William Pepperel sending to England, in
1737, the draught of a chamber he was furnishing, and writing, "Geet
mock Tapestry or paint'd Canvass lay'd in Oyls for ye same and send me."
In 1734 "Paper for Rooms," and a little later "Rolled Paper for Hanging
of Rooms" were advertised in the _Boston News Letter_. "Statues on
Paper" were soon sold, and "Architraves on Roll Paper" and "Landscape
Paper." These old paper-hangings were of very heavy and strong
materials, close-grained, firm and durable. The rooms of a few wealthy
men were hung with heavy tapestries. The ceilings usually exposed to
view the great summer-tree and cross rafters, sometimes rough-hewn and
still showing the marks of the woodman's axe. But little decoration was
seen overhead, even in the form of chandeliers; sometimes a candle beam
bore a score of candles, or in some fine houses, such as the Storer
mansion in Boston, great ornamental globes of glass hung from the
summer-tree.

In the first log cabins oiled paper was placed in windows. We find more
than one colonist writing to England for that semi-opaque
window-setting. Soon glass windows, framed in lead, were sent from
London and Liverpool and Bristol, ready for insertion in the walls of
houses; and at an early day sheets of glass came to Winthrop. We find,
by Sewall's time, that the houses of well-to-do folk all had "quarrels
of glass" set in windows.

The flight of time in New England houses was marked without doors by
sun-dials; within, by noon-marks, hour-glasses, and rarely by
clepsydras, or water-clocks.

The first mention, in New England records, of a clock is in Lechford's
note-book. He states that in 1628 Joseph Stratton had of his brother a
clock and watch, and that Joseph acknowledged this, but refused to pay
for them and was sued for payment. Hence Lawyer Lechford's interest in
the articles and mention of them. In 1640 Henry Parks, of Hartford, left
a clock by will to the church. In the inventory of Thomas Coteymore,
made in Charleston, in 1645, his clock is apprized at L1. In 1657 there
was a town-clock in Boston and a man appointed to take care of it. In
1677 E. Needham, of Lynn, left a "striking clock, a Larum that does not
strike and a watch," valued at L5--this in an estate of L1,117 total.
Judge Sewall wrote, in 1687, "Got home rather before 12 Both by my Clock
and Dial."

Clocks must have become rather plentiful in the early part of the
following century, for in 1707 this advert