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Peleg Wadsworth to Zilpah (Wadsworth) Longfellow, 19 May 1794
Manuscript letter
Congress Hall 19th May1794
10 oclock Mony
My dear Zilpah. I have just receiv’d yours of 9th inst: enclosing Betseys & your mama’s, as I had not had any from home for seve-ral of the last Posts, it was quite a refreshment & that I might enjoy the repast, I went out into the State house Garden, * that adjoins the Hall, took a seat in the cool shade & read my letters with great Pleasure.
It seems that you have been over letter’d. This to be sure was an inadvertence. It must have been owing to the too great bulk of pa-per, I am sure it was not the weight of any thing that I wrote. However if it weighs more than 2 ounces, the Postmaster only did his duty – I suppose he only took pay for the over plus – I will be more careful in future. Indeed there will be no need of so heavy ones in time to come, as the mail goes three times a week –
This same *State house Garden (I forget whether I have given a description of it before) is a very fine place of resort of all sorts & ranks (p. 2) of People. It is the business of one of these squares of the city, excepting so much as is taken up on one of the Fronts by a Row of public building. which extend the whole length. It is enclosed with a handsome brick wall about six feet high. The Principal Entrance is thro the Center Building. (in which the federal Courts sit) From this Entrance thro the center of the Garden, is extended a broad crowned gravel’d Walk, which Terminates at a very large arch’d Gate on the opo-site side. This walk is set on each Side with a row of beautiful Trees, or rather a double row, between which on each Side is a parallel[sic] walk, tho not so broad. These four rows of trees form at this Season a very dense Shade, under which are placed a great number of Setties. Around the whole square & just within the wall, is Sett another row of Trees; tho on the side opo-site that on which the public Buildings are. There is a considerable depth of trees in irregular order that make quite a dark Shade & renders the Scene more agreeable. There are a number of hillocks on each Side of the principal walk Set irregularly with Trees & Shrubbery. There is also a Serpentine walk which perambulates the whole Garden, just under the exterior row of Trees (p. 3) handsomely crown’d & gravel’d. The whole, except the walks, is cover’d with one of Natures beautiful Carpets green verdure: & the multiplicity of people that resort hither prevents the inconvenience which would arise from the Nap’s growing too long –
(p. 4) The resort to this pleasant Garden is amazing, particularly just at eveng when the weather is warm & pleasant. Of all Names & Nations, Gentle & Simple, high & low, rich & poor, all meet here (as at the final Congregation) on equal footing, walking in large parties, or small, double or single, talking or laughing, Silent or Sad. (as every One feels in humour) in every direction.
From your affectionate Papa
P Wadsworth
[Diagram of State House Garden]
[Note:] Chestnut Street, running east & west
[Note:] South Fifth Street / State Legislature / Judicial Court House / Congress Hall / South Sixth Street
[Note:] Walnut Street
[Note:] From Papa, Philadelphia / 13th May 1794 / State House Garden / Philadelphia
[Note:] Plan of Garden / ite.[?]
[Addressed:] Miss Zilpah
10 oclock Mony
My dear Zilpah. I have just receiv’d yours of 9th inst: enclosing Betseys & your mama’s, as I had not had any from home for seve-ral of the last Posts, it was quite a refreshment & that I might enjoy the repast, I went out into the State house Garden, * that adjoins the Hall, took a seat in the cool shade & read my letters with great Pleasure.
It seems that you have been over letter’d. This to be sure was an inadvertence. It must have been owing to the too great bulk of pa-per, I am sure it was not the weight of any thing that I wrote. However if it weighs more than 2 ounces, the Postmaster only did his duty – I suppose he only took pay for the over plus – I will be more careful in future. Indeed there will be no need of so heavy ones in time to come, as the mail goes three times a week –
This same *State house Garden (I forget whether I have given a description of it before) is a very fine place of resort of all sorts & ranks (p. 2) of People. It is the business of one of these squares of the city, excepting so much as is taken up on one of the Fronts by a Row of public building. which extend the whole length. It is enclosed with a handsome brick wall about six feet high. The Principal Entrance is thro the Center Building. (in which the federal Courts sit) From this Entrance thro the center of the Garden, is extended a broad crowned gravel’d Walk, which Terminates at a very large arch’d Gate on the opo-site side. This walk is set on each Side with a row of beautiful Trees, or rather a double row, between which on each Side is a parallel[sic] walk, tho not so broad. These four rows of trees form at this Season a very dense Shade, under which are placed a great number of Setties. Around the whole square & just within the wall, is Sett another row of Trees; tho on the side opo-site that on which the public Buildings are. There is a considerable depth of trees in irregular order that make quite a dark Shade & renders the Scene more agreeable. There are a number of hillocks on each Side of the principal walk Set irregularly with Trees & Shrubbery. There is also a Serpentine walk which perambulates the whole Garden, just under the exterior row of Trees (p. 3) handsomely crown’d & gravel’d. The whole, except the walks, is cover’d with one of Natures beautiful Carpets green verdure: & the multiplicity of people that resort hither prevents the inconvenience which would arise from the Nap’s growing too long –
(p. 4) The resort to this pleasant Garden is amazing, particularly just at eveng when the weather is warm & pleasant. Of all Names & Nations, Gentle & Simple, high & low, rich & poor, all meet here (as at the final Congregation) on equal footing, walking in large parties, or small, double or single, talking or laughing, Silent or Sad. (as every One feels in humour) in every direction.
From your affectionate Papa
P Wadsworth
[Diagram of State House Garden]
[Note:] Chestnut Street, running east & west
[Note:] South Fifth Street / State Legislature / Judicial Court House / Congress Hall / South Sixth Street
[Note:] Walnut Street
[Note:] From Papa, Philadelphia / 13th May 1794 / State House Garden / Philadelphia
[Note:] Plan of Garden / ite.[?]
[Addressed:] Miss Zilpah
Archives Number: 1005/4.1.1-03#21
U. S. National Park Service
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Courtesy of National Park Service, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site (1005/4.1.1-3#21)
Public domain
Peleg Wadsworth Papers (1005/004.001), (LONG-SeriesName)
, Correspondence - Outgoing (1005/004.001.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, Letterbook - 1794-1807 (1005/004.001.001-003), (LONG-FileUnitName)
, Correspondence - Outgoing (1005/004.001.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, Letterbook - 1794-1807 (1005/004.001.001-003), (LONG-FileUnitName)
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Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Code: LONG
Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Latitude: 42.3769989013672, Longitude: -71.1264038085938
Latitude: 42.3769989013672, Longitude: -71.1264038085938
NPS Museum Catalog Number : LONG 27923
Title: Finding Aid to the Wadsworth-Longfellow Family (1610-1971) Papers, 1610-1971 (bulk dates 1745-1950)
URL: https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/archives.htm#WL
URL: https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/archives.htm#WL
2021/05/13
05/19/1794
Manuscript letter in the Wadsworth-Longfellow Family Papers, Peleg Wadsworth and Family Papers, Peleg Wadsworth Papers, Correspondence, Outgoing, Letterbook - 1794-1807. (1005/4.1.1-3#21)
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Organization: Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Address: 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Email: LONG_archives@nps.gov
Address: 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Email: LONG_archives@nps.gov
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