The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 12, 1901, Page 11

F the many whiet historieal surround Washington Ivert mansion . is perha landmarks e, M ng d the past twelve ¥ t nce the shelter of such uoted men e rge Washing Henry Clay and Daniel Webstef ust stages of de in which the fam Calvert once bloomed, wer wn with rank weeds: the . and outbulldings we T toppling and the mock- ring th ) the ere b ngled w 1 ken 1 vered ! ken w we, and the old ma . r re was warped and twist- [ ' 1 not N ew y ago and restoted entic statement as (o ge of th ding, some giving f cons as 1760 and others s lste s 1802. It is safe to weve was bullt in the century owner, to - e by George He e from Ant- exr o make he house is exceedir sing. 1 ng, low bul nce beautiful foun t porch is an I Mary's h oak, open a large the oppo: E b ad into t 5 us 1e colonia s “obehe.. S TP macaronies le ams: ugh the st or rollick reel. nees giver sever e nights f e O b quired to shel- ' ',‘r \’ / @res‘fdent MéKimeg Ts £© Use the Qhair OF GeorGe Washington During His Stay 1 San Frangisgeo. BSIDENT McKINLEY'S visit to ¥ Francisco will not consist sole- f bamuuets and bows. To be * here must be fetes In his hor 4 bows in return, but tne rt of the great executive had de manifest by his readiness to do a e for others—a service that cannot add to his purse or his plaudits, but a ” ation simply to gratify an old man’s whim that the President shall sit his old, historic which has been ed by George Washington and other t men nvitation did not go to the White a plate of solid gold borne specially by some prominent resentative of Ban Francisco. It was ely a brief note of request carried b, cle Sam in the usual way and subse- quently laid upon the President's desk by Y ecretary. There was no pull, no . brought to bear, making it In- t upon our country’s ruler to be but a simple explanation that San Francisco a very old chair e Washington's which has also upled by other great men, and tha t was the earnest wish of the old man who guarded it his entire life-time sient McKinley should confer a r hofior. was no formal reply that the esident had already acoepted a suffi- number of invitations, but would matter under advisement, as he y of doing when asked to attend There was no delay, no hesita. it & prompt response to indicate sure in complying. convenience of the President been sent to the residence George B. Morse, 1578 Fell street, irs. Morse is to entertain her dis- uncle. m belng historidally interest- o engraved on r is & work of art. It is of ny through and through, 4 bys hand, and uphol- biack sstih haircloth, the seat with dogens of ornamental tacks. The beauty of its fineness of its carvings are binet-maker of two cen- would certainly tax the ern manufacturers. It way resemble the huge Longfellow’s children had 1 out of the “spreading chest- had loved so well. There is about this chair of . which suggests the Louls furniture; in fact, it looks we wonder if it has not under the weight of years or with the weight of Presidents. e chair is as strong to-day as it , and promises to stand pat for several centuries more. General Washington -used this chair while visiting at the Joshua Ward man- slon in Salem, Mass. This was the Presi- dent’s memorable vigit to Salem in 1789, In a very old copy of the Salem Ob- server may found some particulars of Washington's arrival in that city on that occusior This account emphusizes the fmportance of the event to the people of Sulem Soon after 2 o'clock on the afternoon of Thursday, October 20, 1789, General Washington arrived in Balem, No man ever wet foot in thix region who has filled %o large a place in the world's history, and it i« well to recall the instance of his Genernl Waehington entered the on horseback from Marblehead, ho had lunched. He had left HBos- y that morning in his traveling large enough to accommodate, himself, his trusted secretary, keon; his trusted friend, Gen- Knox, and possibly an aid. His ex- ive equipage filled a baggage wagon ich rode sevefal negro servants, and the famous white charger, ridden by a black boy, marched behind when he was not on duty with the President in the saddle, in acknowledging an officlal recep- tion, or reviewing a parade, or entering places of the first consequence, “The Joshua Ward house was probably as eligible a mansion for the entertaining of sucl guest 48 the town afforded, It had been erccted between August 11, 1781, and August 8, 1785, with bricks imported from England for the purpose, and stood low, with the open terraced approach In front of the twp great trees, one of which sull survives. (The Neal house was not then built. The chamber occupied by Washington was on the northeastern corner and for a century rward this room in the Joshua Ward house remained a point of histori- cal interest Among the surviving records of that memorable day of President Washington's entrance into Salem, the greeting of Mr. Northey, the Quaker leader, stands out most strikingly. Nothing seems to hava pleased more than the plain and hearty manner in which this chosen representa- tive of the Society of Friends received the honored President. In presenting Wash- ington to the selectmen Mr. Northey took the President by the hand and remained covered while he said: “Friend Washington, we are glad to see thee, and in behalf of the inhabitants bid thee a hearty welcome to Salem.” To-day it would surprise some of us to see a citizen present our country’s ruler to an audience without removing his own bat, but the good Quaker was far too stegdfest to change the customs of his brotherhood and we can well afford to 2add that he had far too honest a heart to be misurderstood by so good and great a man as George Washington. The Independent Salem Cadets enjoyed the honor of ekcorting General Washing- ton In Salem and listened to words of high commendation from his awn lips, Refor. “SACRED OF THI 20TH OF OCTOBRR,17%), “He It remembered that on the TO THE MEMORY 20th of 178, the Inde- rendent Salem Cadets acted as : honorary escort to the first Prv;\- ! dent of the Unjted Btates of Amerien, George Warhington Ka- quire, af his fntroduction to the town 'of Balem amid the acclama- tlone of an admiring and grateful multitude, ‘“Let 1t be Indelibly engraved on the heart of eyery Independent Balem Cadét who ‘bore arms on that ausplelous day when the martial appearance and soldier|y conduct of the corps attracted the notice and recelved the upproba- tion of (he grentest gencral the world ever knew," P October, ence to this oceasion may still be found on a yellowed page In their treasured orderly book, reading as follows: During President Washington's visit to Salem he was 80 loved and lauded by the inhabitants of the town and regarded with an admiration and respect so profound that they flocked to the Joshua Ward house to pay some tribute of their devo- tion. Tor weeks after his departure the people visited the mansion, many of them fseing the doorlatch Washington had touched. The enthusiastic visitors devised every scheme to et into the guest cham- ber that had given their hero rest—"Rest that kaits up the raveled sleeve of care.” The old Salem residents of to-day, sit- ting around their firesides, talk over this visit of Washington's and some of them produce, with a great deal of pride, a bit of the bed curtain which a grandfather once stealthily clipped from the great general's couch of slumber. One family even boasts of a pillow case which, even if procured by unfair means according to the common law, i& no less dear to their patriotic hearts. It is not surprising, then, that the loyal hearted Joshua Ward treasured the fa~- vorite chair of his distinguished guest. He knew so well Washington's remark- able character and algo his brilllant career iy a general that he revered everything about the house which his honored friend had touched. With all of Mr. Ward's devotion to ‘Washington there was no selfishness and after a time he presented the valued chair to & William Spencer, who had long been a faithful friend of the family. Mr. Ward's reason for offering such a gift to® Mr. ‘Spencer was never made known to the in- quiring public. Mr. Spencer was sald to be a man of very fine nature, however, . d i i R it THE SUNDAY CALL. R | and one who had much of vatriotiam and, us Mr. Ward knew this better than any 1t one else, he probably thoul hig triend would treasure the remembrance, The chair again changed hande when Mr, Bpencer dectaed to return to ¥ ngland in 1820, it belng presented to llam Micklefield and consequently removed to the Mickiefleld mansion just opposite the Joshua Ward house. When Mr. Micklefleld died in. 1840 the chair passed to his ecldest daughter and ¢ was preserved by her in the Micklefield mansion until her death in 1870, at which ‘ tine the chalr was sent to her sister's husband in California, Willlam O. An-d dre It was shipped west in a little saihng vegsel around Cape Horn early in the seventies and reached its destination without a seratch. For nearly thirty years Mr. Andrews treasured the historical relic.in his ple- turesque home at Bolinas, Belng a lover of curios, he filled his house with inter- esting things, but in the foreground he aiways kept the Washington chair. He always took pride in having a silk Amer- ican flag draped on the back—the flag for which we are indebted to this s general. No article in the room w: ed with quite the care and prec 10 this particular piece of furniture. The little town of Bolinas is scattered along the smooth beach of the great Pa~ cific in such a free and happy sort of way that it has become an ideal resort for those who love the séa. As the different people come and go from year to year they léarn of the ‘‘Washington chalr,” which has become quit¢ a landmark in Marin County. For years people visited the Andrews house to see the chair, and were always well entertained. Mr., An- drews was a capital story-teller, while his wife took great pleasure in showing the valuable relics In her sweet, modest way. Among other interesting things was a huge gun which Mr. Andrews’' grand- father carried all through the Revolution- ary War. It was a clumsy weapon, over six feet long, so that the grandfather needed to be of very good size himself to fight with it. This gun also went through the war of 1812 with Mr. Andrews' uncle, who afterward brought it West with him, using it to defend himself against Indians . Sl i it Gy G G Gt Suted] } while crossing the plains. Mr. Andrews took off the old flint lock years ago, re- placing it with a modern one, and used the gun himself in those early days when gUns were as necessary to Callfornians as the afr they breathed. Then there was a checkerboard made of wood from Napoleon's grave at St Helena and wood from the old frigate Constitution; also a cane made from ouk in the old witch house at Salem, Mass., besides many other curlos, all of which made a Visit to the Andrews well worth while. Among the well known people who sat in the tamous cnair at Bolnas are: Gov- ernor Stanford, Supreme Judge Thornton, Right Rey. 'Wildam Ingraham Kip, Bishop of Northern California; Governof Georae C, Porkins, Sacramento; Right Re*. Wiillam_¥. Nichols, present Bishop of Northern California; Nenator Sharon; General John Miller, U. 8. A, Ban Francisco; ex-Mayor Bryant; Rev. John Hemphill, San ¥raneisco; Rev. Willlam C, Pond, pastor of Bethany Congre{auaml Church, San Francisco; Rev. William Woodward, present pastor of Methodist church, San Francisco. When General U. S. Grant came to San Francisco in 1879 Mr. Andrews wished him to IR in the chair. To accomplish this the owner decided to take It to the Palace Ho- tel, where the ex-Pregident and his party were stopping. To trust his prize in the carelean hands of an expressman was not to be thought of for a moment by Mr. Andrews. He therefore took the chair himself with horse and wagon over the long and dangerous road from Bolinas to n Francisco Bay and thence to the eity y_ferry, arriving in San Francisco on Seotember 30, No sooner did General Grant hear of the historical ¢hair than he expressed an ter a host of young folks, most of whom bhad come over from Annapolis and Bla- densburg to the assemblies. The walls of the ballroom are arched panels, each -of which once contained an oll painting but during the period when the hous unoccupled these were o much dam that they were painted over. The are now a rich olive gréen and form a pleasing contrast with the white wood- work, elaborately carved and stuccoed. From the ballroom two doors of solid mahogany lead into the east and west drawing-rooms and it was in the lattcr that John Parke Custis, George Wash- walis earnest desire to see it and asked that Mr, Andrews be ghown up immediately. It is needless to say that the “Washing- ton chalr” followed the wllling feet of its owner. Qeneral Grant greeted his caller cordiaily, saying he would be glad to haye the honor ot sittin, doing so he placed his hands armas and sat for several m tly wrapped in deep thought. orge Washington! George hie said under his breath, leagues and leagues in the Every one wondered what he iug, but Spr more pro in the chair, and In upon its as the gr as chief executive of the nation, he should have felt arawn closely by that incident to that other one who had held the same positions of honor accorded by their coun- trymen. When it became Mrs. Grant's turn to try the chalr she tock the matter less serious- Iy, saying she “just wanted to see what it 'was like.” General Sherman and his daughter, who were in the party, also avalled them- selves of the opportunit: s of his life Mr. For the last few v Andrews used to repeatedly express the wish that President K;cKlnlay ‘would eon- fer an honor by adding his name to the others, but he did not live to see his de- sire fulfilied. Both Mr. and Mrs. Andrews passed away within a’ few hours of each other, January 11, 1899. The chair has since belonged to their only dadghter, Mrs. A. M. Hutchinson, now residing at 112 Fair Oaks street, San Francisco, and will prob- ably remafn in her possession unless a tempting offer comes from a loyer 7 an- tiquities. The treasure will be returned to her keeping after the President has paid his visit to San Francisco. 11 ] . ; 's' | : wooed and won Miss ington's stepson Bleanore Calvert. In the east drawing room the walls ‘were once en ely covered with a water- color painting of a fox chase, executed by t whose name it is impossible to ted over dur- the mirrors discover.. This also w ing the reconstruction, which originally covered the walls in the west room have also been removed. Each of these rooms contained a beautifully carved mantel-board of Itallan marble, one of which was old for $5000. The remainder of the first floor is taken up by the ki ns, dining room, library, and storeroo: th the exception of the peortion occ ate vault—one o recentl h of the m points of the old place. The iron doors oMthis strong room had not 'n opened for gemerations, when a ter t, In order to secure more room, had one of them removed and a wall torn dowr ng the masonry, many old and le papets were discovered. Among others, a commission signed by George ITT appointing Bennet Calvert, father of the sixth Lord Baltimore, revenue col lector in the Province of Prince George, now Prince George County, Maryland. There > autograph lett Henry Clay and George Calvert. A wide stafreass, with mahogany newel- post, leads to the second floor, where are the rooms in the old days set apart for the use of Henry Clay, Danlel Webster, and General Washington, all close friends of George Calvert. In one is a chair used by Clay, and also a cedar-lined wirdrobe, in which it I8 sald the famous statesman used to hang his long-talled coat, satin vest and knee breeches. Tho rooms of Washington and Webster are bare of furniture and are uninteresting » for their historfe assoctation <t comes the garret—the v name suggests mystery! The visitor reaches it by a narrow, creaky stalr, and In the dim pottion of t In re valua were of room half-light beholds halr trunks, iron and brass bound chests, and boxes of all kinde plled high on every side. What a treat It would be to delve Into this store of anctent papers, utensils and clothing, with theéir memorles of long ago! But, alas, many of the boxes have besn de- spolled of their contents by unserupulous rellc hunters, and those which still retain thelr treasures are kept securely locked. Originally a bell hung in the cupola, but some years ago this was presented by Mrs. Gordon to the Catholic College at Georgetown, and Its deep voice, which once called the slaves from the flelds, now sounds each hour from the tall spire of the University. The old bell was present- ed to Mr. Calvert in 1814 by friends in Rome, and was blessed by the Pope be- fore being sent to this country. The house contalns forty rooms, includ- ing the wine vaults and store rooms in the cellar, and many extensive house parties and dances have been given in the old mansion by the various colonial and historical clubs of Washington. In the rear, a porch paved with marble tiles runs the eatire length of the main portion of the house, and from this can be seen the lake, on an island In the cemter of which are the ruins of a summer house. Here Henry Clay drafted the famous Mis- sour| compromise. The pillars which sup- port the roof of the porch wers originally made for the Caplitol, but were sold to Mr. Calvert when it was discovered that they were too short. From near the house the mock-orange bordered drive—a veritable lovers’ lane— leads to the large octagonal barn some ance away to the east, and on a hill in the opposite direction is the family burying ground. Hers are the tombs of George Calvert and his wife, with the graves of four children who died in in- taney. The original grant included many thou- sands of acres, but the estate has now dwindled to a mere plat of ground, and ere the mansion gives place to some less antique and more rentable bullding, It would be well for some historical soclety to purchase and preserve It,