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. And while you’re there, make sure to hit
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