Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden

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A light blue, black, and white striped header image with the words Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden

For major stop four on the third day of my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, also known as the William Whipple House. Constructed between 1760 and 1763, this house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a stop on the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail.

 White vinyl sign attached to a gray slat fence. The sign reads Moffatt-Ladd House, residence of William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence, 1776 Prince Whipple and Winsor Moffatt, signers of the Petition of Freedom, 1779  Three-quarters view of Moffatt-Ladd House; a pale blue, clapbaord, three-story, Georgian style house behind a fence. Front view of Moffatt-Ladd House; a pale blue, clapbaord, three-story, Georgian style house behind a fence. Sign for Moffatt Ladd House and Garden 1763 View of a traditional English garden; side wing of Moffatt-Ladd House in the background

The Moffat Family

Wealthy colonial merchant and ship captain John Moffat and his wife Katharine Cutt Moffatt constructed the house as a wedding gift for his newlywed only son and daughter-in-law, Samuel & Sarah Catherine Tufton Moffat. John spared no expense on this lavish house, from the intricate hand carved cornices to the gorgeous wallpapers. The only problem was, its intended inhabitants were pretty much crazy.

How crazy were these people? Samuel and Sarah Catherine were known for spending beyond their means, which is nothing special for the descendents of wealthy people. However, what they did when they could not repay their debts was highly unusual and horrifying. Samuel abandoned his wife and three children and fled to Sint Eustatius, an island colony in the Caribbean ruled by the Netherlands. Within a year, Sarah Catherine abandoned their two younger children, John Tufton Moffatt and Mary “Polly” Tufton Moffat, and went to Sint Eustatius with the oldest daughter, Elizabeth "Betty" Tufton Moffatt.

Samuel’s two older sisters, Elizabeth Moffatt Sherburne and Katharine Moffatt Whipple, had to deal with the aftermath of their brother and his wife. Elizabeth was less involved, as she was busy arranging that her daughter, also called Elizabeth, marry much older Governor John Langdon. Katharine stepped up in caring for her abandoned niece and nephew, along with caring for her aging parents and secretly courting her cousin, William Whipple, a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Entry Room at Moffatt-Ladd House; A wall with grayscale wallpaper illustrating a picturesque beach scene; ornate whitewashed wood underneath a staircase Staircase at Moffatt-Ladd House; A tall window with a wooden frieze of Ionic columns on either side. Grayscale wallpaper on the wall surrounding the window. Staircase at Moffatt-Ladd House; Wooden staircase going up to the left. The whitesashed steps below have ornate carvings in the side. Grayscale wallpaper of an Italian beach scene on the walls both below and above the stairs. Staircase at Moffatt-Ladd House; looking through and over a wooden handrail with a three set of ballisters. Grayscale wallpaper of Italian ruins and 18th century ships. A set of three brown leather unrestored firebuckets Portrait of Mary Tufton Moffatt Haven, a white woman with brown hair wearing a late 18th century bonnet, black dress, and red shawl. Bread oven made of red brick. A pale green frame surrounds the fireplace on three sides. The floor is matching red brick. Near the outside wall of a dining room. A large window is framed with a deep green curtain. Standing underneath a portrait of Nathaniel Haven, the tour guide opens a hidden panel, revealing a china cabinet cut into the wall.

The Whipple Family

Katharine secretly married William, but the couple did not announce their marriage until Katharine was visibly pregnant. Their baby, William Whipple Jr., did not survive past eleven months, so Katharine and William raised John and Polly as their own children, until John left for South America and Polly married Nathaniel Haven, a doctor and politician. William died unexpectedly in 1785, and John Moffat died the next year, devastating Katharine. Fortunately, Nathaniel and fellow politician Daniel Webster oversaw the handling of the estates, as Sarah Catharine and her older children brought suits against Katharine. While Sarah Catharine’s family technically won the battle, Nathaniel bought the house from them and then sold it for a dollar to his daughter, Maria Tufton Haven Ladd.

View out the first floor window onto the gardens at Moffatt-Ladd House. A red brick building is visible in the far background. Dining Room at Moffatt-Ladd House; a whitewashed fireplaces with a carved mantal holding five ceramic urns. Black-and-white delft tiles surround the fireplace. Parlor with red flocked wallpaper and portraits of the Whipple family hung on the wall. The matching wooden chairs have red cushions. A patterned red and light blue rug covers much of the hardwood floor. A sample of old wallpaper found at the Moffatt-Ladd House; framed to allign with the reproduction wallpaper Kitchen at Moffatt-Ladd House; A plain mantel over a red brick fireplace with three large pewter plates balanced on top. The wooden table is covered with root vegetables. Pair of portraits hung on yellow and blue vertical striped reproduction wallpaper. A white and blue paisley overstuffed chair, a round wooden table, a side table, and a pair of wooden chairs complete the room.

The African-American Community

While the Whipples were charitable towards their family, their attitude towards African-Americans in Portsmouth was more complex. William owned an enslaved man, Prince Whipple, as a personal servant but signed manumission papers for him in 1784. Katharine gave land to Prince, his brother Cuffee Whipple, and their wives Dinah Chase Whipple and Rebecca Whipple, to use as they wanted. (Note that Prince and Dinah Chase Whipple are a different couple than Prince and Dinah from Sayward-Wheeler House in York, Maine.) The family ran the African Ladies Charitable School from a house they moved to the property.

Prince Whipple and Windsor Moffatt, enslaved by John Moffat, signed the Petition of Freedom in 1779. Modeled after the Declaration of Independence, which William Whipple had signed in 1776, the signers argued that they should be immediately freed, as their kidnapping and enslavement as children should be considered illegal and immoral.

Black iron Franklin stove with stove panel featuring two young women in late 18th century clothing sitting in a meadow. Banjo clock with a golden eagle finial and a reverse glass painted neck and body. Clock hung on sky blue wallpaper with a potted plant design. Reproduction yellow and white patterned wallpaper with the cutout from the original wallpaper pasted on top. The cutout features three men on horseback riding through a meadow. Portrait of a bearded white man wearing a black suit, white collared shirt, and black bowtie hung between two eaqually sized windows with whitewashed wooden window seats and above a writing desk with matching chair. View from third story window showing the harbor below as a boat passes by A green painted wall with a fireplace

The Ladd Family

Maria and her husband, politician Alexander Ladd, lived in the house with their thirteen children. Maria was an avid furniture collector and began the family tradition of decorating and remodeling the house. Only five of the children outlived their parents, and Alexander Hamilton Ladd bought the house from his siblings in 1861. He preferred tulip collecting to furniture and modernized the estate by improving the basement drainage system and installing a refrigerated dumbwaiter. After his death in 1900, daughter Elizabeth Hamilton Ladd and son-in-law Charles Wentworth sometimes lived in the house, but they ultimately donated the property The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire (NSCDA) in 1911. The house has been a museum ever since.

Wooden slats inside the walls at Moffatt-Ladd House Children's nursery at Moffatt-Ladd House; a double bed with a Navy blue cover, large floor rug, and a rocking horse. An 18th century wooden writing desk with an attached cupboard for books. A wooden commode in the blue bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House The Green Bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House; a canopy bed with green gingham canopy and coverlet and matching curtains. The wallpaper is white and green. The trim is green. Small wooden writing desk against a wall covered in light blue wallpaper with a potted plant pattern

Architecture & Decor

This beautiful Georgian style house was lovingly maintained by the family and renovated by the Friends of the Moffatt-Ladd Garden & Museum. Original wallpaper was recovered during renovations and inspired the gorgeous red flocked wallpaper in the parlor. Fuzzy to the touch, with a sample provided by the guide so guests do not pet the wallpaper, one design was reproduced by Adelphi Paper Hangings in Sharon Springs, New York. Because of the great expense to create this vintage design, the museum split costs with Governor John Wentworth House, now used as a senior living facility. Other restorations of the property included improving the windows and maintaining the colonial-era warehouse, one of the few surviving structures from this time period.

Wide view of the Yellow Bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House; A pair of windows with yellow curtains. Walls covered with yellow-and-gray patterned reproduction wallpaper. A yellow overstuffed chair and sever wooden chairs with yellow cushions. The walls and trim are painted yellow. Nursery at Moffatt-Ladd House; a double bed with a Navy blue coverlet. Underneath the bed emerges a trundle bed. A metal wash tub is to the left of the bed. Rocking horse in the Nursery at Moffatt-Ladd House Yellow canopy bed in the Yellow Bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House Details of the Dining Room at Moffatt-Ladd House; geometric yellow wallpaper and a tiger maple serving cabinet View of the harbor from the third story of Moffatt-Ladd House Another view of the yellow canopy bed in the Yellow Bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House White canopy bed in the Blue Bedroom at Moffatt-Ladd House

Conclusion

Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden was a fun tour with a highly knowledgeable guide, although the tour ran a bit long due to her enthusiasm. Plan for about ninety minutes to take the full tour and explore the gardens. The house has a great gift shop with souvenirs for every price point, along with a beautifully designed website complete with thorough information on the history of the house, current projects and renovations, the NSCDA and Friends of Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, and an online shop.

The Moffatt-Ladd House & Gardens are open from June 1 through December 1, as the building is unheated. Hours were 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. last season, with tours on the hour. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for children age 7 to 12, and free for children under 7 and NEMA members (like me!).



Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: 154 Market St, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA