Friendship Hill pays tribute to Albert Gallatin
Scott Beveridge / O-R The scenic overlook to the Monongahela River at Friendship Hill
Scott Beveridge / O-R A statue of Albert Gallatin greets visitors to his country estate known as Friendship Hill in Fayette County.
Scott Beveridge / O-R Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Fayette County
Scott Beveridge / O-R A bedroom in the stone addition to Friendship Hill
POINT MARION – Early American statesman Albert Gallatin predicted that a new wave of immigrants in the late 18th century would flood an area not far from where he built his country estate on a ridge overlooking the Monongahela River in Fayette County.
Gallatin believed if a canal was constructed across Pennsylvania it would follow a route into Georges Creek, which spills into the Mon just south of New Geneva, where he established a glass factory and other industries, said Tom Markwardt, a ranger with the National Park Service, which operates the estate named Friendship Hill.
“He was hoping to form a new industrial village. His industries here did not take off,” said Markwardt, noting that the canal didn’t take shape near the sprawling mansion – a house that Gallatin didn’t like, either.
The former U.S. Treasury secretary under Presidents James Madison and Thomas Jefferson built a brick house here in 1789 before he wed the young Sophia Allegre, who died within months of their marriage and was believed to have been buried on the property in a grave marked by a stone wall. The house continued to be enlarged over the years, with the 2 1/2-story stone addition and a stone kitchen having been completed in the 1820s.
“He didn’t live there all that often,” Markwardt said.
Gallatin’s second wife, Hannah Nicholson, preferred city life over one spent in a location as remote as Friendship Hill near New Geneva, Markwardt added.
Congress awarded the property to the National Park Foundation in 1978 and renovations would not go into full swing until 1986, said park ranger Kitty Seifert. The mansion on a 675-acre park opened to the public Oct. 31, 1992, without it having any artifacts relating to Gallatin, who also served as a U.S. senator, she said.
“We try to focus on the evolution of Gallatin the man more than the house,” Markwardt said.
Gallatin in the modern world has largely been forgotten for his contributions to the young nation.
“He never made the big time,” Markwardt said. “He was the first U.S. senator voted out of office by his peers because of his foreign birth.”
Gallatin was born in Geneva on Jan. 29, 1761, and the park service believes he selected this site for Friendship Hill because it’s surrounded by rolling hills that reminded him of his homeland, Markwardt said.
Gallatin was a close adviser to presidents, including George Washington. He became a regarded figure in Southwestern Pennsylvania after he delivered an eloquent speech in 1794 that was credited with ending the Whiskey Rebellion as federal troops moved in on farmers who protested a national tax on the spirits they produced. Today the site of the speech on Whiskey Point is remembered on a state historical marker in downtown Monongahela.
The statesman went overseas in 1814 to negotiate the end of the War of 1812, and he paved the way to finance the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Louisiana Purchase.
Visitors to the mansion were only allowed to walk through a few rooms after the park first opened, but the open spaces since have grown to include a number of other rooms on the first floor and others on the second floor of the stone addition.
Seifert said the park service decided against furnishing the entire mansion in period pieces because there isn’t much documentation from Gallatin regarding his decorating style. Many of the fields on the property are being allowed to return to their native state because the land contained virgin timber at the time it was purchased by Gallatin, she said.
Today the house features a collection of Gallatin family artifacts through a donation from a descendant of his son, Albert Rolaz.
A lace collar that Hannah wore is on display in the mansion, along with a scent bottle she purchased in Paris. A china set she purchased for the house in Europe and Gallatin’s signet ring are also featured in the museum. The house at 223 New Geneva Road also holds 84 of his books.
In addition to the house, the property’s 10 miles of trails attract many visitors, Markwardt said.
“It is a beautiful setting,” he said.
As for the original furnishings, the park service does know that Gallatin wrote his brother-in-law requesting that the furniture be “built locally, cheap, but sturdy, and cherry, if possible,” Seifert said. In another letter he requested a dozen Windsor chairs for his house.
The park is free to enter daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May through September. The house is open on Saturdays and Sundays between October and April.
The events this year include the annual Festifal featuring historic crafts and music from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25.
Actors will give a talk about what was happening in 1816 when the park service hosts a program July 23 and 24 named “Mrs. Madison comes to visit.” Call the park, operated by Fort Necessity, closer to the dates for the times of the programs at 724-329-2500.