Uses of The Mansion
After Ralston's death, the estate passed to his former business partner, United States Senator from Nevada William Sharon, whose family lived in the house. Sharon's daughter Flora's wedding to Englishman Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Baronet, of Rufford was one of the last elaborate social events of the time, taking place in the mansion's ballroom. After Senator Sharon's death in 1885, the mansion became Radcliffe Hall, a girls' finishing school. From 1900 to 1922, it was the Gardner Sanitarium.
Since 1922, Ralston Hall has been on the campus Notre Dame de Namur University, formerly the College of Notre Dame. It contains the admissions office and is rented out for society weddings and other occasions.
A few of the notable persons who have been entertained at Ralston Hall include:
- President Ulysses S. Grant
- Admiral David Farragut
- Leland Stanford
- Mark Hopkins
Read more about this topic: Ralston Hall
Famous quotes containing the word mansion:
“Look,
I draw the sword myself; take it, and hit
The innocent mansion of my love, my heart.
Fear not, ‘tis empty of all things but grief.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)