Glass High School - Crest Yearbook (Lynchburg, VA)

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ish. Ah, but the entrance, my friends, that is a beauty indeed. The door itself is half again as large as the standard. It is bordered on the three sides by glass, on each side by panels. These panels of glass are very old, bearing a diamond-scratched date 1858, and the names or initials of many residents. Above the door is a fan window as wide as the door, and very high. The whole imparts a feel- ing of rich sparing grace, a tall lean luxury. Around the side of the house is a stone walk between two rows of box- woods, which now leads, purpose- fully, to nothing. This walk led, in the heyday of the house, to the kitch- en. If you go and stand there be- tween the boxwoods you can look down all around you-the h-ouse is on a hill-and see the land which used to belong to the house. A thousand acres once but it was reduced when portions were given to the eldest sons. It is now only four acres, the land on which the house stands. You can see also, from this position, the full length of the Appalachians, they stretch around the horizon a full hun- dred and eighty degrees. The -house was built facing directly south, at its back is the north, to the left the west, the right the east. Thus the moun- tains stretch an encompassing arm around the back of the house. But come with me into the front hall. There is a door on each side, the right to the dining room, the left to the parlor. On the right and far- ther back is a delicate upsweep of stairs, in the Queen Anne style. Stand here in this hall and let me tell you what I know of the history of the house. Samuel Johnson named the house Sandusky. He had been cap- 28 tured by the Indians previous to 1 808 and taken to the north of Ohio. There, by the Sandusky River, he lived with the Indians. So when he built the house, he named it San- dusky. Sandusky is an Indian name meaning beside the still waters. And the house and name have be- come inseparable. johnson, for some private reason, moved his wife and daughters, in- deed, his entire household left twelve years after the house was finished. It changed hands several times. In 1842 the Hutter family bought it. And they were living in it when the house experienced its most historical moment. Sandusky was headquarters for the Union troops under General Hunter for the three days during the Battle of Lynchburg. The front hall of the house would still display, were it not for the obliterating Sanders of the un- knowing Adkinsons, the hoofprints stamped upon the floor when the first troops rode their horses through the front hall. The parlor served as a hospital for the Blue, and the floor of the room still bears the blood- stains. And since, as I have said be- fore, the house is well situated, Hun- ter had a hole cut in the roof of San- dusky, and a ladder placed there to serve as a lookout post. The ladder remains today. When General Hun- ter and his command moved into San- dusky for the three days, two of Hunter's petty officers were Ruther- ford B. Hayes and VVilliam McKin- ley. Hayes became president in 1877 and McKinley in 1897. Now if I have left nothing out, we shall move on. The Hutters lived there until about eleven years ago. And in 1952, the Neville K. Adkin- THE CRITIC

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SANDUSKY A Lady Of Magnificent Grandeurv CAROLYN Cons, '65 , AM going to pass on to you in this article something which I en- joyed very much. It is a story, a history of facts embellished by my own imagination. I shall try to be exact, but forgive my deviations. Take a seat and make yourself com- fortable. I suppose the best way to begin is to tell my own impressions. Though the subject of this tale is the San- dusky house, I shall treat her as a person, for she is a beautifully an- cient woman, a lady of magnificent grandeur. of grace, of wit, and of charm. She is vain, but her vanity becomes her. She is delicate yet stolid, for she has stood upon her hill for one hundred and fifty-six years. Now probably I have confused vou, so I shall tell you some facts. The Sandusky house is located in the Fort I-Iill section of Lynchburg. Doubtless you have seen it. There is a road perpendicular to the Timber- lake Road, opposite the Quaker Me- morial Church. Down this small road, named Sandusky for the house, is Sandusky itself. If one stood on the highway-once the Salem turn- pike-and drew a bow, and if an ar- row would fly that far, the arrow would strike precisely in the middle panel of the front door, so straight is the road to Sandusky. This road was laid out in I 808 by Samuel John- THE CRYTIC Art work by Charlano Holbrook, 'C' son when he built Sandusky. I-Ie must have worked hard, for the house was completed in two years. And it is a marvel of architectural science. All materials were made on the plantation by slave labor. There are scarcely any nails in the entire framework. There are wooden pegs, yes, but very few. The floor' sup- ports are notched in the wood of the foundation, which rests on brick sup- ports. I would like to talk more about this aspect of the house, but I am not very good at that sort 'of thing and you must see it for yourself-the earthy wholeness, the thickness of the walls, the enduring ruggedness. But, do-not let me deceive you, the house is not ungainly. The ceilings are high, which lends it grace, and the many windows tall, allowing much light. All of which brings me, in my dis- course, to the front entrance. In front of the house there is a circular drive ringed on each side by box- woods. The ones of the inner circle are small and full. those of the outer are tremendous. The boxwoods far- thest from the house are smaller, my size approximately, as remember. Then the bushes nearest the house, flanking the main door, are 22 feet in height. They reminded me of wo- men in full dresses, the taller, slim- mer ones in back, their escorts. The porch is not ilarge, nothing outland- 27

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sons bought Sandusky and have re- stored it, which brings us to the pres- ent. And yet I don't think Sandusky will ever live in the present, she has too much of the past. There are a few miscellaneous items I would like to tell you. The dado in the dining room is one width of native pine. VVilliamsburg wanted to buy the back stairs, because the treads were worn so intriguingly. There is a tiny attic over the kitchen. There are two windows, both very small, 'and one entrance, the width and height of one's shoulders-so you have to get down and worm through. In this room is an iron baby crib. It is too big ever to get His just Deserts out of any of the present exits, so there it sits. She is an old woman, magnificent and grand. If you go inside and stand quietly for a moment you can feel the soul of her. The old grand- father clock on the landing ticks on. She does not fear timeg it is nothing to her, she is old. The floors creak under you, she is not complaining, merely making herself comfortable. T-he walls squeak and tell you things she will not say. The windows are open, she does not fear. The plaster cracksg it is nothing to her. Tomor- row it may rain, but she is not afraid. The future is nothingg the present is here, but she lives in the past. VERY day the 3 :67 slowed down to make it 'round the Devil's Bend, and the dirty old man took advantage of the opportunity to jump off the freight car that had been his home for the past four days. But unhappily for him the train was going a bit faster than he thought. The ground rushed to meet 'him in a wild green and brown blur. He felt a sharp pain-then nothing. Pk Pk Pk Alexander Frederick Bennington, III--that is your name and don't you ever forget what it stands for. The THE CRITIC LINDA STICKEL, '64 Benningtons have been leaders in this community and in this state for two centuries. My son, it's up to you to carry on the family name and carry it proudly. You won't let me down, will you, son P He looked up. His eyes followed the proud lines of her face. No, Mother. I won't let you down. PF PF Dk That's his old lady up there in the front row. She sure looks proud, doesn't she ? Well, I guess she should be. He's 29