09-25-2022 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 34
The enclosed porch at 29 Upshur Road.
Lisa Mendenhall and Jeremiah Boyd, a recent Naval Academy graduate along with Leo the
dog, on the porch.
never considered that the chance to live in one
would be within my grasp,” said Bates, a 1995
graduate. “Now, to sit on the front porch and
watch the crew team run by is pretty cool. I
hope that, in a few years, they are doing the
same as me.”
The home flaunts its vintage past: a clawfoot bathtub, ornate brass doorknobs and
elegant hinges and moldings. There’s a back
stairway leading to onetime servants’ quarters
and a swinging door with glass windows, off
the kitchen, which allowed the dining staff to
gauge each course without intruding. There
are creaks and squeaks but no ghost stories
to tell.
“Before our family moved in, I was here by
myself and, going down the stairs [at twilight],
I turned quickly and saw something the size
of a human head that seemed to be following,”
Bates said. “It was one of the large finials [balls]
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| CAPITAL STYLE | Fall 2022
on top of the posts on the staircase.”
The porch overlooks Warden Field,
hallowed site of ceremonial pomp. Visiting the
Academy in 1907, Mark Twain sat here, cigar
in hand, and reviewed the parade of Midshipmen that still march by at traditional times
each year.
“Some folks think that living on The Yard
[Academy grounds] is like living in a fishbowl,
but we don’t see it that way,” said Bates.
“It’s like living a dream,” his wife said.
While it took the family several months to
furnish the house, when they move (Bates can
retire in two years), what will become of all of
their stuff?
“We might have a big Facebook Marketplace
party,” Jennifer Bates said.
A garage sale isn’t likely.
“Strange as it sounds, there are no yard sales
on The Yard,” her husband said.
An exterior of the century-plus home
at 45 Rodgers Road. The home is one of
many on the Naval Academy grounds that
were built between 1890 and 1910 and are
among the oldest on campus.
‘Stepping into a piece of history’
When Capt. Greg Mendenhall and his wife,
Lisa, moved into the house at 45 Rodgers Road
three years ago, they could hardly get past the
front door. The entrance is so imposing that
they had to stop and marvel.
“It’s this massive, beautiful wooden door,
almost 4 feet wide,” Lisa Mendenhall said.
Their belongings easily fit through. Once
inside, the couple felt they’d stepped into a time
warp, with the lofty ceilings, dizzying staircase,
seven fireplaces, servants’ entry and other nods
to a Downton Abbey setting. Not to mention
the engraved plate on the wall naming those
who’d come before.
“We felt such awe and humility, like we were
stepping into a piece of history,” she recalled.
“You can easily throw yourself back to another
era in time.”