Evening star., 1937-08-08
Signs Recall Refuge
For Marie AntOinette
French Royalists Built Largest Log House
in U. S. Near Wyalusing, Pa, for
Queens Retreat.

where 1.-The Queens House." even
tually occupied by Talon, and not en-
tirely torn down until 1912, once stood.
Some Of the timbers OF La Grand
Maison, which for time housed Louis
PHILIPPE. Duke of Orleans, afterward
King of France; the Prince de Talley-
rand, the Duke de la Rochefoucald,
the Duke de Montpensier and Count
Beujois, brothers of Louis PHILIPPE,
who accompanied him to America
upon his visit here in 1897, were used
in building carriage house still stand
ing near what is today known as
Hagerman House. One sees, too,
clumps of tress marking the two Gods
Acres where rest the remains of those
exiles from home who never lived to
return to their beloved France
The higher Table Rock, where the
ladies of that long ago venture de-
lighted to serve their afternoon tea,
is upon an eminence commanding
such a pleasing vista that one is
quite in sympathy with their demands
that laborers engaged to 60 forward
Will IcI ldlIl blldllS lIcCCoSdly
projects, should, instead. expend their
energies in chopping down the tall
trees which obscured the view of the
shining waters of the Shenandoah
River in its winding course past their
temporary asylum.
Starting here in 1893. the colony.
which probably at its height never
consisted of more than so houses or
more than 800 people, dragged out an
existence here for about 10 years,
dogged always with the specter of in
sufficient funds.
Victims of Profiteers.
The barriers of language and GUS
toms and the rigors of virgin wilder
ness separated them from their Amer
lean neighbors, many Of whom charged
them extortionate prices for the neces-
sites of life, which they were in many
cases neither able nor had the
necessary experience to wrest from
their new surroundings. For their re-
quirements, these French colonists,
often in good faith, gave notes for
sums which they expected could be
realized in France, only to find when
their agents went to collect them that
their effects had been confiscated by
anti-royalist groups.
But here, while the streets of Paris
ran red with the blood Of their one
time associates and the Queen for
whom they had planned this asylum
barred her neck to the merciless guillo-
tine with courage and fortitude
that has challenged the attention OF
history, aristocrat and plebian asso-
ciate found common bond in the scars
left by shared problems. Despite the
fact that their hearts were forever
in France, their ears strained for in
frequent news of the home land.
Though dismayed by the short-lived
hope that their Queen and her chill
dren might reach them, the prevail
ing note was one Of cheerfulness.
DAutremont, in a letter to friends,
speaks Of their retreat as refuge
for sinners, and says. Il must not
sound like crying bird"
IlC dIl1uSSlllSIlIo VI lllCSc SAlNS,
according to old accounts, consisted
Of riding, walking, swimming, music
and dancing. Sometimes they passed
their time with cards, chess or the
backgammon board. In their manners
they were courteous, polite and af-
fable.
Great Lady Thoughts Survive.
Even in their log houses" We are
told, the women of the colony appear
to have changed their dress several
times a day and to have been just as
great ladies amongs their COWS and
chickens, having to wash and mend
their own linen as had their mothers,
who had worn to their garters the
escutcheon of their house embroidered
in silver and gold"
Many years afterward, so local ira
dition has it, the descendants of
early residents in the neighborhood Of
Asylum were wont to refer to
newly made clearing as "chop-
ping" after the fashion OF the French
refugees. They also delighted to tell
of how the lovely ladies Of France
would entertain themselves by having
freshly hewn log placed across a
suitably sized tree stump, and with
the see-saw thus made to serve their
needs let their merry laughter ring
out through the forest, as they tee
ter-tauted" up and down.
Kindly memories long persisted, too,
of a group of defrocked priests In
exile who were forced to wrest a liv-
ing from their surroundings by keep
ing general store.
Then there Is the account of the
canoness. Mile. de Maude who, tax
ing her coufage in her hands, joined
forces with De Blacons. fugitive Dep
uty of the French Assembly, and
started haberdashers shop whose
reputation and excellent wares at
tracted customers from over so miles
around, to the great disgust Of local
rivals.
Nine. de Sibert prospered likewise
amid an orchard OF 900 fruit trees