Offered here is a souvenir letter opener made from a piece of lathe recovered from the Hancock-Clarke House. The handle portion still retains an original nail. Written in ink on the handle is “SOUVENIR  - LEXINGTON / TAKEN FROM / OLD HANCOCK HOUSE / BUILT 1698.” Cut into the other side of the handle is “1698”. The blade portion is carved down thin and to a point. Written on the blade is “HAND MADE / OAK LATH AND NAIL”. Wood remains in very good condition. The 1698 date is historically incorrect. The property was purchased in 1699 and the house not built until 1738.

The Hancock–Clarke House is a historic house in Lexington, Massachusetts, that is a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1738, the house is notable as the only surviving house associated with statesman John Hancock, who lived here for several years as a child. It played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord as both Hancock and Samuel Adams, leaders of the colonials, were staying in the house before the battle. The House is operated as a museum by the Lexington Historical Society.  [jet]  [ph:L]

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