The Pierce Manse: Discover One Of The Worst Presidents!

When we started our Statehouse Selfies Quest, we looked for other places to visit in Concord. Soon, we discovered the Pierce Manse, the house of our 14th president, Franklin Pierce. Was he a good president or not? Go find out where he ranks!

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The Pierce Manse: Intro

Although I have lived in New Hampshire for the last twenty years, I have to admit that I knew almost nothing about him. It was a great place to visit and learn. Franklin Pierce is the only US president from New Hampshire and was in office from 1853 to 1857.

Even more shamefully, I didn’t even know what a Manse was. Is it a mansion, a house, or just a made-up word by the fans of Franklin Pierce? Nope, it actually is a real word, according to Merriam-Webster: Manse can be

1: archaic : the dwelling of a householder
2: the residence of a minister
especially : the house of a Presbyterian minister
3: a large imposing residence

Merriam Webster

Hmmmm, none of these seemed to fit until I read more about the history of the Franklin Pierce house.

Moving House, Literally!

The house used to be a different place in Concord, but in 1971 they moved it to its current location to preserve it for future generations. So the description “manse” did not fit Pierce, who was a lawyer and a politician. Instead it fit the new location of this house, where the log cabin of the first Congregational minister once stood.

Franklin Pierce

Quick summary: In 1804, Franklin Pierce was born in a log cabin in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He served as the 14th President of the United States (POTUS) from 1853 to 1857. Sadly, Pierce’s presidency is widely regarded as a failure, and after he retired he struggled with alcoholism and passed away in 1869 at the age of 64.

Growing Up

Franklin Pierce was the fifth of eight children. His father Benjamin Pierce was a prominent state legislator, farmer, and tavern-keeper. Benjamin served two terms as Governor of New Hampshire, while two of his older brothers fought in the War of 1812, so public affairs and the military were a major influence in his early life.

To prepare for college, Franklin studied at Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1820, after prep school, the 16 years-old Pierce entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, one of only 19 freshmen.

After graduation, he spent one semester at Northampton Law School in Northampton, Massachusetts. Not happy there, he moved back to New Hampshire, where he studied under a local judge in Amherst and was admitted to the NH bar in 1927.

Lawyering or Politics?

Franklin barely started his lawyer career when he got distracted by winning his first election, as Hillsborough town moderator. Once he was a town moderator, he got active campaigning for Democratic presidential candidates. He campaigned for Andrew Jackson, and then went on to join the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Marriage and Children in the Pierce Manse

In 1834, Pierce married Jane Means Appleton. They settled in Concord, NH and had three sons, who tragically died in childhood. From 1842 till 1848 they lived in the Pierce Manse.

Shortly after marriage, Franklin joined the U.S. House of Representatives from 1833 until 1836 when he got promoted to U.S. Senator.

U.S. Senate and Support for Slavery.

At age 32, in 1837, Franklin Pierce started as one of the youngest member in Senate history at the time. When abolitionists proposed ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Pierce supported a resolution by Calhoun against this proposal. He considered the proposal a dangerous stepping stone to nationwide emancipation.

In December 1841 Pierce decided to resign from Congress and devoted more time to his family and his law practice.

Back to Pierce’s House in New Hampshire

Back home in New Hampshire, Pierce was still very involved politically and became chairman of the NH State Democratic Committee. In 1844, Pierce did tons of campaigning for James K. Polk, who became the 11th POTUS and rewarded Franklin with an appointment as United States Attorney for New Hampshire.

Just a Flesh Wound… Pierce during the Mexican-American War

Like all white males in New Hampshire, Pierce had been a member of the state militia since he turned 18 years old. In 1847, after the Mexican-American War broke out, Franklin left home to become a brigadier general in the army.

During the Battle of Contreras, he badly injured his knee when his horse fell down and pinned him. During the next battle, Franklin refused to rest and entered the fight tied to his saddle. Good try, but it was so painful that he passed out and couldn’t fight anyway.

After struggling with health challenges all year, Franklin finally returned home to the Pierce Manse in Concord and resigned from the Army.

Franklin Pierce: A Reluctant President-Elect

1852 turned out to be a divisive year for the Democrats and there was much infighting about slavery and whom to put up as their candidate for president. Democrats in New Hampshire felt that they were one of the leading Democratic states, so they should provide the candidate so they put up Pierce as an option.

After being out of office for a decade, Pierce wasn’t particularly thrilled with the plan, but went with the flow. To appeal more to the Southerners, he even wrote letters showing support for the Fugitive Slave Act. This highly controversial act required that all escaped slaves be returned to their slaver and that everyone in the free states had to cooperate.

Once the Democratic convention assembled, they had a hard time picking a candidate. At first, Pierce didn’t get even a single vote during the balloting. As in the first 35 ballots couldn’t declare a winner (2/3 of the votes) and were deadlocked.

When Franklin Pierce got thrown into the mix, it still took a while. Eventually, on the 49th ballot, Pierce received the Democratic nomination for president with almost all the votes. When word reached New Hampshire of the result, Pierce found it difficult to believe, and his wife fainted.

Back then, candidates were not supposed to campaign for themselves, so his allies did all the work. Very successfully, because Pierce won big by 254 electoral votes versus his rival Winfield Scott‘s 42.

Presidency

Nowadays, presidential historians view as an inept president, who accelerated the course towards civil war. He vigorously enforced the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. His most famous failure was in regard to the new territories Kansas and Nebraska.

While they technically should have been non-slavery states, Kansas became a hot battle ground between pro-slavery forces and abolitionists. There was so much violence between groups that the territory became known as Bleeding Kansas.

Because of these and many other issues with Pierce’s presidency, the Democratic party did not put him up for re-election, but chose James Buchanan instead.

Tour the Pierce Manse

After finding out all these interesting facts about Franklin Pierce, I bet you are curious about his Concord House. The Pierce Manse is run by volunteers and they give tours to visitors, explaining the furniture and about the political situation in that day and age.

Starting our visit, we saw a movie about Franklin, which talked about his life as a lawyer and a politician.

The movie claimed that Franklin Pierce used the constitution as his guidance, but sadly enough in his view the constitution did not prohibit slavery.

It was interesting to tour the mansion, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, so you will just have to go visit yourselves and see it. It definitely is worth a visit when you find yourself in Concord!

When and Where to Visit the Pierce House?

The Franklin Pierce House is open for guided tours May 25-October 28, 2023. Regular hours are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 to 15:00.

Appointments are available year round. To schedule an appointment please call the tour director at 603-715-5566 with at least three days notice to make an appointment. The Manse observes all Federal holidays.

Location: 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane in Concord’s historic district.

Other Things To Do in Concord New Hampshire

• Visit the New Hampshire State House and find fossils!
• Check out National Parks and more in New Hampshire;
• Feast on the Fabulous Fall Foliage in New England;
• Explore Concord NH;
• Places to stay in Concord;
• The best restaurants in Concord.

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