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Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House
Katharine Moffatt Whipple (c. 1733-1821), attributed to John Greenwood (1727-1792), oil on canvas, 1751. Moffatt-Ladd House Collection. |
Portsmouth’s Moffatt-Ladd House is among the best-preserved and finest Georgian mansions in all of
the United States. How this house, built in 1760s, survived and witnessed history is a tale that was
told in Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House, an exhibition at the Society's museum from November 10,
2007, through May 11, 2008.
The elegant mansion, in the heart of Portsmouth and overlooking the harbor, has survived thanks to
the generations of women who have lived in its walls, and fought to save it. The Women of the
Moffatt-Ladd House focused on the stories of these women as well as how The National Society of The
Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire turned it into a museum in 1911. The exhibit travelled
back through time with a collection of period costumes, family furnishings, diaries, letters, albums, portraits,
and a well-used antique rocking horse on display together for the first time to tell the house’s 300-year
history.
“We are delighted at the opportunity to again display many of our treasures during the months when the
Moffatt-Ladd House is closed to the public, and we have made some special additions to the exhibition for
this larger venue,” said Moffatt-Ladd House Director/Curator Barbara M. Ward.
The Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden is a National Historic Landmark that was built for merchant John Moffatt
between 1760 and 1763. During the Revolution, it was the home of General William Whipple, one of
New Hampshire’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence, and his wife Katharine Moffatt Whipple.
In 1817, the house passed to John Moffatt's great-granddaughter, Maria Tufton Haven Ladd (1787-1861).
Her son, Alexander Hamilton Ladd, lived in the house from 1862 until his death in 1900.
The Moffatt-Ladd House holds one of the finest collections of early Portsmouth art and artifacts, and the
exhibition highlights family-owned treasures, many of which were lovingly preserved and documented by Maria
Tufton Haven Ladd.
A trunk full of clothing, which was locked and put away for decades until the museum received permission
to open it in 1986, was part of the exhibition, according to Sherry Cullimore, Moffatt-Ladd Museum properties
chair. “They had pinned little notes to everything,” Cullimore said. These notes identified Maria’s wedding
dress, a shawl she embroidered in 1798 while a student in Miss Kimball’s school, and baby clothes worn
by many of her 13 children. Cullimore noted that “the trunk included two beautiful white wool shawls
with paisley borders, labeled as Kate’s and Adeline’s. These two little girls died within two months
of one another in 1836 – they were just 4 and 7.” The exhibition also included the black veil that Maria
wore while mourning them and the six other children she lost.
The exhibition included clothing, family furnishings, diaries, letters, albums, portraits, and a well-used antique
rocking horse. Women of the Moffatt-Ladd House was developed by the staff and volunteers of the
Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the New Hampshire Colonial
Dames. The exhibition was on loan from the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden in Portsmouth.
Who Are We?
Founded in 1823, the New Hampshire Historical Society is the
independent nonprofit organization that saves, preserves, and shares New Hampshire history. The Society serves thousands
of children and adults each year through its Museum of New Hampshire History, research library, educational programs,
and award-winning publications.
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The New Hampshire Historical Society is not a state-funded agency.
All of the Society's programs and services are made possible by dues and contributions from individuals, foundations,
and businesses. Free admission to Museum of New Hampshire History and free use of library research resources are
two of the many benefits of membership in the New Hampshire Historical Society. You are invited to join today!
Call the membership department at 603/856-0621 or use our convenient and secure online
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