The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-04-21
BUILT BY RICHARD CATION.
The House in Which Charles Carroll Of Carrollton
Died-One Of City's Historic Places.


One of the most interesting of the
MANY historic houses in Baltimore is
the old Carroll mansion, at the north
east corner of Lombard and Front
streets. 1t was built about 1900 by
Richard Cation, and it was in this
building that Charles Carroll of Car
rollton, the last surviving signer of
the Declaration of Independence,
died.
In 1775 Richard Cation, young
Englishman of good family, but poor,
sought and won the hand of Mr.. Car
rolls eldest daughter, Elizabeth. As
the CAROLS were devout Catholics and
Mr.. Cation was a member of the
Church of England, Mr.. Carroll re-
fused at first to give his consent to
the union. Miss Carroll is described
as having been one of the most fasci-
mating women of her day, and George
| Washington is said to have consider
ed her the most beautiful woman he
had ever seen.
Mr.. Carroll finally agreed to the
marriage and the wedding took place
in 1886. He gave the young couple
a splendid estate, which embraced the
present site of Catonsville.
Richard Caton afterward built the
house at Front and Lombard streets,
and Charles Carroll spent 80 or 40
year of his life there.
The mansion is substantial struc-
ture of three stories and an attic,
built in Colonial style of English
bricks. 1t is double house, with a
wide hallway in the center and a
broad, winding staircase is of hand
some mahogany and still stands.
The breakfast room is on the first
floor and the drawing room on the
second floor. The drawing room is
very large and was beautifully fur
nished.
The house fronts on Lombard
street so feet, with a triangular depth
on Front street of 100 feet. 1t is
supposed that the garden of the house
originally extended to the falls.
Few changes have been made in the
exterior. The interior is divided in
to more rooms than it originally had.
Even now, however, worn and batter
ed by needless tenants and time, it
bears evidence of its former grandeur.
For number of years it was used
as tenants house. In 1856 it was
given to the Sisters of Mercy by Miss
Emily McTavish, direct descendant
of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. The
Sisters occupied the building until
1871, when it was sold to the late
Jacob Seegar, in whose possession it
remained until his death.
At present the house is used as
tailoring establishment. Large and
roomy, with broad doors and windows
it would make an excellent neighbor-
hood or settlement house.
The Daughters of the American
Revolution some years ago placed on
the east side of the central drawing
room tablet telling the history of
the mansion, but it became so mutil-
ated that it was taken down.
The neighborhood was formerly
the most fashionable residential part
of the city. Just across the street
from the mansion is the "Star-Span
geld Banner" house, and near by are
old places that were once handsome
homes.
Charles Carroll died November ID,
1892, and his body was laid in state
in the drawing room before burial at |
at Doughregan Manor, in Howard
county.
Major Simon, the senior member
of the old firm of Charles Simon &
Sons, tell an amusing incident con-
cerning the house. When boy he
lived in the neighborhood of the Car
roll mansion and passing there at one
time saw large crowd around the
door. Impelled by boys curiosity |
he went upstairs and into the big
drawing room. There he saw body
laid out for burial and surrounded
by crowd of relatives and friends.
At each side of the bier stood mute,
for it was customary then to have paid
mourners at funerals. They stood,
in long black cloaks, with wands in
their hands, supposedly mute" from
grief.
Young Simon in his haste and Curl
osity, had forgotten to remove his
hat. This breach of etiquette, how
ever, had not escaped the attention
of one of the mutes. With sharp
blow of his wand, he knocked off the
boys hat. The little fellow was
thoroughly terrified. To be treated
so in the midst of such strange sur
roundings was more than he could
stand. So, grabbing his hat from the
floor, he rushed from the room down
the stairs, out into the street and
straight home without even stopping
to glance behind him.
He did not know at that time that
it was the body of Charles Carroll of
Carrollton he had seen, and it was not
until later that he discovered whose
funeral services he had witnessed.
On August 7, 1896, Charles Car
roll was visited by committee who
wished to obtain copy of the Declara-
ton of Independence to be placed in
the City Hall. Mr.. Carroll again
signed this document and added the
following supplemental declaration
Grateful to Almighty God for the
blessings which, through Jesus Christ
our Lord, He has conferred on Our
beloved country in her emancipation
and on myself in permitting me, un-
der the circumstances of mercy, to
live to the age of 80 years and to sur
vive the fftieth year of American in
dependence, adopted by Congress on
July d, 1776, which I originally sub
scribed on August 2, I777, and OF
which l am the last surviving signer,
do hereby recommend to the pres
ent and future generations the prin-