The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-29
ANCIENT RELICS.
Parts Of the Mansion House to
Be Exhibited.
A CIeaver Two Hundred Years Oddities and
Grist-stOnes Used by Indians to
Go to Chiesgo.

Oud AuuAiNu anu khNAA1 lS"AS e-NN
Gin 1863 there was built in the Mission. on
the ground now opened by Sixteenth street,
near Dolores, a long, open structure, known
for over a hundred years as the Mansion
House. This edifice was torn down fifteen
years ago to make way for thoroughtare.
and all that is left of one of the landmarks
of the Mexican possession of California and
the Spanish Fathers crusades among the
Indians are the present Chapel of Mission
Dolores and a few tiles, boards, couple Of
grist-stones, nails and an ancient cieaver
taken from the Mansion House when it was
razed.
The relies from the latter building. the
oldest in San Francisco, are 10 be presented
TO the Worlds Fair Commission for the pur-
pose of being exhibited at Chicago next
year.
THE OLD MANSION HOUSE.
In 1863 the Mansion House was built by
the Spanish settlers, who wished to gain,
by peaceabe means if possible, warlike II
necessary, the outlying country, and in this
building were housed the Spanish soldiers.
1t was in every way their barracks. At
later period, perhaps i've years later, the
needs of the garrison made it necessary to
build a COmmissaTy department and wing
was built off toward the west. In lIIb,
when Liberty Bell at Philadelphia WAS
sounding the notes that alterward proved
the death-knell OF English supremacy,
when the nation was prOclalnlnE new
constitution founded by the people, for the
people aud Of the people, there was quite
different scene on this peninsula near what
the SpaniaTdS termed the new Med!teT-
raneaH Sea, our bay.
Here the Franciscan brotherhood were
dedicatng 10 the worship Of God new
chapel, the present Mission Dolores, and,
amid the boom Of cannon and the rattle or
drums, the new church was given to the
worship of God and opened TO the public
under circumstances that WOn!d seem very
strange in the nineteenth century. ms
new chapel formed on the west a wing cor
responding 10 the Mansion House on the
east, while the two we're connected by the
intervening c0mmissary department.
MISLEADING PICTURES
Some Of the pictures now sold represent
the white facade only Of Tie present Mis-
sion Dolores; some have been taken since
the raZing Of the Mansion House, and show
the chapel and c0mmIssary as two parts OF
a letter l. while others show the two parts
as they stood at the moment cur nation was
born. These pictures, being very rare. are
highly priced by those who understand the
history uf the buildings, and only half IN
derstOOd by those who Go not.
From a garrison the Man ,iOn House be-
came = vacant landmark, through which
the winds sighed in good weather and ragged
in bad until a newer civilization arrived
with newer vices. This was in 1919. when
the miner with his gold and the gambler
with his cards and dice formed mutual COM
panv and the Mansion House became
gambling resort As such it was occupied
for years. Then it was again vacated and
the winds again sighed and ragged and ragged
and sighed "a generation succeeded genera
ton until 1887, when il was carefully taken
apart aud the landmark was lost The
cummissary followed 4 like fate az the time
or sUOn after.
CAREFULLY SLOWED AWAY
For years The public has thought the tiles
and timberS, bolts and nails and the raw
hide with which many Of the ;imbers were
held in place were lost or destroyed, but
such was not their fate. Patrick Donahue
and his son John. who live al 81 West Mis-
sion street, reYeTentIaily gathered them TO-
getHer and stored them away until the pub
lie lal grown 20 appreciate them. They
think that time has arrived and they are
about to offer them as exhibits 10 the
World Fair Commission.
When interviewed by a CALL reporter
yesterday, Mr.. DOnahue said that such was
his intention and showed his visitor about
among lis Curi0s. Besides the many tiles
he has. he exhibited two large stones, four
feet in diameter, through which holes were
bored in their center. These stones were
used by the Indians 10 grind flour for the
Spanish fathers. Ii was called queen
The stones are, Il seems, If lava foTma-
ton. though that IS by no means certain.