Sideboard

Title:

Federal Sideboard

Object Name:

Sideboard

Creator:

unknown

Date:

1780-1800

Material:

Mahogany veneer, brass

Dimensions:

H-4.75 L-21 Dia-7 inches

Description:

Federal mahogany sideboard once owned by General John Stark. Arch center apron with inlaid borders. Built in Massachusetts, c. 1780-1800. One large drawer in the center. On either of the center section are curved side sections - each has one drawer at the top and curved door comparment. 6 tapered legs with inlaid border. Drawer pulls are brass in a Federal oval design - probably original.

Provenance:

Reportedly owned by General John Stark of New Hampshire. It passed through the Stark family until Mrs. Charles Frederick Morris Stark sold the sideboard to isarael Sack. Sack sold several pieces with the same history to the Henry Ford Museum. (It has not been determined if this piece was at the Henry Ford Museum.) The ownership after that is unknown until it appear for sale at A.Fairfax Antiques in Charleston, SC where the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire purchased it in 2006.

John Stark was a New Hampshire native, born in Londonderry in 1728. He had a long and respectable military career, fighting in the French and Indian War and serving as a Colonel in the New Hampshire Militia then as a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Stark earned the nickname 'Hero of Bennington' for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in Bennington, Vermont in 1777.

After the war, Stark retired from military and public life to his farm in Derryfield, now called Manchester. In 1809 a group of veterans gathered in Bennington to commemorate the battle. Stark was not well enough to travel, but sent a letter to his comrades which contained the phrase 'Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.' Stark was referring to living under a kings rule ( like Britain's King George) would be worse than death. Part of his phrase 'Live Free or Die' has become the motto of New Hampshire. When Stark died in 1822 at age 94, he was reported to be the last surviving Continental General of the Revolution.

Subjects:

Military officers, Furniture, Furnishings, Home decoration, Homes, Sideboards

People:

Stark, John, Sack, Israel

Place of Origin:

Massachusetts

Collection Name:

Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Item Number:

2006.002

Accession Number:

2006.002

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

For information regarding copyright, permissions, and reproductions contact the American Independence Museum

Credit Line:

American Independence Museum

Participating Organization:

American Independence Museum