Greetings from Massachusetts Antiques!

For your consideration:

An Antique 19th Century MOSS FUNGI Mushroom BOTANY Sample Specimen HERMITS Cave ERVING MA

"How can a simple cave under an overhang in a massive cliff be a castle? If the hermit who lives there calls it that. In a nutshell, that is the story of Erving Castle, the home from 1867-1899 of one John Smith, a native of Scotland who by an interesting path found himself here. Today, the site is a fascinating, if strenuous, destination on the slope of Hermit’s Mountain in Erving State Forest. From a sign on Mountain Rd., follow the white-blazed Metacomet-Monadnock Trail for 1.6 miles to a blue-blazed spur trail that descends a steep grade to the cave site and its remnant stonework and gardens, and then reconnects with the M&M."

  "Erving, Massachusetts was the home of John Smith from 1867 to 1900. 

    He was from Scotland originally. According to folk lore, he was deeply in love with a young woman named Betsy. It seems that somehow his relationship with this young lassie ended, breaking his heart and starting him on his search for solitude. After traveling through New York City, then Boston, Massachusetts, then a short stay around Leverett, MA, he finally found his niche in Erving in the 1860's, on Hermit's Mountain, along the edge of the Mohawk Trail.

    He lived a very peaceful but busy life on a 3 acre site of low stone walls, rock piles, stone stairways and stone terraces. His home was a simple cave. 

    His wildflower gardens are said to have been beautiful! He also grew holly hocks, sedum and ferns, tended crops of potatoes, corn and onions and in his spare time, knit and made cordage rugs, picked berries and nuts in season and crafted wreaths from the abundant mountain laurel. 

    I could well understand why his home was indeed his castle! Sitting by it, listening quietly I could almost hear his Scottish brogue wafting through the trees and envision him going about his daily routines, caring for his gardens, picking berries and nuts and caring for his feline friends whom he loved dearly, especially one in particular named Toby. Yes, it was his castle in every sense of the word.

   When Toby died, John used money he had saved and bought a burial headstone for him. 

    In his prime, people came from near and far to visit him at the Erving Castle. Some of them were famous and all of them were intrigued with his tales of his life in the Highlands of Scotland and of his work on the stages of Glasgow and London.

    John Smith wasn't at all like the hermits of today. He promoted himself and the Erving Castle, writing to newspaper editors in far off Boston and Hartford. He also had biographers chronicle his life and then sold the publications at the Hermit's Cave.

    In the fall of 1899, John became ill and he was moved to the nearby town of Montague. He died the following year. His beloved Toby's headstone was moved to be near his master in the Erving town cemetary."

A great example of a 19th century moss and fungus sample taken from the famous Hermit's Cave in Erving, MA.  The two specimens are sewn to a handwritten paper label which reads "From The Hermit's Cave Erving".  The samples and paper are then sewn to a page that has been removed from a 1797 ledger from Barre, MA belonging to Southworth Jenkins.  The sample was taken at a later date for John Smith did not live in the cave until 1867.  The ledger it was taken from was turned to a scrapbook and the dates of the newspaper clippings are from the 1860s to the 1880s.  It is safe to say that this sample was taken when John Smith was actually living in the Hermit's Cave; just fascinating!  I can't imagine there are many, if any, surviving specimens from this cave from this period; quite a worthy museum piece indeed!

The specimen has been kept attached to the ledger page so the buyer will also be able to see some of the handwritten content from the ledger plus some of the newspaper clippings.

In Good overall condition.  Surprisingly well preserved; the moss and mushroom sample are not too brittle and are not deteriorating; one small piece of the mushroom is broken off but present.  Will ship in a larger box with extra padding to preserve the specimen. 

Mushroom measures 4" x 3 1/4" and ledger page measures 12" x 7 1/2".

Please enjoy the photos for further item details and if you have any,questions feel free to ask.  This item ships Worldwide.  Fast payment ensures prompt shipping.  Thank you and be sure to check out my other items!