Doorstep Defended by Franklin Pierce, Vacant Lot Where He Died
Concord, New Hampshire
In April 1865, after Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated, an angry mob gathered outside the Concord home of former President Franklin Pierce (1853-1857), demanding to know why he wasn't flying an American flag in memoriam. Pierce, who was notoriously pro-slavery and anti-war, stood at his doorstep and said that he was just as sad as they were about Lincoln, but that his long history of service to the nation should speak for his patriotism louder than any flag. The mob, surprisingly, agreed and left.
Four years later at the house, Pierce died (Oct. 8, 1869). The house eventually burned down in 1981. Now the spot where it stood is just a vacant lot next to a funeral home -- but the concrete doorstep and front walkway are still there!