CHAPTER IV.

VIRGINIA, THE MOTHER OF PRESIDENTS.

Mount Vernon Reproduced— One of the Most Interesting Collections of Choice Relics on the Grounds —
West Virginia and Maryland Near By— Much That Is Colonial Seen in These Buildings— Old
Portraits, Flint Guns, Cockades and Continentals — West Virginia.

HE State of Virginia is the mother of Presidents — so every
school-child is taught. To be sure, Massachusetts has given
the country two, the Adamses; Tennessee three, the hero of
New Orleans being among them; New York four, Van
Buren; Fillmore, Arthur and Cleveland; Ohio has given us
two good soldiers and statesmen, Garfield and Hayes; Indi-
ana two, the hero of Tippecanoe and his grandson, a noble
soldier of the civil war, and one of the most eloquent orators
that has ever lived; Illinois two — mention their names pro-
foundly— Lincoln and Grant — great in peace and great in
war; Louisiana and New Hampshire one each. But Virginia
has given us five — Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe
and Tyler. This State is not only the mother of Presidents — Randolph, Scott,
Preston, the Lees, Custis, Thomas, Stonewall Jackson and a hundred other
illustrious Americans were Virginians. At a cost of about $19,000 this grand old
State reproduced Mount Vernon as its building. It covers an area of 175x185 feet,
and lies near the lake and opposite the Maryland building. The structure is an
exact representation of the Mount Vernon mansion in Fairfax county, Virginia,
near Washington city, the building in which George Washington lived and died.
It got into his hands from his brother, Lawrence Washington, and was built in the
' early part of the last century by his father. The main building is 94x32 feet, two
stories and an attic and a two-story portico, with large columns extending along
the whole front, being 94 feet long, 13 feet high and 14 feet wide. The portico ex-
tends up to the cornice of 'the roof, has an ornamental railing around the top and is
furnished with settees along the whole length next the wall. There are two
colonnades running back from each wing of the building to the rear about 20 feet
long, <)l/2 feet wide and 1 1 feet high, connected each with a one-and-a-half story
structure, 40x20 feet. These are called the dependencies. Altogether there are
twenty-five rooms in the structure. On the first and second floors of the main
building there are eleven rooms, in the attic six, and in each of the dependencies
four rooms. The largest rooms in the house are the banquet hall, 31x23 feet,
and the library 16x19 feet, the mainjentrance hall, Washington's chamber, in 'which
he died, upon the second* floor, and Mrs. Washington's chamber in the attic, to

474

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

VIRGINIA BUILDING,

which she removed after her husband's death, and which she occupied during the
remainder of her life on account of its being the only room in the house which
looked out upon his tomb. The apartments average upon the first floor 17x17
feet, upon the second 17x13 feet. The height of the first story is 10 feet 9 inches;

of the second, 7 feet n inches;
of the attic, 6 feet 9 inches. The
distance from the ground to the
top of the cupola is 50 feet. In
the main hall is a large stair-
way four feet wide, ascending by
platforms to the floors above.
On the first platform of the
stairway there is an old Wash-
ington family clock, a very in-
teresting historical relic. This
hall is furnished with antique
sofas and pictures of the last
century. ' The rooms upon the
first floor are ornamented by
heavy carved and molded wood
trimmings and handsome man-
tels, very antique. This Virginia building is not only an exact representation in
every particular of the old Mount Vernon structure, but everything within it is
also of the same character. Nothing modern is seen in the building, except the
people and the library of books by exclusively Virginia authors. As far as could
be done the building was furnished
with articles which were collected
from all over the State, the heir-
looms of old Virginia families, and
with portraits of the same character.
Whatever may be lacking in furnish-
ing the building with articles of this
character is supplied with furniture
made after the same old fashion.
The building is presided over by the
Lady Assistant of the Virginia Board,
Mrs. Lucy Preston Beale, a daughter
of Hon. Ballard Preston and a grand-
daughter to General Preston, a form-
er Governor of Virginia. She has for
the attendants in the building old

Virginia negroes, and undertakes to represent in every particular an old Virginia
home of the Colonial period. There is a very rare collection of relics of Colonial
times and of the Revolutionary War, and everything which is antique, among which

WEST VIRGINIA BUILDING.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

475

is exhibited a copy of the original will of George Washington. The library is fur-
nished entirely with books written by Virginians or relating to Virginia, quite a
large collection of which has been made, and ornamented with old Virginia por-
traits, views and other relics of the Colonial period and the last century. Alto-
gether the building with its furnishings is unequaled in its character and appoint-
ments, and nothing like it will be found elsewhere except at Mount Vernon itself.
West Virginia, which many old Virginians still claim as part of the old State,

RELICS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON.

and which slid away from the more southern element in 1862, has an attractive
building in a strictly Colonial style, which cost $20,000. It is two stories high, with
a pitched roof, the outer walls being weatherboarded and painted. The roof is
shingled. The interior is finished in hard wood, the walls are plastered, and the
ceilings are of ornamental iron work from Wheeling. All of the exposed material
in the building is the product of the State. The main entrance is on the west, on a
platform porch. Above the entrance is the coat-of-arms of the State in bas-relief.
Within the entrance is a vestibule, with rooms for the boards of commissioners
on either side. Beyond the vestibule is a large reception hall flanked by parlors

.4.7.6 HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

for women and men. Back of these parlors are toilet and retiring rooms. On the
second floor front are two committee rooms, and the balance of the floor consti-
tutes an assembly room ana reception hall 34x76 feet in size. There are four large
fireplaces in the building, two on each floor, with very handsome carved wood
mantels. The building has a ground area of 58x123 feet.

West Virginia to the schoolboy is a pale blue triangle lying on the eastern
portion of the map of the United States, and often causing him extraordinary and
acute anguish to define its boundaries. To the average man, "grown and bearded,"
it is a place that coal conies from, or a. winter health resort, or sometimes a bit of
rough -country which the cars whirl him through. But to the West Virgianian it is
the noblest work of nature.

Some hundreds of West Virginians got together at. their beautiful State
building on the 2Oth of June and explained this to each other at some length. In-
cidentally they dedicated the building, but the bulk of the .tinie was spent in the
enjoyment of wood pictures descriptive of their Virginian elisium, and an occasional
friendly lament that Chicago, with all its other glories, cpuld. not have had the
added advantage of being located in West Virginia.

The felicitations— exercises seems too cold a word — were held in the large
assembly room on the second floor, a spacious, cool apartment with big windows
opening to the floor, with splendid hardwood wainscoting running about its walls
and a magnificent carved mantel at one end. .It was handsomely decorated with
bannerettes and palms, and presented a most attractive appearance.

As one of the speakers said, the West Virginia building is typical of the State,
and all the wood and metal work used so profusely in decorating the interior are
its own products, and nowhere outside the Forestry building is there such a superb
and comprehensive display of American hard woods. State Commissioner Chan-
cellor made the opening address welcoming the guests and presenting the regrets
of the Governor of West Virginia that he was unable to be present. Commissioner
Chancellor read a telegram from tne Governor requesting him to call upon some
typical West Virginian to act as substitute for him. In obedience to which request
Mr. Chancellor summoned United States Commissioner St. Clair to take the place
of the absent Governor.

General St. Clair arose and in his easy, self-possessed manner announced
that it was with deep embarrassment that he responded to such a call. His re-
marks were crisp and pointed, and often almost startling — as for instance, when he
said that the people of West Virginia and the people of the United States were in-
debted largely to West Virginia for the success of the Fair, which he explained by
stating that it was the second coal-producing State and the seventh hardwood
State in the Union.

He dwelt long on the various natural resources of his native State, and gave
numerous figures showing the remarkable progress it had made since the war. In
conclusion he pointed to the fact that the State building was not intended as a
place for exhibits, but as a resting place and home not only for West Virginians

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

477

but for everybody who cared to accept its hospitality. And to, the use and benefit
of everybody he, therefore, dedicated it.

The Maryland building, which cost about $12,000, is near the lake and very
properly opposite the Virginia building. It is a handsome structure and is divided
into reception hall, ladies' toilet, ladies' parlor, exhibition hall, woman's depart-
ment, bureau of information and main exhibition hall, beside spacious porches on
the first floor- Gentlemen's toilet, office, s.mok ing room, reading room and three
parlors which communicate, constitute the second floor, and a gallery overlook-
ing the main exhibition hall, is entered from this floor. The flat deck roofs of
porches and buildings offer fine points of vantage for overlooking the grounds of
the World's Fair.

MARYLAND BUILDING.

1. LA FAYETTE FDNK,

Illinois.
4. J. B. SMITH,

Delaware.
7. H. B. ANDREWS,

Texas.
10. W. W. PEABODT,

• Ohio.
13. B. B. SMALLKY,

Vermont.

GROUP OF PRESIDENTS OF STATE BOARDS.

S. J. O. CROSBY,
8. A. J. SEAT,

2. S. P. BEH AN,

Arizona.

6. D. O. MONFOET,

Minnesota.
8. PROP. ANDREWS,

Rhode Island.
11. C. H. AMSDEN,

New Hampshire.
U. JNO. S. HARPER,

Wyoming.

Iowa.

Oklahoma
9. M. W. COBUN.

Kansat.
12. CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW,

,
California.

HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

479