The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-11-10
Virginia'S Building at the Worlds
Fair.
BY DR.. JOHN S. APPERsoN.

Ille Mount vernon memorial ASSOcla
! ton has undertaken the work of raising
funds for the reproduction of the Wash-
ington Mansion as the Virginia building
on the Worlds Fair grounds. The GER
tificates of the association contain 9
handsomely engraved picture of this
historical building These certificates
are being sold as souvenirs, and the pro
ceeds will go to defray the expenses at
tending the erection of this building
They hope to sell at least 10000 of these
Several thousand have already been
| dispose of, mainly by members of the
! Virginia Auxiliary Board.
Mount Vernon is situated on the south
bank of the Potomac river, in Fairfax
county, fifteen miles below Washington
city, and occupies gradually swelling
elevation. covered with shade trees both
native and foreign, and commands fine
view up and down the river. This old
residence was built in the early part OF
eighteenth century by Lawrence Wash
| ington, and at his death it fell by inner
| itance to George, his brother. The
place, we are told, was named after ADJ
| miral Vernon, under whose command
Lawrence Washington served in the
West Indies When George Washing
ton came into possession of the property
the mansion house stood alone. Wings,
now called dependencies" were after
wards added by him and the home land
ed estate much enlarged and otherwise
embellished Most of his life from boys
hood was spent here, and everything OBJ
servable in the arrangement of lawns,
shrubbery, gardens, buildings, etc, are
suggestive that, notwithstanding that
this great man was soldier, statesman
and tinancier, yet he found time to de-
vote some part of his active life to the
ornate and beautiful.
George Washington bequeathed the
property at his death to Bushrod Wash>
ington, from whom it passed to John A.
Washington, and by him the mansion
and 900 acres of land was sold in 1858 to
the Ladies Mount Vernon Memorial As
ISOLATION. At this time the property
was rapidly falling into decay and ruin,
but by this association it has been
redeemed and is now ''kept in a manner
exactly suited to its historic associa>
tions.'
The mansion proper is wooden struc-
ture two main stories in height, with a
finished attic and dormer windows. 1t
is built ON substantial brick founda-
ton. Tie chimneys are large and made
of brick, triangular in shape, with fire
places in the corners of the rooms they
serve. The Notwithstanding or siding
is made of beveled boards ten inches in
width, one and a-half inches in thick
ness, tongued and grooved and carefully
fitted together. The boards are cut
across, with beveled groove, SO as to
represent a paneled wall. The length
OF the building is ninety-four feet, and
the width thirty>two feet; height of first
story ten feet nine inches; second story
seven feet eleven inches; attic six feet
nine inches.
The rooms. some seventeen or eigh-
teen in number, vary in size from mere
closets to seventeen by seventeen feet
and nineteen by sixteen feet, except the
banquet hall, which is large compart-
ment tnirty>one by twenty three feet
and about eighteen feet pitch.
The lower hallway is ample in size
and is deliberately moulded and carved
The carving here in some of the rooms
shows marvel of patient work by the
builders of that day and time.
The library, Washington's chamber
where he died, Miss Nellie Custis' music
room, Mrs. Washington's room and La
| fayette's and the dining rooms are all
notable.
The exterior of the building presents
to the river front an open colonnade
running its whole length. The columns
are slender and square, slightly tapering
from floor to caves of the house, with
work balustrade beneath the dormer
window stills. The roof is crowned by
an octagon shaped tower.
The rear approach or land front of the
building is plain, and faces a beautiful
lawn, which is flankeu on either hand by
the aEnexes or dependencies" and 9TH
er outbuildings. These dependencies"
were used as kitchens, servants rooms,
etc., and are united 10 the main building
by gracefully curved colonnades.
At recent meeting of the board OF
managers the architect. Cadt. Edgerton
Rogers, of Richmond, Va, submitted
plans and specifications for the repro
duction of this building at Chicago in
the lot set apart for Virginia by the
Worlds Columbian Exposition authori-
ties, and the constructors will begin at
once.
| Much of the interior work will be diff
cult and costly to reproduce, but just as
| far as it is possible for this to be done it
will be carried.
In the large banquet hall it is propos-
ed to provide seats, where Virginians
can rest and meet their friends. In the
library will be gathered books of Viz
ginia authors and paintings. In other
rooms will be placed such things as may
be collected in the departments of fine
arts, archaeology, etc, or those things
most fitting and appropriate for their
occupancy.
/