Over all of that which has here been described so imperfectly there hangs an indescribable atmosphere of mystery. There are questions of construction suggested by the unsymmetrical measurements which appeal to both the architect and the antiquarian and which can be answered only by such an examination as is now impracticable. There are, or were, well-authenticated secret closets or passageways whose whereabouts have been lost. There is a strong belief among some of the most careful students of the buildings that the Philipse family did not take away all of their belongings, and that hidden somewhere in the mysterious recesses of this ancient pile are relics of the departed glory of Philipse Manor which would shed a flood of new light on the history of this picturesque and famous monument to two and a quarter centuries of our social and political life. When the building passes into the physical custody of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, an effort will be made to solve these mysteries.

Chapter XIII. Philipse Manor in Literature.

The Philipse family, Philipse Manor at large, and Philipse Manor Hall in particular occupy conspicuous places in the original contemporary records of the colony and State down to about 1785; in the secondary histories of New York City and Westchester county written since that date; and in a growing number of works of fiction. The Manor Hall is mentioned in European guide books for tourists to America and also in Baedeker's "United States."

Perhaps the best work of fiction dealing directly with the Manor Hall is "The Continental Dragoon: A Love Story of Philipse Manor House in 1778," by Robert Neilson Stephens. An interesting story for children is "A Loyal Little Maid" by Edith Robinson, but it cannot be relied on for historical accuracy. Judge

T. Astley Atkins, of Yonkers, the delightful antiquarian, has in manuscript some twenty-five chapters of legends of the vicinity which it is to be hoped will be printed. The following by him may be found in the Yonkers, N. Y., "Statesman" (newspaper:) 'Legend of the Manor Well," May 24, 1890; "Mile Square Legends," September 24, 1890; "A Legend of the Manor: The Secret Closet," May 29, 1891; and "A Legend of the Nepperhan," October 9, 1891.

The best work of fiction dealing with the Manor at large during the Revolution is "The Spy," by J. Fenimore Cooper, a tale of the Neutral Ground in 1780. Sabine, in his "American Loyalists," and other authors have suggested that Mary Philipse was the prototype of the heroine, Frances Wharton. This can hardly have been the case, as Mary Philipse had been married twenty-two years at the period of the story. It is not unlikely, however, that the political situation of the Philipse family suggested some features of the plot, but the author has so skillfully located the scene elsewhere and taken such license with historical facts that he cannot. be charged with having portrayed any member of the Manor Hall family. A like similarity may be detected between the clandestine maritime ventures of a character in Cooper's "Water Witch" (period 171-) and the alleged traffic of the first Lord of the Manor with privateersmen and pirates, but by giving his character the title of the Patroon of Kinderhook, locating his seat farther up the river, and making the period subsequent to the first Lord Philipse's death, he must be acquitted of an attempt to portray the latter worthy, however well he may have depicted the customs of the times. A sequel to Cooper's "Spy" will be found in "The Spy Unmasked," by II. L. Barnum. For a short story of conditions in the Manor at large in the Revolution, nothing is more delightful than Irving's "Wolfert's Roost." Roe's "Near to Nature's Heart" may also be read with pleasure.

Among the historical and descriptive works of primary or secondary value which have been consulted in the preparation of the foregoing pages may be mentioned the following, although some of the statements of the secondary authorities have not always been adopted:

Allison, Charles E.: "History of Yonkers."

Atkins, Thomas A., and Oliver, John W.: "Yonkers in the
Rebellion."

Baker, William S.: "Itinerary of General Washington."
Bolton, Robert: "History of Westchester County."

Brodhead, John Romeyn: "History of New Netherland."
Cole, David: "History of Yonkers."

Dawson, Henry B.: "Westchester County in the Revolution."
Dunlap, William: "History of New York."

De Lancey, E. F.: "History of Manors in the Province of New
York."

Dwight, Timothy: "Travels in New England and New York."
Edsall, Thomas H.: "History of King's Bridge."
Ellet, Mrs.: "Domestic History of the Revolution."
Force, Peter: "American Archives."

Ford, Worthington C.: “ Writings of George Washington."

Gleig, George Robert: "A Day on the Neutral Ground" in his "Chelsea Pensioners."

Hall, Charles S.: "Life and Letters of Gen. Samuel H. Parsons." Harland, Marian: "Some Colonial Homesteads and Their Stories."

Heath, William: "Memoirs of the American War."

Hodge, Fred'k W.: "Hand Book of American Indians" (Bureau of American Ethnology).

Hodges, Elizabeth: "Some Ancient English Homes."

Irving, Washington: "Life of Washington."

Johnston, Henry P.: "Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay."

Jones, Thomas: "History of New York in the Revolution." Lamb, Martha: Article in Appleton's Journal, Vol. X, p. 385. Lossing, Benson J.: "Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution."

Lossing, Benson J.: "The Hudson from the Wilderness to the Sea."

Lossing, Benson J.: Article in Harper's Magazine, Vol. LII, p. 642.

Magazine of American History: Various volumes.

Manuscript Log Books, etc., in the Records Office, London, Eng. Manuscript Dutch record in State Library at Albany, N. Y. Moore, Frank: "Diary of the American Revolution."

New England Genealogical Register, Vol. X, pp. 25–28. New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 9, pp. 120124.

O'Callaghan, E. B.: " Documents Relative to the Colonial History of New York."

O'Callaghan, E. B.: "Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses were issued by the Secretary of State of the Province of New York previous to 1784."

Pattison, Maj.-Gen. James: "Official Letters," N. Y, Historical Society Collections.

Quarterly Review, Vol. 207, pp. 129-152. “The English Manor." Ruttenber, E. M.: "History of the Indian Tribes of the Hudson River."

Ruttenber, E. M.: "Obstructions to the Navigation of the Hudson River."

Sabine, Lorenzo: "Loyalists of the American Revolution."

Scharf, J. Thomas: "History of Westchester County."

Shonnard, Fred'k, and Spooner, W. W.: "History of Westchester County."

Simcoe, Lieut.-Col. J. G.: "Military Journal."

Sparks, Jared: "Life of Washington."

Tooker, Wm. W.: "The Algonkian Series."

Valentine, D. F.: "Corporation Manuals of the City of New York."

Van der Donck, Adrian: "History of New Netherland," New York Historical Society Collection.

Vinogradoff, P. G.: "The Growth of the Manor."

Watson, John F.: "Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State in Olden Time."