“Tregaron was a place of dreams for us and your efforts are nurturing those experiences for today’s children.” – Paul Fuqua
Paul writes:
My father was a U.S. Army officer stationed during the 50’s in the Washington, D.C. area. From 1952-1957 we lived at 3306 Ross Place, on the northern side of Macomb Street, a stone’s throw from [Tregaron].
Tregaron was our playground. I remember running on the then decently-maintained bridle path, capturing crawfish in the stream and experiencing a sense of wonderment at the variety of wildlife. We played every kind of game kids could in the woods, built lean-tos from fallen branches, explored the entirety of the grounds, splashed in the creek and peered inquisitively at the grand house atop the hill.
Perhaps the greatest events were snowfalls. It seemed that the entirety of Cleveland Park would climb the road from Macomb Street to the base of the house where we staged ourselves on the road to ride our sleds down the slopes of the two golf holes there [at the time]. To the right of the house was a long, straight slope just off the path. To its left, from the top, was the ultimate challenge, a short steep slope to a flat green, a launch over a bunker onto another severe slope. That was a fearsome ride and many a kid in the ’50s suffered all manner of minor injuries when tackling the “double bumper” as we termed it.
These were and are priceless memories and I thank the Conservancy for maintaining, as best it can, the integrity of the grounds and the history of the estate.