Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-04-10


pIsAFpEARANcE OF THE OLD bkNDMARg SOME
FACTS N ZIG HISTORY.
whits Hkl venerable building, in the vicin-
ity OF Ninth and Church streets, is being pulled
down, Some time ago the property was sold by
Philsmms Chandler to Or. r.. p. Porter, for
ss 500, who, in turn, disposed of il 30 ether par
ties, and realized By the sale something over
&c. 900. The building and site we're sold to Rdiff-
erent parties-the former for $500; and the pur-
chaser is now pulling it down to obtain the value
of bis money.
White HALLS venerable with age. 1t was built
before the Old Swedes' church, and In Its earlier
years was mansion of plenty. The owner, In
those days, Capt. Joseph BtidhAm, commanded a
company of militia, during the Revolution, and
was man OF great wealth. Reyerses, however,
overlook him and he died poor. 1t was located
known as the :" Old Kings Road, we believe,
between Philadelphia and Baltimore. and by it's
great size was an object Of attraction to travel
ers. 1t is said Of the building that 1t was at one
time occupied by General Washington as his
headquarters.
The building was long, two.story brick struc-
ture, and has undergone but little change since
it was first built. Years ago portico extended
its entire length but this, we believe, has long
since ceased to exist. About 1925, White Hall
was unoccupied, and no one had sufficient cour-
age to live there after the expulsion OF the col
| ored people, g few years before. Isolated and
alone, and known TO have been place Of great
| wickedness, all sorts of stories were circulated
about it, until il became an object of aversion,
| and persons who approached it always exper-
/ fenced that mysterious dread which the super
sttious feel in drawing near haunted house.
The lower portion of the city had no existence
/ In those days, but vacant fields stretched away
over to the marshes beyond, which became the
| favorite pasture for the cattle CT the Borough,
| These marshes were only reached by the "Old
Kings Road, and boys who were dispatched to
drive up the COWS invariably hid themselves
| away in the neighborhood where Scott church
now stands, to await the arrival OF a large
| crowd, afraid to pass by the haunted house ex-
i cept in companies. This we have from some OF
those COW boys now living. They also say that
| the men whose work lay beyond White
Hall would always wait their fellows this
/ side the building before passing it.
Either Immediately upon the death OF MIR.
Stidham, or in few years thereafter, White Hall
| began to wan in popular admiration, and SO con-
tinued until it became an object OF terror to the
/ whole community of Wilmington. We know
but little of it's history until 1926 and few years
| prior thereto, except that It was falling into
| state of decay, which rendered it at once the
resort of crime-stained and INDECENT people and
| the prolific source of the weird stories which
| have been told in connection with it.
| Daniel Dingse was the first tenant OF White
| Hall after the expulsion Of the colored people.
| He, however, occupied only the lower end of the
| building, and said he was greatly annoyed by
| strange and unusual noises during the night
The sounds of slamming doors and cracking
hinges oft disturbed his family, and he professed
also to have heard noise like the rocking of a
cradle. This story arose from the common be-
lief that during the time White Hall was unoc-
cupied an iafant child was abandoned in the
building and persisted there.
Another Evolutionary superstition in connec
ton with White Hall is that in those years, il
was an impossibility to carry lighted candle
through the garret. In every attempt that was
made, it is said, the candle was extinguished
aud the presence of ghosts made unpleasantly
known in the atmosphere OF the room.
We give these traditions for what they are
worth, in connection with the disappearance oil
the old landmark. They have been preserved
in the recollections of our oldest citizens. who
narrate their boyish experiences with salts
faction instinct with spirit Of their youthful
years. The only foundation in fact for the stories
seems to be that, while untenanted, the dread o.
White Hall, begotten OF the character Of i'll
former occupants, increased to such an extent il
the popular belief that it gave birth to supersti
ton, and superstition to the stories themselves
The growth of the city eastwardly has taken int
its limits the time-honored structure and witt
that growth the superstitions Of the past hay,
| been dsaipated,