Year: 1875

The Philadelphia Times Of May 25
contains the following account of the
sale Of Jay Cookies splendid mansion:


1t is not far from the city to Ogontz;
but short 20 minutes ride through
the beautiful country of rural Phila-
delphia and lower Montgomery and
the visitor lands at the old York road
station, and then, walking beside well
kept turnpike for half mile, he sees
before him the long sweep of green
thickset hedge that fronts and encircles
the close-clipped, slowly rising lawn at
whose summit stands the stately man
sionpnce tenanted by the great fnan-
cier, from the effect Of whose sudden
downfall the complex business interest
of a great nation have not yet recover
sas \ pretty grey stone lodge stauds
by the gate, and entering, broad av-
enue leads with q great swinging curve
to the front of the house, from which
a similar avenue stretches away to an
other gate and porter's lodge at the


upper road front of the grounds while
directly from the front Of the building
a straight, wide graveled walk, enclosed
on either side by tall hedge of Nor
way spruce, leads to the counterfeit
presentment of an ancient ruin half
overgrown with creeping plants. In
the rear the ground slopes slowly down
ward through grove of tall chestnuts
to a pretty brook, whose waters here
and there gurgle over and around the
great stones that endeavor to bar their
passage. In front, the grounds are all
that the most consumate skill of the
landscape gardener could create, while
from the rear OF the house, down the
forest-clad hill, and across the brook to
the long stone wall that bounds the
estate on that side, all save the clear
ing Of the underbrush from among the
trees is nature, charming as always
when left to her own sweet self. The
mansion placed among all these artif-
cial and natural beauties is indeed a
lordly pile Built in the italian style,
of cheerful grey stone, quarried on
the farm Of the estate, with dressing
Of Quincy cue granite, four stories in
height, with two towers each story
higher it looms above tall trees land
mark for miles around. On the first
floor is a wide porch on each side, in
the rear porte cochere, and on the
front an Italian balcony, and adjoining
the corner tower beautiful conservi
tory. The rooms within are large
and handsome parlor and library, din
ing-room, music-room, Office, pantry
and kitchens, and Oh the three upper
floors billiard room and thirty-one
apacious bedrooms, besides storerooms,
bathrooms, etc. All through the house
are great wide halls and grand stair
ways finished in hard woods, and every
convenience that the invention of the
time can apply, and everywhere there
are paintings and statuary and rare
engravings-rich carpets, costly furni- /
ture, lace curtains of rare beauty and
price, bric-a-brac, articles of virtu, and
the numberless pretty and costly
adornments that the professor of ex-
quisitc taste and boundless wealth
can alone gather and command. Began
in 1864, and every day suggesting
some new beauty or convenience to be
added or an old one improved upon.
the house and grounds were scarcely
completed when, on the 18th of Sept,
1874, Jay Cooke & Co. became bank
rupt, and within one week yielding all
he possessed to MS creditors, Mr. Cooke
removed forever from