Charles Douglas Stimson (1857–1929) was a prominent businessman in Seattle , Washington.
98-600: He was the son of Thomas Douglas Stimson (1827–1898), a lumber baron with extensive properties in Michigan. He built the Colonnade Hotel in 1900. It was designed by Charles H. Bebb . He also had property in Los Angeles. He left his family an inheritance. C. D. Stimson came to Seattle in 1888 as he and his brother Fred sought out virgin forest to exploit. He built a mansion at 1204 Minor Avenue on First Hill for his family. It
196-469: A Diebold safe hidden behind a door in Stimson's study. The nuns who occupied the house in later years reportedly stored their cleaning supplies in the safe. Stimson reportedly took photographs of his Chicago mansion and hired Carsley and East Manufacturing Co. to duplicate them and ship the finished products to Los Angeles. Thomas Douglas Stimson (1828–1898) was one of the wealthiest men in Los Angeles. He
294-517: A UCLA fraternity prematurely set the traditional USC bonfire ablaze early in the morning before the scheduled event. Two of the UCLA students were captured by members of the USC fraternity and returned to Stimson House. In response to the acts of the UCLA students, 800 Trojans set fires in the streets with makeshift piles of sticks, boxes, crates, wooden benches and anything that would burn. When firemen arrived,
392-417: A quarry about one mile (1.6 km) away, although this work was never fully completed. When the main defenses became ready for use, the fort was armed with cannons hauled from Montreal and Fort St. Frédéric. The fort contained three barracks and four storehouses . One bastion held a bakery capable of producing 60 loaves of bread a day. A powder magazine was hacked out of the bedrock beneath
490-419: A "solid wall of undergraduates" blocked their access to the nearest fireplug. Firemen doused the students with their fire hoses, and police unsheathed their billy clubs to avert a riot. Two hours later, the two captured UCLA students were displayed to reporters "imprisoned in the 'catacombs'" of Stimson House. The two young men had been stripped of their clothing, their bodies smeared with black paint, and on
588-469: A British contingent holding some prisoners near the Lake George landing, while a detachment of his troops sneaked up Mount Defiance, and captured most of the sleeping construction crew. Brown and his men then moved down the portage trail toward the fort, surprising more troops and releasing prisoners along the way. The fort's occupants were unaware of the action until Brown's men and British troops occupying
686-593: A convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet . When Stimson House was built in the 1890s, the Los Angeles Times described it as "the costliest and most beautiful private residence in Los Angeles," a building "admired by all who see it." More than a hundred years later, the Times said: "From the front, the 3 1 ⁄ 2 -story house resembles a medieval castle, with brick chimneys standing guard like sentries along
784-425: A flurry of work to improve the fort's outer defenses. They built, over two days, entrenchments around a rise between the fort and Mount Hope, about three-quarters of a mile (one kilometer) northwest of the fort, and then constructed an abatis (felled trees with sharpened branches pointing out) below these entrenchments. They conducted the work unimpeded by military action, as Abercromby failed to advance directly to
882-507: A gabled arch and a stepped gable with a Palladian window . A porch with carved stone columns surrounds the first floor. The neighborhood in which the Stimson House was built became known as "Millionaires Row" in the 1890s, though the size and stone construction of Stimson House set it apart from the wood houses along Millionaires Row. Some have noted the "irony" in a lumber baron's home being built of stone rather than wood. However,
980-706: A group of Iroquois nearby. In 1642, French missionary Isaac Jogues was the first white man to traverse the portage at Ticonderoga while escaping a battle between the Iroquois and members of the Huron tribe. The French, who had colonized the Saint Lawrence River valley to the north, and the English, who had taken over the Dutch settlements that became the Province of New York to
1078-553: A large supply of cannons and other armaments, much of which Henry Knox transported to Boston during the winter of 1775–1776. Ticonderoga's cannons were instrumental in ending the siege of Boston when they were used to fortify Dorchester Heights . With Dorchester Heights secured by the Patriots, the British were forced to evacuate the city in March 1776. The capture of Fort Ticonderoga by
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#17328977714711176-470: A little Fort Ticonderoga ." Brown obtained the distinctive red stones from a quarry in New Mexico and used San Fernando sandstone for the windows, balconies and the tower's crown trim. The most prominent feature on the house is the four-story Gothic tower. The top of the tower and ridges are crenellated and finished with notched battlements . Other important features include a third floor balcony with
1274-501: A multi-campaign strategy against French Canada. In June 1758, British General James Abercromby began amassing a large force at Fort William Henry in preparation for a military campaign directed up the Champlain Valley. These forces landed at the north end of Lake George , only four miles from the fort, on July 6. The French general Louis-Joseph de Montcalm , who had only arrived at Carillon in late June, engaged his troops in
1372-459: A pledge with eggs from the same staircase, only to discover that the pledge was allergic to eggs—paramedics had to be called when his eyes swelled closed. One of the returning fraternity members recalled that, as a pledge, he crawled through an air shaft to escape from the catacombs and, covered with soot, appeared at the door of a neighbor asking if he might use the phone—the neighbor being Mrs. Doheny who later bought Stimson House to rid herself of
1470-465: A result of her complaints. By 1948, Mrs. Doheny had dealt with the fraternity for long enough and offered $ 75,000 to purchase the house that the fraternity bought eight years earlier for $ 20,000. The fraternity house was already struggling with the cost of maintaining the large house and accepted Mrs. Doheny's offer. After the sale closed, Mrs. Doheny assured herself that she would have no further problems with noisy neighbors by deeding Stimson House to
1568-472: A robbery attempt or the "dastardly" act of "some Anarchist or enemy of capitalists who took this cowardly method of expressing his hatred for men of wealth, and singled out a man who is reputed to be one of the wealthiest in Los Angeles, and who lives sumptuously as becomes his station." Later that month, private detective Harry Coyne was arrested for the attack. Stimson testified at the preliminary hearing that he had hired Coyne to accompany his son to Mexico
1666-524: A star-shaped fort. Mount Defiance remained unfortified. In March 1777, American generals were strategizing about possible British military movements and considered an attempt on the Hudson River corridor a likely possibility. General Schuyler, heading the forces stationed at Ticonderoga, requested 10,000 troops to guard Ticonderoga and 2,000 to guard the Mohawk River valley against British invasion from
1764-539: A summer retreat. Completion of railroads and canals connecting the area to New York City brought tourists to the area, so he converted his summer house, known as The Pavilion, into a hotel to serve the tourist trade. In 1848, the Hudson River School artist Russell Smith painted Ruins of Fort Ticonderoga , depicting the condition of the fort. The Pell family, a politically important clan with influence throughout American history (from William C. C. Claiborne ,
1862-681: A supply and communication link between Canada (which they had taken over after their victory in the Seven Years' War) and New York. On May 10, 1775, less than one month after the Revolutionary War was ignited with the battles of Lexington and Concord , the British garrison of 48 soldiers was surprised by a small force of Green Mountain Boys , along with militia volunteers from Massachusetts and Connecticut , led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold . Allen claimed to have said, "Come out you old Rat!" to
1960-437: Is almost completely surrounded by water, was fortified with trenches near the water, a horseshoe battery part way up the side, a citadel at the summit, and redoubts armed with cannons surrounding the summit area. These defenses were linked to Ticonderoga with a pontoon bridge that was protected by land batteries on both sides. The works on Mount Hope, the heights above the site of Montcalm's victory, were improved to include
2058-522: Is found at the edge of the oak floors throughout the house. Under the first floor there is a basement, "a maze of rooms and arched doorways." There was a room that at one time served as an underground lounge and bar. In another recess there was a wine cellar equipped with an iron door that served as a makeshift jail cell and the scene of many pranks during the house's later years as a fraternity house. There were also traces of organ pipes that once were installed there. The interior features also included
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#17328977714712156-723: The Continental Army 's siege. The British chased the American forces back to Ticonderoga in June and, after several months of shipbuilding, moved down Lake Champlain under Guy Carleton in October. The British destroyed a small fleet of American gunboats in the Battle of Valcour Island in mid-October, but snow was already falling, so the British retreated to winter quarters in Quebec. About 1,700 troops from
2254-550: The French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in northern New York . It was constructed between October 1755 and 1757 by French-Canadian military engineer Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière during the action in the "North American theater" of the Seven Years' War , known as the French and Indian War in America. The fort was of strategic importance during
2352-596: The Hollywood Farm in King County's Hollywood District (now in Woodinville, Washington ). They built mansion retreats in Woodinville . Stimson's daughter Dorothy Bullitt founded King Broadcasting in 1947. Her children became philanthropists giving to community and conservation causes in and around Seattle. Stimson Bullitt was her son. Thomas D. Stimson Stimson House is a Richardsonian Romanesque mansion in
2450-606: The Iroquois word tekontaró:ken , meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways". During the 1758 Battle of Carillon , 4,000 French defenders were able to repel an attack by 16,000 British troops near the fort. In 1759, the British returned and drove a token French garrison from the fort. The British controlled the fort at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but the Green Mountain Boys and other state militia under
2548-514: The Los Angeles Times noted: "What a difference half a century makes. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet now say their prayers in those wood-paneled rooms where the PiKAs sang: 'He rambled down to Hades, To see the poor lost souls, Saw a bunch of Kappa Sigs a-roasting on the coals. . . .'" The Sisters of St. Joseph operated the house as a convent from 1948 to 1969. From 1969 to 1993, the house
2646-543: The Palmer Mansion . A Los Angeles Times music critic reviewing a chamber music performance at the house in 1989 called its architecture "Midwestern Ivanhoe ." With its Gothic tower and other features, the style of the house is not strictly Richardsonian. A Times writer in 1948 noted that the house presents a "puzzling" appearance: "Its architecture reflects the Mission influence , a bit of Byzantine , something Latin and
2744-419: The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet for use as a convent. At the time, the Los Angeles Times noted: "The parlor where merry parties reveled at the turn of the century will become a chapel where reverent nuns will now bow in humble devotion. The gay conversation of the festive past will yield place to solemn intonations of morning prayers." When the fraternity brothers gathered for their reunion in 1996,
2842-588: The University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles . Built in 1891, it was the home of lumber and banking millionaire Thomas Douglas Stimson . During Stimson's lifetime, the house survived a dynamite attack by a blackmailer in 1896. After Stimson's death, the house has been occupied by a brewer who reportedly stored wines and other spirits in the basement, a fraternity house that conducted noisy parties (causing consternation among occupants of neighboring mansions), as student housing for Mount St. Mary's College , and as
2940-411: The tactical advantage of the high ground , and had his troops haul cannons to the top of Mount Defiance. Faced with bombardment from the heights (although no shots had yet been fired), General St. Clair ordered Ticonderoga abandoned on July 5, 1777. Burgoyne's troops moved in the next day, with advance guards pursuing the retreating Patriot Americans. Washington, on hearing of Burgoyne's advance and
3038-572: The 18th-century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again played an important role during the American Revolutionary War . The site controlled a river portage alongside the mouth of the rapids-infested La Chute River , in the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) between Lake Champlain and Lake George . It was strategically placed for the trade routes between the British-controlled Hudson River Valley and
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3136-694: The American Revolution in September. The Pell family estate is located north of the fort. In 1921, Sarah Pell undertook reconstruction of the gardens. She hired Marian Cruger Coffin , one of the most famous American landscape architects of the period. In 1995, the gardens were restored and later opened for public visiting; they are known as the King's Garden. The U.S. Navy has given the name 'Ticonderoga' to five different vessels , as well as to entire classes of cruisers and aircraft carriers . The fort
3234-519: The Americans sufficiently that they never launched an assault on the defensive positions on Mount Independence. A stalemate persisted, with regular exchanges of cannon fire, until September 21, when 100 Hessians, returning from the Mohawk Valley to support Burgoyne, arrived on the scene to provide reinforcement to the besieged fort. Brown eventually sent a truce party to the fort to open negotiations;
3332-477: The British were housing American prisoners in the area, Lincoln decided to test the British defenses. On September 13, he sent 500 men to Skenesboro , which they found the British had abandoned, and 500 each against the defenses on either side of the lake at Ticonderoga. Colonel John Brown led the troops on the west side, with instructions to release prisoners if possible, and attack the fort if it seemed feasible. Early on September 18, Brown's troops surprised
3430-508: The Continental Army, under the command of Colonel Anthony Wayne , wintered at Ticonderoga. The British offensive resumed the next year in the Saratoga campaign under General John Burgoyne . During the summer of 1776, the Americans, under the direction of General Schuyler, and later under General Horatio Gates , added substantial defensive works to the area. Mount Independence , which
3528-525: The French constructed an additional redoubt to the east to enable cannon to cover the lake's narrows . By 1758, the fort was largely complete; the only ongoing work thereafter consisted of dressing the walls with stone. Still, General Montcalm and two of his military engineers surveyed the works in 1758 and found something to criticize in almost every aspect of the fort's construction; the buildings were too tall and thus easier for attackers' cannon fire to hit,
3626-569: The French victory, Montcalm, anticipating further British attacks, ordered additional work on the defenses, including the construction of the Germain and Pontleroy redoubts (named for the engineers under whose direction they were constructed) to the northeast of the fort. However, the British did not attack again in 1758, so the French withdrew all but a small garrison of men for the winter in November. The British under General Jeffery Amherst captured
3724-644: The French-controlled Saint Lawrence River Valley. The terrain amplified the importance of the site. Both lakes were long and narrow and oriented north–south, as were the many ridge lines of the Appalachian Mountains which extend as far south as Georgia . The mountains created nearly impassable terrains to the east and west of the Great Appalachian Valley that the site commanded. The name "Ticonderoga" comes from
3822-451: The Joannes bastion. All the construction within the fort was of stone. A wooden palisade protected an area outside the fort between the southern wall and the lake shore. This area contained the main landing for the fort and additional storage facilities and other works necessary for maintenance of the fort. When it became apparent in 1756 that the fort was too far to the west of the lake,
3920-514: The New York– Quebec border, were nearing completion of boats to launch onto Lake Champlain, Montgomery launched the invasion, leading 1,200 troops down the lake. Ticonderoga continued to serve as a staging base for the action in Quebec until the battle and siege at Quebec City that resulted in Montgomery's death. In May 1776, British troops began to arrive at Quebec City , where they broke
4018-575: The Patriots made communication between the British Canadian and American commands much more difficult. Benedict Arnold remained in control of the fort until 1,000 Connecticut troops under the command of Benjamin Hinman arrived in June 1775. Because of a series of political maneuvers and miscommunications, Arnold was never notified that Hinman was to take command. After a delegation from Massachusetts (which had issued Arnold's commission) arrived to clarify
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4116-462: The Pi Kappa Alphas held a reunion at Stimson house, which they had referred to as the "Red Castle." They found the iron-gated wine cellar just as it was when errant pledges (and UCLA prisoners) were locked inside and sprayed with a hose. Memories flowed as the fraternity brothers gathered at the house, one recalling his proposal to his wife on the stairs of the house, and another recalling pelting
4214-468: The Pi Kappa Alphas. The property behind Stimson House (on Chester Place) was the home of Carrie Estelle Doheny, the widow of wealthy oil man, Edward L. Doheny . Mrs. Doheny had grown up in the neighborhood and had watched as the Stimson House was built. She recalled, "I remember when Mr. Stimson was building this house. When I was just a little girl, my father would take me for a walk on Sunday afternoons, and we'd always walk this way to see how far along
4312-618: The Stimson Block was the tallest building in Los Angeles. The Stimson Block was demolished in 1963 to make room for a parking lot. Stimson died at Stimson House in February 1898. His widow, Achsah, lived in the house until she died in 1904. Stimson's son Charles D. Stimson followed his father into the timber industry and was the patriarch of the Seattle-area Stimson family whose other members have included Dorothy Stimson Bullitt and
4410-553: The Stimson Mansion; The Redstone Walls Resisted the Terrific Explosion." A "stick of giant powder" was placed against the foundation of the house, directly under Stimson's bedroom. A large hole was torn in the side of the house by the explosion, but the thick foundation wall was not damaged. Reports indicated that a frame house would have been shattered into fragments by the explosion, but the solid stone structure withstood
4508-443: The anniversary of the 1775 capture, and closes in late October. The fort has been on a watchlist of National Historic Landmarks since 1998, because of the poor condition of some of the walls and of the 19th-century pavilion constructed by William Ferris Pell. The pavilion was being restored in 2009. In 2008, the powder magazine, destroyed by the French in 1759, was reconstructed by Tonetti Associates Architects , based in part on
4606-399: The blast. Two neighbors witnessed the culprit lighting the fire on the dynamite, grabbed their guns, ran across the lawn, and were thrown off their feet by the explosion. On regaining their balance, the neighbors saw a man running away from the scene and fired several shots in his direction, but the man escaped. Initially, there was suspicion that "the plot to blow up the house" was either
4704-496: The chest of each was written the letters "S.C." Their heads had also been shaved, leaving only a topknot with a circle of black paint creating the appearance of an Iroquois Indian. Both had been spanked until sitting was uncomfortable, and the two were "guarded in their cell by more than 100 husky Trojans." One of the captured UCLA students was the son of Los Angeles Police Chief Hohmann who said, "Bob (his son) got himself into this, and he'll have to take his medicine." In 1996,
4802-439: The command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured it on May 10, 1775. Henry Knox led a party to transport many of the fort's cannon to Boston to assist in the siege against the British, who evacuated the city in March 1776. The Americans held the fort until June 1777, when British forces under General John Burgoyne occupied high ground above it ; the threat resulted in the Continental Army troops withdrawing from
4900-572: The conservative pundit Charles "Cully" D. Stimson. The Seattle scion also built a notable home, the Stimson-Green mansion on First Hill , and another descendant built a notable house in Capitol Hill's Harvard-Belmont Landmark District on the site of Horace C. Henry 's former mansion. In February 1896, the Stimson House was the target of a bizarre bombing attack. The headline in the Los Angeles Times read, "DYNAMITE FIENDS: An Attempt to Blow Up
4998-455: The criminal had poisoned Stimson's dog, after which the Stimson family dog became sick. After the explosion, Coyne told Stimson that the trouble was still not over, that he was in constant danger of being shot or stabbed and that the crooks had eleven sticks of dynamite remaining that would be used for another attack on the house. Coyne suggested that the only way to stop the culprits was to kill them, and he offered his services to take care of
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#17328977714715096-420: The first Governor of Louisiana , to a Senator from Rhode Island , Claiborne Pell ), hired English architect Alfred Bossom to restore the fort and formally opened it to the public in 1909 as an historic site. The ceremonies, which commemorated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by European explorers, were attended by President William Howard Taft . Stephen Hyatt Pell , who spearheaded
5194-541: The fort and its surrounding defenses. The only direct attack on the fort during the Revolution took place in September 1777, when John Brown led 500 Americans in an unsuccessful attempt to capture it from about 100 British defenders. The British abandoned the fort after the failure of the Saratoga campaign , and it ceased to be of military value after 1781. The United States allowed the fort to fall into ruin, and local residents stripped it of much of its usable materials. It
5292-447: The fort at Ticonderoga became increasingly irrelevant. The British abandoned it and nearby Fort Crown Point in November 1777, destroying both as best they could prior to their withdrawal. The fort was occasionally reoccupied by British raiding parties in the following years, but it no longer held a prominent strategic role in the war. It was finally abandoned by the British for good in 1781, following their surrender at Yorktown . In
5390-478: The fort on July 7. Abercromby's second-in-command, Brigadier General George Howe , had been killed when his column encountered a French reconnaissance troop. Abercromby "felt [Howe's death] most heavily" and may have been unwilling to act immediately. On July 8, 1758, Abercromby ordered a frontal attack against the hastily assembled French works. Abercromby tried to move rapidly against the few French defenders, opting to forgo field cannon and relying instead on
5488-401: The fort the following year in the 1759 Battle of Ticonderoga . In this confrontation 11,000 British troops, using emplaced artillery, drove off the token garrison of 400 Frenchmen. The French, in withdrawing, used explosives to destroy what they could of the fort and spiked or dumped cannons that they did not take with them. Although the British worked in 1759 and 1760 to repair and improve
5586-464: The fort to control the south end of Lake Champlain and prevent the British from gaining military access to the lake. Consequently, its most important defenses, the Reine and Germaine bastions, were directed to the northeast and northwest, away from the lake, with two demi-lunes further extending the works on the land side. The Joannes and Languedoc bastions overlooked the lake to the south, providing cover for
5684-418: The fort was similarly limited, requiring the storage of provisions outside the fort's walls in exposed places. Its cistern was small, and the water quality was supposedly poor. In August 1757, the French captured Fort William Henry in an action launched from Fort Carillon. This, and a string of other French victories in 1757, prompted the British to organize a large-scale attack on the fort as part of
5782-634: The fort's commander, Captain William Delaplace. He also later said that he demanded that the British commander surrender the fort "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"; however, his surrender demand was made to Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham and not the fort's commander, who did later appear and surrender his sword. With the capture of the fort, the Patriot forces obtained
5880-419: The fort, it was not part of any further significant action in the war. After the war, the British garrisoned the fort with a small number of troops and allowed it to fall into disrepair. Colonel Frederick Haldimand , in command of the fort in 1773, wrote that it was in "ruinous condition". In 1775, Fort Ticonderoga, in disrepair, was still manned by a token British force. They found it extremely useful as
5978-608: The fort. John Trumbull had pointed this out as early as 1776, when a shot fired from the fort was able to reach Defiance's summit, and several officers inspecting the hill noted that there were approaches to its summit where gun carriages could be pulled up the sides. As the garrison was too small to properly defend all the existing works in the area, Mount Defiance was left undefended. Anthony Wayne left Ticonderoga in April 1777 to join Washington's army; he reported to Washington that "all
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#17328977714716076-541: The governor of the French Province of Canada , sent his cousin Michel Chartier de Lotbinière to design and construct a fortification at this militarily important site, which the French called Fort Carillon. The name "Carillon" has variously been attributed to the name of a former French officer, Philippe de Carrion du Fresnoy, who established a trading post at the site in the late 17th century, or (more commonly) to
6174-561: The home principally in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, with rough-hewn stone, round headed arches, short columns, rows of arched or rectangular windows and an overall fortress quality. The Richardsonian style was popular in the Upper Midwest in the 1880s, though the style never became popular in Los Angeles. Stimson reportedly wanted his new home to resemble the brick-and-stone mansions of Chicago's Gold Coast , including
6272-729: The house as a convent in the fall of 1993, but were forced to vacate the property for ten months while repairs were made. The Stimson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and has also been named a Historic-Cultural Monument (# 212) by the City of Los Angeles. Material prepared for the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission's review of the Stimson house in 1977 called it "architecturally unique in Los Angeles," "the best example of this period of American architecture in Los Angeles" and "one of
6370-541: The house, and it served as the Maier family home until 1940. Maier was said to have stored his wines and liqueurs in the labyrinthine basement. In 1940, the Maier family sold the house to USC 's Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for $ 20,000 – about 13% of the original cost of construction. In their first year of occupancy, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity put Stimson House at the center of a near riot among USC students. Members of
6468-465: The interior has been described as "a shrine to lumber, a museum of wood, a smorgasbord of timber -- ash , sycamore , birch , mahogany , walnut , gumwood and oak , all shipped from lumber yards in the Midwest." Each room on the first floor is furnished with a different type of wood, and the heavy doors have double thickness, to match the wood of the room on either side. An intricate parquet border
6566-421: The landing area outside the fort. The walls were seven feet (2.1 m) high and fourteen feet (4.3 m) thick, and the whole works was surrounded by a glacis and a dry moat five feet (1.5 m) deep and fifteen feet (4.6 m) wide. When the walls were first erected in 1756, they were made of squared wooden timbers, with earth filling the gap. The French then began to dress the walls with stone from
6664-604: The largest shareholders in the Citizens Banks and was vice president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. In 1893, Stimson used the same architect who had built Stimson House (H. Carroll Brown) to build the Stimson Block , a six-story office building at the corner of Third and Spring streets downtown. The Stimson Block used many of the same architectural features employed in Stimson House, and when it opened in 1893,
6762-487: The main walls and on the Lotbinière redoubt , an outwork to the west of the site that provided additional coverage of La Chute River. During the next year, the four main bastions were built, as well as a sawmill on La Chute. Work slowed in 1757, when many of the troops prepared for and participated in the attack on Fort William Henry . The barracks and demi-lunes were not completed until spring 1758. The French built
6860-518: The matter, Arnold resigned his commission and departed, leaving the fort in Hinman's hands. Beginning in July 1775, Ticonderoga was used as a staging area for the invasion of Quebec , planned to begin in September. Under the leadership of generals Philip Schuyler and Richard Montgomery , men and materiel for the invasion were accumulated there through July and August. On August 28, after receiving word that British forces at Fort Saint-Jean , not far from
6958-489: The matter. Stimson confronted Coyne and told him he suspected the affair to be a blackmailing scheme by Coyne himself. Coyne's minute information as to the supposed crooks' plans and actions betrayed his role in the crime, and he was eventually convicted and sentenced to five years at Folsom Prison . After Stimson's wife died in 1904, the house was purchased by a civil engineer named Alfred Solano. In 1918, Edward R. Maier, sportsman and owner of Maier Brewing Co., bought
7056-424: The most significant structures in the Los Angeles area." The house has been used as a shooting location in numerous commercials, television shows, and feature films, including: [REDACTED] Media related to Stimson House at Wikimedia Commons Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga ( / t aɪ k ɒ n d ə ˈ r oʊ ɡ ə / ), formerly Fort Carillon , is a large 18th-century star fort built by
7154-457: The north. George Washington , who had never been to Ticonderoga (his only visit was to be in 1783), believed that an overland attack from the north was unlikely, because of the alleged impregnability of Ticonderoga. This, combined with continuing incursions up the Hudson River valley by British forces occupying New York City, led Washington to believe that any attack on the Albany area would be from
7252-402: The numerical superiority of his 16,000 troops. In the Battle of Carillon , the British were soundly defeated by the 4,000 French defenders. The battle took place far enough away from the fort that its guns were rarely used. The battle gave the fort a reputation for impregnability, which affected future military operations in the area, notably during the American Revolutionary War . Following
7350-499: The old French lines skirmished . At this point Brown's men dragged two captured six-pound guns up to the lines, and began firing on the fort. The men who had captured Mount Defiance began firing a twelve-pounder from that site. The column that was to attack Mount Independence was delayed, and its numerous defenders were alerted to the action at the fort below before the attack on their position began. Their musket fire, as well as grapeshot fired from ships anchored nearby, intimidated
7448-447: The original 1755 plans. Also in 2008, the withdrawal of a major backer's financial support forced the museum, which was facing significant budget deficits , to consider selling one of its major art works, Thomas Cole 's Gelyna, View near Ticonderoga . However, fundraising activities were successful enough to prevent the sale. The not-for-profit Living History Education Foundation conducts teacher programs at Fort Ticonderoga during
7546-464: The party was fired on, and three of its five members were killed. Brown, realizing that the weaponry they had was insufficient to take the fort, decided to withdraw. Destroying many bateaux and seizing a ship on Lake George, he set off to annoy British positions on that lake. His action resulted in the freeing of 118 Americans and the capture of 293 British troops, while suffering fewer than ten casualties. Following Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga ,
7644-473: The powder magazine leaked, and the masonry was of poor quality. The critics apparently failed to notice the fort's significant strategic weakness: several nearby hills overlooked the fort and made it possible for besiegers to fire down on the defenders from above. Lotbinière, who may have won the job of building the fort only because he was related to Governor Vaudreuil, had lost a bid to become Canada's chief engineer to Nicolas Sarrebource de Pontleroy, one of
7742-422: The prior month. Shortly after returning from Mexico, Coyne told Stimson that he was in danger from the machinations of a notorious Mexican criminal. Coyne offered his services to help foil the attack. Over a period of time, Coyne advised Stimson that the criminal had been attempting to break into the house, and sought to verify his claim with the discovery of tools and marks on a window. Coyne also claimed that
7840-483: The restoration effort, founded the Fort Ticonderoga Association in 1931, which is now responsible for the fort. Funding for the restoration also came from Robert M. Thompson , father of Stephen Pell's wife, Sarah Gibbs Thompson. Between 1900 and 1950, the foundation acquired the historically important lands around the fort, including Mount Defiance, Mount Independence, and much of Mount Hope. The fort
7938-429: The retreat from Ticonderoga, stated that the event was "not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning". News of the abandonment of the "Impregnable Bastion" without a fight, caused "the greatest surprise and alarm" throughout the colonies. After public outcry over his actions, General St. Clair was court-martialed in 1778. He was cleared on all charges. Following the British capture of Ticonderoga, it and
8036-676: The roof and an ornate four-story crenelated tower on the northeast corner, a noble rook from a massive chess board ." With its $ 150,000 cost, it was the most expensive house that had been built in Los Angeles at the time. From the day it was built, the 30-room house was a Los Angeles landmark. Neighbors and occupants have referred to it over the years as "the Castle" or the "Red Castle" due to its turret -top walls, four-story tower, and red-stone exterior. The original occupant, Thomas Douglas Stimson, hired architect H. Carroll Brown, then only 27 years old, to design his new home. Stimson designed
8134-463: The site provides commanding views of the southern extent of Lake Champlain, Mount Defiance , at 853 ft (260 m), and two other hills (Mount Hope and Mount Independence ) overlook the area. Native Americans had occupied the area for centuries before French explorer Samuel de Champlain first arrived there in 1609. Champlain recounted that the Algonquins , with whom he was traveling, battled
8232-476: The sounds made by the rapids of La Chute River, which were said to resemble the chiming bells of a carillon . Construction on the star-shaped fort , which Lotbinière based on designs of the renowned French military engineer Vauban , began in October 1755 and then proceeded slowly during the warmer-weather months of 1756 and 1757, using troops stationed at nearby Fort St. Frédéric and from Canada. The work in 1755 consisted primarily of beginning construction on
8330-546: The south, began contesting the area as early as 1691, when Pieter Schuyler built a small wooden fort at the Ticonderoga point on the western shore of the lake. These colonial conflicts reached their height in the French and Indian War , which began in 1754 as the North American front of the Seven Years' War. In 1755, following the Battle of Lake George , the French decided to construct a fort here. Marquis de Vaudreuil ,
8428-433: The south, which, as it was part of the supply line to Ticonderoga, would necessitate a withdrawal from the fort. As a result, no significant actions were taken to further fortify Ticonderoga or significantly increase its garrison. The garrison, about 2,000 men under General Arthur St. Clair , was too small to man all the defenses. General Gates, who oversaw the northern defenses, was aware that Mount Defiance threatened
8526-503: The summer that last approximately one week. The program trains teachers how to teach Living History techniques, and to understand and interpret the importance of Fort Ticonderoga during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The fort conducts other seminars, symposia, and workshops throughout the year, including the annual War College of the Seven Years' War in May and the Seminar on
8624-459: The surrounding defenses were garrisoned by 700 British and Hessian troops under the command of Brigadier General Henry Watson Powell . Most of these forces were on Mount Independence, with only 100 each at Fort Ticonderoga and a blockhouse they were constructing on top of Mount Defiance. George Washington sent General Benjamin Lincoln into Vermont to "divide and distract the enemy". Aware that
8722-476: The two surveying engineers, in 1756, all of which may explain the highly negative report. Lotbinière's career suffered for years afterwards. William Nester , in his exhaustive analysis of the Battle of Carillon, notes additional problems with the fort's construction. The fort was small for a Vauban-style fort, about 500 feet (150 m) wide, with a barracks capable of holding only 400 soldiers. Storage space inside
8820-410: The work had progressed." For eight years from 1940 to 1948, Mrs. Doheny lived behind the fraternity, and the boisterous parties in the house's dungeon-like "catacombs" were an ongoing source of annoyance. Mrs. Doheny repeatedly complained to the university president, Rufus B. Von Kleinsmid, about disturbances, a former house president recalling that he was called before Kleinsmid "once a month or so" as
8918-400: The years following the war, area residents stripped the fort of usable building materials, even melting some of the cannons down for their metal. In 1785, the fort's lands became the property of the state of New York. The state donated the property to Columbia and Union colleges in 1803. The colleges sold the property to William Ferris Pell in 1820. Pell first used the property as
9016-409: Was converted to use as housing for students at Mount St. Mary's College . In the fall of 1993, the sisters returned to Stimson House and resumed using it as a convent. Stimson House suffered substantial damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake . The roof had to be removed after bricks fell through it, and the chimney, parapets and tower were also damaged. The Sisters of St. Joseph had reoccupied
9114-595: Was designed by Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter and built in 1901, a couple of years after the Great Seattle Fire . It is a Seattle Landmark. It remained in the family for decades and is now known as the Stimson-Green Mansion. C. D. Stimson hired C. R. Aldrick to design the Exchange Building in 1904. Stimson and his brother Frederick Spencer Stimson (1868–1921) owned several Seattle businesses and
9212-475: Was known as a self-made man who left his home in Canada at age 14, and worked as a trader in Michigan. He later moved to Chicago where he built a successful lumber business . In 1890, he moved to Los Angeles at age 63, seeking a more pleasant and healthful climate for his retirement. However, rather than retiring, Stimson became one of the most active members of the Los Angeles business community. He became one of
9310-467: Was purchased by a private family in 1820 and became a stop on tourist routes of the area. Early in the 20th century, its private owners restored the fort. The Fort Ticonderoga Association now operates it as a tourist attraction, museum, and research center. Lake Champlain , which forms part of the border between New York and Vermont , and the Hudson River together formed an important travel route that
9408-550: Was rearmed with fourteen 24-pound cannons provided by the British government. These cannons had been cast in England for use during the American Revolution, but the war ended before they were shipped over. Designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Department of Interior, the fort is now operated by the foundation as a tourist attraction, early American military museum, and research center. The fort opens annually around May 10,
9506-445: Was used by Native Americans long before the arrival of European colonists. The route was relatively free of obstacles to navigation, with only a few portages . One strategically important place on the route lies at a narrows near the southern end of Lake Champlain, where Ticonderoga Creek, known in colonial times as La Chute River, because it was named by French colonists, enters the lake, carrying water from Lake George . Although
9604-499: Was well", and that the fort "can never be carried, without much loss of blood". "Where a goat can go, a man can go; and where a man can go, he can drag a gun." British Major General William Phillips , as his men brought cannon to the top of Mount Defiance in 1777 General Burgoyne led 7,800 British and Hessian forces south from Quebec in June 1777. After occupying nearby Fort Crown Point without opposition on June 30, he prepared to besiege Ticonderoga . Burgoyne realized
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