Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-01
The Mhi,e Hou-o.

About our Yankee Tuileres, our American
buckingham, cluster many interesting and ro-
mantle incidents. They are pertinent to our
history, and figure in its brightest chapters.
The presidential mansion is necessarily the
most conspicuous place of residence in the
whole country. Sketches and memoirs of it con-
sequently possess peculiar interest.
The presidents mansion was called the "white
house" in honor of the name of the early Vir-
ginia home of Martha Washington. Some
chronicles find in the color of its walls sufficient
explanation of its christening.
1t is built of porous white free stone from Vir-
ginia. heavy coat of white lead is essential
to exclude dampness. Its facade is 40 feet;
depth, SO. The site is forty-four feet above high
water mark. HObOn, the architect, modelled the
white house after Dublin editice. In 1892,
scyenty-nine years ago, the corner stone was
laid. Eight years afterward-when the govern
ment was moved here, the first year of the
century-the white house and one wing OF the
capitol were the only public buildings approach
ing completion. Logs thrown across the cele-
brated Iiber (Which flows beneath Pennsylvania
avenue at Second street,) served as tootway
for George Washington and a procession in
1893. At that time the national capital was
forlon and desolate spot. 1t consisted princi-
pally of irregular bills grown over by n scant
forest OF scrub oaks Between the capitol, on
capitol hill, and the presidents mansion and
Rock creek, farther west, few struggling houses
and shanties denoted its reclamation from the
gave promise of the future city.
New Jersey avenue was then the only road off
the site. A waste of underground and morass
of alder stretched out over the space now thread
ed by Pennsylvania avenue. Not even a path
was cut through to define its location. The sur
roundings were oppressvely dreary, when
brusque, honest John Adams, came down from
CHEEKY New England, bringing his wife, Abigail,
to preside over the new presidential mansion.
Mrs. Adams had resided four years in Europe.
Gha ANN ~ Wash nrfn In, ,Ior
Her descriptive letters are richly set with those
tri6es which the masculine mind neither per-
ceives nor records. She gives vivid picture of
her journey from Baltimore. A great forest
was penetrated. The travellers got lost, and
wandered two hours. fortunately" quoth she,
ga Struggling black came up with us, and we en-
gagged him as a guide to extricate MS out of our
difficulty" Miles were Travelled without seeing
human being; at rare intervals log cabin
with one small window struggled to view above
the hazel. Arrived in the evidences city" on
Sunday, finding the white house barnlille and
without bells. Many Georgetown ladies called
on her yesterday" wrote she, "fifteen visits
were returned. Such a thing is now unknown.
The mistress of the white house in 1871 does
not return visits of the Georgetown ladies. The
east room, since so celebrated, she used for
family laundry. Like Flora McFlimsey, she
had nothing to wear The vessel bearing her
wardrobe was down the Potomac, becalmed.
There was not even looking glass at her COM
mand. President Adams occupied two of the
six finished chambers. In the midst of her let
ter lit bears date November 81, 1900 she was
interrupted by the arrival of a servant from the
Mt. Vernon estate bringing note from Major
Gusts and haunch of veniSon. Oh, primitive
times! Though enveloped by woods, they were
woodless. Congress poured in, but SILVER,
shiver," she wrote. Laborers were as scarce as
fuel. A Pennsylvania wagon and treasury
clerk brought relief. A load of logs for the
twelve big freplaces of the mansion was hauled.
The chrOnicler neglects to hand down his name
but let this valiant deed of the department clerk
be cherished among the archives
The grounds of the white house embrace
about twenty acres. rhe grand old trees west
of the mansion were planted by John Quincy
Adams. Groups AID avenues of elm, oak and
sycamore give to the surroundings lordly air.
A massive high stone wall adopted from feudal
styles of England, once enclosed this place, but
this gave way to the tall iron fencing of to-day.
Tom Moore visited it in 1904, and wrote: 1.-THE
presidents house is eDcircled by very rude
pale, through which a common rustic still in
open the front carriage way and foot approaches.
These lead to the great north portico, erected
during Jackson's time and ornamented with ten
Ionic columns
Making presents to the president is not a mod
ern invention. Houses and elegant teams were
not as plentiful in those old days as now. Bears,
turkeys, deer and sheep were among the zOoog-
ical gifts to Jefferson. This menagerie roamed
at will in the white house grounds, and TRACE
dy is a part of its history. A vicious ram killed
the young son of Washington banker.
Asmall park shields the white house from the
dust of Pennsylvania avenue. In the centre of it
stands nondescript bronze statue, purple with
years and neglect. Across the avenues Lafayette
square-the Belgrave of the national capital. A
bronze equestrian statue by Mills, giving a
lively pose to Old HickOry's horse, occupies the
attention and the middle of Lafayette square.
the rear of the white hOusa is a grassy
lawn sprinkled with the spray of fountain;
beyond, southwardly, the view is uuobsructed
for miles, old Fort Washington in The dim dis
lance clinging to the banks of the Potomac.
Groves on either side of the lawn are thriddcd
by paths that wind beneath dropping willows.
A mistress was once felicitated on its occu-
pancy. She sententiously replied, cit is not a
happy dwelling. Always, a president comes in
by the iron gate; often he goes out under the
weeping willowsI" One-ffth of them-Harri-
son, Taylor, Lincolnl To the lady of the white
house during Jackson's day, Mrs. Donelson,
four children were born under its roof. Mrs.
President Tyler died there in 1872; and Willie
Lincoln during the war.
The white house is refurnished for each new
president. Except once, congress has been uni
formly generous in this regard. Such favor was
not shown the apostate, Tyler.
Mrs. Grant has taste and is matronly. The
mansion looks unusually inviting, and wears an
air of elegant and homeike hospitality under
UeT CdT6s lHc SpdClOus 6dSb IOOHl, on lebl Uy
40, will don the splendor of the orient when
carpeted with the beautiful Gobelin recently
presented TO the government by the sultan of
Turkey. Soft, subdued colors in its carpeting
would be grateful to the eye. The walls and
ceiling are gaudy and garish fresco and album
dant gilt. Leading from the east room is the
small green room, papered and furnished taste
fully. The walls and upholstery correspond.
On small marble top table sits unique Japan
ese punch bowl, spiritless and ornamental.
The oval blue room adjoining is painfully bright.
Here, for weary hours, the president receives the
people on New Years day. Still beyond is the
red room, the quietest of the suite, famed last
winter as the apartment where General Grant
gave special audience to an ambitious western
senator. All of the twenty rooms are spacious
and airy. The ceilings are about twenty-five
feet in height. The conservatory, entered direct
ly from theIfrst floor, is filled with choice plants
and flowers rare exotics and sturdy shrubs.
The injury sustained by fire in 1868 has been re-
paired.
In the second story are the boudorS of the
presidential family; over the east room are the
executive offices.