Collection Stories: Centennial Acquisitions

To help mark the occasion of Historic New England’s 115th anniversary in 2025, we are sharing some of our favorite collection stories from Historic New England magazine—which turns twenty-five this year. This month, revisit a 2010 article about several objects Historic New England acquired to honor our centennial.

Among the many initiatives during our centennial has been a special effort to acquire significant items for Historic New England’s collections. Notable among the new objects are seven portraits associated with the Langdon family of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and ten pieces of Jewett family furnishings that have now “come back home” to the Sarah Orne Jewett House, South Berwick, Maine. Gifts and purchases are still being made as this issue goes to press. Below are some samples of this year’s acquisitions, with comments on why they are important additions to our collections.

This ca. 1770 mahogany pole screen (above left), probably made in Boston, has a history of coming from the Hancock House in Boston and may well have been purchased by patriot John Hancock. It joins several other objects and documents in our collection associated with the Hancock House, which was demolished in 1863 amid widespread protests. Pole screens were used to protect people’s faces from the heat of a fire. Gift of Ron Bourgeault.

In 1762, Nathaniel Barrell commissioned this dazzling coat of arms (above right) of the Sayward family from the Herald’s Office, Royal College of Arms in London, as a present for his father-in-law, Colonel Jonathan Sayward, owner of Historic New England’s Sayward-Wheeler House, York Harbor, Maine. The lavish gift must have pleased Sayward, who was deeply loyal to the Crown. Sadly, Barrell’s ties to the Sandemanians, a Protestant sect, subsequently caused a long-lasting rift in the family. Gift of Paul Blaisdell.

This handsome presentation rendering, ca. 1950, of a house that once stood at the water’s edge in Madison, Connecticut, depicts a low but capacious structure, angled to take advantage of the site. The architecture conforms to mid-twentieth-century taste, with a bow window and a large garage. A cupola resembling a lighthouse lantern adds a nautical touch. The house was designed by John Willard Huntington for Mr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Stoner, who enjoyed off-shore fishing and owned a 65-foot yacht.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of Historic New England magazine. Check the blog monthly for new posts in our Collection Stories series.