The Press., 1898-05-12
STAFFORD, OWNER OF
 FAIRVIEw.


 More than three-quarters of & century ago Robert Stafford, a handsome, blue eyed young fellow, went from the north to Georgia, and so prospered in business that he presently became the owner of Cumberland island, of the Georgian coast, famous for the production of the wonderful fine sea island cotton, in great quantities.
 He amassed great wealth, acquired the title of colonel, and lived in princely state in a mansion-the only one on the island whose turrets overtopped the forest of live oaks environing it, and commanded a superb view of his whole domain and the sea beyond it's borders.
 An army of slaves worked for and wait ed upon him, and occasional guests, whom he entertained royalty, returned to the mainland with tales of the magnificence of his estate and the lavishness of his hospitality, that could hardly be dupli- cated outside the Arabian Nights. Colonel Stafford, with his vast posses sions, high social standing and the ad- vantage of youth and good looks, might, according to contemporary report, have welded any one of half dozen charming Georgian bellies, his equals in position and property. But he fell desperately in love with a quadroon, said to be the daughter of a rich planter and a slave wo- man. She was almost as white as the fairest Caucasian, of marvellous beauty, and reputed very intelligent and fairly well educated.
 She was the colonel's property, but he had too high a sense of honor to follow the course usually pursued by southern shareholders who were not in the habit of calling on the church to sanction the relations too often existing between them Mary-for that was her name-and mar ried her.
 The wedding was secret, and was long unrevealed, for if it had become known Colonel Stafford would have been social ly ostracised, and not improbably might have felt the strong arm of the law, which forbade, under severe penalties, the mar ital union of whites with persons in the slightest degree tainted with African de- scent.
 Six children were born of the marriage, two handsome, manly boys, and four love- ly girls, but as is often the case with the offspring of such unions, they were dark CT than their mother. The colonel, as we'll as Mrs. Stafford, desired to give their sons and daughters good educa- tion, but they had not been publicly ac- knowledged as legitimate, and there were no s,pcatlonal advantages in the south fur GoIored children; indeed, in most oi the slave-holding states they were pro. by increasing their intelligence they might become dissatisfied with their lot. There was no way, therefore, but to take the young Staffords north: and so, when the eldest, girl, was about 1s years of age, the colonel decided to remove to New England.
 Sailing into New London harbor, he was struck with the beau3y of the Thames river shores, and soon thereafter pur. chased great estate on the Groton side about three miles above the city. On the highest point of ground in the property called it Fairview.
 The house was built in southern style surrounded with broad verandas, upor which low French windows opened iron all the rooms, and the roof was surround ed by spacious cupola, from which wal visible miles and miles of historic ane beautiful stretches of land and water, in cluding the river, valley and harbor, ane the more distant Long Island and Fish CTS Island sounds.
 There were twenty large and loft! apartments, with ceilings and walls fires coed by noted artists. The massive stair case in the central hall was constructet of San Domingo mahogany, and every thing about the establishment bore tn, same evidence of disregard of cost. No where in Connecticut was there nor complete or luxurious residence. It is still landmark familiar to thou sands of summer guests at New London and visitors to the Yale-Harvard 'varsit, boat races, the course for which it over looks. - ...s Money was lavished like water on tn ninety odd acres included in the estate The fifteen acres immediately surround ing the residence were terraced and lai out as ornamental grounds, in accord ance with plans supplied by a distin guished landscape gardner. Elsewher the natural forest growths were trimme ) into groves, lawns were leveled an turfed, winding drives and walks wer constructed, and every species of tree shrub and plant that would thrive ther , was set out. The barns and stables wer finished in hard woods, and the horse and carriages were the wonder of tn } surrounding country. Colonel Staffor succeeded in creating beautiful home but it is doubtful if it was @ very happ
 one.
 Mrs. Stafford did not live long to enio
 '