The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-09
Especial Correspondeneel


ness, gambling and horse racing was
the badge of the gentleman in this
country, Lord Baltimore's magnificent
and commodiOus manor at Riversdale.
, eight miles from Washington on the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and near
: the famous cd dueling grounds of
! Bladensburg, was the choicest place.
. in this then sparsely settled section,
for the rich pleasure and recreation
hunters to assemble. Much of the for
mer beauty and grandeur of Lord Bal
timore's home is still in evidence, and
in many respects the splendid mansion
is as perfect as when constructed.
more than 140 years age, but the thou
sands of acres which comprised the
estate now blossom with hundreds of
happy homes and the ceaseless, mu-
steal hum OF busy life is heard on every
hand. Indeed, Riversdale is now one
of the Just-Out- Of-toWn" parts of the
national capital, and all that is left
of the miles of acres of the Baltimore
mansion estate is the mansion itself
and three acres Of ground Immediately
surrounding it.
1t is a treat to visit the old home.
Its spacious Railways and airy apart
( mentS bring visions and thoughts Of
! departed greatness; of old Lord Balti-
/ more and his descendants: ghostly fig
| ures of past ages. The ancient place
/ is rich with traditions and reminis-
! cences, lighted ~ sunshine Swallowed
/ by passing clouds. The winds through
/ the quaint gables breathe wierd stories
: in low requiem and Aeolian songs of
] the long ago Memory goes back to
the time when brickmaking was I'M
known in this country, the brick and
material to build the home for Eng
lands son being brought in sailing YES
sells from England. The materials were
landed at point in st. Mary's county.
Maryland, and from there transported
in wagons to the site of building What
an undertaking in those daysl
Ancient Architecture.
The house contains forty rooms, and /
the architect was Henry J. Stier, a /
wealthy banker of Antwerp, who, on
account of political reasons, fled his \
native country. The building is dis
unctly English in architectural style. /
the trescoed ceilings and carved wood |
work Yet remaining in a good state of /
preservation in many of the rooms,
especially the drawing rooms and main
railways 1t is study of ancient arch
itecture and stucco work. The rooms
J
the furnishings were as fine as money!
could buy, the west drawing room be-
ing originally covered with mirrors. [
and the mantelbOard in this room was
sold few years ago for s., 900. 1t was
OF the finest workmanship. and said to
be the handSOmest piece of marble ever
brought to this country for any pur-
pose The east drawing room was
equally as splendidly furnished. but on
c-fx Io
ing painted to represent a fox chase.
the fox, dogs and hunters being paint
ed as near lifelike as the finest painters
could produce, and the scene of the
chase extending entirely around the
room Some years ago this beautiful
ana costly work was covered over with
paper and it's beauty forever marred.
Between the two drawing rooms is
the ball room. in which cavaliers and I
DANES danced the stately minuet or
lively reel beneath the light of myriads
Of candles in costly candelabra. One
can imagine he hears the swish of silk {
trains as beauties glided by with their 1
,ourtly escorts. The windows of the {
ball room open on a rear veranda I
where beautiful landscape picture !
Sreets the eye. l
ThroughoTa~the grand old building S
he ceilings and walls are covered with $
\. =
and the Railways are rOOmy and airy l
and are in the old English style. a
Underground Rooms. +
Queer ramifcations are witnessed on a
very hand, from the large wine cellars
o the garnet. Down in the cellar where C
he wine vaults are still intact, can be Z
ound dozen or more underground
ooms. IN which are stored innumer- n
lble old-t time cooking ovens. bakers. Fl
fish warmers, coffee urns, brass ket- is
les and such like. all of patterns long S
lnce gone out Of style. While the un- I
foreground portion of the manor is r
gloomy and wierd, if there are any o
keletOns Secreted in the secret pas Il
ageways the writer failed to find b
hem. The antique library is a STUDY.
he beautiful bookcases of solid ma is
oany and cedar being in almost a I;
erfect state of preservation. Adioin- II
1g the library was the great Balti- Of
acre family vault in which was kept 81
len old silver ana valuables of every h
haracter. c.
Rare Old Documents. n \,
The vault was walled up q few years II
go ana in tearing away a part of the W
lasonry there was found a parchment h,
ated li2S, signed by King George III, ii
Fronting Bennett Calvert, father OF Il
Xth Lord Baltimore. collector Of in
ernal revenue for the crown in the a,
roVlnce OF Prince George. now Prince ST
gorge county Md Another sealed pI
ocument was signed simply "Ralti- in
lore, and asked for the delivery "a
negroes. land and stock 10 his son. an
old bill receipted by q New York 81
~ goods firm and dated 1881. was for II
SOP. Wine bills FOR fabulous sums on
ere found, going 20 show that Lord Liz
altlmore was high entertainer. Ad- Gu
lhlng the beautiful library is the con- TIA
'FNdtory' and IL is claimed that the Da
nest camelias-then the fashionable of
lWer-Were 10 be found there. Some
the same beautiful flowers which M
ere Lord BaltimOre's pride. are nov an
the White House cOnservatories. and ov
e the hnest specimens in the world. ed
r rom the conservatory you enter the TO
u rIdge house, and here you find the an
q Iamlly carriage Of England's son
ne metal and woodwork is still good
II rene hunters have stripped off
sarIy al the leather and cloth finish
g Inc vehicle resembles TO Some
tent a DeadwoOd coach. A few wears
90 some one stole the coat of arms Nc
"a me Latin inscription, MANLY tin
eds, feminine words" UP
a ascending roundabout stairway We thi
-. az lhe second story of the beautiful "
NV dy 20 room near the center %
{ building. which is known as The su,
tenry Clay bed chamber. that Greet me
dlesInan having been on terms Of IN Coz
nacy win Charles B. Calvert who
- a member OF the thirty-ninth CON
: 3 Siay was frequent visitor tn
t'IAiloIe hanSl0n while he was in