The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-10-25
QUEER OLD MANSION.


Although the law Of entailment is
fixed in the common law and the stat
utory laws of Great Britain, there
has never been any effort made to en-
graft that excrescence of aristocracy
upon the laws of our land. There
fore it is strange and almost anoma-
lous to find an estate which has been
in one family for more than 200 years
on this continent, and near the Capt.
tai City of our great republic.
AS the French origin of the word
is we'll known it will not be necessary
to explain to readers that the law of
entailment is cutting off of an es-
tate from all other estates, SO that it
proceeds directly from one heir to an
other, through many generations. Al
though the law is a rule by which es-
tates are fixed it also extends in some
instances to incorporeal hereditaments
in law. 1t was with reference to this
that Prior wrote of "Joab's blood, en-
tailed on Judah's CROWN"
Driving over the country roads
north and northwest of this city it
sometimes happens that the oldest
residents here come upon places Of
historic interest which are not known
to the public and have no place in
history. Such place is Clean Drink
ing Manor, within an hours drive of
the Executive Mansion, on a road
over which not less than three score
of our people travel every day in
their peregrinations for pleasure and
recreation. The old manor house is
sheltered by foliage and does not at
tract the attention of casual observers.
1t is half surrounded by broad YER
anda as beautiful originally as any of
the verandas OF colonial and ante-co-
lonial days.
Built in 1850 the venerable frame
mansion is yet in good condition, al
though time has dealt unsparingly
with it, giving the outer timbers a
weather-beaten appearance and wear
ing away some of the interior wood
work. But there are very few evil
dences of decay in any portion of the
place. There have been no changes
nor alterations made in the house.
On one side is clustered what remains
of the old kitchen and servant quar-
tiers, built of bricks made in England.
On the other side, surrounded by
an old-fashioned stone wall, is the
manor garden, now overgrown with
hedges of lockwood, which at one
time bordered the trim, fancifully
shaped flower beds, but are now SO
thick that they completely hide the
little beds they used to outline.
Round the entire garden, inside the
stone wall, is magnificent hedge Of
tall lockwood. This is reputed to be
finer even than the famous box" al
Mount Vernon, planted at about the
some time. Roses and vines, lilac
and other old-fashioned plants and
shrubs, run riot now over porch, wall
and outbuildings, making its setting
of tall cedars, locusts and hemlocks
When servants were numerous, al
of these plants received greater atten-
ton than can be given now.
The old manor house, which, from
its appearance and close surroundings
would seem in place perhaps a hun
dred miles removed from the hustle
and din and movement of modern life
lies within few minutes walk from
this city's limits, and but seven mile:
from the gates of the White House
1t is located on what is known as the
Jones Mil road, and is beautifully
situated, overlooking miles of the sur
rounding country, and at it's fee
flow the historic waters of Rock creek
On the slope of the hill, about hun
dred yards beneath the house, is til,
spring from the purity of who's
waters the curious name of the mano
is taken.
On expressing a desire to see th'
spring we were taken down to it
passing through the old apple orcharc
on Our way. AS we regaled ourselve
with the really fine water we wer
told that we were then standing Of
the stone slab on which Washington
stood to drink when he stopped ther
on his return from Pittsburg, afte
the defeat of Braddock, in IT'S
He was accompanied by few of hi
men, and the party afterwards wen
up to the manor house to rest an
visit the family. Another event tha
this recalls, and adds to the historl
interest of the place, is that durin
the British invasion of Washington
( in 1914, Mr.. Thomas Monroe, the
postmaster of Washington city, too
refuge at Clear Drinking Manor, Nj
Monroe keeping the post Office ope
there till after the British had gone
The United States mails were take
to a log house then standing opposil
the manor house. From this poir
were seen the flames of the burnin
of the capitol.
The estate of Clean Drinking Maj
or has been in the family whose d.
scendants live there today since 1866
when it became the property of Co
John Coates, who was the grandsc
of either John Coates or Col. Hem