Evening star., 1948-05-24
Small Fire Uncovers Treasure
In Documents From Revolution
By George Kennedy

By George Kennedy
This is a story of how a pile of
old papers, left smoldering in an
alley after flremen extinguished a
blaze in the Northeast section of
the city, turned out to contain a
valuable collection of Colonial docu-
ments including pre-Revolution-
ary War letter of George Washing
! ton.
/ The story only came to light to-
day, but it happened last New Years
| Eve.
| Felix de Weldon, the sculptor who
did the Two Jima memorial of the
Marines raising the flag on Mount
Suribachi, occupies studio at 219
Randolph place NE, near Mckinley
High School.
The studio is owned by Mrs. Paul
Wayland Bartlett, widow of the
sculptor who designed the House of
Representative pediment of the
Capitol. Mrs. Bartlett is descend
ant of Samuel Galloway of Tulip
Hill, the Colonial proprietor OF that
famous mansion which still stands
above West River near Annapolis.
Papers Thown In Alley.
Last New Years Eve, Mr.. de
Weldon relates. there was fire
in stable in the rear of the studio.
When he arrived there the fire had
been put out, but the stable doors
were charred. the windows knocked
out and huge pile of papers, about
5 feet high. had been dumped in
the alley. The papers had been in
the loft above the stable, and were
thrown out in the process of extin-
gushing the fire.
Mr.. De Weldon poked around In,
the papers. Some of them were
dated in the 1700s, and there were
some checks on the Riggs National
Bank written in the 1880s.
Mr.. De Weldon knew that Roland
T. Carr, assistant cashier at the
Riggs Bank, was interested in old
checks on the bank In the course
of his research in the banks cur
rent advertising, which features re-
productions of drafts made on the
bank bv famous 10Th century per-
sonalities.
Mr.. Carr called John Beverley
Riggs of the Library of Congress
manuscript section. who found it
hard to believe that there was any
thing in the papers that would be Of
value. But when he heard the pile
contained Tulip Hill papers he hur-
ried TO the stable.
Day Spent in Rain.
On his arrival there, children were
playing with the papers and carry
ing away souvenirs. Mr.. Riggs put
an armful of the documents in his
car, placed some doors from the
stable over the pile to give it some
protection, and drove home.
He watched out the old year going
over the papers he had picked up.
There was no doubt about it. The
papers in the alley were an anti
quarian gold mine.
He returned to the alley the next
day and spent New Years Day in
the rain. digging into the pile with
couple of men from the Library
and boxing the old papers. He was
there all week. On the third day
he came upon letter signed &C.
Washington" 1t read:
ITO Samuel Galloway, Esqr.
at Tulip Hill:
Dear Sir,
"By Mr.. Curtis I send you Nine
pounds Maryld. Curry. for the last
Box of Claret you were obliging
enough to get for mel am not
sure that this is the exact sum due,
but have desired Jack to pay the
efficiency If any there be. I have
not yet got the Claret. but as it is
in the care of Mr.. Barnes of Port
Tobacco shall fetch it from thence
by land. If a Cargo of this kind
of Wine should arrive in the course
of the Summer and favorable op-
portunity offers to this River. I
should be much oblized to you for
a Box or two If it; the cost Of which.
and freight round shall be paid
upon delivey. I am with great
esteem
"Dr. Sir
Yr Most Obedt Servt.
&c. WASHINGTON"
Many Correspondents Included.
Mrs. Bartlett, who lives in George
town, gave the papers to the library
when told they could be preserved.
The library purchased another
collection of Tulip Hill papers some
years ago and the two collections
dovetail perfectly and will contri-
butte knowledge about Colonial life
in Annapolis and details Of the
Maryland tobacco trade to scholars
and writer's.
Many letters from Virgil Maxcy,
solicitor of the Treasury in the |
Jackson administration and biog-
rapher of John c. Calhoun, were
in the pile while this partial list
of names of the writers of other !
letters will give an idea as to the
value of the Collection:
Charles Carroll of Carrollton: Gen. !
Sam Smith; William Pinkney, first
minister Of London: Maryland Gov |
ernors George Howard, John Francis
Mercer and Joseph Kent; George
Peabody; George M. Dallas, Folks
vice president; Jefferson Davis;
Jared Sparks; William H. Seward;
Francis Scott Key; James Buchan-
an; Tench Tilghman; Benjamin
Stoddert; David, Samuel and John
Hoffman of Baltimore: Gen Charles I
Sterett Ridgley: Gen william II.