Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-04
AT THE OCTAGON HOUSE
COLONIAL LOAN EXHIBITION TO
BE HELD IN APRIL.
Colonial Danes of District to Enter
tain for Benefit of Jamestown
Exposition.

! the Octagon House New York avenue and
| 18th street. the week beginning April nth.
under the auspices of the National Society
| of Colonial DANES in the District of Co
lumbia for the benefit of the Jamestown
| Memorial.
A delightful program has been planned
/ for each day including colonial ball. when
the minuet will be danced. Tea will be
served each afternoon after o'clock. and
Mrs. Glover Mrs. John Y. Taylor Mrs.
| Greedy. Mrs. Janln. Mrs. Chopper. Mrs
Armistead Peter. Mrs Newberry, Mrs. For
aker. Mrs. Elkins and Mrs. Alger all of
whom are Colonial Danes. will preside at
| the tea tables The colonial loan exhibition
/ will be given under the patronage of the
/ following Colonial Danes; Mrs. Cox presi-
! dent of the National Society of Colonial
/ Danes; Mrs. kennon, president of the So
! ciety of Colonial Danes in the District or
| Columbia; Mrs. Alger Mrs. w. z. Chand-
| Ter. Mrs. Chatard Mrs. Foraker Mrs. HIN,
| Miss kean, Mrs Newberry, Mrs. Samuel
| Spencer, Mrs. Eugene Hale. Mrs. Parrish,
| Mrs. Ernst Mrs. Heth, Mrs. Taylor, Miss
| Woodbury. Mrs. Albert Covington Janin,
| Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Richey. Mrs. Greedy.
| Miss Miller. Mrs Blair Mrs Brice. Mrs.
| James NJ. Johnston, Mrs. Charles Henry
| Davis. Mrs. Croppes Miss Julia Darling
! Strong. Mrs Armstead Peter. Mrs. Thomas
! F. Richardson. Mrs Ellzins Mrs. Story,
Mrs. John Van Rensselaer,. Mrs. Young
| ltOiIlt anu MIS- murray <AuhiSbH
Relics of Value
Colonial relies of the greatest historic in
| terest and value have already been offered
! to the chairman of the jamestown memo
rial committee of this well-known society.
and Miss Fairfax, 1862 Church street. viii
| be glad to hear from other persons possess
/ ing such relics
TO many persons the Octagon House it.
F.a
relic of bygone days. Mr.. Glenn Brown.
| secretary of the American Institute OF
! Architects, which now occupies the building
and whose courtesy permits its use, says:
The house is well built of brick. trim
| med with Aqua creek sandstone. The lot
| is triangular in form and fenced in by
high brick wall. The kitchen, stable and
! ouJhouses are built of brick and accommo-
| dated large number of both servants and
| horses, Col Taylor being a noted turfman
! and keeping many fine running horses. The
building and walls conform to the street
| lines. showing that the streets were ac-
J curately laid off even at that early day.
! The interior is deliberately finished. the
! doors of the first story being Of mahogany.
| They are still in an excellent state of pre-
I SerVation. All OF the work in the circular
vestibue comedies with the circumference
| of the tower. the doors sash and glass be-
J ing made on the circle. and all are still in
! working order. The parlor mantel is made
of a fine cement composition. painted
! white The remains of goldleaf show in
| some of the relieved portions. and the fig
ures are excellent. evidently having been
! modelled by some good artist.
THE mantels in the bed rooms are of
wood, the ornamentation being of putty
| stucco. Two old cast-iron stoves
| still stand in the inches prepared for them
! 1914. the British having burned the White
| House, President James Madison occupied
! the Octagon. and during his occupancy the
! treaty of Client which closed our second
! - l,4...
| States and Great Britain, was signed by
| him In the circular room, which is now used
! as the secretary's office"
| The architect of the Octagon House was
| DIR. William Thornton of the West Indies
who was the right hand of the commits
| sion appointed by Congress to acquire a
4 territory not exceeding ten miles square
| for the establishment of a permanent seat
| of government. These three men were
| Daniel Carroll Thomas johnson and
| William Stuart. Most of this land which
included Georgetown and Alexandria was
primeval forest and was owned by Daniel
Carroll Motley Young, Samuel Davidson
| and David Burns.
Encountered Difficulty.
The commission had great difficulty in
| dealing with Burns. who owned nearly
all of what is now the northwestern sec
ton, he was a close listed. hard head
ed Scotchman and was unwilling to part
with his land without being roundly paid
for 1t. Argument with him was in vain
and it Is said that Gen. Washington. re-
alizing the gravity of the situation rode
up eseveral times from Mount Vernon to
discuss the situation with stubborn Mr.
Burns. At length, in despair. he remark
ed: Had not the federal city been laid
out here you would have died a poor to-
bacco planter LAY, mon, was Burns
ready response IAN he'd you no married
the wilder Gusts, wi "a her nagres ye'd
haze been land surveyor the moo, an
mighty poor one at that" 1t is further
related that Washington finally succeeded
in winning Burns over to his way of
thinking. and the canny Scotchman. re-
alizing how vastly he was to profit by
this large transaction, actually became
generous and gave his apple orchard to
the three commissioners in fee simple,
which is now the beautiful Lafayette
Square.
DIR. Thornton found time to design the
Octagon corner of New York avenue and
18th street, the winter home of Col. John
Tayloe, only son of John Tayloe of Mount
Airy. in Virginia. 1t is stated by his de-
scendants that Col Tayloe had previously
determined to build his winter home in
Philadelphia, but upor the advice of his
hereditary friend, Gen. Washington, changed
His plans and located in Washington. AT
the age of twenty-one he succeeded to one
of the largest estates in Virginia, with
income of 100000 year, and few months
subsequently he married daughter of Gov.
Ogle of Maryland. Col, Tayloe was particu-
larly distinguished for his unbounded and
elegant hospitality at Mount Airy and the 4
Octagon, for the splendor of his equipages,
ardent patriotism, his fine sense of honor,
his scrupulous regard for his word and all
his obligations. and particularly for the adj
mirable management of his vast estates
Established Washington Race Course.
1t Is interesting at this date to state that
he established the Washington race course,
where the best horses in Maryland and Vir-
ginla contended for mastery. His stables
at Mount Airy contained from thirty to
forty blooded horses, and his race horss S Lee
viathan, Virago. Gallatn, Sir Archy Black
Maria and Lady Lightfoot were among the
most famous in the early annals of the
American turf. The celebrated race horses
Eclipse and Henry Were both descended
from horses imported and bred by Col.
Tayloe. The owner of the Octagon house
and its architect. DR.. Thornton. were doubt
less congenial companions, as tradition tells
that the latter. too, possessed a great pas
sion for racing, although of Quaker parent