Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-01
OXON HILL MANOR HOUSE.
"A Star Reporters Visit to the Former
Scenes Of Plenty and Gaiety.

L
| Scenes Of Plenty and Gaiety.
few miles south OF Washington on the
Maryland bluffs. opposite Alexandria and over
looking the Potomac from Georgetown to Mar
shall Hall, stands the deserted Oxon Hill manor
| house. About il are venerable forest trees and
beneath their protecting boughs are the quiet
handicapped homes Of the generations Of
Its owners. Here pleasure party for VIII ON
q STAR reporter acted as chaperone
| spent recent afternoon plucEing chestnuts
| In the woods and chasing each his favorito
| phantom. For more than a century the old
| house has stood there, a land mark for all the
| country around, and IN the reccding years was
| the home of hospitality, the trysting place of
| Maryland youth and the happening ground of
| events weird and romantic. There Washington
Is known to have greeted friends for the carly
| Addsons the first and most distinguished pro-
| prletors of the place, were on intimate terms
| with the Father OF His Country, whose tomb
| may now almost be seen from the manor door.
| The house was built of imported brick and
| Its exterior Is still well preserved, though mice
and rats lured by the traditions OF their fathers
and the odors OF the centuries that arc gone,
| have long made it their home and cut through
| Its walls little corridors suited to the supreme
pleasure of their rodentship. AS sounds have
echoes, so odors seem to have II sort OF second
| self or perhaps are again called into being bv
| the return OF the breeZes that bore them
away. At least the old banquet hall is
| to an imaginative nose redOlent with thou
sand dainty Dishes whose creation is now
long-lost art, and the myriad-roomed base
| ment, within whose dingy walls the cooking
was conducted by dingier dOmestics, seems
still to tell the story of sputtering pans steam
ing kettles, well-browned batter cakes and
breakfasts smoking hot. The wide central cor
ridor, with its broad-guage stairway, is in keep
ing with the architecture of a century ago. In
ma my avn aud
sageways where servants might wait the bid
ding of their master, and in the interior at one
end OF the house is a narrow flight of stairs
from cellar to attic for servants use.
Everywhere was seen evidence of q splendor
long passed away, and the memory is doubly
exhillrt,ted from the scenes of ancient leis-
ure and delights the visitor looks out over the
Virginia hills almost to the famous battietields
of Bull Run and Manassas. The wondrous
changes OF a half century are wildly pictured,
as he behold5 on one side the landmarks of
feudalism and on the other :he birthmarks of
freedom The old plantation afterward
owned for many years by the Berry family, but
has now passed into nonresident and unlineal
hands, 1t Is still titled in a barbarous and lazy
sort of way by the descendants of the same hum
bic people who once wrought without reward.
THE VAULT IN THE BLUFF.
In the side Of the bluff and overlooking the
Potomac is vault, the iron door of which is
stitious The STAR reporter and party rolled the
stone away and passed in. On either side of
the entrance is marble slab foot or more
from the ground. on which one of the proprie-
tors of the place ordained that himself and
spouse should repose, peaceful, as they had
lived, through all future ages lie went first
asleep himself and friends placed him on his
marble couch to rest. Perhaps the better half
revised her plans when he was gone and her
ashes may now be mingling with those of a
second choice. for she never joined her liege
lord there and his bones keep bachelors hall
today. The wooden parts of the casket have
decayed and the clothing been destroyed, leav-
lnS only skeleton in the ashes on tho shelf
When a few years ago it was first disturbed
after long neglect, a serpent had made its home
in the dome of thought and where once were
human eyes it peered forth darting its tongue
at the intruder. Among the ashes, it is said,
were found some diamond ornaments but even
such reward could not induce the colored peo-
pie Whereabouts to. enter the lonely chamber of
tie dead. They believe it haunted. And
THEREBY HANGS LITTLE STORY.
Sunk deep in the sand and mud at high
water mark near Fox's landing, opposite Alex
andria, and on this old estate is a stone post
marking the boundary line of the District of
Columbia and bearing the inscription, ''Juris-
diction OF the U. s., 1892" One night in 1863
as the story was told to The STAR reporter
when Lees army was moving about the capital
into upper Maryland, and planning q blow that
night to dissolve the Union, little boat
was moored to this granite land mark
which after the recession to Virginia
became the corner of the District. The single
passenger who landed moved at a rapid pace,
like one acquainted with his SURROUNDINGS up
the old wagon road that led into the hills and
leaving the main road over Oxon run toward
Washington, pushed on into the interior Of
Prince Georges county IN the direction of Sur
rattsvlle. He a Maryland boy who had
early thrown himself into the confederate
cause and was now homeward bound on a
furlough. The country about Washington
was secured by Union troops and tho
life of confederate emissary was
worth but little. He was suspected and had to
keep in hiding through the day, for he didn't
care to be lassoed into glory by the govern
ment. But at night he sailed forth to greet
the girl he left behind him. In making his
way back toward the river it is said he slept a
day in the vacant marble shelf IN the vault by
the old manor house He was seen to depart at
night and tho place has been haunted ever
since. But the soldier boy returned and there
was little gathering at the manor house in
which his best girl took prominent part.
Their home is still III southern Maryland, and
though the ex-cOnfederate is haunting nothing
now. he has been counting The Girl Left Be-
hind Ne" ever since.