On the 24th of August, 1814 British Rear Admiral Cockburn lead a force of 4,500 armed militants
to overthrow the United States.
Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to This House
Cockburn’s plan was to torch the entirety of Washington, but his counterpart, British
Major General Robert Ross, who was described as a gentleman, argued that their army should
spare the civilians and focus their attacks solely on the public buildings which were
pivotal in the administration of the US government.
But before sending in their forces, Ross wanted to meet with US government officials and negotiate
an orderly and civil surrender of the US to Britain.
As Ross approached the capitol with his men, flying a flag of truce in good faith of negotiations,
the American Military opened fire, killing two of his men.
Ross was so shaken and offended by this gesture that he ordered Cockburn to proceed with his
plan.
Within hours, the White House had been burnt to the ground along with the Senate, House,
Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court.
As far as the British were concerned, the symbolic houses of the newly founded United
States government had been conquered and razed to the ground.
As the fires raged, a fierce storm blew in from the south.
What many have speculated to have been a hurricane brought in heavy rains and high winds, putting
the fire out.
The storm even spawned tornadoes which eviscerated the Britain’s naval vessels.
By many accounts, the storm actually caused more damage than the British, and had the
British arrived just a few days later to lay seize to Washington, they would have found
a city destroyed by a hurricane with high mortality amongst government officials who
would have otherwise been in the capitol.
But because of their attack, they forced the president and his cabinet to flea the city,
unwittingly sparing government officials and placing themselves in harm’s way.
The following week, on September 1st, President James Madison returned to Washington and called
on the citizens to rise up and defend their freedom from the British.
And so they did.
In the following years, the capitol had to be rebuilt, and James Madison appointed none
other than Tench Ringgold to oversee reconstruction.
He brought the city out of ruin and ash, making sure to preserve what could be salvaged, rebuilding
Washington nearly to its original plans.
During this process, in 1825, Ringgold built himself a 4 story, federal style mansion in
the same neighborhood as the newly reconstructed White House.
It went on to serve as the home of many influential and powerful political elites, including supreme
court justices.
As we explore the interior, which had its décor updated over the years, we’ll note
that its layout remained mostly unaltered.
Entering the home from the first level, we arrive in the grand stair hall.
To one side is the Ladies Reception room decorated with antiques and finished out with floor
to ceiling wall paneling.
To the other side of the stair hall, and finished out with nearly identical wall paneling, is
the gentlemen’s reception room.
After being welcomed, you would be guided upstairs to the main living area where we
will begin exploring the public rooms.
First we will see the dining room clad in wood paneling with dentil molding at its frieze.
Then we can turn around and head through a pair of pocket doors concealed by curtains
to begin exploring the parlors.
But before we do that, let’s peek into the pantry to the side of the dining room.
It is equipped with everything you would need to host a formal dinner, but not everything
to prepare a meal.
We’ll notice the dumbwaiter to the right hand side.
This connects to the kitchen on the floor below where staff would have been hard at
work preparing 3 course meals.
Located nearby, the laundry room shares a space with the furnace, offering us a glimpse
into the old ways of doing what is now considered a household chore.
Let’s head back upstairs, takings the grand staircase to the second floor stair landing.
Here we can return to our tour of the public rooms, first traveling into the north drawing
room.
The fireplace, with its gilded mirror, acts as the visual anchor in the highly stylized
room.
Off to the side, we will find a jib window which we can open to continue onwards to the
gallery.
The gallery is boasts a massive wall of windows and is decorated with furniture which has
been set conversationally to allow for more intimate meetings in an otherwise grand mansion.
On this floor we will also find the South Parlor, decorated with fine art and antique
European tapestries.
Let’s take the staircase up the third floor where we can begin exploring some of the bedrooms.
The guest room is furnished with double beds and, as of the time of this photo, had been
updated to include radiator heating.
There is also the Eisenhower Room, where single male guests would have stayed.
Finally, we will see the bedroom of Mrs. Bacon, the last occupant of the house who was a member
of DC’s high society.
We can imagine her sitting at her dressing table while her maid aided her with makeup
and perfectly styled hair before she would head out every morning.
Interestingly enough, Mrs. Bacon had an electric bath in her ensuite, which, if you are unfamiliar,
is the predecessor to the modern day tanning bed.
On the 3rd floor we will also find the Morning room with free standing bookcases and overstuffed
furniture.
With such a massive house, it can be easy to overlook some of the smaller spaces, such
as the Garden room.
From here you could walk out onto the garden porch, forgetting that you were in the heart
of a major city to be completely surrounded by trees and vines.
In her later years, Mrs. Bacon wanted to ensure that the house, now rich with history and
boasting significant owners, would serve future generations of statesmanship.
Today, the DACOR-Bacon House continues to serve the political community as a private
club, though a portion of it is open to the public as the Ringgold-Marshall Museum.
Did you have a favorite room or feature?
Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments section.
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