x years old, and as
to the rest of the eastern front thirty-three, so that its newest part
was twice the age of Elizabeth herself.

Her grandfather's grandfather, the first lord of the manor, built
the southern portion in 1682, a date not far from that of the
erection of his upper house, called Philipse Castle, at what is now
Tarrytown,--but whether earlier or later, let the local historians
dispute. This southern portion comprised the entire south front, its
length running east and west, its width going back northward to, but
not including, the large east entrance-hall, into which opened the
southern door of the east front. The new part, attached to the
original house as the upright to the short, broad base of the
reversed L, was added by Elizabeth's grandfather, the second lord, in
1745. The addition, with the eastern section of the old part, was
thereafter the most used portion, and the south front yielded in
importance to the new east front. The two porched doors in the latter
front matched each other, though the southern one gave entrance to the
fine guests in silk and lace, ruffles and furbelows, who came up
from New York and the other great mansions of the county to grace
the frequent festivities of the Philipses; while the northern one led
to the spacious kitchen where means were used to make the aforesaid
guests feel that they had not arrived in vain.

The original house, rectangular as to its main part, had two gables,
and, against its rear or northern length, a pent-roofed wing, and
probably a veranda, the last covering the space later taken by the
east entrance-hall. The main original building, on its first floor,
had (and has) a wide entrance-hall in its middle, with one large
parlor on each side. The second floor, reached by staircase from the
lower hall, duplicated the first, there being a middle hall and two
great square chambers. Overhead, there was plentiful further room
beneath the gable roof. Under the western room of the first floor
was the earlier kitchen, which, before 1745, served in relation to
the guests who entered by the southern door exactly as thereafter
the new kitchen served in relation to those entering by the eastern
door,--making them glad they had come, by horse or coach, over the
long, bad, forest-bordered roads. Adjacent to the old kitchen was
abundant cellarage for the stowing of many and diverse covetable
things of the trading first lord's importation.

The Neperan joined the