The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-29
CANTON FOR THE M'KINLEYS
PRESIDENT WILL NOT BUY SUMMER
HOME IN WASHINGTON.

Their Old Home, Where They Will
lie Free From Morbid Curiosity
seekers-A Presidents Vacation
Always of Interest and the Rural
Journals Make the Most of 1t.
The History of Farragut square
and It's Many Handsome Rest
dences-GeOrgetOwn still Retains
Its Ancient Pride.
Washington, April 2s.-The President
has put a quietude upon all the recent
speculation and gossip respecting his in
tention of purchasing a summer home, by
the announcement that he and Mrs. Nc
Kinley will go to their modest residence
| at Canton upon the conclusion of their
stay at Washington. This is a distinct
disappointment to boomers in real estate
whose interests are centered in the local
ity supposed to. have been under consider
alton by the President.
The vacation of a President is always
of interest to the inquisitive public. If he
goes home the newspapers are bound to
make the most of every action, and the
presidential family's tastes and peculiar
tiles are served up to the country as an
entirely new sensational story. Rural
journals, in particular, delight to dwell
upon the subject OF Mrs. McKinley's i'll
health and this is one reason why the
wife of the President breads to invade
new territory as a place of residence. In
Canton, where the family is respected,
understood, and appreciated to the ut
most. Mrs Mckinley is protected from
the insistent courtesy Of strangers and
enjoys her front porch without inviting
the morbid gaze of the passersby. Both
the President and Mrs. Mckinley find life
at Canton quiet, restful and completely
to their liking.
Gov. Shepherds work.
A beautiful bit of freshness and flowers,
coloring these days, is Farragut Square.
| 1t is interesting to occupy bench in this
| perfectly kept park where fashionable
| babies assemble, and note the distinction
of the neighborhood. People of import
ance dwell on all sides of the square. To
| the north is what old inhabitants call
Shepherds Row." a block of three enor-
nous houses. the history of whose occu-
pants is memora BILE. These dwellings
were built by Alexander, or Boss Shep-
| herd in the days when there was a terk-
| torial form OF government with Legisla-
| ture. Shepherd was the last Governor of
| the district, and to the terror and indig-
nation of property holders improved
| Washington grading and widening streets
in truly autocratic way, with the re-
suit that to-day the national capital is one
of the most symmetrical cities in the
world. The most pretentious of the three
brown stone dwellings is that ordinarily
occupied by the Shepherds, and afterwards
| improved by the Washington McLeans.
| 1t is on the corner of Connecticut avenue
and X street. and in 1t occurred the mar
| rage of Admiral Dewey. Upon the death
of Mrs. Mclean the property was pur-
| chased by the former ambassador to
Italy, Draper who, with his family. re-
turns to Washington from Italy next win
| ter.
The other corner house is the once fa-
nous STANFORD residence, occupied later
by former Senator Murphy of New York,
and now owned by wealthy New YORK
| congressman. The third house has been
purchased by Charles G. Glover, and is
| being rebuilt into an English ba sement.
1t is a singular coincidence that these
three houses should have changed hands
| at the same time.
A Fashionable Square.
To the west of the square are the Army
and Navy Club and the residence of Jus
tice Grey and the famous woman sculp-
tor Winnie Rean The latter looks out
every day upon the statue of Admiral
Farragut, which is the work of her CHS
ell To the south is the magnificent home
| of Mrs. Taylor, a leader of the gay young
| set This house was built above the
ashes of the Tracy dwelling, that was
| burned with tragic loss of life while its
| occupant was Secretary of the Navy un-
| der President Harrison. Close by is the
fine residence of Senator Keane of New
Jersey, formerly the home of Anthony
Pollock. who, with his wife, was lost at
| sea when the steamer La Gascogne col
| lided with the Cromartyshire, and but
| one woman was rescued from the former
| vessel. The wealthy Pollock family be
came extinct with this tragedy, as there
| were no children to inherit the name and
| fortune. Just opposite this mansion, fac
ing the square from the east, is dear
old landmark that has since its dilapide-
ton been used as a club, and which viii
soon be demolished to give place to a
| superb modern apartment house. This is
the old Ross Ray house, famous long
ago for its hospitality. Ray made for
| tune in flour when Georgetown was an
industrial center. and he was known as
the Rich Miller" Farthur along the
block lives DR. Burnett, the first husband
of the novelist. 1t is difficult to under
| STAND why TWO persons or Such culture
and apparent congeniality as DR.. and
Mrs. Burnett should have agreed to dis
agree The Doctor. besides being eminent
in his profession as an eye and ear spe-
cialist, is an art connoisseur and a great
student. He is gifted in every possible
way and lacks only the outward form OF
manly beauty. being very lame.
Old inhabitants tell how Farragut
| Square. In their young days, was a mud
hole. and during the Civil War one small
hut. where thieves and rogues congre-
| gated, and pigs In plenty was all the To-
cality could boast.
Old Georgetown's Pride.
Apropos of Georgetown as an Industrial
| center, a stranger finds IL difficult to I'M
derstand it's decided pretensions and
claim to favor at the present day. George
town prides itself upon being old. and il
never forgets the days when II was an
independent city, with a Mayor of its
| own, and an elder sister to mud-swamped,
struggling little Washington. Now 1t Is
| West Washington, but the fact is never
admitted by the residents of Georgetown
who are among the most exclusive people
Of the old-time South.
Society on the two sides of Rock creek
never meets. The young girls OF George
town. who are notably pretty. refuse TO
| know their Washington contemporaries
and Independent Country Club. golf links
| and assemblies flourish I'm GeOrgefoufu IL