5. Library/ Family Parlors
First Floor
Library: In the wall case, you can see the initials of William B. Gould etched into the original plaster. He was literate though a slave, and he escaped to his freedom in 1862 by joining the Union Navy. His diary is available for sale in the gift shop. The arson attempt of 1972 affected this room the most. The original gasolier and mantel melted under the intense heat and the plaster work was all painstakingly recreated. The metal mold on display created the molding that runs around the entire room!
Family Parlor: The 1972 fire spared the original Cornelius & Baker Co. gasolier in this room which is almost identical to a gasolier in Jefferson Davis’s White House of the Confederacy. The carpet on this side of the first floor is an almost identical match to the original carpeting. The fireplace mantel is slate with a faux marbleized look.
Library: In the wall case, you can see the initials of William B. Gould etched into the original plaster. He was literate though a slave, and he escaped to his freedom in 1862 by joining the Union Navy. His diary is available for sale in the gift shop. The arson attempt of 1972 affected this room the most. The original gasolier and mantel melted under the intense heat and the plaster work was all painstakingly recreated. The metal mold on display created the molding that runs around the entire room!
Family Parlor: The 1972 fire spared the original Cornelius & Baker Co. gasolier in this room which is almost identical to a gasolier in Jefferson Davis’s White House of the Confederacy. The carpet on this side of the first floor is an almost identical match to the original carpeting. The fireplace mantel is slate with a faux marbleized look.
