Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-26
4 GLIMPSE OF THE PAST.
OLD HOUSES IN RICHMOND.
p,sses Or uiasrte Iptsress aud .sneehess
TneiY Css,emp,siica Eiiciss.
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There are several historic houses
still standing In Richmond, some oil
which have been noticed by Mordecai,
whilst others Of fame in their day have
been entirely overlooked by him.
The Ece," built Of stone, is said
70 be the oldest; it is net, however,
the FIRST stone-house ever built IN or
near the present site Of Richmond. IL
Wa in existence, though, before our
corporate limits were sscertained.
Richmond was established in lI@2,
on land south Of SAockoe creek, eS
William Byrd, the younger, who died
two J.Ms later. Before this tne 1t
was called "Byvd's," or "Byrt's
Warehouse.
"Byrd's Warehouse was originally
built near the mouth Of Shockoe creek,
but removed ny statute soon sfscr the
great fresh Of May, l77l, TO q point
now occupied by the Ballard blouse
and Exchange Hotel.
Burnaby describes Colonel Byrd's
house ct Belvidere in l759-B0. A
portion Of This historic mansion remains
in its ORIGINAL foundation. In our time
there used to be grove Of r'res grow
ing on the eastern side Of serpentlne
brick val that wound its great length
about the broad acres Of "Bclvidere.
And q little before our time runnel
Of water, ycleped in the Byrd Ms.
charts a creek, flowed between what is
now Oregon and CANDLES hills and
emptied itself into the James at point
above she Old Virginia Armory. The
Younger generation will barely under
stand how this can be. Nevertheless,
il is true.
Buraaby describes the view from
BeIyidere as one Of the most enchant-
inc in the world. According to verbal
statement made to us Of the late Mr..
Nordecai there were three great landed
proprietors in the oldee-time of Rich
mond-yiz., William Byrd, Colonel
Haryie, and DR.. Adams. Byrd and
Hsrvie's possessions looked to the
west, Adams's TO the east.
Colonel Harvie's fine old mansionstill
stands intact upon the original founda-
ton. The avenue Of tees that led up
TO it. the deep-lying gullies on either
side that poured their torrents directly
into the river, the wooded heights
beyond. are now pretty much things or
visions Of the past.
Latrobe, the celebrated architect, de-
signed the model Of the Haryie house.
and Mordecai says that Colonel Harvle
having suggested an alteration of this
design the architect became offended
and quit the work. But in order to APP
pease him the good-nstured owner al
lowed him to execute his design in his
own way, and upon ground given TO him
for the purpose. The old excavation
on the brow of Gamble's Hill, which
served upon holidays as parking place
for the Fayette Artillery Company, tells
the story Of the passion. When the
irate architect cooled little he began
10 count the cost and bethink him what
a castle in the air he should build.
Unless we are greatly in error, Will
liam Writ was married in this house to
Miss Gamiae, a daughter Of its hospi-
table owner. Here, it is thought, he
wrote the " British Spy" the first edi-
tion Of which issued from the press of
Samuel Peasants in August, 1893.
The frame dwelling occupied before
and since the late war by Judge John
Robertson (author of "Riego; or. The
Spanish Martyr" dramatic poem Of
merit, at the corner of
Main and Third streets, and which has
been so recently dismantled, was an
old house towards the latter part of
the eighteenth century. The late Mr..
Thomas II. Drew is our authority for
this statement,
Another historic house has been re-
Gently destroyed by the ruthless hand
Of innovation so fcarfully rife in our
days. AS altered it still stands on
Ninth street just below the rear of st.
Paul's, and is now used as dental
Office. This was the law office Of Bush
rod Washington, who moved from
Richmond after having been appointed
10y John Adams to a seat upon the Su
preme bench Of the United States.
There are many others worthy Of
passing notice, but we can find space
here but for two.
The house of Chief-J Justice Marshall,
thank Heaven, still stands entire upon
the corner Of Ninth and Marshall streets.
We never pass it without dofling our
hat, without thinking of the old advo-
Gates with bog wigs, powdered hair,
ribboned queues, satin-shorts, aud sill
ver-buckled shoes, who used to throng
its courts and rest under the shade of
its forest trees. We never pass it with
out entertaining a covetouS desire to
explore everything pertaining to its
quaint interior. Observe its massive
walls Of glazed English bricks, its slo-
ping roof, its ample gables, its simple
porches, then, from the house Of the
living 60 to the house Of the dead-go
to the tomb OF John Marshall and read
the inscription upon il. What keeping
there is between them 4. How forcibly
they indicate the character Of the plain
hammered, plain-mihded soldier. states
man, writer. jurist
A few years ago we walked with a
gentleman OF New York TO the new
burying-gound, and vainly searched
the premises for the grave of one OF
Yirginia's greatest sons. At length
we found il in a little corner, over
topped by neighboring marbles and
GRANTEES AM nesting within a square
fence of iron rails. Brushing away
the weeds that overgrew the slab, we
read the following;
"John Marshall, son of Thomas and
Mary Marshall, was born Oath OF Sep.
TENDER, 1865; intermarried with Mary
Willis Amber the Sd OF January
1883 ; departed this life the 9th o
July, 1886"
Some one tells story Of woman
who sever passed house Of mourning
without going into It TO peer at the fac,
Of its dead. Some such uncontrolled,
desire seizes a when we stand in III,
presence Of house Of "ye oldeu tim,
Of Virginia.
How often have we looked up to tn,