The New York herald., 1922-05-07
ELIZABETHTOWN TO
LOSE ROSS MANSION
Historic Residence in Essex
County Village Will Be
Raced Soon.

Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
ELrzABErHTowN, n. Y, May 6.-The
cid two story Ross mansion with its
double piazza across the front, one of
the landmarks of central Essex county
and the oldest building on 'the plain"
down. Theodorus Ross married Miss
Elizabeth Van Rensselaer,, whose name
was connected with the PATRON. Gen.
Philip Schuyler 1T will be RECALLED, mar
ried Sweet Kitty" Van Rensselaer, and
their daughter, Miss Elizabeth Schuyler,
became the wife of Alexander Hamilton.
Washington. the Livingstons. Benja-
min Franklin, Lafayette and many
other distinguished guests were enter
tanned by the Van Rensselaers in the
days before Miss Elizabeth Van Rens7
selaer became the Wife of Theodorus
Ross. Born to affiuence and reared in
cne of the first families of the land
Elizabeth Ross bade adieu to many
social pleasures when she came 1922
years ago to make her home in the
heavily forested and mountain bordered
Pleasant Valley"
! No one living knows Just when the
Ross mansion was built In all proba-
bility. IL not built before the arrival of
the Rosses. 1t was erected soon after
they arrived. Gen. Philip Schuyler ma =
have been entertained in the mansion
when he rode on horseback up and back
over Capt. Platt Rogerss primitive State
road to inspect the land he then owned
in what is now the town of Lewis shortly
before his death in 1904, the year that
his son-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, was
kelled in a duel with Aaron Burr.
At any rate. the Ross mansion was
not only spacious but laid out on a plan
well adapted for entertaining company
with hall i'm the center above and be-
low and with large wing in the rear.
IL contained many mementoes of the for
mer Van Rensselaer, home on the banks
of the Hudson.
Theodorus Ross was brother of
Judge Daniel Ross of the old Court Of
Common Pleas and served as member
of Assembly from Essex county In 1904
and 1905, being one of those who in
1905 organized the Great Northern
Turnpike, "a good and sufficient road
iuHhiHB iIoIl hhHSSDuTv III washington
county. through the county of Essex
and Clinton, to the north line OF the
State by the most direct and prac icable
route" Thus 1t will be seen that Mr.
Ross had an eye for developing hir
adopted section, as he was appointed a
commissioner to improve highway
which ran by his mansion.
Theodorus Ross and Daniel Ross built
grlst mill and whisky distilery. where
the Sargent and Daniels blocks now
stand on the south bank of the Branch
or Little Boquet River. For years the
Ross brothers did a large business in
central Essex county. The whisky dis
tillery was ruined by the freshet OF
1890. Previous to this time Theodo orus
Ross had apparently met with financial
embarrassment and borrowed $500 of
Jonas Gibbs. Jr. for which he gave Sc
curity on 143 acres of land in Eliza
bethtown.
In default of payment Gibbs adver-
tised TO sell the land to the highest bid
der 'at the house now occupied by Nor
man Newell and son In Elizabethtown
aforesaid" The advertisement ap-
peared November 3, 1918, but the sale
was postponed four times. Ezra Carter
Gross, one of Elizabethtown's pioneer
lawyers. afterward Representative in
Congress from this district, was attor-
ney for Gibbs IN the matter. Search In
the Essex county Clerks office leads TO
the conclusion that Ross finally raised
the money, with interest, presumably
through the Van Rensselaers. and held
on TO his land till the early thirties.
when he sold out and left Elizabeth
town.
The old Ross grist mill block was
made over into store and now the
Ross mansion Is TO be raZed TO make
room for two story building to serve
as Hotel Windsor annex.
Henry S. Duncan and w. b. Wood
bury of the Hotel Windsor were In
Elizabethtown Tuesday showing blue
prints OF the new building. Charles Ma
lone is TO have charge OF the mason
work The annex was designed by
New York architect. IL Is to be 30 feet
long and 40 feet wide. and will contain
twenty-five sleeping rooms and fourteen
bathrooms.