Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-09-02 | Page 4 | Home of Longfellow, Immortalized by Poem, to be Sacrifice to Progress; School to Replace It

Home of Longfellow Immortalized by P Poem m to toBe toBe Be Sacrificed to Progress School to Replace It r- r 4 4 t Pr H f I 1141 a 7 I tM AV i. i t 5 The need of a city for a school site is to result in the destruction of the Longfellow house above I at Pittsfield Mass where the poet was inspired to write The Old Clock on the Stairs It is proposed that the new structure be named Longfellow school and that the original stairs right be preserved therein A or House Heuse Where The Old Clock lock on the Stairs Was Wa-s Written to toBe Be e Razed PI D LD Ms Alp AP back from the street Stands the fashIoned oM-fashIoned seat Across Its portico Tall poplar trees their throw And from Its station In th the hall hail hallAn An ancient timepiece says sas to all all- never Forever Never forever The Lon Longfellow hose e the famous poet found Inspiration to write The Old Clock On the Stairs to pass as away Its storied inhabitants long since have done Civic progress has decreed that the old fashioned old seat country must give the erection of a anew anew new high building The old year colonial type building surrounded sur sur- rounded by Its wide lawns and venerable yen yen- erable crable trees awaits its day of doom when the courts deride how much the city shall pay for this and adI adjoining ad- ad I joining properties taken by eminent domain Built as a large square farmhouse farm farm- house In 1790 It was bought and remodeled Into a mansion ten years later by Thomas Gold His son son-In- law the Hon Nathan Appleton acquired acquired ac- ac the house upon Mr Colds Golds death Mr Appleton's daughter bec became be- be c came me the wife of the poet Henry W. W Longfellow WROTE POEM Generations had bad lived and some had died within the house and It II was beginning its second half century century cen- cen tury of existence when In 1845 the poet immortalized it in ibis his poem He lived In the mansion which he used as a a. summer home through the early SOs The old house has continued as asa a a. homestead down to the present day The passing years brought some ome changes One was a mansard root roof Another was a portico somewhat somewhat some some- what more elaborate than on the Original Within the has remained ig Here unharmed are the theold theold old rooms on either side of the entrance beautifully designed with arches wainscots cornices and fireplaces fireplaces fire fire- places best type in colonial architecture ture The Original per er brought from Paris remains here mellowed with age Staircase and hall ball are as they were long before before be- be fore Longfellow knew them RELICS TO REMAIN Opposition developed when the tho city fathers decided to tale take this property property prop prop- erty for the needed building and It was decided therefore to keep alive the traditions associated with the tho SIte Ite Hence it Is probable that the school will be named the Longfellow Longfellow Long fellow school and moreover the stairway that played so Prominent a part partin in tile the poem may be preserved within the new build building In The original clock was some yeu-s yeu ago to O Craigie House the Longfellow home In Cambridge Mass rass Another grandfather grandfather grand father clock now ticks on the landInA landing land land- ing InA halfway up the stairs and such sucha a clock It Is planned will adorn the prese staircase