The Country Lady Antiques :

 

TOUR PAGE~

 

 

WELCOME TO OUR

TOUR PAGE~

Thank you for visiting~

BELOW TAKE A TOUR OF OUR GARDENS FOLLOWED BY A TOUR INSIDE OF OUR 18thc. NEW ENGLAND CAPE~

email us at~

countryladyantiques@yahoo.com

 

 

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PLEASE NOTE~ We are not on Facebook.

The Country Lady Antiques on Facebook is an entirely different person and business.

As of Spring 2024 Gabby, our goose has been featured in 3 newspapers~

These lovely ladies had seen Gabby on several Facebooks. They knew we would be on 'walkies' in Wolfeboro this day, and came hoping to get a photo with her!

They are a bride and her bridesmaids. They came to celebrate together, and to see Gabby!

We took the picture with one of the ladies' phones and the newspaper then used this great photo in the article on Gabby the goose.

 

______________________

 

email us~

countryladyantiques@yahoo.com

 

SEE OUR STORY, AND TAKE A TOUR OF OUR 18th CENTURY HOME BELOW~

A FEW OF THE MANY LOVELY NOTES WE'VE RECEIVED...

We are humbled and grateful to have received many, many kind letters, and have added a few of them to our website. See the other pages of our site for several more.

 

MAY, 2024~

"Honest to pete you guys, your home and gardens are stunning. I recently watched a Youtube channel that features people's homes with similar antiques, but sincerely yours blows them out of the water!! They were nice, but no one seems to have captured the simplicity, bygone New England romance, or genuineness of your house. The fact that this is your true lifestyle and not something 'for show' is so appealing. Wondered why your home is missing from the Youtube lady's channel.

You two and your home are proof that it's not about the house size, or money, or the number of antiques someone has. It is about a rare feeling that one instantly gets looking at the photos on your site. LOVE everything that you have done so much."

Thank you,

K.H.

Patzman

"Adam and Mary,

I love the new look with the painting! You are both THE influencers. I have followed your adventures for years. You were the first to have a 17thc. bed (by far the best one I've seen), the first to have a hanging livery, wall aging, and so much more. You influenced everyone else who loves that early feel. You are so knowledgable and know exactly what to do. You are talented and authentic, and you do your own thing to perfection. You don't try to make a little New England home look like a manor house or a Plimoth 'hovel'. Your home is still the BEST.

Jan"

"Adam and Mary, You should not only be featured IN a book, you should write a book! Everything about you and your home is AMAZING!~L.M."

Have a good rest of the week

Kathleen P."

"For the past 19 years, I have felt that our home reflected my absolute joy in living in our brown half cape in Canterbury.  I know it does. However, touring your site this morning makes me feel that I have been surpassed.  Now I need to get going again with a project. Your site is so inspiring!!!! Seeing your projects and how they reflect your sincere joy of life makes me inspired to gather some energy and add to my little piece of heaven.   Thank you again for sharing.    ~Sue B."

A REALLY NICE EMAIL WE RECEIVED FROM 'COUNTRY GENTLEMEN', BOB AND STEVEN~

"Love looking at your website Mary. You guys are incredibly hard workers.  We must not have been online when your hourglass was first posted. Wish we would have seen it. Sorry it got sold. We have started collecting them and yours was a fine example. If you ever get another one, please let us know. Again, your house and yard looks beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing.

May 30, 2021~

May 27, 2021~

"A belated Happy Anniversary!  I’ve been enjoying the pictures on your website and drooling!  Everything looks amazing inside and outside!  You must be happy for Spring weather so you can garden again!  We have been having A LOT of rain but, I still manage to work in my gardens.  We are amazed how lush everything is after a horrible Arctic blast in February, rare low temperatures.  Your stone path to front door is perfect, job well done (as usual)!  Your compost bins are great, wonderful idea to use pallets.  Wood has become so expensive as has many other things.  Have a fantastic summer and, thank you for sharing your talents with us.  May you have many more happy healthy years together.

Wiegard"

January, 2021~

"Dear Mary...I remember your candlelit dinner so well...it was magical...My husband and I came to your lovely home for my birthday present.  I had found your website many years ago ....your home was my dream home.  Everything about your home, your antiques, your taste was absolutely breathtaking...I was so excited to actually come to your home and have a delicious dinner....and it was the home I loved....such a moment in my life that I will always hold dear to me...thank you, dale"

"You two are an example of "getting along" in this depressing time. Your doings and pictures are positive enlightenments. (I don't think that is even a word, but you get my meaning).  Have fun with your growing family.   Sue Batchelder."

March 17, 2020

"Thank you, Mary, and good wishes to you and Adam, as well.

Your newsletters and photos about your animals and life on your wonderful old homestead help make things better and bring some good cheer in this crazy new world. Please keep them coming......they are a breath of fresh air!

Stay well.

Freddi"

"Jan. 13, 2020~

Oh thank you so much! I need more interesting  books and videos to read and watch during these long winter days. History is one of my favorites. I've said this before, you really have a gift for writing!!! Have you ever considered writing your memories in a book?  You are an exceptional woman with an adventure to tell. I remember one of my favorite stories, when you had a blog ,was how you and Adam met...along with EVERTHING  you wrote about!

Hope you have a grand day!!I

Your newsletter friend Kathleen P."

Hello Mary , 

Jan 4, 2020~

"Dear Mary,

I cannot express how very much I enjoy reading about your homestead and your animals.  I think that is so true of so many.  You and Adam have done so much work on your home and it encourages others to try to do the same...you inspire.  Your period home is a dream to me and others, so we live through you... 

  You are in another chapter....I wish you both a blessed New Year and good health for you both...Take care of each other and enjoy those little animals....I send my love,  dale

P.S.  It broke my heart to hear of your little Yorkie passing...I too had a Yorkie and they are so adorable...

Your little Pippa is darling and Im sure will keep you laughing and busy:)"

"December, 2019~What a lovely newsletter! You have such a talent for writing and I imagined it all as I read. I truly am happy for you two and all your little pets!!  So
sorry to hear of the loss of your little Deladis ,always such a sad thing. I know your new little Pippa  will bring you much happiness. She is  adorable!  I so loved the photos you put up of your ducks and goose, and  chicken girls in their little red scarves. How can one not smile at that!     
Here's a big wish for you two, that 2019 will be grand and wonderful and a very Merry Christmas!!!I

Your newsletter friend:  Kathleen P."

"Mary and Adam, You guys teach everyone else out there how to 'do it right'! Your talent and taste is impeccable...JAY"

"Thank you for sharing your lovely dinner with me . Mary you are so special with so much to offer in life and full of love.....Maryann Stolar"

"Ahh...so many people seem to be jumping on a 'Pilgrim' bandwagon now. You guys are true originals, and no one does the early feel as beautifully and authentically as you do. You truly have created an early home with so much heart and soul...~Sue"

"Wow, you have made my day!

Wow Mary,  I just looked at those beautiful windows and your new pictures, and the house just looks fantastic!  I did not think it could look any more awesome than it did but the recent projects are just simply wonderful!  I am enjoying my items I bought from you and just wish you and Adam a Happy Thanksgiving!  Kindly, 

Sally Spaulding, Hazard Primitives."

"Dear Mary,

...I love that you have the most wonderful, well chosen antiques and have kept it simple, without the clutter I see in other homes. Your home is my favorite of all time---perfect, and you and Adam are so talented, and always unique and a class act all the way. Kathy M."

"Mare,

 ...Nothing can come close to your and Adam's home, both of you are so talented and pay so much attention to detail that it makes me so happy, and I can dream in it all.  Thank you so much for allowing me to enjoy seeing it anytime...M.D."

"...Country Lady Antiques. Please pop in to this wonderful website. You could not wish to meet two nicer 16th-17th century enthusiasts.

~V., From the UK"

"Oh my goodness! The decorations, the food, your fabulous home, the darling chickens, ducks and goose in their winter attire...all so incredibly WONDERFUL!

THANK YOU! And best wishes for a very joyous Christmas and happy New Year.

Freddi"

"...You are both amazing! Why aren't you two and your fantastic home in every magazine out there?!~K.B."

Written by Joy Henson, 2014. For Mary and Adam when they got the beautiful table~

I do feel like a lucky subscriber! Happy to get another newsletter! Felt like I was on  a walk with you two picking berries. I was a fan of your blog and really loved your stories about coming to New England, working on your house, how you met Adam , your beautiful wedding...all of it. Unfortunately, I was visiting your blog on my work computer and was not able to comment. I did not have a home computer at that time.  I have retired , since that time and of  course have a computer...no facebook or blog ....
I just felt compelled to tell you how much I enjoy everything on your site. I must tell you I tried the green bean tomato salad . Our beans and tomatoes are in abundance right now in my  Minnesota garden. It was wonderful .....a big hit at my family cookout!!!

Have a good rest of the week

Kathleen P.

...Your home is my favorite of all I have seen in New England. You are both so genuine and gracious, and your home exudes something special that I can't put my finger on. It's not about being big, or about lots of money---It's about a feeling. There is something mighty special about your little cape in New Hampshire. I agree with other's here---You both have exquisite and unerring taste, as well as historical knowledge, admirable dedication, and so much talent. You really have created a home, and someplace that visitors never want to leave... T. R.

...Adam and Mary, you guys are a class act---the best!~A.R.

Oh, Mary - it all looks WONDERFUL!!!  You both must be on cloud nine!!!  I wish for you a beautiful New England fall.  Thank you so much for sharing your life with me.  Blessings - Cathy Mc Quinn

I am so pleased to have found your wonderful site. I am a history major who has participated in many reenactments.  Many of my family members fought in the American Revolution. People in the Midwest think I am crazy. I would love to live your kind of life and might even marry again could I find a like minded gentleman. I  look forward to seeing more of your pictures, antiques, reproductions, and information of the period.

August 23, 2022~ We made the local newpaper!

About a month before we had been tending the bees in the bee meadow and someone driving by stopped and asked if they could take our picture. They submitted it to the local paper and came over today to bring us copies and tell us we were featured on page 2.

We hope more people will try beekeeping, and maybe our bee club will get more members as well~

Gabby goose.

July, 2023

The bridge we built~A summer day.

The 'mini' pond.

The bridge in fall.

 

EARLY JULY ON OUR OLD HOMESTEAD~

Gabby the goose, 3 weeks old.

The 'big pond'.

The area of turnip greens I sowed for the ducks and goose.

Gabby. 3 weeks old this day.

Yum!

Gabby's 2 week birthday~

She's huge! Goslings grow so fast!

She celebrated by stuffing herself with young turnip greens that I planted for the ducks and goose...

Then she went for a swim in the 'mini pond'.

Planting peas in a box we made for under an old branch gate we also made years ago and repurposed here.

This is the ink stamp we're using on our duck egg cartons for selling them, along with our own labels we designed.

I love the one of a kind herb signs that Adam made and hand lettered in authentic Elizabethan script as a gift for me several years ago. He has made over 50 0f them for all my historic plants. They are done on cedar wood and are now nicely aged.

I'm so proud of Adam. He carved our initials in period font on a stone bordering our pond and blackened them.

I think it's beautiful!

See our PROJECTS PAGE.

Gabby goose, 5 weeks old.

Summer

Spend a day at the ocean on a beach in Maine. Stop and pick up a couple live lobsters from off a fishing boat. Throw them on the BBQ at home. Some corn on the cob too. Eating outside on the newspaper-covered picnic table, the fairy lights on the bakeoven adding the perfect ambiance...

Handmade winnowing basket on porch wall.

Gabby and some of her gal pals

My rare white comfrey is now 5 feet tall. I have several more of these plants from this one.

May 2023~ All of my cowslip plants are blooming again~

Trellis we made with perennial climbing rose on it.

Our tandem bike. We've had it for many years and love taking rides on country roads.

Duckling girls, Harlie and Quinn

spring

 

Chickpea

Tilly

Rosie

summer

Gabby loves the fountain pool.

 

May 2022~ Hive number 2.

More bees!

A great 'find', Summer 2021

The other day we saw what was obviously a hand cut corner of a piece of granite sticking out of the dirt in our sideyard.

I have been here 23 years and it was never visible until now...We dug it up and it was this gorgeous tapered granite post!

We can only imagine who it belonged to, how old it is and how long it's been buried in the ground, and what it was used for...

I found an 'aged stone' sundial top.

We glued it to the post top with stone adhesive.

What a great feature.

It now has a place by the 'mini' duck pond and the new hops frame we built~

May, and the hops are happily starting to climb up their new trellis panel.

Gabby at 6 weeks old.

Heirloom beans from the 1500's climbing on a trellis we made.

Hannah

September meadow.

 

Project~

Replacing 3 old broken down woven willow hurdles in the back kitchen potager garden with THREE new cedar picket double gates.

DIY WITH DADDY~

Gabby the goose loves helping and being around us.

Gabby and Pippa actually love each other.

Pippa

Gabby, 6 weeks old.

Taking a break for some homemade lemonade with mint from our garden.

It's a scorching hot July day...

Finished on one side of the garden~

The cedar will age soon and match the rest of the fence.

The finished gate at the opposite side of the potager.

Good job, Gabby!

For sale...

If you love the MAKE-DO HANGER we crafted from an 18thc. New Hampshire hinge from a local home, and a piece of an 18thc. beam from a local barn, SEE OUR ANTIQUES PAGES.

We had another hinge and made one FOR SALE~

New exterior nest boxes that we built.

There is now a lot more space in the coop.

We were eating our lunch outside in our chairs when up on the hill we saw this squirrel having lunch as well!

Who knew squirrels ate mushrooms?

We grabbed the camera and used the zoom to take these photos of the little guy chowing down.

The mill just down from our home. Our house was the "mill cottage" in the 18th century. The mill is still in operation today; Now a world renowned 'shutter mill' making custom millwork for historical homes and buildings, it was featured on PBS 'This Old House' many years ago.

The new trellis we built for climbing garden plants, and wound a long grapevine garland on it.

We have built every one of our trellises, designing and fashioning them from trees we cut in the woods out back.

Mayflower, the opera-loving pet Pilgrim goose.

We will cherish every day we had with you and every memory.

Spring~We're selling lots of eggs...

Hen's eggs.

Duck eggs.

We designed all our own packaging. We painted adorable signs for at the end of the driveway, to catch people's attention. (See signs below on this page.)

We have a table set up near the road, with the signs. The eggs are in a large basket. There's an old iron pot for customers to leave their payment.

We got this wonderful, old-school, authentic oilcloth tablecloth from England, featuring the iconic 'Harriet the hen' to cover our egg-selling table~

Cutie collecting nest making materials from my hanging woven vine 'bird ball'.

No flimsy plastic 'kiddie pool' for our girls~

We built their lovely 'mini' pond. (We also then built the 'big pond')***

~See what we did and how we did it on our

PROJECTS PAGE.

Removable easy-clean 'poop tray'

Spring~

The chicken run is 1/2 inch hardware cloth for safety. We built the twig trellis at the south end.

Sumer in the potager.

Mint growing wild around a staddle stone in the potager garden.

Decorated for HM's Platinum Jubilee~June 2022

Different perennial cottage flowers bloom in front at different times of the spring and summer.

Early antique watering can.

game cam-

The potager kitchen garden.

We started this garden years ago from scratch. Digging it out, building the fence ourselves and doing 'companion planting'---Flowers, herbs, and veggies.

We finished our 3-bay compost set-up out of pallets we salvaged for free.

See more on the PROJECTS page.

The trellis we built at the end of the compost bins.

We used interesting branches from the woods.

June 7~ The hens love their new treat toy!

They peck at it and it sways back and forth and treats come out of small holes all around it.

April 2, 2022

PROJECT~
We had built a wall of tall, thin tree trunk poles for our hops plants about 7 years ago, but the other day it fin

---

Poppy

We designed and built all of our rustic arbors and trellises.

Spring~The old brush fence at the top of the hill.

The hill is covered with all kinds of wildflowers all summer.

This window is on the back of the house, in the taproom and overlooking our fenced, period kitchen garden...

March, 2021~I found this pair of 16thc. shutters...

The dimensions just happen to fit our window.

I was chuffed to have installed them myself on the exterior of the house.

Adam thought I did an amazing job!

See PROJECTS page also.

August 12~ We finally got the third gate built for our potager garden.

There are gates on 3 sides.

I made fresh herb and berry ice cubes as a treat for our chickens on hot days~

Our duck egg labels that we designed.

Adam painted this sign to sell our duck eggs...

Great job honey!

...Our Jemima was his inspiration.

~So adorable~

March, 2023~We love you and miss you so much, Jemima duck.

 

December 7, 2019~ We got our new little puppy and named her Pippa!

'My little goose coop'~

Goose/duck coop that we designed and built together from scratch.

Running underground electricity to the goose coop and putting lighting inside~

See more on our PROJECTS Page.

Radio/cassette player in the goose coop~"Mayflower's Top 40"

Electricity in the goose coop.

June 2024

The new 'goose run'

See how we built it ourselves on our PROJECTS PAGE.

See our PROJECT PAGE.

 

Come on inside the goose coop...

The entire floor in this coop is covered with faux stone sheet vinyl for easy cleaning.

Goose eggs are huge.

June 2, 2023~

Hannah passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was over 7 years old.

We loved you Hannah. Rest in peace---Best hen ever.

Charlotte

Remembering Mayflower. 5/27/23 Rest in peace.

So many wonderful memories...

Gone tragically too soon.

Rest in peace, our darling girl.

2019~2023

May~The woad in full bloom.

Hen party.

2024~A run addition to the goose coop.

SEE OUR

PROJECTS PAGE~

 

'My little goose coop'~

Goose/duck coop we built from scratch...

See our PROJECTS page.

 

Inside a small area of the chicken run there is a swing we made for them.

See more on our PROJECTS page.

16thc. shutters~

Pilgrim geese are a heritage breed that are becoming rare.

Jemima.

Both gone but never forgotten...

Some of our hens in our little meadow.

Handbuilt post and beam shed with a loft and divided 'Dutch' door.

The small coop right alongside it is for future baby chicks, or for sick or broody hens.

Hill out back with our old brush fence.

No modern herb signs for us...Adam made over 50 all cedar herb signs for me and hand lettered each one in authentic Elizabethan script~

sunbathing.

Our steep back hill is covered with all kinds of wildflowers that bloom all summer.

Jemima and Charlotte. Summer afternoon nap.

We built these doors from cedar.

My cowslips

An unwelcome spring visitor...

2022~ After a BEAR attacked our beehives, the two of us built an electric fence in the bee meadow, June 2022.

We built an electric fence in the bee meadow June 5, 2022.

After the bear attacked the hives in the middle of the night, he did trip the alarm and although he did damage, we were able to suit up and run out and save most of the bees, and the queen bee.

With the new fence inside of the regular fence, any bear that comes in now will get a terrific shock, and not be back.

Cedar herb signs handmade and painted by Adam in authentic Elizabethan script several years ago.

2022~The signs are now nicely weathered.

FOR SALE~

See our ANTIQUES 1 page.

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At a local fair~

Period-lettered herb signs hand done by Adam as a present for me.

more wildlife.

Some wild turkeys came to visit.

See Mary's painted 'chicken-run sky ceiling project' and much more on ourPROJECTS page.

Girls just want to have fun!

May 2019---we had just finished the 5 ft. diameter 'mini' duck pond with underground draining.

See our PROJECTS page for info on what we did and how we did it~

Adam hand made and painted over 50 herb signs for the garden in authentic period Elizabethan/Tudor script on cedar boards and attached cedar stakes.

'CHICKENS IN POUCHES RIDING IN CARS'~

Our Hannah, wearing a fashionable chicken diaper loves riding in the car in the front pack. Today we walked all around in Tractor Supply and she was happy as can be! We each have a front pack and love to take the dog and hens out in them~

We won a photo contest with this picture.

 

Pippa.

We designed and made all of our arbors, fences, and the stone and stump table ourselves.

The old fashioned clothesline we built together. (See PROJECTS page).

We're selling a lot of our eggs! A local restaurant even bought some of our duck eggs.

We made the twig and cedar bridge.

Frozen watermelon slush I made in a mold for our birds as a treat on a hot summer day!

Goose and duck coop that we designed and built ourselves. See the PROJECTS page.

Handmade authentic wavy/colored leaded glass windows.

Cold water for the hens with rose petals, mint from our herb garden, and peas in it.

'The Shakespeare Garden'

The new bridge we designed and built ourselves over our little stream...

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine..."

~We've recently made a woodland "Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream"garden here with all the historic plants mentioned in the verse.

A few of the wild thyme, violets, and musk roses in our 'Midsummer Night's Dream garden. We've planted all of the historic plants mentioned.

Our fresh eggs~ We stamp each one.

We designed our own label~

Our pink eggcartons.

Our duck eggs with the packaging and labels we designed.

Our original 18thc. pulley door bell.

My 'bird ball' filled with nesting materials.

I found this antique photo of a lady feeding her chickens...

Adam made a primitive little frame from scraps of 18thc. wood. We've hung it inside of the chicken coop.

Cresset.

Our stream.

cowslips

We designed and built all of our doors.

Our old wisteria covers the rustic arbor we made, and is a lovely bower on summer days to sit in at the stone and stump table we made, and have tea and wild strawberries we pick along a nearby lane...

The old stone and stump table we built in the arbor.

Summer~

A classic New England lobster feast in our backyard. Delicious on the BBQ, served with melted butter with lemon and smoked paprika in it, and fresh corn on the cob. A favorite thing to do several times in late summer when Maine lobby is on super sale.

Everyone comes to the kitchen door in the morning, looks in at me through the screen door and begs for treats!

17thc. 'picnic'

We were hired to present a 17thc. outdoor program all day for the early 1600's Fairbanks House, Dedham, MA.

We've also presented similar costumed outdoor programs several times for the wonderful Whipple House in Ipswich, MA.

The outdoor bakeoven we built ourselves spending no money, digging all our own clay and making the cob mortar, making our own lime plaster, etc.

I dry laid every rock of the base myself---I had no experience but for some reason Adam seems to think I have a talent for it (?!).

We used all salvaged materials for both the oven and the lean-to, and spent no money.

We had a blast doing every bit of it just as they did hundreds of years ago.

(We had a large photo gallery up several years ago of our step by step 'oven project'. Thank you to all who loved it and our oven, and took time to email us~)

The 18thc. mill down the road just steps from our house.

The river a few yards from our old home~ The rare, old wagon-ford is still visible, one of only a couple remaining in NH.

THE PERIOD AUTHENTIC, WORKING BACKYARD BAKEOVEN THAT WE TWO BUILT OURSELVES WITH VIRTUALLY NO MONEY SPENT.

Plimoth Plantation contacted us and told us they loved the period correct bake oven that we built ourselves and just as was done hundreds of years ago.

We used materials from our own property, including the almost 15-five gallon buckets of clay we dug ourselves and mixed with sand and straw to make the cob mortar. We made the authentic period lime plaster coating for it using 6 year old lime putty.

The large, canted side Tudor style hen market basket was handwoven for me in England and was a Christmas gift from Adam.

We grow our own raspberries.

We make our own homemade raspberry shrub every summer~

A Spencer treat~

Mix the homemade shrub syrup with water, ice, mint from the garden, and a dollop of whipped cream on top if you have it~

Please come in~

Doors we built.

 

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A period style kitchen from an original space~

 

18thc. door.

I love my little AGA range cooker biscuit tin from England.

Early fold down table with with original mustard paint decoration found many years ago in New Hampshire while I was doing an antique show years before I moved here.

English range cooker treat tin that came filled with Clotted Cream Shortbread cookies.

My homemade concord grape pie~ A yearly classic every fall.

Another 18thc. door.

I built the cabinet doors from 18thc. hand-planed, wide sheathing boards we found locally. A blacksmith made the butterfly hinges for us.

Soapstone countertops and sink with worn edge.

The galley kitchen is an original space of the house and not a modern addition.

________________________

 

A 'buttery' tucked under an old staircase~

 

NOVEMBER 2024~

We have finally repainted the taproom and buttery with the same dark brown paint we used in the rest of the house years ago.

ALL NEW photos of taproom and buttery are coming NOW!

 

Large, rare early eel trap.

PHOTOS OF US WITH STUART PEACHEY OF

'TALES FROM THE GREEN VALLEY'~

Union jack shortbread cookies we made as a present for Stuart.

Stuart Peachey with Adam~

I have used my own old New England dooryard roses to distill rosewater in my alembic for years. We sometimes like to add some to a pitcher of lemonade.

Goose eggs. We blew out the contents and now have them for display. So big and so pretty.

One of only a few known, this is a 17th century wood sink and has it's original wooden drain and part of a hollowed out branch 'pipe' still attached. The drain is an ancient carved out branch that forms a pipe. Several inches still exist extending down from the hole.

 

_____________________

 

A light-filled, upstairs guest bedchamber~

 

We stripped off terrible 1950's knotty pine boards that covered walls and ceilings up here and exposed the beams. We then finished off this entire space ourselves.

Linenfold carving

The cover we made for the computer from a 19 inch wide 18th century board. It's open on the bottom to cover the computer. We scribed it and carved our initials in 17thc. script.

See more on our PROJECTS page.

We built the corner desk from 18thc. boards salvaged from a local period home. We designed it ourselves. Cost: 0

The resist window curtains are only up in winter.

17thc. coffer and box.

The box we made with 18thc. boards and handcarved with our initials in 17thc. script. It covers the computer.

Oak. Linenfold carving.

Many years ago I bought some authentic, raw linsey-woolsey right from a loom. I washed and fulled it myself and I made these cradle hangings by hand.

The 17thc. 'Cosin box' with provenance.

Beautiful 17th century yeoman's bed.

17thc. yeoman's bed

Lovely fall colors on this antique crewel wool on linen bedspread...FOR SALE ON OUR ANTIQUES 1 PAGE.

FOR SALE.

Incredibly rare 17thc. dated, AMERICAN chest with provenance. Made in Ipswich/Rowley Mass.

Our 1678 American chest.

Our American marked and dated 17thc. chest with complete provenance was made near or in Rowley, Mass. This chest descended in an unbroken line in the Nelson family, later of Lincoln Massachusetts. Adam's aunt is a Nelson, and we got the chest from her.

Something so cool...The backyard of the house that his aunt grew up in in Lincoln Mass. and where our chest resided for many years is where Paul Revere was captured at the start of the revolution. The house still stands.

Our 17thc. chest once belonged to Josiah Nelson, a hero of the American revolution, and spent many years during the 18thc. in his home along what is now known as"the battle road" in Lincoln, Mass.

Here Mary sits on a stone plaque and Adam stands in the old cellar hole along the 'battle road' in Lincoln Mass----all that is left marking the location of the home of Revolutionary war hero Josiah Nelson.

This is the Nelson family of Adam's aunt, and the one in which our 1678 chest descended in an unbroken line.
It was amazing to sit near the spot where our chest spent much of the 18th century.

Here is a picture of another New England 17thc. chest that has some of the identical motifs as ours does. Although you can't see it in our pictures, our chest design is also punched into the wood with a sharp object that formed small holes. Ours has an earlier date than this one, and it was made in the Rowley/Ipswich area of Massachusetts---The one on the cover of Peter Eaton's article certainly must have also originated in that area, and been made by the same person. Where this one features a heart ours has a stylized flower.

1678...

When our chest was being made in Massachusetts, 'King Philip's War' was going on in New England...(1675~1678). Sometimes called the First Indian War, it was an armed conflict between American Indian inhabitants of New England and English colonists and their Indian allies~

The war is named for Metacomet, the Wampanoag chief who adopted the English name Philip due to the friendly relations between his father and the Mayflower pilgrims.

Metacomet was the son of the great Massasoit.

---Adam presents a wonderful program on the early ranger companies, and the Indian wars in New England~

Adam's lecture on Ranger Companies of Colonial New England spans more than 100 years---1600/1700s.

The door to another upstairs room.

The Cosin box

This 17thc. box has an interesting story. There is an ancient piece of paper glued to the inside lid that says the box was once the property of "Bishop John Cosin of Durham England". He was the bishop of Durham 1660-1672, and was chaplain to King Charles I and his family. After Charles's execution, the bishop "retired to France to become chaplain to Queen Henrietta". The old document then tells us he returned to England "at the Restoration" (1660). He had this box in his possession at the time.

The old handwritten provenance inside the lid of my oak box.

John Cosin, Prince Bishop of Durham once owned my carved oak box.

(Note~these are not "bible boxes"; That is a modern (Victorian) made-up term. They are carved storage boxes).

Of scrupulously correct 16th-17thc. design, the treen candlesticks were made by Adam on an antique hand lathe. Surface aging/hand finished by Mary.

We designed and built the swinging wattle shutter for our existing ceiling syklight many years ago. We used wild grapevine that we cut from up in the woods behind the house. We fabricated the turnbuckles from 18thc. wood scraps...

The shutter swings out and hooks to the opposite side of the ceiling when not in use. We have an iron hanging hook in the ceiling that it hooks to. The grapevine wattle lets in lovely diffused sunlight without it being too hot or too harsh.

 

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Come, friends~

Raise an elbow in the taproom.

 

NOVEMBER 2024~

We painted the taproom the same dark brown as the rest of the inside house trim.

ALL NEW photos of taproom.

 

Porch entry.

Early all original handhewn pig bench. Wood pinned. Lovely grunge surface.

Primitive mitten dryer

Door to attached woodshed and stairs to storage attic.

Early cheese press.

Old stairs going up from taproom to storage attic.

a party.

Musket Mary.

Our Reproduction NEW ENGLAND 17thc. coins ~

COINS USED IN 17thc. NEW ENGLAND~

~The Massachusetts Bay Colony struck the first metallic currency in 1652, containing 22 1/2 % less silver than English coins. Joseph Jenks made the punches for the coins at his ironworks mill at Saugus. (We have been there several times and it is a fantastic place to visit. We also own a c. 1640 iron cresset wall spike light that was made there.)

The shilling, 6 pence, and 3 pence were minted by John Hull in Boston. He was paid one shilling, 3 pence for every 20 shillings made.

The simple design on the NE shilling invited counterfeiting, so the Massachusettes Bay Colony changed the design to what became known as 'Pine Tree Money'.

The first design minted was a willow, then an oak, and then the pine tree. Even though the coins were minted for years, all of them were dated 1652.

Even though the Massachusetts colony was not authorized to coin money, they did it for 30 years.

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An old house speaks to you...

 

Very rare 17thc. Dutch Fresian delft plate with bible verse.

This winnowing basket made for me years ago is a replica of the one seen and used in an historical TV series c. 1620, and of the correct wood, by a lady who has been a renowned basket maker for decades~

Thank you, M.

Above, a photo my friend sent of the handles she made for my basket using traditional old tools.

winnowing basket with old flax.

Antique lye soap in a primitive old hanging box.

Handwoven Tudor hen basket from England.

The small round treen item is an antique child's treen grinding quern. The American treen cup is very rare.

The floorboards are very rare New Hampshire 'pumpkin pine'. These boards are from 18 t0 26 inches wide each.

Hop bine on beam.

The new dresser has the most incredible original iron hinges.

antique crewel valences.

A neat, fun project we did...

See our PROJECT PAGE.

This original early embroidery was once a chair cushion and I have now made it back into one to put on this 17thc. chairtable.

I am lucky to have 13 of the wonderful handmade treen trencher plates. NO stain or paint on trenchers.

The early settle in this room is in black paint.

Handwoven in England. Tudor hen basket.

Period straw hat identical to that worn by Ruth and others in 'Tales From the Green Valley'.

Christmas present from Adam.

Very rare, early 17thc. chairtable from Yorkshire England.

Very rare

original 17th century Dutch Fresian blue and white delft plate with bible verse.

My antique American carved stone mortar and pestle dug up from Southwestern Connecticut on a landmark site that has unearthed many impressive artifacts. Ancient tool marks are clearly visible.

Early and rare stone grain grinding hand quern.

The carved apron on the settle.

Antique 400 year old stumpwork birds from England that I stitched onto the little authentic linsey woolsey cushion I made for the child's chair.

'Made in the New Hampshire Colony'...

Replicas of late 16thc. candlesticks made and handturned from wood by Adam.

Tudor hen market basket woven for me in England.

Present from Adam.

We are so fortunate to have the extremely rare and valuable early 17thc. stumpwork baby cap. It features metallic thread and was the property of a high status English family at the time. A lucky baby to have had this precious cap.

17thc. American spoon rack. Massachusetts. Original surface. Rosehead nails.

Antique lye soap in an old wood hanging box.

The early settle in this room.

My extremely rare 17th century American pilgrim period iron swing arm wall cresset. Origin: Saugus Ironworks, mid 17thc.

This wonderful piece is of 'pig iron' which was an un-pure type of iron produced here in the States. It had a tendency to scale due to the heat, which this piece had done. The European examples were made with a much more refined and finished iron. This is a very important piece of American lighting. The original swinging pivot joint and pin are intact. Pieces of wood, usually burl or knots were soaked in animal fat and placed onto the cresset.

Original, early treen scale.

Teasel wool comb known as a 'teasel hand'.

Teasel hand was used to felt wool.

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Come sit by the fire and hear stories of old days in our little corner of New Hampshire...

 

Tapestry of pastoral sheep shearing scene~

17th century tapestry covered antique books.

A large, untouched early 17thc. oak linenfold panel from England.

Period iron cresset stand.

Rare Tudor green glaze pottery candlestick for 4 candles.

The English cradle is 500 years old and was referred to by someone at Oxford University who studied it as, "Tudorbethan"~

Period rushlight

A large, untouched early 17thc. oak linenfold panel from England.

Period working bake oven.

Antique book covered in 17thc. tapestry.

The period clock keeps time.

Rare, early antique hanging partridge cage I found.

17thc. spice cupboard on a joint stool next to the court cupboard.

Below are photos of the 1083 church at Halesowen. There have been changes and additions to it through the centuries.

The Norman door of the historic church (St. John the Baptist) in Halesowen, Shropshire England...

The 'Warwick' chair is the only one made from the oak of the medieval pulpit from this church.

Period stumpwork

A very rare standing rush light.

A toddler boy's 17thc. style singlet.

17thc. funeral card

~St Michael, Crooked Lane was an ancient parish church situated on the east side of Miles's Lane in Candlewick Ward in the City of London. The church was in existence by 1304. It was in the parish that the first cases of the plague occurred in 1665. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren, and demolished in 1831.

 

THE TALE OF THE 18thc. HOMEMADE CHILD'S FISHING POLE~

When I moved in my fireplaces were in bad shape and all the brickwork of all of them had to be replaced.

I took out over 4000 bricks, from the chimney to the rocks and dirt of the ground by hand.

Down at the bottom, hidden in the old brickwork of the main fireplace was this 250 year old hand-whittled child's fishing pole...

It even still had the remnant of string on it!

It has hung over a door ever since the day in 1998 when I discovered it. It will always stay with the house.

Hanging next to the little pole is a hand carved spindle to wrap fishing line. I found it in an antique shop here years ago and thought it would be nice hanging next to the child's fishing pole.

The little one who lost the pole perhaps dropped it when the house and fireplaces were originally being constructed, and it was not retrieved...

Until I found it 250 years in the future.

I made a time capsule with a photo of me with my dog, and the story of how I came to be in this little house in New Hampshire. I put it in a ziploc bag and my mason contractor bricked it into the new fireplace masonry. It's been there now since that winter of 1998, and could be there for hundreds more years.

Early punched tin lantern with candle in bakeoven.

The early 17thc. settle in this room.

This is a photo of Bayleaf house at the Weald and Downland Museum in England. Hanging from a beam is a style of bird basket similar to mine. I love the curved top of mine~

This is a photo of a pottery couvre feu, or fire cover at Bayleaf House at the Weald and Downland Museum in England. Mine was handmade for me and is a replica of the one in the 16thc. Bayleaf House.

17thc. tapestry covered antique book.

My handwoven 'Tudor corn dolly'.

They would weave them from the last of the 'corn' (actually wheat--The British term for wheat was 'corn') harvest and hang them in their homes to protect them against evil and keep them safe at night.

16th/17thc. replica linen coif with forehead cloth.

16thc. table.

We found this tiny, old, bone die in the dirt underneath the house while doing insulating many years ago. It is less than 1/3 inch diameter on a side.

This tall pair of cresset andirons are in original condition and date to 1675. They are in this main room fireplace.

We have another pair in our bedroom fireplace.

17thc. stumpwork infant cap.

We are so fortunate to have the extremely rare and valuable early 17thc. stumpwork baby cap. It features metallic thread and was the property of a high status, noble British family at the time. A lucky baby to have had this precious cap.

My sand timer is 17th century, green glass, and completely original, including the initials of the owner beautifully carved on the top.

17thc. brass pricket candlesticks~

Lovely patina on my late 16thc. table.

Adam carved our initials on the old beam in period style.

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FRONT CENTER ENTRY HALL~

We built the inner and outer storm doors on the house for 3 of 4 entries.

For our doors, we ran 2 sets of boards in different directions and put them together, creating heavy, thick, weatherproof doors; 12 inch wide boards vertically for the exterior surface, and 16 inch wide boards horizontally on the inside~

We hung them on iron, almost-30-inch-long pintel hinges.

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1998...

...I wrote this directly on the wall of my entry hall not long afterI moved here...

"Remove not the ancient landmark..."

~This was a message to preserve this old house that had stories to tell and could also help me heal from a devastating tragedy.

It had so much meaning for me because of the circumstances that brought me alone halfway across the country to this little old house that was a mess and needed lots of work and TLC when I bought it...

"...the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches"...

This was not only about the antiques I patiently collected to help bring my little house to life, but also about the friends and acquaintances who would visit and fill the rooms with joy. It was about all the shared experiences I would have in my time here in this old house.

It is now nearly 24 years since I wrote that on the wall. ~How perfectly fitting it was and is~

An inspiration and a silent encouragement that kept me going and working on the house for all those long years when I was broke, alone, bone-tired, or discouraged.

I also painted a 'parchment' on the wall at that time with a very wonderful and moving verse meaningful to me. It too, has remained there all these years...

In the hall someone had put up walls to make a closet.

The original beaded paneling wall with it's original one coat of blue paint is there...Over that people had glued 19thc. New Hampshire and Massachusetts newspapers, spanning several decades in the 19th century.

They are still there...

 

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One of our

'DINNER WITH THE PILGRIMS'

events in our home~

We had our 'pilgrim dinner' for several years. Here is just one of the menus we did. We've had up to 15 paying guests for the evening. Some had come from far-away states, making their reservations almost a year in advance.

~One of 3 tables of guests at one of our DINNER WITH THE PILGRIMS in our home~

Guests had only period spoons and a knife; no fork. They were not in common usage in 17thc. America.

In addition to making and hearth cooking everything ourselves in 17thc. costume and period style for our paying guests from all over the country, we designed and printed out our menus on English parchment, and rolled and tied them with waxed flax. Each guest had one on their plates to then take home as a keepsake.

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The master bedchamber~

 

17th century tapestry covered antique books.

A Christmas present I gave to Adam~A 1690 edition of Baker's 'Chronicle of the Kings of England' with the original owner's---a lord---signature and wax seal.

 

A very rare 17thc. chair

Period Tudor stumpwork on a straw-filled linen book cushion.

Beautiful and rare 16thc./Tudor green-glaze pottery candlestick for 4 candles.

Years ago Adam carved our initials into one of the original bedroom ceiling beams in 17thc. script.

English James I standing livery cupboard.

Our 17thc. English bed is our most cherished antique. We found it just after our honeymoon 17 years ago. Unlike some who only have such antiques 'for show' and don't use them, we sleep in our stunning bed every night, and have since we found it.

We chose a period correct fabric for the bedhangings Mary made by hand. (See more about that below). The print and the rich colors make us happy!

We feel so lucky to have our lovely, all original bed. It is dated on the carved headboard, 1686, and has the initials TMA.

Adam jokingly said that meant "To Mary and Adam" when we got it!

Carved in the header piece on the headboard of our bed, 'TMA 1686'. We felt our find was most definitely meant to be. Adam joked that TMA stood for 'To Mary and Adam', when we serendipitously and unexpectedly found it 16 years ago.

An actual 1675 issue of the London Gazette.

17thc. American coffer with initials and original surface.

Our original, dated 17th.c bed is a very rare survivor...

Unlike the overly-tall and heavily carved tester beds of the period that would have been found only in a castle and never in a yeomans or merchant's home, we love our low, perfectly appropriate and original 17thc. English bed. We've never seen one we like as well~We love it's headboard candle shelf.

Our old cape is post and beam construction. Here you can see some of the Roman numerals on the beams...

Original to the house, cupboard built into the wall.

Medieval/16th/17thc. style carved wax tablet that came with a wooden stylus as well. We love the dark wax writing surfaces of our tablet~

A wax tablet is a tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax, often linked loosely to a cover tablet, as a "double-leaved"dyptich. It was a reusable and portable writing surface.

Writing on the wax surface was performed with a pointed instrument, a stylus...

...A straight-edged, spatula-like implement (often placed on the opposite end of the stylus tip) would be used in a razor-like fashion to serve as an eraser. The entire tablet could be erased for reuse by warming it and smoothing the softened wax surface.

The bedcover is a true, deep, hard to find paprika color.

An early painting I have had for ovewr 20 years. I have always loved her.

The incredible backside of our original, dated 1600's bed.

The bed cover is a true rare dark paprika color.

Very early English coffer.

 

ADAM LIGHTING THE FIRE WITH A FLINT AND STEEL~

17thc. American coffer with carved initials and original surface.

This interesting line drawing of the medieval monk Roger Bacon shows not only an alembic on the shelf, but a hanging livery cupboard much like ours on the wall.

Over the fireplace, a c. 1630 hanging livery cupboard.

These small livery cupboards were hung in the bedchamber. Food for the light evening meal in the chamber was kept in them.

Our hanging livery (mural) cupboard was featured in a respected book on early oak antiques.

Original 17thc. sand timer.

The fabric is perfect for the bed dressings.

Beds such as this were one of the most valuable items anyone could own, and were dressed accordingly. The bed hangings that I sewed by hand are of a mid 15th century tapestry forest design.

THE ORIGINALS...

were discovered in a 15th century yeoman's house in Yorkshire, UK, in 1901. A faithful copy of the original fabric, the scene depicts a forest floor richly studded with clusters of small flowers. Amongst the trees are rabbits, hedgehogs, horned sheep, squirrels, wild fowl, moles, deer, and a handsome unicorn. This fabric was also on display at the Bayleaf House at the Weald and Downland Museum in England.

Importantly, this style is reminiscent of tapestries found all over Britain. Textiles such as these were passed down and similar could well have come to America in the 17thc.

The bed hanging fabric is signed in period script on the selvage edges.

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT THE WEALD AND DOWNLAND MUSEUM IN ENGLAND.

Staff members were discussing new wall decoration for the 16thc. Bayleaf House at the museum.

IN THE BACKGROUND TO THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE THE SAME FABRIC I USED TO MAKE MY BED HANGINGS~

Another rare 17thc. coffer at the foot of the bed.

The beds above are almost identical to ours, but ours has the initials of the original owner, and the date.

c. 1620 coffer

c. 1610-1620 box with carved nulling.

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A 'small sitting room' with big use of space, and the sound of the little brook outside the windows...

 

MARCH

Good-bye yucky olive green cutains I made years ago from a vintage wool blanket...

I found a beautiful vintage piece of heavy 100% wool in a lovely cream color.

I made new curtains for the den~

It's a nice change and we love how they look.

On the wall shelf, an authentic 17thc. replica hand embroidered coif that was done for Plimoth Plantation and took the lady 2 years to embroider. It was on display there for many years. Plimoth Plantation decided to sell it many years ago and told us we 'were the ones to have it'.

Clothing for our period reenactments hangs on a wide, 18thc. board the length of the wall over a small 17thc. punched-design coffer. Move them, and a flat screen TV is hiding~

Hand done crewel embroidery on my own authentic linsey woolsey from a loom, then washed and fulled by me.

17thc. scissors~

Rare 17thc. box joint stool.

A little stream flows just outside the window and we hear lovely, peaceful moving-water sound.

Hand done crewel embroidery on my own linsey woolsey that I got from the loom and washed and fulled myself.

17thc. scissors~

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The river and mill pond and old mill a few doors down from our house.

This mill makes hand made period style exterior wooden shutters for historic buildings and homes all over the world. It is still water powered and they still use much of the 19thc. equipment. The TV show 'THIS OLD HOUSE' did a whole show on the mill here in the early 1990's.

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