Staunton, Virginia
This house served as the Presbyterian Manse at the time of Wilson's birth and boyhood. Now a national shrine and mecca for visitors from all over the world.
This postcard is unused.
- - - - - - -
The Woodrow Wilson Birthplace is referred to as The Manse, which is the name of a Presbyterian minister's home. The Manse was constructed in 1846 by the Staunton First Presbyterian Church. It has twelve rooms with twelve fireplaces. The Wilson family moved into the house in 1855 and Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in what is now called the "birth room" on December 28, 1856. The Wilsons left The Manse in early 1858.
After the Wilsons moved out of The Manse it remained a Presybterian minister's home well into the 1920s. It was only after Woodrow Wilson's death that his widow, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, returned to Staunton with plans of creating a memorial. The house was restored to its 1850s look over the next 80 years, which included removing bathrooms, changing light fixtures, and stripping paint. Recently The Manse was restored to its original red brick, having been painted white for almost a century.
It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Shown on the postcard is also the Woodrow Wilson presidential car, a Pierce Arrow limousine.
No comments:
Post a Comment