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The Friends of Rockcliffe Mansion
invite you to be a part of the
ROCKCLIFFE MANSION CONSERVATION PROJECT
Launched November 2005
Because of the contributions, through gifts of time, talents and money,
a study and assessment of the interior finishes of this
turn-of-the-century mansion is underway. The information gathered from
this study will be used to create a long term preservation plan for the
Mansion's interior.
Included within the study will be an examination of painted surfaces to
determine the original colors and finishes utilized. These colors and
finishes will be brought back to restore the home to its original
splendor.
The goal of the entire study will serve as a guide to conserve the
integral original elements of the interior and restore/reinterpret
non-original features to produce a cohesive historic interior.
Thank you for being a part of this exciting conservation
project.
To learn more on how you can be a Friend of Rockcliffe, email
us.
Thank you,
The Friends of Rockcliffe Mansion and Tony Kartsanos,
Conservator
THE GARDENS OF ROCKCLIFFE RESTORATION PROJECT
Launched June 2007
To complement the ongoing work inside Rockcliffe, a sector of the Friends of Rockcliffe along with
youth from Kids in Motion and several Master Gardeners in Hannibal, decided to begin reclamation of
many of the original gardens and grounds of Rockcliffe Mansion. The grounds themselves are
historical, as designed by renowned Landscape Designer, O.C. Simonds, as you will see in the
following excerpt:
"Rockcliffe Mansion"
from "Nature as the Great Teacher": The Life and Work of Landscape Designer O.C. Simonds
by Barbara Geiger, copyright 1997
pages 89-91:
Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River, was a booming city in 1900. The childhood haunt of
author Samuel Clemens and an important river port, Hannibal was home to several millionaires who
sought to outdo one another in residential lavishness. Lumber baron John J. Cruikshank topped them
all. Buying the highest bluff in the area, Cruikshank had the site's existing mansion moved to the
west side of the property and hired Barnett, Haynes, and Barnett, cathedral architects from St.
Louis, to design a colossal brick home commanding a magnificent view of the Mississippi River and
surrounding hills to the south and east. He then hired O.C. Simonds, a prominent landscape gardener
from Chicago, to plan the grounds, reputedly spending $75,000 to implement the design.
The plan incorporated a series of gardens within concentric circles, the rings and borders of trees
and shrubs corresponding to the edges of terraces built to accommodate the extremely step property.
The large number of vines on the planting list covered Rockcliffe's almost vertical hillside. On the
lowest terrace, Simonds planted a vegetable garden and orchard. On the middle level and the areas
next to the house, he designed wooded walks following the hillside contours, opening onto
extraordinary vistas of the Mississippi and views far into Illinois. Simonds planed the grounds for
the other house on the property as well, as an integrated part of the complete design.
The planting list for Rockcliffe included many of the species he used in most of his residential
designs. Simonds's favorites included: spirea (especially van Houteii), Indian currants, sweet
briars, Rosa rugosa, and several viburnam species. He also used a few imported species-forsythia,
barberry, and buckthorn. Near the veranda he preferred lilacs, climbing roses, and honeysuckle for
their fragrance. To cover the steep slopes around Rockcliffe, its porches and large veranda, more
vines were planted than were typical of his projects. These included Virginia creeper, Japan Ivy,
wild grapes, clematis, climbing honeysuckle and roses, and matrimony vine (Lycium vulgare). The St.
Louis Post Dispatch called it the "finest country house in Missouri."
John Cruikshank died in 1924 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery atop another bluff that overlooked
Hannibal from the southeast, and from which Rockcliffe could easily be seen. Because he spent most
of his fortune building and furnishing his mansion, Cruikshank left little money to his widow. She
had Rockcliffe boarded up and then she moved next door to the relatively smaller house her husband
had relocated to make room for the new mansion. Except for youthful vandals, the house was left
alone, and the grounds, like the house, slowly deteriorated.
Sources:
Rockcliffe Mansion brochure, 1996
Nomination form, National Register of Historic Places; from the files of Roberta and Hurley Hagood
Rockcliffe Mansion, "Plan of the Grounds for Mr. John Cruikshank; O.C. Simonds and Company,
Landscape Gardeners, Chicago, Illinois, 1901," at Rockcliffe Mansion
On-site observations of author; Very little of the original planting remains as of 1996; some of the
walks and drives are in tact. Asphalt driveways and parking lots have been added for cars and tour
buses on the lower terrace levels since the house itself has been refurbished and is open for public
tours.
1901 Sunday St. Louis Post Dispatch supplement
Hagood, Roberta and Hurley. Hannibal Yesterdays. (Hannibal, Mo: Hannibal Free Public Library, 1992),
167-68.
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