at
battle so famous.

It was in 1846 that the estate was bought by Edward M. Linthicum, and I
think it must have been during the time he owned it that the mansard
roof was added which, fortunately, has been removed by the present
owners. In Mr. Linthicum's day it is described thus:

The house which has been changed, but not improved in appearance, by
the addition of a mansard roof and other alterations, was a large,
two-story brick, with hall from front to rear "wide enough for a hay
wagon to pass through," on either side of which were great parlors
beautifully proportioned. The east parlor opened into a bright,
sunny dining room, which in turn looked out upon a well-filled
greenhouse, with flower gardens on the east, wooded lawn in front,
grove of forest trees on the west, and gently sloping well-sodded
hills in the rear, all of which were kept in perfect order. During
the life of Mr. Linthicum, "The Oaks" was the show place of the
District.

Mr. and Mrs. Linthicum had no children so they adopted a daughter, Miss
Kate Mitchell, of Lower Maryland, who became the wife of Mr. Josiah
Dent. Their son, Edward Linthicum Dent, inherited the place. In those
days it was known as "The Oaks," the name I always heard it called by in
my girlhood.

In 1891 it was bought by Mr. Henry F. Blount, who had made a fortune and
came to Washington. In 1920 it was purchased by the Honorable Robert
Woods Bliss, Ambassador to the Argentine. He and Mrs. Bliss remodeled
the house and created the gardens, which comprise over thirty acres and
are marvels of beauty. Many more acres at the back were allowed to
remain in a delightfully wild condition.

The place was renamed Dumbarton Oaks, a museum was built as a wing on
the west to house a library and a collection of Byzantine and
pre-Christian material, and in 1940 the estate was given by Mr. and Mrs.
Bliss to Harvard University, with the exception of the part along the
stream at the back, which was donated to the District of Columbia as a
park. The Dumbarton Oaks Conference which led to the formation of the
United Nations was held here, beginning August 21, 1944.

Part of the land at the back is where the Home for Incurables was until
it was moved farther out of town. I used to go there to visit some of
the patients who were my friends, and for the simple Sunday evening
services.

Lover's Lane, at the east of Dumbarton Oaks, separates it from Mont