The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-09-11
complished women OF her day thought of
the mansion. She says:

the mansion. She says:
"Fhe exchange has employed my
thoughts ever since. Richmond Hill will,
for few years to come, be moro valuable
than Morris, and TO you, who are 80 fond
OF town, a place 30 far from it would be
useless; so much for my reasoning on one
| side, now for the other. Richmond Hill
has lost many Of its beauties and Is daily
losing more. If you mean it for residence,
What avails its intrinsic value? If you sell
part you deprive it of every beauty save
the mere view. Morris has the most COM
manding view Oh the island; it is reported
to be indescribably beautiful. The grounds,
too, are pretty; how many delightful walks
can be made on 100 acres; how much of
your taste displayed In ten years or
twenty years hence 130 acres on New York
Island will be prncipaliiy; and there is
TO me something stylish, elegant respectable
ana suitable to you in having handsome
country seat. 80 that, on the whole, l
vote for Norris"
But Colonel Burr did not purchase the
mansion at this time, though thirty years
later ne married Its mistress, and resided
there for some time, and met u class of
law students in the room formerly occu
pied by Washington US his sleeping apart
both varied and interesting. but 1t is 80
near our own times that it Is scarcely
necessary to repeat it here.
An account OF the visit which the writer
made to it recently, in company with a
gentleman familiar not only with the place
but with it's history as well, will no doubt
prove moro acceptable. The main hall of
the mansion, which one enters from the
pillared porch,i is, with its ancient portraits
its polished oaken floor and great depth
and roomlness, the nearest approach we
have perhaps to that of al ancient baronial
castle. This hall opens by folding doors
into the drawing room of tho nlanson-thc
same that was used by Washington as a
reception room during his military occu-
pancy, Here he received his visitors, lis
tened to his orderies' reports and dicta-
ted his answers, and here ut the last was
held the council of war which decided
that Manhattan Island shouldbe rclin-
pushed.
The floor of this room, and indeed of
every apartment in the house, is of oak,
and 30 highly polished that it affords an
insecure footing to one used to carpetcd
rooms. The wall paper has ground work
OF green. with raised figures of vine and
AS"h h"fAuS thC appCallilCC auu lChIuFC Ol
velvet, aud it's coloring is as fresh and
vivid as though nearly u century and half
had not passed since it left the hand of the
artisan. In this room also hangs a bcauti-
full chandelier, which was formerly the
property of the unfortunate French Gcncr-
al hloreau. A winding stairway at the
right of the hall leads tho visitor to the
suite of apartments above, and ushcrs him
first into q hall directly over the ono below,
and of about the same dimensions. From
this hall one may step out upon balcony
which commands a magnificent view of
city, river and sound. Washington's bed
chamber was on this floor, ut the rcar of
the hall and directly over the drawing
room; there is nothing noteworthy about it
except that it contains number of secret
doors and closets, not all of which are
known to the present residents. Two small
ante-chambers, one on each side, were oc-
cupied by his aids, one of whom was Alex
ander Hamilton. The old oak bedstead on
which Washington slept is still preserved
with other treasured relics in the attic of
the house.
Having seen all the objects of interest that
the old mansion contained, although but
very few Of them are included, in this de-
scriptlon, we were invited to a walk in
the grounds, which are extensive, compris-
ing about l30 acres. Even here the anti
guilty OF the place IS apparent. The great
locusts that line the main approach to the
mansion are dead at the top and hoary with
age.