Moulton Mansion

General Jonathan Moulton was a veteran of various colonial wars, including the Revolutionary War, and a very wealthy man in the seacoast town of Hampton. He’s also considered New Hampshire’ Faust as apparently, according to local legend, he sold his soul to the devil. The price? The devil would be required to fill up his boots with gold once a month.

Then Moulton started to get greedier. To trick the prince of darkness, he cut out the bottoms of his boots and fixed them to a hole in the floor of his house. In order for the devil to fulfill the terms of the bargain, he had to fill up the entire cellar with gold in order to fill up the boots. As we all know, Satan really gets in a twist after being tricked, so he burned down Moulton’s house.

All silly stories aside, General Moulton was a historical figure, and he was rich and influential (the nearby town of Moultonborough was named for him). In addition, his house actually did burn down in the mid-1770s. Moulton rebuilt his house, and it still stands to this day as a private residence.

Moulton died in 1787, but his burial location is unknown. However, locals have placed a cenotaph to him in Pine Grove Cemetery on Winnacunnet Road, near his house. The cenotaph is easy to find, as Pine Grove is small. It’s located to the far left of the entrance and is often decorated with an American Flag to honor Moulton’s service in the colonial army.

Adapted with Permission from The New England Grimpendium by J.W. Ocker