Show s i c u 1 WIo iIIII t a Jv 4tIILJS IL IIJoIIrLrIi KHffl OM fl Preside ts Home at Harvard University I First Army H 11 rt rs I I I ea U q U Was Wasbmgtons Home Bn July 775 II H g E3O I ii > ktJtl t LJ irT jrvTpi tjii 1 I TAeo i ftiII i JM1 oIII1 r h J f Ji r J N CORRESPOND ENCE TRIBUNE Cambridge Mass July 15 During I the short period between the closing sot Harvard University for the sum r fjner and the opening of the summer t chool that transforms the neighborhood neighbor-hood of Harvard square from a city of undergraduates to one of teachers and other adult students gathered from all parts of the country not one of the older building acorns to settle down Birth contentedly into Us vacation quiet than the old wooden house that was erected something over 175 years ago asa as-A homo for the college presidents The old house has a special right to Its loniinhrent mood just at this season for it vas In July 1775 that the presence pres-ence of On Washington made It the temporary headquarters of the newborn new-born American army It was here indeed In-deed that the American Revolution received re-ceived Its first Impress as an organized military resistance WADSWORTFT HOUSE Wadnorth House as the first headquarters head-quarters of the American army Is now called In honor of the first Harvard I president who occupied It was known originally simply as the Presidents House It was built In 172C less than a year after the General Court of Massa chu tts had voted to allow the corporation c corpora-tion of the college just struggling out of the difficulties of Its first century the sum of 1000 to be used In building I build-Ing a handsome wooden dwelling house barn and outbuildings for the reception recep-tion and accommodation of the Reverend Rever-end the President of Harvard college for thr time being But 5000 even In those days was not altogether sufficient for the purpose and the corporation was compelled to add another 1000 before Its new president had an official roof to shelter him The presidents house to dwell In says an entry In President Wndsworths s Book Relating to College Affairs an MS volume now preserved In the Harvard library was raised May 21 1726 No life was lost nor person per-son hurt In raising It thanks be to God for his preserving goodness In ye Evening those who raised ye House had a Supper In ye Hall after which we sang ye first stave or staff In ye 127 I PalmLONG LONG WHILE BUILDING Even after It had been raised however how-ever It was far from finished and the college appealed to the General Court for an addition to the original 1000 i President Wadsworth so said the petitioners can nowhere hire a convenient house for himself and his family Is divided some dwelling In one house and some In another In fact winter found the house unfinished and another entry In President Wadsworths diary tells us that In October some of our family lodged at ye New House built for ye President November at night was ye first time that my wife and I lodged there The House was not half finished within Nor was It wholly finished within till 1727 when the amount necessary to compete It was paid out of the college treasury MILITARY HISTORY Naturally however It Is the military history that clusters about the old gam brelroofcd structure that gives It Its greatest Interest to the modern visitor and the mind goes back although not very easily to the hot July days when l t 0 1 f I tr 1 t 11 f e 1 t J 7 c t r IlrttM = P WADSWORTH HOUSE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY Probably no Private Mansion In America Has Seen So Many Illustrious Persons Per-sons Under Its Roof Tree Cambridge was a fortified camp and the walls of the old house echoing to the voice of Washington and his generals heard the beginning of the plans that were to result In the evacuation of Boston I Bos-ton and the first victory of American military strategy carefully considered and worked out In detail over the British I Brit-ish forces The college Itself had tem I I porarily disbanded not to reassemble until after the military occupation of i Cambridge and every available building build-ing had been turned Into a barracks for the Colonial troops Of these buildings i Massachusetts Hall and Wadsworth House are still standing and of thr two the latter although less noticed by the casual visitor has had the most varied history For many years indeed in-deed It was the one Harvard building into which every student entered during every year of his college existence not for the sake of historical associations but in order to pay his bills at the Bursars Bur-sars office Then also It served forman for-man years as the official residence of the various clergymen who have conducted I con-ducted services In the Harvard chapel I and Is thus associatedwith the beloved I name of Phillips Brooks as well as Unit I of Gen Washington I I WASHINGTONS HEADQUARTERS At the beginning of the Revolution the Presidents House as It was called was the first place chosen by the Provincial Congress then sitting at Watertown Mass as Gen Washingtons I headquarters I head-quarters Later the headquarters of the army were removed to the old Vassall mansion now best known as the Longfellow Long-fellow House and not only larger but further removed from the guns of the enemy During the period of Washing tons occupancy aa the story was afterward after-ward told by a member of the American medical staff the house narrowly escaped es-caped destruction by a bomb that was thrown from the British Intrench menls on Copps Hill and fell with the i fuse still burning Into what Is now Harvard square and very near the Generals Gen-erals quarters A soldier stamped on the burning fuse and put It out at the risk of his own life Who the soldier was has never come down in history but the story was told years afterward Ito I-to President Quincy of Harvard by one of the men whose spurs had many times clinked over the threshold of the Presidents Presi-dents House during that stirring two or three weeks of its history I Washingtons removal to the Vassall v Mansion took place about the middle of July The actual part of Wads J worth house In making American military mili-tary history lies therefore between the arrival of Gen Washington In the afternoon af-ternoon of July 2 1775 and his change of quarters not less than two or threo weeks later It was from Wadsworth house therefore that he went forth to take command of the American forces and jt was without these walls that ho I pondered the condition of the newly organized or-ganized army and studied the character charac-ter of its men and officers It was here also on Sunday July 9 that a council of war unanimously determined to defend de-fend the posts already occupied and requested thai measures be immediately immediate-ly taken to strengthen the army with new recruits Washingtons horso must have slood often at the door of Wadsworth house for contemporary letters from Cambridge make frequent reference to the dignified figure made by the new CommandcrlnChlcf as he rode about the camp There are two letters written by Gen Washington himself during the early part of July that present an Interesting picture of Can bridge In the last moments mo-ments of colonial history empty of students and teachers crowded with the colonial troops of Massachusetts Rhode Island New Hampshire and Connecticut and face to face with a final struggle with tho British forces occupying the city of Boston On July 10 Washington wrote to Gen Schuyler Our enemies have attempted nothing against us since my arrival here They are strongly posted on Bunkers Hill and are still throwing up additional works We have thrown up several lines and redoubts between Mystic rlv JIo y cr 1it 9 hester Point to prevent their malting their way Into the count try and In a few days we shall be well t prepared to receive them In y case a sortIe sor-tie should be attempted And on the y 1 sameday he wrote to RIchnid Henry Lee Our lines on Winter and Prospect Pros-pect HlJlsvand those of the enemy on BunktatsHjll are In full view of each otherS Sffrvdle distant our advancd i guards much nearer and the sentries almost near enough to converse at Roxbury and Boston Neck it Is thu 1 some It was from Wadsworth house also that the American General rode out on the reeonnojsance that may have been i the firatstep I hi his plan for Investing the Miriraaqhusetts capital and which la i markecl1 nchls journal of accounts To expenses of myself S party re yconnoltr tho Sea Coast East of Boston Bos-ton Harbor 10 pounds 13 shillings 2 l pence PRESIDENT > OF COLLEGE Aside from Its historical association Wudawdrth house served during 120 years as u home for the presidents ot the college and It has been said that probably no private mansion In America Amer-ica has seen 40 many illustrious personages per-sonages under Its loot tree It was occupied oc-cupied by Benjamin Wadswoith Edward Ed-ward HOlyoke Samuel Locke Samuel LangdoTj who temporarily retired to t to make way for Gen Washington Joseph Jo-seph Wlllard Samuel Webber John r Thornton Kirkland and Josiah Qulncy During one year of President Kirk = 4 lands administration the old house was the home of Ralph xWaldo Emerson then acting In the now abolished office I of Presidents Freshman A |