The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-23
HOUSE NAPOLEON
/: BUILT ELOCATED
NEAR BALTIMORE
Huge Stone Mansion Of
SO Rooms Was Put Up !.
For Brothers Wife.
HOME is HAUNTED
Jerome Bonaparte Welded
Beautiful Baltimore
Heiress.

Some thirty miles northwest OF
Baltimore in Carroll County, Mary
land, there is standing today the
only house ever built in America
by Napoleon Bonaparte. Rosemont.
IL is called, and the name is ap-
propriate; there are roses every
where around, ranging from the
humble wild rose in the woods at
the back of the house, to the aris-
tocratic Jacqueminot that cluster
on the lawn.
The house itself is a huge three
story affair. built of stone and
standing stolidly- four square to all
the winds that blow. 1t is set In
an estate that originally counted
into the thousands of acres, but
which in the course of time have
dwindled to about 400. From the
outside the house has all the ap-
pearance of a colonial mansion.
There are the usual Grecian coll
umns in the front with wide deep
windows that were almost doors in
themselves. The entrance is an
imposing affair with huge glass
doors that now turn on their mas
sive hinges with many a protesting
squeak. From the center of the
house rises a tower from which 1t
is possible to see into Baltimore
and at times to Washington.
House Is Haunted.
The house itself is a mansion OF
thirty-eight rooms of shapes ana
sizes to baffle all description. They
open into each other at the most
unexpected places, and the most
unusual angles There are dark
corridors that zigzag through the
house like a drunken man, and
there are hidden stairways and
secret chambers that might well
have inspired in the writing of
The House of a Thousand Candles"
There are even romantic under
ground passages and. to make the
story complete. the colored folks OF
the neighborhood will tell you thai
the house is haunted and describe
to you the specter Of a handsome,
imperious woman who walks there
restlessly back and forth in the
night.
If there ever was a house with
reason to be haunted by unquiet
spirits this Is the house. For Rose
mont is the old home of Elizabeth
Patterson. the beautiful. unfortu-
nate wife of the Emperor Napo.
Icons brother, Jerome Bonaparte
The story Of her romantic marriage
to Jerome is part and parcel OF ouI
history. That ne'er-do-well, placed
by his brother in charge of q
French squadron, had been chased
into New York harbor by English
men-of-war in 1903 and was spend.
ing his days of enforced idleness IN
social pleasures IN the coast cities
At Baltimors he met and straight
away fell in love with Elizabeth
Patterson the daughter of William
Patterson, the wealthiest man in
the State. save Charles Carroll, and
the granddaughter of the "Old
Mortality" whom Scott immortal
lied. Jerome was in love and EIiz-
abeth was ambitious-and the we'd
ding followed despite the opposi-
ton Of the hard-headed father and
plentiful fOrebodings of what Ma
Poleon might do.
Napoleon Broke Romance,
They went on their honeymoon in
-A-S C07tcA II cues eGlll a stern OrQeF
from Napoleon broke up their para
dise-an order for Jerome to come
7ome and no ito bring with him
the young person with whom he
1ad connected himself" The up
shot was that both sailed for France
but Madame BOnaparte was not al
owed to land. She went to Eng
and while Jerome made his way to
Paris to plead his case with the