Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-02-07
INCINNATI is awaiting the
coronation of its new social
, queen, who is to rule from her
court at lockwood, one OF

- court at Redwood one OF
the most beautiful historic mansions
in America. Princess Alice" the
presidents daughter, when she weds
Nicholas Longworth will become mis-
tress of the grand old mansion, with
its treasures of art. that stands on
the hills overlooking the Ohio river at
Cincinnati, as well as of the beautiful
Longworth home in Washington and
the cottage at Bar Harbor.
But the home" of all the Long
worths is Rookwood. No matter what
grand palaces they may build or cot.
tages they may rear by the seaside,
lockwood" the great estate at Gin.
cinnati, will be home"
For there generations the great
rambling gray structure has been the
center of Cincinnati society. and Mrs
Nick Longworth will hold social sway
over the city as the women of the
Longworth family have from the be-
ginning when the first Nicholas
brought riches and laid the foundation
of the Longworth fortune, which now
is estimated at scores of millions OF
dollars
"Rookwood"-the home-is one OF
the most interesting as we'll as one OF
the most beautiful houses in the coun,
try. and its chief beauty lies not in
its ivy covered walls, its quaint
old English style of architecture but
in its location or in the manner in
which it blends with the grandeur OF
its surroundings.
Winding its way along the bluff
overlooking the majestic sweep of the
Ohio river, giving glimpses of the
giant palisades on the Kentucky side
of the river crossing sheer precipices
and winding down into the wooded "a.
vines that cut great gashes in the
hills, goes the Grandin road, Cincinna-
It's most beautiful boulevard.
Long ago. in the days before Clifton
was discovered by wealthy Cincinna-
tians when Avondale was a hamlet,
the social leaders of the city built
their homes along the Grandlin ~oad,
browning the hill tops with beautiful
homes. And, far out, near the eastern
end of the great boulevard. Joseph
Longworth built the homestead which
now is the property of Congressman
Nicholas Longworth. whose bride Alice
Roosevelt is to be.
And there the Longworth women
have ruled society. There Mrs. Bel
lamy Storer. who was Joseph Long.
worth's daughter, lived until she be-
came the bride of the lawyer-diplomat
Then, in her stead, Mrs. Nicholas
Longworth. mother of Congressman
Longworth, held sway until her daugh-
ters, Clara and Nan. became the social
leaders, and when Nan" married
Buckner Wallingford and her sister
became the bride Of count de Cham
brun, who is now one of Frances rep
resentatives at Washington, Mrs
Longworth continued her duties as
the recognized leader of Cincinnati's
400, which numbers about sixty, ac-
cOrding TO her invitation list.
Modelled on English Country Home.
lockwood stands almost in the cen
ter of extensive heavily wooded hilly
grounds The house is massive in
construction, the style of architecture
being adapted from an old English
country home. 1t rambles over a
great space of ground, being but two
stories high, with a heavy square
tower. The house faces east, with
the conservatories and greenhouse ex-
tending far back towards the big
stables.
It is of brick and stone and now is
gray with age, and its wide pOrches
and porticos are heavily draped in ivy.
The windows are deep set and wide
At the front is a porch extending al
most the width of the house itself, and
the great double doors at the en-
trance open into a wide hallway with
huge, high ceilinged parlors at either
side The stairs ascend directly from
the hallway to the second floor, and
along the walls hang the portraits of
the Longworths done in oil by famous
painters-Nicholas, Joseph, Nicholas,
and Nicholas, the four generations
that have helped make Cincinnati.
But the real treasures of lockwood
are beyond the parlors. reception
rooms. and lbraries-in the great gal.
leries that form the wing of the house
These were specially constructed by
Joseph Longworth to hold the art
treasures Of the family and the fam
Gus paintings that he collected. and
since his time other members of the
family have added to the collection
now one of the greatest private col
lections in America. In three things
have the Longworths been notedt-in
the law in art. and in society,
The galleries are practically separat-
ed from the house itself. and are light
ed from the roof. In them are the
works of many American artists, but
the gems of the collection are German
and Dutch, and these pictures were
purchased by Joseph Longworth The
most famous works Of Achenbach
hang in one group there are two Van
Dyeks, some Whistler portraits.
Rembrandt, but the most noted paint
ing is the old Age and Childhood by
Knaus of Dusseldorf
The collection of ceramics. which