Submerged: The "1800 House" Tragedy

 "1800 House"

Edward Harris of Brooklyn, New York, was a chauffeur for noted New York City interior designer David Laurence Roth who owned a country home in Granville, Massachusetts. The home, which Roth used on the weekends, was known as the "1800 House." He purchased it on September 9, 1963, and furnished it in its original 19th-century style. In the sloping backyard was an in-ground pool hidden behind some bushes and trees. Roth also owned the antique shop in the barn next door.

Edward, his fiancée, Mrs. Carolyn Agnew, and her two children, Raymond and Roland, were at the estate on hot, steamy July 19, 1977. They reportedly stopped there on their way back to New York City from vacation. Trying to escape the soaring mercury, the two boys, who could not swim, were in the shallow end of the pool along with an unidentified boy, believed to be nine years old.

Sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m., Roland slipped into the deep end, and seeing he was in trouble, his older brother went to help. Edward, who couldn't swim, also attempted to help.

Carolyn, too, couldn't swim. She yelled for help as she ran to the front of the two-story, rambling colonial onto Main Road. 

Hearing her screams, a concerned neighbor(s) came to assist, but they were too late. They pulled the bodies of Edward, Raymond, and Roland out of the water. Carolyn and a neighbor tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the three, who were pronounced dead at the scene.

"1800 House" 

A rubber raft, possibly thrown into the pool by Carolyn before running for help, is credited with saving the unidentified nine-year-old boy.

Carolyn was shocked and taken to Noble Hospital, where she was treated and released.

David Laurence Roth

David Laurence Roth dressed the newly opened Champagne Room at Manhattan's El Morocco in 1966. Opened as a speakeasy in 1931, El Morocco was frequented by the rich and famous following Prohibition.

A stop at Roth's antique barn in Granville in 1964 shows that he had elegant French birdcages, an 18th-century harp, exquisite wood-carved antique furniture, and other fine items offered for sale. (Roth's antique barn was featured on the cover of Ford Motor Company's "Continental Magazine.")

Roth had one basic rule when remodeling an old building: he would not tear it apart or drastically change the architecture. Instead, he would restore it back to its original condition. An excellent example was his luxurious apartment on famed Park Avenue in New York City. Located inside a magnificent 19th-century Georgian mansion, Roth removed all the wood paneling and molding, restored the details, and put them back. 

David Laurence Roth died in 1989.