Abbot-Spalding House Museum
The Abbot-Spalding House at 1 Abbott Square/1 Nashville Street in Nashua has had four owners prior to being owned by The Nashua Historical Society.
Click to enlarge family trees.
The first owner, Daniel Abbot, purchased the land for $300 circa 1802. He commissioned John Lund to build the new colonial-style home. Abbot was a leader in town affairs and politics. He was the first president of the Nashua and Lowell Railroad, president of the Wilton Railroad, first president of the Nashua Bank and was an officer of other banks in the city. Abbot was a co-founder of the Nashua Manufacturing Company and served as its first president. He was Nashua's first lawyer, served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and is known as "The Father of Nashua." Abbot lived in the house until his death in 1853.
George Perham was the second owner. He purchased the house from Catherine Abbot Fox Dinsmoor, Daniel Abbot's daughter, for "$1.00 and other considerations." Perham was a merchant in Nashua and a member of the Governor's Horse Guard. He renovated the house, modernizing it so that its appearance was in keeping with its Victorian neighbors. He lived there until his death in 1891.
The third owner of the Abbot-Spalding House was the Reverend Henry (Henri) Lessard, who was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. He purchased the house in 1902 but apparently never lived in the house. He intended it to be used as a French orphanage, but for unknown reasons, this was never done. He sold the house to William Edward Spalding in 1905 for "$1.00 and other valuable considerations."
William Edward Spalding, the fourth owner of the house, served as a vice president of the First National Bank, was a ward representative, city treasurer, and a member of various city organizations. He became an aide-de-camp to New Hampshire Governor Charles Sawyer (1887-1889). Spalding's interest in the past led him to a full-time business in antiques. His daughter, Sylvia, sold the house to The Nashua Historical Society in 1978 with the understanding that she could continue to reside there for as long as she chose. She died in 1984 and bequeathed the contents of the house to The Nashua Historical Society.
