See yesterday's post for some breathtaking exterior shots of Rockcliffe Mansion.
Here is a exert of the mansion's history:
"High on top a
rocky knoll in Hannibal, Missouri sits an enormous house, a house
constructed solely to fulfill a man's dream. He wanted a house to richly
display the finest woods and furnishings money could buy, yet one that would
emanate warmth and a feeling of quiet dignity. His dream became a reality in
the year 1900 and the family, consisting of his wife and four daughters, moved
in, residing there until his death in 1924. At that time, the family vacated
the house and it was boarded up for 43 years. Two weeks before the once lovely
home was to be razed, leaving nothing but memories amid the rubble, it was
saved by three local families and restored to the beauty of its historical
past.
Inside, the families found, under the crust of years of soot and grime,
gigantic rooms and halls with palladium windows and 10 carved marble and tile
fireplaces. Rockcliffe, as the home became known, was built by a lumber baron,
Mr. John J. Cruikshank, who had supplied as building materials only the finest
quality walnut, oak and mahogany that could be found. With the double brick
wall construction and the innovative designing by Barnett, Haynes, and Barnett
of St. Louis, this particular home was far more solid after 75 years than most
homes built today."
The Moorish Room
Butler's Pantry
The 3rd Floor Ballroom
The 3rd Floor School Room
