Cedar Grove Academy - Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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E Q Zbistnrp of what Grabs SGQQQQQQQQSQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ2Q33QQQ3B Three quarters of a century ago. Cincinnati was a group of insignificant factories backed by monotonous rows of small houses. utterly lacking the variety of architecture that graces the homes of to-day. But the unattractive little town lay in a setting of exquisite beauty. for before it the Ohio drew its graceful. serpentine way and around it rose an amphitheatre of stately. forest-clad hills. crowning the loftiest of these was The Cedars . the home of Judge Alderson. Mrs. Alderson's sister. Mary Hewitt. who visited her in 1845. thus describes it in her boolt. Our Cousins in Ohiou: Their home was called 'The Cedars.: it was in the state of Ohio. on the banlcs of that noble river. which gives its name to the state. and about four miles from the fine city of -----. The Cedars lay upon a road which went on and on. through little clusters of houses called 'towns' and 'villes'. and by farms. and through woods. and across valleys and creeks. to nobody ltnows where. at least I do not. Well. a little way out of this road lay the Cedars. lt was a large. handsome. and somewhat commanding-looking place. a bricln house whitewashed. and one of the oldest thereabout. It stood on the highest land in the neighborhood. and yet it was only after having ascended the mile-long hill that lay between it and the river. as well as by observing that the cedar trees which surrounded it. and which gave to it its name. were land-marlcs to the whole district. that any one perceived how high it really was. This elevation. which made it blealc in winter. caused it to be breezy and particularly pleasant during the fervid heats of summer. The house. which. as I told you. was white. had green Venetian outside shutters to the windows. In front there was a large two-storied porch. up which grew. in wild luxuriance. a beautiful prairie rose. which in summer hung about it like garlands of flowers. On the sunny side of the house. which was consequently very hot in summer. there ran a broad piazza which. like the porch. was two-storied. so that both the upper and lower rooms opened into it. The piazza in winter was the favorite playplace of the children. and as it was shaded with vines and trumpet-creepers. it was in hot weather like a beautiful summer parlor. Here in the summer the family frequently tool: their meals. and often sat in the delicious moon-light evenings fill bed-time. As I told you. the house was at a little distance from the road. It stood surrounded by its own land. and in a beautifully smooth field called the 'lawn'. It was approached by an avenue of locust trees. and the lawn itself was scattered over and grouped with cedar and catalpa trees. which grew there to a large size. and which were. in fact. the remains of the primeval forest. Beautiful flower-beds surrounded the house. and others were cut here and there in the open lawn. which was kept nicely mown to a considerable distance round the house. and besides these. lovely flowering trees and shrubs grew in clumps and thicliets. among which seats were set and arbors made .....,...... Page Twenly-nine

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Page 'l'u'enty-eight CEDAR GROVE

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At the baclc of the house were the out-buildings: on the left stood a rather picturesque building called the wood-house. and upon the gable end of which was perched the little bird-house where the blue-birds came regularly every spring. Farther baclc was the farm-yard. and on a fine slope to the south. was the vineyard. The orchard lay side by side with the vineyard ............ NA gentle ascent from the vineyard was occupied by pasture land called the Far Meadows. which were bounded by a wood belonging to another proprietor ............ It was an unbroken portion ofthe primeval forest. and had been left uncleared purposely for a supply of fire-wood. and from this cause its beautiful timber was fast vanishing away ........... -. Its surface was brolcen into little dingles which. in spring-time were filled with flowers. There the children found. the blood-root. Solomonis seal of various kinds. phlox. or sweet- williams. the lovely lilac. and white collinsea. anemones: violets. white. blue. and yellow: the beautiful scarlet catch-fly. noli-me-tangere. and many other lovely flowers. There grew hiclioryl. maple. beech and walnut trees: the splendid American linden. the red-bud. or Judas tree. by the budding of which. in old time. the Indian regulated the sowing of his corn. The wild clematis. sweet-briar. and the American hawthorn. were amongst its abundant undergrowth: and here also were thiclcets of blaclcberries. In the autumn. hickory nuts. beech nuts. white walnuts. or butter-nuts. attracted our cousins to its pre- cincts. where. nestling among fallen leaves. they collected woodland treasures. or came home laden with perfect sheaves of golden-rod and various kinds of Michaelmas daisy. The northern boundary was lilcewise a wood. a beautiful upland covered with trees. In March. 1857. Mother Margaret. first Superior of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. bought this beautiful estate and on October 25th. Archbishop Purcell laid the corner stone ofthe new Mother House and Academy. to be lcnown as Mount St. Vincent. Cedar Grove. the latter having been the name of the Maryland home of Sister Sophia Gillmeyer. one of the first companions of Mother Margaret. His Grace celebrated the first High Mass in the present chapel on November 14th. At this time was erected only the main four story brick. The central portion. containing the auditorium and the Grade class rooms. was built in the early 70's owing to the need of a larger chapel and 'additional music rooms. The chapel was restored to its original location on the first floor of the main building in 1906. The two storied porch., of the original Cedars was replaced by a frame addition. con- siderably increasing the capacity of the Alderson Mansion . which was used as a Commun- ity House. The broad piazzau still stands. and in the early days it was for the Sisters. as it had been for the Alderson family. a favorite rendezvous during their brief periods of recreation. Many ofthe historic cedars have disappeared. but some remain and new ones are soon to be planted to justify the Academy's right to its beautiful name. The navenue of locust treesu is now a vista of over-arching maples. A part of the Npicturesque wood house . fstill standing too., the Sisters converted into a balcery. Just beyond this to the west. at the edge of the vineyard. the laundry was built in 1866. The second-story porch which appears on only one side of the structure now. originally ran around the four sides. and. with its wide sloping roof. must have given the building the appearance of a pagoda. The men's house.. had been built before this. In 1866. an adjoining farm of ten acres. lying to the east of the Academy grounds. was bought from a Mr. Hotchkiss and his house was fitted up as a home for the first resident chaplain. the Reverend H. Richter. D.D. The house. somewhat enlarged. still stands Page Thirly