t ground which she wished to dedicate
to the glory of God.

"The Highlands" many years later became the home of Admiral and Mrs.
Gary T. Grayson.

But to return to the old house which blocked Stoddert (Q) Street or Back
Street, as it was sometimes called. Mr. Nourse sold this house, his
Georgetown home, in 1813 to Charles Carroll, who gave it the name of
Bellevue, and thereafter always styled himself "of Bellevue." He was a
nephew of Daniel Carroll, of Duddington. He also was a great friend of
Mrs. Madison's, and helped her in her dramatic escape from the White
House when the British were on their way to burn and plunder it. There
has always been a story that Daniel Carroll brought her over the road to
Georgetown, crossing at the P Street bridge, and that she stopped by
Bellevue. There she is supposed to have met Mr. Madison whom she had not
seen since early morning. This was the day of the Battle of Bladensburg
when confusion reigned supreme. At the meeting Mr. and Mrs. Madison
agreed on the routes and rendezvous of retreat.

From old letters it seems that she continued on out of town to "Weston,"
the estate of Walter S. Chandler, which was situated near the present
junction of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. I can dimly remember
the quaint white, frame house and the legend of Dolly Madison being
there. She then went on to the encampment at Tenally Town, where she
slept in a tent that night under guard, and the next day crossed into
Virginia.

Mr. Carroll and his brother had not long before become owners of the
paper mill on Rock Creek just south of Bellevue, so that must have been
his reason for making it his home.

In 1820 he leased the place to Samuel Whitall, of Philadelphia, whose
wife was Lydia Newbold. Mr. Whitall was a distinguished-looking old
gentleman, and used to drive around in a high, two-wheeled gig, the last
of its kind in the town.

When Charles Carroll died in 1841, the place was bought by the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Whitall. A daughter, Sarah Whitall, was born at Bellevue in
1822 and lived there for over seventy years. She married Mr. Rittenhouse
of Philadelphia. The place remained in the Rittenhouse family until
1896, when they sold it to Howard Hinckley. In the intervening years,
its appearance had been greatly changed by a coat of plaster over the
old bricks, which Mr. Hinckley removed. It was very lovely, both inside
and out, during the years that Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley made it their home.