The Portland daily press., 1892-04-22
HER cHILDHoop's HOME.
The Old Red House where Adelina Patti
Lived.

| Especial Correspondence
WAKEFIELD, N. Y, April 14.--Adellna
Patti is planning a visit to a simple red
brick house in the village of Washing
tonville, just on the edge of New York
city, in Westchester county. Her broth
er Nicola has already been up to look at
the red brick house this spring. 1t is
the house in which the wonderful sing
ing bird lived when she was growing
girl, and whence she went forth, more
years ago than it would be gallant to
enumcrate, to begin her career of daz-
cling success.
The PATHS went to live at Washing
tonville about ten years after their arri-
val in New York. PATHS father built
the red brick house and lived there
along with his wife and three sets of
children-those of his first wife. those of
his second wife's first husband, and
those born to him and the second wife.
Mime. Patti, the neighbors say, was a
woman that made people stand in awe
of her. She is very well remembered as
dark eyed and rather stern person
whom the few villagers regarded with
mixed feelings.
The PATHS were all people of the
stage and little understood by their
neighbors. They came and went as
they chose-now living for weeks or
months in the red brick house, now 60
ing off for seasons of singing or acting.
Carlotta was already launched upon her
career, and Nicola was known to the
theater going world. AS to the great
Adelina, she was a short, stout, dark
eyed little girl, who romped with the
neighboring children and enjoyed life
just as if she were not destined to make
the greatest operatic reputation of the
century. Her ordinary schooling was
obtained in Fourteenth street, New
York, but she was devoted to music, and
it was her habit to have the children of
the neigfborhood come to the house and
play singing school. Even then her
voice was marvellous, and according to
the biographers she had already been
heard in concert.
The little PATHS very toys contained
hints of her future career. The widow
Elizabeth Brown, now very old wo1n-
an, but often employed by the PATHS in
her youth, has one Of Adelina's toys. 1t
is an odd looking theater, stage and au-
ditorium, made Of cork. Once it had
seats filed with manikins and other
manilSins that appeared upon the tiny
stage, but these are gone. For years
the widows late husband used it as a
receptacle for his pipes. Now it hangs
in the widows barn. The whole toy is
perhaps eighteen inches square, and the
cornice over the stage must be rather
more than a foot high.
The Widow Brown treasures in he1
best room three little oak chairs once
the property Of the PATHS. She remem-
bers the whole family very we'll and
speaks Familiarity of the daughters as
Carlotta and Adelina. The little AIDE
lima often visited the Browns, and the
widow heard many times the undevel-
oped voice that was to entrance the
world. @'a 9 @rS o. we
Half a dozen other residents of Wash
ingtonville recall the PATHS, and espe.
ciasly AdeHna. A daughter of Thomas
T. White, who bought the red brick
house of PATHS father and still occupies
it, will have it that Adelina Patti made
her first public appearance while living
at Wasfingtonville. The tradition is
that the little girl, then only twelve
years old, went forth from the house to
Mount Vernon, a mile away, and sang
in concert at Beck's hotel. This, how.
ever, does not agree with most of PATHS
biographers, who put her down as hav-
ing made her debut at the age of eight
years. But then many residents of
Washingtonville believe that the diva
was born in their village instead Of in
Madrid. At any rate that is current
tradition, though PATHS former play.
mates are less at odds with history in
this matter.
The Patti house was built in 1854,
year after the village was laid out, and
for long while it was the most con
spicuous building in Washingtonville.
1t is still highly distinctive, though not
by reason of it's beauty. It stands on
hillside, surrounded by garden with
trees and plants. The roof runs to a
peak in the middle, and there are ugly
porches front and rear at the height of
the second story and approached by IN
comfortably high and steep steps. The
house is almost square and three stories
high. It has no architectural preten-
sions, but it must have cost Patti two or
three thousand dollars, and it has suf-
iciently commodious air. Within, the
rooms are of good size. About the only
relic of the PATHS remaining in the
house is an enormous kitchen table that
was deemed too heavy to be removed,
and has since occupied its original posi-
ton. The house has recently been sold
by it's present occupant.
e. n. VALLANDIGHAM.