The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-19
OLD SALT0NSTALL HOUSE
AN HISTORIC OLD EVANSTON NEAR
 S1LTONSTALL LAKE.

OflSihaAly belonged tO tno W1fe or GOV- ernor Saltonstall-F Printing Press In New Haven Colony Set Up There-De- scription of the Ancient structure-Gen. Washington and Staff Dined There.
 On gently sloping hill not far from the lake bearing that name there stands an ancient mansion which if it could speak would tell many tale and disclose many a secret. It's history and associations are all in the past. No heroes or great men tread it's ancestral hall to-day, but in days long ago they echoed with their tread and voice, This venerable edifice originally be- longed to the wife of one of the Colo nial governors of the New Haven colo ny, Gurdon Saltonstall, who was born in Haverhill, Mass, March 27, 1866, and graduated at Harvard in 1884, and studied theology, was ordained minister of New London, Conn, No- vember 19 1891 MT. Saltonstal was one of a committee to wait on the Earl of Belmont on his arrival in New York in 169S and (he) was frequently called on to assist in public business. On the death of Governor Fitz John Winthrop Saltonstall was chosen by the assembly to be his successor, entering on his du- ties January 1. 170S, and was confirmed in office in the following May at the regular election. He was appointed agent of the colony in 1709 for the pur- pose of conveying an address to Queen Anne urging the conquest of Canada. Saltonstall raised a large contingent in Connecticut for the disastrous expedi- ton of Sir Havendon Walker He set up in his house the first printing press In the colony in 1709 and was active in arranging for establishing Yale college using his influence, resulting in the de- cision to build at New Haven instead of at Hartford, making the plans and es- inmates and during the early years of the college taking the chief part in di- recting it's affairs. He was continued in the office of governor by annual election until his death, which occurred in New London, Conn, September, 1724 Governor Saltonstall was distinguished for his learning, eloquence, his knowl- edge of affairs and his elegance of manners.* He owned five hundred acres straight up the lake from his home and large number of cattle and geese
 On one occasion the neighbors of Sal- tonstall let their geese run over his form. He chased and killed them, which so incensed the people that in the next election he received no votes from East Haven The old house where he lived is l. shaped, with large stone chimney in the center of the roof. The building Is built of wood A self supporting shingled porch roof is over and in front of the door. The steps are of brown stone, rounded into half circle on the front, the upper steps overlapping the under ones. On the first step under the lap of the sec ond the year that the house was built is carved. It being concealed, I was unable to learn the date. In the rear che wing which gives the building it's l. shape is seen Here may also be seen two or three of the old windows which were put in when the house was built, each of which contains twenty four panes of glass.
 The side door in this wing opens in two sections, being made in two parts, an upper and lower. A large old well stands near the house in the rear. which gives clear cold water. Now if we pass around to the front we will ob- serve that the front door opens from the middle full length, dividing when pushed back from the portal The grounds around the house on all sides are spacious and a narrow path leads from the gate. A road runs along out side in front and on one side of the house to a bridge which spans the cut through which the tracks of the Shore Line division of the Consolidated rail- road pass, which lie at the foot of the hill in the rear of the house, while in the distance the lake stretches it's broad expanse of placid blue waters, with the high wooded bluff on one side and the fertile fields on the other. Let us now enter and inspect the interior of this ancient dwelling. On entering the front door we find ourselves in a spacious hall, on one side of which, in about the middle of the hall between the front and rear doors, flight of old wooden stairs, ascending to the second story, stands Passing into the room on the right, near the front door, we be- hold a large apartment which is called the Governors room. It probably was his parlor or library. The room itself is as it was when he occupied it. ex- cepting the present furniture and win dows which the occupants of to-day have placed there Its broad low cell ing with beam running through the middle at once suggests the age of the structure. There is a small fireplace where once a large chimney and fire place stood. A door on one side with small panes of glass in it remains as it was in the days of the governor, while another door on the same side opens into a small room back of this large one which. was his kitchen. An old stone chimney and brick oven pro- truded into this room, which has since been removed, a wooden petition taking its place.
 Leaving these rooms and passing into the hall again, we will take a look in the room on the left, opposite the large one we just left.
 It is smaller than the one opposite, but having beam across the ceiling as the other did Both these ceilings in these two front rooms were originally