Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1925, Page 57

ILLUSTRATED FEATURES Part 5—8 Pages PORTER. President Coolidge left Washington for White Court, Swampscott, Mass he was following a custom observed by most of our Presidents in spendin por tion of the hot season at a “‘Summer White House While New location of .the den other sections of the country especially the Atlantic seaboard and the suburbs of Washington, have been popular with the nation’s chief execu for their vacation BY GEORGE HEN recent has been the of such resi England ma jority tives homes. he New England sites, in addition | wampscott, used as temporary cap- s by the various Presidents include Plymouth, Va.; Cornish, N. H.; Man- | chester, Mass.; Beverly, Mass., and| Buzzards Bay, Mz Along the coast | Oyster Bay, N. Y., and Long Branch, N. J.. have been the scene of presi- dential vacations, while those execu- | tives who have spent their leisure in | the District of Columbia have gone| either to Soldiers’ Home or Clev nd Park | nths to come Summer as plages R S It is only the upon t White necessary path of tir few House ast At that wspapers nforr and T one ne Al neces the at Fo y the Mr & every was red time, and will readily Coo! following T father, near 1 brief the n on Harding's | While there | official wor by helping custom he farm of his Plymouth, V ast Summer had ina the night A the only of P hefo from h T bu with th Presider rested es also “kept Harding never White House” during his| re office, but President | resident of the | for eight years,| occupied a | “Summer brief Wilsor Exect h ten £ was a Jansion who ive During the first sdministration our in the habit of m Cornish. N. H,, in t for brief rest peri ns he stayved at a the Harlekenden Cornish few vears of his| War President was king short visits to Summer months | On such occa aze known House | appealed to Mr. Wilson be. ifforded opportunities for se and complete relaxation from his strenuous in Washington There was in no such place Cornish, sever: ttered farm houses | a few om Windsor, Vt., being | designated by that name. At the time | of Wilson’s visits the com not even boast of a office or telegraph station Rear Admiral Grayson, the cian who faithfully attended Mr son during his long subsequent ress, was a constant companion he trips to Cornish The Play golf in the forenoon fternoon it was the hunting The first three yvears Mr. Wilson was in the White House he went regularly to Cornish, and there practically shut himself off from the rest of the world communicating with the on matters of the utmost That such a policy proved beneficial was attested by the President him self, who, upon returning to Wash- ington one September, after several | weeks' seclusion of this sort, declared | the time spent quietly in Cor had done him more good than could have been derived from two years of the usual pleasure-seeking type of vacation Tt at Cornish that Mr. Wilson | first became well acquainted with Mrs Norman Galt of Washington, who later became his wife, and who was then staying at Harlekenden House | as the guest of his daughters. | To Cornish, too, the President re-| tired immediately after dispatching his famous note to rmany over the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, Those were days of intrigue and tur moil, and it was observed that, on| his way to Union Station, Mr. Wilson personally carried a little black leather | hag believed to contain important ftate papers and other documer He seemed concerned the security | of the bag after boarding | the train. was careful to keep it con- | tIhually in his sight he President himself course, always carefully guarded all of these trips by Secret Se men, but in 1914 the force was 1 ereased, an attack upon J. P. Mor about that time d an explosion the Senate recepti room of the Capito] making charged with the President’s safety apprehensive of the of narchists. Mr. Wilson protected day and night during hi in Cornish and strangers vicinity were ully CIne Pre 3 g 1 { e ¢t .’5\ Wy Presider munity > Hd post EE VI8N Bt & physi Wil il on two would while in the President’s cus. automobile ride L b 1ef S0 5 Py scenery Capital only importance. nish was nd, even Stairway and Reception Koo at wuite Court 7Ps A Pusro vice an an in se activities stay A1l the care. scrutinized I 1916 President Wilson varied v by zoin m Rranck Tha Law N.J he offices of N n. the n; to Cornish the execu House. Pre taken only = with him Washington. But on| he had a complete staff | ries, clerks, telegraphers transferred to an | office building at Asbury Park, only a short drive Shadow Lawn. | The Long Branch location was very | tamiliar terr Mr. Wilson, and | on several ¢ is motor trins he | passed Little White House” at Girt dwelling which he had | ng the Summer when | of New Jersey, and in| received the notification of the presidency in al of his personal friends the neighborhood, among hiz son-in-law, William G then Secretary of the Treas iry, who had a cottage at Spring ke, only a few miles away An unusual incident occurred at the close of Mr. Wilson's stay at Shadow Lawn, when J. B. Greenhut of New York, owner of the property, refused 1o accept the check presented by the instead of e moved White ha he viously Wilson wher his occasion and other attaches | from Sea which he his nomin: tion for also lived hem bein McAdoo. Qak YView; or Red To Streets' used WASHINGTON, sident and Mvs. Coolidge at White While Howse atV Swawmpscott Mass. MAGAZINE SECTION he Sundiy Staf FICTION AND | 1L RO 5. .Nilu.m.,“; it el Court, t wiae Worlel Fhoto p, the rosidence at36th and Macomb by President Grover Cleveland . Tresident as rent. It developed that | early in the Summer AMr. Greenhut | mer residence was nearby. had offered his estate to the commit tee se e Ghitars The dwelling used by the President Mhore for e mmer guarters on the |ana Mrs. Wilson at Manchester was had heen accepted by Mr. Wilson with | on€ Which had been vacated recently the provision that he be permitted to|PY Summer Visitors. It was a large pas 32500 for the wse of Graitted 10 colontal mansion, surrounded by spa When ithe money was returned, how. |Cious grounds, on a rugged point, | ever. Mr. Wilson directed. that it he | commanding an impressive view of | fAevoted to charity, and the committes | the picturesque North Shore. Abso- ccordingly distributed it among. sev. | lute solitude, that he might obtain a |1 t : eral local welfare organizations. complete rest before resuming his ar-| pied the White House, and his idea of The Summer of 1915 found the coun- | 4U0US tasks in the White House, was|a vacation often was a trip to_Pan- try in the thick of the war, and Presi. | the chief desire of Mr. Wilson at that |ama, or a swing through the’ West, dent Wilson was working day and |time. To this end he and Mrs. Wilson ' something of the sort. But most night directing with untiring zeal the | t00k up temporary housekeeping wWith | summers while President he took a co-operation of all the nation’s efforts | the servants left behind by the former 1\\'ell-earned rest in New England, toward one end—the crushing of mili- | 0CCupants of the property. It Was|gejecting the Stateson cottage, near tarism. Mr. Wilson, worn with work |€Ven requested that the newspaper| Beverly. Mass., for' his ‘“Summer nd the immense responsibility of his|men refrain from following the Presi-| White House.” This residence stood position, needed a vacation perhaps |dent on his automobile rides. on a bit of land known as Woodbury more than any one else in America,| As might be expected, President|Point. a promontory on Salem Bay. but he did not take one. During the | Wilson was more closely guarded on It .was one-half mile by water and middle of August, however, he jour- | this visit than on the occasion of any | three miles by land to Beverly. The neyed to Manchester, Mass., and there | other of his journeys to New England iesmle was said to be one of the most viser. Col. E. M. House, whose Sum-| grounds of the estate were constantly picketed by a special detachment of marines from Boston. It was pointed out, however, that this guard was no greater than the one which had been thrown about the White House ever since the United States entered the war. * ok % % JPRESIDENT TAFT was one of the greatest travelers that ever occu spent a few days In comparative rest, | Several additions were made to the |inviting places along = the shore. *his only work being conferences with [squad of Secret Service men who ac-|There were several attractive features his then close friend and political ad- ' companied him everywhere, and the about the location to the President, |one of which was the proximity of |the Issex Country Club, where he played golf frequently, and another was the fine harbor afforded by the bay, wherein the Government boats could obtain good anchorage. It was Mr. Taft's custom on these vacations to remove the executive offices from the White House to the Board of Trade Building in Beverly. A suite of large rooms on the second floor was obtained, which was said to compare favorably with the secre- tary's office at Washington. There were no elevators in_ Beverly then, however, and the President was forced to walk a flight of marble steps to reach his desk. On the same floor with the White House force were the rooms of a law- | ver, a doctor, a dentist, an insurance agent, a real estate salesman, and a tailor. ' Other business professional men had_their offices on the floors above, while the ground floor was occupied by a department store. Beverly Is a typical New England community, with wide, shaded streets i 1 UNDAY MORNING, JULY 12, 1925, Summer White Houses Have Been Enjoyed by Nearly All Recent Executives—Usually Sclect Residences That Afford Retirement and Rest, Although Some Executives Ha veGone in Strongly for Sports—Several Presidents, Including Lincoln, Spent Portion of the Hot Season in Suburbs of Washing’ton—Nation.s Leader Always Carefully Guarded on Such Trips. Executive Offices Often Transferred to Temporary Capital—Owner of One Summer White House Refuse?d Rental Fee. President Wilson receiving formal notitication of inis romination at Shadow Lawwn, Long E’Y%nzbbflkjévaop President Tatts Summer White Hotde) ab Deverly, Mass. | bordered by stately elm and trees, and flanked by broad, lawns, all kept scrupulousl, neat. The harbor consisted not of the familiar dingy wharves out of fresh, sandy beach, from which could be seen the distant point of Marble- head. On first sued a three-sentence s set forth the motive of that his future visits: “I am glad to get here. All we want is a good. complete rest. We will make as few engagements as pos- sible.” Some of these engagements Included official functions and cabinet meetings, but, in general. President Taft's pro- gram was similar to that followed by President Wilson at Cornish: Golf in the mornings and automobile trips in the afternoons. The President's part- ners at golf quite often were his sons all of whom were so enthusiastic over the game that they frequently con- tinued their play in spite of showers Mr. Taft also heartily enjoyed the rides in his motor car, and his speed- ometer seldom registered less than 50 miles, and usually it was nearer 90 after the afternoon’s run. * % % x maple weeping clean and | patches ffom Beverly, Mass., to refer | to that chance Summer capital in ful terms of distinction as the temporary seat of the Government. For instance, one of the New York papers today in its Beverly budget contains the fol- | lowing: ‘The first caller at the White | House today was Col. Rufus N. Elwell of Exeter, N. H." “There is only and that is at is called the tinguish it a dent, Ne business of of an historic and institutional name that this protest is entered against the disposition to transplant the White House to any nook or corner of the United States where the Presi. dent may be for a few minutes.” Theodore Roosevelt, ardent and traveler that he was, liked noth ing better than to spend his vacations at his Bay, Long Island, and this was s favorite retreat during the seven and one-half vears he was President His own vivid description of that estate is perhaps the best “Sagamore Hill takes its name from the old Sagamore Mohannis, who chief of his little tribe, signed away his rights to the land two centuries and a half agzo. The house |Tight on the top of the hill. separated by fields and belts of woodland from all other houses, and looks out over the bay and the ound. We see the jsun go down beyond the reaches of land and water. Many birds dwell in the trees round the house or in the pastures and the woods nearby, and, of course, in Winter, gulls, loons and wild fowl frequent the waters of the bay and the sound. We love all the seasons—the snows and bare woods of | Winter, the rush of growing things and the blossom spray of Spring, the yellow grain, the ripening fruits and tasseled corn, and the deep, leafy shades that are heralded by ‘the green dance of Summer,’ and the sharp Fall winds that tear the brilliant banners with which the trees greet the dying the day of his arrival for his vacation in Beverly afr. Taft is atement which and all one White Washington, D. C. It White House to dis the home of the Pres ace where the -executive | the Nation is centered and where the Chief Executive per- forms those social functions which are incidental to the office. The ‘White House' is not a movable propo- ion. It is not an intangible insti- tution, an environment of the Presi dent’s person. It not the place where he happens to be temporarily or for a considerable period. Until the seat of the Government is moved from this District the White House will remain permanently for 365 days a vear at the same spot on the map Where it has been for more than a | century. “If the phraseology in the dispatch quoted above is to be tolerated there would be a ‘White House’ wherever the President might be in the course of his frequent journeyings about the country. Any hotel or private resi- dence chosen for his temporary shel- ter would be a ‘White House.” There would be as many ‘White Houses’ as | overnight stops, and almost as many erly and which indicates that such a|as ‘Washington headquarters.’ It is|vear. term was wanted: from no sense of local pride, but for. *“The sound is always lovely. In “A disposition appears In the dis- the preservation of the true meaning the Summer nights we watch it from House HE l:c! that the term “Summer White House" is of comparative- recent origin is forcibly recalled by an editorial which appeared in The Star during Mr. Taft's stay in Be: 1 hunter | fine home, Sagamore Hill, Ovs- | stands | - Presidents Shed Permanent Luster On Vacation Quarters the piazza, and see the lights of the tall Fall River boats as they steam steadily by. Now and then spend a day on it, the two of us together, in the light rowing skiff, or perhaps with of the boys to pull an extra oars: we land lunch at under the wind-beaten oaks edge of a low biuff plum bushes on a while ers one among the wild of white coasting sch and spit the sails of the gleam in the tolling of the ward across the sand sunlight the bell-buoy NOTHER good of the Rooseveltian is furnished in his letters. Capt litary aide to President Roose- was a guest of the latter at = Hill in July, 1908 lhe greatest surprise writes Capt. Butt, “has bee most simplicity of the life more Hill. I am constantly myself if this can be the home President of the United how it is possible for him to enfc such simplicity ir env nent It ht be home of a to-do farmer with literary tastes the house of some college | keep up with i sports. being tired « hen 1 first-hand account pe of vaca Archibald tt, who on by Capt the me. ofesse the President but 1 I can ng especially old-fashioned temptingly with busy I then he la meals are most served in no trouble President he possibly with Miss in keeping | but when h Te. afternoon some stunis late in the and ride with Kermit rained all morning, but that did preveny us fr ing_in swim ming and playing tennis. Every in the water fight, and were chosen to see who could clear the float “There were lunch, several an artist Abhbott bell is a hear or sounds with walk Ethel Tt oined t sides a number of people to nd Dr. Lyman the dinner mag a sculptor By bell the way just the cow cow cows o just as hungry After dinner and chatted subjects and lowing day took her kni evidently found us a walk with her boys went to the nig The Pres 1 and talked on every which three men knowing something of affairs of the day (I have only attering, perhaps) can “But for me I 1ld like the roof of this simple home be removed 24 hours and that the 80,000,000 p of eves could be focused on Hill revelation one we n undred made Mrs Rooseve! 3 Miss Ethel and went for Ace. and vflower T nt, Winthrop dog M the the ind sat subject the sh simpli moral pe love and k that this making, t at my host is the President the United States and that I ought to chain in mind the things that are happening about T JE President” of more recent times was Grover Cleveland. Mr. Clevela especially fond of hunting and f and for the purpose of indulging hese pastimes maintained an es lishment at Buzzards B: called Gray bles. Du separate in the White he made frequent trips there joy his faverite outdoor In July, 1895, one of Mr daughters was born at a “Summer White House” which his family oc cupied that year a Marion, Mass., and was named the town. But of more immediate interest to Washingtonians are the houses in the northwest section of this which Mr. Cleveland occupied various times while serving the X ifon President. Mr. Cleveland was one of the few Chief Executives married while in the White House. His wed ding ceremony was performed during his first administration, and the Pres ident took his bride the large stone residence which still stands at Thirty-sixth and Macomb streets, and whose grounds at that time extended down to what is now English Village. The land was part of the nous Green estate, and the original man sion, which adjoined the property pur. chased by President Cleveland, had been used on one occasion by orge Washington and Gen. L'Enfant, the planner of the Capital City. The house obtained by the dent was, and still is, officially as Oak View, although the Top. given it by the of Mr. Cleveland's time, because of one of its physical characteristics, proved “catchy” and was widely used When he was defeated aft run- ning for re-election for the first time, President Cleveland the land to Senator Newlands, from whom it passed into the hands of the Flem- ing family of this city, who still re- tain possession of the historic house. At the start of his second adminis- tration Mr. Cleveland again secured A residence in the same locality, this time on Woodley lane, not f from Connecticut avenue, whose larze white colonial pillars are familiar landmark of the neighborhood. Though this house has less sentiment attached to it, far as Cleveland personally was concerned, it is an older dwelling and has a more im. portant history. According to an ac- count which appeared in a local paper during the first year of Mr. Cleveland's second term, it had been | previously used by several Presidents | during their vacations | “The estate was owned originally by |John Plater and Philip Barton Key, brothers-in-law, who finished building it about 1800. Previously, shortly before the site of the Capitol was chosen, President Washington stood on the front steps of the mansion and remarked that the future Capitol ought to be built upon that identical spot or upon the site that was after- | wards adopted on Capitol Hill. “During Phillip Barton Key's resi- dence therve, Francis Scott Key, author of ‘The Star Spangled Ban- ner,’ spent much of his youth on the place. Several of the old-time Presi dents, among them Van Buren, Tyler |and Buchanan, passed some of their Summer leisure there. In 1847 the { house was occupied by Baron Gerault, |the German Minister to the United | States. Gen. Scott selected it as the site for the Soldiers’ Home of the Regular Army, but owing to a mis- understanding with the owner as to terms the property was not taken for that purpose. “Likewise, the commission appoint- ed to locate a site for the new Naval Observatory decided upon this prop- erty, but their decision was recon- sidered and the observatory was erected on the Barber estate to the westward. Shortly before the Civil War_Robert J. Walker, Secretary of the Treasury, secured the cwnerszm of the mansion and made several ad- ditions to it, and his heirs held it until 1873, when it passed into the (Continued on Fifth Page) to Theodore Roosevelt. per most « terms sports. Clevel city at Presi known ame Red newspaper men as