The Past and Present of Norwich - The Mansion House

The Past and Present of Norwich

by S.S. Randall

The Mansion House

Chenango Telegraph, December 10, 1874

Do any of your readers remember the old "Mansion House" of the days of Thomas Milner and William Lewis--on the spacious piazza of which on one Summer day forty years ago, Gov. Enos T. Throop, did not receive the marching salute of Col. Carpenter's celebrated Artillery Regiment, headed by Maj. Gen. Spencer, Brigadier Gen. O.G. Rundall, and Major Inspector Randall--his excellency having unfortunately been stationed on the opposite piazza of the Eagle Hotel?  Well--the "Mansion House" in those days was an "institution."  It had formerly been occupied as the residence and store of Joseph S. Fenton and on his removal to Michigan fitted up as a Hotel, under the auspices of Mr. Milner, who became its proprietor, and the proprietor of the extensive garden, now occupied by the County Jail, the Baptist church, Follet's spacious law building and other edifices.

 

Around the well-filled dining hall table of this hospitable Mansion, there were wont, in the winter of 1835, to assemble daily, morning, noon and evening a most congenial family; including Mr. and Mrs. Milner, Miss Hannah Milner, daughter of the host, Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Rexford, Miss Cynthia Babcock, sister of Mrs. B., Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, teachers of a select school, Mr. and Mrs. Randall, James Kershaw, merchant, J.G. Coye, student at law, Thomas Milner Jr., a Mr. Hastings, to whom Mr. Rexford was wont to predict that "if he had no pull-backs" he would develop in process of time into an "ass" of the first magnitude--Samuel B. Garvin counselor at law, and I think Daniel Gray with now and then other, occasional visitors or guests.

 

Mr. Milner was a most congenial host, grave and saturnine in his general bearing, but replete with humor and racy anecdote, and rendering everyone about him happy and comfortable.  Mrs. M. was a stately matron, dignified and lady like in her manners and deportment, and though somewhat advanced in years, bearing traces of great personal beauty.  Her step-daughter, Hannah, was a bright, intelligent and sparkling brunette of fifteen, or thereabout.  Mr. and Mrs. Rexford were the "life and soul" of the company, and all contributed in their respective degrees, to the flow of lively conversation, with perhaps the exception of Mr. Kershaw, who was constitutionally reserved and silent.

 

After the noon-day and evening meal, the gentlemen were accustomed to repair to the cozy sitting room adjoining, where amid the soothing influences of the indispensable pipe or cigar, every conceivable topic of discussion was brought forward and "we had good talk, sir."  Politics, religion, law, philosophy, and even scandal, were in time exhausted.  Garvin with his hearty and genial guffaw, welcomed Coye's cynical and sarcastic deliverances.  Hastings put in his oar only to be rebuffed by the merciless Rexford, who, in his turn, startled the nerves of poor Hammond by the loud promulgation of some unorthodox or incredible proposition, while Gray, accustomed to all this badinage, looked on in silence, or rehearsed some favorite adventure in the fishing line.  Occasionally the genial host, himself, would drop in, with Prindle, William B., Pellet, and others from the "Eagle," across the way, or John Clapp and Cyrus Strong (the younger), David E.S. Bedford and Peter Fryer, on their way to their respective stores or offices. And so the genial after dinner hour would pass pleasantly away.