The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-05-12
VIRGINIA AIT TIlSHICAGO.
A Beautiful DeseristiSc q of the State
3Buiidins Aere.
Contributed For TIM Paper BY the
Efficient SeuretarySof the Vir-
.s. ginia Board.
T. c. MoIMoN.

gina Worlds Fair Boa1d to reproduce
the Mounts Vernon manston at Chicago, -
said Director General Davis of the Co.
lumbian Exposition, wi Zen he was told
of the Virginia plan forlp State building.
This building will douB Btlcss attract more
attention than any other at the Exposi-
tion, although there are magnificent
palatial structures going up there which
cost the States they represent from $50, =
600 to 100000. Nirginia's modest new
Mount Vernon, costing less than $50, COO,
will be the most interesting of them all.
In view of the small $25, 900 appro~
priation, to which the debt burdcncd.
war worn old State was limited, the df-
ficult problem the gentlemen of the Vir.
ginia Board had to solve was what mau-
ncr of building they could erect that
would do credit to the historic ''mo,hcr
of States and statesmen" and still be
within the limit of the means at their
command. And it was not until the
P'N "oiS" Va NiS'"i" h"' ''Si
called in council that fhe question was
relieved. The Mount Vernon mansion,
being aplain, but amrc colonial s,ruct-
ure, marked for the simplicity of its ar.
chitecture, with no costly towers and
turrcts, or expensive ofnamentation OF
columns or cornice, recommended itself
on account of the comparative chcapncss
of its reprodr 2tion. .shile as the life
time home cf the greatest American and
the patriarch of Liberty, it would be II
Mecca for Americans, and an object Of
interest TO all foreigners. And so it was
that when the proposition was submitted
to the patriotic women Of the Old Do
minion that they should assist in raising
the funds necessary for the crcciiol
and furnishing Of such building, thcy
promptly accepted it an undertook it as
Il labor of love, and Mount Vernon at
Chicago was no longer matter of doubt.
The building, as seen in our cut, is
row completed by lIoltzclaw Brothers,
the contractors under the supervision of
Capt. Edgcr;on 5. Rodgers. the architect,
who, with his assistants, spent several
days at M)ult Vernon on the Potomac,
skctching and photographing the build
jng, its rooms and furniture. The Chi
cago Mount Vernon is not, as many
suppose, small copy of the old Wash.
io9ton home, but an exact representation
in all its dimensions, and in every par
ticular. a description of the original
Mount Vernon will be interesting.
II is n wooden structure. the sidines
of which are cut and painted to resemble
stone. The main part, 06X30 feet, was
built by Lawrence Washington in 17l3,
and called by him after gallant British
officer, Admiral Vernon, who was his
friend. The foundations Of the building
arc 80 strong now, and the timbers so
sound and we'll cared for, that nothing
but fire sh,"ld prevent its standing for
centuries yet nd as at extra prccaution
ho lliC 10 III iih' UlpSi
one shoaH any occur.
The piazza, strikifg g feature of the
colonial country resias; s;nces, extends the
entire cast front of thc{ house, overlook
ing the Potomac, two miles wide at
this point. This piazza is Is feet wide
and 25 feet high. Eight large square
pillars support the roof which is orna-
mentcd by a balustradc. 1t is paved
with flags brought from the Isle OF
Wight by Washington and furnished
with 80 windsor chars. There are two
colonadcs running back from each end o.
the main building about 20 feet. These
constitute convenient and pretty covcrc"
ways, o. feet wide and II feet high, to
two one aud half story structures 40x
90 feet each forming the wings of tn,
mansion, and were additions mtdo by
General Washington himself. These
were called dependencies. Altogether
there are twenty-five rooms in the stru IT.
u:e. On the first and second floors of
the main building there are eleven rooms,
10 the attic six, and in each of the de-
peudencies four rooms. The largest
rooms in the house are the banquet hall,
81 by % feet, and the library, 1G by 20
feet, the main entrance hall, Washington's
chamber. in which he died, upon the
second floor, and Mrs. Washington's
chamber in the attic, to which she re
moved after her husbands death, snG
which she occupied during the remain