‘Old Man of Seabrook’ Still a Landmark

Envelope addressed to Merle D.Straw, Jr.,
postmarked the day of closing of the Smithtown Post Office, October 23, 1970.

Have you ever wondered about the story behind the “Old Man of Seabrook”?

Countless thousands have driven through Seabrook on U.S. Route 1 and upon seeing the figure transfixed on the side of the building now owned by Merle Straw, have wondered what it signified and why it was there.

In the early 1800’s the building upon which the figure is suspended, was a blacksmith shop owned and operated by the late Frederick Felch. This shop, in the old days, was quite well known and blacksmith work was carried on extensively. Two fires were kept going well into the evening and four men were employed in the shoeing of horses, carriage work and repairing.

Norris Pevear, an 18-year-old boy from Hampton Falls was hired by Mr. Felch in 1873 to learn the trade and after serving his apprenticeship, worked for Mr. Felch for eleven years until the death of the owner in 1886.

It was during this time that the “old man” first appeared on the building. Collins and Gale, a clothing store in Amesbury at the time, thought up the idea of making two metal men with hands raised above their heads and in a running position, to be fastened to each end of the blacksmith shop about ten feet above the ground.

The sign on the “Old Man’s” back which today reads “The Old Man of Seabrook” was unique advertisement for Collins and Gale at that time. People traveling in either direction were attracted to the apparent sight of a ‘man’ running along the side of the shop, about ten feet off the ground.

Norris Pevear bought the shop and the land in 1886 and carried on his work for 47 years, changing with the times to work on the horseless carriage of today.

Halloween night in 1912, a group of boys pilfered one of the ‘men’ and deposited it on the front lawn of a house near by. The owner of this house upon finding the sign in the morning was leery about returning it because, he was afraid that Mr. Pevear would accuse him of stealing so he took it up into his barn and buried it in the hayloft. This man has since died and the sign was found and returned a short time ago.

A few years after the first ‘man’ disappeared, a woman passing the shop offered $30 for the remaining figure but Mr. Pevear stated that it was not for sale. The woman went as high as $50, which was a large sum in those days, but Mr. Pevear would not sell, because he said that, “the ‘man’ had done good work for him.”

Some years ago, an attempt was made to steal this figure, again on Halloween night, as the first one had been taken, but this attempt failed as the “old man” was secured too tightly. Mr. Pevear said that the “Old man” must have kicked at his assailants from the twisted appearance of his legs the next morning.

Today “The Old Man of Seabrook” still retains his life like appearance and still draws the attention of thousands of tourists who pass through here along Route 1 every year. Mr. Straw, if asked to sell the figure or take it down, would undoubtedly answer as the former owner had, that “the man had done good work for him, also.”