Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-30
BOUGHT FOR a CASH OF RUM.
A Grand old Virginia Manor House
and It's surroundings.


From RE PG0a3e1p1dt Tea15.
PINEY PoINT. MD, July 2t.-A mum
Der of the guests at the Piney Point
Hotel were told recently OF wonderful
old house "over in NirHnny" by odd
Uncle jake a character among the
cOlored folks OF this locality. Uncle Jake
said ''de house am near de sbo' and II
war dar long befo' Gmeral Wash'uton
was born" The county that gave biEth
TO w ashingtou has many old and pretty
manor houses along the Potomac, but
none prettler than "PeCkatupe,' the
house TO which the aged negro referred,
which WAS visited yesterday by
boat load Of guests from the
hotel Ia took nearly an hours
sail across the wide river in
big "cunuer' 10 land bali dozen people
on d gradually slipping beach. A hundred
wards back from the restless water stood
noble looking mansion almost the coun-
terpart OF Mount Plea SAINT in East FAIR
mont park. Around II were grand old
trees, and in front grassy lawn, with
tasteful flowers here and there. The view
from this point down the river and out
into the blue Chesapeake is tine one,
and the locality seems to have been
selected Win the idea Of Offering fair
sweep across the broad e&panse OF water.
THIS spacious old house, three stories in
height was built sixteen wears after
Leonard Calvert arrived on the soil OF
Maryland.
THE GLORIEs OF 'PECkATONF."
"PeckatoneV was. when built. the pref
uest private manson in America. Tine
original patent Tor 'Peckat0nc,'" said
young Horace kirkwood, its present
owner, was granted by Cromwell 10
f,.lt Ia IN "a FTfp
Charles l. had lost his mead. He trans
terrcd his right to Henry C0rbin, who had
auother patent issued in his own name
dated March %, 1864. Corbln began
the erection OF the mansion IN 1860.
The bricks were brought from
England by two vessels. 1t took
two years to finish the structure
and the Old records show that the labor
of laylng the brick alone was $4,000. or
about $4,000. The Corbins held the
property tor two or three generations, the
master OF tue place finally dying without
male issue. One OF has daughters mar
ried a MIR. urbCryille. The latter grand
daughter married TaiaterrO, upon
whose death the property reverted to his
daughter, a Mrs. Brown. Within the
past twenty-five years the place has had
several owners, but few Of them resided In
the mansion. For fifteen years the
owls and bats, foxes ana other
beasts and birds of the Var
Rnia forests made the Old building
their abiding place. A year ago." con-
tiDued MI. Kirkwood, "wnen / bought
the property, it was in a wretched con-
dltiOn. You can see for yourselves that
it looks as good as new now. There
were no doors, the plaster had gone from
many OF the rooms aud the huge stone
entrance steps on the east and west fronts
had crumbed ana fallen with age. A
young forest had grown up around the
old relic, nearly Obscurng The first story
from View."
BOUGHT FOR BARREL OF RUM.
"Where did the name come from -
asked one OF the party.
"PeckatOne derives its name from an
Indian chief, who lived and hunted on the
property before 1t was settled by the
white man. He belonged to the Powto-
macks. He was induced to leave the
neigtborhOod with his people and give up
his acres for cask of rum, which was
ab0Et the original cost OF the land"
The house contains twenty rooms. The
BRICKS, though worn with age, have not
cruIu0led or decayed. They are the old
fashioned hard burned bricks. The walls
are nearly two feet thick. some Of the
rooms are deliberately paneled clear up TO
the ceiling. The halls on the first and
second floors are seventeen feet wide.
Every room in the house has a paneled
wainscOting extending four feet from the
floor. The cellar contains many wine
vaults, which were hacked with
the best old Madeiras, ports and
sparkling wines two centuries
ago. The Outbuildings and barn
were built oil stone when the house was
erected. They also are in a good state OF
preservation. TIE pretty lawn of three
acres which surrounds the mansion mas
an abundance OF shade trees and, look
ing down the road toward the back coun-
try, there is beautiful lane with the
0verhanglng branches OF magnidcentOaks
which line II on either side.
The farm al present attached to 'peck-
atone" covers one hundred and eighty
acres, and in addition TO the agricultural
pursuits of its owner. he has an oyster
farm near by.
Here is a house." said one OF the party
who wandered through it by permission
OF MI. hlrkwOOd, that braved manw "a
storm that swept up the Potomac, before
William Penn arrived on the shores of
PeDnsy wanna; that was over a century
old before Patrick Henry's eloqueuce was
heard in Virginia, and that had been
grand old mansion for seven ty-six years
before Gen. George Washington was born
within few miles Of its broad acres and
pleasant lawns" 1t Is undoubtedly the
Oldest house within the limits OF the
Southern colonies In America. Tradition
has 1t that Washington, Madison and
Monroe when young lads were visitors to
the old manor and that several pretty
girls brought them there.
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