Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1907-02-13
,sHrNCToN,s TOWN HOUSE.

q Editor of the Alexandria Gazette.
ear Sir.--A short time ago gentle
man who was visiting your city asked
TO see the town house OF Gen'l George
Washington. The reply was, "rhe
old fool who owned il pulled it down" !"
This letter ia not written in reply to
the above remark, which is only worthy
of passing notice, but because It served
to bring to the visitors mind ball
formed intention of several years stand
inc the intention OF defending the
memory of the late Benjamin Waters,
the last owner of the Washington town
house. from the charge of wSntonly de-
stroying a valuable relic OF which the
CITY of Alexandra would now be proud.
benjamin. Waters was by birth a
Marylander Of au old and well known
family of that state, but after settling in
your city, his interests were transferred
to Virginia, and | think old residents
will bear out my statement that he was
public spirited citizsn, respected by
all. How the town house OF Genl Wash
inpton came into his possession do not
know. but the Old record, no doubt, show
lis successive owners from the time 1t
was decided away from the Washington
estate until it was bought by him, The
writer does not know when it was trans
ferred to IFS last owner. but she judges
fom certain ds:a that 1t must have
been about l826-40.
WY was the house where the great
General sometimes resided 30 little re-
garded by his heirs that it was allowed
10 pass into the hands Of stranger?
Why did not patriotic citizens Of that
date rescue ii? Why. when it was about
to be pulled down think about 1888,
did not patriotic citizens OF q later date
protest, and so shape their proteststions
that it would have been saved for future
generations to revere?
Because, the writer believes, no one
really cared. While Gen'l Washington
was perhaps at that date more VOL
shipped than now-fUr the generals aud
statesmen with whom he was to share
hero worship were then unknown stars
in our country's armament hero wor-
ship 10 this country, did not then crys-
tallizs into patriotic societies, or into
the careful preservation of historic
buildings or spots. The Mount Vernon
Association, the Colonial Danes, the
8. A. RS. the ID A. Rs, the Z. d..
Os, and the S. p. V A. were un-
dreamed OF.
The writer, very little girl when the
house was pulled down, has most vivid
remembrance Of IT, OF its rough stone
half story which formed the kitchen with
brick floor and wide outside chimney;
of its narrow inside stairs between the
walls, and its outside steep flight of
wooden steps, both leading to the parlor
floor. Above this stone foundation the
house was OF wood. Ii was not an i'm
posing, nor, indeed, handsome house 10
any sense, but she has often wished that
the ''kodakers" had then been abroad
in the land, to have preserved, at least.
its semblance. The two rooms on the
parlor floor we're of moderate size and a
narrow hall and staircase led to two rooms
above. The most interesting thing about
the house was the high, simply carved
msntel of the parlor, which mantel,
If her memory be correct, is COW in the
Boston Museum. The writer even re-
| members exactly the carving on this
msn,el, and the chair board running
around the parlor walls, for her awe OF,
and reverence for that house wss ex-
IRENE, and every little detail of its ap-
pearauce is indelibly fixed upon her
| mind. In fact, wholefamily OF young
people next door to it we're taught BY
their elders an almost excessive love
and respect for the great general, and
the pulling down of his house was re-
garded somewhat as tragedy, even by
the youngest child.
The reason this house was pulled
down was because it was declared by
| the authorities 10 be unsafe, but for a
long time previous to that decision it
was known by Benjamin Waters that 1t
was an unsafe building, and 1t was kept
closed except for poor pensioners who
from time TO time occupied the stone
basement The floors ssgged slsrmingly,
and the light Jump Of child caused the
whole upper structure to tremble, and
while 1t was supposed to be carefully
closed from reckless children, the writer
remembers daring escapades of those
same children who enjoyed feeling the
house shake II wss, OF necessity, either
TO be pulled down, or almost entirely re-
built. Would that fund had been
raised to rebuild il
AS mentioned above, the msntel o
the house was preserved and Of the
wood of the house we're made numerous
cases as gifts TO friends of the own,r
Did not this show on appreciation o.
the fact that valuable relic vas being
destroycd?-IA A granddaughter of Ben
iamin Waters, Colonial Dame, d. A. K
and member OF the S. 7. V. A.
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