Nice pictures and video. I was at the site this morning while on retreat. Do you know if there was any structure atop the bluff during the civil war where the retreat house now stands, or was that area just open?
I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question. My gut says that there was not anything at that specific location on the bluff, but there were housed in the area. Thomas Jones had a house not too far away from where Loyola is now called Ravenscliff. It was on the bluffs overlooking the Potomac. Many of the houses on the cliffs served as Confederate safe houses or were part of the Confederate mail line. I would recommend Thomas Jones’ book J. Wilkes Booth for more about the secret line in Maryland. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Dave Taylor
LincolnConspirators.com 
Nice pictures and video. I was at the site this morning while on retreat. Do you know if there was any structure atop the bluff during the civil war where the retreat house now stands, or was that area just open?
Ed,
I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question. My gut says that there was not anything at that specific location on the bluff, but there were housed in the area. Thomas Jones had a house not too far away from where Loyola is now called Ravenscliff. It was on the bluffs overlooking the Potomac. Many of the houses on the cliffs served as Confederate safe houses or were part of the Confederate mail line. I would recommend Thomas Jones’ book J. Wilkes Booth for more about the secret line in Maryland. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Dave Taylor