Before the Ousamequin Farm homestead descended to Frederick Peck on his father's death, Frederick had purchased an adjacent piece of land with the intention to erect a stone residence for which he would name Belton Court for the early home of the Pecks in
England. The first wing of the building was constructed between 1905 and 1906, with its main elevation facing east onto Middle Highway. Two-and-a-half stories in height, the house was built of rough masonry granite with segmental relieving arches over the windows and doors. With Peck's expanding interests and activities, a larger residence was constructed between 1927 and 1928 north and west of the original section, forming a U-shaped court facing south; this major addition was more
medieval in appearance but maintains the basic massing, height, and materials of the 1905 unit. By 1928, the home expanded to a staggering 72,000 sqft.
Book & signature collection Frederick Peck became a prominent figure in the realm of American autograph collecting and had garnered notable recognition in literary works such as "Word Shadows of the Great" by Madigan and "Autographs, a Key to Collecting" by Miss Benjamin. Peck's personal collection stands out as one of the most comprehensive assemblies of autographs from the
signers of the Declaration of Independence; notably, some of these letters, such as those by
Benjamin Rush and
William Whipple, directly pertain to the Declaration itself. The collection also encompassed correspondence between various signers. In addition to the array of signers' autographs, Peck's collection featured an extensive presidential section. Spanning from the earliest presidency to the early 1930s, the compilation includes letters from every U.S. President during their time in office. Beyond the signers and presidents, Frederick Peck's collection included letters from
Benedict Arnold during his days as an American patriot before Quebec, letters from
George Washington in his capacities as both president and commander-in-chief, and an assortment of letters and documents from various
Revolutionary War Generals, including luminaries such as
General John Stark and
Joseph Warren. Peck's literary collection extended beyond manuscripts, encompassing first-editions books; this included the Lord Leigh set of the first four folio editions of
Shakespeare, a copy of the first issue of
Walt Whitman's "
Leaves of Grass," and a first edition of the
Rubaiyat presented in an exhibition binding by
Sangorsky & Sutcliffe.
Artwork & artifacts In addition to his manuscript and literature collection, Frederick curated a personal collection of historical artwork and artifacts. Frederick held a vast collection of
Native American artifacts such as beadwork and ceremonial items, which was a notable personal interest of his. Excavated
Greek and Roman artifacts such as glasswork and pottery complemented an extensive
bronze Koro collection. Peck also collected vast amounts of
Chinese porcelain from the
Tang Dynasty to the
Ming Dynasty as well as 18th and 19th century
Chinese imperial clothing. Belton Court had over 10,000 square feet of the
Persian rugs and hundreds of
lustreware. Frederick collected paintings ranging from the 15th century to the early 20th century which were hung in the limestone and marble gallery corridors of Belton Court that connect the 1905-06 built section to the 1927-28 built section. Many other notable paintings were hung in the ballroom, reception hall, and foyer. == Later years & death ==