Historic New England: Governor John Langdon House
During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Governor John Langdon House, a property of Historic New England (HNE). With construction beginning in 1784, right before the Federalist Era of the United States, the exterior design of this oceanside mansion is mostly Georgian, an 18th century English architectural style, while the interior was originally Rococo, an 18th century French architectural style.
The owner of the house, Portsmouth native John Langdon, was born to a wealthy Cornish-American family in 1741. Unlike many Cornish who became miners and mine engineers (like my ancestors), the Langdons were ship owning merchants active in the Transatlantic Triangle Trade. Langdon first entered politics in 1773 as a member of the New Hampshire Committee of Correspondence, where he corresponded with committee from other British American colonies about the increasing restrictions placed on trade by the government. Langdon held multiple federal political roles, serving in the Continental Congress and United States Congress. He was elected as President of New Hampshire for the first time in 1785 during the construction of his house. This role would later be renamed to Governor, and he would hold the position four times. Langdon’s career would last until 1812, a few days shy of his seventy-first birthday.
The tour of the Langdon House highlights to role of Cyrus Bruce, an African-American man initially enslaved by the Langdon family. After his emancipation, Bruce continued to work for the Langdons as a majordomo, the head butler who oversaw the estate and planned its many social events. As the wealthiest Black person in Portsmouth, Bruce used his status to advocate for his community, and he used his fashion sense to create extravagant, colorful outfits. His bold clothing was captured in a stylized portrait by Richard Hayes, Jr., an award winning Portsmouth-based artist-in-residence at Langdon House who is nationally recognized for his portrayals of American life.
After the deaths of John Langdon, his wife Elizabeth Sherburne Langdon, and their daughter Eliza Langdon Elwyn, the property was sold outside the family in 1833. Little is known about the occupancy of its next resident, naval officer Joseph Wilson, who owned the home for three years. By 1836, the property was purchased by the Burroughs. The husband, Charles Burroughs, was the rector, or Episcopalian minister, at St. John’s Church in Portsmouth, along with the annual president of the Portsmouth Athenaeum. He and his wife, Anne Rindge Pierce Burroughs, lived in the house for forty years, making the only significant alteration in the 1850s. A fire had destroyed part of the house, so it was rebuilt in the popular Greek Revival style.
The Burroughs had no children, so the property went on the market after the death of Anne in 1877. The mansion was purchased by a relative of John Langdon, Woodbury Langdon, who later married John Langdon’s great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth Elwyn Langdon, not to be confused with the wife of John Langdon. The couple redecorated in the popular Colonial Revival style by employing the architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White. A shortlist of the designs created by these highly talented craftsmen and that I have visited includes:
- Rosecliff, owned by Newport Mansions in Newport, Rhode Island
- Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts
- National Museum of American History, a Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C.
- East and West Wings of the White House.
The Langdons loved the details of a mansion once owned by the first Woodbury Langdon, the brother of John Langdon, which had been partially destroyed by fire and rebuilt as the Rockingham Hotel, now a condo complex. A new wing was added to John Langdon House to include an octagon dining room, whose design was likely based on a trend from the 1850s started by ameteur architect Orson Squire Fowler. Other older details included “decorative moldings, medallions, and wall sconces”. The Langdons did not give up on modern amenities, incorporating a kitchen, washing room, and bathroom into the house and new extension.
Elizabeth meticulously bought properties surrounding the house to create a large garden space in the backyard. The gardens include a lengthy arbor covered with roses and grapes. This outdoor space space, along with select rooms inside the mansion, can now be rented for weddings and other events. Elizabeth understood the architectural and historical importance of her property, so she willed the property to HNE upon her death in 1945, on the condition that her sister Helen Kremer could stay in the house for the remainder of her life. HNE began leading tours of the property in 1947 and have maintained the property as a museum ever since.
I greatly enjoyed my tour of Langdon House, as the two other visitors on the tour were highly knowledgeable about early New England architecture and history. The tour guide was likewise engaging and answered every question we had. She expertly balanced the stories for multiple generations of residents in the house, the importance of the Langdon family in American political history, the lives of Black residents in 18th century Portsmouth, and the architectural features of the building.
The Langdon House is open frequently during standard HNE house touring season, which runs from opening day in early June to closing day in mid October. Tours are on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with departure times on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Like most historic house tours, the building is not accessible to those who use a wheelchair, and those with limited mobility may have difficulty climbing the 18th century stairs. The free parking lot across from the mansion serves the entire city and tends to be crowded, so allow enough time to find a spot.
Abby Epplett’s Rating System
Experience: 9/10
Accessibility: 7/10