Langley Boardman was a carpenter and accomplished home builder with the Portsmouth firm of Boardman & Miller. In 1800, they constructed two apartment houses on the north side of Congress Street that became the Portsmouth Hotel and Stage House, where passengers boarded stagecoaches bound for Portland, Concord, and Boston. Later owners replaced the buildings with the Franklin House and Franklin Hall, and the property became known as the Franklin Block.
Langley Boardman later served as a Constitutional Councilor and N. H. State Senator. He built his mansion on Middle Street in the early 1800s and lived here until his death in 1833. His son, Dr. John Boardman, owned the home until 1900.
The next owner was an attorney with the law firm of Frink, Marvin, & Batchelder. William E. Marvin served as the city mayor at the time of the Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War and also presided at the dedication ceremony for the General Fitz John Porter equestrian statue in Haven Park.
The Langley Boardman House is still a private residence, beautifully preserved by later owners. Even the granite hitching posts out front remain!
The mansion is remarkable for its mahogany front door with ovals lined by whalebone, a rounded porch above the door, and the distinctive second-floor Palladian window.
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