The Fells

Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

United States historic place

The Fells

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

The Fells (John Hay Estate)

Location| Newbury, New Hampshire
Coordinates| 43°21.1′N 72°2.8′W﻿ / ﻿43.3517°N 72.0467°W﻿ / 43.3517; -72.0467
Area| 164 acres (66 ha)
Built| 1891
Architect| George Hammond (1891) Prentice Sanger (1915)
Architectural style| Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.| 00001288
Added to NRHP| 2 November 2000 [1]

The Fells, also known as the Hay Estate, was originally the summer home of John Milton Hay, a 19th-century American statesman. It is located in Newbury, New Hampshire, on New Hampshire Route 103A, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) north of its junction with New Hampshire Route 103.

## History

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John Hay served the United States in various capacities in a career that lasted over 40 years. He was Abraham Lincoln's private secretary during the Civil War and later a diplomat and a journalist. He became United States Secretary of State in 1898, serving in that position until his death in 1905.

In the late 1880s New Hampshire farms were becoming less profitable, due to more Western competition. As a result, the state of New Hampshire stepped in and encouraged America's wealthy elite to buy up the farms and keep them afloat. In 1888, Hay bought 1,000 acres (400 ha) along the shore of Lake Sunapee, with the hope of establishing a summer colony for his group of friends, known as the "Five of Hearts". After Henry Adams' wife, Clover, committed suicide, Hay reconsidered those plans. Instead, he used the land as a retreat to put distance between him and the stresses of Washington. Hay named his property "The Fells", a British term for a rocky upland pasture, due to his Scottish ancestry.

### House

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The Fells c.1905

The first cottage on the property was constructed in 1891 under the direction of architect George Hammond. In 1897, a second guest cottage was added beside the original. The main entrance of the primary cottage faced the lake, as the Hay family arrived by boat. After Hay's death in 1905, the property was handed down to his son, Clarence Hay. Clarence and his wife Alice (née: Appleton) began to transform the rustic summer cottages into more of a lakeside mansion. Starting in 1915, under the supervision of local architect Prentice Sanger, Clarence and Alice had the house renovated into the Colonial Revival style. The breezeway connecting the two cottages was transformed into a formal hallway, so that the two cottages became part of one house. A garage was later added to accommodate the growing use of automobiles.[2]

In 1960 the Hays donated 675 acres (273 ha) to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. After Clarence Hay died in 1969, Alice Hay gave the remaining 164 acres (66 ha) to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, reserving 143 acres (58 ha) for use during her lifetime and that of her children. Alice continued returning each summer until her death in 1987. The remaining land then became the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge.[2] Renovation of the house and land began in the 1990s. In 1996, "The Fells", a not-for-profit organization, was created to manage the house and surrounding lands. In 2008, The Fells bought the lands surrounding the main house from the Fish and Wildlife Service, through a land swap at Lake Umbagog in Coös County, New Hampshire.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an important early example of the summer estate movement of the late 19th century in New Hampshire, and for its association with Hay, a leading politician and diplomat, at the height of his career.[2] The Fells is where John Hay wrote the Open Door Policy, which rejected colonizing China. Teddy Roosevelt visited The Fells in the summer of 1902, during a campaign trip. A maple tree was planted in what is now the veranda, during his visit. The tree is now referred to as the Roosevelt Tree.

## Today

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Today, The Fells is maintained by a large group of volunteers, as well as a garden staff and administrators. The house and surrounding lands are still open to the public. The Fells hosts many cultural and educational events.

## John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

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John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

Map of the United States

Location| Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
Nearest city| Newbury, New Hampshire
Area| 80 acres (0.32 km2)
Established| 1987
Governing body| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website| John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

Established in 1987 for migratory bird conservation, the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge was split in 2008. The northern two-thirds of the property (containing the buildings and surrounding grounds) was transferred to The Fells in that year in exchange for lands in northern New Hampshire which were added to the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.

The remaining one-third of the property continues as the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge, comprising 80 acres (32 ha) of hardwoods and softwoods, a small meadow, Beech Brook, fens, and vernal pools. Management is focused on resource conservation, primarily for migratory birds and native habitats. The refuge also protects approximately 3,100 feet (940 m) of undeveloped shoreline along Lake Sunapee.

The refuge is open to the public year-round during daylight hours. Recommended activities include wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation. The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) John Hay II Forest Ecology Trail offers a self-guided hike through the forest and along the shore of Lake Sunapee. Parking is at The Fells.

## See also

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* Cornish Art Colony
* Augustus Saint-Gaudens
* Hildene
* Lake Sunapee
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b c "NRHP nomination for Hay Estate". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-05-30.

## External links

[edit]

* The Fells official website
* John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

* v
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Protected areas of New Hampshire

Federal|

| National Historic Parks and Sites|

* Saint-Gaudens NHP

|

National Forests|

* White Mountain

National Trails|

* Appalachian Trail

National wild and scenic rivers|

* Lamprey River
* Nashua River
* Wildcat Brook

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Great Bay
* John Hay
* Silvio O. Conte
* Umbagog
* Wapack

Other protected areas|

* Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

State|

| State parks|

* Ahern
* Androscoggin
* Annett
* Bear Brook
* Beaver Brook Falls
* Bedell Bridge
* Cardigan
* Chesterfield Gorge
* Clough
* Coleman
* Crawford Notch
* Daniel Webster Birthplace
* Deer Mountain Campground
* Dixville Notch
* Echo Lake
* Eisenhower Memorial
* Ellacoya
* Endicott Rock
* Forest Lake
* Fort Constitution
* Fort Stark
* Franconia Notch
* Franklin Pierce Homestead
* Gardner Memorial Wayside
* Governor Wentworth Historic Site
* Greenfield
* Hampton Beach
* Hannah Duston Memorial
* Jenness
* Jericho Mountain
* Kingston
* Lake Francis
* Lake Tarleton
* Madison Boulder
* Milan Hill
* Miller
* Mollidgewock
* Monadnock
* Moose Brook
* Mt. Sunapee
* Mt. Washington
* Nansen Ski Jump
* North Hampton
* Northwood Meadows
* Odiorne Point
* Pawtuckaway
* Pillsbury
* Pisgah
* Rhododendron
* Robert Frost
* Rollins
* Rye Harbor
* Sculptured Rocks
* Silver Lake
* Taylor Mill
* Umbagog Lake
* Wadleigh
* Wallis Sands
* Weeks
* Wellington
* Wentworth
* Wentworth–Coolidge Mansion
* White Island
* White Lake
* Winslow

|

State forests|

* Abbott
* Agnew
* Allen
* Alton Bay
* Ames
* Ammonoosuc
* Annett
* Annie Duncan
* Ashenden
* Ayers
* Ballard
* Bear Mountain
* Belknap Mountain
* Benton
* Big Island
* Black Mountain
* Blair
* Blue Job Mountain
* Bowditch-Runnels
* Cape Horn
* Carroll
* Casalis
* Chemung
* Cilley
* Connecticut Lakes
* Connecticut River
* Contoocook
* Conway Common Lands
* Cowden
* Craney Hill
* Cushman
* Davisville
* Davis-White
* Devils Slide
* District #5
* Dodge Brook
* Eaton
* Fall Mountain
* Fay
* Feuer
* Foster & Colburn
* Fox
* Gay
* George Duncan
* Gile
* Gilmore
* Goodwin-Chandler
* Grant
* Green Mountain
* Hamel
* Harriman-Chandler
* Haven
* Hemenway
* Hodgman
* Honey Brook
* Hubbard Hill
* Huston-Morgan
* Hyland Hill
* Kearsarge Mountain
* Lang Station
* Lead Mine
* Leighton
* Litchfield
* Little Pine River
* Livermore Falls
* Lord Pines
* Lovewell Mountain
* Low
* Marshall
* Mascoma
* Mast Yard
* Max Israel
* Meadow Pond
* Merrimack River
* Merriman
* Mt. Major
* Nash Stream
* Nottingham
* Nursery
* Opechee Bay
* Page
* Page's Corner
* Paugus Bay
* Percy
* Pine River
* Piscataquog
* Powwow River
* Prescott
* Province Road
* Ragged Mountain
* Reed's Ferry
* Rock Rimmon
* Russell
* Russell-Abbott
* Russell-Shea
* Saltmarsh Pond
* Sanborn
* Scribner-Fellows
* Second Presidential
* Sentinel Mountain
* Shadow Hill
* Shaker
* Shieling
* Sky Pond
* Soucook River
* Southeast
* Stevens Pines
* Strawberry Hill
* Sugar Hill
* Swain
* Taylor
* Totten Trails
* Upton-Morgan
* Urban Forestry Center
* Vienna Smith
* Vincent
* Wade
* Walker
* Welton Falls
* West Iron Works Road
* White Farm
* William Thomas
* Woodman

Wildlife management areas|

* Cornish

Other|

* Chandler Reservation
* Kauffmann Forest
* Lost River Reservation
* Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary
* Sheldrick Forest Preserve

* New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

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National Wildlife Refuges of the United States

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
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* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
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* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
* U.S. Virgin Islands

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National Register of Historic Places in Merrimack County, New Hampshire

Landmarks|

* Canterbury Shaker Village
* Daniel Webster Family Home

Districts|

* Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic District
* Blossom Hill and Calvary Cemeteries
* Concord Civic District
* Concord Historic District
* Downtown Concord Historic District
* East Andover Village Center Historic District
* Franklin Falls Historic District
* Hay Estate
* Hersey Farms Historic District
* Murray Hill Summer Home District
* Page Belting Company Mills
* Pittsfield Center Historic District
* Suncook Village Commercial–Civic Historic District
* Waterloo Historic District

Buildings|

* 2½ Beacon Street
* Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do Hose House
* Boscawen Public Library
* Bradford Town Hall
* Concord Gas Light Company Gasholder House
* Contoocook Railroad Depot
* Eagle Hotel
* Endicott Hotel
* Hall Memorial Library
* Henniker Town Hall
* Jacob Noyes Block
* Merrimack County Bank
* Merrimack County Courthouse
* Millville School
* New Hampshire Savings Bank Building
* Old Post Office
* Pembroke Mill
* Pillsbury Memorial Hall
* Pleasant View Home
* Potter Place Railroad Station
* Robie's Country Store
* Rolfe Barn
* Salisbury Academy Building
* Stanley Tavern
* Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse
* William H. Long Memorial

Houses|

* Bennett Farm
* Chamberlin House
* Charles S. Hall House
* Dimond Hill Farm
* Donald D. Tuttle House
* Dr. Solomon M. Whipple House
* Farrington House
* Franklin Pierce House
* Gershom Durgin House
* Gov. Frank West Rollins House
* H. Styles Bridges House
* Henry J. Crippen House
* Howe-Quimby House
* Leavitt Farm
* Lewis Downing, Jr. House
* Matthew Harvey House
* Morrill-Lassonde House
* Reuben Foster House and Perley Cleaves House
* Upham-Walker House
* White Farm

Places of
worship|

* Allenstown Meeting House
* Baptist New Meeting House
* Bradford Center Meetinghouse
* Center Meetinghouse
* First Congregational Church of Boscawen
* Hill Center Church
* Loudon Town Hall
* Lower Warner Meetinghouse
* Northfield Union Church
* Old Webster Meeting House
* South Danbury Christian Church
* South Sutton Meeting House
* Webster Congregational Church

Sites|

* Beaver Meadow Brook Archeological Site
* Old North Cemetery
* White Park

Structures|

* Bement Covered Bridge
* Bog Bridge
* Dalton Covered Bridge
* Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge
* Keniston Bridge
* Memorial Arch of Tilton
* Pineground Bridge
* Rowell's Covered Bridge
* Sulphite Railroad Bridge
* Waterloo Covered Bridge

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
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