Evening star., 1941-04-06
The Crumb|ng Relics Of Weird Dream

COME IS miles southwest Of Frederick, Nd, ond miles
northwest Of Horpers Ferry W. Va. there stond the
crest Of South Mounoin the decoyed ruin Of dreom-
Gopond the estote of George Alfred Townsend eccentric
Civil War correspondent who to fome and best seesm
just before the turn Of the century and died in 1914
In the center Of the estote, where the rood through
Cromptons Cop passes into Pleasant VoIey and to
Antetom Battlefield, is memorial orch like other. 1t
embode the most bizorre features Of Moorish orch at
rorood toon and firehouse tower both Of which had
struck the writer's foncy
1t is dedicated to the "Army Correspondents ond
Artists 1885, and equipped with lists neurological
figures ond random quotations from fomous hstoons and
writer's, plus the Bible
1t wos dedicated in 1895 ond turned to the
Government in 1904 by Mr. Townsend 1t unct
to the NotonoI Park Services Antetom koonoI Bottle
field site.
To the south Of the road ore three buildings in the
pick school Of orchitecture-on orgy Of design
in which stone woIs. foney brick ehimneys hit omiss
entrances. bays, dormers and eobes poced at the
whim Of the On the other side Of the rood
residential structures and huge born to house his booded
horses
In the woods behind the largest building is q stone
mousoeum with four sepuehres for Townsend for
his wife and one for eoch Of his two children.
The whole cost hundreds Of thousands Of doIors to
build 1t sold by Townsend heirs in 1922 for 49, 500
The present owners Mrs. Teino c. Fisher 200l Hilton
street. Baltimore, ond Mrs. Virginia Lee Sebet Of Clear
Spring. Md who inherited mortgage the esote bought
it for $3.50 in back toxes in 1888
Young Townsend, correspondent for the New York
HeoId with Gen. MeCeIons forces when they forced
Cromptons Cop September IA, 1862, and pushed
Anetom He struck by the beouty Of the view and
resolved to return and build borono which eener
otons Of Townsends would occupy.
Fortune smiled his works. At one time his income
from writing wos 100000 yeor He wrote "Koy Of
Cotoetn" The Entoed Hot" The Life Of GoriboIdi"
Washington Inside and Outside" ond mony other works
Shortly otter 1880 he beeon to moke his dreom come
true living in Washington while GopIond being built
Stones thot brought Ioborousy up the mountonsde
gradually become The Den." % rooms, which he wos TO
occupy The HoI" 8 rooms, for Bessie e. Townsend his
wife AskoIon." II rooms. for his two children Mount
Goth" Goth wos his nom de pIume) 10 rooms; The
Lodge" four rooms, and the born. Loer he become
owoe Of fes declining yeors. he built the mousoeum
The greet and greet Of the doy ocked Gopond
for Goths poes ured by envobIe wine eeor French
chef and the best food Rubbertred eoroees with notify
dressed footmen rolled to ond from Gopond's doors
But fote had its plan for GopIond. Townsends for
tune dwndIed. His wife died His children elsewhere
An oene man, he could longer stond living oone in the
midst Of his dreoms He died in Philadelphia in 1914.
For q time Goplond operoted summer resort.
But vondos heona Of Mr. Townsends wealth. looted the
place Of everything valuable tearing holes in the woIs ond
floors looking for hidden wealth. The deo
obondoned Squoers at times hove used and Of
the rooms used church for time Such perhaps,
is the stuff Of which dreoms ore mode