St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-30

EALAilAL RESlDENNES.
Before Mark Hopkins died he built the first
of those paatlal residences that have since
excited the wonder and admiration of all
who have in the past ten years visited the
city of San Francisco. 1t was constructed of
wood, like all the others of its class, but had
! about ii all the elaborateness and extrava-
gance of some Of the finest English country
| houses. 1t was said to have cost 81, coo, QUO,
and at that time the Stewart residence, in
New York city, was the only dwelling house
/ in America that had cost that SUN. 1t was
the Hopkins mansion that made Knob hill
the fashionable quarter of San Francisco All
| have heard of the splendid residences that
GOV. Stanford, james Flood and other Cali
fornia milliOnaires have since built there.
Since her husbands death Mrs. Hopkins has
purchased Menlo park, RalstoD's famous
country place, and there she has settled her
adopted son James, Young man OF twenty
sill. who recently married Miss Crittenden,
of California, a niece of Mrs. Hopkins. Not
withstau ding all these large possessions, not
TO speak OF others on the Pacific slope, Mrs.
HOPKINS proposes to make her home in her
husbands native town of Great Barrin gton,
Mass. She has always had an affection for
the place, and comes there because its peo-
pie aud surroun diugs are congenial to her
tastes.
TIE PRETTY TOWN OF GREAT HARRINGTON.
Great Darlington is q pretty little city
nestled down on the Housatonic river, with
the picturesque Berkshire hills on either side.
1t has about 5000 Inhabitants of the staid
New England sort, many of them wealthy.
LenoX, q very exclusive summer resort for
rich but quietly disposed New York people,
is only twenty miles distant, and the scenery
throughout the surrounding country is very
fresh and beautiful in the spring aud sum-
mer. The leaves of the trees and the grass
Of the fields have deeper and more endur-
ing green than Is seen in the lower regions
Of the Middle states, and in autumn the
woods have a richness OF coloring that is ab-
soiutcly enrapturing. 1t is only in winter
that the Berkshire bills look bleak and unin-
viting. The trees are then bare, the hard
blue rocks peep out, and one gets the impress
sion that the country is sterile and comfort
less. The Housatonic, that flows through
Great Darlington, is small river of clear
water that has almost the briskness and life
Of a mountain stream. 1t luns down the
valley like a song, and there are historic,
poetic and romantic associations that cluster
about almost every foot Of its shores.
The grounds upon which Mrs. Hopkins is
to build her castle extends hundred yards
along the principal street, and back of it, to
the south little, is a level meadow valley
that runs off along the shore Of the Housa-
tonic and to the foot of the picturesque Berk
shire hills on the other side. In the midst of
this smooth meadow field is an artificial basin
in which is fountain from which in sum
mer springs a stream of water nearly hun
dred feet into the air and comes down In a
mist as soft as silken veil
A MEMORY OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.
Across the street from the front of the
residence grounds is an old fashioned white
frame house in which William Cullen Bryant
was married on the 18th of June, 1921.
Sixty-three years have come and gone since
that time, but the house yet looks quite sub
stantial. Mr.. Bryant and his daughter
visited the place about ten years ago, and
Mr.. Parke Goodwin, ia his charming life Of
the poet, says he remarked at the time, his
eyes filing with tears, that ''there is not a
blade OF grass that her foot has not touched,
referring 10 his wife, who had been dead
several wears, and TO whose memory he was
always most tenderly devoted. She was an
orphan girl, Fanny Fairchild, who had been
raised up in the country adjacent to Great
Burlington and the house IN which the we'd
ding took place belonged to her sister, Mrs.
Henderson. She was but nineteen years old
and Mr.. Bryant has said of her that she was
"a very pretty blonde small In person, with
light brown hair, gray eyes, a graceful shape,
a dainty foot, transparent and delicate hands
and q wonderfully frank and sweet express
sion of face" The poet lived at Great Bar
rngton from 1917 to 1921, and was for
time the town clerk, whose duty II was ''to
appoint selectmen, surveyors Of highway,
fence viewers and hog-reeves." II was dur
ing bis residence there that ''Thanatopsis"
and ''The Waterfowl" his two greatest aud
only great poems, were published, though
they had been written some time before.
AN OLD HOME MADE NEW.
During recent years Mrs. Hopkins has
come here to spend her summer. 1t Is an
old time house worked over. II was there
that she lived when young girl, aud there
that she was married. When she grew rich.
she added the porticoes, put coored glass in
some OF the windows, and furnished Il lux
uriantly. The carpets in every room are a.
soft ~ down, and the chairs are OF antique
mahogany upholstered in yellow silk plush.
Every bit OF pottery, cvcry piece Of bronze,
every foot stool, every sofa. lounge, chair.
stand, vase or whateyer it mar be, bears evil
deucc Of having been selected with cultivated
taste The new dwelling that is to suppant
the old will be l7Sxl4S feet, and will be built
of blue dulomite. II l. very hard stoue, Of
finer grain than granite, and is obtained
from a neighnoring quarry owned by Mrs.
Hopkins herself. Tue exterior walls are 10
show the stone In rough surface with cut
seams. The stables aud the coachman's cot
tage are already built. They are Of the same
dulomite to be employed in the construction
OF the residence, aud look "a though they
would endure through all the ages 10 come.
l cannot give description Of the residence
for the excellent reason that have not seen
the drawings.
SHE TREATS HER PASTOR WELL
Mrs. Hopkins is the richest citizen Of
Great Burlington. She has already invested
from $500, 900 to S4OO. 600 there in the pur-
chase Of land. The grounds belonging to
her building site include fully sixty acres.
which are alone worth a small fortune. Her
agent, DR.. Camp. IS constantly purchasing
land FOR her, and it looks as though she
would soon own the town itself She has
given away good deal Her gifts so far
have been almost entirely for the benefit Of
the Congregational church, the same relig-
ious organization Of which old Dr. Samuel
Hopkins was ordained the pastor in 174I,
now l4S years ago, aud the one for which
that distinguished divine preached for more
than quarter Of century. The old church
house was destroyed by IRE or pulled down
some years ago, aud 3 new aud beautiful
structure has taken its place. Mrs. Hopkins
gave $4,000 towards building Il, aud after
it was completed had put in It an
hat ..a- z.