Show E 0 I 1 CARLYLE LE HOUSE to be preserved J the initiative of 0 a few women of the old families of virginia tho the house in which georgo george washington received the invitation to become beronio on oil aid to maj gen braddock in hla his famous campaign against tile tho french has been saved caved from destruction this incident in ili career Is of special Int interest emst for it was from tho campaign which followed that washington gained his firu insight into th the 0 military methods of european Kur countries tries and of A grent great britain in particular the house Is tile the carlyle hou house s e in alexandria va it was braddock s headquarters while lie was in alex andrla andria the carlyle house was built upon the site bite of an old colonial tort fort which guarded the interests of the king and his traders when the neighborhood was known as aa limiting hunting creek and 11 I 1 I 1 r f porch of the carlyle house when some security was necessary agalos t the savages the living rooms of that old fort became tho the cellar of the mansion reared over them and in these compartments were stored dust clad bottles bulging casks and those there luscious old hams and the like for which virginia was long famous the old fort still forms the plaza upon which tho the main hallway leads and it wits there in day that the young people gathered in the summer evenings to chat and to watch the moon rise over the river while their elders met to discuss the questions of the day and to watch the trading craft that came from over the sea to barter the silks and add satins gatins and riches rachea of the east in trade for the famous oronogo tobacco which filled the big warehouses upon tho the poto pete macs bank in the blue and white room of the carlyle house to the left of the main hallway washington was a sharer inthe the military councils of preparation for the braddock campaign and day after day braddocks braddicks Brad docks regard for him roso rose in april of 1755 gen braddock called together in alexandria the governors of massachusetts now new york maryland pennsylvania and virginia and together these distinguished executives discussed the plans of the forthcoming expedition in this little room the walls wainscoting mantels etc are the same today to day arf ag they were almost years ago there Is quaintness and elegance about every detail and the architectural student will aln find much to interest him in the windows doorways mantels mante alls primitive cupboards chair boards cornices cornicks cor nices door tops and moul dings across the broad main hallway Is the great drawing room which in day was in gold and white find there it is said the youthful washington took an active part in rout and ball and led some fair virginian through the stately steps stepa of the minuet the broad hallway Is not without its sentimental interest because local tradition laserte that it was at the foot of the solid mahogany staircase that washington stood awaiting the coming of the fair sallie fairfax on tho the occasion of a ball and that the ballroom was where lie he proposed to the same sallie and was rejected it lg is believed that some day that portion of the deserted hotel which now stands between the carlyle house and the street may be removed so that the house may stand once more in plain sight of the passerby there Is little likelihood that the braddock house in its present condition will ever prove an inviting place for the wayfarer while it is a constant menace as aa a firetrap to the historic mansion s shadowed within its quadrangular ran gular court 7 0 I 1 |