12. A New Start in Newburyport
Once established in Newburyport, Timothy Dexter decided to become an international businessman, and bought some ships. He also bought a lavish carriage with his initials embossed, and filled a stable with handsome cream-colored horses to pull it. To round it off, he built himself an eighteenth century version of a McMansion, with a great sea view. Dexter’s tastes weren’t classy, and he went for the garish and tacky to furnish and bling it out. However, it was the most expensive garish and tacky stuff that money could buy. It included what passed in those days for the height of comfort in outhouses. On the grounds of his luxury pad, Dexter set up rows of columns, fifteen feet tall or more, and commissioned dozens of wooden statues of famous people to place on top of them.
