The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-08-07
!; Healthy Mind, ;
! Healthy Body. ;
Both Brought !
About by ). !
Postum Cereal :
FOOD COFFEE. :
FOOD COFFEE.


has, since it was deserted, been sold and
resoi5. mortgaged and remortgaged, un
til now its appearance OF disuse anc
neglect seems 70 those Of patriotic mind
10 say, Help, or / perish"
This continent mad been known tc
the civilized world but one hundred and
| fifty years when this ancient building
w2s completed. How old it Is can only
be surmisad, for its early history is not
! even preserved by tradition. The only
| record that can be taken as evidence OF
| the date cf the buildings completion IS
| an inscription on one OF the stones that
! goes to make up the solid masonry of
! the foundation. This reads:
*. V. R., 1912 Ammo Domini."
To me residents Of this vicinity the
! build;ng is known as the old Van Rams
| selaer marsion. According to the best
| obtainable records it was built for the
! first Kilaen Van Rensselaer,. Since then
ii mas stood overlooking Albany and has
watched this city grow from a little
trading post to one OF the foremost
cities Of the state. I: has seen genera
tions come and go, and with some re-
pairs, so well was it built, It would still
stand for many years a landmark of the
state.
TIE Colonial Danes proposed a year
ago to purchase and preserve the prop
erty, hut little more than the propos ton
ever developed. A few years from now
neglect and the inroads OF curiosity seek
ers, al anxious 10 obtain a brick, will
cause the noble old structure to crumble
and fall.
A mixture Of tradition and history has
Informed the world that the building Of
the mansion was begun in 1929. Some
crecence Il given tbs for the reason
that bricks taken from the building
have stamped upon them the date 1929
they were brought over from Holland.
but just why 1t should have taken tfir-
teen years 10 complete the structure Is
difficult 70 determine The original
house is Two and half stories high. AS
orig nally planned ard constructed it
rad but few windows, portfolios mex ng
up for the absence of these conventences.
The portfolios are still in the walls.
looking very Ike large inverted KEY
holes. This shape was adopted to allow
the old fashioned weapons OF defense
and offense TO be placed IN the lover
part and sighted over. What windows
were provided were small Of SIZE. heavily
barred and guarded on the inside with
iron shutters
Even the massive beams used in CON-
structing the house came from Holland, |
the settlers here, while we'll supplied |
with wood, had no means of fashioning |
1t into shape The cellar Is really a |
relic OF antiquity. In It overhead are |
giant beams. while several open fire |
places ana wine closets tell stores OF |
good cheer long ago. The floors Of the |
building are made Up of wide boards |
held together with cut nails.
Rcmances seem to hang and reminis-
ceneeS really hover about the brick walls |
Of the building. Here it was that Cen
eral Abercrombie and his staff were
chartered in 1853 while the army was
on the surrounding grounds.
Here General Lafayette was entertain
ed, and the familiar words and tune OF
' 'kankee Doodle" were first heard near
the old well in the back yard, the com>
poser being DR.. Shuckburg. Romance
and antiquity apparently going unap-
oreciated these hustling days. the old
louse, with its ancient memories will
'robab bly, soon pass away.