Believe it or not, Alfred A. Nutter began his career in Cornwall,
designing chicken coops! By age sixteen he had perfected what
he called 'the humane hen-house' and sold these wicker devices
to farmers for a farthing each. These became known as
'nut-hatches' and were quite popular. He saved enough money
to travel to London and study under the brilliant engineer Wilfred
Banister, credited with saving countless lives with the invention of
the common handrail, or banister.
After a year or so, Nutter drifted into the field of architecture where
he used his new engineering knowledge to draft plans for elaborate
and ornate building styles.
In 1799 he was contracted by Zachariah Carter to design a home that
people would consider to be 'the eighth wonder of the world'!
Well, that turned out to be a little bit optimistic, but by the
beginning of the nineteenth century Nutter had masterminded the
construction of a Mansion soon to be heralded as
'the crown jewel of the colonies!'.
Not bad for a Cornish farmboy.
Nutter was hospitalized for nervous exhaustion shortly after the
Mansion was finished. He was forced into convalescence at a
Boston hospital just as news of his architectural triumph was
sweeping across New England.
Eventually, his health returned and he sailed home to his native
Cornwall, where he was greeted with studied indifference.
Nevertheless, he was certain that his labors had resulted in a structure
that could be both dwelled in and dwelt upon for years to come.
Time has proven this a very safe assumption.
Safe, in fact, as houses.
