# Pierce Manse > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pierce_Manse > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pierce_Manse.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_Manse > Source revision: 1309567937 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Historic house in New Hampshire, United States}} {{hatnote|Not to be confused with the [Franklin Pierce House](/source/Franklin_Pierce_House_(South_Main_Street%2C_Concord%2C_New_Hampshire)) on South Main Street, the last home of President Pierce, which burned in 1981.}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} thumb|250px|right|Pierce Manse in winter The '''Pierce Manse''' is a historic house museum located in [Concord, New Hampshire](/source/Concord%2C_New_Hampshire). It was the home of the 14th [president of the United States](/source/president_of_the_United_States), [Franklin Pierce](/source/Franklin_Pierce), who lived there from 1842 to 1848,{{cite web| url=http://www.ohwy.com/nh/p/piercema.htm| title=Pierce Manse| publisher=Online Highways| accessdate=September 18, 2009}} not long before his presidency. ==Overview== 250px|right|thumb|Pierce Manse (summer 2014) Franklin Pierce and his wife [Jane Pierce](/source/Jane_Pierce) moved here after she persuaded him to resign his seat in the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) and leave [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.)Hannaford, Peter. ''Presidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There''. New York: Threshold Editions, 2012: 66. {{ISBN|978-1-4516-2714-5}} They owned the home from 1842 to 1848.Hannaford, Peter. ''Presidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There''. New York: Threshold Editions, 2012: 69. {{ISBN|978-1-4516-2714-5}} Pierce resumed his law practice and also served as [district attorney](/source/district_attorney) and chairman of the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)).McFarland, Philip. ''Hawthorne in Concord''. New York: Grove Press, 2004: 175. {{ISBN|0-8021-1776-7}}. During this time, Pierce advocated on behalf of [James K. Polk](/source/James_K._Polk)'s campaign for the presidency. Polk appointed Pierce [U.S. Attorney](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_New_Hampshire) for the State of New Hampshire as a reward in 1845.Nowlan, Robert A. ''The American Presidents From Polk to Hayes: What They Did, What They Said & What Was Said About Them''. Denver, CO: Outskirts Press, 2016: 177. {{ISBN|978-1-4787-6572-1}} In May 1845, Pierce took a trip away from home to visit his friend [Nathaniel Hawthorne](/source/Nathaniel_Hawthorne) and his wife [Sophia Peabody](/source/Sophia_Hawthorne), who were then living in [The Old Manse](/source/The_Old_Manse) in [Concord, Massachusetts](/source/Concord%2C_Massachusetts), along with their [Bowdoin College](/source/Bowdoin_College) friend [Horatio Bridge](/source/Horatio_Bridge). Peabody recalled the meeting fondly and recorded her first impression of Pierce as "loveliness and truth of character and natural refinement."McFarland, Philip. ''Hawthorne in Concord''. New York: Grove Press, 2004: 121–122. {{ISBN|0-8021-1776-7}}. In 1846, Polk offered Pierce the [United States Attorney General](/source/United_States_Attorney_General) position, which Pierce declined on account of his wife's health. That year, with the outbreak of the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War), Pierce enlisted as a private and was soon promoted to brigadier general. After an accident resulted in injury during the [Battle of Contreras](/source/Battle_of_Contreras), he resigned from the Army by 1848. In 1971 the building was threatened with demolition as part of an urban renewal project. Locals created the "Pierce Brigade", an organization to raise funds to purchase and save the home. Due to their efforts, the building was moved from Montgomery Street in Concord to its present location at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane{{cite web| url=http://www.politicallibrary.org/Contact-Us/Directions.aspx| title=Directions| publisher=New Hampshire Political Library| accessdate=September 18, 2009}} (in 1971 known as Penacook Street). It was opened to the public in 1974. The home is available for guided tours from mid-June to October. It continues to be operated by the Pierce Brigade. ==See also== *[Franklin Pierce Homestead](/source/Franklin_Pierce_Homestead), an earlier home of Franklin Pierce *[Franklin Pierce House (South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire)](/source/Franklin_Pierce_House_(South_Main_Street%2C_Concord%2C_New_Hampshire)), where Pierce died * [List of residences of presidents of the United States](/source/List_of_residences_of_presidents_of_the_United_States) *[List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire](/source/List_of_National_Historic_Landmarks_in_New_Hampshire) *[New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 125](/source/List_of_New_Hampshire_historical_markers_(101%E2%80%93125)): The Pierce Manse ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category}} * [http://www.piercemanse.org/ Pierce Manse] official site *[http://www.c-span.org/video/?125004-1/life-portrait-franklin-pierce "Life Portrait of Franklin Pierce"], from [C-SPAN](/source/C-SPAN)'s ''[American Presidents: Life Portraits](/source/American_Presidents%3A_Life_Portraits)'', broadcast from the Pierce Manse, June 14, 1999 {{Franklin Pierce}} {{Coord|43|13|03|N|71|32|34|W|type:landmark|display=title}} Category:Franklin Pierce family residences Category:Historic house museums in New Hampshire Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Category:Houses in Concord, New Hampshire Category:Presidential homes in the United States Category:Museums in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Category:Biographical museums in New Hampshire Category:Presidential museums in the United States Category:Tourist attractions in Concord, New Hampshire Category:Historic district contributing properties in New Hampshire Category:National Register of Historic Places in Concord, New Hampshire --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pierce Manse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_Manse) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_Manse?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.