94 



THE BOROUGH OF THE BRONX 



exact age of the old mansion. One historian gives the date of its 

 erection as 1688, while others give much later years. 



Thomas Hunt, Sr., on conveying the "Planting Neck" prop- 

 erty to his son Thomas in 1698, and again executing a deed in 

 1718 — shortly after which he died — mentions his new dwelling 

 and orchard containing three acres. 



Traditions are numerous regarding the building of the old 

 mansion. It is said that when Hunt first began to erect the build- 

 ing, lumber commanded a very high price, as a result of a heavy 

 tax which had been levied upon building material, and he decided 

 to construct his of stone, of which there was an abundance in 





• 





Relics Found in Hunt's Mansion 



the neighborhood. Hardly had he put up the west wall, however, 

 when the tax was removed and he completed the building with 

 lumber. The girders and rafters used in its construction were 

 hewn from solid oak, while the laths used in the interior walls, 

 rough and irregular, were made of strips of ash. The chimneys 

 were built of the bricks brought over as ballast by the Dutch 

 traders. The ceilings are low, and the closets with which each 

 room is supplied open in two parts. The open fireplace in the 

 living room, without which no old mansion was perfect, is 

 crumbling away with age and is no longer used. Across the hall- 

 way is the kitchen. The last occupant replaced the Dutch oven 

 by a modern stove. 



