthplace State Historic Site
west of "The Elms" along
New Hampshire Route 127 New Hampshire Route 127 (abbreviated NH 127) is a north–south state highway in central New Hampshire. The highway runs from Hopkinton, New Hampshire, Hopkinton in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County northward to Sanbornton, New ...

Webster Place Recovery Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Daniel, Family Home National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Houses completed in 1800 Franklin, New Hampshire Houses in Merrimack County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Family Home 1800s establishments in New Hampshire Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers Easterseals (U.S.)