The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-05-17
DEWEY'S HOME TO Be
TURNED INTO STORE
Gift Of American Public Is Sold by
Late Admlrars Family and WIN
BE Business House.

| Washington, ID. c. - Purchased with
the pennies of school children and the
contributions of patriotic citizens as
tribute to hero, the house at 1147
Rhode Island avenue, given to Admiral
George Dewey in 1892 has been sold
out of the family and is being convert
ed into a store.
The permit for dismantling this gift
of the people is issued to Mrs. Francis
Pitney of New Jersey, wife of John
Ballantyne Pitney, relative of SUI
preme Court Justice Mahlon II. Pitney.
Mrs. Pitney is a daughter of Mrs. John
r. Williams of Washington. The prop
erty was transferred to her several
weeks ago under deed by Mildred Nc
Lean Dewey, widow of the Admiral,
and George G. Dewey, his son.
Waggaman & Ray, architects, are
named as contractors in the permit for
the construction of the store. The dis
mantling is being done by gang of
| laborers under direction of Foley &
Swan.
J Display of pile of bricks in front
of the house is said to have induced
souvenir spectators to seek to buy
! them as relics of the house which had
once been the nations tribute to the
hero of Manila bay.
Mr.. Swan Indignantly denied that
the bricks would be sold for such pur
pose.
"Those bricks will be used as far rs
necessary for the Reconstructed
work., he said. "Those which are not
needed on this job will be used on
other contracts. They aren't going to
become souvenirs"
Have you hand any offer for them?"
he was asked.
I'm not going to tell you that" he
replied. "I'll just say that no souve-
mir spectators are going to get them"
AS matter of fact, the public does
not seem as much interested in relics
from the Dewey home as it might have
done in the latter part of 1899. The
residence was possibly the largest fac
tor in dimming the halo of one of the
most popular figures ever before the
American public.
The admiral was more than a year
reaching America after his exploit of
May day, 1898 The American people
insisted upon doing some handhome
and permanent service for him, and
VIII nett was found that he was to wed
Mrs. Mildred Mclean Haze the thought
crystaliZed in a public subscription t.
buy the home on Rhode Island avenue
The task was undertaken by Perry S
Heath, then assistant postmaster gen
eral, and was taken up by newspaper
and societies all over the country. Be-
fore the entire sum of about $4,000
was raised the Western Union Tele-
graph company aided the project b.
telegraphing, free, all funds deposited
at its various offices.
The deed to the house was delivered
to Admiral Dewey October 20, 1899
about two weeks before his weddins
Three weeks later there was a wave of
protest when he transferred the house
to Mrs. Dewey. 1t was afterward trans
ferred to the admirals son, George
Dewey.
The admiral and his wife did not oc-
cupy the property long, moving to the
house at Sixteenth and X streets, PIE
viously occupied by Gen. Russell \
Alger, Secretary of War Under Me
Kinley. Admiral Dewey died January
16, 1917.
Residents of the formerly exclusive
neighborhood have protested against
the conversion of the mansion, cnce an
ornament to the street, into a store;
but there is nothing in the deed, it is
said, to prevent such use.