The Fells facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Fells
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Fells (John Hay Estate)
Location	Newbury, New Hampshire
Area	164 acres (66 ha)
Built	1891
Architect	George Hammond (1891) Prentice Sanger (1915)
Architectural style	Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.	00001288
Added to NRHP	2 November 2000

The Fells, also called the Hay Estate, was once the summer home of John Milton Hay. He was an important American leader in the 1800s. You can find The Fells in Newbury, New Hampshire, right on New Hampshire Route 103A. It's a special place with a lot of history!

History of The Fells

John Hay worked for the United States government for over 40 years. He was Abraham Lincoln's personal helper during the Civil War. Later, he worked as a diplomat, helping America talk to other countries. He was also a journalist, writing for newspapers. In 1898, he became the United States Secretary of State, which is a very important job in the government. He held this job until he passed away in 1905.

In the late 1880s, farms in New Hampshire were having a tough time. Farms in the western United States were making it hard for them to sell their goods. So, New Hampshire asked rich Americans to buy these farms to help them stay open. In 1888, John Hay bought about 1,000 acres of land near Lake Sunapee. He hoped to create a summer place for his close friends, known as the "Five of Hearts."

However, after his friend Henry Adams' wife passed away, Hay changed his plans. Instead, he used the land as a quiet getaway from his busy life in Washington. Hay named his property "The Fells." This is a British word for a rocky, high pasture, and it honored his Scottish family background.

The Hay Family Home

The Fells with Mount Sunapee in the background, around 1905

The first small house on the property was built in 1891. An architect named George Hammond helped design it. In 1897, a second guest house was added next to the first one. The main door of the first house faced the lake because the Hay family usually arrived by boat.

After John Hay died in 1905, his son, Clarence Hay, took over the property. Clarence and his wife Alice wanted to make the simple summer houses into a grand lakeside mansion. Starting in 1915, they worked with local architect Prentice Sanger. They changed the house to the Colonial Revival style, which looks like older American homes. The covered walkway between the two houses became a formal hallway, connecting them into one large home. Later, a garage was added as more people started using cars.

In 1960, the Hay family gave 675 acres of land to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. After Clarence Hay died in 1969, Alice Hay gave the remaining 164 acres to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. She kept 143 acres for herself and her children to use during their lives. Alice continued to visit The Fells every summer until she passed away in 1987. The land she gave then became the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge.

Work to fix up the house and land began in the 1990s. In 1996, a group called "The Fells" was created. This non-profit group helps manage the house and the land around it. In 2008, The Fells bought the land around the main house from the Fish and Wildlife Service. They did this by trading some land near Lake Umbagog in Coös County, New Hampshire.

The Fells is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. It shows how summer estates were built in New Hampshire in the late 1800s. It's also important because of John Hay, who was a leading politician and diplomat. At The Fells, John Hay wrote the Open Door Policy. This policy said that no country should try to take over China. Teddy Roosevelt even visited The Fells in 1902 during a trip. A maple tree, now called the Roosevelt Tree, was planted during his visit.

The Fells Today

Today, many volunteers help take care of The Fells. There are also garden staff and other people who work there. The house and the land around it are still open for everyone to visit. The Fells hosts many fun and educational events throughout the year.

John Hay National Wildlife Refuge

The John Hay National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1987. Its main goal was to protect birds that travel long distances, called migratory birds. In 2008, the refuge was split. The northern part, which had the buildings and land around them, was given to The Fells. In return, the Fish and Wildlife Service received land in northern New Hampshire. This new land was added to the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.

The remaining part of the property is still the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge. It covers about 80 acres. This land has different types of trees, a small open field, a stream called Beech Brook, and special wet areas called fens and vernal pools. A fen is a type of wetland, and a vernal pool is a temporary pond that fills with water in spring.

The people who manage the refuge focus on protecting nature. They work to keep the land safe for migratory birds and other native plants and animals. The refuge also protects about 3,100 feet of natural shoreline along Lake Sunapee.

The refuge is open to the public every day during daylight hours. You can go there to watch wildlife, take pictures, and learn about nature. There's a 0.9-mile trail called the John Hay II Forest Ecology Trail. It's a self-guided walk through the forest and along the lake. You can park your car at The Fells to access the trail.