Winter at Pleasant View

As we look at photographs of life at Pleasant View, Mary Baker Eddy’s home in Concord, N.H., it’s fascinating to see a quiet New England town of a century ago. These images give us a glimpse of winter, at a time when life was different than today. One important distinction—transportation did not include automobiles; horse-drawn carriages and streetcars were the norm. Walking was common for many.

These photographs date from the early years of the twentieth century. In the first, we see Calvin Frye, Eddy’s longtime secretary, standing on the walk at Pleasant View. The front gate of the home is behind him. We can see that there is very little snow on the ground, and Frye is dressed in a suit, without an overcoat, so perhaps he is enjoying a late winter’s day.

This second photo provides a look at winter sports at Pleasant View. Here J. Frederick Mann is sledding across the backyard. “Freddie,” as he was called, was the son of Amanda and August Mann. August served as a coachman, Amanda as a dressmaker for Mary Baker Eddy, from about 1900 to 1908. The sled is a long one—possibly an early form of a bobsled.

Freddie’s letters to Eddy, found in the Incoming Correspondence file, provide a charming look at her generosity, and at the warm relationships she had with children. One letter thanks her for the gift of a derby hat, another for an inscribed copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and a third for a present of “delicious candy”!

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