Evening star., 1935-02-24
IT MANSION ONE OF FAMOUS HOMES NEAR CAPITAL

1T WAS really inspiring to go through
this old mansion and the main
guest room, with its high-post bed
stead, and then into the room occu-
pied for many years, off and on. by
the great commoner, Henry Clay,
Speaker Of the House Of Representa-
tives, United States Senator, Secre-
tary Of State. candidate for the presi-
dency and many other things.
Mr.. Clay was an intimate friend
Of both George Calvert and Charles
Benedict Calvert, and the room as
signed him when he visited Riversdale
was the one over the reception room,
and here, it is said, he wrote the
compromise Of 1850, concerning the
question of slavery in the then Ter
ritories.
After Mr.. Clay's death this room
was allowed to remain for many years
just as he had left it upon his last
visit-his shoes upon the floor, his
pen upon his desk, his inkstand in
its accustomed place and other per-
Sonal belongings where he had left
them. But now all these have disap-
peared and the room Is modernized.
with the prevailing twin beds of the
twentieth century pattern. Not even
Is Mr.. Clay's snuffbox to be seen, from
which Dolly Madison frequently in
dulged a pinch with her dainty
fingers. But the fact that the great
Kentuckian frequently lodged here
gave 1t an atmosphere Of importance
over other parts of the house and
set the mind thinking of the political
stalwarts of century ago, when the
Republic was going through its most
crucial test.
1t was George Calvert, friend of
Clay's. who was the principal stock
holder in the National Hotel about
1926, and here Mr.. Clay died June
30, 1852. in room 80. 1t was then
probably conducted by w. H. Willard,
a brother to the founder of Willard s
Hotel. When the building was en-
larged, in 1881, Roger Chew Weight
man contributed his interest in this
block, as did George Calvert and
others, to an association to own the
hotel, and of the stock Mr.. Weight
man originally owned SO shares, and
it is believed Mr.. Calvert owned a
controlling interest under this ar
rangement.
r OSALIE EUGENIA (STIER) CAL.
VERT, who went as a bride to
Riversdale. died there March I3, 1921,
and her death is recorded in the Ma
tional Intelligencer of March IS as
follows:
Died"
"At Riversdale. near Bladensburg
Mrs. Rosalie Eugenia Calvert, wife OF
George Calvert. Esq, and daughter OF
Henry Joseph Stier, Esq, of Antwerp
in the forty-fourth year Of her age
In the death Of this excellent lady her
family, her friends and society have
sustained an irreparable loss; for, in
the discharge of every social and do
mestic duty. she lived upright, in the
fear Of God, and in charity with all
the world II intrinsic benevolence,
moral rectitude and exemplary piety
could not ward of the early stroke,
well may We conclude that Heaven
purposes than the feeting engage
ments of sublunary change"
George Calvert survived his wife by
nearly II years and died on June
%, 1888, and, though man of dis
tinction and prominence, yet the press
OF that period carried the following
bare announcement of his death:
Yesterday, at his residence, near
Bladensburg, Prince Georges County,
Md. George Calvert, Esq, aged 10.
His funeral will take place this
morning Monday at II o'clock"
Both George Calvert and his wife
are buried in the little churchyard in
the town of Riverdale, as are other
members Of the family, and like near
ly all old cemeteries, 1t is probably
allowed to take care of itself Indeed
not long since, the writer was told q
passer-by, imbued with curiosity
lifted one of the slabs covering a vaul,
in this graveyard and to his amaze.
ment saw there a case Of beer which
some one had hid away Naturally
to many, this would seem funny, but
to the more serious-minded it would
convey the thought that these ole
graves should be restored by some one
just for community and civic pride il
for nothing else, for, after all, those
buried here were members of that
family Of Calverts who founded the
great State of Maryland. and are rep
resentatives of those pioneers who die
much toward the spreading of re-