The mansion was built in 1870 and has been the backdrop for many a strange political drama, especially related to its furniture. When former Gov. Marvin Mandel left the mansion in 1979, he famously took nearly all of its furniture, liquor and other supplies. An infuriated Gov. Harry Hughes demanded an investigation that dragged on for years before Mandel returned several items and paid $10,000 to the state in a settlement with Maryland’s attorney general.