• About Us
  • Pierce Brigade
  • Membership
  • Gift Shop
  • Volunteer
• Visit Us
  • Manse Rack Card (PDF)
  • Directions
  • Admission
• Pierce Family
  • Gov. Benjamin Pierce
  • Pres. Franklin Pierce
  • Jane Means Appleton Pierce
  • Pierce Children
  • Links
• Schools/Groups
  • School Tours
  • Group Tours
  • School Outreach
  • Adult Outreach
• Latest News
• Contact Us

Upcoming Events

All events are located at the Pierce Manse unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Professional storyteller Sharon Wood will present the living history program, A Tribute to Sarah Josepha Hale. This program is underwritten by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 2:30 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Join us at the Mary Baker Eddy Historic House on 62 North State Street in Concord to see their completed renovations and learn about Mary Baker Eddy's life in Concord. RSVP required to (603) 225-4555 by Friday, May 23, 2008.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:00 a.m.
The Pierce Manse opens for the 2008 season! Come view our newly renovated barn, which includes an exciting new exhibition about Franklin Pierce and a changing exhibition gallery examining the New Hampshire Presidential Primary.

Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Dr. Peter Wallner, author of the recently published biographies about Franklin Pierce, will speak about the relationship between Franklin Pierce and his long-time friend Nathaniel Hawthorne. Dr. Wallner will be available after his lecture to sign copies of the Pierce biographies.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Pierce Brigade member and well-known theater artist Virginia Gerseny will give a dramatic presentation of Dolly Madison, former First Lady and wife of President James Madison.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: The Currier Museum of Art will present an Art Talk From Anonymous to Aponovich: New Hampshire History and Art. The illustrated presentation depicts New Hampshire through artwork from the Currier's permanent collection that captures the daily life and geography in the Granite State.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Jere Daniell, Professor of History Emeritus at Dartmouth College, will speak about Revolutionary New Hampshire, from 1776 to 1795.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 2:30 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Lecture Series: Pierce Brigade President, Nancy Hartford, will present an slide lecture illustrating the changing styles of American furniture, 1620-1840.

Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:30 p.m.
Pierce Brigade Member's Business Meeting

**Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 10 a.m.
Annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Old North Cemetery, North State Street, Concord, NH. Every year, the United States President sends a wreath to the gravesite of former President Pierce to commemorate his birthday on November 23rd. Participants include the New Hampshire National Guard, the New Hampshire Governor's Horse Guards, and 4th grade students from Walker School. A reception at the Manse follows the ceremony. **TENTATIVE DATE - PLEASE CHECK BACK

Sunday, December 7, 2008 from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Annual Holiday Open House at the Pierce Manse. Come explore how the Pierce family celebrated the holidays over 150 years ago. The Franklin Pierce University Singers will provide musical entertainment at 3 p.m. to get you in the spirit of the season! Admission is free; refreshments will be served.

Jane Means Appleton Pierce

Jane Pierce, ca. 1862. Collections of the Pierce Brigade, Concord, New Hampshire.

Jane Means Appleton Pierce was born on March 12, 1806 in Hampton, New Hampshire, the third child of Jesse Appleton and Elizabeth Means. Jesse Appleton, a devout Congregationist minister, was a strict father and President of Bowdoin College from 1807 until his death in 1819. Upon her father's death, Jane moved to her uncle's home (Col. Robert Means) in Amherst, New Hampshire.

How Jane met Franklin Pierce is unknown, but their meeting could possibly have come about through Alpheus Spring Packard, husband of Frances Appleton (Jane's sister) and professor at Bowdoin College during Franklin's last year there in 1824. Franklin and Jane married on November 19, 1834 in the parlor of the Means House in Amherst, New Hampshire.

While they were opposites in personality, Jane and Franklin seemed to have a happy and loving marriage. The deaths of all three of their children were difficult, particularly for Jane since she suffered from depression during most of her life. Jane preferred the quiet home life of family and friends in New England to the political world of Washington, DC. This is evident in one of her later letters to her sister Mary, where she stated "I do most cordially hate politics."

After traveling in Europe with Franklin for her health from 1857 to 1860, they settled back in Concord until the end of Jane's life. She died of tuberculosis in Andover, Massachusetts on December 2, 1863 at the home of her sister Mary Aiken. Jane is buried, with Franklin and two of her children, in the Old North Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Did You Know...

Franklin left to fight in the Mexican War on May 13, 1847 after an emotional send-off from a large group of Concord citizens. He made a brief address to the crowd, stating "I will come back with honor, or I will not come back at all." After participating in two major battles, Franklin came home on January 27, 1848.