St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-30
A BARN FOR A BOWER.
President Cleveland's Future Home Any
thing but an Attractive or Roman
Tic Place.
The View is Good, but the Soil is Red Clay
and the Fence of Barb
Wire.
The Floorings are Sprung and the
Woodwork Looks Shabby In the
Extreme,
For Which Reasons Miss Folsom's
Prospective Residence is Named
s.Pretty Prospect"
A Bleak and UnroInantic Spot.
Special to the Globe.


Special to the Globe.
NEW YORK. May ga correspondent
who has visited the presidents new home
writes that the cottage is on the Tennally-
town road at the corner of Woody lane.
Tennallytown is q little settlement of half
dozen houses, about postoftice and
store and saloon. The road is dark
red cash through high terra Gotta colored
clay. The road runs from the Georgetown
convent nearly straight north. Pretty
Prospect" the name of the presidents
matrimonial bower, is three miles from the
White house and about 4 mile and Il half
from the terminus of the Georgetown street
car line. 1t is about half a mile from Mr..
Nhitney's country place. West of the
TenuallytOwn pike, the scenery is as beauti-
full as anywhere about Washington. The
ground is rolling woodland, which breaks
every now and then into abrupt spurs.
These spurs are the beginning OF the Blue
Ridge mountains. not over ten miles
away. The pleasant-faced, gray
haired houSekeeper who is in
charge Of the so-called cottage said
that she had very strict orders not to give
permission to any photographer or to any
artist to make studies in or about the build
ing. She seemed to regret this prohibition,
but was firmly polite in carrying out her
orders. She said that the place had
already been overrun with photographers
and representatives of illustrated papers,
who had been ready to tear the house down
nearly in their rage when they found that
they were denied access to it, 1t is hardly
probable that the president will use this for
regular residence. 1t is more than likely
that he will use it as Secretary Whitney
does his country house, as place where he
can have an occasional supper, to Which he
can drive when he wishes to escape from
the crowd about the White house.
1t is too bleak and forlorn for a regular
residence. 1t is Jetfersonian simplicity
gone mad. The land surrounding the
house is a red, cold clay, filled with coarse
gravel There is not patch OF good tilla-
bic ground in the entire twenty-eight acres.
The entrance is through cutting on
small embankment. There is no gate at
this entrance. 1t is open to everybody.
Green posts with barbed wires make the
fence which surrounds the place. The pri-
vate way winds round through small
grove of oak trees and then climbs a
small hill, reaching the house at a distance
OF about forty rods from the main entrance.
The house is upon a BARE unshaded hill.
The west side of the house is half covered
with ivy. In front of the house is long
hill covered with
SCANTY GROWTH OF POOR. THIN GRASS.
The lower part of the hill is clear gravel
and clay. There are one or two small
trees in front of the house,
but they are not large enough to
afford any good shade or protection. Back
of the house are half dozen more trees.
These run in a line to small implanted
barn, which is beaten black by the weather.
The house itself is a two-story cottage of
stone. 1t is nearly square building, and
contains perhaps eight rooms. exclusive Of
an attic chamber. Then there is small
back building containing the kitchen and
two rooms for servants. The walls are of
a common yellow-gray field stone. They
are not thick. This place would be one OF
the hottest inside forty-mle range of
Washington in the middle of July day.
At night it would probably be cool, as the
point is high and commands view of
Washington. ranging from the capitol up to
the state department, and down the river as
far as Alexandria. The woodwork of the
house is very poor. and is at present
much out of repair. The flooring
is all sprung. Inside there is
the shabby look of the house of struggling
farmer who is burdened down by heavy
mortgage. 1t is at present occupied by
large family of yellow haired children.
CHILDREN OF ASSORTED SIZES
swarmed from the various windows of Mr..
Cleveand's rural bower during the CONVEX
sation with the genial housekeeper The
front part of the house is shaded by mar
row porch from this porch extends the
landscape after which the place is named,
pretty Prospect" 1t is probable that it
was this view which captured Mr.. Cieve-
land and made him look upon the property
as desirable. The price which he agreed to
pay for the place, S21, 800, is a large one.
4 The house might be worth So 900. a house
as good as that could certainly be built for
SIS. 600 or Sc, 900 new. 1t will require the
disbursement of at least 5000 or
S6. 600 to make the place habitable
for the president and his bride. There
is no comparison between this place and
the soldiers home cottage. which is always
at the disposal OF any president and neither
is it more private. The country around
about Pretty Prospect is the favorite
tramping ground of the colored Migrants of
the district. You can hardly turn around
q corner without stumbling upon vaga-
bond negro. The soldiers home is shut in
and guarded. No one can get near the
president there without his permission.
He would be more secluded in the cottage
there then in anybody's private house. If
Miss Folsom could make visit in advance
of the marriage to ''Pretty Prospect" she
would decline to go on with that interest
ing ceremony until the place was disposed
of. 1t is certain that no lady would con-
sent to remain out there for any length of
time if she had the choice OF living in town.
tits bleak, lonely, desolate and unromantic
When the wind does blow it sweeps across
the top of this hill with the force of a
hurricane. There is thunder
storm nearly every night in this
region in the spring OF semmer, and
If one is at all nervous a sensitive life upon
the top Of this hill certainly would have
great drawbacks. But then, if one is pas
sonately fond of scenery, there is the view.
That is a great picture. But it is no finer
than can be had from half dozen points
of view in the soldiers home. The presi-
dents purchase is conditional one; that
It practically amounts to lease of the
place. and that when he tires Of it, and
wishes to sell it abain, Mr.. Green, the
present occupant, or Marshal Wilson, will
take it off his hands. The fact that the
president has occupied it Will perhaps give
it some value in the mind of the snob who
will overlook the fact Of the undesirability
of the place in the one fact that it it has
been for short time the home of the presi-
dent and his wife.
MISS FOLSOM AT NEW YORK.
A Call Received From Miss Cleyea
land--DOdging the Sightseers.