The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-02-06
Tennesseean's home, built Of bricks

made on the place.
The General refused to have the
log house torn down it was like an
old friend to him. and there were
precious memories associated with it
that he could not bear to have dis
/ PEELED. 1t saw his first struggle TO
| rise, and later, his success, acknoWl-
edged by his countrymen.
The Jacksons had no children of
their own, so they adopted the in
FAINT son of Mrs. Jackson's brother,
and, as Andrew Jackson, Jr., he be-
came the son and heir of the Her
mitage'' and its possessions.
The new home was spaciously built
| in the Colonial style, and when it was
finished many distinguished persons
of the land went in and out of the
wide doorway, and fonnd delight in
the beauty of the well-shaded lawn
and big farm lands.
Marquis de Lafayette found warm
welcome there, and tasted to the full
the sweetness of Southern hospitality.
He was an old man when he visited
Andrew Jackson at his home in 1925,
but he was not too old to become a
favorite and find himself made much
of by the charming Southern women
who also shared his hosts entertain
ments. None of his eighteenth CEN
tury courtliness, his wonderful fascin-
alton of manner and his gentle frank
ness, that had made Washington his
friend, had left the Lafayette of the
second quarter of the nineteenth CEN
tury.
"Old Hickory" whose character
for honesty was no less great and no
less renowned than Washington s, had
the same warm friendship for his for
eign guest, and felt that the 'sHermi-
tage" was honored by the presence of
the great Frenchman. For that rea-
son everything associated with Lafay-
cite and his visit were carefully pre-
served and jealousy guarded. In
the present house the furniture of his
room is proudly show, just as it was
when he was staying there.
Southern society focked to the
Hermitage" and many a romance
was woven around the walls, but none
raised fraction of the furore that
was raised when, during the Generals
Presidency, entertained lovely Peg
O'Neil and her husband in his home.
Peg O'Neil-or Eaton-has made a
record for herself that has passed into
history. She it was who, as Cab
inet-breaker," threw the society of
the country into convulsions and caus-
ed partisanship even in the country's
politics. General Jackson was at the
bottom of it, for his truly chivalrous
nature revolted at the idea of help
less woman's character being openly
assailed, not only by jealous women,
but by men as well. He brought
about beautiful Mrs. Eaton's social
triumph, and through it he and John
@. Calhoun became the bitfcrc1t euu-
mics. He made her young husband
his Secretary of War, and never re-
GREETED it, for his ''good little secre-
tary,' to show his gratitude to the
nations Chief Executive for his de-
fense of the beautiful, pure hearted
Peggy, was ever stanch and strong
supporter of Jackson.
VanBuren, the future President of
the United States, was also a partici-
pator in Peggy O'Neil's social sue
cesses. and for that "Old Hickory
declared he would some day see Van
Buren in his own position.
Just as Andrew Jackson was COM
pleting the second term of his won
derfuld career as President, the Her
mitage" met with sad fate. 1t was
burned to the ground, and not a yes
tige of it remained except the founda-
tions.
The next year, when Jackson re-
turned to Tennessee to take up his
life as private gentleman, after eight
years of stirring political life, he re-
built the house on the former site,
and, as it was erected almost seventy
years ago, it stands today.
The architectural style of the Her
mitage" was that of the colonial peri
cd, with large verandas both front
and back. The hallway was quite
wide, with double rooms on either
side, with wings supplementing these.
The rooms were large and spacious,
being eleven in number. Upon en-
tering the commodious hall ones at
teution would at once be attracted to
the pictorial wall paper, ordered by
General Jackson from Paris, when the
house was built in 1896, and which
was brought by the way of New Or
leans, up the Mississippi and Cumber-
land rivers.
From top to bottom the 'Hermi-
tage" is filed with the old Generals
belongings and treasures. One Of
the most curious is an old state coach
used by Jackson when he lived at the
White House, on State, ceremonial
and social occasions and for several
years he made many trips to the
Hermitage" from Washington
which took thirty days. There is
also the skeleton of a phaton, all that
is left of the beautiful vehicle present
ed to General Jackson by the Demo
cratic Republican citizens of Phila-
delphia.. The phaton was made from
timber taken out of the old frigate
Constitution, but it was burned at
fire where Colonel Jackson had the
relics stored.
Jackson's room is almost as COM
plete as the day when he died. The
same furniture he used, the bed he
died upon, the chair he sat in, are all
there. 1t consists of bedstead, bu-
reau, wardrobe, washstand with six
china pieces, table, chairs, sofa, car
pet, curtains, irons and fender, mir
ror, brass candlesticks, and pictures
on the wall.