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Show yOfBUILOEB George Washington Had, as Was Appropriate, the Finest House in the National Capital. COST MUST HAVE BEEN GREAT From Rtcords It Sesms That the First President Either Built or Had In i Contemplation Other Hablta- tlons British Respected ' the Mansion, Records show that George Washington Washing-ton had In mind the building of an-Btber an-Btber house, or other houses than his home on Capitol 1 1111. There Is no j available record to show bow much money Washington expended upon his ' city mansion. The cost must have been considerable In those days ol slow travel, when bricks were brought I across the ocean In sailing vessels, and when experienced bricklayers were few and able to command very j high wages. Although only three stories In height. It was a very large and roomy bouae. Moreover, It was Intended to be the best house In the Federal city, for Washington undoubtedly realized the fact that be was the foremost citizen of the new republic and ono of the foremost men In the whole world. Although now level with the street, It U known that the mansion originally original-ly stood upon a terrace, ascended by stone steps. The grounds were surrounded sur-rounded by a hedge fence, similar to the hedge which surrounds Mount Vernon estate. The mansion faces east and Is parallel with the capltol building. Ita front view was over a large level plateau which waa bounded bound-ed by the horizon-tipped hills of Maryland; Mary-land; a plateau upon which Washing ton expected the Federal city to be built Washington, Jefferson, Carroll and others purchased substantially all of the best land on the plateau. But their heirs held the land at such speculative spec-ulative prices that bomemakers ought the vicinity of the White House Instead of the capltol, and the Federal city was bullded on the west and northwest part of the city environments. en-vironments. Admiral Wilkes purchased the mansion man-sion from the heirs of Washington, and used It as his residence during his lifetime. Ills heirs sold It to John Talty, an Irish-American tavern-keeper. Talty rented It to numerous prominent prom-inent society folks, always receiving a high rental for It from them. About forty years ago Talty sold It to a man named Hiliman, who used It for a hotel, ho-tel, and it was locally known aa "The HUlman House." That owner died. ! and tha residence was sold and re-I re-I sold a number of times, being used I the greater part of the time as a i boarding house. i When the British soldiers captured the Federal city, in 1814, and ravaged It savagely, tbey so respected the Washington mansion that they did not Injure it. nor even Invade It |