The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-03
THE IRVING CENTENARY.
One Hundredth Anniversary of the
Birth of 'Knickerbocker."
Sunnyside and larry town to Honor the
Memory of Americas Premier Author
The Manner of the Man.

ton on its northward journey many passen-
gers on the river side of the cars leave their
seats and watch curiously along the bank.
When quaint-looking, many-gabled struc-
ture comes in view there are EXPLANATIONS of
There's Sunnyside, the home of Washing
ton Irving" Mr. Benson Ferris, a silver
haired resident of Tarrytown and president
of the Westchester Savings Bank there,
talked Interestingly with a reporter
yesterday concerning this structure and the
associations connected with it.
IRvINGs FAvoRITE HOME.
my father owned the land upon which
'Sunnyside' now stands" said he land sold
it to Washington Irving That was in 1885.
There was then upon it small one-story
stone building, which 1 think was the first
one ever erected along the Hudson river,
having been built about the year 1850. The
house was originally built by the Acker
family in whose possession it remained until
Just prior to the breaking out of the Revolu-
ton, when it went to the Van Tassel family.
In the spring of 1902 it came into the hands
of my grandfather Oliver Ferris, through
purchase from Major Jacob Van Tassel. The
sale to Washington Irving was through his
nephew, Oscar Irving, who resided in
Tarrytown on what is now Broadway,
but which was then called the Highland
turnpike Oscar was the son of Washington
Irving's brother William, who had married
Tarrytown lady named Paulding. Her father
was prominent New York merchant and at
one time a member of Congress. When
Irving returned lin 1882, 1 think it was, from
his extended residence abroad he took up his
abode at the house of his nephew, where he
resided for five years before he purchased
this property. He had drawing made of
the old building which stood upon the land.
l have here a copy of it," indicating draw
ing which, in modest little black and gilt
frame, hung upon his Darlor wall.
'This is the 'Wolfert's Roost,' of which he
writes so charminely in his book with that
title. Here is the Introductory passage" and
Mr.. Ferris took from a shelf the book, upon
the fly leaf of which was written in pencil,
Benson Ferris, 1854" and read;
"About five and twenty miles from the ancient
and renowned city of Manhattan, formerly
called New Amsterdam, and vugarly called
New York, on the eastern bank of that expau-
sion of the Hudson known among the Dutch
mariners of y0re as the Tappan Zee, being in
fact the great Mediterranean sea of the New
Netherlands, stands little old-fashloned stone
mansion, all made up of gable ends, and as full
of angles and corners IA an old cooked hat. 1t
is said In fact, to have been modelled after the
cooked hat of Peter the Headstrong, the
Escurial was modelled after the gridiron of the
blessed ST. Lawrence, Though but of small
dimensions, vet like many small people, it is
of mighty spirit and values itself greatly
antiquity, being one of the oldest ediices for its
size in the country. 1t claims to be an ancient
seat of empire; may say rather an empire in
itself. and, like all empires, great and small, has
had its grand historical epochs. In speaking of
this doughty and valorous little file L shall call
1t by its usual appellation of THE ROost'
though that is a name given to it in modern
days since it became the abode of the white
man."
"When Irving tore down The Roost,'" con-
tinued Mr. Ferris, preparatory to erecting
'Sunnyside,' he left the wall on the east side
of the house, where the porch is standing
as a relic. 1t is now covered with luxurious
ivy, which was brought from Melrose Abbey,
Scotland, some years ago by Mrs. Renwick,
wife OF the Columbia College professor The
property upon which THE Roost stood
originally consisted of thirteen acres. 1 re-
member that when my father sold it the pur-
chase price was $1,000, one-half of which was
in cash, and the other half in land lying
about mile to the eastward. That land was
in late years purchased by Bierstadt, the art
list, and upon it he erected the elegant resi-
dence which, with so many fine pictures was
destroyed by fire few months since. Irving
added to the area of the property by pur-
chasing a piece of land to the south of it
owned by Isaac Lint. In connection with
that" Mr., Ferris, smiling, Il recall little
incident which suppose was too trivial to
have found its way into his biogra-
ply 1t appears that while Lint
had sold the property to Irving he
had previously agreed to allow the contract
ors for the aqueduct which was then being
built to dig sand there. Now, Irving was a
great lover ofnature and particularly fond of
large trees. There were some beautiful trees
on this Lint tract and one day Irving OBJ
served some of the laborers upon the aque-
duct digging sand just below them, the
chances being that they would soon topple
over the trees. He hurried out of the house
and requested the men to desist. They re-
fused, and continued to dig. My father was
a justice of the peace at the time and | re-
member, after Irvings fruitless expostula-
ton with the men, seeing him come tearing
across the fields to my fathers house. His
face was flushed and he was all ont of breath.
He stated what the trouble was, and was all
taken aback when my father told him that
he could give no warrant for the arrest of the
men; that he must first try and settle the
matter with Mr.. Lint Well he exclaimed,
if the law can't protect me, l can protect
myself and he did, for he got his hired men
together and there wasn't any more sand dug
there
when first saw Irving" continued Mr..
Ferris, 81 was quite lad. My impressions
of him, as afterward matured are that he
was one Of the most modest, unassuming re-
firing men | ever met The unfortunate
impeachment in his speech prevented him
from being brilliant talker in public, but
to his friends he was entertaining to high
degree. He was greatly attached to his
'Sunnyside' l remember that he told me
once that when he was boy he used to
spend his summers at Tarrytown and he
would frequently take boat and row down
the river just to look at the spot As he
grew to young manhood he resolved that
when he had home of his own he would
have it there. At that time it was a much
more beautiful spot than it is now, marred
by the railroad. He was so devoted to Sun
nyside that he never wanted it to go out of
the family, and when he died he made this
touching provision in his will:
81 give and bequeath my land and dwelling
house in Westchester county, which [ have
called Sunnyside, to my brother, Ebenezer Ir-
wing, for his life. On his death I give the same
to his daughters daughter surviving him
and unmarried, trusting that they will endeavor,
as have endeavored, TO make the homestead
rallying point where the various branches of