The name ‘Albero del Segnale’ (Italian for “Signal Tree”) comes from the Civil War, when a large chestnut tree on the corner of the property was used as a signal relay station for Union troops. From the top of the tree, troops had a direct line of sight both to the U.S. Capitol and to Maryland Heights, which is just across the Potomac River from Harper’s Ferry. An illustration in an 1866 issue of Harper’s Monthly Magazine depicted the signal tree, stripped of foliage, and outfitted with a series of ladders and platforms. Troops situated at the top of the tree were able to relay signals in both directions—hence, the name of the street. In digging a trench to run utility lines to the construction site, workmen inadvertently excavated the area where the blacksmith tent had stood a century-and-a-half earlier and uncovered a large horseshoe and a block of blacksmith coal. As you enter the property, you pass over a driveway apron consisting of centuries-old, repurposed cobblestones that came to this country from Europe as ballast on sailing ships and were then used to pave city streets. The driveway, surfaced with a tar-and-chip pavement, passes between two massive stone pillars capped by large, custom-made lanterns from Italy. The lanterns, the solid iron gates (which open and close via timers) and fencing, along with most of the exterior and interior ironwork, were made by Massimo Ubaldi, owner of Armonie d’Epoca, introducing the Old-World motif of the property. Massimo is a multi-generational Italian ironsmith whose business is located in Terni, a couple hours’ drive north of Rome.