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Continued from Page Al berlin said, “Quite frankly, I was never allowed to talk about that.” These ladies live in this man sion thanks to the foresight of a woman who lived more than a hundred years ago. Hester Ann Chase Ridout established a trust in her 1886 will to provide a home for senior women. The ancestral home was to serve as “a retreat from the vicissitudes of life,” the will stated. Today, these and other wom en who get to call the mansion home; they routinely play bridge at the dining room table, or sit on the large upstairs porches and talk or read the newspaper. There is even a beauty salon upstairs, and the foundation es tablished to maintain the house pays for residents to have their hair done twice a month with out charge. Each day the group of ladies, as many as eight residents at times but only six at the mo ment, enjoy three staff-prepared meals a day in the lovely dining room. The Chase-Lloyd House at tracts a range of ladies, and the only qualification is that they be elderly. They are charged according to their ability to pay, said one of the foundation's di rectors, who declined to discuss finances in detail. Most of the women are from this area or have family who live nearby. Caroline Hovey, for example, was the wife of a college profes sor in Kentucky, but she has lived all over the world, from frigid Norway to steamy Africa. She wrote a monograph about some of the unusual features she observed in Somerset, Eng land. She has relatives in Anne Arundel County. Another lady who lives in the house, Rita Wohlfarth, is from New Jersey and is the widow of a ship builder. She has been on 29 cruises, she said. Mrs. Wohlfarth has lived at Chase Lloyd House for three years, a fact that she finds sur prising. “Is it really three?” she said. “It went so fast!” Also at the table was Anne Laie, who was born in New foundland but moved to New York, met and married a steel worker. She still remembers the fun they had going to Dodgers’ games and crossing the East River to Broadway, where she would “see all the shows.” Rounding out the sextet is Bette Weaver, a New Yorker who moved 49 times in 39 years as a Navy wife. Now, Chase Lloyd House provides her a safe harbor, and she has lived in the mansion for seven years. “I am holding down the fort here,” she said. Life at Chase-Lloyd While some people might be tempted to sit around and just enjoy life in Chase-Lloyd House, these women aren't gathering moss. Mrs. Laite, for example, plans to go with a seniors group to Las Vegas in September, and she frequents the senior center in Eastport. Mrs. Freit, an accomplished artist, also goes to the center, to craft ceramics and to paint. Sometimes the whole house packs up and goes to movies; when they’re not doing that, they like to rent videos to watch in the downstairs parlor, ac cording to house manager Toni Fearer. But, despite this wonderful setting and Hester Ann Chase Ridout’s best efforts, the vicis situdes of life do sometimes invade this oasis, and the Foun tain of Youth cannot be found in the beautiful gardens that surround the house. Some aging residents aren’t able to hear as well as they’d like, and others occasion ally have trouble putting their thoughts together. One resident, while having lunch, mistook the rumble of a passing bus for a terrorist at tack. The support that residents find among their colleagues at Chase Lloyd House came to the fore quickly. One of the ladies took the woman’s hand and as sured her that she was safe, and no one thought any less of her for being confused. Mary Heald, secretary of the house’s board and House Com mittee Chairman, said residents must be elderly but able-bodied. The house staff does not provide medical services, and residents sometimes have to leave to find more appropriate facilities to give them a greater level of care. “We are not a nursing home,” Mrs. Heald said. “It’s always sad when a lady has to leave here.” Up to eight women live in the house at once, but during the Great Depression, as many as 34 resided there at one time, Ms. Fearer said. Residents must be female and typically range in age from their 70s to early 90s, Ms. Fearer said. Most stay for eight to 10 years, but one recently left who was there for 17 years. Staff live in the house around the clock and the Chase-Lloyd House’s auxiliary, a group of volunteers, takes the ladies on outings and throws them holi day and birthday parties. While life at Chase-Lloyd House can’t prevent the inevi table, it does allow residents to live full lives. “I tried it first in an assisted living with 75 people. Then I went off and tried to live in an apartment, and that was too much for me,” Mrs. Weaver said. Among the things the ladies say they like most about Chase- Lloyd House is that they can entertain visitors, and can even have parties. Mrs. Weaver lost her husband in 1991, but it wasn’t until last October that she could bring herself to bury his ashes. “It took me a long time to part with him,” she said. After the burial in Arlington Cemetery, Mrs. Weaver had a party at Chase Lloyd House for her family and friends. She said that having family and friends around eased some of the pain. House privileges Each lady gets her own room on the second or third floor, and has a private bath and closet. An elevator makes it easier for any who have trouble climbing stairs. The ladies may bring their own furnishings, a significant point for many elderly residents. “She is an artist,” said Mrs. Freit’s daughter, Arnold psy chotherapist Gina Warren. “Her oil paintings hang in her room. And she has some of her cher ished possessions — her dresser, her breakfront, her sofa. Man, did that lady fight to hang onto her sofa.” The house The house was built by Samuel Chase, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Supreme Court justice. As an Annapolis lawyer, in 1769, he set out to erect a splen did three-story monument to his social standing. Chase began to run short of funds, though, and sold the un finished house to famed Eastern Shore planter Edward Lloyd IV, who owned thousands of acres of land and hundreds of slaves. Among his social circle Lloyd was called “Edward the Magnifi cent.” The Magnificent brought in William Buckland of Virginia, architect to the rich and famous, to finish the house in a manner worthy of its new owners. The result is a stately man sion with minutely-detailed paneling, mantels, doors and cornices and a carved marble mantle depicting Widsom be stowing knowledge on William Shakespeare. (Directly across Maryland Avenue from this mansion, Buckland designed the marvelous Hammond-Harwood House. The Lloyd fortunes waned and the Chase family bought the house back in the 1840s. One by one, the Chases died off, until the house belonged to Hester Ann Chase Ridout, widow of the Rev. Samuel Ridout Mrs. Ridout died in 1888 and left the house in trust for “des titute, aged, and infirm women” who need to “find a retreat from the vicissitudes of life.” She also left property to be managed (or sold) to support the home. Members of the public often ask to rent the house for wed dings, but that is out of the question because this is a home for living, breathing people, Ms. Fearer said. The house is open as a museum only a couple of hours each afternoon. Two descendants of the Lloyd family recently visited the house for the first time Deborah Bardash of Bowie and her daughter Sarah, 14, stood looking at the high ceil ings, the ornate moldings, the heart pine floors. “This is beau tiful!” Ms. Bordash said. “Oh, so pretty!” Sarah echoed. Ms. Bordash said she learned that she was a descendent of the Lloyds while doing genealogy. “I want to live here,” she said with a mock pout. Of course, Ms. Bardash may be a bona fide descendent of The Magnificent, but she'll have to wait several decades to become a lady of Chase-Lloyd House. ekelly@capitalgazette.com AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT POWER LINES AND TREES Will the trees you plant become a growing danger around power lines? Planting shade trees is a good idea. They’re attractive and can reduce your heating and cooling costs up to 25%. When planting trees around power lines, however, BGE reminds you to think ahead. Remember, trees grow. Dead or unhealthy trees can pose a risk to power lines. Branches or even an old tree can fall on lines during wind or ice storms causing power outages and exposing high voltage wires. Tall trees also allow people who climb or work in trees to get dangerously close to live wires. For these reason, BGE recommends that trees planted close to power lines should be 25 feet tall or less at maturity. Redbud, dogwood, and crabapple are excellent choices. For taller trees, check the planting zone chart at the right to determine a safe distance from power lines. 40 70 50 40 30 20 For a planting guide and more information visit bge.com www.bge.com DISTANCE FROM POWER POLE A Constellation Energy Company
Newspaper Details
Annapolis Sunday Capital
Annapolis, Maryland, US
Sun, Jul 17, 2005
Page 7
Full Page
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USA 21 Jun 2026
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