The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-24
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55}AEg8- GENNEEAE 0GICAAE COLUMN

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IN THE l,APPAHANNoCK COUNTRY.
Mount Airy and the Tayloes.
The "Rappahannock Ridge" pecu-
liar natural formation, running par
allel with the stream. is crowned all
along and on both sides with interest
| ing mansions
| During our visit to Tappahannock
we drove to a very ancient and curious
old house few miles away. situated
| on this ridge. 1t was tenantless and go.
| ing to decay. The architecture OF Thu,
house was remarkable, and evidently |
OF great antiquity. One room. with
i high mantal and vary deep wind4w |
seats for its immense size might have
been a ball room OF some English |
manor house
/ From the second-story windows of |
this deserted dwelling the view was
very fine. 1t was the 4th OF July. and
! the preceding days OF the month had
been intensely hot. However. a good
purifying thunderstorm on the Sd had
made the atmosphere as bracing ana
clear as IL 1t had been October instead
OF July.
At the foot of the long ridge the
the opposite shore was Mount Airy as
plain as possible, sitting like queen
| amidst her trees and terraces; poten-
tlal and eloquent even with river
and many miles OF lowlands on either
| SIDE between.
William Tayloe took up land in yir-
| ginia In 1850, and upon this land
stands mount Airy. Henry Corbin had
come over and settled in King and
Queen. he was a land king, with pos
sessions In several other counties. His
daughter. Anne, married the first Vir-
ginia Tayloe, who, by the way. always
spelled mis- name Taylor. William
Tayloe was thrifty, and accumulated a
very large estate, which he left to his
son. John (21. and this was immense
ly increased by the marriage OF John
t2) to Elizabeth Gwyn Fauntleroy.
widow OF Major Stephen Lyde. John
(2) was councillor as we'll as a plant
er, and his estates went to his son,
!. John (s). This gentleman went all the
way to Maryland for his wife. which
was somewhat unusual proceeding
for those days. He chose well. adding
to his family prestige by marrying
Rebecca, daughter OF Governor George
Platter. He built Mount Airy, 1T is sup
posed, soon after 1747. The Tayloes
, before this lived in the "old house." on
the same estate.
Mount Airy Is built of red sandstone
7 procured In the neighborhood; tho
!. hand some stone facings so well with
. the dull red OF the walls There Is a
5 central building. vast and OF fine pro-
. portion, with right and left wings
{ Joined by corridors. The corridors are
Q somewhat sem1-circular, and the grace
p full curve gives pleasing effect to the
$ exterior OF the mansion.
\ An English expert informed us few
!. years ago that the portraits at Mount
q Airy were the finest he had seen IN
= America and that their intrinsic value,
apart from any personal interest
would amount to many thousand dol
lars. They hang where they always
I hung, which Is a rather unusual thing
in this ever-changing country. Through
Rebecca Platter the Tayloes OF Mount
Airy obtain distinguished Maryland
ancestry. and again by Tayloe and
Ogle marriage, so at Mount Airy are
| pictures OF Samuel Ogle. Governor OF
Maryland; his wife and daughter. all
imned by the magic hand of Sir Joshua
! Reynolds. Governor Benjamin Ogle
and his wife, Henrietta Hill; Anna
> Maria Cook, wife of BENJAMIN ogle
t Jr.. and Catherine Goodrich. his daugh-
! ter.
There are also portraits OF that Johr
Tayloe. who built the octagon house
. Ogle, both by Stuart. and OF John lay,
i loe (3). who built Mount Airy; his
: mother-1n-law, Mrs. Gwynne; Mrs. Johr
. Tayloe (S). David Lyde. a son by his
first marriage, and her daughter Mary
who married Mann Page. OF Manns.
field. of which place We have already
written.
y what speech and language hav.
n these memorials OF romance ant
/. power! Besides these portraits, II
!. their personal and historic association
. almost priceless, there are valuable
MSS. china, glass and furniture con,
: temporaneous and In harmony with the
I age and architecture Of the mansion.
d The Tayloes We're remarkable people
), and so We're their horses Col. Johr
Tayloe OF Mount Airy. was head of the
:. ers" make ones sporting blood tlngle
! american Eclipse" and Henry were
I the best race horses OF America, ant
I Sir Archy" was considered the bes
race horse OF colonial times. From
! Sir Archy the noted Hambletonian sta,
= bles. In Kentucky are descended"
= = The hospitality of Mount Airy Xix,
= that OF other seats" upon the Kappa
- hammock. was proverbial, and is ex
= ercised heartily even to the presen
|. day,
. These Tayloes, for the most par,
: have run to very large families
- William (D seems to have had onl,
,e one son, John 90, This John (a) lef
- a principally to his son, John (S) HI
=, IL other children We're William 60 Bett
ir and Anne Corbin. William died young
10 Betty married her cousin Colone
t. Richard Corbin, John go. of Noun
TO Airy, had twelve children, but onl
" eight daughters and one son survive
s. him, He, as we have said, marie
~, Rebecca Platter, OF Maryland His sol
a. John (4), followed his fathers exam
mn pie ana chose a Maryland girl. Ann,
IL daughter OF Governor BENJAMIN Ogi
lin and had fifteen children, No family c
go eight girls ever made such brilliar
matches as did these eight Miss Tas
ie loes. Their charms and dots" al
IL tracted the finest young gentlemen