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LN ss : ey HISTORIC GARDENS OF “OWIRGINIA | — rm mm mm 7 MTE INTETTE Eta lee ete = ae —_= szamat SS SSS SS —— tary Lansing, which took place under Gunston trees.’ (Charles Moore, Gunston Hall Sketch, p. 3.) From George Mason the Gunston estate passed to his eldest son, George, of Lexington; thence to the third George Mason. All three, with their families, lie in the quiet, tree-shaded graveyard at Gunston. This sacred spot, until recently sadly neglected, is now enclosed within an appropriate brick wall. Here, beneath a chaste marble sarcophagus, imported by George Mason from England, lies his beautiful wife, Ann Eilbeck Mason. On this stone ts inscribed the following verse: ‘Once she was all that sweetens life, The tender mother, daughter, friend and wife, Once she was all that makes mankind adore, Now view this marble and be vain no more.” The widow of George Mason III sold the estate in 1867, and thus the ownership passed from the Mason family. In 1912, Gunston Hall was purchased by Mr. Louis Hertle. The Hall was then seriously impared by neglect. Various additions had been made to the original building, sadly altering its character and appearance. The once well-tended gardens had almost disappeared, only their outlines remaining. ‘The present owner, with the advice of a competent architect, has made a thorough and careful restoration of both house and grounds. ELEANOR HERTLE. [202]
