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Title: A Portrait of Old George Town
Author: Peter, Grace Dunlop
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "A Portrait of Old George Town" ***
[Illustration: MAP _of_ GEORGE TOWN]
_A PORTRAIT_
_OF_
_OLD GEORGE TOWN_
[Illustration: EARLY GEORGE TOWN]
A Portrait of
Old George Town
BY
GRACE DUNLOP ECKER
[Illustration]
_1951_
THE DIETZ PRESS, INCORPORATED
_Richmond, Virginia_
COPYRIGHT, 1951
BY
GRACE G. D. PETER
SECOND EDITION
Revised and Enlarged
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF
MY FATHER AND MOTHER
GEORGE THOMAS AND EMILY REDIN DUNLOP
AND
MY AUNT, ELLEN DUNLOP
ALL THREE OF WHOM LIVED LONG, USEFUL
AND UNSELFISH LIVES
IN GEORGETOWN
GEORGE TOWN GHOSTS
_By_ WILLIAM TIPTON TABLOTT
_The ghosts of Georgetown when they meet
In haunted house or moonlit street
With pride recall the functions gay
When down the Philadelphia way
The Federal City overnight
Moved to its bare and swampy site,
For Georgetown then a busy mart,
A growing seaport from the start,
Where a whole-hearted spirit reigned,
Threw wide its doors, and entertained
With wines and viands of the best--
The Federal City was its guest._
_In memory of the good old days,
Whose ways to them were modern ways,
Congenial ghosts across Rock Creek,
With formal bows and steps antique,
Rehearse a spectral minuet
Where once in bright assemblies met--
Beruffled belles looked love to beaus
In powdered wigs and faultless hose;
Or merchant ghosts survey the skies
And venture guesses weatherwise
Regarding winds that will prevail
To speed their ships about to sail._
_Still in the shaded hillside streets
A trace of old-time welcome greets
The passer-by who has a flare
For scenes of old. No longer there
A buoyant Georgetown stands alone,
The Federal City having grown
Until their boundaries overlap;
So that, deleted from the map,
Though once the Federal City's host,
Georgetown itself is now a ghost._
_Foreword_
It is not at all in my mind to write a history of Georgetown. Several
have been written, but I do want, very, very much, to paint a portrait
of this dear old town of my birth where my parents, my grandparents,
great-grandfathers and one great-great-grandfather lived, and which I
love so dearly.
A portrait, partly of its physical features, its streets, its houses and
gardens, some of which still exist in their pristine glory but, alas,
many of which have gone the way of so-called progress. In place of the
dignified houses of yore, of real architectural beauty, stand rows of
cheap dwellings or stores, erected mostly in the seventies and eighties
when architecture was at its worst. In 1895 it was that the old names of
the streets were taken away and from then on we've been just an adjunct
of Washington.
Not only of its physical side do I wish to tell, but I want to paint a
picture of the kind of people who lived here, from the beginning up
through the gay nineties--nearly one hundred and fifty years. Of the
kind of things they did, their work, their play, their thoughts and
their beliefs, for the character of the town, like human beings, was
formed largely by their beliefs, and these old Scotsmen--for they were
greatly in the majority--laid a great deal of stress on their
Presbyterian form of Christianity. Witness the oath that had to be taken
by the Flour Inspector on February 24, 1772: "I, Thomas Brannan, do
declare that I do believe that there is not any trnsubstantiation in
the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or in the elements of bread and
wine, at or after the consecration thereof by any person whatsoever."
And yet, with this strong prejudice, they coöperated and lived on
friendly terms with the Roman Catholics who, very soon after the taking
of this particular oath, founded their college and established their
convent for teaching young girls.
Dr. Balch counselled well when he besought his people: "Let us resolve
to be social rather than fashionable, and generous instead of
extravagant."
All down through the years and to this day I think that has been the
hall-mark of the real Georgetonian. A great deal of fashion has come to
Georgetown, as in the early days of the bringing of the government when
Washington City was a waste and almost entirely one big mud puddle, and
the foreign ministers and many high in our government sought the comfort
and dignity of this town, which was then far from young.
Again in later years there has been an exodus across Rock Creek of men
and women high in the government; in the diplomatic corps; in industry;
in literature and the arts; lured hither by the quiet dignity of the
old-time atmosphere.
There are today living in Georgetown descendants of nearly every one of
the original makers of the town, and all through these years the old
friendships still persist and flourish.
* * * * *
It is impossible for me to express my thanks to all the people who have
helped me and made it possible to write this book. I want to mention
Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor; Miss Williams of the Peabody Room of the
Georgetown Branch of the Public Library; Miss McPherson and Mr. John
Beverley Riggs of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress;
Mr. Meredith Colket and Mr. O. W. Holmes of the National Archives; Dr.
H. Paul Caemmerer, Secretary of the Commission of Fine Arts; Miss
Pennybaker, of the Real Estate and Columbia Title Insurance Company; the
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and Mr. C. C. Wall, Superintendent of
Mount Vernon. Also the various people who did the typing and helped
secure the photographs.
And last but not least the friends of the old regime who have given to
me freely of the history and traditions of their ancestors. They are too
many to name, but to each one I owe a real debt of gratitude. Especially
to one, my life-long friend, am I indebted. Without her unceasing
interest and encouragement this Portrait might never have been done.
GRACE GLASGOW DUNLOP ECKER.
CONTENTS
_Page_
DEDICATION v
GEORGE TOWN GHOSTS vii
FOREWORD ix
_Chapter_
I. BEGINNINGS OF A TOWN 3
II. THE ORIGINAL TOWN AND ITS PEOPLE 13
III. THE TAVERNS, SHOPS, AND SCHOOLS 24
IV. THE STREETS OF GEORGE TOWN AND SOME OF THE
HAPPENINGS 40
V. WASHINGTON AND L'ENFANT IN GEORGE TOWN 51
VI. BELOW BRIDGE STREET 65
VII. ALONG BRIDGE (M) STREET 80
VIII. HIGH STREET, PROSPECT AVENUE, THE COLLEGE, THE
CONVENT, AND THE THRELKELDS 104
IX. ALONG FIRST STREET (N) FROM COX'S ROW TO HIGH
STREET (WISCONSIN AVE.) 125
X. GAY (N) STREET--EAST TO ROCK CREEK 135
XI. THE THREE PHILANTHROPISTS 161
XII. THE SEMINARY, WASHINGTON (30TH) STREET AND
DUMBARTON AVENUE 179
XIII. THIRD STREET, BEALL (O) STREET, WEST (P) STREET 208
XIV. STODDERT (Q) STREET 224
XV. TUDOR PLACE AND CONGRESS (31ST) STREET 261
XVI. EVERMAY, THE HEIGHTS AND OAK HILL 281
BIBLIOGRAPHY 311
INDEX 313
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Early George Town _Frontispiece_
PAGE
Rev. James McVean 6
Henry Foxall 73
Home of Henry Foxall 75
Old Presbyterian Church 84
General James Maccubbin Lingan }
}
Benjamin Stoddert } 88
}
Uriah Forrest }
William Marbury 94
Philip Barton Key }
} 96
Mrs. Philip Barton Key (Elizabeth Plater) }
Home of Francis Scott Key 100
Francis Scott Key 102
Benjamin Stoddert's House 110
Home of Dr. Charles Worthington 114
John Threlkeld 122
Colonel John Cox 124
Old Dr. Riley's House 139
3017 N Street. The House that Thomas Beall Built 145
John Laird }
} 147
James Dunlop, Senior }
Major George Peter }
}
Judge James Dunlop } 152
}
William Redin }
Edward Magruder Linthicum 162
William Wilson Corcoran 164
George Peabody 175
Miss Lydia English 184
Dr. Grafton Tyler 188
Home of Judge Henry Henley Chapman 193
Old McKenney House 195
St. John's Church 198
Bodisco House 203
Christ Church 211
Washington Bowie 223
The Sevier House (Built by Washington Bowie) 225
The George T. Dunlop House 228
Home of Francis Dodge 231
Francis Dodge, Senior 233
The Sons of Francis Dodge, 1878 238
William A. Gordon 249
Dumbarton House 255
Tudor Place 260
Thomas Peter 262
Mrs. Thomas Peter (Martha Parke Custis) 264
Lloyd Beall 278
The Old Mackall House 285
Home of Brooke Williams 290
Madame Bodisco 294
Mount Hope. The William Robinson House 296
The Oaks (Now Dumbarton Oaks) }
} 300
Montrose }
William Hammond Dorsey 302
_A PORTRAIT_
_OF_
_OLD GEORGE TOWN_
Chapter I
_Beginnings of a Town_
There are many Georgetowns up and down the Atlantic seaboard in the
original thirteen colonies, and even one in Kentucky, much like the
Jamestowns and Charlestowns and Williamsburgs named for the sovereign of
the time, but this George Town of which I write was in Maryland on the
Potomac River, and because it was situated at the head of tidewater of
that great river, it became important on account of the great amount of
tobacco grown in that area and brought to this point to be carried
across the seas.
The earliest knowledge we have of this region, which has become The
Capital City of the great United States of America, concerns the Indians
who were living here when the white explorers came.
The first of these we know of was the redoubtable Captain John Smith,
who, in 1608, came up the Potomac River and made a map of his travels.
He tells us in his _Historie of Virginie_ of "the mildness of the aire,
the fertilitie of the soil, and the situation of the rivers to the
nature and use of man as no place more convenient for pleasure, profit
and man's sustenance." He was referring to the confluence of the Potomac
with its Eastern Branch and the then good-sized Rock Creek.
In 1634 another Englishman, Henry Fleete, sailed up the river as far as
the Little Falls, trading furs with the Indians. Thus he wrote of the
site of George Town:
"Monday, the 25th of June, we set sail for the Town of Tohoga,
where we came to anchor two leagues short of the falls: this place
is without question the most pleasant in all this country and most
convenient for habitation; the air temperate in summer and not
violent in winter. The river aboundeth in all manner of fish, and
for deer, buffalos, bears and turkeys, the woods do swarm with them
and the soil is exceedingly fertile."
Henry Fleete remained with the Indians about twelve years, whether of
his own free will or as a captive is not quite certain, but evidently
this writing of his was to good purpose, for, in the next decade, small
parties of Scots and Irish began settling on the Potomac at the mouth of
Rock Creek.
The Indians whom these white men found here belonged to the Algonquin
Nation, which included many tribes. Thomas Jefferson says there were
probably forty of these tribes between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Potomac River. The tribe living within the limits of the present
District of Columbia was the Nacotchankes or Anacostians, as the British
called them, hence, the name given to the Eastern branch of the Potomac,
where the largest village was situated, near what is now called Benning.
West of Rock Creek was the village of Tohoga, on the site of what became
George Town.
The Indian families lived on cultivated farms of a few acres, each
strung out along the river. From it came a large part of their food,
and, of course, it was their best mode of communication by canoe.
The most interesting activity of these Indians was the manufacture of
all manner of tools from the stones which they found in the surrounding
hills. These cobblestones had been washed down by the river ages before.
In later years they paved the streets of Georgetown, but these Indians
used them to form arrow-darts, knives, spear points, scrapers, and
drills of all sizes. Traces of these quarries were found as late as
1900; the largest of them seems to have been on Piney Branch, where it
is crossed by 16th Street. It is now obliterated.
There was, also, in this region, soapstone, and from it and from clay,
the Indians made pots and vessels for household use.
Scientists think that other tribes came from far away to barter their
goods for these implements, and so, over three hundred years ago, this
place was a sort of metropolis for the Indians.
It was, of course, by way of the river that the settlers came to this
region after the grant of the Colony of Maryland to Lord Baltimore as
Lord Proprietor. This colony of Maryland differed from the other
colonies in the fact that all the land was the property of Lord
Baltimore, to give or sell as he pleased. Another difference was the
establishment of the Manorial System, by which the owner of one thousand
acres or more became Lord of his Manor. (It was almost like the Feudal
System.)
In 1703 a grant of 795 acres was made to Ninian Beall, beginning thus:
"Charles, Absolute Lord and Proprietor of the Province of
Maryland....
Know yee that for and in consideration that Ninian Beall of Prince
Georges County had due unto him 795 acres of land within our
Province....
[Illustration: REV. JAMES McVEAN (See Chapter XI)]
We do therefore grant unto him the said Ninian Beall all that tract
or parcell of land called Rock of Dunbarton, lying in the said
County, beginning at the Southwest corner Tree, of a tract of land
taken for Robert Mason standing by Potomack River side at the mouth
of Rock Creek....
To have and to hold the same unto him the said Ninian Beall, his
heirs and assignees forever to be holden of us and our heirs as of
our manor of Calverton in free and Common Soccage by fealty only
for all manner of services yielding and paying therefor yearly unto
us and our heirs at our receipt at the City of St. Maries at the
two most usual feasts in the year--at the feast of Annunciacion
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangell by even
and equal porcions the rent of one pound eleven shillings and nine
pence half penny sterling silver or gold....
Given under our Greater Seal of Armes, this eighteenth day of
November, one thousand seven hundred and three, witness our trusty
and well beloved Colonel Henry Darnell, keeper of our said Greater
Seale in our said Province of Maryland."
Colonel Ninian Beall lived a long and interesting life. He had been born
in Largo, Fifes Shire, Scotland, in 1625. There he had been an officer
in the Scottish-English Army, which fought for the Stuarts' Army against
Cromwell; he was made a prisoner at the battle of Dunbar, September 3,
1650, and sentenced to five years servitude in the Barbadoes, West
Indies. Many gentlemen were so sentenced as political prisoners and sent
out as industrial servants at that time. He was eventually sent to
Maryland, where, after completing his term of servitude, he proved his
right to 50 acres of land and received many hundreds more for bringing
out immigrants and settling there.
He held many notable and honorable offices in the colony, and, in 1699,
the General Assembly passed an Act of Gratitude for the distinguished
Indian services of Colonel Ninian Beall.
As he was Commander in Chief of the Provincial Forces in Maryland, he
probably visited the garrison at the Falls and so knew this region long
before he was granted this tract of the Rock of Dunbarton. He previously
had procured 225 acres on the east side of Rock Creek just opposite,
called Beall's Levels.
Ninian Beall died in 1717 at his home, Fifer Largo, near Upper Marlboro,
Maryland. From a description of him in the Records of the Columbia
Historical Society:
... "He had a complexion characteristic of his nationality, with an
unusually heavy growth of long red hair, and was over six feet in
height, powerful in brawn and muscle and phenomenal in physical
endurance."
He had twelve children, six sons and six daughters. In his will is
recorded:
"I do give and bequeath unto my son George, my plantation and tract
of land called the Rock of Dunbarton, lying and being at Rock
Creek, containing four hundred and eight acres, with all the stock
thereon, both cattle and hogs, them and their increase, unto my
said son, George, and unto his heirs forever.
"I do also give and bequeath, unto my said son, George Beall, his
choice of one of my feather beds, bolster and pillow and other
furniture thereunto belonging, with two cows and calves and half my
sheep from off this plantation I now live on, unto him and his
heirs forever."
This son, George, was the eighth child of Ninian Beall. He had a son,
Thomas, who always styled himself Thomas Beall of George; of him we
shall hear more later on. The family was not limited to these, for many
other Bealls, men and women, appear in the annals of George Town.
George Gordon, the other of the two original proprietors of the lands
which became George Town, was also a Scotsman and had a share in a
manufacture at Leith, near Edinburgh, so it is evident that, when he
came to this country, he had means which he invested in Prince Georges
County and Frederick County, Maryland. He held the office of Sheriff of
Frederick County and was a judge of the first County Court.
A deed to Gordon from James Smith, "planter," is dated November 13,
1734. In it, George Gordon is described as "merchant." The tract
conveyed was one hundred acres, known as "Knaves' Disappointment," a
part of three hundred acres called his Rock Creek Plantation. The
consideration was one hundred pounds sterling or about five hundred
dollars.
It is thought that the original Inspection House of George Gordon was
built of logs not far from the mouth of Rock Creek, fronting on the
Potomac, somewhere between 1734 and 1748. The main inspection house was
built later on "the warehouse lot," an acre close to the southwest
intersection of Falls and Water Streets (M Street and Wisconsin Avenue).
He resided nearby at the site of 3206 M. Street. Later on, in 1745,
George Gordon bought an estate for a permanent home; it is thought to
have been near Holy Rood Cemetery or near the Industrial Home School on
Wisconsin Avenue. After the death of his wife, George Gordon left his
Rock Creek Plantation, and went to live at "Woodyard" with Stephen West.
The will of George Gordon is dated May 10, 1766. At the time of his
death he had a son, John, and a daughter, who had married Tobias Belt.
To his son, John, "mariner," who was in the East India service, he
devised the dwelling house at Rock Creek Plantation on Goose Creek and
the waterside lot in Georgetown numbered 75.
In those days tobacco was, of course, the big crop, and an English
writer called it "the meat, drink, clothing, and money of the
colonists." Regulations were very strict in regard to the exportation of
tobacco.
Inspection houses for tobacco such as that of George Gordon were also
called Rolling Houses, from the fact that the hogsheads of tobacco had a
hole bored in each head and an axle run through from one end to another.
To this axle a shaft was attached, and drawn by a horse or an ox, so
rolled along over the rough roads of that time to their destinations.
Here was the one place in Frederick County for inspection; here was a
natural site for a town, and so came the demand for one.
On June 8, 1751 the Assembly of the Province of Maryland appointed
commissioners to lay out a town here in the county of Frederick, which
had been formed in 1748 from Prince Georges County. The first appointed
were: Captain Henry Wright Crabb, Masters John Needham, James Perrie,
Samuel Magruder III, Josiah Beall, David Lynn. Appointed as their
successors from time to time as vacancies occurred, were: Andrew Heugh,
1754; Robert Peter, 1757; John Murdock, 1766; Thomas Richardson, 1772;
William Deakins, Jr., 1772; Bernard O'Neill, 1782; Thomas Beall, of
George, 1782; Benj. Stoddert, Samuel Davidson, 1785; John Peter, 1789,
and Adam Steuart. The last named gave up his American citizenship and
went to Europe to live, as he was not in sympathy with the Revolution.
His land was confiscated by the State of Maryland. The Surveyors and
Clerks of the Commissioners were:
Alexander Beall, 1751-1757; Josiah Beall, 1757-1774; Robert
Ferguson, 1774, and Daniel Reintzel, 1774-1782.
Meetings were held in private houses through all the years until 1789,
when, at last, George Town was incorporated.
To return to the year 1752, when the first survey of ground for the town
was made, among the tracts surveyed were the following with their names:
Conjurer's Disappointment (Deakins)
Frogland (Thomas Beatty)
Knave's Disappointment (George Gordon)
Discovery (Robert Peter)
Resurvey on Salop (John Threlkeld)
Pretty Prospect (Benjamin Stoddert)
Beall's Levels and Rock of Dumbarton (George Beall)
The survey was completed on February 28, 1752 and Beall's and Gordon's
land found "most convenient." Each gentleman was offered two town lots
besides the price of condemnation. George Gordon chose numbers 48 and
52. George Beall had refused to recognize the proceedings of the
commissioners in any way, so he was notified that "if he did not make
his choice of lots within 10 days from February 28th, he could only
blame himself for the consequences." After reflecting for a week he sent
the following answer:
If I must part with my property by force, I had better save a
little than be totally demolished. Rather than none, I accept these
lots, numbers 72 and 79, said to be Mr. Henderson's and Mr.
Edmonston's. But I do hereby protest and declare that my acceptance
of the said lots, which is by force, shall not debar me from
future redress from the Commissions or others, if I can have the
rights of a British subject. God save the King.
GEORGE BEALL.
March 7, 1752.
Can't you see how difficult it was for the old gentleman (he must then,
by the records, have been about sixty years of age or more) to cooperate
with the changes that were coming to ruin, as he thought, his
comfortable and profitable plantation life?
Two hundred and eighty pounds were paid for the sixty acres of the
original town. The southern boundary was the river, the western about
where the college now stands, the eastern a few feet west of the present
30th Street, and the northern boundary was a few feet south of the
present N Street. The only boundary stone still existing is the one that
was No. 2 in the survey, the northeastern corner of the town, and is now
in the garden of number 3014 N. Street. There were eighty lots in the
original town.
The name has been variously attributed to George II, the King then
reigning; to the two Georges from whom the land was taken, and to George
Washington, which last is, of course, absurd, as he was then a young man
of twenty, engaged in surveying the properties of Lord Fairfax.
Chapter II
_The Original Town and Its People_
George Town flourished and became more and more a busy port. Its
population in 1800 was 2,993; by 1810 it was 4,948. Its wharves were
thronged with vessels sailing across the seas laden with the "precious
weed" and with wheat brought in from plantations for the "flouring
mills" in great Conestoga wagons painted red and blue drawn by six-horse
teams adorned with gay harness and jingling bells. Also, there was a
thriving coastwise trade, up to old Salem and Newburyport where the
clipper ships were built, and down to the West Indies. These ships
brought back sugar, molasses, and rum, and from the old country came
clothing, and furniture, and all sorts of luxuries, for the thriving
merchants were building comfortable homes and furnishing them in
elegance and taste.
General Edward Braddock, after a brilliant military career under Prince
William of Orange, in Holland, had been made a major-general and put in
charge of troops in Virginia against the French. He landed his troops in
Alexandria, marched them up to where the ferry crossed to George Town,
where they divided, part going through Virginia, and he, with the
remainder, crossing the Potomac to George Town from whence he continued
on his fateful march to Fort Duquesne, where he met his terrible defeat
and lost his life.
He had come from Perthshire in old Scotland, so, of course, had received
a warm welcome in this Scottish town. And thus he had written back to
England to George Anne Bellamy, the gifted actress, in 1755: "For never
have I attended a more complete banquet or met better dressed or better
mannered people than I met on my arrival in George Town, which is named
after our gracious Majesty." If only he had mentioned in whose house the
banquet was or the names of some of these agreeable people he met!
James Truslow Adams, in his fascinating book, _The Epic of America_,
speaks over and over again of the culture of the pre-Revolutionary towns
along the Atlantic seaboard, and what a high point it had reached. No
better example could be found than this old town with its families who
had come from well-to-do circumstances, not, as was the case with so
many settlers of the new country, in order to escape trouble. They came
mostly from Scotland; witness the names as time goes on. Indeed, to such
an extent, that the little settlement had first of all been called New
Scotland.
One of the very first to establish himself in the business of exporting
tobacco, was Robert Peter, who is often spoken of in old records as
"George Town's pioneer business man," and also as "The merchant prince
and land owner." As a young man of about twenty he had come from
Crossbasket near Glasgow, first to Bladensburg and thence to George
Town, and in 1752 established himself in business, and in 1790 became
its first mayor. He represented the firm of John Glassford & Company of
North Britain, Glasgow, well known both in England and in Scotland. So
much of the tobacco trade flowed into the Scottish city that the wealthy
merchants there who dealt in it were known as the "Virginia Dons," and
to this day there is in the old port of Glasgow a Virginia Street.
James Dunlop, a cousin of Robert Peter, also had come from his home
Garnkirke, near Glasgow, first to New York, then to George Town about
1783 and established himself in this same lucrative exporting business.
He did a great deal of business in Dumfries, Virginia, near
Fredericksburg.
These old letters give a picture of the times:
George Town, December 15th, 1788.
Gentlemen:
Your favors of the 11th July duly received by Mr. Dunlop with the
black cloth, which I am afraid I shall soon have occasion for, my
old friend Mr. Heugh being now in a very dangerous way indeed, etc.
GEORGE WALKER.
Andrew Heugh had been one of the Commissioners in the laying off of
George Town. He owned one of the very first lots on the water front and
High Street.
Here is another one of these letters:
George Town, August 8, 1788.
Gentlemen:
The quantity of tobacco planted this year in the neighborhood of
this place is vastly larger than ever was known. John Campbell and
J. Dunlop are very backward in buying with all cash, but as Colonel
Deakins is again in cash the price still keeps at a guinea ... from
these causes I would not be forward in recommending speculation in
the weed, especially as those of good information are holding off.
GEORGE WALKER.
No less a person than General Washington himself wrote in 1791 that
George Town ranked as the greatest tobacco market in Maryland, if not in
the Union.
Duc de la Rochefoucault Liancourt, traveling in the United States in
1795-'97, says that in 1791 tobacco exports from George Town were
$314,864.00. They went even higher in 1792 and 1793, but in 1794 and the
following years decreased considerably, which was attributed to two
causes: a falling off in tobacco growing, and a diversion of the capital
of the merchants to speculation in lots in the Federal City.
A prominent firm in this same business of exporting tobacco was that of
Forrest, Stoddert, and Murdock, formed in 1783. Uriah Forrest was born
in St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1756. He served with distinction in
the Revolution, was wounded in the Battle of Germantown and lost a leg
at the Battle of Brandywine.
He was a delegate in the Continental Congress and served in the third
Congress from March 4, 1793 to November 8, 1794, when he resigned. He
was commissioned major-general in the Maryland Militia in 1795.
After the war he went to London on business for the Government at his
own expense, but returned to enter business with his old friend,
Benjamin Stoddert.
Born in Charles County, Maryland, in 1751, Stoddert was of Scottish
ancestry, the son of Captain Thomas Stoddert who, while with the
Maryland contingent, was killed in Braddock's defeat. Benjamin Stoddert
had joined the Continental Army as a captain of cavalry and was in
active service until the Battle of Brandywine where, after holding the
rank of major, he was so severely wounded as to unfit him for active
service. He had seriously considered settling in either Baltimore or
Alexandria, urged by friends in each of these cities, but decided that
George Town was a better venture.
Colonel John Murdock was already living in George Town where his father,
William Murdock, was in business.
Francis Lowndes also had a large warehouse, and John Laird was
prosperous in this business, and as time went on, meant a great deal to
Georgetown. Colonel Deakins, Jr., was prominent, for on his tomb was
inscribed: "George Town, by the blow, has lost her most illustrious
patron." He was only fifty-six when he died in 1798. In his youth, he
had done surveying with George Washington.
Henry Threlkeld was born in Cumberland County, England, in 1716, came to
America and bought an estate of 1,000 acres known as Berleith, bordering
on the Potomac. It ran northward, and the present sites of Georgetown
College and Convent are on part of this land. He seems to have continued
to farm his estate, and died in 1781. His only child, John, became very
prominent in all of the affairs of the town.
Joseph Carlton, also in the tobacco business, who died in March, 1812,
when only fifty-eight years old, had held the office of postmaster in
1799.
General James Maccubbin Lingan, a tobacco shipper, who was the first
collector of the port ... "1790 and before," had had a very remarkable
career in the Revolution.
Colonel Charles Beatty owned a ferry which did a thriving business
between the Virginia shore and the foot of Frederick Street at Water
Street.
Ebenezer Dodge had come from Salem, Massachusetts, and built up a
successful coastwise trade with the East Indies, his younger brother,
Francis, coming in 1798, of whom I shall have a great deal to say in
another chapter.
Peter Casanave was much in evidence in business deals.
John M. Gannt was a prominent merchant; also, William King, whose name
is still known in business here.
Among the lawyers were Philip Barton Key and Joseph Earle.
Doctor Magruder is spoken of over and over again. He seems to have been
"the doctor" at that time. Doctor Weems also had a good practice.
From _The Virginia Gazette_ of January 14, 1775, is taken this note in
regard to a project much in the minds of the business men of George Town
at that time:
At a meeting of the Trustees for opening the navigation of the
Potomack River held in George Town December 1, 1774, Thomas
Johnson, Jr., Attorney at Law, Wm. Deakins, Adam Steuart, Thomas
Johns, Thomas Richardson, merchants of George Town, appointed to
hire slaves for cutting canals around the Falls of the River, etc.
Of course, George Town, like every other town in the country at that
time, was peopled largely by negroes. Some owners hired out the ones
they themselves did not need, either for work of this kind or for
domestic service. A delightful story is told of how one of the
shipowners sent a "likely" young negress back to Scotland on one of his
vessels, as a present to his mother. Many weeks later when the vessel
returned, on it was Chloe with a note thanking "my dear son" for his
gift, but saying, "I have had her scrubbed and scrubbed, but as it is
impossible to remove the dirt and stain, I am returning her."
In 1788 Thomas Corcoran, who that year came to George Town from
Baltimore, intended to go on to Richmond, but instead stayed and
established a business in leather, says: "There were then in harbor ten
square-rigged vessels, two of them being ships and a small brig from
Amsterdam taking in tobacco from a warehouse on Rock Creek." The mouth
of the creek at that time was a bay, wide and deep, and as late as 1751
the tide ebbed and flowed as far up as the present P Street bridge.
Near there stood the paper mill built about 1800 by Gustavus Scott and
Nicholas Lingan, and described in an old advertisement as being 120 feet
long, three stories high, the first story built of stone. Just beyond
was Parrott's Mill, called the George Town Wool and Cotton Manufactory.
Parrott also had a Rope Walk on the northern outskirts of the Town. A
little farther north of Parrott's Mill at the bend of Rock Creek was
Lyon's Mill, said to have been built in 1780.
Naturally all through these years during and after the Revolution there
was a great deal of unrest, and trade was much affected.
The following is a copy of an authentic letter from the celebrated Dr.
Franklin to a friend in England on the subject of the first campaign
made by the British forces in America and, although not written from
Georgetown, it shows the state of mind of many people.
Dear Sir. I am to set out tomorrow for the camp and having heard of
this opportunity can only write a line to say that I am well and
hardy.
Tell our good friend--who sometimes has his doubts and despondencies
about our firmness that America is determined and unanimous, a very
few tories and place men excepted, who will probably soon export
themselves.
Britain, at the expense of 3 millions has killed 150 yankees this
campaign which is 20,000 pounds a head, and at Bunker's Hill she
gained one mile of ground, half of which she lost again by our
taking post on plowed hill. During the same time 60,000 children had
been born in America.
Also this letter, which James Dunlop received in New York shortly before
coming to Georgetown, gives, I think, a very vivid picture of both
political and economic thinking of the time:
Glasgow
January 31, 1783
Mr. James Dunlop, Merchant, New York, c/o the Pacquet.
Dear Sir:
This comes by the pacquet which will bring you the Preliminary
Articles of Peace which were signed at Paris on 20th and we had the
account here on the 27th at 8 in the morning which was very quick.
We have not yet seen the Articles, but we have reason to believe
upon the whole it is as reasonable as could well be expected unless
we had made another campaign in the West Indies with the Troops from
America and our present great superiority at sea. We had reason to
expect everything would have gone to our liking, and considering the
great quantity of West Indies and American produce now on hand
perhaps you will think we, as well as our neighbours, would had no
objections to another Campaign.
I have seen all your late letters, am sensible the news of Peace
after the purchase you have lately made, will give you much
uneasiness but the company are sensible you did it with a good
intention and except the idea of peace, your reasons for the
purchase were very good, however we thought that General Carletons
declaration to you that Negotiations for Peace were open and that in
the first place Britain declared the Independence of America, would
have alarmed you or at least prevented you from exceeding the
Company's limits so very much especially for so large a quantity. I
suppose what made you so very sanguine that we should have another
Campaign was the Rockingham party going out and Lord Shelbourne
coming and on his first appearance declaring against American
indenpendence, which speech deceived many here as well as with you. I
am happy to inform you the Ruby arrived four days ago which brought
us the 100 Hhds Tobacco without a farthing of Insurance which is
very luckie and will help to make the loss on the tobacco fall
season. We have not yet heard any account of the Favorite. We have
done 16 on the Tobacco on her and don't intend to do any more.
If this Tobacco turned out good in quality and no great quantity
comes home for six months I still flatter myself there will be no
great loss upon the Sales. There has been no sale of any kind these
five weeks past nor will not be till some time after we see the
Articles of Peace which we now expect in three or four days, as they
were to be laid before Parliment two days ago. I suppose in a short
time after the receipt of this you will be going to visit our old
friends in Virginia. It is very probable I may have the pleasure of
seeing you there in a few months and as America has gotten her
wishes I hope she will once more be a happy Country and we shall
enjoy the blessings of Peace with our old Acquaintance and Brethern
and I hope it will cement the friendship between the Mother and the
Daughter to the mutual advantage of both Countrys.
I had the pleasure of seeing your Sisters all week--several nights
at Mr. William Dunlop's.
Wishing you all the happiness and with compliments to all
acquaintance I am, Dear Sir,
Your most humble servant
JAMES ANDERSON
Also in a letter from a young British Officer (also a Scotsman) who was
a military prisoner in a camp at Lancaster, Pennsylvania who was trying
to get to Petersburg, Virginia to see his father who was there on
business from Glasgow, there is this addition.
P.S. I have this moment received a letter from Phila. informing me
of a passport being procured for my going to Virginia. I shall set
off immediately. Adieu.
Can't you picture his excitement after many trials to at last get in
touch with his father!
On March 18, 1783 Archibald Govan sends two letters enclosed to a friend
in New York to forward to Virginia "by the safest, spediest conveyance.
There is probally now a post direct from New York through the
Continent."
In these days ships approached George Town by way of the Western
Channel, as it was called, on the far side of Analostan Island, where
the depth of the water was from twenty-seven to thirty-three feet--deep
enough to admit the passage of an "Indiaman."
George Washington Parke Custis, the owner of Arlington, was much
disturbed when a causeway was built across from the island to the
Virginia shore, and prophesied the filling of the channel and the end of
George Town as a port.
So up the creek to these mills for their produce, and up the great river
to its wharves, piled high with hogsheads of tobacco came these ships
and many more of which we have not the names:
The _Potomack Planter_, Captain James Buchanan, for London.
The brig _Brothers_.
The schooner _Betsey_, bringing rum, coffee, and chocolate.
The ships _Ritson_ and _Felicity_.
The sloops, _Lydia_ and _Betsey_, plying between George Town and New
York. These ships from the North were laden with whale oil to be used
for the lamps which, in 1810, were placed on the streets to "enable the
citizens to go safely to and from evening service."
The _Columbia_ from Martinique, and the ship _Lydia_, Lemuel Toby,
master, for London, which on September 6, 1792 had this advertisement
in _The George Town Weekly Ledger_:
Will sail in twelve or fifteen days: such as may be desirous of
taking passage in said ship may depend on being genteelly
accommodated. For further particulars apply to Col. Wm. Deakins, or
the Captain on Board.
Out beyond the northern limits of the Town, just opposite where Mount
Alto Hospital now stands, high on a hill which has been dug away, stood
in those days a tremendous oak tree which was used by the pilots coming
up the river to guide them on their way. For a hundred years it stood,
known as Sailors' Oak, but like so many other things, has had to go in
the interest of Progress.
Chapter III
_The Taverns, Shops, and Schools_
With ships arriving and departing and the land travel passing from North
to South and back again, besides the country gentlemen coming to town to
sell their crops and tend to other business, there was need for many
taverns, and plenty of them there were in George Town.
According to Mr. O. W. Holmes of the National Archives who has recently
written a fine article on the Colonial Taverns of Georgetown for the
Columbia Historical Society, which he read before the Society on January
16, 1951, the earliest tavern of which there is record was kept by
Joseph Belt who was granted a license by the newly created Frederick
County Court in August, 1751 "to keep a Public House of Entertainment at
the Mouth of Rock Creek."
Previously Thomas Odell had petitioned for such a "Lyssance" in 1747 to
Prince George's County for one year--but we hear no more of him so are
not certain that he continued in business. But Joseph Belt did and in
the _Maryland Gazette_ (Annapolis) for March 19, 1752, is this
announcement:
Notice is hereby given that the Land appointed by Act of Assembly to
be laid out into a town, by the name of Georgetown, adjacent to the
warehouse at the Mouth of Rock Creek, in Frederick County, is
accordingly laid out, and the lots will be sold the 4th Monday in
March, being the 23 of the month at the House of Joseph Belt, living
in the said Town in ten of the Clock before noon.
Per order of the Commissioner
Alexander Beall, Cl.
In 1760 Mr. Belt bought two of the most desirable lots in town at the
southeast corner of Water Street (Wisconsin Ave.) and Bridge (M) and
apparently built on the southernmost one of them a tavern where real
estate sales took place frequently--and again in the _Maryland Gazette_
for September 19, 1771, is this insertion:
Frederick County, Sept. 8, 1771
The Subscriber continues to keep a House of Entertainment in George
Town, at the Kings Arms, and as he is provided with Good
Entertainment, Stabling, and Provender for Horses, would be obliged
to all Gentlemen travelling and others for their customs and they
may depend on kind usage, by their Most Humble Servant,
JOSEPH BELT
So it is quite possible that it was still here and that General
Braddock's soldiers attracted by the name and sign stopped to slake
their thirst before continuing their long march to the West.
This Joseph Belt appears to have been the nephew of Col. Joseph Belt,
the original patentee of Chevy Chase. He was a highly respectable man
and well thought of.
Another tavern of that period was kept by John Orme who in his petition
for a license promised as did others of that period "to keep Tavern in
George Town, to keep good Rules and Orders and not suffer the loose and
disorderly persons to Tipple, Game, or Commit other disorders or
irregularities within his aforesaid House."
In the _Maryland Gazette_ in September in 1760 is a notice of horse
races to be held at George Town, the horses "to be Entered the Day
before Running, with Messrs. Joseph Belt and John Orme in George Town."
The same notice again in 1761. I wonder where the races took place. John
Orme was the son of the Rev. John Orme, a Presbyterian minister who
served as pastor at Upper Marlboro from 1720 until he died in 1758.
His tavern was apparently on the northeast corner of the present M
Street and Wisconsin Avenue, where the Farmers and Mechanics Branch of
Riggs Bank now stands.
In the _Maryland Gazette_ of September 29, 1768, Thomas Belt offers for
sale "At the house of Mr. John Orme, in George Town ... part of a Tract
of Land, called Chevy Chace, containing 200 and 300 acres about 5 miles
from said Town."
After the death of John Orme in 1772 his widow inserted a notice in the
paper--and added, "N. B. The Executrix will continue to keep Tavern for
ready money only. Lucy Orme."
But they were not left in straightened circumstances, and the three Orme
daughters married very well.
There is mention of a Cornelius Davies and also of John Wise keeping
tavern for short periods. This may have been the same John Wise who
later opened a tavern in Alexandria which became the well-known Gadsby's
Tavern.
Also there was Christian Boncer, during the Revolution who like John
Orme, before him, was likewise running a ferry over the Potomac.
And then in October, 1779, John Beall is referred to as occupying the
home where Joseph Belt formerly kept tavern.
In November 1782, Mr. Beall announced that he was moving "into the large
Stone House near the Square, the best calculated house in town for
entertaining Gentlemen, Travellers, and Others."
And then Mr. Ignatius Simpson moved into the "House formerly occupied by
Mr. John Beall," and the next year, 1783, the Commissioners record
meeting at the "House of Mr. Ignatius Simpson." And in 1784 Mr. Simpson
had no license issued and the Commissioners met "at the House of Mr.
John Suter." It would seem that this same house had been a tavern ever
since Joseph Belt built a house there.
From then on Suter's Tavern became the best-known meeting place in town
and even the birthplace of the District of Columbia for there was signed
the agreement with the proprietors of the land for the Federal City.
Christian Hines says in his little book _Early Recollections of
Washington_ that Suter's Tavern was a one-story frame and stood on High
Street, between Bridge and Water Streets, a little east of the canal
bridge. Christian Hines as a youth of fifteen was an apprentice living
with the Green family just across the street from this building, and
although he wrote his Recollections when he was an old man, it is a
well-known fact that old people remember happenings of their youth
better than those of last month or last week.
It was a rather small building, a story and a half high, according to an
old print, and had a large Inn Yard at the side and back for the
accommodation of the coaches, wagons and steeds of its patrons.
John Suter was a Scotsman who had been living out in Montgomery County
but apparently from 1784 until his death in 1794 his tavern was a very
busy place. Here it was that General Washington stayed when he was
passing through.
This notice shows John Suter's standing in the community:
Georgetown, August 21, 1790
All persons having claims against the Estate of John Cornne,
deceased, are desired to bring them in legally attested. Those
indebted to make speedy payment to
John Suter, Administrator
From the _Times and Potowmack Packet_:
Meeting at Mr. Suter's Tavern in George Town, 14 December, 1790, for
erecting a New Warehouse contiguous to the Old Inspection on Col.
Normand Bruce's property in George Town.
Edward Burgess
Bernard O'Neill
For Sale. On Monday the 3d of January next will be offered for sale
at the House of Mr. John Suter in George Town that Lot or _Acre of
Ground_ whereon the _Old_ Warehouse formerly stood.... A good title
will be given agreeably to the last Will and Testament of Thomas
Hamilton deceased of Prince Georges County.
December 11, 1790 Andrew Hamilton
Then there is this little item from the same paper:
The subscriber has for sale, by the Box, a small supply of fresh
Lisbon LEMONS, imported in the Potomack Planter.
Capt. James Buchanan
George Town Sept. 7, 1790 John Suter
Fresh fruit was evidently an event.
After Mr. John Suter's death, his son John Suter, Jr., took over the
tavern and ran it until he moved to the Union Tavern.
It had been built in 1796 at a cost of $16,000, according to a newspaper
of the day advertising it for sale: "It is a handsome substantial brick
building of three stories, fronting 60 ft. on the most public street in
town (Bridge Street), and running back 63 ft. on a wide and commodious
street (Washington). The house is admirably calculated for a tavern."
The advertisement tells the number and size of the rooms, cellars,
passages and cross passages, and ends thus: "There are stables
sufficient for the accommodation of 50 horses with commodious sheds for
carriages ... and not twenty yards from the kitchen is a copious and
never failing spring of most excellent running water." The main building
differed but little from others, but north of this and running north
upon Washington Street to the next street, was a wing, one or two
stories high, and one room deep, the doors opening into a covered
corridor supported by brick arches, beyond which was a large courtyard
paved with stone. The rooms along this corridor were occupied entirely
by gentlemen, many being planters from the lower river counties of
Virginia and Maryland. They came up on the old _Salem_, which made
weekly trips and stopped at all the river landings. On the opposite side
of the courtyard was a large building in which was a fine ballroom known
as Pompean Hall. This room must have been used for the following event:
Birthnight Ball. The Ladies and Gentlemen of George Town and its
vicinity are informed that there will be a Ball at the Union Tavern
on Friday the 22nd instant (Feb. 22, 1799), in honor of
Lieutenant-General George Washington. At request of the Managers.
John Suter, Jr.
In addition to this very historic ball, the George Town Assemblies used
to be held here. Mrs. William Thornton has recorded in her diary that on
Monday, January 1st, 1810:
A very crowded assembly at the presidents. We staid about two hours.
President and Lady went to Georgetown Assembly. Chariot broke at
night.
These august guests at the assembly were, of course, James Madison and
the charming Dolly.
When Mr. Suter opened the Union Tavern in March, 1799, Francis Kearns
put this notice in the paper:
Sign of the Ship. The subscriber begs leave to inform his friends
and the public that he has rented the tavern formerly occupied by
Mr. Suter, called The Fountain Inn, where he has all kinds of
liquors accounted necessary for travellers. Add to this a well of
water not to be surpassed in Town. I am determined to spare no pains
to render this situation agreeable and flatter myself from a desire
to please that I shall meet with encouragement. I also will
accomodate 6 or 8 gentlemen boarders on reasonable terms. A livery
stable will be kept for a few horses.
June 31, 1800 Francis Kearns
Francis Kearns having taken over the Union Tavern from John Suter, Jr.
Again, in 1802 this building changed hands, for in _The Washington
Federalist_ is the announcement of reopening, and assurance of best
liquors, and begins: "Anchor Tavern and Oyster House (late the Fountain
Inn), George Pitt, Proprietor of former Eagle Tavern."
Then there was the City Tavern, kept by Charles McLaughlin. Benjamin
Lacy rented two brick houses from Charles Beatty on Water Street and
called his The Sailors' Tavern. John Tennally had a tavern (from him
came the name of Tennally Town). Joseph Semmes's Tavern at the Sign of
the Indian King, was very well known. It seems to have moved several
times. In advertisements for houses for rent or for sale, they seemed
always to be next door to or across the street from Semmes's Tavern or
Dr. Magruder's.
From _The Museum_, January 1, 1802:
The Subscriber begs leave to inform his friends and the public that
he has removed from his late dwelling in the main street to that
large and commodious three story new BRICK BUILDING, Sign of the
Indian King, adjoining the Bank of Columbia, which he has fitted up
at considerable expense for the accomodation of travellers. He
embraces this opportunity of returning his grateful thanks to those
gentlemen who have heretofore favored him with their custom and
hopes by a faithful discharge of his duty to merit the countenance
and support of the public.
George Town, Joseph Semmes
_The Museum_, 28th of January, 1802:
To be sold at Union Tavern, The BRICK HOUSE formerly occupied as a
Tavern by Mr. Semmes.
Philip Barton Key
William Thornton
Do you suppose that Mr. Semmes had his tavern in this place for only one
month?
Jane White advertises that she intends to continue her "house of
entertainment" (Mrs. White's Tavern) on a more enlarged plan, asks for
settlement of debts. Nov. 27, 1790.
George Stevens announces he has removed to the place lately occupied by
Mr. William King, Merchant, of this place (the house where Col. William
Deakins has lived for many years past).
There are still, to this day, William Kings in business in Georgetown.
Mr. George Stevens also advertises:
Any gentleman wanting to buy Ginseng may by giving a few days notice
find a supply from said Stevens from One to Five Thousand weight.
And this from the _Times and Potowmack Packet_, April 21, 1790:
Charles Fierer & Co.
Gentlemen may have their Coats of Arms or other devices cut on Glass
and fancy pieces executed by sending their orders.
Also these items:
Doctors Beatty and Martin have just received from Philadelphia and
Baltimore: Opium, Mercury, Jolap, Ipecacoanha, Nitre, Glanker Salts,
Gum Kino, Columbo root, assorted vials, carts, etc. Red and other
Bark.
Dr. Magruder has lately received an elegant supply of most
fashionable paper hangings--and his usual Assortment of Drugs and
Medicines.
He catered to various tastes of his patrons:
Dr. Cozens has just opened a general assortment of Drugs and
Medicines in the house formerly occupied by Mr. Andrew McDonald in
Water Street, opposite to Mr. James King's Wharf, which he means to
sell at a moderate price. He likewise offers his services to the
public as a practitioner of physic, surgery and midwifery. Mrs.
Cozens also informs the ladies that she practices Midwifery and from
her experience and universal success she flatters herself she shall
give satisfaction to all those who favor her with their commands.
Mr. Gardette, Dentist, respectfully informs the public that he is
arrived in George Town, where he proposes staying two weeks or
thereabouts. He has taken lodgings at Mr. Semmes' Tavern.
Another poor soul who was in trouble inserted this advertisement:
It is terrible to my feelings, but I am compelled to give notice
that I intend petitioning the next General Assembly for an act of
Insolvency in my favor.
A few months later he advertised thus:
Having taken the house in this place lately occupied by Mr. James
Clagett, between the College and the River, a pleasant and healthy
situation, I will take four or five boys as boarders at the usual
rates, paid quarterly.
So let us hope he got "on his feet" again.
John Stevens, merchant, advertised himself thusly:
My weights are good, my measures just,
My friends I am too poor to trust. July 15, 1780.
Apparently they had plenty of newspapers. In 1789 _The Times and
Potowmack Packet_; in 1790 _The Weekly Ledger_ (an appropriate name for
this town of counting houses); in 1796 _The Sentinel of Liberty_, a more
high-flown name; in 1801, _The Museum_, and a great many more as time
went on.
The first bank was the old Bank of Columbia, organized in 1793. Then,
there was the Union Bank. I have seen a great many of its checks,
smaller than the ones of today and very simply printed.
Business notes in those days were written on any scrap of paper,
apparently. Many that I have seen had torn edges, but always the writing
was regular and even, if sometimes hard to read. Very often it looked
like copperplate engraving. The English pound was used as late as 1796.
Plenty of schools there seem to have been. One famous man (he was
William Wirt, the author of _The British Spy_ and Attorney-General of
the United States for twelve years under James Monroe and John Quincy
Adams) was sent to George Town for his early training, and has written
thus: "In 1779 I was sent to George Town, eight miles from Bladensburg
to school, a classical academy kept by Mr. Rogers. I was placed at
boarding with the family of Mr. Schoofield, a member of the Society of
Friends.... I passed one winter in George Town and remember seeing a
long line of wagons cross the river on the ice, attached to troops going
South."
Thomas Kirk, an Irish gentleman, kept a school first on Washington
(30th) Street, later at High (Wisconsin Avenue) and Cherry Streets.
Reverend Addison Belt, of Princeton, had a school on Gay (N) Street,
between Congress (31st) and Washington (30th) Streets. Christian Hines
says: "In 1798 I went to school to a man named Richmond who kept school
in a small brick house attached to the house of Reverend David Wiley,
graduate of Nassau Hall, who had come in 1802 from Northumberland on the
Susquehanna. He was a better mathematical than classical teacher. He was
mayor, librarian, merchant, teacher, preacher and keeper of the post
office at the same time."
Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Wiley advertised their "Boarding School for Young
Ladies at George Town in the Vicinity of Washington." In the same year
E. Phillips had "A School for Young Ladies on the north side of Bridge
Street, nearly opposite the Printing Office." There were several
teachers of French who advertised in the paper; Monsieur A. L.
Jancerez, Monsieur Caille, "a French gentleman wishes to teach drawing,
etc." To supply all these schools was "John March, Stationer and
Bookseller, next door to Mr. Semmes's Tavern."
And you see they could buy pretty baubles and delectable foods, for
Dinsmore and Francis advertise their "New Grocery, Wine and Liquor
Store, nearly opposite Burnet and Rigden's, Watchmakers and Jewelers."
Another well-known merchant said his new line of spring clothing had
just arrived. And John Dabney "had received and had for sale at his
cabinet and chair factory a large quantity of Windsor chairs." West
along Bridge Street, before 1790, William Eaton had "mahogany ware,
chairs and tables, beds, etc., finished and unfinished." Another
cabinet-maker was Mr. Schultz. James Welsh, cabinet-maker from London,
opened a shop in 1790 and advertised for an apprentice. And there was a
well-known silversmith, for S. Kirk and Sons, of Baltimore, have
identified a tea service as having been made by Charles C. Burnett, who
worked as early as 1793. Another silversmith who had a shop on Bridge
(M) Street in 1833 was R. H. L. Villard.
Glass Store. The subscribers have opened and have for sale at their
house next door to Captain Richard Johns a complete assortment of
Window and Hollow Glass Ware, manufactured in this State and equal
in quality and cheaper than that imported from Europe.
Charles Frierer and Co., 1790
Thomas Beatty and Company called their store "The Sign of the Golden
Fan."
Manufactory of Tobacco. Henry Brand & Co. Respectfully inform the
Public that they have removed from New York to this Town.
George Town Academy. Madame de la Marche has for sale waters for
sore eyes and various salves.
There were public pumps here and there for common use, but many
householders had springs or cisterns.
In 1803 the first fire engine was purchased. Every house owner was
obliged to have as many leather fire buckets kept in the house as there
were stories to his home, to contain not less than two and a half
gallons of water each. The little oval metal placques one sees now and
then affixed to houses in Georgetown were, in those days, put only on
the houses of the members of the volunteer companies to denote that
"here lives a fireman." Later, in 1817, _The Vigilant_, a new fire
engine, was bought. Its house is still on High Street, just below
Bridge. Set in the wall down near the pavement is a stone with this
inscription:
BUSH
THE OLD FIRE DOG
DIED OF POISON
JULY 5TH, 1869
R. I. P.
Someone who remembers him tells me that he was a collie, and that he
went to every fire along with the engine. I think the men whose
companion he was, and who evidently loved him when they inscribed the
"R. I. P.," must have believed, as I do, that like the Jim in the poem
of that name by Nancy Byrd Turner, he would meet them joyously "on the
other side."
Of course, the fire engines in those days--1817, I mean--were drawn by
hand, and the old bucket-passing system was in vogue.
Farther uptown, on the corner of Gay and Market Streets, was the home
of The Potomac Fire Engine Company. There was great jealousy between the
two. While the fire was raging, both worked together beautifully, but as
soon as it was over, there was usually a fight.
South of the canal on High Street stood the Debtors' Prison. This was
the only prison in the lower part of Montgomery County, although the
county court was held at Rockville, and there the cases were tried. At
one time the town clerk of George Town got tangled up in his money
matters and was placed in this prison where he languished until his
friends made good his debts. A report was made to the Town Council that
he could not perform his duties because he was in jail! Nothing now
remains but a part of the old stone wall.
Here is a description of some of the houses offered for sale:
Together or separate, 2 handsome dwelling houses, situated in George
Town on Potomack, they contain 5 rooms with fire place, four bed
chambers, two closets, and have two handsome piazzas. A kitchen near
the house, a bake house, two rooms for domestics, a stable, coach
house, a beautiful (falling) garden, ornamented with terraces, well
grassed, a large fish pond, a well and a spring of water, 150 young
fruit trees, the whole finished and done in the neatest manner under
a handsome and excellent enclosure containing three lots and a half,
extending 170 ft. on Fayette Street and 192 on Third Street. Apply
to John Threlkeld.
Here is one of the business places advertised:
The warehouse and wharf on Water Street, lately occupied by the
Naval Agent (this was in 1802). There are four floors in this house,
with a room on the second and third with a fire place in each, one
intended for a compting room and the other for a lodging room.
W. S. Chandler.
Evidently a clerk had to sleep on the premises as guard.
There were architects and builders to put up these fine and commodious
houses, for these advertisements appear:
William Lovering, Architect and General Builder--Begs leave to
inform his friends and the public, that he has removed from the City
of Washington to Gay Street, the next street above the Union Tavern
in George Town, where he palns to estimate all manner of buildings,
either with materials and labor, or labor only. Specimens of
buildings suitable for the obtuse or acute angles of the streets in
the City of Washington may be seen at his home. May 1, 1800.
Henry Carlile, Architect, Carpenter and Joiner. Respectfully informs
his friends and the Public in general, that he proposes to undertake
all kinds of buildings, as formerly he hath done in Europe and this
country; on the lowest terms, with or without material, as he has
learned the theory under the first architects in Europe, also
practice in first buildings there, and hath finished elegant
buildings in Europe, with and without materials, and in this country
hath always had the good fortune of having the patronage and
friendship of his employees, and hopes by attention to please and to
execute, that he will meet with the encouragement of a generous
public. He also begs leave to return his sincere thanks to his
worthy employers in this Town and Country, for the encouragement he
hath met with since coming to this Town, and assures them nothing
shall be wanting on his part to merit a continuance of their favors.
George Town, September 8, 1790.
Wm. Pancost--Architect and Carpenter, can by the asistance of David
Willers, pump maker, late from Philadelphia, serve the public by
supplying them with pumps, cove logs or girders, for any purpose on
the shortest notice.
George Town, near the Lower Ware Houses, Jan. 29, 1799.
Then in 1800, James Hoban, who was the architect and builder of the
President's House, put this in a paper:
$2.00 per day will be given for good carpenters and joiners, at the
President's House and in proportion for those less skilful, to be
paid daily or weekly, as may be required.
Imagine! Now when the White House is being rebuilt hiring "good
carpenters and joiners for $2.00 per day!"
Chapter IV
_The Streets of George Town and Some of the Happenings_
The houses had no numbers, but the streets had descriptive names. Along
the river, Wapping, changing to The Keys and East to West Landing where
all the busy loading and unloading of vessels took place. Just above
there running west off Water Street for a short distance was Cherry Lane
(now Grace Street). What a pretty name! Once a fashionable neighborhood,
later on a slum.
Running north and south there was first Fishing Lane which became East
Lane and finally settled down to Congress Street and is now
Twenty-first.
Then the Main Street up from the ferry, called Water Street until it got
to Bridge running east and west where was the Square, also called the
Center of the Town. Then Water Street became High and Bridge continued
on its way as the Falls Street--both names typical, as one was climbing
a hill and the other was the road to The Little Falls. Duck Lane became
Market (33rd) Street; Bridge (M) Street; Frederick (34th) Street, for it
was the road out to Frederick Town, forty miles away; Potomac Street,
for the river; Fayette Street, certainly named in honor of the Marquis,
but in that age of young democracy, de la was dropped from de la
Fayette. Then there was Montgomery (28th) Street, Greene (29th) Street,
and Washington (30th) Street, all named for Generals of the Revolution.
Running the other way were Gay, Dunbarton, Beall, West, Stoddert, this,
for a long time was known as Back Street. West of High Street (Wisconsin
Avenue) the streets became First, Second, Third, etc. Twenty-seventh
Street, after being New Street for one block and Mill Street for
another, finally was named for President Monroe. Madison had a street
named for him too, but it was so far out, about 9th, in the far western
corner, that it never amounted to much.
But the street that intrigues me most is Gay. There were two of them for
a while, the one that is now N, and another, way up near the college,
which was renamed in honor of General Lingan, after his tragic death.
Who was Gay Street named for? It wasn't a local celebrity, for Baltimore
also had a Gay Street, still has, way down in its old section. There was
somebody the people of that generation admired and wished to
commemorate.
Could it possibly have been the English poet, John Gay, (1685-1732)
whose best known piece "The Beggar's Opera" was said to have made "The
Rich gay and Gay rich"? He was buried in Westminster Abbey. His epitaph
was by Alexander Pope, followed by Gay's own mocking couplet, "Life is a
jest, and all things show it. I thought so once and now I know it."
The Beggar's Opera for a time drove Italian Opera off the English stage
(1728) by its caricature of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of George
II. These people were British subjects, you know, when these streets
were named.
Somewhere in these quaint little streets in the early days before 1800,
in one of these little brick houses, two stories with dormer windows,
which the architects nowadays call the George Town Type, lived a couple
named McDonald who had marital difficulties, for in an old newspaper is
this advertisement:
Whereas my wife, Mary McDonald, has left me without any just cause
or impediment. She is about fifty years of age, lame in her right
leg and snivels a little. It is supposed she went off with one
Robert Joiner, an ill-looking fellow. If she returns to the arms of
her disconsolate husband, she shall be received and no questions
asked.
There was another advertisement:
Alexander McDonald, taylor, removed from Bridge Street to High
Street, two or three gentlemen can be accomodated with board and
lodging.
I wonder if Robert Joiner, with whom Mary eloped, was one of those two
or three gentlemen, and what fascination she had that was strong enough
to overcome all those physical disabilities her "disconsolate husband"
enumerated!
A man in Boston wanted a wife, and had his advertisement copied from
_The Boston Sentinel_ into a George Town newspaper:
Wanted--A wife: Enquire of the Printer. April 23, 1801. Be pleased
to inform applicants, that the advertiser wishes the lady to be
neither too old nor too young. Taking 25 for a central point, she
must not be more than 7 years distant either way. If of a sulky or
fretful disposition; if sluttish, lazy, proud, ostentatious or
deceitful, or of an ill state of health, she must have a pretty
large share of property to recommend her. If on the contrary, she be
of a cheerful, contented temper; of affable manners and benevolent
to the poor; if in the habit of being attentive to her household
when business commands attention, and gay and careless when pleasure
is the pursuit; and of sound health and good constitution (for such
only can produce strong and vigorous children), she need not
possess a cent. If well-read, so much the better, provided she is
not too fond of her book to neglect overseeing her affairs and
suffering the hole in her stocking to go unmended. She must not be a
pedant or a scold but must know enough of books to distinguish
between a volume of history and a novel; and have sufficient spirit
to prevent being imposed upon. Communication addressed to A. B. and
left at the composing room, if originating in honorable intentions
will be attended to with secrecy, honor and punctuality, and should
the interview succeed, the advertiser will faithfully describe his
situation and prospects.
Was this paragon discovered in old George Town and taken to Boston for
keeps? No one knows.
But this might easily have been so, as witness these advertisements of
the plays being shown in George Town in 1790, for on July 21 this
appears: "The Theatre of this Town was opened by Mr. McGrath's Company
of Comedians, with the celebrated comedy The Miser. This Company is by
far the best that ever visited this town." Then on August 12 there was
"The Beggars Opera and A Comedy of two acts, Barnaby Brittle or a Wife
at her Wits End. Also in August Mr. McGrath's Company of Comedians gave
The Tragedy of Douglas and Garrick's Comedy of Two Acts called The Lying
Valet."
The curtain will rise at 7 o'clock Tickets at three quarters of a
dollar each to be had at Mr. Suter's and Mrs. White's Taverns and at
this Printing Office.
Another evening will be presented the "Tragedy of Jane Shore. Between
the play and the farce a humorous dissertation of Jealousy to be
delivered by Mr. McGrath to which will be added a farce called Cross
Purposes, or Which is the Man. The doors to be opened at half past five
and the curtain to rise at half past six."
For attendance at these performances and other social events, the ladies
and gentlemen of George Town were naturally interested in this
advertisement in the paper:
BY FASHIONS WE LIVE
JOHN JONES
Hair dresser for Ladies and Gentlemen. Begs leave to inform Ladies
and Gentlemen of George Town and its vicinage that he intends
carrying on his profession in all its different branches and
fashions; he also carries on the Cushion, Perriwig, Curls, Braids,
false curls and Gentlemen's Bandoe making. The highest price given
for human hair.
George Town, at this time, was even favored by the presence of one of
the greatest portrait painters of his time, Gilbert Stuart. About 1803
he spent two years here. He painted Jefferson and the men who followed
him in the Presidency up through John Quincy Adams. He had, of course,
previously been much at Mount Vernon while doing his famous portraits of
General Washington. It is said that Washington was the only person in
whose presence Stuart was ever embarrassed.
There were drawing teachers and dancing masters. "Mr. Carle, dancing
master, may be spoke with on school days at Mrs. White's Tavern."
"Dancing School of J. B. Duclaviacq at his dancing room back of Mr.
Turner's Counting House."
Perhaps it was one of these two which advertised, "A night
Dancing-School for the Reception of Gentlemen who are not at leisure to
attend in the Day-time; will be kept the evenings of the School days;
The Price to each Scholar will be Four dollars. A subscription is lodged
with Mr. Peter Casanave."
Gaming at cards at private balls and parties and toddy at dinner date
back to the earliest knowledge of society in this vicinity. Card
playing, horse-racing and other sports were fashionable and popular and
had not abated in 1800 when the Government came.
In chronicles of Sir Augustus Foster, the British Minister in 1805 he
notes the balls in Georgetown "Cards for everybody, loo for the
girls--brag for the men."
But all was not play, for in the _Times_ and _Potowmack Packet_ is this
newsnote:
On the 13th inst. a daughter of Mr. Aaron Haynes of this town, a
young miss in the tenth year of her age, spun 50 knots of good linen
yarn, from sun-rise to sunset. An example of industry, highly
honorable to herself and well worthy of imitation.
And speaking of youth here is an interesting item:
This day were baptized three male children (the uncommon gift of
Providence at one birth) by the names of George Washington, John
Adams, Benjamin Franklin.
Then this sad and interesting advertisement:
With regret and shame the subscriber finds himself under the
necessity of advertising his wife. Although it is practised by some
white people, yet he, though black, blushes at the thought of
declaring to the world that his wife has run away. But disagreeable
as it is, he does by these presents make known that Lucy, his wife,
has eloped from his bed and board and forbids all persons harbouring
or trusting her, as he will pay no debts of her contracting after
this date.
Prince Hull.
On June 30, 1790 there was this announcement in the newspaper:
The gentlemen who have subscribed to celebrate the Anniversary of
American Independency will be pleased to attend at Mrs. White's
Tavern at Four O' clock tomorrow afternoon to choose Managers to
regulate the proceedings of that day.
Scheme of a Lottery:
To raise the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred and Nine Dollars for
the purpose of finishing the Church between George Town and
Bladensburgh, called Rock Creek Church.
All prizes not demanded in six months after the drawing, will be
deemed generous contributions.
3000 Tickets at Two dollars each.
As the above is laudable it is expected that it will meet with
approbation and support of the public. As soon as the tickets are
sold the drawing will commence at Mr. John Suter's at George Town
and the Prizes paid immediately thereafter on application to Thomas
Beall Treasurer, in specie.
MANAGERS
Col. Wm. Deakins Robert Peter
Benj. Stoddert John Peter
Brooke Beall Bernard O'Neil
John Threlkeld Anthony Hollmead
Thomas Cramphin Col. George Beall
Thomas Beall of George
Treasurer
_The Times and Potowmack Packet._ November 25, 1789.
Five years before in September 1784 in the _Maryland Gazette_ there was
an advertisement for the George Town Academy lottery:
Scheme of a lottery for raising $1,400 to be applied to the
purchasing a house for the use of the George Town Academy.
The right education of youth is an object of such vast importance of
freedom and happiness that there needs no strength of reasoning to
recommend the above scheme which is meant to promote it to the
patronage and encouragement of a liberal public.
Tickets may be had from Messrs. Robert Peter, William Deakins, Jr.,
Bernard O'Neill, Henry Townsend, John P. Boucher, Benj. Stoddert,
Robt. Philips, Sam'l Davidson, Brooke Beall, and Dr. Walter Smith at
George Town;
Wm. D. Beall at Bladensburg, Henry Lyles, Alexandria; Thomas
Clagett, at Piscataway, Abraham Faw and Patrick Sim Smith,
Frederick-town, and David Stewart and Cumberland Dugan and Mr.
Henderson at Baltimore.
David Crawford, Upper Marlboro; Alexander Clagett, Hager's Town.
The drawing will commence at George Town as soon as the tickets are
all sold.
Managers are Robt. Peter
Benj. Stoddert
Wm. Deakins, Jr.
Who will faithfully execute the trust reposed in them.
Henry Stouffer advertised in 1789 his Stage to Annapolis, three times a
week which took six or seven hours at the farthest. And in the same
paper the Annapolis Packet run by Edward Thomas (of course by water)
goes twice a week charging 7 shillings, 6 pence.
In the _Impartial Observer and Washington Advertiser_ of June 26, 1795:
George Town, Washington and Alexandria Packet--James Bull Master.
Will leave George Town every morning at seven o'clock and call at
this place (City of Washington) on her way to Alexandria. Leave
Alexandria every evening at 4 and call on way to George Town. 17
cents from George Town to Greenleaf Point, 33 to Alexandria.
Passages engaged at Mr. Suter's or Mr. Semmes' Tavern in George
Town; at Mr. Ward's, Greenleaf Point, and Mr. Thomas Porter's Store,
Alexandria.
Ferry boats must not have pendent or any other colour flying or ring
a bell on board so as to affrighten the horses and thereby endanger
the lives of the passengers. Penalty of $20.
_Sentinel of Liberty_, June 27, 1800:
The Stages will leave Light-Lane Number 3 adjoining the Fountain Inn
every day (Monday excepted.)
Returning, leave Mr. Heiskell's, Alexandria, at 3 o'clock. Mr.
Semmes' at George Town at 5.
There were also stages going out to Rockville and to Frederick.
In later years there was a conveyance running to Rockville spoken of as
"The Hack."
The license tax list discriminated in license value of one-horse chaise
and two-wheel coach.
This thriving town had of course to be regulated and governed, and there
are copies in existence of the ordinances and by-laws for making it safe
and agreeable. One passed on the 20th November 1791, related to "the
going at large of geese and swine" and makes it "lawful to kill any such
and give notice to the Mayor or one of the Aldermen, the offender to be
sent to the public market house where the owner may claim within four
hours, or if no claim in four hours, the finder take and apply to proper
use. All goats running at large shall be forfeited to who ever shall
take them up."
Also on August 4, 1795 an ordinance relating to garbage, glass bottles,
or oyster shells in quantity 30 shillings fine. We are still having
trouble keeping Georgetown neat and clean.
And they had trouble about speeding then as now, for there was passed an
ordinance August 4, 1795 "that any person who shall by galloping, or
otherwise force at an improper speed any Horse, Mare, or Gelding, shall
if a free man, forfeit and pay for every such offence the sum of 15
shillings current money; if an apprentice, servant or a slave the
master or the mistress shall forfeit and pay the sum of 7 shillings and
sixpence."
And in 1807 they passed an ordinance to "more effectually diminish the
number of dogs in Gerogetown as they have become a public nuisance; on
the first dog of the male kind owned by any one person, $1; on the
second, $2; and on all over two, owned by the same person, $5; and on
the first of the female kind, $2; on the second, $4; and on all dogs of
the female kind over and above two, owned by the same person, $10."
Then they passed an ordinance, "that after the first day of May next no
slave shall be permitted to sell any article whatever (other than fruit)
on the Sabboth."
In 1811 the Mayor was ordered to appoint and hire eight men of good
character to keep a night watch at the rate of $150 per annum, one of
them to act as Captain at the rate of $250.
They probably officiated at these events.
Ordinance passed 10th October 1796.
Whereas many respectable inhabitants of Georgetown have complained
that they suffer great inconvenience from the vast concourse of idle
white and black persons that frequently assemble together for the
purpose of fighting cocks, at which time they drink to access,
become riotous, and disturb the quiet and repose of the good
citizens, be it ordained by Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common
Council that any white person or persons or free negro or negroes
who shall presume to fight any game cocks or dunghill fouls within
the jurisdiction of the corporation for any wagers or for diversion
shall for every offense pay $5. Also if having assembled in a
disorderly manner for the purpose of fighting cocks, if they refuse
to disperse, constables shall take such negro or negroes (being
slaves) and give him, her, or them, due correction upon the bare
back in some public part of Georgetown not exceeding 39 strikes.
An ordinance for regulating and licensing hackney carriages, billiard
tables, theatrical and other public amusements.
Another says,
... any person or persons who shall keep or maintain the common
gaming house or open or set up any public gaming table shall forfeit
and pay $20 current money.
Provided always, that licensed billiard tables are not intended
hereby to be prohibited or herein included.
Passed 4th October 1803.
The fire engines and fire buckets heretofore bought by the subscription
of sundry inhabitants of the town have been offered for the use of the
town.
In 1801 the corporation of Georgetown was concerning itself a good deal
with the paving of the streets.
John Mason, Jesse Baley and Wm. H. Dorsey were a committee to report
permanent systems for improving the streets and alleys, whether by
paving or otherwise.
They determined to commence the work at the intersection of Washington
(30th) and Bridge (M) Streets and carry the pavement up along the north
side of Bridge Street to the intersection of High and Water Streets and
thence, after paving with round stone the Center Square to continue it
afterwards along the south of Fall Street ... to remove the earth and
pave 5 ft. wide against the curb stone, where individuals would not
pave, from Washington to High Street and to graduate and pave the Center
Square.
There was a good deal more work of that kind to be done at that time and
John Peter was appointed permanent superintendent.
Chapter V
_Washington and L'Enfant in George Town_
Such was the town through which General George Washington passed in
April 1789, on his way from Mount Vernon to his inauguration in New York
as first President of the government which was trying out an experiment
new to the world.
In the _Times and Potowmack Packet_, on April 23, is this insertion:
George Town. Last Thursday passed through this town on his way to
New York the most illustrious, the President of the United States of
America, with Charles Thompson, Esq. Secretary, to Congress. His
Excellency arrived at about 2 O'Clock on the bank of the Patowmack,
escorted by a respectable corps of gentlemen from Alexandria where
the George Town ferry boats, properly equipped, received his
Excellency and suit, safely landed them, under the acclamation of a
large crowd of their grateful fellow citizens--who beheld his
Fabius, in the evening of his day, bid adieu to the peaceful retreat
of Mount Vernon, in order to save his country once more from
confusion and anarchy. From this place his Excellency was escorted
by corps of gentlemen commanded by Col. Wm. Deakins, Junr., to Mr.
Spurrier's Tavern, where the escort from Baltimore take charge of
him.
Colonel Deakins was Justice of the Peace, a very high office in those
days, (there was no mayor) besides being a large landowner and
shipowner.
Among the prominent men who probably formed this escort were many of
Washington's former officers of the Revolutionary Army, for when he
came to George Town he was amongst old friends: Colonel Forrest, Major
Stoddert, General James Maccubbin Lingan, General Otho Williams, William
Beatty (who had distinguished himself in the army and had attained the
rank of Colonel), Thomas Richardson who, although a Quaker, was Captain
of a company and won high repute; William Murdock, who had been a
Colonel of militia raised for the defense of the Province of Maryland in
1776, and Lloyd Beall, who had been adjutant of the Staff of Alexander
Hamilton, and General John Mason.
I quote freely from Dr. H. Paul Caemmerer's very interesting _Biography
of Pierre Charles L'Enfant_. "Among the numerous problems of the first
Congress in 1789, was the question of establishment of a seat of
government or a National Capital. During the period of the Continental
Congress and the subsequent period of the Congress of the Confederation,
from 1774 to 1789, Congress had met in eight different town and
cities--Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis,
Trenton, and New York City, part of the time pursued by the enemy and
part of the time attacked by disgruntled soldiers. It was found
difficult for Members of Congress to find adequate quarters, and it was
always a problem to move records and files. Thus it developed that
Congress wanted a home of its own. The Constitution of the United States
provided for a Federal District ten miles square (Art. 1, Sec. 8, Par.
17)."
"On September 11, 1789, while yet the idea of locating a Capital City
was still unsettled, L'Enfant wrote to President Washington asking to be
employed to design the Capital of 'this vast empire.'"
"It might be inferred from this letter that L'Enfant knew more about the
controversy in the Halls of Congress on the subject of location of the
Seat of Government than we know today. It was at its height, that we
know. The question of size of the Federal District had been settled by
the Constitution--it was to be ten miles square. Now the question of
location predominated--the question of 'exclusive jurisdiction' to be
exercised by Congress had been generally conceded.
The discussion was finally limited to two sites: first, a location on
the banks of the Potomac at least as far South as Georgetown, Maryland,
which was favored particularly by the Southern members of Congress as
being the geographical center of the United States; second, a site on
the Delaware River near the falls above Trenton, which Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and the other States nearby favored. But on the whole it was
deemed very important during the First Congress to give the National
Capital a central location along the Atlantic coast. Southern members
led by Richard Bland Lee and James Madison, of Virginia, argued for
consideration for the question by Congress before adjournment, and
recommended the Potomac River site near Georgetown."
"The burning question before Congress at the time was a bill for funding
of the public debt and the assumption of debts incurred by the States
during the Revolutionary War, amounting to about $20,000,000. Alexander
Hamilton as the first Secretary of the Treasury had recommended the
funding of both forms of indebtedness in obligations of the United
States. His aim was to restore the value of the worthless continental
dollar (a pound of tea sold for $90; a pair of shoes for $100; a barrel
of flour for $1,500 in paper money) but it was pointed out that the
assumption of State debts by the Government would result in most
benefits to the Northern States where there was most of the trade, while
mostly agriculture was in the South.... Thus we come to the famous
compromise proposed by Hamilton about the middle of June, 1790, when in
consideration of locating the capital on the banks of the Potomac he
hoped to secure enough votes to secure the enactment of the funding
bill."
"Thus by the Act of July 16, 1790, it was definitely decided that the
seat of government should be on the banks of the Potomac."
"Thereupon arose the question of design for the Federal City. Pursuant
to the application received, President Washington chose Pierre Charles
L'Enfant, 'the artist of the American Revolution,' for this work. No
better choice could have been made. L'Enfant applied his ability to the
task with enthusiasm; the approbation of 'his General' gave him supreme
satisfaction."
"In accordance with directions from President Washington, Major L'Enfant
proceeded to Georgetown for the purpose of making a sketch of the area
proposed for the Federal City that would enable him to fix locations on
the spot for public buildings. He arrived on March 9, 1791. L'Enfant
carried with him a letter of instructions from Secretary of State
Jefferson as follows:
'Sir: You are desired to proceed to Georgetown where you will find
Mr. Ellicott employed in making a survey and Map of the Federal
Territory. The special object of asking your aid is to have a
drawing of the particular grounds most likely to be approved for the
site of the Federal town and buildings. You will therefore be
pleased to begin on the Eastern branch and proceed from thence
upwards, laying down the hills, valleys, morasses and waters between
that and the Potomac, The Tyber, and the road leading from
Georgetown to the Eastern branch and connecting the whole with
certain fixed points on the map Mr. Ellicott is preparing. Some idea
of the height of the lands above the base on which they stand would
be desirable. For necessary assistance and expense be pleased to
apply to the Mayor of Georgetown who is written to on the subject. I
will beg the favor of you to mark to me your progress about twice a
week, say every Wednesday and Saturday evening, that I may be able
in proper time to draw your attention to some other objects which I
have not at this moment sufficient information to define.'"
"_The Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser_ of March 18, 1791,
reported Major L'Enfant's arrival in Georgetown as follows:
'GEORGETOWN (Patowmac) March 12.
Wednesday (March 9) evening arrived in this town Major Longfont, a
French gentleman employed by the President of the United States to
survey the lands contiguous to Georgetown, where the Federal City is
to be put. His skill in matters of this kind is justly extolled by
all disposed to give merit its proper tribute of praise. He is
earnest in the business and hopes to be able to lay a plan of that
parcel of land before the President on his arrival in this town.'
"L'Enfant reported to Secretary of State Jefferson, promptly:
'Friday March 11, 1791
Sir: I have the honor of informing you of my arrival at this place
where I could not possibly reach before Wednesday last and very late
in the evening, after having traveled part of the way on foot and
part on horseback leaving the broken stage behind.
'On arriving I made it my first care to wait on the Mayor of the
town in conformity with the direction which you gave me. He appeared
to be much surprised and he assured me he had received no previous
notice of my coming nor any injunction relating to the business I
was sent upon. However next day--yesterday morning--he made me a
kind offer of his assistance in procuring for me three or four men
to attend me in the surveying and this being the only thing I was in
need of, every matter has been soon arranged. I am only at present
to regret that a heavy rain and thick mist which has been incessant
ever since my arrival here, does put an insuperable obstacle to my
wish of proceeding immediately to the survey. Should the weather
continue bad, as there is every appearance it will, I shall be much
at a lost how to make a plan of the ground you have pointed out to
me and have it ready for the President at the time he is expected at
this place.'"
"In the meantime President Washington had begun his triumphal tour
through the South. In Maryland he was escorted by his Excellency
Governor Howard and the Honorable Mr. Kilty: Washington's Diary for
March 28-30, 1791, reports:
'Monday 28th: Left Bladensburgh at half after six, and breakfasted
at George Town about 8:--where, having appointed the Commissioners
under the Residence Law to meet me, I found Mr. Johnson one of them
(and who is Chief Justice of the State) in waiting--and soon after
came in David Stuart, and Danl. Carroll Esqrs. the other two. A few
miles out of Town I was met by the principal Citizens of the place
and escorted in by them; and dined at Suter's tavern (where I also
lodged) at a public dinner given by the Mayor and
Corporation--previous to which I examined the Surveys of Mr.
Ellicott who had been sent on to lay out the district of ten miles
square for the federal seat; and also works of Majr. L'Enfant who
had been engaged to examine and make a draught of the grds. in the
vicinity of George Town and Carrollsburg on the Eastern Branch
making arrangements for examining the ground myself tomorrow with
the Commissioners.'
'Tuesday, 29th
'In thick mist, and under strong appearance of a settled rain (which
however did not happen) I set out about 7 o'clock, for the purpose
above mentioned, but from the unfavorableness of the day, I derived
no great satisfaction from the review.
'Finding the interests of the Landholders about George Town and
those about the Carrollsburgh much at variance and that their fears
and jealousies of each were counteracting the public purposes and
might prove injurious to its best interests, whilst if properly
managed they might be made to subserve it, I requested them to meet
me at six o'clock this afternoon at my lodgings, which they
accordingly did....
'Dined at Colo. Forrest's today with the Commissioners and others.'
[Whose residence was at 3348 M Street.]
'Wednesday, 30th.
'The parties to whom I addressed myself yesterday evening, having
taken the matter into consideration, saw the propriety of my
observations; and that whilst they were contending for the shadow
they might loose the substance; and therefore mutually agreed and
entered into articles to surrender for public purposes, one half of
the land they severally possessed within the bounds which were
designated as necessary for the City to stand with some other
stipulations, which were inserted in the instrument which they
respectively subscribed.
'This business being thus happily finished and some directions given
to the Commissioners, the Surveyor and Engineer with respect to the
mode of laying out the district--Surveying the grounds for the City
and forming them into lots--I left Georgetown, dined in Alexandria
and reached Mount Vernon in the evening.'"
The "others," with whom he dined, were evidently the proprietors of the
land, sixteen, who next day signed before witnesses the agreement drawn
up that day. It is too long to quote in its entirety, but in effect
these were the conditions: "that in consideration of the good benefits
they were to derive from having the Federal City laid off upon their
lands the President may retain any number of squares he may think proper
for public improvements or uses at the rate of £25 ($66.66 in Penn.
currency) per acre. For the streets they should receive no compensation.
Each proprietor was to retain full possession of his land till it should
be sold into lots." The men who signed, in order of signing, were:
Robert Peter, David Burnes, James M. Lingan, Uriah Forrest, Benjamin
Stoddert, Notley Young, Daniel Carroll, of Duddington; Overton Carr,
Thomas Beall, of George; Charles Beatty, Anthony Holmead, William Young,
Edward Peirce, Abraham Young, James Peirce, and William Prout. At a
later date the following men joined in the agreement and are often
counted among the original property holders: Robert Morris, Samuel
Blodget, William Bailey, Samuel Davidson, William Deakins, Jr., James
Greenleaf, Thomas Johnson, Robert Lingan, Dominick Lynch, John
Nicholson, John H. Stone, Comfort Sands, Benjamin Oden, John P. Van
Ness, George Walker, and the legal guardians of Elizabeth Wheeler.
It was in this little town that the President issued his proclamation
concerning the permanent seat of government of the United States. It
reads thus:
Done at George Town, aforesaid, the 30th day of March in the year of
our Lord, 1791 and in the Independence of the United States the
fifteenth.
By the President,
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
Having satisfactorily accomplished this business, General Washington
proceeded to Mount Vernon, whence he wrote on April 3, 1791, to the
Commissioners to proceed at once with the Attorney-General in regard to
deeds so that the sale of lots and public buildings might commence as
soon as possible. He quotes a letter from Mr. Jefferson:
... that on the 27th of March a bill had been introduced in the
House of Representatives for granting a sum of money for building a
Federal Hall, a house for the President, etc.
At a meeting of the Commissioners on September 9, 1791, in reply to a
letter from Major L'Enfant a letter was written saying:
... that the title of the map he was making was to be, "A Map of the
City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia," and that the
streets were to be named alphabetically one way and numerically the
other, etc.
(Signed by)
THOMAS JOHNSON,
DAVID STUART,
DANIEL CARROLL.
L'Enfant aimed to make an original plan for the Federal City, adapted to
the topography, but he endeavored to secure ideas from plans of great
cities of Europe that might be found possible of adaptation so he wrote
to Jefferson who sent his notable reply and plans of a number of cities
that he had secured evidently while our minister to France.
"June 30th Washington noted, 'The business which brot. me to Georgetown
being finished and the Comrs. instructed with respect to the mode of
carrying the plan into effect, I set off this morning a littel after 4
o'clock, in the prosecution of my journey towards Philadelphia....'"
"Thereupon the building site for the city took on intense activity."
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was the son of Pierre L'Enfant, an artist who
painted battle scenes and also designed tapestries for the Gobelin
Works. L'Enfant himself was an artist and it was his artistic
temperament which caused him trouble. At the age of 22 he had come to
America to volunteer his services in the war against England. He became
an officer of engineers, and also helped Gen. von Steuben drill the Army
at Valley Forge, and worked on fortifications. After the war he was a
practicing architect in New York City for several years but when he
heard of the Federal City to be created he longed to be the author of
its plan and as I have said wrote to Washington asking for the job.
But it was his desire for perfection which eventually was his undoing.
There was delay in submitting the Plan to President Washington, and also
he refused to take orders from any one except Washington, whereas he was
told to take them from the three Commissioners of the District of
Columbia: Thomas Johnson, David Stuart, and Daniel Carroll. Dr. David
Stuart had become the second husband of Mrs. John Parke Custis,
daughter-in-law of Mrs. Washington. Things went from bad to worse when
the nephew of Daniel Carroll the Commissioner, Daniel Carroll of
Duddington, started to build a house which abutted into a street laid
out on the Plan and Major L'Enfant had it demolished. Also there was
delay in getting the Map engraved.
Major L'Enfant lived at Suter's Tavern during the months he was working
in George Town. But where he actually did his work of drawing his famous
Map, where Andrew Ellicott had his office as surveyor, and where the
three Commissioners met for their business has never been settled.
The tradition is that their office was The Little Old Stone House, now
3049 M Street, and known for many years as "General Washington's
Headquarters." As General Washington never had need for military
headquarters here, for there was no fighting nearby, this tradition has
persisted that this was the office of the Commissioners.
On December 13th President Washington sent a letter to L'Enfant advising
him that he must work under orders from the Commissioners.
"Then before leaving for Philadelphia to superintend the engraving of
his "Plan" personally, L'Enfant wrote to the Commissioners asking for
supplies for the winter work, as follows:
'Georgetown Dec. 25, 1791.
'Gentlemen: Mr. Roberdeau, on whose activity and zeal I rely in the
execution of what is necessary to accomplish this winter, will
communicate to you a statement of the business I committed to this
care and I have to request you will make provision for the supply of
25 hands in the quarries and 50 in the city which in all will be 75
men kept in employment besides their respective overseers.
'There is an immediate necessity for a number of wheel-barrows and
above 100 will be wanted early in the spring. Therefore I beg you
will devise the mode of obtaining that number before the 15th of
March next--These wheel-barrows ought to be made light and should be
only roughly finished, though substantial, ...'
Next we find that L'Enfant addressed a long and comprehensive Report to
President Washington 'for renewing the work at the Federal City' in the
approaching season and giving an estimate of expenditures for one year
in the amount of $1,200,000."
"We have here to do with the idealism of L'Enfant that contemplated
quite a completely built city before it was occupied and operated as a
'Seat of Government.' Unfortunately, L'Enfant did not realize the
poverty of the Treasury; and the state of mind of national legislators,
particularly of the North, who preferred to stay in Philadelphia to
moving 'to the Indian Place' on the banks of the Potomac."
"It is generally thought that the trouble concerning the Daniel Carroll
of Duddington House was the reason for L'Enfant's resignation from the
Washington work in March, 1792, and the reason for the letter from
Secretary of State Jefferson terminating his services that month. But a
close analysis of L'Enfant's experiences reveals that this was simply a
'serious incident' in a chain of troubles to follow. This brings to
light the names of L'Enfant's assistants Roberdeau and Baraof. There
were also Benjamin Banneker; and Alexander Ralston."
"L'Enfant remained silent so far as arguments with President Washington
and the Plan was concerned, until 1800 after 'his General' had died. In
the meantime the L'Enfant Plan was engraved, the question of
compensation to L'Enfant came up and he was reimbursed in part." But the
question of payment to Major L'Enfant was never settled.
After leaving Georgetown he worked on a Plan for the city of Patterson,
New Jersey, built a magnificent house for Robert Morris in Philadelphia
which was never finished, and also Oeller's Hotel where the
Philadelphia Assemblies were held.
From 1800 to 1810 he spent most of his time and efforts trying to secure
payment for his services in laying out the Plan of the Capital City of
Washington. On July 7, 1812 Secretary of War Eustis appointed him
Professor of Engineering in the Military Academy at West Point but he
declined saying that he had not "the rigidity of manner, the tongue nor
the patience, nor indeed any inclination peculiar to instructors."
In 1814 he was consulted in regard to the fortification of Fort
Washington opposite Mount Vernon and did some work there.
After the war was over he continued to live there at Warburton Manor
with Thomas A. Digges until 1824 when he went to live with a nephew
William Dudley Digges at Green Hill nearby, where he died, June 14,
1825, and was buried on the estate.
In 1909 the U. S. Government at last honored him by burying him in the
National Cemetery at Arlington, in front of the house, overlooking the
city of his dream.
At twelve o'clock October 12, 1792, the corner-stone of the President's
House was laid, but there is no record of any ceremony. There is,
however, a long account in the newspapers of the laying of the
corner-stone of the Capitol, which was personally performed by George
Washington in his capacity as a Mason, on September 18, 1792, "amid a
brilliant crowd of spectators of both sexes." Right at the head of the
procession, immediately following "the Surveying Department of the City
of Washington," is noted "The Mayor and Corporation of George Town."
John Threlkeld was Mayor that year, and certainly that "brilliant
crowd" must have been largely composed of Georgetonians for the dwellers
in the City of Washington at that time were few and far between. Witness
General Washington's letter on the 17th of May, 1795, to Alexander
White, one of the Commissioners: "I shall intimate that a residence in
the City if a house is to be had, will be more promotive of its welfare
than your abode in George Town." He was nursing along his namesake in
every possible way. On February 8, 1798, he notes in his diary: "Visited
Public Buildings in the morning." The day before, the 7th, he speaks of
going to a meeting of the Potomac Company, dining with Colonel
Fitzgerald, and lodging with Thomas Peter at Number 2618 K Street. This
was only natural, as Mrs. Peter was, of course, his step-granddaughter.
On that same trip he met the Commissioners again, this time at Union
Tavern, and dined there. On August 5th his diary says: "Went to George
Town to a general meeting of the Potomac Company. Dined at the Union
Tavern and lodged at Mr. Law's." Thomas Law, an Englishman, had married
Eliza Custis, Mrs. Washington's eldest grandchild, and had a home on
Capitol Hill.
On August 11th he again spent the night at Thomas Peter's home, and that
was the last night he ever spent in the city named in his honor. He was
never to live to see the government established in the city over which
he had worked so hard, and in which he had such absolute implicit faith.
"A century hence," he wrote, "if this country keeps united, it will
produce a city, though not so large as London, yet of a magnitude
inferior to few other in Europe."
Chapter VI
_Below Bridge Street_
Nearly all of the business, and most of the social life, up until 1800
took place below Bridge (M) Street. The island in the river below George
Town, which was called, variously, Analostan, Mason's Island, My Lord's
Island, and Barbadoes, was almost a part of George Town in those days.
It belonged to the great plantation of George Mason, of Gunston, the
brilliant statesman and author of the Bill of Rights.
His son, General Mason, had there an estate where he entertained in fine
style. Louis Philippe of France, while a visitor in George Town, was
feted there and said he had never seen a more elegant entertainment.
Twenty-three kinds of fish were caught in the river in those days,
besides terrapin and snapping turtles, so perhaps they helped to
embellish the occasion.
The island was rich in forest trees, foliage, flowering and aromatic
shrubs, orchards of cherry, apple, and peach trees. Cotton was grown
there which was the color of nankeen; it was spun, woven, and used in
its natural color, without being dyed. Also, there was grown a variety
of maize of deep purple color, used as a dye.
John Mason had also a town house which we shall mention later. He, like
most of the men in this community, was engaged in the business of
shipping tobacco. The majority of his trade seems to have been with
France, from letters of his father to him, in which the great George
offered to help out his son in his shipments by letting him have some of
the hogsheads he had on hand.
John Mason had been a general in the Revolution, and was at the head of
the militia here, and also owned a ferry operating to the Virginia shore
from the foot of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue). The ferry was worked by
a great iron chain.
In 1835 Analostan Island was purchased by William A. Bradley, nephew of
the Abraham Bradley who came to Washington with the Government in 1800
as Assistant Postmaster General. For many years it was a wilderness,
with only traces showing of its once famous house, but not long ago it
was purchased by the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association.
Robert Peter's house stood on High Street (Wisconsin Avenue), about
where Grace Church now stands. He owned the whole block between Congress
(31st) Street and High Street (Wisconsin Avenue), up to Bridge (M)
Street. It was called Peter's Square. At the age of forty, after he had
lived nearly fifteen years in George Town, he married Elizabeth Scott,
the daughter of George Scott, High Sheriff of Prince George County. They
had eight children.
Their eldest son, Thomas, was married in 1795 to Martha Parke Custis,
the second granddaughter of Mrs. Washington. The bride was sixteen, the
groom twenty-seven. The wedding took place at Hope Park near Fairfax
Court House, where Martha's mother, the former Eleanor Calvert (Mrs.
John Parke Custis), had been living since she became the wife of David
Stuart, one of the Commissioners laying out the City of Washington.
Soon after their marriage, Mr. Peter gave to Thomas and his wife one of
the six houses he had built for his sons on lots across Rock Creek in
the new city. The one he gave them was 2618 K Street, and is still
standing. It was there that General Washington stayed with the young
couple so often. Martha was very lovely in appearance, and very devoted
to her step-grandfather, and he, apparently, to her.
Robert Peter's eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was married in 1787 to her
cousin, James Dunlop. Mr. Peter's mother had been Jean Dunlop of
Garnkirke. To this couple, the father also gave a house situated not far
from his own, a block away, up High Street (Wisconsin Avenue). There
they reared a large family.
No more interesting figure looms out of the mists of early George Town
than the Reverend Stephen Bloomer Balch, the founder and first pastor of
the Presbyterian Church. But, far more than that, he seems to have been
pastor, "Parson," as he was affectionately called, for the entire
community. It was in his church edifice that each denomination met until
they procured their own.
Born on his parents' place in the Susquehanna region, graduated from
Princeton in the same class with Aaron Burr, Dr. Balch went to Lower
Marlboro, Calvert County, Maryland, to take charge of a classical
academy in October, 1775. For two years he taught, drilled the students
in military training, and studied theology on the side. His books were
borrowed from the Reverend Thomas Clagett, who afterwards became the
first Episcopal Bishop of Maryland, and now lies buried in the
Washington Cathedral, not very far from his pupil in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Not very long after Dr. Balch was licensed as a preacher, he came to
George Town, about 1778, the only place of worship at that time being
the Lutherans' small building, where their new church now stands on the
corner of the present Q Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The lot was given
in 1769 by Colonel Charles Beatty. Dr. Balch preached there on Thursday
night and again on Sunday. He did not remain at that time, but, a year
or so later, asked to come back, and at first used a little frame house
on the north side of Bridge (M) Street, which was occupied on week days
by a school. Just about this time he was made principal of the Columbian
Academy, and the next year he married Elizabeth Beall, the daughter of
George Beall. I wonder if he had, by any chance, met her on his first
visit, and the memory of her bright eyes had followed him on his
journeys down into the Carolines and lured him back.
At the wedding of Dr. and Mrs. Balch in 1782, tea was served in cups not
much larger than thimbles. The ladies of George Town would not drink tea
at all during the Revolution, and it was still not plentiful.
He was of a susceptible nature, for, after his wife's death in 1827, he
was married the next year, when he was eighty-two, to another Elizabeth,
one of the King family. She lived only eighteen days, and a little more
than a year later, he again embarked on the sea of matrimony, this time
with a widow, Mrs. Jane Parrott. By his first wife he had eleven
children, the usual number in those days.
In 1783, one year after his first marriage, he built his home on Duck
Lane (33rd Street), which he called "Mamre," from the Old Testament.
After Abraham and Lot had separated, Abraham giving Lot the first choice
of location, "the Lord told Abraham to look over the whole land which He
would give to him and his seed forever, and Abraham moved his tent and
dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, and built there an altar unto the Lord."
In 1799, when a street was graded through, it completely ruined his
property and he was obliged to take refuge with neighbors. One of his
neighbors was James Calder, who was a trustee of his church, and Mr.
Crookshanks lived near by. Dr. Balch had an island on the river called
"Patmos." This time he went to the New Testament and named it for Saint
John's abode, where he wrote the Book of Revelations. This island
supplied wood for his fires. He had, also, a little way out of town, a
farm of ten acres.
One Fourth of July, his son, Thomas, aged eight, as he tells us in his
_Reminiscences_, wanted to deliver an oration which he had prepared--in
Scotch Row, near by his home. All of his comrades had gone to see
Captain Doughty's Company on parade with the fife-and-drum corps. But
the little boy was not to be deterred. He went up on Bridge (M) Street,
hunting an audience and a distinguished one he brought back with him. If
small in number, it made up in quality, for he had General John Mason
and Monsieur Pichon, a "bland and elegant" Frenchman sent by Napoleon to
receive the $15,000,000 for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Mr.
Pichon was a Huguenot from the city of Lyons and lived, while here, near
the Bank of Columbia. This son followed in his father's footsteps as a
minister and did not have to go out always for his audience.
A short while after the death of General Washington, Dr. Balch gave
notice that he was going to speak on the life and services of the great
statesman. He preached in the open air to more than a thousand people.
The last years of Dr. Balch's life were spent at number 3302 Gay (N)
Street, where a bad fire destroyed many valuable papers and the records
of his church. He wrote to a friend: "Only the Parrott (his wife)
remains!" Apparently, he never lost his sense of humor. Perhaps it was
that which helped to make him so universally beloved.
Dr. Balch died on the 7th of September, 1833. Every house in town was
hung in black, all the stores and banks were closed and the bells tolled
as his body was carried to the church.
One block westward of Dr. Balch's original house lived another man, very
influential in the religious life of the town in addition to his large
business activities. Henry Foxall, a native of Monmouthshire, England,
was born in 1760. He went to Dublin, where he was put in charge of
extensive iron works and where he became a Methodist. On coming to this
country, he first settled in Philadelphia, where, in 1794, he was a
partner in the Eagle Iron Works of Robert Morris, the great financier
and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
When Thomas Jefferson became President, he thought it advisable to have
at the seat of government an ordnance plant, so Morris recommended
Foxall, who came here in 1799 for that purpose. He built his foundry on
the western outskirts of George Town, just behind Georgetown College.
He built also a large brick house, two stories, with dormer windows on
Frederick (34th) Street, between Water (K) and Bridge (M) Streets. It
was quite a pretentious house for that time, with its high ceilings,
elaborately decorated cornices of minute workmanship, and mantels of
carved wood. It had ample grounds, and in front stood two tall and
graceful Lombardy poplars. He had also a summer home, a little farther
out and higher up, called "Spring Hill," from whence he had a fine view
of the Potomac and the Virginia hills.
A warm friendship sprang up between him and Thomas Jefferson, as they
had many tastes in common. Both were performers on the violin and used
to accompany each other, and both were fond of tinkering. Jefferson, you
remember, was of a very inventive turn of mind. During this time he
thought of an air-tight stove and got Mr. Foxall to make some according
to his ideas, but they did not work out to please him.
Thomas Jefferson lived for a while in George Town on the little street
bearing his name, between Washington (30th) and Congress (31st) Streets,
running south below Bridge (M) Street, in a house demolished a few years
ago. It stood immediately south of the Canal on the east side, and was
in appearance much like the home of Francis Scott Key. It must have been
during the time he was Secretary of State in John Adams's administration
that he occupied this house.
Mr. Jefferson was never happy living in a town. I found this interesting
little tidbit about him in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_: "For eight
years he tabulated with painful accuracy the earliest and latest
appearance of 37 vegetables in the Washington market, and after his
return from France for 23 years he received from his old friend, the
superintendent of the JARDIN DES PLANTES, a box of seeds which he
distributed to public and private gardens throughout the United States."
So I think we might easily call him the founder of the Garden Clubs of
America, certainly of the Georgetown Garden Club.
Mr. Foxall was a convert to Wesleyanism, and a lay minister. He was in
the habit of entertaining the members of the Methodist Conference at
this home, and was once good-humoredly twitted by one of them in regard
to his inconsistent roles of "proclaimer of the gospel of peace and
forger of weapons of war." To this he replied: "If I do make guns to
destroy men's bodies, I build churches to save their souls."
At this foundry (then the only one south of Philadelphia), cannon were
cast for the American troops during the War of 1812. The artillery and
indeed all the military arms of this country were then very imperfect.
Foxall was the only founder in America who understood the proper mode of
manufacture. Here began the first manufacture of bored cannon in this
country, being vastly superior to the old ordnance. The abandonment and
recasting of the old-style guns speedily followed.
Commodore Perry would have no others on the little fleet he built at
Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie. The battle of Lake Erie was deferred until
Foxall could fill an order from the government for guns, and transport
them over the mountains on carts drawn by ten or twelve yoke of oxen to
the scene of the engagement. From the deck of his flagship _The
Lawrence_, manned by these guns from George Town, Perry sent his famous
message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours!"
[Illustration: HENRY FOXALL]
In 1814, when the British entered Washington and burned the Capitol and
the White House, this foundry, upon which the country depended so
largely for its supplies, was in imminent danger, and its owner vowed
that, if God would spare it, he would build a church to His glory. The
enemy had their face set in its direction when a sudden and violent
storm turned them from their course. An old letter, written by George
Bleig, afterwards Chaplain-General of the British Army, says: "On the
25th a hurricane fell on the city which unroofed houses and upset our
three-pound guns. It upset me also. It fairly lifted me out of the
saddle, and the horse which I had been riding, I never saw again."
True to his vow, Henry Foxall built the Foundry Methodist Church at the
northeast corner of 14th and G Streets. It was sold some years later and
the Colorado office building erected there. With the proceeds the very
handsome grey stone church was built on 16th Street above Scott Circle.
The trustees of the Foundry Church were Isaac Owens, Leonard Mackall,
John Eliason, William Doughty, Joel Brown, John Lutz, and Samuel
McKenney.
Methodism at that time was in a struggling condition. The first visit by
a Methodist preacher had been one by the tireless Francis Asbury. He was
an old friend of Foxall, had visited him often in Philadelphia, and
preached in George Town December 9, 1772. But it was twenty years before
regular services were held, and then only by a preacher who came up from
Alexandria. It was not until after the arrival of Henry Foxall that any
Methodist preacher was stationed in the District. William Watters was so
appointed in 1802.
[Illustration: HOME OF HENRY FOXALL]
Mr. Foxall was instrumental in the erection of no less than four
churches, the old church at George Town on Rock Creek, one at the Navy
Yard known as Ebenezer, a colored chapel, and later, the Foundry Church.
In 1814 was organized the first Bible society in the District of
Columbia. Among its founders were Henry Foxall and Francis Scott Key,
near neighbors.
Mr. Foxall was three times married, his first wife was Ann Harward, whom
he married in England in 1780; his second was Margaret Smith, married in
Philadelphia in 1799; his third, Catherine, whom he married in 1816 in
England, while on a visit home. He had only two children and they were
by his first marriage--a son who died when twenty-five years old and
daughter, Mary Ann, who became the wife of Samuel McKenney, and for whom
he built a lovely home.
In the summer of 1823 he went to England for a visit, and there in
December of that same year he died, quite suddenly, in great peace. "He
served well his country, his generation, and his God."
Mr. Foxall was said by one of his old employees to have been honest and
just in his dealings, and although he did a large business, employing
many people, he owed no man a dollar. He was prompt in paying off his
workmen, usually making coin payments. He was a conscientious, earnest
Christian, a real enthusiast in his religion. During his term of office
as mayor in 1819 and 1820, the ordinances for the town which provided
against profaning the Sabbath, were strictly enforced.
The old Sunday Laws (so-called Blue Laws), which George Town inherited
from Maryland, were decidedly severe, and it took a man of Mr. Foxall's
force of character to enforce them. A few of the offenses against which
he waged relentless war may be mentioned. Five dollars was the penalty
for gaming, hunting, and fishing on the Sabbath. No trading was allowed
on the Lord's Day, except the selling of "fresh fish, milk, and other
perishable goods." Cock-fighting and drinking, when indulged in by free
men, were punished by a fine of $5.00, but when a slave was the
offender, he received thirty-nine stripes on the bare back in a public
place.
The old gentleman was fond of buying slaves whom he would set free after
teaching them a trade. Long years after, one of his old slaves boasted
of having driven the Marquis de Lafayette to visit his old mistress,
Mrs. Catherine Foxall, on his visit in 1824.
When the Potomac Canal was taken over and reorganized as the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal, a great celebration was made of the event.
On Friday, July 4, 1828, President John Quincy Adams, accompanied by
heads of Federal Government Departments, members of the Diplomatic
Corps, the president and directors of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Company and authorities of the three cities of the then District of
Columbia: Washington, Alexandria, and Georgetown, assembled early at the
Union Hotel. The procession formed and, to the music of the United
States Marine Band, marched to the High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) wharf,
where, on board the steamboat _Surprise_ and other boats, they moved up
the Potomac, until they reached the termination of the old Potomac
Canal, landed, and marched a few hundred yards to canal boats prepared
to receive them. They glided along until they reached the point of
destination where the old powder magazine stood. On landing, they formed
a large circle. The president of the C. & O. Company addressed President
Adams in a brief speech and handed him a spade. After making the speech,
he attempted to run the spade into the ground, but struck a root. He
tried it again, when a wag in the crowd cried out he had come across a
"hickory root," (allusion to Andrew Jackson, "Old Hickory," and their
political campaign).
He then threw down the spade, ripped off his coat, and went to work in
earnest. People on the hills around raised loud cheers until their Chief
Executive overcame the difficulty.
On July 4, 1831, water was let in the canal from the first feeder to the
Columbia Foundry. The loan of $1,500,000 was obtained in Holland through
Richard Rush on the credit of the citizens of Washington, Alexandria,
and Georgetown.
It is said that, with the probable exception of General Washington, he
took more interest in the affairs of the District of Columbia than any
other president. He was largely identified with its material prosperity;
he owned and operated a flouring mill on Rock Creek, but the project he
was most zealously interested in was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Of
course, Mr. Adams had been here some during his father's presidency,
though he was a man in his thirties then and was much abroad on
diplomatic missions. He was also Secretary of State in Monroe's
administration, and after his own term of office as President, served as
a representative in Congress until his death.
A flouring mill which stood at the point where the canal of the old
Potomac Company entered the river, was owned by the Edes family. The
fish caught there were much larger than those caught elsewhere.
On the bank of the canal opposite the mill, lived Bull Frizzle, noted
for his enormous strength. One time, after there was an accident at the
Little Falls (Chain) Bridge, he crawled under a large beam and prized it
up by the strength of his back, saving the life of the man pinned
underneath.
Chapter VII
_Along Bridge (M) Street_
The bridge over Rock Creek at Bridge (M) Street, was built in 1788, and
one night when a storm of wind and rain was raging, gave way while a
stage-coach was passing over it. The coach was precipitated into the
water but only the driver and the horses were drowned. Ever afterwards
it was said that on stormy nights the ghost of the driver haunted the
spot.
Peter Casanave had a stone house near the bridge and close by was the
house of the French's. Mrs. French had been Arianna Scott, sister of
Mrs. Robert Peter. The house, which is still remembered by many old
residents, was a fine, large brick mansion of the prevailing type at
that time.
It was surrounded by trees--some of them being cherries--and a garden.
One large room was hung with very unusual paper representing scenes of
Indian life. It is still remembered by a gentleman who lived there when
he was quite young, who says he remembers passing when the house was
being demolished and again admired the very handsome and remarkable
paper. At that time the place was entered by a gate from the
Pennsylvania Avenue side, and then there was a flight of steps to reach
M Street on the other side.
Mrs. French evidently owned several houses nearby, for she advertised:
For sale or rent:
The house opposite the Bank of Columbia lately occupied by Mrs.
Suter, and the house lately occupied by John M. Gantt, Esqur.,
adjoining Dr. Weem's house are for sale or rent. The house opposite
the bank is very eligibly situated for a commercial character having
an excellent storeroom and counting room with every convenient
compartment for a private family. The house adjoining Dr. Weems' can
accomodate very comfortably a small family and from its situation
will soon be very valuable. The terms of sale or rent may be known
on application to Dr. Weems.
9th January 1799 A. FRENCH.
Also, Mrs. Pick had a millinery store just about here.
On the corner of Bridge (M) and Greene (29th) Streets, was where David
Reintzel lived, who was mayor several times.
A block or two further west, on the north side of the street, stood the
very modest home of Jacob Schoofield, the Quaker with whom William Wirt
was put to board when he was sent in 1779 to George Town to attend
school. He speaks of how Mrs. Schoofield comforted him the first night
he was there, a home-sick little boy, by telling him the story, from the
Bible, of Joseph being sold by his brother and carried off into Egypt.
He said "I remember, also, to have seen a gentleman, Mr. Peter, I think,
going out gunning for canvas-backs, then called white-backs, which I
have seen whitening the Potomac and which, when they arose, as they
sometimes did for half a mile together, produced a sound like thunder."
Just a few doors from this house was the famous Union Tavern, of which I
have already said so much. The building was standing until a few years
ago when it was replaced by a filling station. When it became
Crawford's Hotel after John Suter, Jr., gave it up, again William Wirt
comes into the picture:
Here I am at Crawford's. I am surrounded by a vast crowd of
legislators and gentlemen assembled for the races, which are to
commence tomorrow. The races amidst the ruins and desolation of
Washington.
These gentlemen used to ride to and from the capitol in a large
stage-coach with seats on top called the "Royal George."
Among the other notable guests of the old hostelry were Louis Philippe,
Jerome Bonaparte, Talleyrand, ex-Bishop of Autun when he was driven from
France, John Adams, when as President in the early summer of 1800, he
came down to look over his new field; Anthony Merry, Minister from
England to the United States; Washington Irving, Count Volney, Humbolt,
the geographer; Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; Lorenzo
Dow, the eccentric preacher; several young naval officers from the
Tripolitan War; and John Randolph of Roanoke. I wonder if it was from
this old tavern that that brilliant but erratic statesman went out
across the Chain Bridge to fight his duel with Henry Clay? It is
recorded by a marker, just at the end of the bridge on the Virginia
side, and reads thus: "Near here Henry Clay and John Randolph of Roanoke
fought a duel April 8, 1826. Randolph had called Clay a 'Blackleg' in a
speech. Both men were unhurt, but Randolph's coat was pierced by a
bullet."
John Randolph spent the night before the duel in quoting poetry and
playing whist while his will was being amended.
John Randolph must have liked George Town, for years afterwards when he
lay very ill in his boarding place on Capitol Hill, he insisted on his
body servant, Juba, getting him some water from George Town, no other
would do. He called it "The water of Chios."
Joseph Crawford, the proprietor of this hotel, was the principal manager
in the unloading of the records and furniture belonging to the
government when the ships bringing it from Philadelphia docked at Lear's
Wharf. Abraham Bradley, who, as Assistant Postmaster General, had charge
of the removal of that department, and Joseph Nourse, who was Registrar
of the Treasury, may also have stopped at Crawford's until settled in
their homes.
Just opposite on the southeast corner of Bridge (M) and Washington
(30th) Streets stood, until 1878, the Presbyterian Church, whose
founder, Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch, was its pastor for fifty-two years.
When it was first built in 1782, it was only about thirty feet square.
In 1793 it was enlarged by extending the north front. In 1801-'02, it
was further enlarged by extending it on the west side. For this purpose
Thomas Jefferson helped by subscribing $75.00. In 1806 the trustees of
the congregation were incorporated by Congress. They were: Stephen B.
Balch, William Whann, James Melvin, John Maffitt, John Peter, Joshua
Dawson, James Calder, George Thompson, Richard Elliott, David Wiley, and
Andrew Ross. The first and only elder for some time was James Orme, son
of Reverend John Orme, of Upper Marlborough. In 1821 a new building was
erected. When Dr. Balch died in 1833, he was buried there, but when the
congregation moved in 1878 and the church was torn down, his remains
were taken to Oak Hill, where, with the original gravestone, they lie
not far from the chapel and just north of the grave of John Howard
Payne.
[Illustration: OLD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH]
On the northwest corner of Bridge (M) and Washington (30th) Streets
lived a Mr. Lee; probably Thomas Sim Lee, whose home was the gathering
place for the Federalists. Just beyond here, still on the north side
where the two lovely old carved doorways remain unchanged, are the
houses once owned by Henry Addison, who served as mayor of the Town from
1845 to 1857 and again from 1861 to 1867. He was a hardware merchant,
and in 1827 it was for him that the first steam fire engine was named.
Mr. Hill lived in one of these houses and next door on the east lived
Mr. Vanderwerken. He owned the line of omnibuses that ran along Bridge
(M) Street and over to the city before there were street cars. The
omnibuses bore the names of prominent people.
There was a pump in the back yard on the line between these two houses.
On each side of the fence was a handle on the pump so that it could be
worked by both families. The water flowed smoothly until something
caused a fuss between the two men, and one day, when Mr. Hill, who was a
very large man, protruded over the fence, Mr. Vanderwerken got out his
shotgun and peppered his shoulder!
Across the street at number 3012 lived John Abbott, who came from
Philadelphia with the transfer of the government in 1800.
At number 3016 lived John Mountz who was Clerk of the Corporation for
sixty-seven years, from the time of its beginning in 1789 up to 1856.
Across the street again is the quaint little Stone House which has
caused so much discussion. For many years tradition had said it was
there that Major L'Enfant had his headquarters while he was mapping the
new capital city. Then, someone said it had never been proved. So now we
are waiting for proof. From its looks it was most certainly standing in
those early days. If only it could speak and tell its own history!
We do know it was bought as lot 3 in June, 1762, by John Boone for one
pound, ten shillings. Two years later, as he had not improved it, it was
bought by Christopher Leyhman for the same amount, and presumably, a
house was built about that time. Apparently, by inheritance, it came to
Rachel Furvey (formerly Rachel Leyhman), and in June, 1767, by deed, it
became the property of Cassandra Chew, who made it over to her two
daughters, Harriot, who married Richard Bruce, and Mary, who first
married Richard Smith, and later, Mr. Bromley. Mary's daughter, Barbara
Smith, married John Suter, Jr., and they lived in this house. This is
supposed to have something to do with the claim that has been made that
this building on lot 3 was Suter's Tavern.
Almost next door on the west Mr. Claggett had a house. Again, across the
street, on the southeast corner, is the building which, until recent
years, housed the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. It was founded in 1814.
When the Mexican War came, this bank enabled the government to pay the
war debt. It has now been absorbed by the Riggs National Bank and moved
further up the street. Before the building of the bank, John Peter, a
nephew of Robert Peter, had a house on that corner. His house was a
simple frame one, and back of it he had rabbit warrens and pigeon
houses. He used to go often in the evenings the short distance to his
uncle Robert's house for a game of whist, of which the old gentleman was
very fond.
Just above Bridge (M) Street on Congress (31st) Street stands the
Georgetown post office, an imposing granite building. It is also the
custom house of the District of Columbia.
Near the corner of Congress (31st) Street lived W. King, and at number
3119 was the house Thomas Corcoran built. He had come from Limerick,
Ireland, to Baltimore in 1783 and entered business with his uncle,
William Wilson, there. Soon after his marriage to Hannah Lemon, of
Baltimore County, he came to George Town, intending to go on to
Richmond, but being so impressed with the thriving little town, he
decided to settle here. He first rented a house on Congress (31st)
Street below Bridge (M) from Robert Peter, and started a business in
leather. In 1791 he built this three-story house and there lived for
many years. He was mayor five different terms from 1805, and also
magistrate and postmaster for fifteen years until his death in 1830. It
was in this house that a meeting was held in 1817 to found Christ
Church.
The Union Bank was on the north side of this block.
On the southwest corner of Bridge (M) and High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)
is the site of Gordon's Inspection House, and just west of here in 1791
were three large tobacco sheds covering three acres. Here was the
"Warehouse Lot," used by circuses when they came to town.
Close by was the big warehouse of John Laird. It was after his death in
1833 that the trade in tobacco began to decline.
[Illustration: GENERAL JAMES MACCUBBIN LINGAN]
[Illustration: BENJAMIN STODDERT]
[Illustration: URIAH FORREST]
From 1792 to 1795, number 3221 was the home of Dr. William Thornton, the
architect of the Capitol; the Octagon House, built by John Tayloe; of
Tudor Place, and also of Woodlawn. He was later the first Superintendent
of Patents from 1802 until 1807.
The old market stands where there always has been a market. Its upper
stories used to be where the meetings of the Corporation of George Town
were held.
At number 3300 was the home of Paymaster David Whann.
Midway between Market (33rd) and Frederick (34th) Streets, on the north
side of Bridge (M) Street, General James Maccubbin Lingan had a large
piece of property. I wonder if this advertisement inserted in a
newspaper on April 22, 1801, describes this very place:
The subscriber offers for sale the houses and lots where he now
resides. The improvements are a commodious dwelling house, office,
kitchen, wash house, meat house, carriage house, a stable for five
horses, likewise a large and well cultivated garden and clover lot.
He will also sell the upper wharf and warehouses, all of which have
been lately built and well situated for receiving produce that may
come down the river.
J. M. LINGAN.
General Lingan was of noted Scotch ancestry, the second child of Dr.
Lingan. He was born in 1751, in Frederick County, Maryland. On his
mother's side he was related to the Maccubbins, and to the Carrolls of
Maryland. He came to George Town as quite a young man and went directly
into the tobacco warehouse of a relative. In 1776 he was commissioned a
lieutenant in the army. After the victory of the Battle of Long Island,
he was captured at Fort Washington on November 16, 1776, his breast
being pierced by a bayonet at that time. He was sent as a prisoner
aboard the _Jersey_--the "Hell," as she was called. The conditions on
board were terrific, and many of the prisoners died. When the coffin was
brought for the body of one of his friends, it was found to be too
short--the guards started to decapitate the body to make it fit. Young
Lingan stood over the body and said he would kill them with his bare
hands. So they brought a larger coffin.
While he was still a prisoner there, his cousin, Admiral Sir Samuel
Hood, of His "Satanic" Majesty's Navy, as Lingan called it, visited him
and offered him £2,000 (pounds) and high rank in the British Army if he
would return to his former allegiance. Lingan's answer was, "I'll rot
here first!" And he almost did! He was cooped up in a space so short
that he could not lie full length, so low that he could not stand erect.
It was many months after his release before his cramped and agonized
muscles allowed him to sleep except in an armchair.
The reasons for wishing to obtain his defection were, first, the pride,
and perhaps, affection of his connections in England. Lord North,
himself, was one of these, and his cousin, Zachariah Hood was _persona
gratia_ at the Court of St. James. Also, the affiliations and
connections of his family in Maryland made his defection greatly to be
desired. One of his sisters had married Thomas Plater, the son of
Governor George Plater of Sotterley, and he was also related to the
prominent Carroll family.
At the conclusion of the war, General Lingan returned to George Town and
farmed two estates he owned, both named after battles in which he had
participated--Harlem and Middlebrook. He also was appointed collector
of the port by General Washington himself. He was one of the original
members of the Order of the Cincinnati.
In later years he moved over to the city, his house then being in the
neighborhood of Nineteenth, M and N Streets. He had a wife and children,
many friends, and all was going well with him until the election year of
1812. General Lingan was a Federalist in politics. The party organ was
_The Federal Republican_, published in Baltimore and edited by Alexander
Contee Hanson, whose wife was a near relative of Nicholas Lingan, the
brother of James.
War with England was declared on Friday, the 19th of June, 1812, and
next day an editorial appeared in _The Federal Republican_, which was
like a match set to a powder train. On Sunday, public meetings were held
advocating the suppression of the paper, and on Monday, three or four
hundred men and boys assembled at the office of the paper at Gay and
Second Streets, in Baltimore, and destroyed the furniture and the house.
The staff then removed to Georgetown where, although it was threatened
from both Baltimore and Washington, it continued to publish the paper
until July 26th, when Mr. Hanson went back to Baltimore to a small house
on South Charles Street, accompanied by General Lingan, John Howard
Payne, General Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee, and others. On the
following day the paper was issued from that office, though it had been
printed in Georgetown. It contained an attack on the State authorities
for the outrage of June 22nd. This time the mob that gathered brought
arms and ammunition. The twenty-seven gentlemen assembled in the office
were also armed, "to defend the rights of person, and property, and the
liberty of the press." At first only stones were used by the assailants,
answered by volleys of blank cartridges. After scenes almost fantastic
in fury, the gentlemen were finally overcome and marched to gaol for
safety. But after dark another mob gathered round the gaol, and
overcoming the guard, broke in. Mr. Gwynn pushed his way through a group
of fifty men to General Lingan who was being knocked down by clubs, then
jerked up to be knocked down again, while the outside ring of men
bellowed, "Tory! Tory!" The only word General Lingan spoke to the mob
was, when tearing open his shirt, he displayed the mark of the Hessian
bayonet, still purple, and exclaimed, "Does this look as if I was a
traitor?" Just then a stone struck the scar and he fell. As the last
breath left his body, he murmured to a friend near by, "I am a dying
man--save yourself."
On this side of Bridge (M) Street, adjoining what was then Bank Street
stood the Bank of Columbia, when it moved from a few blocks east. From
old pictures, it looks much more like a stately home than a bank, and
part of it was used as his home by William Whann, the cashier. Set far
back on the hill, with columns on its façade and a Greek pediment, it
was very handsome. Its first president was Samuel Blodgett; its second,
General John Mason of Analostan Island. Across the street he had his
town house.
To this bank one day late in 1814, while he was Secretary of State, came
James Monroe, on horseback, and asking for William Whann, told him that
the government was entirely out of funds, and wanted a loan with which
to dispatch General Andrew Jackson to New Orleans. Mr. Monroe pledged
his own private fortune that the debt would be paid, and the money was
turned over to him. The government at that time was not strong enough
to levy heavier taxes for the conduct of the war with England, which was
very unpopular in the New England States.
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815--two weeks after
peace had come--for a Treaty of Peace had been signed on Christmas Eve,
and the great loss of life on the English side might have been avoided.
Just beyond here on the corner, Mr. Thompson had a residence, and still
a little further lived Mr. Warren. Just opposite, at number 3350, is one
of the oldest houses in Georgetown and one of the most notable, for here
Colonel Uriah Forrest was living in 1791 when on March 29th he gave that
memorable dinner, referred to by General Washington, when the
arrangements were made for the purchase of land on which to build the
new City of Washington.
What a scene that must have been! One can imagine the turtle soup, the
fish and terrapin caught fresh from the river, wild ducks and ham with
shoulders of mutton and all the vegetables and hot breads and other
delectable foods for which Maryland is famous--for Uriah Forrest,
himself a Marylander, had a Maryland wife, Rebecca Plater, the daughter
of Governor Plater, whose home was Sotterley, in Saint Mary's County.
In 1792 Colonel Forrest was mayor of George Town. Not long after this,
Colonel Forrest purchased a large tract of land lying north of the town
and there he built a country home which he called Rosedale, and to which
he eventually retired for his permanent home. His descendants, the
Greens, lived on at Rosedale until not so very many years ago. One of
them, Mr. George Green, sold to President Cleveland, in his first
administration, a stone cottage on the Rosedale estate which the
President remodeled and made his summer home. It was called Red Top,
from its turreted red roof, but its real name was Oak View. From it, the
suburb, Cleveland Park, derives its name.
[Illustration: WILLIAM MARBURY]
Mr. Cleveland, in his second administration, used Woodley for his summer
home. It had been a part of the Rosedale tract, and the house was built
by Philip Barton Key, a brother-in-law of Colonel Forrest, for he also
had married a Miss Plater.
Mr. Key moved out of town and resided at Woodley, where he dispensed
lavish hospitality until his death in 1817. Thomas Plater also had moved
out from George Town and lived near by. He was the executor for Philip
Barton Key. After Mr. Key's death, his widow went back into town and
took up her residence on the corner of Gay (N) and Congress (31st)
Streets.
After Colonel Forrest left the house on Bridge (M) Street, it was bought
by William Marbury, who had come to Georgetown from Annapolis. He was a
justice of the peace, a very responsible and honorable office in those
days. It was in connection with his reappointment to the office that the
controversy arose which resulted in the famous law case of MARBURY
_versus_ MADISON, as James Madison, in his capacity as Secretary of
State to Thomas Jefferson, was the Madison involved. The prominence of
the case was because it was the first of those great opinions handed
down by Chief Justice John Marshall in which he decided that the Supreme
Court has the power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional.
[Illustration: PHILIP BARTON KEY]
[Illustration: MRS. PHILIP BARTON KEY (ELIZABETH PLATER)]
In 1814 Mr. Marbury became the first president of the Farmers and
Mechanics Bank when it was organized; its cashier being Clement Smith,
who, after the presidency of Thomas B. Beall, from 1817-1821, became the
third president, and the only one in the history of that institution to
be promoted to that office. Not many years ago, Mr. Marbury's picture,
in his old-fashioned costume, was printed on the bank checks to impress
the public with the antiquity of the institution.
He was a very imposing looking gentleman, as was his son, John Marbury,
who was eight years old when the family moved to Georgetown. Some years
ago, one of his great-grandsons heard the family talking about
"Grandfather's Bourbon nose." A little later he was found standing,
gazing intently at the portrait of the old gentleman, and when asked,
"Why such sudden interest?" he replied, "Where is the 'burb' on his
nose?"
John Marbury married and lived for some years on Gay (N) Street, near
Market (33rd) Street. After his father's death, he moved to the old
house on Bridge (M) Street in order to keep his mother company. He had a
very large family, seven sons and six daughters. All of the daughters
attended Miss English's Seminary, walking to and from school all winter
wearing low-necked and short-sleeved dresses, covered only by a little
cape. Not a case of poverty, I assure you, but of fashion! I was told
this not long ago by a descendant, and of how they used to have to melt
their gum shoes to get them on in cold weather. I think the names of a
trio of their friends very amusing--Jerry Berry, Hetty Getty, and Jimmy
Finney.
The house had a large garden in the rear and spacious rooms where they
entertained a great deal. Not long ago, I saw a fascinating drawing of
a party in Georgetown in the fifties. It represented four musicians
intent upon playing a bass viol, a cello, a violin, and a flute; a few
of the company standing near by with curls and puffed coiffures, and
among them a tiny man, side-whiskered, so short that he barely reached
the shoulders of the ladies. He must, of course, have been Prince
Iturbide. There was never anyone quite like him. He was a Mexican, here
in the diplomatic service, and had married Miss Alice Green, a
granddaughter of Uriah Forrest.
At a party one evening at the Marbury's, a dispute arose between him and
Baron Bodisco, the Russian Minister, who was also a resident of
Georgetown. It ended in the prince calling the baron a liar, whereby the
baron immediately knocked Prince Iturbide down. The little prince sprang
onto a sofa and bounced up and down, shouting over and over again, "He
knocked an Iturbide down; he knocked an Iturbide down!" as if he
expected Mr. Marbury to straightway haul the baron off to be beheaded,
at least. It was the last party given at the old house for many a day,
as Mr. Marbury considered that they had been disgraced by their guests.
Years after, when Madame Iturbide was left a widow in Mexico, the
Emperor Maximilian wished to adopt her son, to which she gave her
consent, but finding later that it meant complete separation from him,
she kidnapped him and escaped to America.
For two whole days after the Battle of Bull Run, the "Damn Yankees," as
the Marburys called them, poured over the nearby bridge from Virginia at
a dog-trot and dropped from exhaustion on the steps of this house and
the pavement. Mr. Marbury ordered all of the shutters to be kept tightly
closed during that dreadful time.
A little granddaughter of his, living there, went one day with a friend
of hers to place flowers on the grave of a child of Jefferson Davis in
Oak Hill Cemetery. They were arrested, and when it was discovered who
she was, soldiers were sent to search the house. Mrs. Marbury had some
letters from her nephews in the Confederate Army, and she hurriedly
sewed them up in a chair, for she said the boys might be killed and she
hated to destroy their letters. Many, many years after, on a summer day
in the garret of an old house, not far from Leesburg, Virginia, three of
Mrs. Marbury's great-grandchildren ripped them out of their long hiding
place.
Just a few doors west of this interesting old house stood another,
somewhat smaller, which, until a few years ago, was in its original
state of preservation. Now it has gone! It was the home of the author of
our National Anthem. Here Francis Scott Key lived for twenty years. Here
his eleven children were born, while he served three terms as District
Attorney and engaged in the private practice of law.
Everyone knows the story of how, hearing of the arrest of a friend, Dr.
William Beanes, by the British, in the War of 1812, Mr. Key made the
trip to Baltimore to see what he could do to help the old gentleman, who
had done some very rash talking down in Prince Georges County. Mr. Key
was a connection of Mrs. Beanes', who was a member of the Plater family.
Mr. Key went on board the British man-of-war, under the command of
Admiral Cockburn, called _The Red Devil of the Chesapeake_, lying
opposite Fort McHenry, but was told by the captain that he would have to
spend the night on board as a bombardment was about to take place.
Imagine his sensations all through the night--no wonder that he burst
forth into such a poem of love for his flag when he came on deck in the
early morning and saw it "still there!"
[Illustration: HOME OF FRANCIS SCOTT KEY]
Poetry was only a side issue with Mr. Key. I have often thought how
interesting it is that a man may work all the days of his life at his
profession or vocation, and some avocation, like verse-making, may carry
his name down to posterity; like Izaak Walton, who had an insurance
business in London, but is remembered now only as a fisherman.
Don't you imagine Mr. Key would have been amazed if he could have had a
vision of the years to come, when on parade grounds all over this great
land at sunset, every day, troops stand immovable at attention while the
emblem of their country is being lowered for the night, and the strains
of the music of his poem thrill all who hear it? "The Star-Spangled
Banner" was first read by Mr. Key at a meeting of the George Town Glee
Club.
[Illustration: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY]
Francis Scott Key was a nephew of Philip Barton Key, and a vestryman,
like his uncle, of Saint John's Church. He was a fine, humanitarian
gentleman. In a recent book, called _Father Takes Us to Washington_, he
is accused of having treated his dozen slaves in a terrible manner. His
great-grandson has just come out with a refutation of such treatment and
said that Mr. Key freed all of his slaves before his death in 1843 and
that he was one of the founders of the American Colonization Society,
which had for its purpose the freedom of the Negroes and their
colonization on the West Coast of Africa. Of course, it was in James
Monroe's administration that Liberia was founded and its capital named
Monrovia.
In later life, Francis Scott Key moved to Frederick, Maryland, where he
lies buried. The beautiful new bridge, only a stone's throw from his
home, bears his name. It replaces the aqueduct bridge which was built
about 1880, and before that, there was a bridge which carried the canal
across the river to continue on its way to Alexandria. I cannot remember
it, but I have been told that, looking across from the Virginia side, it
was a very picturesque sight with its long arches reaching above the
bridge, carrying its dripping load beneath, and standing against the
western sky, the towers of Georgetown College.
Chapter VIII
_High Street, Prospect Avenue, the College, the Convent, and the
Threlkelds_
Up the hill from Bridge (M) Street on the east side of High Street
(Wisconsin Avenue), a door or two above where the Farmers and Mechanics
Branch of Riggs Bank now stands, was a fine old house where the Potomac
Fire Insurance Company had its first home. But long before that, it was
the home of Mrs. Caperton, whose son, Hugh Caperton, became a well-known
lawyer here.
At the present 1239 Wisconsin Avenue, where Becker's Paint Store has
been for a good many years, was the house which Robert Peter gave to his
eldest daughter, Elizabeth, when, at the age of sixteen, she married her
cousin, James Dunlop, in 1787. This old letter gives some news about the
wedding.
It is addressed to: John Davidson, Esq., Merchant, Annapolis:
George Town August 17th, 1787
Dear Sir:
Without any ceremony or preamble I have undertaken to enclose you
the measure for a pair of Stays, not that I suppose that you are to
make them, but that you may undertake to engage Mrs. Davidson's
interest to undertake the direction of them.
They are for a daughter of mine who is tollerably nice, and she will
not consent to trust the business entirely to the Staymaker, nor,
it seems, to any other Lady in Annapolis but Mrs. Davidson, so that
you see what a deal of trouble I have brought her into, by having
often observed in my daughter's hearing how that Mrs. Davidson
seemed to me to be in all things about her Family, in short the Girl
has taken it into her head that she is old enough to become a wife,
and does not only beg of Mrs. Davidson to direct as to her Stays,
but wishes she would take the trouble of procuring some Paterns of
silks fit and suitable for what they call a Wedding Gown, with the
prices paid or annexed to the Patterns, and when the choice is made
I suppose the next favor will be of Mrs. Davidson to direct as to
the making of it. Mrs. Davidson must take the cause of all this
trouble to herself, for if she did not merit the charge she would
not have had the trouble. I am just now interrupted by receiving a
further commission, to wit for a crepe cushion made by the best and
most fashionable Barber in Annapolis, and a lock of the color wanted
is enclosed. I want everything good and fashionable, but you know we
old Fellows like everything as cheap as they can be got to have them
good. I leave everything to yours and Mrs. Davidson's good
management, but, at the same time, it would appear as if there was
some expedition. The samples and prices of the silk I will be
obliged by your sending by post, the Stays and Cushion perhaps you
may be able to forward by Miss Patty Lingan who will be coming down
in nine or ten days, as I am informed. I am just now tortured with
black guard consignment business and therefore I conclude by
remaining Your Very Humble Servant,
ROBERT PETER.
They were married in October and had eight children, all but one of whom
lived to maturity.
In 1792, five years after their marriage, James Dunlop bought an estate
of 700 acres known as "Hayes," seven miles out in Montgomery County;
this later became their permanent residence. It had been built in 1762
by the Reverend Alexander Williamson, rector of Rock Creek Church (now
St. Paul's), until he resigned in 1776, being a Tory. In history, he is
called the "Sporting Parson" because of his love for fox-hunting and
cock-fighting.
The back lawn of this house was the bowling green and the old balls are
still in the attic there. Also, there is still there an old rose bush
bearing small white roses, which was planted by Elizabeth Peter Dunlop.
This was my summer home when I was a girl and is now in possession of my
eldest brother.
Just above number 1239 is the crook in High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)
and, until a few years ago, I never knew why it was that way: actually,
it follows the line of the grant of the Rock of Dumbarton, which was
surveyed that way. The reason the streets on the west side of High
Street (Wisconsin Avenue) don't match those on the east side is because
they were laid out by different owners.
Just about here is the Aged Woman's Home, standing high above the
street. It was founded in 1868 with a gift of $15,000 from Mr. W. W.
Corcoran. It houses fourteen women. In all these years there have been
only three Presidents of the Board: Mrs. Beverley Kennon, Miss Emily
Nourse, and the present one, Mrs. Louis Freeman. The back part of the
house is what is left of the home of John Lutz, who had a good deal of
land around his house when he built it nearly two hundred years ago.
In days gone by, the Aged Woman's Home was partly supported by
contributions collected by women who were members of the Benevolent
Society, who went from door to door with a book in which amounts to be
given were subscribed.
On the southeast corner of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and Gay (N)
Street, just above here has been conducted, since 1861, the grocery
business of H. W. Fisher and Son, first was the grandfather, known as
Henry, whom I remember, with a long grey beard; then his son of the same
name, known as Wellen, and now his son, Henry. I am told by an old
resident that the first telephone in Georgetown was in the Fisher's
store, as it is known, and that when people wanted to phone, they went
there and used it.
I was fed from Fisher's all my young life, and I imagine my father was
one of their best customers, as he had eleven children and multitudes of
relatives in Maryland and Virginia, who came to stay whenever they
wished to visit Washington City. So you can rather imagine the
consternation of the elder Mr. Fisher when, one hot afternoon, as he was
clearing out his crate of tomatoes just before closing time and, as was
the custom in those long ago days, picked up a large, over-ripe one and
threw it out, as he supposed into the gutter, that, instead, it landed
on the stiff "boiled shirt" bosom of Mr. George T. Dunlop! I never knew
of this occurrence until I was told of it many years after by Mr. Wellen
Fisher, who said his father always said it never made any difference to
Mr. Dunlop.
On the other side of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue), coming up from
Bridge (M) Street, on the corner was the hardware store of Edward M.
Linthicum; later Henry Addison had a dry goods store there.
A little farther up, in the nineties, was Joe Schladt's, the saloon of
the Town. We all knew about it, but, of course, no lady ever entered it.
There were, however, three or four very well-known gentlemen who entered
it very frequently, and had a good deal of difficulty reaching their
homes every evening.
Then we come to 1254 Wisconsin Avenue, Stohlman's, which, ever since
1820, has dispensed a very different form of refreshment--ice cream.
First it was Arnold's Bakery, then, in 1845, the business was sold to
Mr. and Mrs. May; then, in 1865, to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Stohlman, she
being the niece of Mrs. May; then to J. William Stohlman, father of the
present owner by the same name, and they are still serving the "élite of
Georgetown" not only with ice cream, but other dainties. Back in my
girlhood it was "quite the thing" to go down to Stohlman's and have a
saucer of ice cream in the back parlor at one of the little
marble-topped tables.
Right next door is Forrest Hall. Here, at one corner of the property,
was one of the original stones marking the northern border of Georgetown
when it was surveyed, No. 46. On this lot stood the Union Bank and then,
in 1855, Bladen Forrest, (not a descendant of Colonel Uriah Forrest),
built this large and very good-looking building.
The enlisted men of the battalion of the Second U. S. Infantry were
quartered in Forrest Hall for a time at the beginning of the Civil War.
Later it was used as a hospital for Union soldiers. After that, the
Georgetown Assemblies were held there for several years, and various
other affairs. I remember a fete called a "Chocolatère" when I was a
little girl, and going to it with my mother, and seeing three pretty
girls dressed in Japanese costume singing "Three Little Girls from
School Are We." I think that was not so very long after the _Mikado_
made its debut.
On the northwest corner of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and Prospect
Street, the building which has an interesting cornice and roof is where
W. W. Corcoran started his career, in the dry goods business.
Just beyond was a market; I think it was called a "Farmers' and
Butchers' Market," an offshoot of the old Market on Bridge (M) Street. I
remember going there when I was a little girl with my mother, and her
buying vegetables from a Dutch woman, Mrs. Hight. I have always
remembered her rosy, smiling face, and her stall of gay, vari-colored
vegetables. She had a farm out on the Rockville Pike, and I think of it
sometimes when I pass.
High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) nowadays has become the center of antique
shops, there are many of them, also now there are dress shops and
accessories of all kinds.
Then we go along Prospect Street, which was named for the tract of land
belonging to Benjamin Stoddert, called "Pretty Prospect."
On the corners of Potomac Street are two quaint, little houses. On the
southeast corner of Frederick (34th) and Prospect Streets stands an
apartment house, which, before a false front was added a few years ago
when it was converted, was the dignified brick house where Benjamin
Stoddert lived and entertained in most hospitable style.
[Illustration: BENJAMIN STODDERT'S HOUSE]
He named his home "Halcyon House," and what a suitable and lovely name
for one in his business, and one who had settled here after his service
in the Revolution. For the halcyon was a fabled bird, whose nest floated
upon the sea. It had the power of charming winds and waves, hence,
"halcyon days" are days of tranquillity and peace. He had married
Rebecca Loundes, the daughter of Christopher Loundes, of Bladensburg.
They had several children. Mrs. Stoddert writes thusly of them on a
day when they must have been particularly trying:
I wonder that you can be so anxious to see my children, for a parcel
of rude, disagreeable brats as ever was born, except the two
youngest.
She writes another letter on the 15th of December, 1799, in which she is
evidently condoling with someone, and says she "hopes Nancy was not
disappointed at having a fine girl;" she is sure of "Richard's feelings
on the subject, for the men always are, if they would but own it, after
having one daughter, all but sons are unwelcome." She goes on to say,
"But they may comfort themselves, but I will be security that the next
one will be a son."
What marvelous necromancy this lady must have possessed--in her own
opinion--worth a gold mine if it could really be true!
From his southern dormer windows, tradition says, Major Stoddert used to
watch with his telescope for the coming of some of those ships that he
and Colonel Forrest and Colonel Murdock sent out across the ocean.
On May 17, 1798, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy, being the first
to hold that position, and so remained until March 1, 1807.
On May 29, 1800, he wrote thusly from Philadelphia (where he was engaged
by his cabinet duties), to his near neighbor, John Templeman, on the
corner just one block west of him, the old house which stood for so
many, many years unoccupied:
Dear Sir:
The Pres. will be at Washington by the time you receive this, or a
day or two after. He proposes to stay but a little while. I wish he
would remain longer. This and other good things will depend on the
manner of employing his time. I request, therefore, that setting
Bashfulness at defiance, you will urge the Pres. to go to the balls,
to ride with you in your coach, and to get Mr. Scott at least to go
with you. Let the Pres. be pleased with the attention and with the
country.
I am resp. yrs.,
BEN STODDERT.
Barring accidents, I expect to be in Geo. Town the 14th of June.
After Benjamin Stoddert's death, this house was given by William Whann
as a wedding present to his only child, Anna Maria, on her marriage to
Benjamin Mackall, the son of Leonard Mackall. Their son, General William
W. Mackall, was a graduate of West Point in the class with General
Grant. He served with distinction in the Mexican War and later in the
Confederate Army. Shortly after the close of the Civil War, General
Grant gave a reception at the White House to the Aztec Society, composed
of officers who served in the War with Mexico and their descendants.
General Mackall went to it clad in his grey uniform and was most
cordially received by his old comrades.
Still later than the Mackalls, this house was occupied by Mr. Martineau,
Minister from the Netherlands, and then by the Pairo family.
To return to Mr. Templeman's house which he built about 1788. He was
president of the Bank of Columbia; also an owner of ships, and, as a
side issue, had:
For Sale--At John Templeman's Store.
Whisky, Firkin Butter, Linseed Oil, and Flour.
George Town June 20, 1800.
Those ships which carried tobacco across 3,000 miles of ocean didn't
fill their holds with bricks as ballast on the way back, as we used to
be told; there were too many better things needed here. And there was
plenty of clay right here to burn brick. Even in the early days of
Jamestown there were brick factories of which there are records and
"English Brick" meant made by specifications of English brick.
The Templeman family lived here for three generations until the Civil
War. Then it belonged to Franklin Steele, whose three daughters were
Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Arthur Addison, and Mrs. Edward Macaulay.
"Old Mrs. Morris," as she was called, lived there many years alone and
was always complaining to my father that the new building of the Capital
Traction Company was undermining her house and was knocking it down. It
still stands firm. It was finally "done over" a few years ago, and
eventually bought by James E. Forrestal, when he became Secretary of the
Navy, and was still his home when he resigned as our first Secretary of
Defense, and then ended his life tragically May 12, 1949, by leaping
from a window of the Naval Hospital at Bethesda.
The house was leased for two or three years to the Government and called
"Prospect House." It was used by the State Department as a "guest
house," where such honored persons as the Shah of Iran, Monsieur Vincent
Auriol, President of France, and several Presidents of Latin American
countries, and other officials, stayed. The State Department often used
it for dinner parties. Its garden which used to be terraced down to the
river, and quaint little gazebo are still lovely. It has recently been
purchased by Representative Thurmond Chatham of North Carolina.
[Illustration: HOME OF DR. CHARLES WORTHINGTON]
Just across from Mr. Templeman's house on the northeast corner is one of
the loveliest houses left in Georgetown. It stood for many years
unchanged and unoccupied until a few years ago, when it was bought by
Sir Wilmott Lewis, the representative in Washington for a long time of
the _London Times_.
It was built by John Thomson Mason, (not General John Mason, whose home
was on Bridge Street). It was acquired in 1810 by Dr. Charles
Worthington, who came to George Town in 1783 from Sumner Hill in Anne
Arundel County. He previously owned a house on the southwest corner of
Bridge (M) and Market (33rd) Streets, and, later on, bought this house.
He called his home "Quality Hill." His family lived there for many years
until about 1856, when they moved up to the Heights and bought a house
on Road Street. The family of James Kearney lived there then, until
about twenty years ago. Dr. Worthington was one of the original members
of Saint John's Church and first president of the District of Columbia
Medical Society.
Dr. Charles Worthington was an austere man, very dignified and serious.
To his latest day, he dressed in the old style; his hair in queue, knee
breeches, long stockings, and buckles on his shoes. He drove a
coach-and-four when going to his country place out on the Seventh Street
Road near Brightwood. He was a man of great ability and zeal. He lived
to be 76 years old, having practiced medicine 55 years. His son,
Nicholas, followed in his profession.
Another block westward on this street stood Prospect Cottage, a charming
little home where Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth lived in the sixties and
wrote her many novels--one for every year of her life. This house was
for a time the home of the League of American Pen Women.
Just about a block northward stands Holy Trinity Catholic Church,
referred to sometimes in old newspapers as The Roman Church. The present
large edifice, facing on Lingan (36th) Street, was first built in 1849,
but the original church is the small building at the back of it, high up
from First (N) Street. The earliest marriage recorded there is April 6,
1795; the first baptism, May 14, 1795, signed by Reverend Francis Neale,
S. J., who was the first pastor. But the lot had been purchased some
years before by Bishop Carroll.
The building was erected by Alexander Doyle, putting in his own means in
addition to contributions from others. This church was virtually owned
by the college and was used for the college commencements until 1832.
Georgetown College, now a university, stands like a fortress at the
western boundary of the town. Its lovely chimes float out over the town
at every quarter of the hour. Only one of the original buildings in old,
red brick still stands behind the grey stone modern halls. The north
building was put up first, and by 1797, students began to lodge in it.
There were 57 boarders at that time. The college was opened in 1789--its
founder being John Carroll, a member of the famous Maryland family, who
was consecrated Bishop at Lulworth Castle in England, but returned
immediately to this country. There is a fine seated statue of him just
in front of the main building. In 1806 it passed under the control of
the Jesuits, and in 1815, it was raised to the rank of a university. The
observatory of Georgetown, founded by Reverend James Curley in 1842, is
one of the oldest in this country.
In 1830 Jonathan Elliot wrote of the college:
On entering the College, every pupil shall pay ten dollars. He shall
bring a mattress, a pillow, two pillow cases, two pairs of sheets,
four blankets and a counterpane, or pay $6.00 per annum for the use
of bed and bedding. He must also bring with him one suit of clothes,
as a uniform--which is in winter a blue cloth coat and pantaloons
with a black velvet waistcoat; in summer white pantaloons with a
black silk waistcoat are used. He must likewise bring with him two
suits for daily wear, for which no particular color is prescribed;
six shirts, six pairs of stockings, six pocket handkerchiefs, three
pairs of shoes, a hat and a cloak or great coat, also a silver
spoon. These articles if not brought by the student will be
furnished by the College and included in the first bill.
The pension for board, washing, mending and mending materials, use
of books (philosophical and mathematical excepted), pens, ink, and
writing paper, slates and pencil, is $150. Medical aid and medicine,
unless parents choose to run the risk of a doctor's bill in case of
sickness, $3.00 per annum. All charges must be paid half-yearly in
advance.
With regard to pocket money it is desired that all students should
be placed on an equality and that it should not exceed 12-1/2 cents
per week; and whatever is allowed must be deposited in the hands of
the directors of the College. Half-boarders are received on the
usual terms, viz. $5 entrance and $65 for board per annum.
Day scholars $5 for fuel and servants, as no charge is made for
tuition. The College has been established 45 years and not a single
death has taken place among the students.
This was in spite of the fact that the young men, winter and summer,
washed at the pump!
Early in 1861 several volunteer regiments, including the 69th New York
and the 79th Pennsylvania Regiments, arrived in Georgetown. The 69th
was mustered into service in the grounds of Georgetown College, where it
was afterwards quartered. The 79th Pennsylvania Regiment was clad in
their distinctive Scottish kilts, plaids, and striped stockings, and had
a band of pipers at their head.
The Georgetown College students showed where their sympathies were by an
ostentatious display of a badge fastened upon the lapel of the
coat--tri-color for the Union, and blue for disunion.
Just west of the college used to be a pond which was a very popular
resort for skaters in the winter season.
Not far away is another well-known Catholic institution, for the
education of the other sex--the oldest Visitation Convent in the
country--having on its list of alumnæ many well-known names.
When Father Neale came from Philadelphia to George Town in 1798 to
become president of the college, he found living on Fayette (35th)
Street, near by, three ladies belonging to the Order of Poor Clares.
This order was founded in Assisi long ago by Sister Clare, a devoted
friend of Saint Francis of Assisi, and is similar to the Franciscans.
The three ladies were members of the French nobility who had been driven
from their convent in France during the Revolution in 1793 and, coming
to this country, had set up a little convent not far from the college.
They attempted to keep a school as a means of support, but had a very
difficult time. Once, it is told, they were reduced to such poverty that
they had to sell a parrot, which they had as a pet, in order to save
themselves from starvation. These women, barefooted, according to the
rule of their order, came of noble blood and had been born to luxury.
One of them was Mary de la Marche, who advertised in the newspaper
salves and eyewashes for sale.
In 1799 Father Neale sent back to Philadelphia for three devoted
religious friends from Ireland, who wished to found a convent. They were
Alice Tabor, Maria McDermott, and Louise Sharpe. For a few months they
boarded with the Poor Clares, but a little later Father Neale bought a
house and lot nearby and installed them in it. They became known as The
Pious Ladies. On May 18, 1801, Mary de la Marche advertised the two
houses of the Poor Clares for sale, but apparently they did not sell
them at that time, for, in 1804, after the death of the Abbess, Madame
de la Rochefoucault, who succeeded her, sold the convent to Bishop
Neale, and the remaining ladies returned to France.
The Pious Ladies slowly increased in numbers, keeping their school and
struggling against poverty, all the time endeavoring to become
established as members of the Visitation Order. At last their hope and
ambition came to pass, and, in 1816, they were regularly established as
the Georgetown Visitation Convent.
Across the street from the Convent grounds, a lovely big meadow until it
was partly taken over in World War II for a housing project, are the
Volta Bureau for the Deaf and two interesting houses.
Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor, the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, has very
kindly given me this wonderful letter about them:
My grandfather, Alexander Melville Bell, lived on the corner of 35th
Street and Volta Place in the house since occupied by Mr. Walter
Lippman, (but not at present).
Following my father's removal to Washington in about 1879, his
father and mother changed their residence from Brantford, Ontario,
to Georgetown. With them were their three nieces, the Misses
Symonds, who were my father's double cousins. At the back of the
35th Street property was an old stable which my father converted
into a laboratory, and he carried on experiments there almost until
the time of his death. He would come out nearly every afternoon to
his laboratory and visit with his parents before returning home in
the evening.
It was also our custom to have dinner with my grandfather and
grandmother on Sundays. They were very jolly times and my
grandfather always had a jar of candy for the grandchildren and
games which we could all play. He was very popular with all the
young people, being jolly, and looked a little like the usual idea
of Santa Claus, with his gray beard and hair.
Shortly after my grandfather came to live in Georgetown, his
brother, Mr. David Charles Bell and Mrs. Bell, followed him from
Brantford to Washington and bought the house next door. With them at
that time, keeping house for them, was Miss Aileen Bell. She was
noted in the family as having turned down Bernard Shaw's offer of
marriage in her young days, Bernard Shaw having been a great friend
of her brother, Mr. Chichester Bell, and having visited with the
family when they lived in Dublin, Ireland. Mr. David Bell had in his
young days moved to Dublin to carry on the career of his father,
Alexander Bell, as a teacher of elocution. His wife had a school for
young ladies. Another son of the family was Mr. Charles J. Bell,
later president of the American Security and Trust Company, who
later married my mother's sister, Roberta Hubbard, and came to
reside in Washington.
Mr. David Charles Bell was a very handsome man, but very irascible,
and the young people were quite afraid of him. He and his brother
had numerous vehement arguments as to whether Shakespeare or Bacon
wrote Shakespeare's plays. My grandmother was eleven or twelve years
older than her husband, so my grandfather did most of the marketing,
and I understand it used to be quite a sight on Saturday morning to
see the two old gentlemen, Mr. David and Mr. Melville Bell, going to
market with baskets over their arms. Notwithstanding all their
arguments, they were very devoted to each other.
Miss Aileen Bell was very musical and was one of the founders of the
Friday Morning Music Club and other musical clubs. She was the
organist and choir leader in Christ Church, Georgetown. She was
always very punctilious in her attendance and I remember her talking
about her church.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bell and their family also used to come out on
Sundays to see their parents, but they usually came to supper. The
family as a whole were very devoted. Mr. Chichester Bell, you may
recall, was the co-inventor with my father and Mr. Tainter of the
phonograph. The wax records that are used today are their invention
and their company, the Columbia Phonograph Company, operated under
their patents.
After my grandfather's death, the house came into my father's
possession, and he gave it to the American Association to Promote
the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf, now called the Volta Speech
Association. It was used for a time as the home of the
Superintendent. My father still continued to use his laboratory.
Some years later, when the Association needed money, it was sold and
the proceeds used to carry on the work of the Association. My father
was very much interested in the work of the Volta Bureau and one
winter, when my mother was away, he lived at the Volta Bureau,
compiling some of his scientific data. He had a way when he became
absorbed in work of forgetting to eat or sleep, and the person that
brought his dinner tray would often find his luncheon tray
untouched.
[Illustration: JOHN THRELKELD]
Just north of the convent grounds is the site of the estate of Berleith,
which had been built by Henry Threlkeld. He had, in 1751, married Mrs.
Mary Hopkins, a daughter of Dr. Gustavus Brown of Maryland, and widow of
Reverend Matthew Hopkins. Henry Threlkeld died in 1781, his widow in
1801. Their one child, John, was married in 1787 to Elizabeth Ridgely,
of Maryland. Two years before his marriage he visited England, one
object of his trip being to secure a legacy which he converted into gold
and brought back with him. He landed in England at Dover, which he
described as being "about the size of George Town," the voyage having
taken nearly two months--from October 6th to December 3rd. In his
journal he wrote of having gone to the House of Commons to hear "Mr.
Pitt open the budgett, Mr. Fox followed, and then Mr. Sheridan replied
to Mr. Pitt."
Of John Threlkeld, an old paper states that "he was well and very widely
known as a fine scholar and a man of great benevolence." He was mayor of
George Town in 1793 and a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson. He was
remembered as a handsome figure on horseback, even in his late years,
and his love of following the hounds is a family tradition. The comments
made by him in this connection during his stay in England are
interesting. After describing the journey by coach past fine estates
with "one-half the fields as green as spring with grass," he added, "and
but one horse have I seen in the course of thirty miles at pasture, and
here I must take notice of their boasting in America of their hunters
leaping the five-bar gates." He goes on to explain how the measurements
were taken, and concludes, "but still their horses vastly surpass ours."
John and Elizabeth Threlkeld had four children, but the only son died in
infancy, so the name disappeared, and the family is represented only by
the descendants of their daughter, Jane, who married John Cox.
[Illustration: COLONEL JOHN COX]
Chapter IX
_Along First Street (N) from Cox's Row to High Street (Wisconsin Ave.)_
On the northeast corner of First Street (N) and Frederick (34th) Street
stands the row of houses which John Cox built. Colonel Cox was for many
years most prominent in all the affairs of Georgetown, serving as its
Mayor longer than any other one man from 1823 to 1845--22 years. John
Cox was of English descent. He was born in 1775 during the Revolution,
was the youngest of four children, and being left an orphan as a small
child, was raised by an uncle who was a banker in Baltimore. He later
lived for a while in Philadelphia, and from there came to Georgetown. He
first married Matilda Smith, a sister of Clement Smith, well known as
the first cashier of the Farmers' & Mechanics Bank, later its president.
They had three children, one of whom was named Clement. By his second
marriage to Jane Threlkeld he had seven children.
In the War of 1812 he served as a Colonel. He was a large property owner
in Georgetown, besides being a well-to-do merchant. He built the row of
houses on First (N) Street, called by his name and lived for a while in
the house on the corner. That must have been during the period of his
first marriage, for after Jane Threlkeld became his wife they built a
lovely house on part of the Berleith estate, next door to the old
Threlkeld which had been burned, and called it The Cedars. It stood
where the Western High School now stands, and it is difficult to
realize now that there, in my memory, was a home surrounded by a mass of
trees and vines and was most delightfully private and charming. It was a
quaint and lovely old cream-colored mansion, a portico on its north
front, two long piazzas as usual, along the south side of the house. In
later years I myself went there to the private school kept by the Misses
Earle, whose father, George Earle purchased the place.
Colonel Cox was celebrated as a dandy. "He would saunter down town in
silk stockings and pumps, not getting a spot upon himself, while other
men would be up to their ankles in mud, for in those days there were no
pavements." Stepping-stones were placed at the corners of the streets
standing rather high above the roadway to facilitate the pedestrians.
Colonel Cox had moved up to The Cedars when, as mayor in 1824, it fell
to his lot to act as host for Georgetown to the Marquis de Lafayette,
when he made his famous visit.
A new arrival was imminent in the Cox family, so it was not advisable to
have the party, which he wished to give, at his home. Consequently, he
used one of these houses which was vacant at that time, number 3337; had
it furnished from top to bottom, his eldest daughter, Sally, acting in
her mother's place as hostess for the distinguished party invited to
meet the hero of the hour.
It is said that one young lady in her enthusiasm fell upon her knees
before the Marquis and impressed a kiss upon his hands. There was a
fashion in those days of decorating the floor by painting a pattern
around the edges with colored chalks--garlands of roses entwined with
the flags of the two countries. A marvelous supper was served; it is
said it included 600 reed birds. It is to be hoped it also included
other things more substantial than this high-sounding but sparsely
covered game.
The coach of Colonel Cox was at the disposal of the honored guest during
the period of his stay. When he made his formal entry into the District
of Columbia, having come by way of Baltimore, he was escorted by a troop
of cavalry from Montgomery County commanded by my grandfather, Captain
Henry Dunlop, a Georgetonian, then farming the family plantation, Hayes,
seven miles north of town.
Tradition says that number 3337 had a tunnel leading to the river. Some
such large opening was discovered when the owner excavated recently to
make a pool in the garden. In 1860 this house was the home of William A.
Gordon, for many years chief of the quartermaster's department. It was
from here that his eldest son of the same name left to enter the
Confederate Army. William A. Gordon, senior, born in Baltimore, had gone
to the Military Academy at West Point, and while there a terrible cry
arose about the poor quality of food furnished for the cadets. Mr.
Gordon was one of the three young men selected by the corps to go to
Washington to interview the President on the subject. The answer he gave
them was that he would see that conditions at the Academy were remedied,
but his advice to them was to send in their resignations immediately, as
there would be no career there for them after this.
From about 1865 to 1892 Mr. and Mrs. William Laird, Jr., made this
house their home. Mr. Laird was for forty years cashier of the Farmers'
and Mechanics' Bank, and was greatly respected. When he resigned he was
presented by the officials with a very handsome silver punch bowl, ladle
and tray and a large silver loving cup. He died suddenly a month or two
after giving up his business and his widow did not survive him long.
Mrs. Laird was Anna Key Ridgely, a charming person. They had no
children, nor had his brother, who never married, so this name, long so
honored here, has disappeared from Georgetown.
To return to the corner house. It was for several years the home of
Commodore Charles Morris, one of the eminent officers of the early U. S.
Navy. He made a remarkable record in the War with Tripoli, his earliest
achievement being on the occasion of the recapture and destruction of
the frigate _Philadelphia_ in the harbor of Tripoli in 1804. Midshipman
Morris, then nineteen years old, volunteered for the service and was the
first to stand on the deck of the _Philadelphia_ and commence the work
of destruction. At the beginning of the War of 1812 he held the rank of
lieutenant--and became executive officer of the _Constitution_, Captain
Isaac Hull being in command.
On the 17th of July, 1812, a very calm day, the frigate met a fleet of
British vessels, and the enemy thought they had an easy prize, but by a
combination of towing and kedging by means of the _Constitution's_ boats
and anchors, an extraordinary escape was made which, as Captain Hull
stated at the time, was conceived by Lieutenant Morris. Its successful
execution commanded the admiration of his countrymen and won the
applause even of the British officers.
Commodore Morris was chosen to escort Lafayette back to France on the U.
S. S. _Brandywine_, and while on a visit to the general his portrait was
painted by Amy Shaffer and sent back to Mrs. Morris as a gift from the
Marquis.
In 1842 the property was bought by James Keith who was a great friend of
General Washington, Mr. Keith's daughter married Mr. Forrest, and their
son French Forrest was an officer in the United States Navy, but like
many others in this part of the world, went into the Southern Navy
during the Civil War. At the time of his funeral W. W. Corcoran, who was
a very intimate friend, was a pall-bearer. In those days it was the
style for the mourners to wear a long streamer of crêpe around their
hats and hanging down a foot or two. Little Douglas Forrest, the son of
the deceased, began to cry, saying he "wanted some funeral on his hat."
Mr. Corcoran took him in hand and insisted that he should have his wish
and be arrayed like the other mourners.
In the other houses of that row lived, at number 3335, just before the
Civil War, a family named Semmes from New Orleans who had several
daughters considered very beautiful. Cora Semmes became the wife of
Colonel Joseph Ives, a brilliant young engineer officer of the United
States Army, who, although of Northern birth, espoused the Southern
cause. He was put on General Lee's staff, and later transferred to be
aide-de-camp to Jefferson Davis where, in Richmond he and his wife
became prominent and useful in entertaining distinguished foreigners, as
she was noted for her charm as well as her beauty.
In number 3333 Judge Robert Ould resided. His father had been one of
the founders of the Lancastrian School. Mattie Ould, whose name still is
a synonym for grace, beauty and wit, spent her childhood here. After the
Oulds went to Richmond this house was for a time the home of Henry
Addison, while he was mayor. Later on the Cropleys lived in it.
William Hunter lived for a great many years in number 3331, when he was
Assistant Secretary of State. Women of my generation still remember him
for his love of little children and his gifts to them of toys and
goodies.
Across on the southeast corner of First (N) Street and Frederick (34th)
Street at 3340 is the house which Harry Hopkins, the great friend of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, bought and moved to with his new wife and his
daughter Diana, when they left the White House where they had been
living for a year or more. This was his home at the time of his death.
On this street used to live the Marburys before they moved to The
Heights, and also the Wheatleys of whom there were several households in
Georgetown in the latter part of the last century.
A block eastward on the same side of the street is another row of
charming old houses, built about 1800 by Colonel James Smith, "lately
returned from the Revolutionary War." In the one on the corner of First
(N) and Potomac Streets used to live Mrs. Gannt and her daughter Clare
and Mrs. Gannt's sister Mrs. Smith. I think they were descendants of the
builder of the row. Their old home was for a time occupied by Mr. and
Mrs. Blair Thaw, the former a poet, the latter an artist.
Third from the corner at 3259, in the middle of the 19th century lived
Dr. Lewis Ritchie who had an extensive practice. I think he was the son
of Dr. Joshua Ritchie. This house was the home of Hon. and Mrs. Lewis A.
Douglas when he was the sole representative in Congress from Arizona.
Later he was Director of the Budget and within recent years Ambassador
to the Court of St. James. This house is now the home of Mrs. McCook
Knox who is very well known in connection with the study of Early
American Portraits and has been connected with the Frick Art Reference
Library of New York since its inception. In the front room of the attic
of 3259 were doors of rough hewn wood with old iron bolts leading into
rooms of the two adjoining houses. The story is that in the War of 1812
this row of houses used to be watched. A soldier would be stationed on
the corner, but the "questionable person" never emerged, he could escape
through the attic rooms and come out at the end of the row.
No. 3257 is now the home of Hon. and Mrs. Richard B. Wigglesworth of
Massachusetts.
The old home of the Shoemaker family was at 3261. While he was Assistant
Secretary of War it was the home of Hon. and Mrs. F. Trubee Davison and
is now the home of Hon. and Mrs. James J. Wadsworth of New York.
All of this part of Georgetown west of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)
used to be called Holy Hill, because of the great number of Irish who
dwelt in the neighborhood. On Saint Patrick's Day there were parades and
fights, and all kinds of excitement.
There were also a good many respectable colored Catholics, and near
here, on Potomac Street, dwelt a family of Coakleys. Magdalen Coakley
thought she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. She got herself
up to look like the Virgin, in sweeping white robes and a sky-blue veil
and cloak. She was not a very dark negress and had a fine countenance
and striking figure. She used to go about the streets blessing little
children and wanting to baptize them, followed, of course, by a string
of boys making fun of her. She would go up to Trinity Church and stand
by the door; but once she wanted to help the priest give Communion, so
they had to forbid her coming. Of course the poor soul thought she was
being persecuted, but she took it in a Christian manner and prayed all
the harder, on the street and everywhere. She lived to be an old woman
still wearing her picturesque costume.
Her sister, Frances, was nurse for three generations for the Hein family
whose home was at number 3249 N Street, now entirely changed by its
modernized roof and steps.
Samuel Hein had emigrated from Königsberg, Germany, as a young man, and
had become an American citizen. He was fifty-six years in the Coast and
Geodetic Survey, retiring as its disbursing officer. He was an ardent
Union man, and during the four years of the Civil War kept the Stars and
Stripes flying from one of his windows. All through the two terrible
days after the Battle of Bull Run, when the Northern troops were
streaming through Georgetown, Mr. Hein maintained a soup kitchen for the
soldiers in his back yard. His wife was the daughter of John Simpson who
lived on the corner of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and West (P)
Streets. Her brother, James Alexander Simpson, was a rather well-known
portrait painter. They were quite a musical and artistic family.
One son Charles Hein was an artist and had his studio in a little frame
house still standing on 31st (Congress) behind another house, opposite
the post office. There he took pupils. He was very picturesque in
appearance, tall and dark, wore a drooping mustache, low collar with
flowing black cravat and wide-brimmed black hat and cape.
Another son Col. O. L. Hein in an interesting book called _Memories of
Long Ago_ tells this story:
One day in the spring of 1861, as I was passing the residence of the
pastor of St. John's Church, The Rev. Mr. Tillinghast, quite near
our house, I was attracted by the sight of a dashing young Cavalry
officer, who was showing off the paces of his handsome black charger
to the Minister. I lingered nearby, greatly enjoying the equestrian
performance, and upon its conclusion I was informed by the
clergyman, that the name of the young officer was William Orton
Williams, and that he was the military secretary of Lt. General
Winfield Scott.
In the following year I was shocked to read in a local newspaper the
account of the trial and conviction of Williams and his cousin, Lt.
W. G. Peter (resident of Georgetown) as spies under the assumed
names of General W. C. Auton and Major Dunlop, of the Union Army, by
a drumhead Court Martial, and their conviction and execution by
hanging. In recent years I was informed by my wife's mother, Mrs.
Ross, that she remembered Williams quite well, and that he was
engaged to Miss Anne Lee, the daughter of General R. E. Lee; but
that she died, on the outbreak of the Civil War. Mrs. Ross was a
cousin of General Lee, and a freqeunt visitor at Arlington before
the secession of Virginia.
Williams was of distinguished ancestry, the son of Capt. William G.
Williams, a graduate of West Point of the class of 1822, who was
mortally wounded at the Battle of Monterey, Mexico, while serving on
the staff of General Zachary Taylor, and his mother, America Peter
was the daughter of Thomas Peter, a prominent citizen of
Georgetown, whose wife Martha Parke Custis was the granddaughter of
Mrs. George Washington and an aunt of Mary Custis the wife of
General R. E. Lee.
Just next door to this house is the site where, even before 1780, stood
the Columbian Academy of which Mr. Rogers was the principal and of which
Dr. Balch became the head in 1781. It was a large, two-story frame
building, having a high entrance porch, where hung the bell. It stood on
a hill which commanded a fine view of the river from the study rooms
upstairs. Adjacent to the schoolroom was a large garden in the middle
of which was a jessamine arbor. Two of General Washington's nephews were
students of the school and lived with the principal.
Here was housed the Columbian Library which was opened in 1803. In later
years the present building was erected but having a very different
appearance. Here lived Hugh Caperton a well known lawyer.
I myself lived here as a very small child when I was two or three years
old and one of my very first memories is being dared by my brothers and
sisters to jump off the stone wall fronting the street, about four feet
high. I felt as if I had to jump from the Washington Monument, but I did
it, with no ill effects.
It was after that the home, for many years, of the Barbers. Old Mrs.
Barber moved there with her grandchildren when she sold her home where
the United States Naval Observatory now stands. She was the daughter of
Major Adlum whose home was The Vineyard where the Bureau of Standards is
now. His place was well named for he was a great horticulturist, the
first to domesticate the Catawba grape. It grew wild in North Carolina.
Chapter X
_Gay (N) Street--East to Rock Creek_
Across High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) along Gay (N) Street on the
northwest corner of Congress (31st) is the Baptist Church which has just
celebrated its 75th anniversary. It was originally a small frame
building, up on a bank. The present building was erected in 1890.
On the southwest corner of Gay (N) and Congress (31st) Streets stood,
not so very many years ago, an attractive old white house with long
porches, tiers of them, across the back overlooking a garden. I think
the present building is what it was converted into in the period that
did the best to rob Georgetown of all its charm.
Here, in 1795, Dr. James Heighe Blake built his home. He was a very
eminent citizen, a member of the first vestry of Saint John's Church,
one of the very first to advocate schools of the Lancastrian system and
a reformatory, and the very first person to suggest a health officer for
the City of Washington. He moved over to the city and became its third
mayor from 1813 to 1817. His daughter, Glorvina, married William A.
Gordon, senior, of whom I have already spoken.
Here, at one time, lived Judge Walter Cox, grandson of Colonel John Cox.
His wife was a daughter of Judge Dunlop. Still later, the school of Miss
Jennie and Miss Lucy Stephenson was here, which was well attended in the
seventies and eighties. In the spring of 1875, a romantic elopement
took place. A young girl of sixteen, an orphan, who was said to be "an
heiress," went off to Baltimore very early one morning with the son of a
minister who taught Latin in the school.
When the pupils came that morning, they sensed the excitement and
gathered in groups in the gallery. Eventually, the news leaked out and
the chief topic was that the young lady took no baggage, not even a
nightgown, in her flight.
Just below here, on Congress (31st) Street, in the latter part of the
last century lived a lady much beloved by rich and poor. She was the
first person to conceive the idea of a diet kitchen for the needy. She
had not much of this world's goods, so she went daily to the different
butchers who gave her scraps of meat which she cooked, and had
continually on hand jars of "beef tea." All the doctors knew where to
apply when they had patients who were in need of it. She was the widow
of Captain Charles Carroll Simms, an officer of the old navy who went
with the Confederacy, and at the famous battle in Hampton Roads, was
second in command of the _Merrimac_, and in command after the chief
officer was killed. She was Elizabeth Nourse, daughter of Major Charles
Joseph Nourse, of The Highlands.
Next door, below Mrs. Simms' house, stands the Methodist Protestant
Church which not long ago celebrated its one hundredth anniversary. The
lot for it was purchased in April, 1829, but the founders for a year or
two previous to that had been worshipping in the Presbyterian Church
building, Saint John's or the Lancastrian schoolroom. It is now a
Christian Science Church.
Across the street from the church, next door to the Post Office, the
tall brick house is where a family lived which in the nineties was a
mystery to Georgetown--the Oueston family--father, mother, and daughter.
No one knew what was the father's business, and no one ever saw the
mother out, but it was rumored that she came from South America, was of
royal blood, and had a throne on which she sat, dressed accordingly. The
daughter was known then, and for many years afterwards, as "the girl of
a thousand curls." She was tall and slender, and her magnificent suit of
dark hair was a mass of curls, making her head look like "a bushel
basket." She wore ankle-length dresses of a style totally different from
what every other girl wore: white stockings, when all of us wore black,
and black slippers, laced up with narrow black ribbons.
And then up to the northeast corner of Gay (N) and Congress (31st)
Streets, to the tall yellow house, now an apartment house. For many
years it was at the home of the Snyders. Dr. John M. Snyder died at the
age of 36, in the enjoyment of a fine reputation in his profession, of
an unusual accident.
The story is told by Dr. Samuel Busey, in his _Personal Reminiscences_:
Dr. Snyder had bought a farm called "Greenwood" a little way out of
town toward Tenallytown, and one afternoon at Dr. Busey's home,
"Belvoir," now the Beauvoir School, was telling Dr. Busey how he was
enjoying pruning the old oak trees on his place of dead wood. Dr.
Busey warned him that he was engaging in a dangerous amusement and
related the story of how a hired man of his, doing such a job, had
had a bad fall, but, fortunately, without injury.
Two or three days later, Dr. Busey was summoned to "Greenwood,"
where he found Dr. Snyder dying from just such an accident. The
branch of the tree he had been sawing off was hanging by a
splintered sliver, too weak to support its weight and, in swinging
to the ground, had knocked away the ladder on which Dr. Snyder was
standing.
His wife was Sophy Tayloe, a member of the well-known family of the
Octagon House in Washington, and beautiful old Mount Airy in Virginia.
As a widow in her old age, she had a steady admirer, a general, who came
every afternoon at the same time in his Victoria, and took her to drive.
I can see her now, a small, slight figure in her cape, and little black
bonnet tied under her chin, and holding one of those quaint little
ruffled sunshades to keep the sun out of her eyes.
She had one daughter, Miss Annie, who had the loveliest rosy cheeks (no
rouge in those days), who never married. One son, Bladen, was an artist,
and he used to be a familiar sight with his camp-stool and easel on the
streets, painting.
Georgetown was not so "arty" in Bladen Snyder's day, unfortunately, so
he was considered very "odd."
The other son, Dr. Arthur Snyder, was a fine surgeon, and an ardent
horseman.
Not long ago I was being shown photographs of belles and beaux of the
eighties and nineties in Georgetown. Among them were several pictures of
the crews of the Columbia Boat Club, and one of the "four" was young Dr.
Snyder, whose home this was.
There were two boat clubs in those days which were great rivals. The
Columbia was at the foot of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and the
Potomac was at the foot of Congress (31st) Street. I have more
recollections of the latter, especially the dances held there on
summer evenings, and the porch overhanging the river, with the moonlight
on the water.
[Illustration: OLD DR. RILEY'S HOUSE]
We used to have tug parties, starting from there, going several miles
down the Potomac and back, eating our supper on board and singing "My
Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," and "On the Road to Mandalay," which at
that time was quite new.
Across the street, at number 3038, is the house that I have always heard
called "old Dr. Riley's." It was sold on the 24th of March, 1812, by
James S. Marshall to William S. Nicholls and Romulus Riggs. Mr. Riggs
owned the house until 1835. He was born near Brookeville in Montgomery
County, Maryland. He was married in 1810. Somewhere between 1812 and
1835 he went to live in Philadelphia where he was a prosperous merchant
and influential citizen. I think it probable he lived in this house
during some of that time and sold it to Dr. Joshua Riley.
Dr. Riley had several students of medicine whom he taught. Among them
was Dr. Armistead Peter, Alec Williams, "the handsomest man in town,"
and the two nephews of Baron Bodisco, who also spent much time here. His
office, a quaint little one-story brick building, on part of his lot,
was torn down a few years ago, to the great sorrow of us old-timers, for
Georgetown had lost one of its most distinctive antiques.
Dr. Riley practiced medicine for 51 years and died beloved in the
community at large as well as by his patients. He had a good word and
pleasant salutation for everybody. He was a man of marked personal
appearance, tall, slim, gaunt, awkward in manner, with a quick emphatic
style of speech.
Dr. Riley had married a daughter of Colonel Fowler, who lived on West
(P) Street, and on the 10th of June, 1851, his wife's niece, Juliet
Murray was married in this dear old house to John Marbury, Jr. Dr.
Riley's daughter, Miss Marianna, and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Riley,
occupied this house for many years until her death, when it was sold for
almost "a song." Since then it has been resold several times.
Across the street, at number 3043, now the home of Vice-Admiral Laurence
Du Bose, was the home of another well-known admiral, Theodore Wilkinson,
when he returned from the Pacific. He and his wife started off on a
motor trip. At Norfolk, Virginia, as they were landing from a ferry, his
car got out of control; he signaled to his wife to jump and her life was
saved, but he and the car ran off into deep water and he was drowned.
The cream-colored brick house with wings out on each side, now number
3033 N Street, is one of the very oldest houses in Georgetown. It was
the home of Colonel George Beall, son of Ninian Beall, and bequeathed by
him at his death in 1780 to his daughters, Elizabeth and Ann, the same
Elizabeth who became the wife of Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch shortly after
her father's death.
Adjoining the house on the east was the garden. All the land between
this house and the one at 3017, built by George Beall's son, Thomas
Beall of George, as he always styled himself, was made his two
"Additions to Georgetown," was part of this estate. Many years
afterwards, the little summer house and the fruit trees were still
there. And, as was the custom in those long-ago days, here was the
family burying-ground. I know people who remember it. Among the
gravestones removed to the old Presbyterian burying-ground were two
which bore these inscriptions: "Here lieth Colonel George Beall, who
departed this life March 15, 1780, aged 85." And the other, "Here lieth
the body of Elizabeth Beall, who departed this life October 2, 1748,
aged about 49 years." She was Elizabeth Brooke, daughter of Colonel
Thomas Brooke and Barbara Dent.
In 1809 these two sisters sold this house to John Peter, and the next
year he sold it to Mrs. Robert Peter, who was then a widow. She came
here to live with her younger daughter, Margaret, who had become the
wife of Thomas Dick, of Bladensburg. Here Mrs. Peter lived until her
death in 1821, at the age of seventy-eight. Mrs. Dick's husband had died
while on a trip to the West Indies and had been buried at sea. She lived
on here the rest of her life with her only child, Robert, and he lived
there many years and died there--an old bachelor. He was buried in Oak
Hill on Christmas Eve, 1870. During these years there was a much-beloved
old cook, Aunt Hannah, who was famous for her gingerbread and cookies. I
have seen her photograph "all dressed up to have her picture took."
Robert Dick had a big black dog who always came to the gate to greet the
newsboy and took the paper in his mouth to his master.
After Robert Dick's death, Thomas Cox bought the place and it was the
home of his family for a good many years. The eastern wing was put on at
that time and used as a conservatory. Since then the house has changed
hands many, many times, and the western wing been added.
The two houses at numbers 3025 and 3027 were built in the seventies by
Oscar Stevens for his family and that of his brother-in-law, Dr. John S.
Billings. Their wives were sisters, and very dependent upon each other.
Dr. Billings was a pioneer in the introduction of indirect heating in
buildings, and became an authority on that subject, and on ventilation.
His textbooks on the subject were used in the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, and when Johns Hopkins Hospital was built, he was consulted.
Because he had made such a fine record in creating the Army Medical
Library, he was asked to come to New York and create the new Public
Library there from the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations, which were
consolidated.
Across the street, at number 3032, where now is a large, modern brick
house, there used to be, before I can remember, a quaint, frame
structure. It was supposed to be one of the first houses built on the
grant of the Rock of Dumbarton, and was intended for the "overlooker" of
that part of the grant. It was a very plain but comfortable house, and
was the home in the early part of the century of Hezekiah Miller who,
like many of the gentry in those days, was in charge of government work.
His department dealt with the Indians, and he had the distribution of
money and supplies to certain tribes to whom he went from time to time,
and also looked after them when they came to Washington. They always
called him "Father Miller." Mr. Miller's wife was Miss Middleton, from
Brooke Court Manor, in Maryland. Hezekiah Miller was a devout member of
Christ Church. His daughter became the wife of the Reverend George
Leakin, an Episcopal clergyman of Baltimore. She was to have been a
bridesmaid at the wedding of Harriet Williams and Baron Bodisco, but was
prevented by the sudden death of her brother by drowning. He was one of
twins, born just at the time of General Lafayette's arrival on his visit
in 1824, who were named Washington and Lafayette at the request of the
townspeople. It was the latter young man who drowned, at the age of
twenty-five.
Number 3028 was the home, for a long, long time of the Reads, three
sisters. One married Dr. Post, who was a missionary to Syria, but Miss
Jane and Miss Isabella lived here many years after. The house next door
still has its old-time doorway, but, unfortunately, one owner in the
eighties spoiled its quaintness by adding a corner tower. It was here, I
think, that Dr. William Barton Rogers, first President of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lived at one time.
The two big houses, numbers 3014 and 3017, standing opposite each other
on this block are very closely connected in their history. The early
part is all tied up together. Although number 3017 has been somewhat
changed in appearance, it is still, I imagine, a good deal like it was
when Thomas Beall built it in 1794. Of course, the street has been cut
down and left it higher up than it originally was, and also the old
bricks have been covered with paint, and now a modern addition has
hidden its lovely little wing.
[Illustration: 3017 N STREET. THE HOUSE THAT THOMAS BEALL BUILT]
The building of this house was evidently quite an event in those days,
for in old advertisements of the sale of houses, many of them are
"Between the Union Tavern and Thomas Beall's house on Gay Street." John
Laird had a frame house on the lot, immediately across the street, now
number 3014, but he was becoming exceedingly prosperous and wanted a
handsome house. He married first, Lucinda Dick, sister of Thomas Dick,
of Bladensburg, and, after her death, her elder sister, Mary. While he
was building his brick house at number 3014, he rented and occupied
Thomas Beall's house. No reason is given as to why Mr. Beall was not
occupying it himself.
About 1800 Mr. Laird moved into his own new mansion. At that time only
the central part of the large building was there. Several wings have
been added and the little portico at the front door. John Laird's eldest
daughter, Barbara, married James Dunlop, Junior, the eldest son of James
Dunlop; and his only son, William Laird, married two of James Dunlop's
daughters at Hayes, first Helen, by whom he had three children, William
Laird, Jr., James Dunlop Laird, who went to California in 1848 and never
married, and Helen Laird, who also never married. After the death of his
first wife, William Laird, Sr., married his sister-in-law, Arianna
French Dunlop. She was very lame, and the marriage took place only a
short time before her death.
The miniatures reproduced of John Laird and James Dunlop represent them
both in scarlet coats, with lace ruffles and powdered hair.
John Laird was always very much interested in the Presbyterian Church
and its affairs, and his descendants have remained so.
He came to this country at the age of seventeen and was active in
Georgetown from its early days, and it is a pity that none of his
children had a son to carry on his name.
[Illustration: JOHN LAIRD]
[Illustration: JAMES DUNLOP, SENIOR]
His son, William Laird, Jr., who had children, but no grandchildren, was
clerk of the town for a great many years, longer than any other man. He
is said to have had no superior as an accountant in this country.
After John Laird's death in 1833, his house became the property of his
daughter, Margaret. She never married, and lived there for a great many
years with her aunt, Miss Elizabeth Dick. They were always known as
"Miss Peggy" Laird and "Miss Betsy" Dick. My mother, as a little girl,
remembered them. They used to sit by the front windows a great deal, and
the turban which Miss Betsy wore on her head was, of course, very
intriguing to a young girl in 1850. They were both almost always dressed
in Scotch gingham of such fine quality that it seemed like silk. They
were both ardent supporters of the Presbyterian Church and workers for
the Orphan Asylum. Miss Betsy Dick died first, of course. Thomas Bloomer
Balch dedicated to her one of the lectures he gave in Georgetown in the
fifties called "Reminiscences of George Town."
When Miss Peggy Laird died, she left the house to her sister, Barbara,
Mrs. James Dunlop. They had been living on the southeast corner of Gay
(N) and Greene (29th) Streets. From that time on, number 3014 was always
known as the Dunlop house.
Judge Dunlop was always very prominent. As a young man he was secretary
of the Corporation of Georgetown, which fact is recorded on the keystone
of the little bridge on High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) over the canal.
He was for some time a law partner of Francis Scott Key, and later was
appointed Chief Justice of the Circuit Court of the District of
Columbia. He was holding this office at the outbreak of the Civil War
and, being a Southerner in his sympathies, was, very naturally, removed
from office by President Lincoln. An interesting thing is that about
1915 this place was bought from the heirs of Judge Dunlop's son by
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Lincoln.
An anecdote is told of a dinner party long ago where Judge Dunlop was a
guest, when one of the other guests was making puns on the names of all
those present. Judge Dunlop said, "You will not be able to make one on
my name." Quick as a flash came back the rejoinder, "Just lop off the
last syllable and it is dun."
Judge Dunlop and all of his brothers, except one, were graduates of
Princeton College, he being valedictorian of his class. A portrait of
him hangs in the courthouse in Washington. His son, William Laird
Dunlop, lived for many years as a bachelor in the old house before his
marriage to his cousin, Miss Sallie Peter, in Rockville. An interesting
story is told of their neighbor, Dr. Tyler, coming home one evening and
saying to his wife, "I'll have to go over and see what is the matter at
Mr. Dunlop's; the house is lit up from top to bottom." When he returned,
he was laughing heartily. "It's only that Mr. Dunlop is going to be
married and is inspecting the house thoroughly." The bride he brought
there was a very lovely person and very much beloved.
William Laird Dunlop always kept up his custom of keeping his own cow
and killing his own hogs in the fall. The little square, brick building
covered with vines between the house and the stable was the meat house.
It is in the garden of this house that the only remaining stone marker
used in laying off the original George Town stands, protruding about
eighteen inches from the ground.
Now to return to number 3017 across the street. In 1811 this house was
bought from Thomas Beall by Major George Peter. He was the youngest son
of Robert Peter. He was born in George Town on the 28th of September,
1779. When only fifteen years old he joined the Maryland troops against
the Whisky Insurrectionists (1794), but his parents sent a messenger to
camp and General Washington, hearing of the matter, ordered him home.
His youthful ardor was gratified five years later in July, 1799, by his
appointment as second lieutenant of the Ninth Infantry, United States
Army, by President Adams, and he enjoyed the distinction of receiving
his commission from the hands of General Washington at Mount Vernon.
While in command at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, during the administration
of President Jefferson, he organized the first light-horse battery
formed in the United States service, and he always referred to his
"Flying Artillery" with a special pride, in that he was specially
selected by President Jefferson for that purpose.
In April, 1805, Lieutenant Peter accompanied General Wilkinson to the
West and took part in the organization of the Territorial Government of
Missouri. Arriving at St. Louis on the Fourth of July, he established
the first cantonment on the banks of the Missouri at Bellefontaine and
fired the first salute on the return of Lewis and Clarke from their
expedition to the Pacific. He also served under General Wilkinson during
Governor Claiborne's administration before Louisiana was admitted to the
Union and he was present as a witness at the trial of Aaron Burr.
At the beginning of the War of 1812, President Madison tendered him a
brigadier-generalship, which the condition of private affairs compelled
him to decline, but in 1813 he volunteered his services and commanded a
battalion of "Flying Artillery."
Among the privates in this battalion were George Peabody and Francis
Scott Key, besides others who afterwards became distinguished citizens.
In writing of this battalion, W. W. Corcoran says the list of its
membership represented the wealth, worth, and talent of the town at that
time.
In 1815, he was elected to Congress from the Sixth District of Maryland,
but his seat was contested on the ground that he was not a resident of
the Congressional District. At that time he was a resident of Georgetown
and a member of the Town Council, but had large farms in Maryland. The
House of Representatives, however, decided in his favor, and admitted
him to take his seat. He was the first Democrat ever elected to Congress
from the Sixth District of Maryland and was re-elected in 1817, and
again in 1828. He served several terms in the State Legislature and in
1855 was elected by the Democratic Party a Commissioner of Public Works
for the State of Maryland.
He was a man six feet in height, straight as an arrow, and of splendid
physique.
He was married three times. His first wife was Ann Plater, daughter of
Governor Plater of Maryland; his second, Agnes Freeland, and his third,
Sarah Norfleet Freeland of Petersburg, Virginia.
Major Peter was one of the largest landowners and farmers in Montgomery
County and carried on those farms up to the date of his death, which
occurred at Montanvert, near Darnestown, June 22, 1861. He was nearly
eighty-two.
[Illustration: MAJOR GEORGE PETER]
[Illustration: JUDGE JAMES DUNLOP]
[Illustration: WILLIAM REDIN]
His three sons by his third marriage were: George, who became an eminent
lawyer in Rockville; Alexander, who lived and farmed near Darnestown;
Armistead, who practised medicine many years in Georgetown; and Walter
Gibson Peter, who met the heroic and tragic death I have already spoken
of. Dr. Peter had been sent to Georgetown to live with his aunt, Mrs.
Dick, to receive his medical education under Dr. Riley.
In 1827 George Peter sold this house, 3017 N Street, to John Laird,
evidently for his son, William, who made it his home until 1834, when it
was bought by Miss Elizabeth Dick, but she apparently changed her mind
and decided to live with her niece, for she sold it the same year to
William Redin.
Mr. Redin was an Englishman from Lincolnshire, who had come to America
about 1817. He was an attorney, and I have heard very old people refer
to him as "Lawyer Redin," and speak of the green baize bag which he
always carried back and forth to his office, the forerunner of the
present-day brief case, and I know an old lady who can remember him in
his pew in Christ Church. He had five daughters and one son. The young
man, Richard Wright Redin, soon after his graduation from Princeton,
fell a victim to cholera, that terrible disease brought to George Town
in its ships. It also carried off a young sister, Fanny, who was a
little beauty, and only about eighteen.
Mr. Redin was a friend of Henry Foxall, and named his youngest daughter
Catherine Foxall.
During the Civil War, Mr. Redin was a Union sympathizer, and when
President Lincoln removed Judge Dunlop from the bench, he offered the
Justiceship to Mr. Redin, but he refused to take the office of his old
friend and neighbor across the street. In 1863, he was made the first
Auditor of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia.
One of his married daughters was living, during the Civil War, not far
from Culpeper, Virginia, almost on the battlefield. She died when only
thirty-seven, from the fact that no medicines could be gotten for her;
nor could a minister be found to bury her, so her eldest daughter,
seventeen, read the burial service over her mother.
There were seven of these motherless children left--the eldest three all
very pretty girls. It was quite impossible for them to remain in their
home, so their grandfather got permission for them to come to
Washington. They came, wearing sunbonnets, and traveling all day long in
a box-car from Culpeper to Alexandria, a distance of only fifty miles.
There they had to spend the night at a hotel until they could pass
through the lines. The Union officer in charge of them slept outside
their door that night.
Not very long after their arrival, Martha Kennon, of Tudor Place, came
to see the eldest girl. They had been at school together a few years
before, at Miss Harrover's. She suggested that they should go "over to
the city" together. On the way down to Bridge (M) Street to take the
omnibus, they found they had no small change to pay their fare, so
Martha said: "Never mind, I have a cousin in a store near here. He will
change our money or lend us some." They went to him and she introduced
my father to my mother!
This was the old Vanderwerken omnibus that ran along Bridge (M) Street
and Pennsylvania Avenue, which became the Capital Traction Company, and
now the Capital Transit Company.
I have often heard my mother tell of how the Southern girls would not
walk under the Stars and Stripes hanging out from the hospital in the
Seminary. They would cross to the other side of the street, and when the
Union officers passed, they held aside their skirts. She has also
described to me how the city was hung with black when Abraham Lincoln
was killed.
Mr. Redin bequeathed his house to his only unmarried daughter,
Catherine. She married later, and sold the house in 1873 and regretted
it bitterly, to such an extent that she went into melancholia and
committed suicide by taking poison. For a while it was Miss Lipscomb's
School for Young Ladies, then it was bought by John D. Smoot, and his
family lived there many years.
In 1915 Colonel W. E. P. French purchased the property. He leased it
during the World War I to Honorable Newton D. Baker, then Secretary of
War. At that time Georgetown had hardly begun to be fashionable again,
and on first coming to Washington and hunting for a house, Mrs. Baker
told a friend she was discouraged trying to find one with a yard where
her three children could play, and that she thought they would have to
go to Fort Myer. The friend answered in a tone of deep commiseration,
"Too bad! You will have to pass through Georgetown!"
Another anecdote of somewhat the same tone was told me by an old lady
who has lived all her life in one of the loveliest old Georgetown
houses. Many years ago, while the street cars were still drawn by
horses, she was in a car sitting opposite two women, one of whom was
pointing out the sights to the other. They passed Dupont Circle, where
she showed the Leiter house, etc., and as they crossed P Street Bridge,
she said, "Now we are coming into Georgetown where nobody lives but
colored people and a few white people who can't get away."
On the next block east is a little house, entirely changed now, which
used to be very quaint in its appearance when it was covered with white
plaster and approached by a sort of causeway from the sidewalk. It had
belonged to Henry Foxall, though, of course, he never lived there.
On the southwest corner of Gay (N) and Greene (29th) Streets stands the
house that was originally the property of John Davidson. Then Mrs.
Williamson, a daughter of old Dr. Balch made her home here, followed by
her daughter, Mrs. Hasle. Next door, on the west, lived the son, Joseph
Williamson, whose wife was Marian Woods. Then the Howell family lived
there, and from them, Colonel Harrison Howell Dodge, who was
superintendent of Mount Vernon for over forty years, got his name. Later
the house was rented to Mr. and Mrs. John Worthington, whose daughter,
Lilah, married Mr. Henry Philip in April, 1865. She went to live at 3406
R Street.
A few years ago a gentleman who was an artist bought the house and
changed the windows on the first floor front--to give more light for his
studio, I was told.
The picturesque house on the northeast corner is always called "Admiral
Weaver's house." The back portion is very old, and "they say" there is a
ghost somewhere about. In the spring the hedge of Japanese quince here
is a thing of beauty with its flaming color.
On the next block eastward at number 2812 is the house with a very
beautiful doorway and a very interesting association. It was built in
1779, and was at one time the home of Judge Morsell, but it was called
the Decatur house. There is the Decatur house on Lafayette Square in
Washington, but we know that Admiral Decatur's widow left it after he
was killed in the duel with Commodore James Barron, near Bladensburg, on
March 22, 1820, and came to live in Georgetown. Tradition has persisted
that this was the house she lived in. These parts of two letters written
by Mrs. Basil Hall, in 1827, are from a volume called _The Aristocratic
Journey_, being her letters home to her sister in Edinburgh:
January 4: ... I had a note to-night from a lady whom I had
considerable curiosity to see, Mrs. Decatur, the widow of Commodore
Decatur. I brought a letter to her from Mrs. MacTavish at Baltimore
and sent it yesterday along with our cards. In this note she
acknowledged the receipt of it, but excuses herself from calling
upon me, "as peculiar circumstances attending a domestic affliction
she has suffered makes it impossible for her to come to Washington."
She asked us to spend the evening of the tenth with her, or any
other evening that suits us better, a very kind note, in short, and
we have promised to go on the eleventh. I knew that she would not
return my visit before I came. The reason of this peculiarity is
that her husband was killed in a duel, and she fears if she were to
go into company either morning or evening she might meet his second,
who she considers as having been very much to blame, or his
antagonist. Now all this is very natural, and I only object to it
because somehow she appears to have made her reasons too much the
subject of conversation, which is very unlike real feeling. She sees
a great deal of company at home. Her note smells so detestably of
musk that it quite perfumes the room and was like to make me sick,
so we had sealed it up in an envelope, but it shall go along with
the next of the scraps.
January 6: We have had today weather much more like June than
January, most extraordinary for this climate, where at this season
there is generally severe frost and snow. I went out with a cloak on
but speedily returned and exchanged that for a silk handkerchief
tied round my throat, which was as much as I could bear. Yesterday,
the fifth, we walked off by eleven o'clock to visit Mrs. Decatur,
who lives at Georgetown, which is separated from Washington only by
a little creek, across which there is a shabby enough tumble-down
looking wooden bridge. There is so thick a fog that we could not see
three yards before us, "quite English weather," as our friends here
tell us, but not disagreeable to my mind as it was very mild. At the
door of Mrs. Decatur's house we met General Van Rensselear, "the
Patroon," who with his wife and daughter is now here. He went in
with us and introduced us to the lady of the mansion, who we found
dressed in very becoming weeds, and she gave us an extremely cordial
reception. She is a pretty, pleasing-looking person and very
animated, with no appearance of woe except the outward sign of cap
and gown. We sat some time with her and walked home....
If only Mrs. Hall had been able to say where the house was to which they
walked from across Rock Creek on that balmy day in January!
These other letters which follow are written to a young man then
beginning to make his way in the world, who certainly was possessed of a
most attractive personality, and it is not surprising that the widow
might have been rather "setting her cap" for him.
My dear Mr. Corcoran:
If you should find yourself destitute of amusement this evening,
while the belles are at church, I beg you to come and listen to some
of my lamentations.
Yours sincerely, S. DECATUR.
My dear Mr. Corcoran:
I am happy to say that I can take you under my wing today, on the
way to heaven, and I pray you to call for me at ten o'clock.
Yours sincerely, S. DECATUR.
Union Hotel, Monday morning.
My dear Mr. Corcoran:
The Iturbides have deferred their visit until Wednesday evening and
I hope you will be able to come and meet them, with your sister and
Colonel Thomas.
Yours sincerely, S. DECATUR.
If you have a moment to spare this evening I pray you to come and
tell me how your brother's family are after this dreadful alarm.[A]
[Footnote A: The destruction of Mr. J. Corcoran's dwelling by fire.]
As we know, it was of no avail, for he seems to have remained "fancy
free" until he met and married Louise Morris.
About 1828 Mrs. Decatur became a convert to the Roman Catholic Church
through her close acquaintance with the Carroll family, it is thought.
The latter part of her life was spent in a frame house on the brow of a
hill about one hundred yards from Georgetown College, which she rented
from Miss Hobbs. Here she died about 1860.
Among the souvenirs of the college is the portrait of Commodore Decatur
by Gilbert Stuart, his ivory chess-board and men, and his jeweled
toothpick box. The grave of Mrs. Decatur was discovered some time ago in
the cemetery of Georgetown College. It had been overgrown and neglected
and forgotten.
So had this part of Georgetown, until Admiral and Mrs. Spencer Wood
bought 2808 and brought it back to its pristine glory. This house was
built by John Stoddert Haw, nephew of Benjamin Stoddert, one of the
founders of Christ Church, of which many of his descendants are still
pillars. When the Woods lived here, there was at the back of the house a
very lovely, unusual green garden, which gave a feeling of restfulness
not always produced by a riot of glorious colors, opening off a paved
area under a wide porch, like so many houses used to have.
The old house at 2806 is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Walker. He is
the curator of the National Gallery of Art. Thomas Beall of George sold
the land to John M. Gannt in 1804, who may have built this lovely house.
It was purchased by Elisha Williams in 1810; also owned by Thomas
Robertson and Thomas Clarke in the first decade of the nineteenth
century. In the 1920's it was the home of Mrs. Hare Lippincott.
Across the street, at number 2723, a good many years ago, was where
Thomas Harrison and his sister lived for a long time. Miss Virginia kept
a little school for several years and her brother was a translator at
the Naval Observatory until he was well up in his eighties. When he was
over ninety he used to go out calling on Sunday afternoons, as spry as
could be, and with his cheeks as rosy as pippins. They were a couple
much beloved and typical of old-time days.
Chapter XI
_The Three Philanthropists_
George Town produced three eminent philanthropists: one whose
benefactions were solely to Georgetown; a second, who became the
greatest benefactor the City of Washington has ever had, and inaugurated
the tremendous gifts to schools and colleges that have since become the
fashion among men of great wealth; the third started his gifts at home,
then crossed the ocean and made enormous contributions to the largest
city in the world.
The first one, Edward Magruder Linthicum, had a hardware store on the
northwest corner of High (Wisconsin) Avenue and Bridge (M) Street, the
business hub then, as now, of Georgetown. He was a trustee of the
Methodist Church and member of the Town Council.
He built the home at number 3019 P Street, which has such a beautiful
doorway, and lived there until in 1846 he moved up on the Heights to The
Oaks, for which he paid $11,000. William A. Gordon, in his book _Old
Houses in Georgetown Heights_, says of him:
Mr. Linthicum was a prominent and prosperous merchant of the highest
type, a man of great civic activities, and deeply interested in
everything which tended to beautify the community. In his will by a
legacy of $50,000 he provided for the endowment of a school for the
free education of white boys of Georgetown in useful learning and in
the spirit and practice of Christian virtue being, as he expressed
it, convinced that knowledge and piety constitute the only assurance
of happiness and healthful progress to the human race and devoutly
recognizing the solemn duty to society which develops in its
members, and entertaining a serious desire to contribute in some
manner to the permanent welfare of the community, amongst whom my
life has been spent.
As a commentary on the length to which partisan feeling went in the
years succeeding the War Between the States, it may be stated that
efforts to have the Linthicum Institute incorporated by Congress
were prevented by Charles Sumner, Senator from Massachusetts, for
the reason that the benefits were confined to white youths.
[Illustration: EDWARD MAGRUDER LINTHICUM]
The Linthicum Institute began its career in the lower floor of one side
of the Curtis school building on P Street, opposite Saint John's Church.
The name in large gold letters used to be there. The present building
was erected about 1890 on the south side of O Street near 31st, the
school occupying the lower floor, and Linthicum Hall, considered by the
belles of the nineties to have the "best floor 'par excellence' for
dancing anywhere," being the upper portion. I have been told it was the
first night school in the District of Columbia.
Mr. Linthicum was a very imposing looking gentleman, was married, but
had no children. He and his wife adopted a daughter, Kate, who became
Mrs. Dent, and I think it was in honor of her or her son that the little
street called Dent Place, just below R and between 30th and 31st Streets
was named when that part of Georgetown, then nicknamed "Cooke Park" was
developed.
[Illustration: WILLIAM WILSON CORCORAN]
William Wilson Corcoran, the third son of Thomas Corcoran, was born in
George Town on December 27, 1798, in his father's home on Bridge (M)
Street. He attended Mr. Kirk's school, later Reverend Addison Belt's,
in between, having been for a while a day scholar at Georgetown College.
Contrary to his father's wishes for him to complete a classical
education, at the age of seventeen he went into a dry goods store
belonging to his brothers, James and Thomas. Two years later they
established him in a small store of his own on the northwest corner of
High (Wisconsin Avenue) and First (N) Streets. Again, two years later
they all purchased a two-story brick house on the corner of Bridge (M)
and Congress (31st) Streets and commenced a wholesale auction and
commission business.
In the depression of 1823, when very many firms went to the wall, they
too had to give up and settled with all their creditors for fifty cents
on the dollar.
I think the aftermath of this story (which is the reason I have given it
in detail) is most encouraging to this generation, struggling in the
grip of the present depression, for the young man of twenty-five, after
giving up four or five years to taking care of the business of his
father, who was growing old, finally became connected with the Bank of
Columbia, and in 1837 began a brokerage business in Washington in a
little store 10 x 16 feet on Pennsylvania Avenue near 15th Street. He
was so successful that he eventually took into partnership George W.
Riggs, also of Georgetown, and changed the name to Corcoran and Riggs.
In 1845 this firm purchased the old United States Bank on the corner of
15th Street and New York Avenue. And so the Riggs National Bank, today
one of the strongest banks in the United States, was born. A little
later George W. Riggs retired and Elisha, his brother, was made a junior
partner.
In 1847 Mr. Corcoran sent to all people to whom he had been able to pay
only 50% in his failure of 1823, the full amount due them, with
interest, amounting to about forty-six thousand dollars, to their great
surprise, as evidenced by letters I have read from them to him. Of all
his great benefactions, this seems to me to have been the very finest
thing he ever did.
He must have been a man of very remarkable personality, witness his
going to Europe, the first of the very, very many trips he made in his
life, on one day's notice, and against much discouragement, persuading
Thomas Baring of the great London banking firm of Baring Brothers, to
assist him in a sale of five millions of government bonds. At that time
the firm of Corcoran and Riggs took, on its own account, nearly all the
loans made by the United States.
On his return to New York he was greeted by everyone with enthusiasm, as
this was the first sale of American securities abroad since 1837--eleven
years.
In April, 1854, Mr. Corcoran withdrew from the firm, thinking he had
made enough money, and spent the rest of his long life of ninety
years--forty-five years more--spending his money in a manner unknown
before that time.
Apropos of his money-making faculty, I have often been told by my aunt
how her father, Henry Dunlop, when a boy, was walking along the street
with young Corcoran, just his own age, when Henry, whose family was
rather well-off in those days, seeing a penny lying on the pavement,
kicked it ahead of him in his stride, as boys will do, but young
Corcoran, stooping down, put it in his pocket saying, "Henry, you will
never be a rich man." That prophecy came true, for Henry spent his life
in farming, and you know what that means!
Among Mr. Corcoran's very first benefactions were gifts to the town of
his birth. First of all a fund of $10,000 to be spent for firewood,
etc., for the poor. It was left to the town authorities, but was
administered by the Benevolent Society.
In 1849 he gave beautiful Oak Hill Cemetery, lying along the northern
limit of the town. To me no other cemetery that I have ever seen in this
country or abroad has the same natural beauty of slopes and trees--in
the spring bedecked like a bride in flowering white shrubs; in the fall
its towering oak trees aflame with shades of crimson.
I suppose what impressed on him the need of a cemetery for Georgetown so
deeply was the death of his beloved wife in 1840. It had been a very
romantic marriage. She was Louise Morris, the daughter of Commodore
Charles Morris. Mr. Corcoran met his wife when she was sixteen and he
was thirty-six. On the 23rd of December, 1835, they eloped, accompanied
by Mr. Corcoran's sister-in-law, Mrs. James Corcoran, who later became
the second wife of John Marbury, senior, and to the day of her death was
greatly beloved by Mr. Corcoran. When she was lying in her coffin on
14th Street, he came there and although somewhat lamed by paralysis and
nearly ninety years of age, he insisted upon climbing the long flight of
stairs to the room where she lay, saying over and over as he toiled up
the many steps: "I must see Harriet once more!" I suppose in his mind he
was living over the great event in his life when she helped to secure
for him the only love of his life. And so pitifully short a time he had
her, for only five years afterwards, when she was twenty-one, she died
of tuberculosis. In those short years she had had three children,
Harriet Louise, Louise Morris, and Charles Morris. Of these the middle
child, Louise, was the only one to grow up.
Although Commodore Morris had greatly disapproved of his daughter's
marriage, which was very natural as at that time he was one of the most
eminent officers of the United States Navy, and Mr. Corcoran had not
then entered on the career which eventually made him the most
distinguished private citizen of the capital of the nation, he grew to
greatly admire and respect his son-in-law. For there are preserved in _A
Grandfather's Legacy_, a collection of letters received by Mr. Corcoran,
and compiled by him before his death, several letters from Charles
Morris, showing the deepest trust and affection.
I suppose there was never a daughter more beloved and petted than Louise
Morris Corcoran. Her father seemed to expend on her all the affection of
his great big heart, and she seems to have been a very lovely character.
When she was about ten years old she fell overboard from a vessel and
was only saved from drowning by the quickness and skill of Gurdon B.
Smith. Among these letters are several in regard to this incident, for
Mr. Corcoran, in his gratitude for this merciful deliverance, sent
through an agent, $1,000 to Mr. Smith, an artisan, who was very grateful
and considered he had received a fortune. But, not satisfied with that,
Mr. Corcoran secured an appointment as lighthouse keeper for Mr. Smith
at a point not far from his home, a life position with a good salary,
but Mr. Smith refused it as he seemed perfectly satisfied with his
circumstances.
Mr. Corcoran's money doubled and trebled and quadrupled, and the
following letter shows how his judgment was sought on political as well
as financial questions:
My dear Sir:
I wish you would come to my house about 8 this evening and tell me,
in five words, what are the best reasons to be given to friends of
the administration for not passing the sub-treasury bill at present.
Yours,
D. WEBSTER.
He had a close friendship with Edward Everett, senator from
Massachusetts, who was frequently his guest. He and ex-President
Fillmore traveled abroad together. The letters he received from many of
the great of the earth make very interesting reading. By the middle of
the nineteenth century this Georgetown boy of rather modest parentage
was living in a very fine house in Washington, in great elegance,
entertaining everyone of any importance who came to the capital. There
is on record now a letter from a gentleman in England, bringing to his
attention the coming of the new Minister and his wife from Great
Britain, Lord and Lady Napier. Although, as he had said "he knows he
will receive a great deal of attention, yet he wishes Mr. Corcoran,
particularly to honor them." He was consulted by presidents for his
opinion on financial matters. Baron Humboldt, the great German
geographer, kept up a correspondence with him to the day of his death.
After a brilliant girlhood, Louise Corcoran had married the Honorable
George Eustis of New Orleans, representative in Congress. When the Civil
War came and shattered all existing social ties, Mr. Eustis, of course,
took the Southern side, as did Mr. Corcoran. Mr. Eustis, who had been
appointed Confederate Secretary of Legation at the same time that the
Honorable John Slidell was appointed Minister to France, after being
held a prisoner in Maine, went over to France, where he was joined by
his wife. Neither ever returned to this country. They made their home
there, their three children were born there, they died there, were
finally brought back and buried in Oak Hill under the beautiful little
Doric temple Mr. Corcoran had erected for his first Louise.
Those three grandchildren then became his pride and joy. But more and
more he absorbed himself in his benefactions. It is impossible to tell
all of them. Beginning with his gift of Oak Hill to Georgetown in 1849,
in 1850 a loan to the Roman Catholic Church there which, like all of his
loans, he eventually turned into gifts; in 1851 he gave an organ to the
Lunatic Asylum in Staunton, Virginia, saying he knew of nothing better
than to give music to those whose souls were so troubled. About this
time he gave the lot for the Washington City Orphan Asylum, and a little
later the one for the Y. M. C. A. For many years he had been collecting
painting and sculpture, both on his trips to Europe and from the various
persons who wrote to him soliciting his patronage. These were at first
kept in his own house, but then he decided to build a gallery and give
them to the City of Washington, so he erected the building on
Pennsylvania Avenue at the corner of 17th Street, directly opposite the
State, War and Navy Building. It was just nearing completion when the
Civil War began and was taken over by the United States Government as an
annex to the War Department, so that it was not until 1869 that it was
opened as the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In 1897 the collection was moved
to the beautiful new building lower down on 17th Street and was formally
opened on February 22nd by a brilliant reception at which were President
and Mrs. Cleveland and all of their Cabinet.
Above the doorway of the old building, in the stone, is still seen a
carved medallion with W. W. C. intertwined.
Just about that time, also, Mr. Corcoran began to build another of his
beneficent gifts to the city. His beloved daughter had died, and the
city and the country was filled with ladies who had been made penniless
by the cruel fratricidal war. In 1871 he turned over to the trustees the
Louise Home on Massachusetts Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, as a
home for gentlewomen, the only requirements being enough money to
furnish their own clothes and their burial expenses, even lots in Oak
Hill were reserved for them after the Louise Home failed to suffice. It
was very natural that for a long time its clientele was largely made up
of Southerners, as there were very, very many more of them impoverished
at that time, and also Mr. Corcoran was himself in sympathy with the
Confederates. It is said he saved his house from confiscation by renting
it to the French Minister.
Many, very many, were the letters he received thanking him for the help
he had sent to widows and orphans of soldiers of the South. He founded
homes of that kind in Charleston, South Carolina, and in other places,
besides rendering assistance most tactfully in many private cases. Many
of these letters are very touching in their gratitude.
His friendship for James Mason, of the Mason and Slidell affair, was
close, as was his very real association with General Robert E. Lee,
witnessed by letters from General Lee during his life in Lexington,
Virginia, after the war, and from Dr. William Pendleton, General Lee's
rector there, and from Mrs. Lee in regard to General Lee's death.
He and General Lee spent several summers at the "Old White," as the
Greenbriar White Sulphur Springs was then affectionately known. As the
years rolled on, Anthony Hyde, a Georgetown man, was kept busy
administering the benefactions of his employer. He has told how during a
trip through the South after the war, with Mr. Corcoran (he was his
secretary), he had difficulty in keeping Mr. Corcoran's gifts within
bounds. I was told not long ago by a man in the employ of Oak Hill, how
an old street-car conductor had described to him the sight of Mr.
Corcoran going to his office, and on the sidewalk in front of it each
morning was a line to which he always dispensed "green money," as the
old man called it.
The business of his life then was judiciously giving away his money.
Here are some of the ways he did it: colleges had always appealed to
him, and he was for many years Rector of Columbian University in
Washington, now renamed George Washington, and gave freely to it. His
name is now borne by one of their largest and best buildings, Corcoran
Hall. He gave to the Maryland Agricultural College, to the College of
William and Mary in Virginia, loaned money to the Virginia Military
Institute and when the bonds came due, tore them up--a little way he
had. To Washington and Lee University, also in Lexington, he gave
$20,000 besides the library purchased from the widow of Nathaniel
Howard, thus, it helped in the getting as well as in the giving.
His portrait hangs in the little chapel in Lexington where lies the body
of his friend, Robert Edward Lee. To the University of Virginia he gave
$100,000 which endowed two chairs, also giving $5,000 to resuscitate the
library which had suffered during the war and the period following, from
being unable to procure any new books.
He was one of the first people to subscribe to the fund being raised by
certain ladies to purchase Mount Vernon, after the Washington family
found themselves unable to keep it up and offered it to the United
States Government, which refused to buy and preserve it.
The Episcopal Church of the Ascension on the corner of 12th Street and
Massachusetts Avenue was built almost entirely with his money. William
Pinckney, its rector when it was begun, was very devoted to Mr.
Corcoran. He afterwards became Bishop of Maryland. It worried him
exceedingly that Mr. Corcoran had never become a confirmed member and
communicant of the church. Many are the long and eloquent letters he
wrote to him on the subject. Finally, in his old age, the old gentleman
did come forward and be confirmed. The friendship between these two
seems to have been very sweet. The Bishop was a simple soul, a great
lover of flowers and birds. He was always sending gifts of grapes to his
wealthy friend, from Bladensburg. He now rests not far from his friend
in Oak Hill. The inscription on his stone, which is surmounted by his
statue reads thus:
WILLIAM PINCKNEY, D. D., L L. D.
APRIL 17, 1820
JULY 4, 1883
Guileless and fearless.
All through his life Mr. Corcoran was a very sociable person. He always
loved to play whist and in the last years of his life his nephews and
nieces and great-nephews and great-nieces used to go often to play with
him and pass the long evenings. A friend of mine remembers being taken
as a little girl, with her grandmother, to call on him. She was
fascinated by the room where he sat, which had medallions of children's
heads, set at intervals into the paneling of the walls. She said he told
her they were his grandchildren. She loved looking at them and was
distressed when told to go out in the garden to play.
That garden to the house where he lived for many years and where he
died, stood on H Street at the corner of Connecticut Avenue. Daniel
Webster had lived there before him. The flowering trees in the spring
hung over the high brick wall on the Connecticut Avenue side and
gladdened the hearts of all who saw them. It was a sad day for
Washington, historically, when that whole square was reconstructed. If
only one could endow old houses!
At last, on the 24th of February, 1888, W. W. Corcoran, as he was always
known, was laid to rest in his own beautiful Oak Hill. I remember as a
little girl standing at the window of my home facing 31st Street and
hearing the bell of near-by Christ Church toll ninety strokes as
carriage after carriage passed slowly up the hill. My brother and I
counted them, and there were ninety-nine.
George Peabody, the third of my trio of philanthropists who got their
start in Georgetown, was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, on February 18,
1795. He was descended from an old yeoman family of Hertfordshire,
England, named Pabody or Pebody. At eleven years he was an apprentice in
a grocery store, and at fifteen, by his father's death, he was left an
orphan and was cheerfully helping to support his mother and sisters. He
soon after left Danvers and became an assistant to his uncle in his
business in Georgetown. When he was seventeen he served as a volunteer
in the War of 1812 in the artillery company of Major George Peter
against the British, which is interesting, as in later life he was
offered a baronetcy by Queen Victoria, which he refused.
[Illustration: GEORGE PEABODY]
After the war, when he was about nineteen, he became a partner with
Elisha Riggs in a dry goods store in Georgetown and through his energy
and skill the business increased tremendously. They moved to Baltimore,
and when his partner retired, about 1830, he found himself, according to
_The Encyclopædia Britannica_, at the head of one of the largest
mercantile concerns in the world. About seven years afterwards he
established himself in London as a merchant and money-broker at Wonford
Court in the city, and in 1843 he withdrew from the American business.
He was never married. He was a very intimate friend of Mr. Corcoran's,
and in several letters to him speaks jokingly of himself as a confirmed
old bachelor, and in one flouts the idea that he is attentive to a
certain lady, saying that he never but once seriously thought of
marriage.
Of course, he and Mr. Corcoran were near the same age and were both
making their way as young men here in Georgetown at the same time, and
it is very interesting to follow, from many letters, how their
friendship continued through all their lives.
Mr. Peabody made frequent visits to his homeland, and used often to
visit Mr. Corcoran at his home in Washington, and to spend the summers
with him at the White Sulphur Springs.
When hearing of the beginning of the great gifts of his friend on this
side of the water, he wrote in October, 1851:
However liberal I may be over here, I can not keep pace with your
noble acts of charity at home; but one of these days I mean to come
out, and then if my feelings regarding money don't change and I have
plenty, I shall become a strong competitor of yours in benevolence.
He certainly made good his words. In London he entertained in princely
style. The following letter is one of the many telling of his parties
there:
London, May 16, 1853.
My dear Corcoran:
On the 18th I am to give a grand banquet to the American Minister
and about sixty-five English and eighty-five American ladies and
gentlemen, and have invited about fifty more for the evening. Mr.
Van Buren will be of the party and I hope to make it the best dinner
party I have ever given, as I have the Star and Garter, Richmond,
and the proprietor has no limit. I enclose you the programme of
music during and after dinner.
I have taken the house--Star and Garter--for a Fourth of July dinner
to gentlemen only, and expect about 150. I hear from Mr. Ingersoll
that your friend, Mr. Buchanan, will leave in June. Now, although I
only know Mr. Buchanan from his high character and what you say of
him, particularly as he is unmarried, and I would like to invite the
party for the fourth of July to meet "the American Minister, Mr.
Ingersoll, and the new Minister, Mr. Buchanan." Will you confer with
Mr. Buchanan on receipt of this and try to get me permission to give
the invitations as I propose? If Mr. Buchanan leaves 13th or 16th
June, he will arrive in ample time.
Very truly,
GEORGE PEABODY.
In 1867 he gave $15,000 to found the Peabody Library in Georgetown. A
large donation was given by him to the second Grinnell Arctic
Expedition. The museum in Salem, Massachusetts, called by his name, is a
fascinating collection of historic relics. To his birthplace he gave
50,000 pounds ($250,000) for educational purposes; for the Peabody
Institute in Baltimore 200,000 pounds ($1,000,000.00); to the trustees
of the Peabody Educational Fund to promote education in the Southern
States (part went to Washington and Lee University in Lexington). A dear
old cousin of mine has told me of his visit to the White Sulphur to
confer with Mr. Corcoran and Mr. Peabody on this subject. The thing he
is remembered for in London is the erection of a huge block of model
houses for working people at a cost of 500,000 pounds ($2,500,000). I
suppose it was then that Queen Victoria wished to do him honor.
His true nature remained untainted by success, and Gladstone said of
him: "He taught the world how a man may be master of his fortune, and
not its slave."
In 1867 the Congress of the United States awarded him a special vote of
thanks, and two years later, when he died in London on the 4th of
November 1869, his body was brought home to America on a British
warship, to be buried in Danvers, the town of his birth, now renamed
Peabody in his honor.
Chapter XII
_The Seminary, Washington (30th) Street and Dumbarton Avenue_
Nowadays, all to the east of here bordering on Rock Creek has been made
into a park and playground, and some attractive houses built overlooking
them.
On the southeast corner of Montgomery (28th) Street and Dumbarton
Avenue, the large brick building now used as a colored Temple of Islam
was where Henry Addison, who had been mayor, was living when he died in
1870.
This house later was the home of General Christopher Colon Augur. One
night he came out on his porch to remonstrate with a crowd of negroes
gathered on this corner and making a disturbance. He was promptly shot
by one of them.
Just east of here on Dumbarton Avenue at number 2720 is the home of the
Alsop brothers, the well-known columnists, and a new Roman Catholic
Church has been built for the colored people. There are six colored
churches in the region hereabouts: This Catholic one, three Baptist
churches, and two Methodists. Mount Zion Methodist on Greene (29th)
Street is over a hundred years old. In the nineties, there were two men
in the choir there, one an exceptional organist and the other, who had a
very fine bass voice; he later went to Paris.
From this point to Rock Creek is the district that was known as Herring
Hill, a synonym in the minds of old residents for the negro district. It
got its name from the fact that in the spring great quantities of
herring came up this far into the creek from the river, and were caught
in large numbers.
I think this account, by Mr. William A. Gordon, of some of the customs
of the negroes in the years gone by is very attractive and interesting:
Christmas was the great time for the negroes. Ordinarily, they were
not allowed in the streets after the town bell rang at nine o'clock
at night, but at Christmas this restriction was removed, and as
midnight approached, bands of them would go through the streets
singing hymns and carols before the houses of their white friends.
The next morning the leader of the band called at the house and
received a token of appreciation in the way of small coin.
On May Day there was a parade of the negro drivers; many drove
carts, drays and wagons, for on that day they had holiday, and
paraded with wagons and horses adorned with ribbons, flowers and
bright papers, the drivers wearing long white aprons, and headed by
a band. They would then go to the woods and feast, dance and sing.
At the southeast corner of Dumbarton Avenue and Greene (29th) Street,
the four little yellow houses made into one make the home of Drew
Pearson, the widely-known columnist and commentator--co-author with
Robert S. Allen of the original "Washington Merry-Go-Round."
A block west, on the southeast corner of Washington (30th) Street is a
fine old house where Mrs. James Cassin lived as a wealthy widow during
the 1850's. She was Tabitha Ann Deakins, of that old family so prominent
in the making of the town.
James Cassin had come from Ireland to the City of Baltimore when he was
about twenty years of age, on account of religious troubles, the motive
which sent so many emigrants to the new country. He then moved over to
this thriving seaport, married and settled, leaving his wife a very
young widow with three sons. One of them, John, went far from home to
live, and his mother's letters to him contain a great deal of
interesting gossip. In one she tells that Margaret McVean has gone to
Baltimore to buy her wedding dress, and, horror of horrors, has allowed
the groom, Dr. Louis Mackall, to accompany her. Of course a chaperone
was in the party, but what an indelicate thing for the groom to know
anything about the wedding clothes! She ends with, "What are the young
people coming to?" How often have we heard those same words in recent
years. Of course in those days, a bride went into deep retirement for a
week before the fateful day, not going out into the street at all, and
as for seeing the groom on the day until she met him at the altar, that
was simply unthinkable!
Margaret McVean was the daughter of the Reverend James McVean, who was
born near Johnstown, New York, in 1796. He was a graduate of Union
College in 1813, and of Princeton in 1819. It was said that he spoke
seven languages with fluency and that the chair of Greek at Princeton
was always open to him. He came to Georgetown about 1820 and married
Jane Maffitt Whann in 1828. For twenty years he was the principal of a
classical seminary for boys in Georgetown, the same one founded by Dr.
David Wiley. There a large number of young men were prepared for
college, who afterwards attained distinction in various professions or
government positions of trust and honor. He was for twenty-five years
superintendent of the Presbyterian Sabbath School. He died July 8, 1847,
and as a testimonial of respect, the Board of Common Council and
Aldermen, of which he was a member, suspended business for eight days,
and crêpe was worn on the arm for thirty days.
Another of these letters of Mrs. Cassin's tells that her son, William
Deakins Cassin, has just become engaged to "that harumscarum Mittie
Tyler." She fears for their future. Mittie (Mary) Tyler was the daughter
of dear old Dr. Tyler across the street.
The mother-in-law's fears certainly did not materialize, for Mrs.
Cassin, junior, lived a long and honored life. I remember her faintly
when she was about eighty years old, with hair parted in the middle and
combed down over each ear as "coal black as a raven's wing," as the old
saying goes.
They all seemed to marry their neighbors in those days, for Sue, another
daughter of Dr. Tyler's married Granville Hyde across the street.
The Hyde's house was next door to the Cassin's on the south. One can see
that it is quite old, and it seems that it was built about 1798 by
Charles Beatty, one of our old friends of the early days of George Town.
He ran one of the ferries across the river to the Virginia shore. About
1806 he had sold the house to Nicholas Hedges; then it went to James
Belt in 1822, and to Joshua Stuart in 1832. Later, it was bought by Mr.
Thomas Hyde, one of the early merchants of Georgetown. His son, Anthony
continued to live there and was for many years secretary to Mr. W. W.
Corcoran. Anthony Hyde was very musical and was part of the orchestra
which furnished the music in Christ Church before it had an organ. Here
grew up Mr. Thomas Hyde, who was very prominent in Riggs Bank and an
early president of the Chevy Chase Club. He was a very distinguished
looking man to the day of his death.
On the northeast corner of Washington (30th) and Gay (N) Streets is
where tradition says Ninian Beall built his hunting cabin when he landed
here. That could be borne out by the fact that a very fine spring of
water was on that property. Many, many years later the family of Judge
Dunlop at 3014 N Street used to send for pitchers of water from that
spring, as they had an inherited right to do so.
The long, red building there, now the Colonial Apartments, is still
spoken of as The Seminary. It was there that Miss Lydia English
conducted her fashionable school for young ladies for many years before
the Civil War. This was the school to which Andrew Johnson, while
senator from Tennessee, sent his daughter. Years after, when he was
being criticized for his defense of Roman Catholics, his enemies brought
against him the fact that he had sent his daughter to a "convent" in
Georgetown. They had confused the Visitation Convent with Miss English's
Seminary. It is said that the roster of the patrons of this school in
those _ante-bellum_ days included the names of the most famous men in
the country.
Among those names was that of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri,
nicknamed "Old Bullion," on account of his opposition to paper currency.
He was one of the supporters of President Andrew Jackson in his war on
the United States Bank. One of the pupils at the Seminary was his
daughter, Jessie Benton, who afterwards became the wife of General C.
Fremont, known as "The Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains."
[Illustration: MISS LYDIA ENGLISH]
Miss English had large means of her own, which enabled her to keep her
school going in spite of "ups and downs." But, when in need of advice,
she would always turn to her near neighbor, James Cassin.
At one time she had nine teachers besides herself. In 1835 she had 130
pupils. It is said she was a stern headmistress, but she stood for all
that was fine, and meant a great deal to Georgetown.
There is a story told of old "Aunt Abby," whose business it was to sit
behind the parlor door whenever the young ladies had gentlemen callers,
and how reassuring was the sound of her deep snores. Another story goes
that the young bloods of Georgetown used to gather on the opposite
corner where there was a pump and pretend to be getting a drink of
water, while they were really serenading the hidden charmers, and that
sometimes billet-doux and sweetmeats were drawn up in baskets
unbeknownst to the "powers that were."
In 1859, Miss Harrover took over the school. The catalogue for that year
calls it the Georgetown Female Seminary, and in the front is printed the
following letter from Miss English:
To my former Pupils and their Parents, and to other Friends:
At the request of Miss Harrover, who, for two years past, has
satisfactorily conducted the Institution, over which I so long
presided, and the care of which I relinquished, only because the
condition of my health and hearing made it imperatively necessary. I
would state, that my interest in its prosperity is undiminished,
that I earnestly desire to see it flourish, and that as far as I
have it in my power, it is my wish to extend its usefulness.
In renting the Seminary, I retain my own suite of apartments, and
have never withdrawn my residence from it. So far as I have
influence, and opportunities, I endeavor to promote the improvement
and comfort of the inmates of this establishment. I can not but feel
a special interest in the children and other relatives of those who
in former years were under my care and instruction, and it affords
me much pleasure to see them pursuing their education within the
same establishment. I shall rejoice to see the number of these, in
the coming year greatly increased.
With kind greetings, and best wishes, I remain,
Yours respectfully,
June 20, 1859. L. S. ENGLISH.
Among the names of the pupils I find that of my mother, and many more
familiar to me all of my life.
When the first battle of Bull Run was fought, with such disastrous
results to the Union Army, this building was immediately taken over by
the United States government as a hospital, and Dr. Armistead Peter,
although a Southern sympathizer, was drafted to be in charge of it. An
old lady has told me how she was brought by her nurse on that Monday in
July, the day after the battle, to watch the unloading of the wagons
full of maimed and bleeding soldiers.
The row of frame houses across the street, on N Street, was built at
that time as barracks for the non-commissioned officers on duty at the
hospital.
Apparently, after the war, Miss Harrover never resumed her school, as,
in 1870, it was being used as an apartment house. I rather think it must
be the oldest apartment house in the District.
The part of the building on the corner was torn down several years ago
and the Edes Home built. It is a home for Georgetown widows. As the
money for it was left by Miss Margaret Edes, who was certainly never a
widow, and the wording of her will said "for the indigent widows of
Georgetown," many people think it was a mistake and was meant to read
"the indigent women of Georgetown."
Just across the street from the Seminary stands the house which was "Old
Dr. Tyler's" home. First of all, it was the home of George W. Riggs;
after that, for many, many years, that of Dr. Grafton Tyler, the beloved
physician. He was a native of southern Maryland, and a cousin of
President Tyler.
During his long life Dr. Tyler enjoyed many honors of high professional
distinction and was the intimate friend and companion of distinguished
statesmen, jurists, and scholars.
In those days doctors took families at "so much" a year, including the
slaves. Not long ago I heard this story about the dear old doctor. For
years and years he had attended a family where there was an addition
almost annually, and he had never sent a bill. Finally, when they were
all nearly grown, the father inherited a nice little sum of money. Not
long afterwards Dr. Tyler was called in for a slight illness. When the
first of the year came round Dr. Tyler sent a bill. The morning after
its receipt the father burst into the doctor's office in a rage, "What
did he mean by sending him a bill? Tut, tut!" And there the matter
ended.
[Illustration: DR. GRAFTON TYLER]
For a great many years Dr. Tyler was the physician for Georgetown
College. It is still a tradition in the family about the turkeys and
the very delicious raisin bread that came every Christmas from the
priests.
His son, Dr. Walter Bowie Tyler, followed him, but not for long, as he
had consumption, as tuberculosis was called in those days. He was asked
to be pall-bearer at the funeral of a young lady who, as a dying
request, asked to be carried up to Oak Hill because she had a horror of
being put in a hearse. Dr. Tyler struggled along for two or three blocks
when my father, who was very fond of him, stepped in, pushed him aside
and finished the journey.
On the block above, on Washington (30th) Street, in a white, frame house
on the west side of the street, lived Captain de la Roche, who was the
architect of Oak Hill Cemetery and of Saint John's Church where he was a
vestryman when it was remodeled in 1840. Apropos of that, several years
ago while I was living away from Georgetown for a short period of years,
on one of my return visits, I was standing on the corner of Dumbarton
Avenue and 31st Street waiting for a street-car. The wait was long and I
looked about me up and down the streets, to the westward, above the tree
tops was an object totally strange to my Georgetown eyes, a church
steeple of the somewhat Bulfinch type. I reasoned that it could not be
anything but the steeple of Saint John's, but I knew I had never seen it
look like that--it had always resembled a large pepper pot more than
anything else. Upon inquiry, I found that not long before the vestry of
Saint John's had found that some repairs were necessary on the tower, so
one of their number, a civil engineer, ascended with an architect and
while hunting around, they discovered part of the original tower still
there, inclosed in the more modern square building. It was torn away
and the old church now bears part of its original headdress. Only the
lower story of the tower remains as the smaller ones which used to
surmount it had, of course, been lost.
Captain and Mrs. de la Roche had three daughters; two of them had
married officers in the United States Army. When the Civil War came
their sympathies were with the South. One husband promptly resigned and
went with the Confederates. The other would not resign but his wife,
being a very resourceful person, kept after him, not being able to stand
having a husband in the hated Yankee army, until, during a temporary
illness, she got him discharged as not fit for marching.
Captain de la Roche having died, his widow was forced to take boarders
at her table, and several of the Union officers availed themselves of
the bountiful Southern fare. After a while the youngest daughter, who
was a red-hot rebel, found herself deeply in love with a young Yankee
doctor. I wonder if he was on duty at the hospital in the Seminary down
the street? An engagement followed and the marriage was imminent, but
she could not bring herself to confess to her friends that she was about
to become the wife of one of the despised soldiers. Finally her mother
told her she must at least tell Mrs. Cassin, their neighbor on the
corner, who was very devoted to her. So she summoned all her courage and
marched down the street. After a great deal of humming and hawing, she
finally got out the news and asked Mrs. Cassin to come to the quiet
wedding at the home next day, but said, "Please don't tell Mittie until
it is over."
Around the corner from Washington (30th) Street, at 3018 Dumbarton
Avenue, is the house that Mr. George Green built for his large family,
when he sold his place, "Forrest Hill," which was part of Rosedale, to
President Cleveland for his summer home. This is now the home of Justice
Frankfurter.
Going westward along Dumbarton Avenue on the northern side of the
street, now high up above it, stands the house where lived Jeremiah
Williams, a prominent merchant, whose daughter married Paymaster Boggs.
It is still sometimes called The Old Boggs Place.
The great bank of earth there shows what a deep cut had to be made when
the street was leveled in the days when Alexander Shepherd, as Governor
of the District, performed the office of surgeon on the streets of the
city. He made of it a wonderful job, but was roundly hated by many of
the property owners whom he left sitting way up in the air, or
contrariwise, down in a hole.
The house is now divided into two houses--the one on the east, 3035, is
the home of that fine commentator, Richard Harkness.
Across the street at 3040 is where Dr. and Mrs. Louis Mackall, Senior,
lived and their daughter, Miss Sally Somervell Mackall who wrote her
book about Georgetown called _Early Days of Washington_.
Before them the Edes family had lived there. The story is told of Miss
Margaret, she who left the money for the Edes Home, one night, when she
went up to her chamber, as they were called in those days, that she saw
a man's boots protruding from under the bed. Instead of losing her head,
she began whistling a little tune as she walked about the room, pulled
out the bureau drawers as if looking for something, then went out of the
room, closed the door and softly locked it, sent for the police and
captured the burglar.
On the northwest corner of Dumbarton Avenue and Congress (31st) Street
was the home of Judge Henry Henley Chapman, who came to Georgetown from
Annapolis in the early twenties. He married Miss Mary Davidson, daughter
of Colonel John Davidson whose brother Samuel was the owner of Evermay.
Two of Judge Chapman's daughters married Francis Dodge, junior; first
Jane, then Frances Isabella. His son, Edward, lived on in the home until
his death when Mrs. Frances Isabella Dodge took it, had it remodeled
somewhat, and entertained there a great deal. After her death it was
bought by her stepson, of course also her nephew, Henry Henley Dodge,
and I myself remember going to lovely parties given by his children in
the big, old rooms.
The house was pulled down about 1900 and a row of brick houses built in
its place. It was a handsome house, facing on Dumbarton Avenue, painted
a greenish tan, with long porches running along the back building
overlooking the yard which extended back to Christ Church. In this yard
were two very handsome trees, one a horse chestnut and one a magnolia.
It was enclosed by an iron fence, one of the kind despised and pulled
down in the nineties, and now being eagerly sought and replaced in doing
over old houses.
[Illustration: HOME OF JUDGE HENRY HENLEY CHAPMAN]
There is a delicious story of how, in the long ago, when all five of the
daughters were still at home, a wandering cow got in at the gate, and at
four o'clock in the morning (I hope it was the summer time) Aunt Peggy
Davidson roused all the girls to go out and get the beast out of the
garden. An old colored man was passing, delivering milk, and was heard
to exclaim, "Good Gawd, Mis' Chapman's yard is full of ghoses!"
Immediately across from this house stood, and still stands, the old
Berry house. It, too, shows how it was hoisted above the street when its
level was changed. It was built by Philip Taylor Berry in the early
1800's and no other family had ever lived there until his last daughters
died, ripe in years.
There were four of them, all old maids (Georgetown had five or six
houses of four old maids in my childhood). These were in two sets, but
the two older ones far outlived the two younger, who were always very
retiring and delicate. When the last two were up in their nineties,
being bed-ridden, one on one floor, the other on another, each with a
nurse, they used to send messages to each other and exchange the novels
which they read over and over again. At last, one night in the winter,
the old house caught on fire and when the firemen got there it was so
far under way that both old ladies had to be carried down ladders to the
street, quite a perilous trip, which they both survived, however, and
lived for several years thereafter.
The two older sisters were descendants of John Stoddert Haw; the two
younger, of Samuel McKenney and thereby, of course, of Henry Foxall. One
of them, I heard all of my childhood was very, very pretty, but,
although they were both great friends of my mother, I never saw her
face, for she never went out of doors without a heavy, blue barège veil.
It is said her eyes were weak but there was, too, a romantic story of
her having been "disappointed in love," as they said in those days.
[Illustration: OLD MCKENNEY HOUSE]
A little farther west on Dumbarton Avenue on the north side of the
street, above its stone wall topped with a white picket fence, is the
old McKenney house. This is the house that Henry Foxall gave to his only
daughter, Mary Ann, when she became the bride of Samuel McKenney in
1800. Until a few years ago, there lived here her granddaughter, Mrs.
McCartney and her children and grandchildren, the fifth generation to
live in the old house.
It was such a dear, sweet old house and the garden, too. At the marriage
of the daughter of Mrs. McCartney, the lace wedding veil was the same
that was worn long ago by Mary Ann Foxall, whose namesake she was.
The old house was full of treasures and curios, an exquisite little
white marble clock which once upon a time ticked off the hours for Marie
Antoinette, that beautiful and tragic queen. It was presented to Henry
Foxall by his friend and partner, Robert Morris, who had gotten it from
Gouveneur Morris, he having bought it in Paris. Also there was lots of
lovely old Spode china, and there is a story told of how Aunt Montie was
found one day feeding the cats from the priceless dishes. When
reprimanded, she explained she didn't want to use any of the "nice new
china."
In 1840 a maiden lady from Philadelphia came one day to have lunch, or
midday dinner as I imagine it was in those days, and was planning to
take the stage-coach for her return journey soon after the meal. She had
been telling stories to the children and when the time for her departure
neared, little Henrietta McKenney burst into tears; she didn't want such
a delightful story-teller to go. Mrs. McKenney urged her to stay, so
she agreed to stay for a day or two, at the end of that time, for a week
or so. The time passed and she stayed on. Her visit lasted forty years,
and was ended only by her call to another world. She had asked soon
after her settlement into the home life for some duties so she took over
the charge of the linen of the household and the making of the desserts.
She had one fetich, the candles must be extinguished at ten o'clock. She
had her way, even if guests were present--they were put out. She went to
bed--they were relit. One night after her death, a young son of the
house, about thirteen or so, was put to sleep in her room; at ten
o'clock the candle just went out. Every night it happened; they hunted
for drafts. No drafts could be located; the candles just always ceased
to burn when the clocks reached the hour of ten.
In this block about 1820 Mrs. Mary Billings, an Englishwoman, opened a
school where she started to teach both colored and white children
together, but a great deal of prejudice arising on the subject, she
devoted herself entirely to the colored race and continued to do so for
a number of years until she moved over to the city. Later, Mr. Street's
school for boys stood here. It was just opposite the old McKenney house
with a yard running down almost to High Street.
The Methodist Episcopal Church on this block was formerly located on
Montgomery (28th) Street. It had its beginning there in 1800. The church
on the present site, which has a modern façade, was used as a Federal
hospital during the Civil War, Dr. Peter being in charge of it as well
as the Seminary.
[Illustration: ST. JOHN'S CHURCH]
On the other side of High Street stands St. John's Episcopal Church, the
lot for which was given in 1796 by the Deakins' family. Reverend Walter
Addison of Prince Georges County, Maryland, had visited George Town in
1794 and 1795 and held occasional services, so a movement was started to
build a church. Among the subscribers were Thomas Jefferson and Dr.
Balch. The first rector was Reverend Mr. Sayrs of Port Tobacco in 1804.
Five years later he died and was immortalized in an epitaph in the
church, written by Francis Scott Key:
JOB: J. SAYRS
HU: EEL
RECTOR PRIMUS
HIC
(QUO CHRISTI SERVUS FIDELITES MINUS TRAVIT)
SEP: JAO
OB: 6 JAN. A. D. MDCCIX
AET XXXV
HERE ONCE STOOD FORTH A MAN, WHO FROM THE WORLD
THOUGH BRIGHT ITS ASPECT TO THE YOUTHFUL EYE,
TURNED WITH AFFECTION ARDENT TO HIS GOD,
AND LIV'D AND DIED AN HUMBLE MINISTER
OF HIS BENIGNANT PURPOSES TO MAN.
HERE LIES HE NOW--YET GRIEVE NOT THEN FOR HIM
READER! HE TRUSTED IN THAT LOVE WHERE NONE
HAVE VAINLY TRUSTED--RATHER LET
HIS MARBLE SPEAK TO THEE, AND SHOULDST THOU FEEL,
THE RISING OF A NEW AND SOLEMN THOUGHT
WAK'D BY THIS SACRED PLACE AND SAD MEMORIAL
O LISTEN TO ITS IMPULSE! 'TIS DIVINE--
AND IT SHALL GUIDE THEE TO A LIFE OF JOY,
A DEATH OF HOPE AND ENDLESS BLISS THEREAFTER.
In 1807 the vestry included Charles Worthington, Washington Bowie,
Thomas Corcoran, John Mason, Thomas Plater, Benjamin Mackall, Philip
Barton Key, and William Stewart. A little later, in 1811, an old writer
says: "At that time the church was thronged to an over flow with all who
were most elevated in station and in wealth from the Capital; the pews
in the gallery were rented at high rates and to persons of great
respectability. The street before the church was filled with glittering
vehicles and liveried servants."
In 1831 the vestry failed to elect a rector as successor to Reverend Mr.
James. For seven years, the church was closed, worse than closed, for it
fell into disrepair to such an extent that the birds and the bats made
their nests in it, so that it was called "The Swallow Barn." A sculptor
rented it for his studio, which scandalized many of its old-time
worshippers who hated to think of the statues of heathen gods and
goddesses in the temple of the Lord. At last, in 1838, a vestry was
elected, and from that time, St. John's has always flourished.
In its chancel are paintings of the four evangelists done by the
Reverend Mr. Oertel. He was also a wood-carver and a musician, and was
from Nuremberg in Germany which, I suppose, explains why he was always
called Master by his wife. They lived for a good while on Gay (N)
Street. Mr. Corcoran bought several of his pictures for his gallery. His
best known work was called "Rock of Ages," and represented a female
figure with long hair and floating white garments clinging to an
enormous cross. This picture was often used on Easter cards.
Several years ago a large boulder was placed on the bank of the
churchyard, bearing this inscription:
COLONEL NINIAN BEALL
BORN SCOTLAND 1625 DIED MARYLAND 1717
PATENTEE OF ROCK OF DUMBARTON
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF PROVINCIAL FORCES
OF MARYLAND
IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS SERVICES
"UPON ALL INCURSIONS AND DISTURBANCES
OF NEIGHBORING INDIANS"
THE MARYLAND ASSEMBLY OF 1699 PASSED
"AN ACT OF GRATUITY"
THIS MEMORIAL ERECTED BY THE SOCIETY OF
COLONIAL WARS IN THE DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA, 1910
Just behind the church and adjoining it on little Potomac Street, is a
house where, fifty years ago, used to live two old maid sisters who were
absolute hermits. Their food was drawn up in a basket which they let
down to an old family retainer containing the money with which to do
their purchasing. Whenever the organ was played in St. John's, they used
to take a hammer and beat upon the wall as long as the music continued.
The large yellow house at the southwest corner of Market (33rd) and
Second (O) Streets is where Thomas E. Waggaman lived in the nineties. He
built an addition on the west as an art gallery for his collection of
pictures. It is now a separate house. Here, some years ago, lived Jouett
Shouse at the time he formed his Liberty League. Recently, Colonel and
Mrs. Alf Heiberg made it their home. They placed an eagle over the door
and called it "Federal House."
Right across the street stood a dear old house some years ago. It was
white, with double piazzas all the way across the front. The yard was
enclosed by a paling fence and from the gate a double border of box led
to the door. It was the home of Dr. Hezekiah Magruder.
About 1833 the family of Admiral James Hogan Sands lived there. William
Franklin Sands, author of _Undiplomatic Memories_ was one of his sons.
The old house was torn down about 1890.
Across the street, at number 3318, is the home of Mr. and Mrs. David E.
Finley. He is the Director of the National Gallery of Art.
Number 3322 is the interesting old house where, in the forties and
fifties lived Baron Bodisco, Minister from Russia to the United States.
He had a very romantic marriage of which I shall tell later. Just before
the marriage he purchased this house from Sally Van Devanter, who had
inherited it in 1840 from her husband, Christopher Van Devanter,
apparently, the builder of the house. Baron Bodisco, the same day he
bought it, gave it to his fiancée, Harriet Beall Williams. Whether it
was a wedding gift or whether, as a foreign envoy, he could not hold
property, I do not know. She kept the property for twenty years until
her remarriage to Captain Douglas Scott, when it was bought by Abraham
H. Herr. During the Civil War, it was headquarters for the officers of
the Second U. S. Regiment, whose enlisted men were quartered in Forrest
Hall.
[Illustration: BODISCO HOUSE]
But to return to the period when it was owned and occupied by the Van
Devanter family. During these years, they apparently had a most
interesting guest, Mrs. Henry Lee, the widow of "Light Horse Harry," and
the mother of Robert E. Lee. In Dr. Douglas Freeman's book _R. E. Lee_,
he quotes two letters from Mrs. Lee written not long before her death
from "Georgetown." She did not specify where she was, but Mrs. Beverley
Kennon, many years afterwards, said that this was the house in which she
resided.
Also, the Van Devanter family, a few years ago, found among old books
two books with inscriptions of names of the Lee family, evidently left
there during this time.
Here, at a ball one night, a young man who was making his entrance into
Washington society under the care of a senator had the following
experience. (The account is taken from _Harper's Magazine_):
This was my first entrance into fashionable life at one of Madame
Bodisco's birthnight balls. I was under the care of Senator ----. As
we entered the house, two tall specimens of humanity, dressed very
much like militia generals, in scarlet coats trimmed with gold lace
and white trousers, met us at the door. Thinking them distinguished
people, I bowed low and solemnly. They stared and bowed. "Go on,"
said the Senator, "don't be so polite to those fellows, they are
servants; give them your cloak." I hurried in pulling off my cloak
as I went. Just within the first door of the drawing room stood a
fat, oily little gentleman, bowing also, but not so magnificently
gotten up as my first acquaintances. Certain of my game now, I, in
superb style, threw over him my cloak and hurried on. Senator ----
pulled me back, and to the astonished little fellow now struggling
from under my broadcloth, I was presented. I had nearly smothered
the Russian Minister who, however, laughed merrily at the mistake.
He hardly knew what I would accomplish next, and left me as soon as
he possibly could, to my fate. I wandered about rather disconsolate.
The lights, music, dancing, fun and laughter, were all novelties and
charming for a while, but I knew no one after an hour's looking on,
hunted up the Senator and begged him to introduce me to some of the
young ladies. He hesitated a moment, and then consented, and I was
led up to and presented to a magnificent creature I had long looked
upon with silent admiration. Miss Gennie Williams, who was seated in
an easy, nonchalant manner, conversing with a circle of gentlemen,
and favored me with a gracious nod. As I stood wondering whether
this was the end of my introduction, a mustached dandy came between
us and said, "Miss Williams, permit me to relate the joke of the
season." To my horror he began the story of the cloak. My first
impulse was to knock him down, my second to run away; on my third I
acted. Interrupting the recital I said: "Begging your pardon, sir,
but Miss Williams, I am the only person who can do justice to that
joke," and continuing, I related it without in any way sparing
myself. She laughed heartily, as did the circle, and rising from her
chair, took my arm, saying kindly that I must be cared for or I
would murder some one. With a grace and kindness I shall never
forget, she placed me at my ease.
Next door to this house, at one time, lived Hamilton Bronaugh.
Just across the street, the big red brick Victorian house is where James
Roosevelt and his family were living in his father's first
administration.
Around the corner on Frederick (34th) Street, the house which has a
walled garden on the corner was the home of John G. Winant, when he was
here before going as Ambassador to the Court of St. James.
A block or two north of here, at 1524 Market (33rd) Street, was the old
Yellow Tavern, much used by those going to and fro to Rockville and
Frederick Town.
On Fourth Street (Volta Place), where the playground is now, was where
the old Presbyterian burying-ground used to be, which was the principal
graveyard until Oak Hill was given to the town in 1849. Among the
tombstones moved from there, when it was given up, were those of James
Gillespie, member of Congress from North Carolina, who was the first
member of that body to die after the removal of the seat of government,
and John Barnes, who had been collector of the port, and who, in his
will, left money for a poorhouse for Georgetown. He died in 1826 at the
age of ninety-six.
On Sixth Street (Dent Place), between Market (33rd) and Frederick (34th)
Streets, was the house which Francis Deakins sold on February 8, 1800 to
Old Yarrow, as he was called, one of the most mysterious and interesting
characters of the early days. It is not known whether he was an East
Indian or a Guinea negro, but he was a Mohammedan. He conducted a trade
in hacking with a small cart, and his ambition in life was to own a
hundred dollars. Twice he saved it and each time ill fortune overtook
him. The first time he gave it to an old groceryman he knew to keep for
him. The old man died suddenly and Yarrow had nothing to prove that he
had had his money. So the next time he picked a young man to keep it for
him. Then this one absconded. Some of the gentlemen of the town became
so interested that they took up a collection and started an account for
him in the Bank of Columbia. He must have been quite a figure in his
day, for his portrait was painted by James Alexander Simpson, and is now
owned by Mr. E. M. Talcott, who inherited it from Normanstone.
Quite a number of attractive houses have been built in this neighborhood
in the last few years and a good many "done over," all of them,
fortunately, in the style suitable for Georgetown.
They are very largely owned and occupied by people connected with the
Government, many of them in the State Department. In one of these
houses, a few years ago, lived the writer, Michael Strange, who had been
the wife of John Barrymore.
Chapter XIII
_Third Street, Beall (O) Street, West (P) Street_
On the southeast corner of Third (P) Street and Frederick (34th) Street,
the attractive, low, white frame house is where Doris Fleeson lives, who
writes such interesting articles for _The Evening Star_.
At 3327 is a fine tall old brick house painted yellow, which has for
many years, until very recently, been the home of Hon. and Mrs.
Balthasar Meyer. On the second story it has a lovely long music room
used for dancing and by Sylvia Meyer, their daughter, the talented
harpist of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Some of the Key family lived here years ago, I suppose, of course,
relatives or descendants of those two famous lawyers here, Philip Barton
Key and his nephew, Francis Scott Key. And nearby lived another _real_
Marylander named Mary Ritchie.
And speaking of names, the strangest woman's name turned up in the title
of 3321, which in 1818 was owned by Harry McCleery. He had five
daughters and in his will left $3,000.00 to each of four of them; among
these, one named Zerniah. To Clarissa, the fifth, he left the house he
lived in (this house) and the stone houses on the corner adjoining, with
all thereto belonging to be held in trust for her by her two brothers. I
wonder if Clarissa was an invalid or if it was the law that, at that
time, a woman could not hold property!
This house later on in the eighties and for twenty years or more was the
home of the Humes. Mr. Thomas L. Hume and his wife, Annie Graham
Pickrell left a large family of children when they died early.
Mr. Hume also owned a place a little way out of town. One day when
General Grant, who was a friend of his, was there Mr. Hume said he
couldn't think of a name for the place. General Grant looked around and
noticing the walnut trees said, "Why not turn walnut around and call it
"Tunlaw"?" And so Tunlaw Road came into being, back behind Mt. Alto
Hospital.
Just to the east of 3321 P Street was the old Lutheran burying-ground.
About the time of the Civil War it seems to have been abandoned and the
records lost. And near here stands the Lutheran Church, the fourth
building on this site, for this church dates back to 1769, when it was a
little log building. According to tradition, Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch
preached his first sermon here when he came to be Pastor of the
Presbyterians. A prized possession of this church is a very old German
Bible printed in Tübingen in 1730. Another treasured possession is the
bell, over a hundred years old, which, at one time, was purchased by a
congregation in West Virginia, but after twenty-five years, was
reclaimed and brought back by a faithful church Councilman and housed
under a small stone structure of its own. It is believed to have been
cast in Europe.
Crossing High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and cutting down to Beall (O)
Street, one comes to what used to be Hazel's stable--his initials, "W.
C. H." are in the bricks up in the peak at the top of the building. Here
the doctors kept their carriages, here "hacks" were hired when needed
for parties or funerals, and here was kept for a month or so every fall
and spring my little bay mare, _Lady Leeton_, and the red-wheeled
runabout which was brought in from Hayes for my use.
I can see Mr. Hazel now in his buggy, he weighed about three hundred
pounds and his side of the buggy almost touched the ground as he drove
about town.
At 3131, at the home of his daughter, is where General Adolphus Greeley
was living several years ago when a very interesting event took place
one spring afternoon, in 1935. I was walking down 31st Street when I
heard the strains of "The Star-Spangled Banner." I wondered if I was
hearing a radio but when I reached the corner of O Street I noticed a
policeman and an Army sergeant chatting in the middle of the street and
coming up O Street was Justice of the Supreme Court, Owen J. Roberts,
bareheaded, with a lady, to whom he said, "They are probably saying,
'Some old geezer named Greeley'!" So I glanced west down O Street and
there, drawn up along the southern sidewalk, was a company of U. S.
Cavalry, red and white guidon of Company F from Fort Myer. Then I
realized that it was the day of days for General Greeley. At last, on
his ninety-first birthday, he was being decorated with the Congressional
Medal of Honor. It had been many a year since his fateful expedition to
the Arctic in search for the North Pole.
Just across the street from here now lives Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and
a little farther on, the old house up on a low terrace is where the
Lancastrian School was opened in November 1811 under Robert Ould. In a
few weeks there were 340 boys and girls under tuition, and in 1812 an
appropriation was asked for an addition to accommodate 250 more
scholars.
[Illustration: CHRIST CHURCH]
The Lancastrian School was sustained by private contributions and
municipal aid for thirty-two years. The name came from Joseph Lancaster,
a Quaker, who started this system in England of coeducational schools,
free to those who could not pay. Lancaster had a school of one thousand
pupils in Southwark, but disagreements arising with some of the
authorities, he emigrated to America in 1818. He died in New York in
1838.
About 1840, Samuel McKenney, whose house adjoined this property on the
south, bought it and gave it to his daughter who had gone to southern
Maryland to live, and so she came back to Georgetown. Her descendants,
the Osbournes, lived there until just a few years ago when the "cult"
for old houses in Georgetown began. When a garden was made there
recently, some of the old foundations of the schoolroom were uncovered.
Almost next door is the Linthicum Institute, which still conducts its
night school for white boys, and above it is the hall where the old
Georgetown Assemblies are still held. Here also Mrs. Shippen has her
Dancing Classes, and here now my grandchildren are learning where I had
my first lessons in the same art. The old hall looks just as it did in
my day.
Then at 3018 is Christ Church Rectory, where I happened to be born; it
was not the rectory then.
Christ Church, as you recall, was founded in 1817 in Thomas Corcoran's
house. The illustration shows the first church building of the three
which have stood on this spot. It was begun May 6, 1818, and the first
service held at sunrise on Christmas Day that same year, the rector
being the Reverend Ruel Keith, who was Professor of Theology at the
College of William and Mary, and later, in 1823, with Dr. Wilmer,
founder of the Theological Seminary, near Alexandria.
Among the founders of Christ Church were Thomas Corcoran, William
Morton, Clement Smith, Francis Scott Key, John Stoddert Haw, John Myers,
Ulysses Ward, James A. Magruder, Thomas Henderson, and John Pickrell.
The present building of Christ Church was erected about 1885. The
windows which were made especially for it in Munich, Germany, are very
beautiful. The big one in the north end was put there by W. W. Corcoran
in memory of his father, Thomas Corcoran.
I have heard from the daughter of one of the belles of the fifties,
whose family were Christ Church people, that in those days the beaux
might join a lady after church and escort her home, but under no
circumstances did they entertain callers on Sunday. All of the food for
Sunday use was prepared on Saturday.
It was during the fifties that Dr. William Norwood was the rector of
Christ Church. He was a Virginian and very outspoken in the expression
of his political views in that day of heated opinions. So violent was
the feeling that, although he had a brilliant mind and a saintly
character, he was obliged to resign. He returned to his native State and
was for many years the revered rector of St. Paul's, Richmond. I
remember hearing that as a young man he had a classmate at college,
Clement Moore, who one night came into his room, saying, "Norwood, I'd
like to read you something I've written to see what you think of it." He
sat down and read to him "The Night Before Christmas," that beloved old
poem without which Christmas hardly seems like Christmas to me, even
now.
Dr. Norwood was followed several years later by Reverend Albert Rhett
Stuart, under whose leadership the present church was built. I remember
the big basket which was carried around by a fine-looking, tall colored
woman with articles for sale for the benefit of the Ladies' Aid Society
of Christ Church.
The interesting white house over on the northeast corner was at one time
the home of the Godeys, then of the Curtis family. When they lived
there, "music filled the air," for a son and a chum of his used to sit
out on the long, side gallery and play for hours on the violin and
'cello. It was for several years the home of Justice and Mrs. Owen J.
Roberts.
Only two houses on this block are of any age. The little white cottage
near the corner of Washington (30th) Street was the home of three Miss
Tenneys and their sister, Mrs. Brown, who had a school for small boys
and girls. Then the garden ran to the corner. The father of these ladies
and of William H. Tenney had come to Georgetown from Newburyport,
Massachusetts, in the early part of 1800.
Just across from it, the large yellow mansion was the home of Commodore
Cassin, built by him, I think, in the early 1800's. In 1893 Mr. and Mrs.
Beverley Randolph Mason, of Virginia, opened here their school, Gunston
Hall, named, of course, for Mr. Mason's ancestral home, which continued
in Washington as a flourishing boarding school for girls for fifty
years. After that, this building housed the Epiphany School, an
Episcopal institution.
The property along 30th Street here was all owned at one time by the
Matthews family. Henry Cooksey Matthews came to Georgetown some years
before 1820. He had been born in 1797 on the farm near Dentsville, in
Charles County, Maryland, where his forbears had lived for four
generations. He married his cousin, Lucinda Stoddert Haw, whose home,
you remember, was on Gay (N) Street, and they built the large house on
the southeast corner of Washington (30th) and West (P) Streets.
Mr. Matthews and his wife were devoted members of Christ Church and
named their son for one of its rectors, the Reverend Charles McIlvaine,
who later became Bishop of Ohio. Mr. Matthews used to play the flute in
the orchestra in Christ Church.
Mr. Charles M. Matthews also married his cousin, who was a daughter of
Thomas Corcoran, junior, and niece of W. W. Corcoran. Mr. Matthews,
until his death, managed the estate of Mr. Corcoran. He built his home
on the southern part of his father's lot at the northeast corner of
Washington (30th) and Beall (O) Streets.
Back in the eighties Miss Charlotte and Miss Margaret Lee came from
Virginia and opened The West Washington School for Girls, sponsored by
several of the gentlemen of Georgetown, in the old home of Henry C.
Matthews. There, in the last year of its existence, I learned the
beginnings of the three R's.
Nearby, at number 3014 P Street, in the fifties and sixties, William R.
Abbott conducted a well-known school for boys. At that time it was only
a one-story building. Mr. Abbott was the son of John Abbott, whose home
was on Bridge (M) Street. The Abbotts lived in the house on the west
next door to the school. In later years it was occupied by the Lyons,
Hartleys, and Parris families.
In one of these houses was the school for boys founded by Dr. David
Wiley and continued for twenty more years by Dr. James McVean.
There is a fine row of houses just beyond here where have lived, at
various times, the Magruders, the Kenyons, the Yarnalls, and, long ago,
in the early 1800's, Colonel Fowler, who came from Baltimore and whose
wife was a sister of Dr. Riley's wife, made his home at number 3030 West
(P) Street.
For many years this house was used as the rectory of Christ Church.
There lived Dr. Norwood and his large family of daughters, all of whom
left their impression on the City of Richmond in after years. Also, Dr.
Walter Williams, and Dr. Albert Rhett Stuart, of South Carolina, who was
for twenty-five years rector of Christ Church.
The end house was the Morton's home for a great many years. Four
unmarried sisters lived there long, long after their parents had gone.
But parental influence was strong in those days, for one of them in her
late seventies was still "engaged" to the love of her youth, disapproved
of by her father. Once a week she met him and had lunch with him down
town. He came sometimes to Sunday dinners, swathed in his long, black
cape.
During the fall great droves of cattle and flocks of sheep from western
Virginia were driven through the streets and gathered at Drovers' Rest,
two miles west of town. Some days many thousands filled West (P) Street
from morn to eve, and, occasionally, a wild steer ran amuck and then
there was great excitement. Also, large flocks of turkeys, hundreds of
them, were driven up from lower Maryland and passed through the streets
to pens on the outskirts of town, where one could go and pick out his
own bird.
Across the street at number 3019 is the house Mr. Linthicum built in
1826. Thomas Corcoran, junior, made it his home from then until 1856,
when it was bought by John T. Cochrane for his sister, Mrs. James A.
Magruder, who brought up there her three nieces and one nephew. Two of
the nieces, Miss Mary Zeller and Mrs. Whelan, lived on there all their
lives. Miss Mary used to tell me many tales of old-time days and ways.
The old house remained entirely unchanged until about twelve years ago,
when it was bought and done over inside. It had a lovely stairway and
dignified, square rooms.
The row of three quaint little brick houses here seem to be an unknown
quantity to even some of the oldest inhabitants and nearest neighbors.
In number 3021, long ago, lived Horatio Berry, the brother of Philip
Taylor Berry. In number 3025, the quaint locks on the doors all have on
them a small, round brass seal, bearing the coat-of-arms of Great
Britain, the lion and the unicorn rampant, also the name "Carpenter &
Co.", and in the cellar are crossbeams hewn by hand.
Next we come to a pair of cottages, changed from their pristine
loveliness--now the "Mary Margaret Home," for old ladies. The one at
3033 P Street in my girlhood was the home of Mrs. James D. Patton, the
former Jennie Coyle. She gave me piano lessons for four years, but she
gave me much more! She formed a group of girls into a King's Daughters'
Circle, "The Patient Workers," which met at her house on Saturday
mornings when we sewed and made articles which we sold at a Fair in the
Spring. The proceeds were divided between the Children's Country Home
and the Children's Hospital. There is still a brass plate in the
hospital bearing the name, "The Patient Workers" for a bed we named.
The two big houses on the northeast corner of West (P) Street and
Congress (31st) Street were built by Joseph H. Libbey, a well-to-do
lumber merchant. They continued to be in his family for a long time. The
one on the east now is the Catholic Home for Aged Ladies. In front of it
is the largest and most beautiful elm tree in Georgetown. The two houses
at 1516 and 1518 Congress (31st) Street, Mr. Libbey built about 1850 as
wedding gifts for his two daughters, Martha, Mrs. Benjamin Miller,
becoming the owner of number 1516. It is still owned by her descendants.
Number 1518 has changed hands several times. It was where Richard V.
Oulahan, the well-known newspaper correspondent, lived until his death
several years ago. At that time it was said of him: "He gathered news
like a gentleman and wrote it like a scholar."
Back in the eighties, a party was given at number 1518 one night for the
young niece of two maiden ladies whose home it then was. The guests were
about sixteen and seventeen years old, and the boys had all just arrived
at the age where their most treasured possessions were their brand new
derby hats. When the party broke up and the guests trooped upstairs to
get their wraps, the young gentlemen found, on entering their dressing
room, that on one of the beds reposed the crowns of all their derbies,
while on the other, neatly laid out, were all the brims. The culprit was
never caught. Only the other day one of the long-ago guests was told by
the offender that he had been the originator of the diabolic idea.
If you look west along the next block of West (P) Street, you notice how
different are the north and south sides. Along the south side are houses
of an absolutely different period. All those on the north side were
built in the seventies or later, including the Presbyterian Church,
except the one on the corner of Congress (31st) Street, which was the
residence of General Otho Holland Williams, a Revolutionary officer, who
was in the same company with General Lingan. His house has, of course,
been completely changed and made into two houses. It was never
beautiful, but it was a dignified old mansion, with high steps leading
up to a quaint doorway.
Across Congress (31st) Street, at number 3108 West (P) Street, the house
with the high steps going up sideways was built by Judge Morsell about
1800. For a while, the Barnards lived there. Then the Marquis de
Podestad, Minister from Spain to this country, made it his residence.
After the Civil War, General George C. Thomas resided there. Next door
is where the Shoemakers have lived for many years.
The house with the nice, old hipped roof was at one time owned by a
Captain Brown. In the eighties and nineties the Misses Dorsey of
Virginia had here a school for girls called "Olney Institute."
Afterwards, Reverend Parke P. Flournoy, once a chaplain in the
Confederate Army, lived here up into his nineties with his family.
Still a little farther on, and incorporated with the old Tenney house,
now owned by Mrs. Stephen Bonsal, is where Miss Jennie Gardiner had a
school for little children about the same time as the Dorseys' school.
For some time before the Civil War it was the home of the Reverend Mr.
Simpson, whose wife was Miss Stephenson from near Winchester. Her
father, whose home was Kenilworth, near there, made her a present of the
house. Following the Civil War, it was for a long time the home of
William H. Tenney, who had a prosperous flour mill.
Just across the street from it, the imposing looking yellow house with
the mansard roof is the one that Elinor Glyn bought and "did over," and
then never lived in, as she decided to go back to England to her mother,
who was in delicate health. Later it was the residence of Mrs. Isabella
Greenway, Representative in Congress from Arizona.
A block from here just above Q Street on what is now dignified by the
name of 32nd, but will always remain to old Georgetonians, Valley
Street, lived a very interesting character, still remembered by some
people in Georgetown as "The crazy man of Valley Street."
Among other shabby houses, one which was quite different in appearance
and stood a little back from the street, with a tree in its tiny patch
of a yard, was where he lived. It looked as if it had a story--and it
had. It was told me not long ago by an old friend. I call him a friend,
for whenever I went to the institution where he was a doorkeeper, I went
back in memory to the years when he was our postman. In those days your
postman was your friend. You thought over what your Christmas gift to
him would be as much as a member of your family. Not like it is
nowadays, when he drops your letters through a slit in the door. You
don't know his name, you don't know what he looks like, you don't even
know whether he is white or colored.
This is the story of "the crazy man of Valley Street." During the Civil
War, Captain Chandler was in command of a United States vessel cruising
in the Chesapeake Bay searching ships carrying contraband. He was
accused of making a traitorous remark and dismissed from the service.
His family was living at the Union Hotel, but they left and went to New
York to live. He took his savings and built for himself the little house
on Valley Street. Its interior was made to resemble exactly the cabin of
a ship.
My friend told me that his first encounter with the old gentleman was
one Monday morning about nine-thirty when, having been changed to this
new route, he stopped to open the gate to deliver a letter. It was
locked. He knocked. At last a window was thrown up and the old man's
head emerged. He said the captain looked very much like the pictures of
General Robert E. Lee.
Seeing it was the postman with a letter, he said he would open the gate,
so he pulled a rope--and presto! open it flew. He said he never opened
it until ten o'clock in the morning and wanted to know if his mail could
be delivered after that, which the carrier obligingly offered to do, by
changing his route somewhat.
After that, for years, Mr. Postman was a friend to the old man, though
he never really entered the house. Each month a check for twenty dollars
would come from a nephew in Chicago, which the postman would take to Mr.
Berry with a note from the captain, asking to have it cashed, and
specifying the number of dollar bills, fifty-cent pieces, quarters,
dimes, nickels, and pennies. A little colored boy who lived nearby was
commissioned occasionally to purchase necessary food, but the old man
himself never went out except after dark.
Finally, one day when the little boy came to do the errands, he could
get no answer to his knock, so he got a man to lift him up where he
could peer over the high board fence at the side and look into an open
window. Through it he saw the old gentleman, sprawled out in a big
chair, immovable. They broke into the house and found that he was
paralyzed. He could not speak, but shook his head when they said they
wanted to call help from the police. He was laid on a mattress on the
floor, and before long, all his troubles were over.
His nephew came from Chicago, bought a lot in Rock Creek Cemetery and
had the old gentleman decently buried. But not long after, his son in
New York, reading of it in the paper, came down and had his father
reinterred in the family lot in Oak Hill. So, in death, the old
gentleman was accorded the honor of two funerals.
[Illustration: _Courtesy Frick Art Reference Library_.
WASHINGTON BOWIE]
Chapter XIV
_Stoddert (Q) Street_
Coming east from Valley (32nd) Street is the lovely old house which the
Seviers bought in 1890. It has never had a name. It was built by
Washington Bowie, another of the shipping barons. His wife was Margaret
Johns before becoming Mrs. Bowie. This whole block was his estate and
was entered in his day through the double iron gates on West (P) Street.
The carriages passed up and around a circle of box to the path, bordered
with box leading to the porch with its lovely doorway. The doors opening
into the hall that runs right through are of solid mahogany with big old
brass locks. In the dining room is an especially beautiful white wood
mantel, carved with a scene of sheep and shepherds. The tradition is
that L'Enfant planned the garden, and also left his spectacles lying on
the piano.
In 1805 the place was bought by William Nicolls of Maryland, whose wife
was Margaret Smith, a descendant of Captain John Smith. They had two
daughters, Roberta, who married William Frederick Hanewinckel of
Richmond, and Jennie, who married Colonel Hollingsworth. The
Hanewinckels used to come back to the old home sometimes in the summer,
even to the grandchildren, and the descendants still love the old place
and consider it their ancestral home, for they had it longer than any
other family. Colonel Hollingsworth was the superintendent of Mount
Vernon before Colonel Dodge. I remember Colonel Hollingsworth well, a
tall, fine-looking old gentleman, with a long, white beard. Of course,
in those days we went to Mount Vernon by way of the river, on the
steamer _W. W. Corcoran_. It is still, I think, by far the most pleasant
way to approach the dignified old mansion, and Captain Hollingsworth
would often be on the boat and talk with us. I've never forgotten the
dear old-fashioned nosegay he picked and gave me from Mrs. Washington's
garden. Mrs. Hollingsworth was a tiny little old lady. I can see her now
with her snow-white hair and her big, black bonnet. Poor soul, it was a
terrible trial to her when the place had to be sold after her husband's
death.
[Illustration: THE SEVIER HOUSE (BUILT BY WASHINGTON BOWIE)]
It was put up for auction in 1890, and Mr. and Mrs. John Sevier, who
happened to be visiting Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dodge in Georgetown at that
time, though they spent a great deal of their time in Paris, heard of
the sale and bought the house on the spot. Mr. Sevier was a descendant
of the famous Tennesseean of that same name. Later they added the wings
extending far out on each side, which are really two charming little
houses. The old garden is still full of wonderful box, and besides,
there are lots and lots of lovely roses, the pride of their stately
mistress.
Mrs. Sevier told me of being at a spa in Germany one summer when she was
young, with Mr. Sevier. When they asked for the first floor apartment
instead of theirs on the second, they were told by the proprietor that
it was engaged for "some Englishman; he did not know whom." It turned
out to be the then Prince of Wales, Edward VII. The prince, on seeing
her, asked to be presented. She was very beautiful then, tall and fair.
She met him three times, in the garden or at the spring. When he was
leaving, he asked to say good-bye. She, unthinkingly, stood on the step
above him, (a terrible _faux pas_, she learned afterwards), gave him
some roses, and he presented her with a bouquet surrounded by lace
paper; it was the custom, always, on leaving a place.
When my father built his house in 1884 on the southwest corner of
Stoddert (Q) Street and Congress (31st) Street, it was in part of the
orchard of the old Bowie place. Some of the pear trees were still there.
Today there are six houses on the lot where his house stood with its big
gables and its many porches, surrounded by a fine lawn in which he took
great pride. This house caused a good deal of comment at the time of its
building from the fact that it had a bathroom on every floor, one being,
of course, a "powder room." But to have a bathroom in the basement for
the servants in those days was unheard of. It was just as good as the
others, a tin-lined tub, of course, would be horrible to the present
generation!
The house was always brimming over with people, young and old, for
occasions both grave and gay. One very grave one happened about two
years after we moved there, and another "first" in Georgetown was
there--the first trained nurse in Georgetown. Early in the month of May
diphtheria seized the eldest daughter, then about fifteen. Two days
later, another succumbed, a beautiful little girl of five. There was no
anti-toxin in those days. In four days little Eleanor Hope was dead. Two
days later a little cousin visiting there, was taken, and two days later
still, the three remaining well children were sent out one afternoon for
a drive with Grandpa in the Dayton-wagon, an old-time version of the
present-day station wagon. We thought it was kind of strange to go to
drive in the rain, but it wasn't really raining hard, so we stopped
where the Cathedral Close is now and picked bluets and violets. When we
got home we were told we had a new little brother! Wildly excited, we
rushed upstairs and assaulted the door of mother's room. It was opened
by old Aunt Catherine, the colored mid-wife, who had been told not to
admit anyone, but mother called us and in we went. An hour or so later I
was the fourth victim of diphtheria! I still have vivid memories of it
all, and of Miss Freese, the trained nurse.
[Illustration: _Courtesy Bolling-Fowler_.
THE GEORGE T. DUNLOP HOUSE]
She wore a uniform of blue and white striped cotton, long to the floor,
but, strange to say, her hair was short, unusual for those days. I can
still see the animals she cut out of paper--elephants, horses, and cows.
Dear Aunt Ellen and Auntie helped with the nursing, and father even
stayed home some days to help!
These were some of the grave days, now to come to the gay. I remember
the big reception for father's and mother's silver wedding anniversary,
when I and my two chums, I in red, one in white, and one in a blue
dress, stood back behind this fine couple, thinking we were so
wonderful! My best friend lived right across the street, and we rigged
up a line from my window to hers on which we sent little notes by
pulling the line around.
My two elder sisters had many beaux, and I mean, "many." I can remember
when some times twenty young gentlemen came to call on Sunday evening.
Of course, there were not many "dates" in those days, unless to go to
the theatre or a party of some kind, dancing or euchre.
One Sunday night when the butler was off duty, my brother, home from
Princeton, answered the door bell. A gentleman entered, asking if the
ladies were at home; he handed his silk hat to John, then his cane, then
his coat, and then, he said "Now, announce me!" He was announced! As he
sat on the sofa by my cousin, a visitor from Kentucky, a real Kentucky
belle, a horrified expression came over his face. She, thinking he had
been attacked by the new disease, appendicitis, which she had heard was
very painful, asked what was the matter, to which he replied, "I have
just discovered I have on blue trousers instead of black!" He was in his
full-dress suit.
On our side of Congress (31st) Street was one of the houses holding four
old maids, the daughters of John Davidson, one of the oldest names in
Georgetown: Miss Adeline, Miss Nannie, Miss Kate, and Miss Martha. Their
mother had died on her knees in Christ Church from a stroke.
Across the street lived four maiden ladies by the name of Mix--one of
their brothers married a Miss Pickle!
Of course, before Stoddert (Q) Street was cut through, the Bowie house
adjoined the property of Tudor Place, and they were on a level. I can
remember when the street was paved, and now that it is one of the
busiest boulevards of the city, it seems almost impossible to believe
that back in the nineties a houseful of charming-girls, real
old-fashioned belles, used often to "erupt" with their many beaux from
their home on the neighboring corner, at eleven o'clock some evenings,
and have a dance right in the middle of the street--two-steps and
waltzes galore!
[Illustration: HOME OF FRANCIS DODGE]
On the southeast corner of Congress (31st) Street and Stoddert (Q)
Street stood, until 1893 or 1894, the very interesting old house where
Francis Dodge and his large family lived for many, many years. The
illustration does not do justice to the dear old house, but I wanted to
give some idea of it as a whole, so selected this one. The long,
southern side overlooking the garden had tiers of white wooden galleries
and the face of the house under them was plastered white. In the center
of the long stretch of wall was a lovely, big doorway with a fanlight,
of course, and at the end of the porch, a smaller door which entered a
projecting wing of the house.
The place was enclosed by a low, brick wall topped with a white picket
fence, and standing near the corner was a gorgeous horse-chestnut tree.
Whenever I see one now, I recall this particular tree with its lovely
blossoms in the spring and their delicious fragrance. A flight of wooden
steps led from a brick walk at the gate to the gallery, and another
flight from the same walk down into the garden. Under the porch was a
brick pavement where was the pump, and then there was the garden--a
wonderful old garden adorned with a maze of box which, of course,
enclosed flower-beds.
The whole square, bounded by Congress (31st), West (P), Washington
(30th), and Stoddert (Q) Streets, belonged to this estate. It was
originally the property of Nicholas Lingan who owned the mill on Rock
Creek, and who was a brother of General Lingan. At that time, these big
places really were farms, with stables for horses, cows, pigs, and
chickens.
[Illustration: FRANCIS DODGE, SENIOR]
In 1810 the property was bought by Francis Dodge, who, as I have said
before, had come from Salem as a lad of sixteen to join his brother,
Ebenezer, who was established in a prosperous coastwise shipping trade,
dealing largely with the West Indies.
One of the first experiences young Francis had, after his arrival in
1798, was one afternoon when he returned from a row up the river, and as
he was mooring his boat, he noticed an elderly gentleman hurrying down
the street and out onto the wharf. The gentleman asked if the ferry was
in yet, and when the boy turned to answer him and looked into his face,
he saw that it was General Washington. Francis replied that the ferry
had gone and, noting the terrible disappointment of the great man,
offered to row him across the river in his own little boat. The General
gladly accepted, and during the crossing asked the young man his name.
"Francis Dodge, sir," the boy replied, at which the General exclaimed,
"By any chance related to Colonel Robert Dodge, who served so gallantly
with me during the War?" "Yes, General, he was my father." "Oh, indeed!"
said he, "I am greatly pleased to know you, young man. You must come to
Mount Vernon some time to see me."
Whether or not Francis Dodge got to Mount Vernon before the General's
death the following year, I do not know, but for over forty years his
grandson, Colonel Harrison H. Dodge, was the honored superintendent
there.
Young Francis was taken into his brother's counting house, and a few
years later, in 1804, was sent to Portugal to investigate trade
conditions in Europe. In 1807 he married Elizabeth Thomson, a daughter
of William Thomson, of Scotland. They first resided below Bridge (M)
Street, west of High (Wisconsin Avenue), probably in Cherry Lane, where
lived also, according to tradition, Philip Barton Key, the Maffits, and
other families of distinction.
Mr. and Mrs. Dodge had the usual large family of those days, six sons
and five daughters, and all grew to maturity. While they were still
small children, however, the British came to Washington, causing great
alarm to the citizens of George Town also. Mr. Dodge apparently sent his
family out somewhere near Rockville, for this is a letter he wrote to
his wife at that time. It gives an interesting picture of those exciting
days:
Georgetown, Aug. 26, 1814, 12 o'clock A. M.
Dear Wife:
We have positive information that the British have left the City on
the Baltimore road, and passed the toll-gate last night. Some of
their pickets are still around the city.
We believe they are either going to their shipping on Patuxent or
direct to Baltimore; or that they received information of an
intention to attempt to cut them off. At all events I am satisfied
you would be perfectly safe here, and much more comfortable than
where you are. I wish yourself, the child, Emily, Frank, and
Isabella, to come home and bring, if you can, one bed. Peggy and
Betty can come if they please.
Not one Englishman has been in this town or within sight of Ft.
Warburton below. They have burnt all public property in the city. It
was a dreadful sight. The rope-walks in the city are destroyed. The
General Post Office and Jail stand. I hope they will not return here
again and can't think they will, they behaved well.
The town was very quiet last night and I got a good sleep for the
first time. I hope you are well.
Yours affectionately,
F. DODGE.
Aug. 27, 7 o'clock A. M.
After preparing yesterday to send this, William came and advised to
postpone till today. You can all come now in the stage, bringing all
the books and what else you can.
We have no news today but expect the British are near their
shipping. We have escaped wonderfully.
The stage ran daily from George Town to Rockville. I think it was also
called "the hack," for, in old letters from my own ancestors at Hayes,
out in that direction, they write of "sending the seamstress out by the
hack."
As the boys approached years of discretion, not having been spoiled by
sparing the rod, their father gave to each an identical circular,
setting forth what should be their "guide through life." His admonition
to "read the Bible daily and regularly," was based upon his own
remarkable habit in that respect. That he managed to read five chapters
consecutively every morning and thus encompass the whole in seven
months, is borne out by the periodic notations in his Holy Book. The
circulars read as follows:
My practice (and my advice to all) is: if you wish to appear decent
shave every morning below ears and nose, cut your hair short all
over the head, wear white cravats, no boot-straps or pantaloon
straps.
If you expect or desire to live in old age with few pains, and in
the meantime be clear headed and well, and thriving in your
business, rise before the sun, retire early, taking seven to nine
hours in bed. Eat regularly and moderately of plain food, plainly
cooked; no desserts except green fruit, drink no kind of liquor
except water and the like; use no tobacco in any way.
Read five chapters in the Bible regularly through, before breakfast,
support religious societies and go to church twice every Sabbath
Day. Take moderate exercise, attend to your business and keep it
always in order and under your Government, never over-trade, hold
your word as binding as your bond, be security for no one, seldom
any good comes of it, but often miserable distress.
Be as liberal as you can, consistently, to your kin, if in need and
worthy, perform all your duties to your family and neighbors.
The above I practice almost to the letter.
F. DODGE.
P. S.--Again, say little or nothing about yourself, your family, or
your business. Talk but little--listen.
Speak as well as you can of all, expose faults only when you believe
it well to do more good than harm, all have foibles and few are free
from faults, most, some good traits of character.
This post script I am endeavoring to practice.
F. DODGE, 1847.
Act well your part, there all the honor lies, Read, heed!
The above attended to with strict economy, industry and like, will
carry you through this life with honor and credit.
The education of the two oldest sons, Francis, junior, and Alexander
Hamilton, seems to have been planned to fit them specially for
commercial life, to succeed their father in his well-established
business. Francis was sent to Georgetown College and Alexander to
Princeton--he graduated in 1835. Robert Perley Dodge graduated from
Princeton in two years, standing fifth in a class of seventy-six. He
then entered a school of engineering in Kentucky. In six months he
completed a major course. He rated so high that he was offered a
professorship in mathematics, but declined, and became a civil engineer.
[Illustration: THE SONS OF FRANCIS DODGE, 1878]
William and Allen Dodge received special practical training in
agriculture and animal industry at the Maryland Agricultural College.
Mr. Dodge bought William a farm near Hagerstown, and for Allen one
near Bladensburg, but, due to the Civil War and the abolition of slaves,
both of these highly developed ventures failed, and the farms were sold.
Charles, the youngest, attended Georgetown College, and took up
commercial and export business. In 1862 he was offered command of a
Confederate regiment but declined, being a Unionist. He accepted,
instead, the rank of major and paymaster in the Federal Army and served
throughout the war. For a time he was interested in gold mining in
Maryland, and in 1889 succeeded his brother Frank (then deceased) as
collector of customs of the District of Columbia.
On the twelfth of June, 1849, a remarkable event took place in this old
house--a wedding ceremony at four o'clock in the morning of four of the
children of Mr. and Mrs. Dodge. Adeline was married to Charles Lanman;
Virginia to Ben Perley Poore, a well-known correspondent of _Harper's
Weekly_ in those days; Allen Dodge to Miss Mary Ellen Berry, and Charles
Dodge to Miss Eliza G. Davidson of Evermay. The weddings were celebrated
at this unusual hour so that the bridal couples could take the regular
stage leaving Georgetown for Baltimore at five o'clock. At least it was
a cool time of day for the celebration, and how beautiful it must have
been with the dew lying on the box and the roses, and the birds
twittering their sunrise notes. What a jolly time these four couples
must have had, starting off together. Let us hope their spirits were not
too much dampened by the fact that their father would not witness the
ceremony, as it was at variance with his religious scruples that it was
not conducted in a church. Reverend N. P. Tillinghast, then the rector
of St. John's Church, must have officiated, as the Dodges were always
ardent supporters of St. John's.
The only two members of the family who did not marry were Miss Emily and
Miss Elizabeth Dodge. They were the eldest of the girls, and I imagine
that practically no one could get up the nerve to ask the old gentleman
for their hands. Major Ben Perley Poore used to say that the most
momentous hour he could remember was the one spent in Mr. Dodge's office
waiting to see him to ask for the hand of Virginia, and he had faced
guns when he said that.
In 1851 Francis Dodge died at the age of sixty-nine. He was a very good
citizen; his judgment was sought on all matters of public interest
connected with the town, besides exercising a controlling influence over
commercial transactions. At that time tropical fruits such as oranges
and bananas were luxuries, and it is remembered that Mr. Dodge used to
send baskets of them around to his friends whenever one of his vessels
would arrive from the West Indies.
When I was a little girl, living across the street on the opposite
corner from this house, it was always spoken of as "Miss Emily Dodge's."
I can remember her well when she would come out on the gallery and walk
up and down. She seemed never to go away from the house. She was rather
small, had snow-white hair in long curls about her face, and was usually
wrapped in a white shawl. I have been told that she was terribly afraid
of fire and burglars, so slept fully dressed. Each morning she bathed
and re-clothed herself. At night she lay down and slept as she was. At
the time I remember, Miss Emily occupied part of the big wing of the
enormous house and Allen Dodge and his wife were living in the lower
floors of the wing. His wife was quite an invalid, and I do not
recollect ever seeing her.
The main part of the house was occupied for one winter by Dr. Stuart,
the rector of Christ Church, and his family while the new rectory at
number 1515 31st Street was being built.
After the death of Miss Emily Dodge, the place was sold to close the
estate, and pulled down, thereby deleting from Georgetown one of its
most distinctive and charming features which today would have been
invaluable. I remember weeping bitterly when I heard it was to be torn
down; even then, a half-grown girl, I loved old houses.
The two cottages on West (P) Street at numbers 3033 and 3035, were built
by Mr. Dodge. In the latter, until her death, lived Mrs. Charles Lanman
(Adeline Dodge). Mr. Lanman was a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts.
He was a very scholarly man, wrote _A Life of Daniel Webster_, who was
his friend, and other books, and for a long time was connected with the
Japanese Legation.
For many years they had a young Japanese girl, Ume Tschuda, making her
home with them while she was being educated in this country. The Lanmans
had no children of their own, and looked upon her almost as an adopted
daughter. She has had a very remarkable career as head of an important
school in Japan.
Another house built by the Dodges on their farm is the one on 30th
Street, now doubled in size and occupied by Dr. Gwynn. Here Henry H.
Dodge lived until he moved into his mother's former home, the Chapman
house, on Congress (31st) Street and Dumbarton Avenue.
On the southeast corner of Stoddert (Q) and Washington (30th) Streets,
what is now Hammond Court, an apartment, was the house built by Francis
Dodge, junior. In the group picture shown, he and Alexander Hamilton
Dodge are the two seated in the middle of the front row. A. H. Dodge is
the only brother not adorned with a beard. Was there ever a more
wonderful display of six stalwart handsome brothers? In fact, good looks
are to this day inherent in the Dodge family.
I have already told a good deal of the history of Francis Dodge, junior,
of his marriage to the two daughters of Judge Chapman. He had a son and
a daughter by each wife.
In 1851, at the death of Francis Dodge, senior, his splendidly
established West Indies business continued under the management of the
eldest sons, the name being changed to F. & A. H. Dodge. On the basis of
their business alone, Georgetown was made a port of entry and a custom
house was established here.
Each year there was a sale for buyers from large cities in the North on
the Dodges' wharf. It was quite an occasion. The counting house was
capacious, and decorated with all sorts of curios from the tropics:
sharks' jaws, flying fish, swordfish and sawfish; elaborate lunches were
served to the patrons, with cigars and drinkables; chairs and benches
were placed out on the platform overlooking the river. On summer
afternoons, this was a great meeting place for the friends of the two
Dodges.
Many bidders assembled on these advertised dates, hauling commodities
away as purchased, some to the rail depot, some to storage, which kept
the firm officials and stewards busy. One of the faithful employees was
Richard McCraith, a newly arrived Irishman from Cork. He had that noted
propensity of his race for getting orders twisted, but his endeavors to
do right were so earnest and conscientious that his unintentional errors
of judgment were condoned. One urgent order from a patron asked for
delivery to bearer of two sacks of coarse salt. For its hauling the
bearer had a cart. "Here, Richard, go with this man to the warehouse on
High Street and see that his cart is backed up close to the door. The
salt is stored in the third floor. Load it carefully on the hand truck,
wheel it to the window and let it down 'by the fall'--do you get that
straight?" "Yis sir, yis sir!" Presently a man burst into the office,
exclaiming excitedly, "That wild Irishman of yours has raised hell up
the street. He dumped a sack of salt weighing 200 pounds from the third
story to the cart underneath, broke both wheels, and the horse has run
away with the wreck." (Enter Richard!) Said the angry boss, "Now, what
the devil have you done?" Richard: "Yis sir. Didn't you tell me to let
it down 'by the fall'? I did, sir."
In 1867 Francis Dodge, junior, sold this fine house to Henry D. Cooke.
In 1877 he was appointed collector of customs. He was quite an old
gentleman by that time, and the glories of Georgetown's maritime trade
were beginning to be a thing of the past. In fact, with the coming of
the railroads, the huge business of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was
injured, and from then on the commercial importance of the town began to
dwindle.
Henry D. Cooke, who purchased this house, was the brother of Jay Cooke,
and came to Washington to manage a branch of his brother's large banking
enterprise. He was an intimate friend of General Grant, and I have read
that the general was so fond of his company that he would sit in his
carriage for an hour outside Mr. Cooke's place of business, waiting for
him to go driving.
Claude Bowers, in his most interesting book _The Tragic Era_, speaks of
a brilliant ball given the night before the "breaking of the bubble of
the Credit Mobilier" in 1873, by Henry D. Cooke. It was in this house
that the ball took place. Can't you picture the coaches as they rolled
up to the door, discharging the ladies in their crinolines, laces,
satins, and flowers, attended by the gentlemen wrapped in the long
cloaks of that period? Kate Chase Sprague was in the height of her
beauty and power at that time and was, of course, among the guests on
that fateful night.
Mr. Cooke was the first governor of the District of Columbia when that
new form of municipal government was begun, to last through only three
terms. There were twelve children in the Cooke family then living in
this house. They were ardent members of St. John's Church--the font
there being in memory of one little son. Mr. Cooke built Grace Church,
the little gray stone church down below the canal near High Street
(Wisconsin Avenue). It was intended for the canal people of whom there
were many at that time.
Governor Cooke bought a great deal of property and built four sets of
twin houses along the north side of Stoddert (Q) Street, which were
called, until a few years ago, Cooke Row. In Number One, near Washington
(30th) Street, lived one family of his descendants, one of whom, a young
man, played the piano very well. In Number Three, lived Mrs. Shepherd
from Philadelphia, a widow, who had one son. He was the first person I
ever knew to commit suicide. It was a terrible shock to the town when we
heard one morning that he had shot himself the night before. It was not
such a common event in the nineties as nowadays.
In one of these houses lived Commodore Nicholson, and in another lived
Admiral Radford, whose lovely daughter, Sophy, became the bride of
Valdemar de Meisner, secretary of the Russian Legation. In Number Four,
lived Mrs. Zola Green with her daughter and her two sisters, named
Pyle--one of them was called Miss "Chit-Chat." Mr. Green, who was a
descendant of Uriah Forrest, had been given the name of Oceola after the
Indian Chief who had saved the life of his father years ago out West.
At Number Five Cooke Row, now 3021 Q Street, lived during the nineties,
Dr. Walter Reed, of the United States Army, whose name is honored by
being given to the huge General Hospital in Washington because of his
association with the discovery of the cause of yellow fever. I recall a
most delightful party at the Reeds on St. Valentine night in 1899, given
for friends of their son. When the invitations were sent out, we were
told the name of the young man or girl to whom our valentine was to be
written. It was at the time of the tremendous blizzard of that year, and
we walked to the party between drifts of snow piled higher than our
heads. But it was anything but cold when we got inside--open fires and
jollity! Dr. Reed read aloud the poems, one by one, and we had to guess
the authors and to whom they were addressed. In the library, ensconced
in mysterious gloom, seated in a corner on the floor was a
fortune-teller. It was a perfect party!
Next door, at Number Six Cooke Row, for a great many years, lived
William A. Gordon, junior, and his family. Mr. Gordon wrote some very
valuable brochures of historical interest about Georgetown and his
memories of it from his childhood. This house is now the home of Mrs.
Henry Latrobe Roosevelt. During World War II, this was the home of Sir
John and Lady Dill, when he was here representing Great Britain on the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
At Number Seven lived the Misses Trapier--four old maids again!
J. Holdsworth Gordon, brother of William A. Gordon, built a house across
the street. For him the Gordon Junior High School has been named, he
having been for a long time on the board of education.
Next door to him on the east, at number 3020, is an attractive old
house, and in the nineties it was filled with a family of four charming
daughters. They were related to the Carters of Virginia, and so had
given two of the most imposing names of that great family to two small
fox-terriers that they adored, "King Carter," and "Shirley Carter." The
latter had met with an accident and had to have one of his hind legs
amputated, but he got about very nimbly on his other three. They always
accompanied Colonel B. Lewis Blackford, the head of the house, on his
trips about town. One day as he was nearing home, an old lady who walked
with a cane was just about to pass him when "Shirley Carter" hopped
immediately across his path; "Get out of my way, you damn tripod!" he
said, in his exasperation, just escaping being tripped up. The old lady,
thinking the "tripod" referred to her adjunct of a cane, was quite
infuriated, even to summoning across the street a gentleman who was
passing, and to wishing him to "call the Colonel out!"
A little further eastward along Stoddert (Q) Street, on the northeast
corner is the house Mr. Joseph Nourse built in 1868, and where his
daughter, Miss Emily Nourse, lived all her life. After her death, it was
sold and somebody put two old lamp-posts at the foot of the entrance
steps with gas flickering in them continuously--and now there is a story
around that they were "always" there, and some foolishness about the
lights "never had gone out" or "must never go out."
Across the street, where the Stoddert Apartment now is, used to be an
old house, in appearance quite like the one of Judge Chapman's on
Dumbarton Avenue and Congress (31st) Street, except for the long, side
porches. Here lived in the seventies and eighties General Henry Hayes
Lockwood and his family. His son, James Lockwood, accompanied General
Greeley on his trip to the North Pole, and was lost there in the Arctic,
holding the record at that time of having reached farthest North.
A block south, on the northeast corner of Greene (29th) and West (P)
Streets, is where Alexander Hamilton Dodge lived, who was a partner with
his brother, Francis, in the shipping business. He was the father of
Colonel Harrison H. Dodge.
In the days when his children were young, he had a big Newfoundland dog
which he had raised from a puppy. One rarely sees one now, as tall and
as big as a half-grown calf, with a coat of wonderful black, curly hair.
Such pets used to be quite popular, but only once in forty years have I
run across another. The Dodge's dog was named Argus. So strong and
docile was he that two children could ride him at the same time. He
loved the children, took them to school, and gave them "lifts" over wet
or muddy ground. Do you remember "Nana," in _Peter Pan_? She was a
Newfoundland dog--just so she nursed her master's children. Returning
from escort duty in the morning, a locked container was fastened to his
collar and he would be given the word "office," which was enough. Off
he'd go, proudly bearing luncheon to his master, who, in return, would
send back to the family the daily mail (no postmen to deliver in those
days), perfectly confident of its reaching its destination safely, as
everybody knew the big dog, and also that he would resent any attempt to
stop him or take things from him.
One day the cook complained to Mr. Dodge that somebody had evidently
been robbing the hen's nests, as she was getting fewer eggs than usual.
Mr. Dodge, going to investigate, met Argus coming down the path from the
barn wagging his tail majestically, as was his wont when approaching his
master. Mr. Dodge stopped and held out his hand, saying, "Argus, give me
that egg," whereupon the obedient dog opened his mouth and out rolled an
egg, to the great surprise of Mr. Dodge. Did he punish Argus for that?
Not at all, but he told him he was sorry he was a robber and hoped he'd
never have cause to scold him again. And he never did!
The interesting-looking house to the east of Hamilton Dodge's, 2811 P
Street, was built in 1840. That is where the Gordon family were living
when William A. Gordon, junior, came back from the Civil War. Certainly,
that must have been a joyous occasion, and there were happy hearts
within the old walls that night. His sister Josephine (Mrs. Sowers),
Margaret Robinson (Mrs. Thomas Cox), and Elizabeth Dodge (Mrs. John
Beall), all exceedingly handsome women, were belles in their youth,
and a trio of great friends to the end of their lives.
[Illustration: WILLIAM A. GORDON]
The family of Admiral Sigsbee were living here when the U. S. battleship
_Maine_, of which he was the captain, was blown up in the harbor of
Havana in 1898. His wife was a daughter of Admiral Lockwood. It is now
the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Ihlder.
At 2805 P Street lives Honorable Dean G. Acheson, now Secretary of
State. For a while, in the latter part of the last century, a quaint and
very well-known lady made this house her home--Miss Emily V. Mason, of
Virginia, from whom Mr. Corcoran received friendly and grateful letters,
thanking him for contributions to her work for "her children," as she
called them. The letters were written from Europe. She evidently had
groups of Southern children in various cities for whom she provided,
using for that purpose money made by her writings, to which she refers.
I remember how picturesque she was in appearance: a lovely face,
surrounded by long, white curls, crowned by a wide-brimmed, black bonnet
tied with a wide ribbon. She seemed to have quite a salon during her
residence here, serving tea and substantial refreshments to all her
friends who called in the afternoons.
The iron fence around these houses is made of old musket barrels, used
during the Mexican War, and was put there by Reuben Daw, who owned a
large part of this block.
Just across the street from Mr. Acheson used to live a lady, the widow
of Mr. Hein, the artist, who like "Anna" in the Bible spent all her days
in the "courts of the Lord," the Catholic Church. She always wore a long
black coat and a crêpe veil to her heels, rode a bicycle back and forth
to church, the long veil floating out behind. One evening she was struck
by an automobile and killed instantly. The niece to whom she had left
her little house had made an arrangement with a middle-aged woman living
there that if she took care of "Aunt Martha" she could have the house
tax free all her days. Her days are still continuing--and with all the
advance in prices of houses, the niece can't do a thing about the house!
The dear little white frame cottage just above here on Montgomery (28th)
Street, was built about 1840, and occupied by Benjamin F. Miller, who
came from Saugerties, New York, as an engineer, to construct the
Aqueduct Bridge which carried the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal across the
river to Virginia. And, on the corner of Montgomery (28th) and Stoddert
(Q) Streets is the last of the big Dodge houses on the corners of
Georgetown. It is the one built by Robert Perley Dodge in 1850. He and
his brother, Francis Dodge, junior, used practically the same plans for
their houses. Robert Dodge was a civil engineer, and, I think, had
something to do with the planning of the Aqueduct Bridge.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Robert Dodge became a paymaster in the
Union Army. After the war, he became identified with the government of
the District of Columbia, serving as treasurer and auditor for several
years until he died. It is said he planted the enormous maple trees that
adorn this block of 28th Street.
During the first World War, when this house had stood a long time
untenanted and sad, it was opened up as a night club called "The
Carcassonne," and postals were sent out advertising "Coffee in the Coal
Bin." These were the days of prohibition. Somebody who lived there
played the piano, incessantly. The Ballengers had lived here; the
Powells, and Major Gilliss; and then Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick (now Mrs.
Albert Simms), lived here until she bought three houses down on 30th
Street below N Street, and made them into one very attractive house with
an unusual and lovely garden.
Later Honorable Warren Delano Robbins, a first cousin of Franklin D.
Roosevelt and one of the ushers at his wedding, and at one time Minister
to Canada, bought this house, changed it somewhat and made it very
lovely in its new dress of yellow paint on the old plaster.
When he went to Ottawa he leased it to Honorable Dwight F. Davis, former
Secretary of War, once Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, and
also donor of the Davis Tennis Cup.
It has now for several years been the home of Mrs. William Corcoran
Eustis. She is the daughter of one-time Vice-President Paul Morton.
Just across the street from here is the house that Honorable and Mrs.
Robert Woods Bliss bought when they gave their fine estate, "Dumbarton
Oaks," to Harvard University. This house was built by Mr. Thomas Hyde
and was where he and Mrs. Hyde lived till the end of their days. She was
Fannie Rittenhouse and had grown up in the old house close by, known for
a hundred years as "Bellevue," but renamed "Dumbarton House," when the
National Society of Colonial Dames of America bought it for their
Headquarters in 1928. It is one of the finest, most beautiful, and most
interesting of the old places of Georgetown. It has always been somewhat
shrouded in mystery, as to its builder and owner. We do know, of
course, that this was part of the grant of the Rock of Dumbarton to
Ninian Beall and, through his son, George, descended to Thomas, who, in
1783 made his first Addition to George Town. Thomas may have built a
small house here, but this was not the house where his father, George,
was living when his wife died and was "buried nearby"--that was on Gay
(N) Street at the house now 3033 N Street.
In 1796 Thomas Beall of George sold this property to Peter Casanave,
who, two months later, sold it to Uriah Forrest. He kept it for a
year--never lived there--and sold it to Isaac Pollock. There was wild
speculation in real estate at that time on account of the new Federal
City being located here. After one year Pollock sold the property to
Samuel Jackson.
It seems that it was then that Samuel Jackson started to build this
mansion, but got into financial difficulties and it was mortgaged to two
or three people and finally foreclosed. In 1804 the place was bought by
Gabriel Duval, then Comptroller of the Currency of the United States,
afterwards a Justice of the Supreme Court.
In 1805 Joseph Nourse, Registrar of the United States Treasury, who had
been until that time living on Congress (31st) Street in George Town,
bought it and lived there until 1813. He had this position from 1789 to
1829 and was in charge of moving all the records of the Treasury
Department when the Government moved from Philadelphia to the new
capital in Washington.
Mr. Nourse had been born in London in 1754; came to Virginia and fought
in the Revolution. He was secretary to General Charles Lee and Auditor
of the Board of War. His wife was Maria Louisa Bull of Philadelphia,
and they had two children, Charles Joseph Nourse, who became a Major in
the Army, and Anna Maria Josepha, who was a lovely girl and took part in
the prominent social affairs of the new city. She is spoken of in the
diary of Sir Augustus Foster, British Minister of that period.
When the National Society of Colonial Dames had this house restored, a
penny bearing the date 1800 was found in one of the front walls where
such an identification was often placed, and architects think that
Samuel Jackson began to build this house, using perhaps the little house
that was on the property as a wing, and that then Joseph Nourse took it
over and was really the builder of this fine mansion. It was probably
intended for entertaining for his beloved daughter, for, after her
death, which occurred at one of the Virginia springs one summer, he sold
the place and moved out to a small frame house on a high hill
overlooking the Federal City. He called his new home "Mount Alban,"
because it reminded him of the place of the same name in England. It was
there that the first British martyr, Saint Alban, was killed. Mr. Nourse
was a very religious man and used to walk about in the grove of oak
trees surrounding his house and pray that some day a House of God might
stand upon that spot; that is exactly where the Washington Cathedral is
now being erected.
Mr. Nourse had many famous guests visit him in his modest home
there--among them: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and
John Quincy Adams.
Mr. Nourse's son, Major Charles Joseph Nourse, married Rebecca Morris
whose father, Anthony Morris, of Philadelphia, was an intimate and
life-long friend of Dolly Madison. Major Nourse built the old stone
house out on the road to Rockville and called it "The Highlands."
Tradition says that a large box bush at "The Highlands" has grown from a
tiny sprig of box which Mrs. Madison plucked from her bouquet at the
inauguration of her husband and gave to Mr. Morris.
[Illustration: DUMBARTON HOUSE]
"The Highlands" was a large household, for Major and Mrs. Nourse had
eleven children, and Mr. Morris resided there also. They have been a
very remarkable family, noted for their longevity, their steadfast,
noble character, and their loyalty to the Episcopal Church. It was from
the prayers and savings of Phoebe Nourse, who died as a young girl, that
St. Alban's Church has risen on that ground which she wished to dedicate
to the glory of God.
"The Highlands" many years later became the home of Admiral and Mrs.
Gary T. Grayson.
But to return to the old house which blocked Stoddert (Q) Street or Back
Street, as it was sometimes called. Mr. Nourse sold this house, his
Georgetown home, in 1813 to Charles Carroll, who gave it the name of
Bellevue, and thereafter always styled himself "of Bellevue." He was a
nephew of Daniel Carroll, of Duddington. He also was a great friend of
Mrs. Madison's, and helped her in her dramatic escape from the White
House when the British were on their way to burn and plunder it. There
has always been a story that Daniel Carroll brought her over the road to
Georgetown, crossing at the P Street bridge, and that she stopped by
Bellevue. There she is supposed to have met Mr. Madison whom she had not
seen since early morning. This was the day of the Battle of Bladensburg
when confusion reigned supreme. At the meeting Mr. and Mrs. Madison
agreed on the routes and rendezvous of retreat.
From old letters it seems that she continued on out of town to "Weston,"
the estate of Walter S. Chandler, which was situated near the present
junction of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. I can dimly remember
the quaint white, frame house and the legend of Dolly Madison being
there. She then went on to the encampment at Tenally Town, where she
slept in a tent that night under guard, and the next day crossed into
Virginia.
Mr. Carroll and his brother had not long before become owners of the
paper mill on Rock Creek just south of Bellevue, so that must have been
his reason for making it his home.
In 1820 he leased the place to Samuel Whitall, of Philadelphia, whose
wife was Lydia Newbold. Mr. Whitall was a distinguished-looking old
gentleman, and used to drive around in a high, two-wheeled gig, the last
of its kind in the town.
When Charles Carroll died in 1841, the place was bought by the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Whitall. A daughter, Sarah Whitall, was born at Bellevue in
1822 and lived there for over seventy years. She married Mr. Rittenhouse
of Philadelphia. The place remained in the Rittenhouse family until
1896, when they sold it to Howard Hinckley. In the intervening years,
its appearance had been greatly changed by a coat of plaster over the
old bricks, which Mr. Hinckley removed. It was very lovely, both inside
and out, during the years that Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley made it their home.
Some very delightful parties were given there. Then candlelight was the
only illumination, and even the flowers used were redolent of colonial
days. The rooms were filled with furniture of the right type; and I
remember that the bedrooms even had the old washstands with holes in the
tops for bowls and pitchers which also were exactly "right" in their
period.
After that, Colonel Langfitt leased the house, and a very lovely wedding
took place out of doors under an enormous tree, when his daughter
married an officer of the United States Army.
In 1912 it was bought by John L. Newbold, a relative of the Lydia
Newbold of long ago. After a great deal of agitation on the subject of
cutting Q Street through, and putting a bridge across Rock Creek to
connect with the city, the District government in 1915 moved the old
house to its present location, for it had been sitting exactly in the
path of progress all these years, there being a George Town Ordinance
that a street could not be cut through without consent of the owner. I
only wish progress could have made a circle around the old mansion and
left it in its setting of stately, primeval trees.
Miss Loulie Rittenhouse, who had been born and reared there, worked
untiringly for the opening of the street, the bridge, and also for
Montrose Park, with the salvation of the glorious old oak trees it
contains.
Slowly, very, very slowly, old Bellevue was placed on huge rollers,
horses were attached to a windlass, and it almost took a microscope to
see the progress made day by day, but at last it reached its present
site, safe and sound. It was necessary to pull down and rebuild the
wings, as they had no cellars. Of course, the wall is also new.
It was leased during World War I to various people of importance in
Washington for war work, and finally, in 1928, bought by the National
Society of Colonial Dames of America. It has been handsomely and
suitably furnished as a house of the Federal period, and is open to the
public as a museum house. A beautiful house it is; the usual wide hall
through the middle, with vistas through the two big doors, four rooms
opening off it, the two back ones being rounded out at the northern
ends.
[Illustration: TUDOR PLACE]
Chapter XV
_Tudor Place and Congress (31st) Street_
Like the brightest jewel in its crown of old houses, Tudor Place, now
the home of Armistead Peter, junior, sits high and aloof on the heights
of Georgetown. Its southern front, shown here, is the one most familiar
to everyone, and it is the view that I looked out on every day of my
life for more than a score of years from my father's house on Stoddert
(Q) Street.
As Mrs. Beverley Kennon, its owner during my youth, was my cousin and
had her motherless grandchildren living with her, some of my earliest
recollections are of running round and round the old circle of box in
front of the north entrance, playing "colors." I never, to this day,
smell box that I am not back at Tudor Place and see the cobwebs in the
old bushes bright with raindrops, as box, of course, is really fragrant
only after rain. Also there were lovely times in the fall when the
leaves were being raked up by old John, the colored gardener, who would
let us climb on top of the brilliant load in a wheelbarrow with a crate
on top of it. Such rides! Old John was a character (and one we loved
dearly), not much over five feet tall, with grizzled hair and goatee,
and always wearing an apron tied around his waist and a derby hat on his
head.
Tudor Place was purchased by Francis Lowndes, one of the prominent
tobacco merchants and shippers, in 1794, from Thomas Beall of George
who made a large addition to George Town in 1783, called by his name.
Mr. Lowndes started to build a mansion, but in 1805 he sold the property
to Thomas Peter and his wife, the former Martha Parke Custis.
[Illustration: THOMAS PETER]
When the Peters moved to their new home in George Town they used the
western wing, already built, with its addition on the east, as their
home, and the eastern wing was their carriage house and stable. This
fact has been proved by finding below the floors the signs of the old
stalls, and up in the rafters the corncobs of long ago. I have known
people who remembered the old yellow coach which often stood out in the
stable yard, and I've been told that if one dug deep enough its
cobblestones would still be found.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter decided to use the fortune left her by her
grandmother, Mrs. Washington, to build a stately mansion. They certainly
succeeded. They engaged as architect Dr. William Thornton, whose plans
for the Capitol had been accepted in the second competition, as the
first yielded none sufficiently good.
Dr. Thornton and his wife were intimate friends of the Peters, and a
beautiful miniature of him, done by her, is now in the possession of one
of the family. Mrs. Thornton was with Mrs. Peter when the British
soldiers set fire to the Capitol in 1814, and the two ladies sat at the
window of what is now the dining room of Tudor Place--the low part
between the main building and the western wing--and watched the
conflagration. You can imagine their grief as one saw the work of her
husband destroyed, and the other, the building which had been so much in
the mind and heart of her revered grandfather.
There is in existence a very lovely painting of Mrs. Peter at about the
time of her marriage; a sweet, young girl with light curls, and the
embodiment of daintiness. Suspended about her neck is, I think, the
miniature which General Washington had painted for her as a wedding
gift. When he asked her what she wanted she replied "a replica of
himself." He was much pleased that a young girl would want a portrait of
an old man! The photograph reproduced of Thomas Peter is from a portrait
done by him by his son-in-law, Captain William G. Williams.
While on a visit to Tudor Place occurred the death of Mrs. Peter's
mother, the former Eleanor Calvert. She was fifty-three years old, and
had borne twenty children.
[Illustration: MRS. THOMAS PETER (MARTHA PARKE CUSTIS)]
Mr. and Mrs. Peter had a family of eight children. Three of the
daughters had striking names: America, Columbia, and Britannia.
When General Lafayette paid his visit to Georgetown in 1824 it was, of
course, most natural that he should be entertained at Tudor Place, as
Mrs. Peter had known him in her childhood at Mount Vernon. At that time
America met her husband, Captain Williams, who was acting as an aide for
the Marquis. In later years, as chief of engineers on the staff of
General Zachary Taylor, Captain Williams was killed at the Battle of
Monterey. On that same visit Lafayette presented the youngest child,
Britannia, a little girl of nine, with a lovely little desk, now in the
National Museum in the loan collection of her grandson, Walter G. Peter.
On its under side it has an inscription in the handwriting of Martha
Custis Peter, telling her daughter its history.
Britannia Wellington Peter was born on January 27, 1815. She died the
day before her ninety-sixth birthday, and this editorial, from _The
Baltimore Sun_, gives a fine picture of the changes in the world in the
years covered by the span of her life:
A LONG AND INTERESTING LIFE
Mrs. Britannia Wellington Kennon, who died at Tudor Place, her
historic home in Georgetown, on the 26th instant, and who will be
buried today, was for many years a most interesting figure in the
social life of Washington. She was the last in her generation of the
descendants of Mrs. Martha Washington. John Parke Custis, Mrs.
Washington's son, left four children. One of his daughters, Martha,
married Thomas Peter, and Mrs. Kennon was their daughter. She
married Commodore Beverley Kennon, of the United States Navy, whose
father was General Richard Kennon, of Washington's staff, a charter
member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and a grandson of Sir
William Skipwith. Commodore Kennon was killed in 1844 by the
explosion on the U. S. S. _Princeton_, so Mrs. Kennon was a widow
for more than sixty-six years.
Tudor Place, Mrs. Kennon's home, was famous for the distinguished
guests that were entertained there, among them being General
Lafayette, who visited there in 1824. She was the center of an
intellectual and cultivated society, and was always in touch with
the progress of events in the world.
Mrs. Kennon was born three weeks after the Battle of New Orleans,
and several months before the Battle of Waterloo. Her life spanned
the period of the great advance in the appliances of civilization in
this and the last century. It was very important that the news of
the battle of Waterloo should reach London without delay, and yet
with every appliance and speed then known, it took three days for
the news to reach England. Indeed, when Mrs. Kennon was thirty-two
years of age, it required eight months to travel from New England to
Oregon. At the age of fifteen she could have been a passenger on the
first passenger railroad train that was ever run; until she was five
years old, there was no such thing as an iron plow in all the world,
and until she was grown up, the people were dependent on tinder
boxes and sun glasses to light their fires. She had reached the age
of twenty-three years when steam communication between Europe and
America was established, and when the first telegram ever sent
passed between Baltimore and Washington she was still a young woman.
If all the advances in civilization which took place during the
lifetime of this remarkable lady were catalogued, they would make a
singularly interesting list.
Mrs. Kennon was left a widow when less than thirty years of age, with
her one child, Martha Custis Kennon. To Mrs. Kennon and her daughter
Mrs. Thomas Peter bequeathed Tudor Place, having long survived her
husband, and her other children having received their inheritance.
Martha Custis Kennon married her cousin, Dr. Armistead Peter, the son of
Major George Peter, and so the original surname came back to the place,
which has never been out of the one family.
Until the death of Mrs. Kennon when they were, of course, divided, there
was at Tudor Place a very large and valuable collection of Washington
relics, fascinating things, among them Mrs. Washington's seed-pearl
wedding jewelry and dress, a set of china made for and presented to
General Washington by the French government, the bowl given him by the
Order of the Cincinnati, and numberless other interesting things. In a
corner of the central room, the saloon, as it is called, was the small
camp trunk always used by the General. The room on the east, off of
which opens the conservatory, is the drawing room; that to the west, the
parlor. The saloon opens out onto the temple, the round porch on the
south. The two large rooms at each side have lovely cornices, beautiful
marble mantels and handsome crystal chandeliers; long group windows to
the floor and very unusual doors of curly maple. At the debut tea of
Mrs. Kennon's granddaughter, I was helping to serve, when, seeing two
dear old ladies, one very short, the other very tall, both dressed in
simple black with big bonnets and long veils, looking about in the crowd
as if they were trying to see something particular, I went up and asked
them if I could bring them some refreshments. They said, "No, thank you,
we really don't want anything, we are just trying to see if there are
the same ornaments on the table as when Britannia was married." I found
out afterward that the ornaments were three beautiful alabaster groups
of classic figures. The two old ladies were Miss Mary and Miss Rosa
Nourse, of The Highlands.
Britannia Peter was a first cousin of Mary Custis, of Arlington, and was
one of the bridesmaids at the wedding there which united the daughter of
George Washington Parke Custis to the handsome United States army
officer, Robert Edward Lee. The friendship was an enduring one, and
General Lee visited Tudor Place when he paid his last visit to
Washington City in 1869.
Britannia Peter was bridesmaid for another first cousin, Helen Dunlop,
when she was married at Hayes to William Laird.
From the descendant of another one of those bridesmaids at that famous
wedding at Arlington who, as a young girl, paid long visits to Mary
Custis, I heard this delicious story: "There being no telephones, when
the girls at Arlington and at Tudor Place wanted to get together they
had a series of signals. Hanging a red flannel petticoat out of the
window meant 'come on over'. A white one had another meaning. This
method was not popular with the owners of the two mansions, but
persisted, nevertheless." To prove this, not long ago I went to
Arlington with the person who told me the story. The room there used by
the girls of those days does look toward Georgetown. There is a forest
of tall trees there now but trees can grow very tall in a hundred years.
When my father built his house at the foot of Mrs. Kennon's place, she
told him she was so glad to have him near by, but chided him for cutting
off her view of the river.
Until only a few years before her death, Mrs. Kennon sat perfectly erect
in her chair, never touching the back, and I can remember her as quite
an old lady, almost flying up the hill of Congress (31st) Street,
always, of course, in bonnet and long, crêpe veil. She was a member of
Christ Church, and once many, many years ago when a parish meeting was
announced to decide some important question, the rector and gentlemen
were very much surprised on entering the vestry to find Mrs. Kennon
there waiting for the meeting. She said she wished to have a say in the
matter, and having no man to represent her, had come herself. So she was
the original suffragette! Mrs. Kennon was one of the early presidents
of the Louise Home, and was the first president of the National Society
of Colonial Dames of America in the District of Columbia.
Before the day of country clubs there used to be a very fine tennis
court at Tudor Place, on the flat part to the north of the house not far
from Congress (31st) Street, and it was much used. The Peter boys were
champions of the District several times. In the first administration of
President Cleveland, Mrs. Cleveland, a bride, used to drive her husband
in from Oak View or, as it was popularly called, Red Top, to his office
at the White House nearly every morning in a low, one-horse phæton. No
secret-service entourage in those days! In the evenings she came again
in style in a Victoria, and frequently they would stop opposite Tudor
Place and watch the game in progress. There was a good deal of intimacy
between Tudor Place and "Red Top" in those days.
The only football I ever heard of being played at Tudor Place was by a
team of which my youngest brother was a member. They had nowhere to
play, so he walked up there one day, and being a very engaging young man
of about ten years, with big, blue eyes and a charming smile, he asked
the old lady for permission, which she gave. She used to sit by the long
window in the parlor and watch them with great interest and pleasure.
Some other boys thought they would like the same privilege and asked for
it, but she told me she always asked, "Are you a friend of my little
cousin?" Only his friends could play there.
Mrs. Kennon lived all her long and active life at Tudor Place, with the
exception of two brief periods. The first was the year and a half when
she was living at the Washington Navy Yard with her husband while he was
stationed there. And the second was when her daughter was at boarding
school in Philadelphia, just before the Civil War, and she leased the
place to Mr. Pendleton, a Representative in Congress from Virginia. Of
course, after the secession of that State, Mr. Pendleton left Washington
City--but very hurriedly. Mrs. Kennon heard that her home was to be
taken over by the United States government to be used as a hospital so
she hastened back and occupied it herself. She took as boarders several
Federal officers on the one condition that the affairs of the war should
not be discussed.
The last time I saw her was not many months before her death, sitting in
a chair in her bedroom and very, very feeble. When I told her good-bye,
she kept saying something to me over and over, which I couldn't
understand. Finally I leaned down very close, and heard, "Be a good
girl." I was then the mother of two children, but to her, just a little
girl and the daughter of my father and mother, of whom she was very
fond.
Opposite Tudor Place, where now is a twin apartment house, was until the
nineteen-twenties a simple old brick house somewhat like the old Mackall
house on Greene (29th) Street, only minus a portico. When I knew it it
was the home of the Philip Darneilles--and I remember hearing my mother
say, "But Mrs. Darneille was a Harry!" Which meant nothing to me until I
looked up the title to this place, and there I found that all this land
went right back to Harriot Beall, Mrs. Elisha O. Williams, one of the
three daughters of Brooke Beall, who was among those wealthy shipping
merchants who were responsible for Georgetown's early prosperity.
Mrs. Harriot Beall Williams left this property, all the way down to
Back (Q) Street, to her daughter Harriot Eliza Harry. Through her it
passed to Harriot Beall Chesley, and then to her daughter, Emily
McIlvain Darneille. The old house stood untenanted for several years
until bought for the erection of the apartments.
Mr. and Mrs. Darneille had three daughters, the eldest really a beauty
(the youngest inherited the old name of Harriot), and they had a great
deal of gaiety there in the nineties. I remember especially the New
Year's Day receptions they used to have, the many "hacks" overflowing
with young men, that used to climb the hill. It was the custom in those
days for the ladies of each household to receive on the afternoon of
that day. Only gentleman callers came, all dressed in their very best,
and left their cards for all the ladies of their acquaintance. If you
weren't receiving (attired in your best, sometimes to the extent of real
low-necked evening dresses, the dining room table loaded with salads,
old hams, biscuits, ices, candies, tea and coffee--and always a punch
bowl on the side) you hung a basket on your front door bell, and the
callers just deposited their cards and went on to the next place.
What fun the children had, watching the front doors and counting the
cards; and there was a real thrill when the caller happened to be an
Army or Navy officer, attired in full-dress uniform with gold braid and
feathers, having earlier in the day paid his respects at the White
House.
On part of the Darneille property stands an intriguing frame house. It
is quite an old house and stood originally several hundred feet to the
eastward in Mackall Square, the property owned by Christiana Beall
Mackall, who was the sister of Harriot Beall Williams. So you see one
sister sold it to the other and it took a trip across Washington (30th)
Street to reside on Congress (31st) Street. I wonder how they moved it
in those days, for it was a long, long time ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dodge lived there after they left Evermay.
In the 1880's this house, 1633 31st Street, was the home of a very
interesting and eminent person, John Wesley Powell, American geologist
and ethnologist. I now quote from the _Encyclopædia Britannica_: "He was
born at Mount Morris, N. Y., March 24, 1834. His parents were of English
birth, but had moved to America in 1830, and he was educated at Illinois
and Oberlin colleges. He began his geological work with a series of
field trips including a trip throughout the length of the Mississippi in
a rowboat, the length of the Ohio, and of the Illinois. When the Civil
War broke out he entered the Union Army as a private, and at the battle
of Shiloh he lost his right arm but continued in active service,
reaching the rank of major of volunteers. In 1865 he was appointed
professor of geology and curator of the museum in the Illinois Wesleyan
university at Bloomington, and afterwards at the Normal university.
In 1867 he commenced a series of expeditions to the Rocky Mountains and
the canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers, during the course of which
(1869) he made a daring boat-journey of three months through the Grand
Canyon; he also made a special study of the Indians and their languages
for the Smithsonian Institution, in which he founded and directed a
bureau of ethnology. His able work led to the establishment under the U.
S. Government of the geographical and geological survey of the Rocky
Mountain region with which he was occupied from 1870 to 1879. This
survey was incorporated with the United States geological and
geographical survey in 1879, when Powell became director of the bureau
of ethnology. In 1881, Powell was appointed director also of the
geological survey, a post which he occupied until 1894. He died in
Haven, Me., on Sept. 23, 1902."
On two panes of glass in the front windows of this old house are names
etched by a diamond--on one is "Genevieve Powell," under it "Louis Hill"
and under that "1884." She probably was the daughter of Mr. Powell.
On the other pane of glass is etched "Moses and Mary." To the owners of
the house that means nothing, but to me it means "Moses Moore," who was
not a man but a woman (whose real name was "Frank"), and Mary Compton,
both of whom I knew and still know.
In the nineties it was for awhile the home of Mrs. Donna Otie Compton,
who was the daughter of Bishop James Hervey Otie, first Episcopal Bishop
of Tennessee. She was a picturesque figure, attired in her widow's cap
and long crêpe veil. Mrs. Compton had four daughters who were great
belles.
Then for a good many years it stood there looking quite deserted, for
old Mr. Arnold, its owner, was almost a cripple and one rarely saw him
making his way up the street with great difficulty. Now General and Mrs.
Frank R. McCoy have bought it and made it a charming house with a lovely
garden.
Through the alley just north of here, described in the title as "a
private road," we can reach another house built on that same property of
the Harry's, but just who built it I do not know. It also was vacant
when I was a girl, for I remember going to a Fair there one night in the
spring when it had been loaned for some charity. In 1930 the house was
bought by Miss Harriet and Miss Mary Winslow, who have added a lovely
music room at the rear, but have kept the old-time appearance of the
house. A mammoth oak tree, the pride of the owners, stands near the
house.
The next house on Congress (31st) Street has another fine oak tree in
front of it, and used to have a companion even larger on the other side
of the walk. This property also came through Mrs. Harriot Beall Williams
to Mrs. Brooke Williams, senior, and her daughter, Mrs. Johns, who lived
there with her family.
A romantic story is told of how Captain William Brooke Johns, of the
United States Army, one day saw at a picnic the beautiful Miss Leonora
de la Roche, and fell in love with her immediately. But, since it was
not considered good form in those days to be presented to a lady at a
picnic, he watched her from a distance all day. The next afternoon he
went to call. It was a case of love at first sight for both, and the
wedding soon followed, with all the military splendor. As was told
before, when the Civil War came he left the Union Army. Captain Johns
had quite a talent for carving, and did a very good medallion of General
Grant, who continued always to be a true friend to him. He also invented
a tent which was used during the Civil War by the Northern Army.
This house was, for more than a generation, the home of Colonel and Mrs.
John Addison.
At that time it was a two-story house, with quite a different roof. It
was a big, merry household with four sons and four daughters. The
daughters were reigning belles in those days, and the old custom of
serenading was much in vogue. One lovely moonlight night four swains
with their guitars stationed themselves under the windows of the
handsome old house and sang plaintive love songs for an hour or more.
Finally a shutter was pushed open very gently, and the four hearts went
pitter-patter, anticipating the sight of a lovely young girl's face.
Instead, appeared an old, black one, capped by a snowy turban, and these
words floated down: "I'se sorrie, gen'le-men, but de young ladies is all
gone out--but I sure is pleased wid you-all's music!" The quartet was
composed of Summerfield McKenney, Frank Steele, and a young Noyes, of
the family now for many years identified with _The Evening Star_, and
another whose name I do not know.
It was while the Addisons were living here that Commodore Kennon was so
tragically killed on the _Princeton_.
One afternoon the youngest member of the Addison family, a little girl,
was swinging in the yard when a carriage came up the street and turned
in at the gate of Tudor Place, across the street. In it she saw her
older brother, John. Much mystified, she ran to her mother, telling her
how strange it seemed for "brother John" to be coming up the hill in a
carriage, and not coming home. It turned out that he had been sent to
notify Mrs. Thomas Peter of the sudden death of her son-in-law.
In later years Brooke Williams, junior, lived here and, still later,
George W. Cissel. The chapel of the Presbyterian Church on West (P)
Street is named for this family. The house is now the home of Mr.
Alfred Friendly, the well-known newspaper man.
Next door, where there is now a big apartment house, used to be a large,
double brick house, which was for many years the home of Abraham Herr,
who with the Cissels conducted an important flour-milling business in
Georgetown. His son, Austin Herr, was a fine figure of a man, and was, I
think, a promoter. I distinctly remember as a little girl his return
from a trip to China and the tales of all the treasures he had brought
back with him--not so common then as now.
At No. 1669, in the eighties lived one of the oddest characters--Mrs.
Dall. She had come from Massachusetts many years before to teach at Miss
English's Seminary. While there she received frequent visits from young
Mr. Dall who was an assistant at Christ Church while finishing his
course at the Episcopal Seminary near Alexandria. The gentleman stayed
so late sometimes--probably until eleven o'clock--that Miss English had
to ask him to mend his ways. The courtship resulted in a marriage, but
before long the bridegroom went off to India as a missionary to convert
the heathen. After some years the news came that, instead, he had been
converted to Hinduism. At last he was coming home. It was in the spring
and, of course, there had to be a spring cleaning, which took several
days. One night about twelve o'clock, when the peace of the old-time
world, minus the automobile and blaring radio, lay over old Georgetown,
the clop-clop of horses' hoofs was heard coming up Congress Street,
stopping in front of Mrs. Dall's. Then there was a great knocking on the
door--a window was raised and a voice called: "Who is that?" "It's
Henry." Came back from the wife: "Well, I'm in the midst of
house-cleaning. Go on down to the Willard and stay until I send for
you." A warm welcome, and one not approved of by the neighbors who had
heard the conversation through their windows.
Mrs. Dall was not very popular in Georgetown, it being overwhelmingly
Southern in its sympathies and she being an abolitionist. I can dimly
remember her padding down 31st Street, for so her progress might be
called from the form of footwear she wore, it had no form--the queerest,
high, shapeless boots. She wore a little close-fitting bonnet and a
long, loose, grayish cape. She was a most particular person in some
ways. A lady who lived there as a housekeeper said she was never allowed
to leave her thimble on the window sill for a few moments; and it was
well known that when a caller rang the front door bell the maid who
answered had orders to scan the costume closely. If there was "bugle
trimming" among its adornments the caller was shown into the parlor on
the right side, where the furniture was all stuffed and no harm could be
done, but if the clothes were devoid of the shiny, scratchy gear, she
might safely be allowed to enter and sit upon the polished mahogany of
the room on the left of the hall. She used to have a sort of salon for
long-haired scientists and exponents of all sorts of "isms."
Another story I've heard was about her going out to Normanstone to stay
for a rest. One morning after breakfast, having had a plentiful helping
of oatmeal with lots of cream, her hostess remarked to Mrs. Dall how
well she looked. "Yes," she said, she "felt well," and ended up with "a
little starvation is always good for one." Is it a wonder she wasn't
greatly beloved?
[Illustration: LLOYD BEALL]
A very handsome and imposing old gentleman, Mr. Joe Davis, who was a
bachelor, lived here in the nineties. I remember him always, in his
frock coat and high silk hat. This was where Mr. and Mrs. Fulton Lewis
lived for many years and where their son, Fulton Lewis, junior, the
noted radio commentator, grew up.
The house has been for several years the home of the Honorable and Mrs.
Francis E. Biddle. He was the Attorney-General under President Franklin
D. Roosevelt. Mrs. Biddle, whose pen name is Katharine Garrison Chapin,
is an eminent poet.
Adjoining Tudor Place on the north live the Bealls, descendants of Lloyd
Beall, who sold his patrimony in southern Maryland and converted the
proceeds to equipping and sustaining his company during the
Revolutionary War. He was adjutant on the staff of General Alexander
Hamilton and was wounded at Germantown. Later he was captured by the
British, but escaped by swimming the Santee River. The effect of this
performance is shown by the water-logging on his commission which he
carried in his pocket.
After being mustered out of the army he came to live in Georgetown, but
just where his home was I cannot discover. He served as mayor of the
town three times--in 1797, 1798 and 1799.
Upon the reorganization of the army he was reinstated, and died in
command of the arsenal at Harper's Ferry. The Bealls who live here are
also descended from Francis Dodge and from William Marbury.
In the seventies Frederick L. Moore came in to Georgetown from the
country and built his home next door, so as to be between his two
friends, John Beall and Joseph H. Bradley. The Bradleys no longer own
this house nor their ancestral estate which was Chevy Chase, where the
club of that name now is. Abraham Bradley came with the government from
Philadelphia, as Assistant Postmaster-General. He made his home in
Washington City and then bought Chevy Chase as his country estate. He
was living there in August, 1814, when the British came to Washington.
It is said that several members of the cabinet took refuge with him
there during those two or three dreadful days and brought with them
valuable records. His old house was mostly destroyed by fire several
years ago.
His grandson, Joseph Henry Bradley, built the house at number 1688 31st
Street. At the time of Lincoln's assassination he was living out in the
country near Georgetown. He bore a remarkable resemblance to John Wilkes
Booth and on April 15, 1865, the night after the tragic event in Ford's
Theater, he was driving home in his buggy along a lonely road when he
was held up by policemen and arrested. When he protested, he was told
that he was John Wilkes Booth and was taken to jail. He insisted he was
not, but to no avail. After a good while he got in touch with friends
who identified him and he was released and went home. His wife had
thought that her colored servants had been behaving strangely all day,
but though living not more than five miles from the scene of the great
tragedy, she herself had no knowledge of it.
In later years Mr. Bradley and his father, Joseph Habersham Bradley, who
practiced law together, served as counsel in the famous John Surratt
trial.
This house is now the home of Robert A. Taft, Senator from Ohio.
Chapter XVI
_Evermay, the Heights, and Oak Hill_
Evermay, on Montgomery (28th) Street, is one of the show-places of
Georgetown. Its fascinating garden is shown every spring for the benefit
of Georgetown Children's House by its owner, the Honorable F. Lamot
Belin, at one time Ambassador to Poland. He removed the cream-colored
paint from the old house, revealing the lovely old-rose brick, and built
the wall and the lodge at the gate when he bought the place in 1924.
Evermay used to extend all the way down to Stoddert (Q) Street. The
original boundary is the little old stone in the corner of the property
of Mrs. Thomas Bradley on Q and 28th Streets.
Evermay was built by Samuel Davidson with proceeds from the sale of
property to the United States government. This included land for the
northern part of the "President's Square," (the David Burns-Davidson
property line passing directly through the White House) and adjacent
Federal property including Lafayette Park. He willed his estate to Lewis
Grant, a nephew in Scotland, upon condition of his assuming the Davidson
surname.
Samuel Davidson is buried in the portion of Oak Hill Cemetery which was
formerly part of the estate. Mr. Davidson must have been rather a
strange person; certainly he was determined not to be bothered by
people, for this is the advertisement he published:
Evermay proclaims,
Take care, enter not here,
For punishment is ever near.
Whereas, the height called Evermay, adjoining this town, is now
completely enclosed with a good stone wall in part and a good post
and rail fence thereto, this is to forewarn at their peril, all
persons, of whatever age, color, or standing in society, from
trespassing on the premises, in any manner, by day or by night;
particularly all thieving knaves and idle vagabonds; all rambling
parties; all assignation parties; all amorous bucks with their
dorfies, and all sporting bucks with their dogs and guns.
My man, Edward, who resides on the premises, has my positive orders
to protect the same from all trespassers as far as in his power,
with the aid of the following implements, placed in his hands for
that purpose, if necessary, viz:--Law, when the party is worthy of
that attention and proper testimony can be had, a good cudgel,
tomahawk, cutlass, gun and blunderbuss, with powder, shot and
bullets, steel traps and grass snakes.
It is Edward's duty to obey my lawful commands. In so doing, on this
occasion, I will defend him at all risques and hazards. For the
information of those persons who may have real business on the
premises, there is a good and convenient gate. But Mark! I do not
admit mere curisoity an errand of business. Therefore, I beg and
pray of all my neighbors to avoid Evermay as they would a den of
devils, or rattle snakes, and thereby save themselves and me much
vexation and trouble.
June 2, 1810 SAMUEL DAVIDSON.
Lewis Grant's daughter married Charles Dodge, they being one of the four
couples who had the very early morning wedding at Francis Dodge's home
on the corner of Stoddert (Q) Street and Congress (31st) Street. Apropos
of this there is a prized letter of four closely written pages from
Charles Dodge to his father, announcing that he had reached the age of
twenty-one and asking the parental gift of what might be "his due." He
ended by saying he "hoped he approved of his engaging in the estate of
Holy Matrimony, for without that blissful comsummation his life would be
void of happiness forevermore." His father's concise reply was in four
lines: "Attend carefully whatever business you engage in, put off your
marriage as long as possible, and get religion!"
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dodge did not live always at Evermay. It was sold
to Mr. John D. McPherson, and the Dodges went to live in the old frame
house opposite the gate of Tudor Place.
For many years the McPhersons leased Evermay to Mr. William B. Orme and,
certainly, during those years the spectre of the inhospitality of its
first owner was laid, for the Ormes were noted for their delightful
parties and there, too, were June weddings with charming brides.
One morning in 1905 a group of Georgetown ladies met at Evermay and
formed a little literary club (which is still in existence) composed of
thirty-five members. It still bears the name of The Evermay Club. It met
there regularly once a month as long as it was the home of Mrs. Orme,
but nowadays the club moves from house to house. One summer the Ormes
rented Evermay to a Hawaiian princess, who enjoyed it with her family.
Just across the street from Evermay is what is known as Mackall Square.
The old mansion sits so far back in the middle of the square and is so
embowered in trees that it is not easily seen from either Montgomery
(28th) or Greene (29th) Street. It is a simple and lovely colonial brick
with old wooden additions on the back, and has been there a long, long
time. But it is not the first house that was on that spot, for the one
that was there was the frame house which was moved over opposite the
gate of Tudor Place.
Benjamin Mackall married a daughter of Brooke Beall, and with the money
inherited from her father's estate they bought this property and built
the house.
In 1821 a trust was placed on the property, and in the title is recorded
"no encumbrance except a small wooden house in which Mrs. Margaret Beall
now lives, in which she has her life interest."
Benjamin Mackall was a brother of Leonard Mackall. Their father owned
large estates in Calvert and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland, and
his products were sent to the Georgetown market; so it happened that his
sons met the daughters of Brooke Beall, one of the important merchants
shipping grain and tobacco to England.
This land was part of the Rock of Dumbarton, and Benjamin's wife was
named Christiana. I wonder if by any chance they could have given her
that name in commemoration of another Christiana who is spoken of in an
old, old surveyor's book thus:
Surveyed for George Beall 18 January, 1720. Beginning at the bounded
Red Oak standing at the end of N. N. W. tract of land called Rock of
Dunbarton on the south side of a hill near the place where
Christiana Gun was killed by the Indians.
Louis Mackall, their son, was born in this house and inherited the place
in 1839. He was a well-known physician, but a large part of his life was
spent at the old country home of the Mackalls, Mattaponi, in Prince
Georges County, and there his son, Louis, was born in 1831. His father
brought him to Georgetown when he was under ten years of age, and
entered him in Mr. Abbott's school, from whence he went to Georgetown
College and Maryland Medical University. He established a large practice
in Georgetown and married Margaret McVean. Their home was not here but
on Dumbarton Avenue and Congress (31st) Street, and they had a son,
again Louis, who also went into the medical profession.
[Illustration: THE OLD MACKALL HOUSE]
This house was vacant when I was a girl and I remember very distinctly
going to a dance there one heavenly moonlight night in June when it was
loaned to the O. T. That was a little club of boys about my own
age--"Only Ten"--but the meaning of the name was a secret then. During
the next two years they followed the example of the I. K. T. by giving
dances in Linthicum Hall during the Christmas holidays.
The I. K. T. was a group of boys two or three years older than the O. T.
My brother was one of them, and when I asked him a year or two ago what
the letters meant he said he couldn't tell; it was still a secret, like
a fraternity. They had a pin somewhat like a fraternity pin. I still
have the engraved invitations that both clubs sent out for their dances,
with the names of the members underneath.
After having been vacant for years this place was bought by Mr. Hermann
Hollerith in the early 1900's. He did not make his home here but built a
house farther down on Greene (29th) Street, where his family still live.
They continue to rent the old house. Hermann Hollerith was the inventor
of the tabulating machine which is used by the International Business
Machine Corporation, and his work was done in a little house down on
Thomas Jefferson Street. His wife was Miss Lucia Talcott.
Immediately opposite the steps on Greene (29th) Street which lead up to
this dear old place are other high steps which lead to a place called
Terrace Top. Here it was that in the winter of 1920-'21 two very
charming people came to rest in what they considered the most attractive
of American cities. They were Julia Marlowe and E. H. Sothern.
While they were here Miss Marlowe was honored by George Washington
University at its one hundredth anniversary, on February twenty-second,
by receiving the degree of D. D. L., a most unusual honor for a woman.
This house is now the home of Mr. Herbert Elliston, editor of the
_Washington Post_.
All of this land was still, of course, Beall property, and somehow it
all seemed to pass down through the women, for the next place to the
west originally belonged to Miss Eliza Beall, a daughter of Thomas Beall
of George, who married George Corbin Washington, great-nephew of General
Washington. He was a grandson of John Augustine Washington and Hannah
Bushrod. He was president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company,
member of Congress from Maryland, and a prominent candidate for the
Vice-Presidency at the time Winfield Scott was nominated for President.
Their son was the Lewis Washington who was living near Harper's Ferry at
the time of John Brown's raid, and was taken prisoner by him and held as
a hostage until released by Colonel Robert E. Lee and his United States
troops when they arrived on the scene.
Miss Eleanor Ann Washington, the daughter of the house, was skilled in
painting and did miniatures of her mother and of other members of her
family. She also used to sketch in the beautiful woods north of her
father's home, which soon after became Oak Hill Cemetery, and she was
the first person to be buried in its grounds.
George Corbin Washington married a second time, a girl who had been
almost like a daughter in his house, Ann Thomas Beall Peter, of whom his
wife had been very fond. Both of the wives of George Corbin Washington
were descended from the Reverend John Orme, a distinguished clergyman of
Maryland in colonial days.
After the death of Mr. Washington the place was sold and became the home
of Senator Jesse D. Bright, of Indiana, who was deprived of his seat in
the Senate during the Civil War because of his sympathy with the South.
For a long time this place belonged to Columbus Alexander, but in recent
years it has changed hands several times. It had been leased by the
Honorable Dwight Morrow to be his home while Senator from New Jersey,
but his sudden death the summer before of course changed that
arrangement.
During World War II it was the home of General William (Wild Bill)
Donovan, head of OSS, and is now the home of Mr. Philip Graham,
publisher of the _Washington Post_.
All of this property of The Heights belonged, as I have said, to Thomas
Beall, and after 1783 it was rapidly being "developed," as they say
nowadays. It is interesting to follow out how it all happened and how
relatives wished to live one another.
Directly across Washington (30th) Street, a large piece of land was sold
by Thomas Beall in 1798 to William Craik, who was the son of that Dr.
Craik who attended General Washington in his last illness. He evidently
intended to build a home here, but Mrs. Craik died and he soon followed
her. She was Miss Fitzhugh, a sister of Mrs. George Washington Parke
Custis, of Arlington.
How I wish there were in existence a picture of the house which David
Peter built in 1808 when he bought this piece of land. The house must
have stood among handsome trees, for it was called Peter's Grove, and we
can look at the oaks still standing in near-by places and visualize
those which surrounded this house.
David Peter was a son of Robert Peter. He married Sarah Johns, and had
two daughters and one son, Hamilton. After his death Mrs. David Peter
married John Leonard, and the place was sold, in the thirties, to
Colonel John Carter, Representative in Congress from South Carolina. His
wife was Eleanor Marbury, one of that large family of girls in the old
house on Bridge (M) Street. The house was then renamed Carolina Place.
For a while it was occupied by the Honorable John F. Crampton, Minister
from England. It was during this time that a treaty was settled by him
with Daniel Webster concerning the Newfoundland fisheries. A little
later Count de Sartiges, the French Minister, lived here.
About that time the house was destroyed by fire and the land was sold by
John Carter O'Neal, of the Inniskillen Dragoons, son of Anne Carter who
had married an Englishman, to Henry D. Cooke.
The western part of this square was bought in 1805 by Mrs. Elisha O.
Williams. She was Harriot Beall, daughter of Brooke Beall, the third of
these sisters to settle on The Heights, and she also bought her home
with money inherited from her father's estate.
[Illustration: HOME OF BROOKE WILLIAMS]
Six months after buying the property Mrs. Williams was left a widow. She
built a home and lived there with her small children, and thirty years
later gave the northern part of her land to her son, Brooke Williams and
his wife, Rebecca. It was on the spot where the Home for the Blind now
stands.
Mrs. Rebecca Williams was a very beautiful woman and all her children
inherited her beauty. The daughter who was named Harriot Beall for her
grandmother became the most famous girl who ever grew up in Georgetown.
The romantic story of her marriage to Baron Bodisco, the Russian
Minister, runs thus:
It all started with a Christmas party which the baron gave for his
nephews, Waldemar and Boris Bodisco. To this party all of the boys
and girls were invited, and great bonfires lighted the way, for
there was little gas in those days.
Among those who came was Harriot Beall Williams, the beautiful
sixteen-year-old daughter of Brooke Williams, senior. Baron Bodisco, a
bachelor of sixty-three, became completely enamored of Miss Williams
that evening, and it is said that the next morning he walked up the hill
to meet and escort her to school--the school, of course, being the same
Seminary of Miss English.
My story is copied almost entirely from Miss Sally Somervell Mackall's
_Early Days of Washington_, for nothing could improve on that:
Miss Williams' family were much opposed to the marriage, and at one
time the engagement came near being broken. She told Mr. Bodisco
that "her grandmother and everybody else thought he was entirely too
old and ugly." His reply was that she might find someone younger and
better looking, but no one who would love her better than he did.
They were married in June, 1849, at four o'clock in the afternoon,
at her mother's home on Georgetown Heights. Only the immediate
relatives and the bridal party witnessed the ceremony, after which
there was a brilliant reception. The wedding party formed a circle
and just back of them on a sofa sat a row of aged ladies in
lace-trimmed caps, among them her grandmother, Harriot Williams and
her three sisters, Mrs. Benjamin Mackall, Mrs. William Stewart,
senior, and their cousin, Mrs. Leonard Hollyday Johns, senior, all
of whom were between seventy and eighty years of age.
The mariage ceremony was performed by her cousin, Reverend Hollyday
Johns, the second. Her trousseau came from abroad, and her bridal
robe was a marvel of rich white satin and costly lace which fell in
graceful folds around her; the low-cut dress showed to perfection
her lovely white shoulders and neck. On her fair brow and golden
hair was worn a coronet of rarest pearls, the gift of the groom. The
effect was wonderfully brilliant. As her father was not living, her
hand was given in marriage by Henry Clay.
The groom wore his court dress of velvet and lace. All the
bridesmaids, seven in number, were beautiful girls about her own
age. Their gowns were figured white satin, cut low in the neck with
short sleeves and trimmed with blond lace; their hair was simply
dressed without ornaments. The bridesmaids were: her sister Gennie
Williams, Sarah Johns, Jessie Benton, Ellen Carter, Eliza Jane
Wilson, Emily Nichols, Mary Harry, and Helen Morris, daughter of
Commodore Morris. Each bridesmaid was presented with a ring set with
her favorite stone. The groomsmen were Henry Fox, the British
Minister in scarlet court dress; Mr. Dunlop, Minister from Texas;
Mr. Martineau, Minister from the Netherlands; Mr. Buchanan, who had
been Minister to Russia, and was then Senator, and afterwards
President of the United States; Baron Saruyse, the Austrian
Minister; Martin Van Buren; Mr. Kemble Paulding, whose father was
Secretary of the Navy at that time; Mr. Forsythe, whose father was
Secretary of State. Each minister had his own carriage and
attendants dressed in livery. The house and grounds were thronged
with noted guests, strolling amid sweet-scented flowers and lemon
trees hanging with rich golden fruit.
Among the distinguished guests were President Van Buren; Daniel
Webster; all the Diplomatic Corps and a host of other notables,
including James Gordon Bennett of _The New York Herald_.
The bride was taken to her new home in Mr. Bodisco's gilded coach
with driver and footman in bright uniform, drawn by four horses. The
same afternoon, Mr. Bodisco gave a dinner to just the bridal party.
At nine o'clock the same day he gave a general reception for the
families of the attendants. The morning after the wedding the
bridesmaids took breakfast with the bride and, girl-like, as soon as
breakfast was over, went on an investigating tour. In her boudoir
they found many beautiful things, among them an old-fashioned
secretary, with numerous drawers, one was filled with ten dollar
gold pieces, another with silver dollars, another with ten-cent
pieces, another with the costliest of jewels, and still another with
French candy.
The next week Mr. Bodisco gave a grand ball, on which occasion
Madame Bodisco wore her bridal robe. Shortly after the wedding,
President Van Buren gave a handsome dinner at the White House in
honor of Madame Bodisco and Mrs. Decantzo, another bride. To this
dinner all the bridal party were invited. Madame Bodisco wore a
black watered silk, trimmed with black thread lace and pearl
ornaments. President Van Buren sent his private carriage and his
son, Martin, to escort Ellen Carter (an adopted daughter of Jeremiah
Williams who was an important shipping merchant of the town) to the
dinner. The President thought Miss Carter like her Aunt Marion
Stewart of New York, to whom he was engaged while Governor of that
State. At the dinner table he drank wine with her, and again in the
reception room. Miss Carter afterwards married Paymaster Brenton
Boggs of the United States Navy.
On another occasion at one of the diplomatic dinners given at the
White House, Madame Bodisco wore a rich, white watered silk, the
sleeves, waist and skirt embroidered with pale rosebuds with
tender green leaves. Her jewels were diamonds and emeralds.
[Illustration: MADAME BODISCO]
Alexander de Bodisco was born in Moscow on the 30th of October, 1786,
and died at his residence in Georgetown on the 23rd of January, 1854,
having filled the post of Russian Envoy to the United States for about
seventeen years. He was in Vienna in 1814 during the famous Congress
which settled the affairs of the continent, and was afterward charge
d'affaires at Stockholm. At his funeral his two nephews, Boris and
Waldemar, both very handsome and dressed in white uniforms, marched on
either side of the hearse, accompanied by attachés of the legation and
members of the household in uniform.
All during my childhood the Williams house stood gaunt and untenanted,
the personification of a haunted house. If only a place with such a
history could have been renovated and kept, instead of disappearing
entirely from Georgetown.
On the next block at 3238 R Street is the house, now somewhat changed,
where lived General H. W. Halleck, chief-of-staff of the army during the
Civil War. After the war General U. S. Grant made it his home until he
became president. Later, until about 1900, it was the home of Colonel
John J. Joyce, a picturesque figure with his leonine head and long white
hair and mustache and black sombrero. It was said he had been the Goat
of the Whiskey Ring. In the last years of his life a lively dispute
arose between him and Ella Wheeler Wilcox as to which was the author of
the lines
Laugh, and world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone!
[Illustration: MOUNT HOPE. THE WILLIAM ROBINSON HOUSE]
It was much discussed in the newspapers at the time. Colonel Joyce's
tombstone in Oak Hill bears a likeness of him carved upon its face.
In the early days of the New Deal this house was rented by a group of
young men, among them Tommy Corcoran and Ben Cohen, who were responsible
for helping to frame much of the legislation of that eventful time. It
was known then as the "Big Red House on R Street."
The southwest corner of Road (R) Street and High (Wisconsin Avenue) was
the land owned by Thomas Sim Lee, who had been Governor of Maryland.
Every winter he came from his estate, Needwood, to spend several months
in Georgetown, in his house on the northwest corner of Bridge (M) Street
and Washington (30th) Street, which was for a long time the headquarters
of the Federal Party. He died in 1819 before he could build here the
mansion he contemplated.
Until about 1935 the old reservoir sat here, high up like a crown, until
the Georgetown Branch of the Public Library was built.
The little street below here which runs west from Valley (32nd) Street,
now called Reservoir Road, was originally named the New Cut Road, due to
the fact that it was cut through to connect with the Conduit Road, now
renamed MacArthur Boulevard which covers the conduit bringing the water
from Great Falls to Washington.
On the southwest corner of Road (R) Street and High (Wisconsin Avenue)
stood the imposing mansion of Mr. William Robinson, who was a very fine
lawyer in the middle of the nineteenth century. He was a Virginian who
had settled in Georgetown. He called his home Mount Hope and a
wonderful situation it had, commanding a view of the entire city and the
river. At that time the western wing was the ballroom, with domed
ceiling circled by cupids and roses.
Mr. Robinson's beautiful daughter, Margaret, married Thomas Campbell
Cox, son of Colonel John Cox, and they lived at Mount Hope until they
moved to Gay Street. I remember Mrs. Cox as an old lady, still
beautiful, and regal in bearing. The Weaver family lived there after
that until the early 1900's, when this place was used as the Dumbarton
Club. It had very good tennis courts, and for a while a nine-hole golf
course where the suburb of Berleith is now.
Then Mr. Alexander Kirk, Ambassador to Egypt, bought the place and made
a good many changes, including the addition of a swimming-pool.
Afterward Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean purchased it and renamed it
Friendship, after the former estate of the same name out on Wisconsin
Avenue, where many famous parties had been given. Here she continued her
lavish entertainments and during World War II contributed generously to
the pleasure of members of the armed services.
The large house, number 3406, in the middle of the next square, was
built in the early 1800's by Leonard Mackall, one of the two sons of
Benjamin Mackall of Prince Georges County, Maryland, who came to
Georgetown. He married Catherine Beall, another daughter of Brooke
Beall. Mr. Beall, as seems to have been the custom in those days, had
given this square to his daughter and her husband. The place was bought
by Dr. Charles Worthington's family when they left their home on
Prospect Street and was held by his descendants, the Philips, for many
years, although the latter part of the time none of them lived there,
but rented the place.
It has been for a good many years now the home of Mrs. Frank West, who
has made a beautiful rose garden and christened it Century House. The
house itself has charming rooms, all opening to the south, as so many
old-fashioned houses had, and several porches.
I have spoken of Colonel Cox and the row of houses he built on First (N)
Street and Frederick (34th) Street, where he lived for a while in the
house on the corner. That must have been in the period of his first
marriage to Matilda Smith, who was a sister of Clement Smith, well-known
as the first cashier of the Farmer's and Mechanic's Bank, later its
president. Colonel and Mrs. Cox had three children, one of whom was
named Clement.
After his marriage to Jane Threlkeld they built a lovely house on part
of the old Berleith estate next door to the old Threlkeld home, which
had been burned. They called their home The Cedars. It stood where the
Western High School now stands, and it is difficult to realize that
there, in my memory, was a home most delightfully private and charming.
Turning back eastward along Road (R) Street just opposite Mount Hope,
the pretty old light brick house is where the Marburys lived after they
moved up on The Heights. He called himself Mr. John Marbury, junior, to
the day of his death, in spite of having a long, white beard. Although
his family never moved from this house, in the course of a few years
they had three different addresses. At first they were living on the
corner of Road and High Streets, then on the corner of U and 32nd
Streets, and finally on the corner of R Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
[Illustration: THE OAKS (NOW DUMBARTON OAKS)]
[Illustration: MONTROSE]
Across High Street (Wisconsin Avenue), the house sitting high on the
bank was for many years the home of Mr. William Dougal and his family of
one son and four lovely daughters. His wife was Miss Adler, and this
house was built on part of her father's property. The old brick house,
which was back of it some distance north, was the home of Morris Adler.
A small frame house nearer Road (R) Street was where his son, Morris J.
Adler, lived, until he built a house on West (P) Street.
A little way eastward on the same side of Road (R) Street is the famous
Dumbarton Oaks. The land was first bought from Thomas Beall in 1800 by
William H. Dorsey, first judge of our Orphan's Court, who was appointed
by President Jefferson. Mr. Dorsey had previously been living in the old
part of the town, for I find an advertisement of the sale of his
property before he came up here, and from the minutes of a meeting of
the Corporation of Georgetown on October 24th, 1801, we find the
following: "William H. Dorsey writes to ask if his removal to his
present place of residence will disqualify him from serving on the
Corporation. They are of opinion it does not disqualify him as a member
thereof."
He built this house, named it The Oaks, and lived in it for four years.
His first wife was Ann Brooke, the daughter of Colonel Richard Brooke,
of Oak Hill, Sandy Spring, whose wife was Jane Lynn, the daughter of
David Lynn. In 1802 Mr. Dorsey married Rosetta Lynn, who was the aunt of
his first wife.
[Illustration: WILLIAM HAMMOND DORSEY]
William Hammond Dorsey was born at Oakland, in Howard County, and died
at Oakley, near Brookeville, in 1818. He was a very handsome man and was
nicknamed "Pretty Billy" by his Quaker neighbors of Sandy Spring.
In 1805 the place was bought by Robert Beverley of Essex County,
Virginia. His wife was Jane Tayloe, a sister of Colonel John Tayloe, who
built the famous Octagon House. Mr. and Mrs. Beverley owned the place
until 1822. During that time their son James was married to Jane Peter,
the daughter of David Peter of nearby "Peter's Grove," and this place
became their home. They did not remain here long, but went back to
Virginia and established themselves near The Plains.
The next owner was James E. Calhoun, of South Carolina. He loaned it to
his distinguished brother, John C. Calhoun, who made it his home for
some of the time he spent at the capital in the various offices he held.
He was Secretary of War in the cabinet of President Monroe;
Vice-President with John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson, and Senator
from South Carolina. From here he wrote that the leisure of the office
of Vice-President gave him a good opportunity to study the fundamental
questions of the day called "The American System." At this time the
place was known as _Acrolophos_ (Grove on the Hill), a most descriptive
name. Later it became Monterey, after the war with Mexico made that
battle so famous.
It was in 1846 that the estate was bought by Edward M. Linthicum, and I
think it must have been during the time he owned it that the mansard
roof was added which, fortunately, has been removed by the present
owners. In Mr. Linthicum's day it is described thus:
The house which has been changed, but not improved in appearance, by
the addition of a mansard roof and other alterations, was a large,
two-story brick, with hall from front to rear "wide enough for a hay
wagon to pass through," on either side of which were great parlors
beautifully proportioned. The east parlor opened into a bright,
sunny dining room, which in turn looked out upon a well-filled
greenhouse, with flower gardens on the east, wooded lawn in front,
grove of forest trees on the west, and gently sloping well-sodded
hills in the rear, all of which were kept in perfect order. During
the life of Mr. Linthicum, "The Oaks" was the show place of the
District.
Mr. and Mrs. Linthicum had no children so they adopted a daughter, Miss
Kate Mitchell, of Lower Maryland, who became the wife of Mr. Josiah
Dent. Their son, Edward Linthicum Dent, inherited the place. In those
days it was known as "The Oaks," the name I always heard it called by in
my girlhood.
In 1891 it was bought by Mr. Henry F. Blount, who had made a fortune and
came to Washington. In 1920 it was purchased by the Honorable Robert
Woods Bliss, Ambassador to the Argentine. He and Mrs. Bliss remodeled
the house and created the gardens, which comprise over thirty acres and
are marvels of beauty. Many more acres at the back were allowed to
remain in a delightfully wild condition.
The place was renamed Dumbarton Oaks, a museum was built as a wing on
the west to house a library and a collection of Byzantine and
pre-Christian material, and in 1940 the estate was given by Mr. and Mrs.
Bliss to Harvard University, with the exception of the part along the
stream at the back, which was donated to the District of Columbia as a
park. The Dumbarton Oaks Conference which led to the formation of the
United Nations was held here, beginning August 21, 1944.
Part of the land at the back is where the Home for Incurables was until
it was moved farther out of town. I used to go there to visit some of
the patients who were my friends, and for the simple Sunday evening
services.
Lover's Lane, at the east of Dumbarton Oaks, separates it from Montrose
Park. It is still, as it has always been, I am glad to say, completely
unimproved, unspoiled, sweet and rambling and quiet, wending its way
along the brook that empties into Rock Creek at the beginning of Oak
Hill. I suppose there is hardly a soul of middle-age living in
Georgetown who has not fond memories of Lover's Lane, for in the days of
our youth we did walk with our lovers; no automobiles or movies filled
our Saturday or Sunday afternoons, and very little golf.
Through Lover's Lane we went to Normanstone, the home of the two Misses
Barnards and their sister, Mrs. Talcott. It was a quaint little house,
which stood just about where the British Embassy now is. The name is
commemorated by Normanstone Drive. Mr. Robert Barnard built Normanstone
in 1830. It was a Devonshire cottage of clay, straw, and pebbles, with
walls four feet thick.
The turreted stone mansion nearby was built by Mr. Elverson of
Philadelphia. His daughter, Nelly, became the wife of Monsieur
Patrenotre, the French Minister. This was in the days before our foreign
envoys became Ambassadors.
Our first knowledge of the present Montrose Park was as Parrott's Woods.
Richard Parrott conducted there a "rope walk." It seems that when they
made rope it was necessary to have a long, even stretch where the
rope-makers walked up and down manufacturing the hemp into rope. And,
of course, in this town with all its ships, the making of rope was a
lucrative business.
Mr. Parrott evidently was kind in loaning his property for picnics too,
for again Mr. Gordon gives us vivid pictures of the Fourth of July
annual picnic of all the Protestant Sunday schools. It seems to have
been a huge affair, with flags and banners and rosettes of various
colors adorning the scholars of the different schools.
In 1822 the property was bought by Clement Smith, of whom I have spoken
before as being the first cashier of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank,
afterwards becoming its president. He called the place Elderslie. In
1837 he sold it to Mrs. Mary McEwen Boyce, whose daughter, Jane, married
George Washington Peter, son of Thomas Peter of Tudor Place. In a
railroad accident, both Captain Boyce and another daughter were killed.
Mrs. Boyce continued to live here the rest of her life.
It was a very sweet, homelike house, but not a particularly handsome
one. There was a conservatory opening off of one of the rooms, for Mrs.
Boyce seems to have been especially fond of flowers. A sweet little
story was told me the other day about her. A friend paused one day to
admire the roses blooming in front of the house, saying, "How lovely
your roses are, Mrs. Boyce!" "They are not my roses," said she. At the
surprised look on her friend's face she continued, "I plant them there
for the public." And still, today, there are lovely roses blooming at
Montrose for "the public," for after many, many years a movement was set
on foot to buy this place with its marvelous old trees of numerous
varieties for a park for the people of Georgetown.
Two historic events have taken place in Montrose Park. The first was
long ago, on September 1, 1812, when the funeral services were held here
for General James Maccubbin Lingan, after his tragic death in Baltimore.
No church could be found large enough to accommodate the crowds which
wished to attend. There were representatives from three cities and five
counties, in those days of travel by foot, by saddle, by rowboat and by
coach. General Washington's tent was spread over the stand on which were
four clergymen, other dignitaries, and George Washington Parke Custis
of Arlington, who delivered the oration.
The funeral cortege was escorted by Major George Peter's company. The
General's horse was led behind the hearse, where his son walked as chief
mourner, followed by two heroes of the Revolution, Major Benjamin
Stoddert and Colonel Philip Stuart. Light Horse Harry Lee, who had been
wounded at the time General Lingan was killed, was still too ill to be
present.
General Lingan's widow was not able to be present because of a very
unfortunate occurrence. While she was sitting by her window waiting for
her carriage, a rough man, carrying a pike, stopped under her window
and, thrusting up the weapon covered either with blood or rust, which
had the same appearance, he let forth a torrent of brutal words. She was
so overcome with an agony of shock and grief that she was obliged to
remain at home.
The other historic event took place on the fifth of June, 1918, the day
on which was inaugurated the draft for the soldiers of the World War I.
All over this land that evening speeches were delivered on the subject,
but I think none could have been more effective or impressive than the
one staged in Montrose Park at sunset. Then Newton D. Baker, as
Secretary of War, in charge of the whole operation, "elected to speak to
his neighbors." A wonderful speech it was, and I shall never forget the
sight as he stood outlined against the glow of the western sky.
Of Oak Hill Cemetery I have spoken again and again. It is almost like a
refrain. It seems to be the natural resting place for Georgetonians when
their work is done.
Its terraces leading steeply down the hill to Rock Creek are shaded by
many stately oak trees and numerous gorgeous copper beeches, and are
adorned in the spring by flowering shrubs.
There is the little ivy-covered chapel which can be seen from the
street, and farther back is the little white Greek temple where Oak
Hill's donor, Mr. Corcoran, rests. Also the larger circular mausoleum
where Marcia Burns Van Ness is interred.
Many besides Georgetonians have been laid to rest within its borders,
for there are Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War for President Lincoln;
James G. Blaine, and many more, all prominent in their days. There, too,
lies Peggy O'Neale, who, as the wife of Andrew Jackson's Secretary of
War, Eaton, kept the social life of the Capital in an uproar for many a
year and, it is said, also greatly influenced political matters.
Her very first triumph took place in Georgetown, when, at a school
exhibition at the Union Hotel, the little girl with dark brown curly
hair and pert red lips was crowned the "Queen of Beauty" by Mrs. Dolly
Madison. Peggy was the daughter of the Irish landlord of a hotel on
Pennsylvania Avenue, and was married at sixteen to Mr. Timberlake, an
officer in the United States Navy. He committed suicide in 1828.
After that began her career, when she was defended and supported in all
that she did by Andrew Jackson, who had suffered bitterly from criticism
of his own wife.
But the most famous person who lies buried in Oak Hill is the man whose
song is known in every hamlet of this broad land: John Howard Payne, the
author of "Home, Sweet Home." He had been in Georgetown in his youth,
you remember, for he accompanied General Lingan on that trip to
Baltimore from which the General never returned but to his funeral. Mr.
Payne was then a young man of twenty-one and excited over the adventure,
I suppose, like any one of that age. He was sent in later life as a
consul to one of those little states on the northern coast of Africa
which in those days made so much trouble for the United States. There he
died and was buried. Years later his body was brought back by Mr.
Corcoran, and there was quite a ceremony for his re-interment.
The stone placed over him in that distant land and brought back with his
body has the seal of the United States carved at the top and reads:
IN MEMORY
OF
COL. JOHN HOWARD PAYNE
TWICE CONSUL OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOR
THE CITY AND KINGDOM OF TUNIS
THIS STONE IS PLACED
BY A GRATEFUL COUNTRY
HE DIED AT THE AMERICAN CONSULATE
IN THIS CITY AFTER A TEDIOUS ILLNESS
APRIL 1, 1852
HE WAS BORN AT THE CITY OF BOSTON
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
JUNE 8, 1792
HIS FAME AS A POET AND DRAMATIST
IS WELL KNOWN WHEREVER THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN THROUGH
HIS CELEBRATED BALLAD OF
HOME, SWEET HOME
AND HIS POPULAR TRAGEDY
OF BRUTUS AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTIONS
This slab lies flat upon the ground. Adjoining it is a circle in the
center of which is a monument bearing a bust of Colonel Payne, and on it
is the following inscription:
IN
MEMORY OF
JOHN HOWARD PAYNE
AUTHOR
OF
HOME, SWEET HOME
BORN JUNE 9, 1791
DIED APRIL 9, 1852
ERECTED ANNO DOMINI 1883
"Sure when thy gentle spirit fled
To realms beyond the azure dome
With arms outstretched, God's angel said
'Welcome to Heaven's Home, Sweet Home.'"
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BALCH, THOMAS BLOOMER: _Reminiscences of Georgetown_.
BRYAN, W. B.: _A History of the National Capital_.
BUSEY, SAMUEL C.: _Pictures of the City of Washington in the Past_.
CAEMMERER, H. PAUL, Ph.D.: _The Life of Pierre Charles L'Enfant_.
CLARK, ALLEN C.: _Life and Letters of Dolly Madison_.
CORCORAN, W. W.: _A Grandfather's Legacy_.
COLUMBIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: _Record of the_.
DODGE, HARRISON H.: _Dodge Family Memoirs_.
EVANS, HENRY R.: _Old George Town on the Potomac_.
HALL, MRS. BASIL: _The Aristocratic Journey_.
HEIN, O. L., LT. COL., U. S. A.: _Memories of Long Ago_.
HINES, CHRISTIAN: _Early Recollections of Washington City_.
JACKSON, RICHARD P.: _Chronicles of Georgetown_.
LATHROP, GEORGE AND ROSE: _A Story of Courage_.
LATIMER, LOUISE PAYSON: _Your Washington and Mine_.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: _Old Newspapers_.
MACKALL, SALLY SOMERVELL: _Early Days of Washington_.
TAGGART, H. T.: _Old George Town_.
TORBERT, ALICE COYLE: _Doorways and Dormers of Old George Town_.
TOWNSEND, GEORGE ALFRED: _Washington Outside and Inside_.
GAHN, BESSIE WILMARTH: _Original Patentees of Land at Washington
Prior to 1700_.
INDEX
_A Grandfather's Legacy_, 168.
Abbott, John, 85, 215.
William R., 215.
"Abby, Aunt," 185.
Acheson, Dean G., 250.
_Acrolophos_, 303.
Adams, James Truslow, 14.
President John Quincy, 77, 254.
Addison, Mrs. Arthur, 113.
Henry, 85, 107, 130.
Colonel and Mrs. John, 274.
Rev. Walter, 199.
Adlum, Major, 134.
Adler, Morris, 301.
Aged Woman's Home, 106.
Allen, Robert S., 180.
Alsop brothers, 179.
American Colonization Society, 101.
Analostan Island, 22.
Anchor Tavern and Oyster House, 30.
Anderson, James, 21.
_Aristocratic Journey, The_, 157.
Arnold's Bakery, 108.
Asbury, Francis, 74.
Augur, Gen. Christopher Colon, 179.
"Aunt Hannah," 142.
Auriol, Vincent, 113.
Aztec Society, 112.
Bailey, William, 58.
Baker, Hon, Newton D., 155, 307.
Balch, Dr. Stephen Bloomer, 69, 134, 141, 209.
Rev. Stephen Bloomer, 67.
Thomas, 69.
Baley, Jesse, 50.
Bank of Columbia, 33.
Baptist Church, 135.
Barron, Commodore James, 157.
Barrymore. John, 207.
Beall, Alexander, 11, 25.
Brooke, 270, 289.
Catherine, 298.
Eliza, 287.
Elizabeth, 68.
George, 11, 141.
Harriot, 270, 289.
John, 26, 279.
Josiah, 10, 11.
Lloyd, 279.
Mrs. Margaret, 284.
Thomas, 8, 10, 58, 97, 141, 144, 160, 253, 262, 288.
Ninian, 5, 7, 8, 183.
Beall's Levels, 11.
Beanes, Dr. William, 99.
Beatty, Charles, 17, 30, 58, 182.
William, 52.
Beauvoir School, 137.
Belin, Hon. F. Lamot, 281.
Bell, Alexander Graham, 119.
Alexander Melville, 119.
Miss Aileen, 120.
Chichester, 120.
David Charles, 120.
Bellamy, George Anne, 14.
Belt, Rev. Addison, 34.
James, 182.
Joseph, 24, 25, 26, 27.
Tobias, 9.
Benevolent Society, 106.
Benning, 4.
Benton, Jessie, 185.
Thomas Hart, 183.
Berleith, 17.
Berry, Horatio, 217.
Jerry, 97.
Mary Ellen, 239.
Philip Taylor, 194, 217.
Beverley, Robert, 302.
Bible Society, 76.
Biddle, Hon. and Mrs. Francis E., 279.
Billings, Dr. John S., 143.
Mrs. Mary, 197.
Blackford, Col. B. Lewis, 246.
Bladensburg, 14.
Blaine, James G., 308.
Blake, Dr. James Heighe, 135.
Bleig, George, 74.
Bliss, Robert Woods, 252, 304.
Blodget, Samuel, 58, 92.
Bloomer, Dr. Stephen, 83.
Blount, Henry F., 304.
Bodisco, Baron Alexander de, 98, 140, 202, 291, 295.
Madame, 204, 292.
Boggs, Paymaster, 191.
Bonaparte, Jerome, 82.
Boncer, Christian, 26.
Bonsal, Mrs. Stephen, 219.
Boone, John, 86.
Booth, John Wilkes, 280.
_Boston Sentinel, The_, 42.
Bowers, Claude, 244.
Bowie, Washington, 200, 224.
Boyce, Jane, 306.
Mrs. Mary McEwen, 306.
Braddock, General Edward, 13.
Bradley, Abraham, 66, 83, 280.
Joseph Habersham, 280.
Joseph Henry, 279, 280.
Mrs. Thomas, 281.
William A., 66.
Brandywine, Battle of, 16.
_Brandywine_, U. S. S., 129.
Bright, Sen. Jesse D., 288.
Bronaugh, Hamilton, 205.
Brooke, Ann, 301.
Elizabeth, 142.
Col. Richard, 301.
Colonel Thomas, 142.
Brown, Dr. Gustavus, 121.
Joel, 74.
Bruce, Harriot, 86.
Col. Normand, 28.
Richard, 86.
Bull, James, 47.
Maria Louisa, 254.
Bureau of Standards, 134.
Burnes, David, 58.
Burnett, Charles C., 35.
Burr, Aaron, 67.
Busey, Dr. Samuel, 137.
Bushrod, Hannah, 287.
Caemmerer, Dr. H. Paul, 52.
Caille, Monsieur, 35.
Calder, James, 69, 83.
Calhoun, James E., 303.
John C., 303.
Calvert, Eleanor, 66, 264.
Campbell, John, 15.
Canal, Chesapeake and Ohio, 77.
Potomac, 77.
Caperton, Hugh, 134.
Mrs. Hugh, 104.
Capital Traction Company, 113.
Transit Company, 155.
"Carcassonne, The," 251.
Carlile, Henry, 38.
Carlton, Joseph, 17.
Carpenter & Co., 217.
Carr, Overton, 58.
Carroll, Bishop, 116.
Charles, 256.
Daniel, 56, 58, 59, 256.
John, 116.
Carter, Anne, 289.
Col. John, 289.
Casanave, Peter, 17, 44, 80, 253.
Cassin, Commodore, 214.
James, 181, 185.
Mrs. James, 180.
William Deakins, 182.
Catholic Home for Aged Ladies, 218.
Cedars, The, 125.
"Century House," 299.
Chandler, Captain, 220.
Walter S., 37, 257.
Chapin, Katharine Garrison, 279.
Chapman, Edward, 192.
Frances Isabella, 192.
Judge Henry Henley, 192.
Jane, 192.
Chatham, Thurmond, 113.
Cherry Lane, 40.
Chevy Chase, 25, 280.
Club, 183.
Chew, Cassandra, 86.
Harriot, 86.
Mary, 86.
Christ Church, 87, 160, 174, 212, 276.
Christian Science Church, 136.
Cissel, George W., 275.
City Tavern, 30.
Clagett, James, 33.
Rev. Thomas, 67, 86.
Clarke, Thomas, 160.
Cleveland, President and Mrs., 171.
Coakley, Magdalen, 131.
Cochrane, John T., 217.
Cohen, Ben, 297.
College, Georgetown, 103.
Colonial Apartments, 183.
Columbia Boat Club, 138.
Foundry, 78.
Phonograph Co., 121.
Columbian Academy, 134.
Library, 134.
Compton, Donna Otie, 273.
Mary, 273.
Congress, Continental, 16.
Conjurer's Disappointment, 11.
_Constitution_, 128.
Cooke, Henry D., 243, 289.
Jay, 243.
Corcoran, Charles Morris, 168.
Gallery of Art, 171.
Harriett Louise, 168.
Mrs. James, 167.
Louise Morris, 168.
Thomas, 18, 87, 200, 213.
Thomas, Jr., 217.
Tommy, 297.
W. W., 106, 151, 163, 174, 182.
Cotton Manufactory, 19.
Cox, John, 123, 125, 135, 298.
Sally, 126.
Thomas, 142.
Thomas Campbell, 298.
Judge Walter, 135.
Coyle, Jennie, 217.
Cozens, Mrs., 32.
Crabb, Capt. Henry Wright, 10.
Craik, William, 288.
Crampton, Hon. John F., 289.
Crawford, Joseph, 83.
Crawford's Hotel, 82.
Crookshanks, Mr., 69.
Crossbasket, 14.
Curley, Rev. James, 117.
Curtis, 214.
School, 163.
Custis, George Washington Parke, 22, 267.
Mrs. John Parke, 60.
Martha Parke, 66, 262.
Mary, 267.
Dabney, John, 35.
Dall, Mrs., 276.
Darneilles, Philip, 270.
Davidson, Adeline, 230.
Eliza G., 239.
John, 104, 156, 192, 230.
Kate, 230.
Martha, 230.
Mary, 192.
Nannie, 230.
Aunt Peggy, 192.
Samuel, 10, 58, 281.
Davies, Cornelius, 26.
Davis, Dwight F., 252.
Jefferson, 99.
Joe, 279.
Davison, Hon. F. Trubee, 131.
Daw, Reuben, 250.
Dawson, Joshua, 83.
Deakins, Colonel, 15, 17, 51.
Francis, 206.
Tabitha Ann, 180.
William, 18.
William, Jr., 10, 47, 58.
Debtors' Prison, 37.
Decatur, Stephen, 157, 158.
Dent, Barbara, 142.
Edward Linthicum, 304.
Josiah, 304.
Place, 163.
Dick, Betsy, 148.
Lucinda, 146.
Margaret, 142.
Robert, 142.
Thomas, 142, 146.
Discovery, 11.
Digges, Thomas A., 63.
William Dudley, 63.
Dill, Sir John and Lady, 246.
Dinsmore and Francis, 35.
District of Columbia, 27.
Dodge, A. H., 242, 247.
Allen, 237.
Charles, 239, 282.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles, 272.
Ebenezer, 17, 234.
Elizabeth, 240.
Emily, 240.
F. & A. H., 242.
Francis, 17, 232, 242, 251.
Francis, Jr., 192, 237.
Col. Harrison Howell, 156, 234.
Henry H., 241.
Robert, 234.
Robert Perley, 251.
William, 237.
Donovan, General William. 288.
Dorsey, William Hammond, 50, 301, 302.
Dougal, William, 301.
Doughty, William, 74.
Doughty's, Capt., Company, 69.
Douglas, Hon. Lewis A., 131.
Dow, Lorenzo, 82.
Doyle, Alexander, 116.
Du Bose, Vice-Admiral Laurence, 141.
Duck Lane, 40.
Duclaviacq, J. B., 44.
Dumfries, Virginia, 15.
Dumbarton House, 252.
Dunlop, Arianna French, 146.
Elizabeth Peter, 106.
Helen, 268.
Henry, 166.
Capt. Henry, 127.
James, Jr., 15.
James, 15, 20, 67, 104, 146.
Mrs. James, 148.
Judge, 148, 183.
Dupont Circle, 156.
Duval, Gabriel, 253.
Eagle Iron Works, 70.
Tavern, 30.
Earle, George, 126.
Joseph, 18.
_Early Days of Washington_, 191, 291.
East Lane, 40.
Eaton, William, 35.
Ebenezer (church), 76.
Edes Home, 187.
Margaret, 19, 187.
"Elderslie," 306.
Eliason, John, 74.
Ellicott, Andrew, 61.
Elliot, Jonathan, 117.
Elliott, Richard, 83.
Elliston, Herbert, 287.
Elverson, Nelly, 305.
English, Miss Lydia, 183.
Epiphany School, 214.
Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 173.
Eustis, Hon. George, 169.
Mrs. William Corcoran, 252.
_Evening Star, The_, 275.
"Evermay," 281.
Club, The, 283.
Farmers' and Butchers' Market, 109.
"Federal House," 202.
_Federal Republican, The_, 91.
Federalists, 85.
Ferguson, Robert, 11.
Fierer, Charles & Co., 32.
Fifer Largo, 8.
Finley, Mrs. David E., 202.
Finney, Jimmy, 97.
Fisher, H. W., 107.
Fishing Lane, 40.
Fleeson, Doris, 208.
Fleete, Henry, 3.
Flournoy, Rev. Parke P., 219.
Forrest, Bladen, 108.
"Forrest Hill," 191.
Forrest Hall, 202.
Forrest, Stoddert, and Murdock, 16.
Forrest, Uriah, 16, 58, 93.
Forrestal, James E., 113.
Fort Duquesne, 13.
Fort McHenry, 101.
Foster, Sir Augustus, 45, 254.
Foundry Methodist Church, 74.
Fountain Inn, 30, 48.
Fowler, Colonel, 141, 216.
Foxall, Catherine, 76, 153.
Henry, 70, 153, 156.
Mary Ann, 76, 196.
Frankfurter, Justice, 191.
Franklin, Dr. (Benj.), 19.
Freeland, Agnes, 151.
Sarah Norfleet, 151.
Freeman, Dr. Douglas S., 204.
Fremont, General C., 185.
French, A., 81.
Colonel W. E. P., 155.
Frick Art Reference Library, 131.
Friendly, Alfred, 276.
"Friendship," 298.
Frizzle, Bull, 79.
Frogland, 11.
Fulton, Robert, 82.
Furvey, Rachel, 86.
Gadsby's Tavern, 26.
Gannt, John M., 18.
Clare, 130.
Gantt, John M., 81, 160.
Garden Club, Georgetown, 72.
Garden Clubs of America, 72.
Gardette, Mr., 32.
Gardiner, Miss Jennie, 219.
George Town Academy, 36, 46.
_George Town Weekly Ledger, The_, 23.
George Town Wool, 19.
George Washington University, 172.
"Georgetown," 204.
Georgetown College, 70, 116, 165.
Georgetown College and Convent, 17.
Germantown, Battle of, 16.
Getty, Hetty, 97.
Gillespie, James, 206.
Glee Club, Georgetown, 101.
Glyn, Elinor, 220.
Godeys, 214.
Gordon, Elizabeth Dodge, 248.
George, 9, 10, 11.
J. Holdsworth, 246.
Josephine, 248.
Margaret R., 248.
William A.. 127, 135, 161, 180.
William A., Jr., 246, 248.
Gordon's Inspection House, 87.
Govan, Archibald, 22.
Grace Church, 66.
Graham, Philip, 288.
Grant, General, 209.
Lewis, 281.
Grayson, Admiral and Mrs. Cary T., 256.
Greeley, General Adolphus, 210.
Green, Alice, 98.
George, 93.
Hill, 63.
Pyle, 245.
Mrs. Zola, 245.
Greenleaf, James, 58.
"Greenwood," 137.
Greenway, Mrs. Isabella, 220.
Grinnell Arctic Expedition, 177.
Grosvenor, Mrs. Gilbert, 119.
Gunston Hall, 214.
"Halcyon House," 109.
Hall, Mrs. Basil. 157.
Halleck, Gen. H. W., 295.
Hamilton, Alexander, 279.
Thomas, 28.
Hanewinckel, William Frederick, 224.
Hanson, Alexander Contee, 91.
Harkness, Richard, 191.
"Harlem," 90.
_Harper's Magazine_, 204.
Harrison, Thomas, 160.
Virginia, 160.
Harrover, Miss, 185.
Harry, Harriot Eliza, 271.
Harward, Ann, 76.
Haw, John Stoddert, 160, 213.
Lucinda Stoddert, 215.
"Hayes," 105.
Haynes, Aaron, 45.
Hazel's Stable, 209.
Hedges, Nicholas, 182.
Heiberg, Colonel and Mrs., 201.
Heighe, Glorvina, 135.
"Heights, The," 299.
Hein, Charles, 133.
Col. O. L., 133.
Samuel, 132.
Henderson, Thomas, 213.
Henry Brand & Co., 35.
Herr, Abraham H., 202, 276.
Austin, 276.
Herring Hill, 180.
Heugh, Andrew, 10, 15.
"Highlands, The," 256.
Hight, Mrs., 109.
Hill, Louis, 273.
Hinckley, Howard, 257.
Hines, Christian, 27.
Hoban, James, 38.
Hobbs, Miss, 159.
Hollerith, Hermann, 286.
Hollingsworth, Col., 224.
Holmead, Anthony, 58.
Holy Hill, 131.
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 116.
Home for the Blind, 291.
Hood, Admiral Sir Samuel, 90.
Hope, Eleanor, 227.
Hopkins, Diana, 130.
Harry, 130.
Mrs. Mary, 121.
Rev. Matthew, 121.
Howard, Governor, 56.
Nathaniel, 172.
Hubbard, Roberta, 120.
Hull, Captain Isaac, 128.
Prince, 45.
Humboldt, Baron, 169.
Humbolt, 82.
Hume, Thomas L., 209.
Hunter, William, 130.
Hyde, Anthony, 182.
Granville, 182.
Thomas, 183, 252.
Ihlder, Mr. and Mrs. John, 250.
_Impartial Observer and Washington Advertiser_, 47.
Independence, Declaration of, 70.
Indians, 4.
Nacotchankes, 4.
Anacostians, 4.
Industrial Home School, 9.
International Business Machines Corporation, 286.
Iran, Shah of, 113.
Irving, Washington, 82.
Islands, 65.
Analostan, 65.
Mason's, 65.
My Lord's, 65.
Barbadoes, 65.
Iturbide, Prince, 98.
Jackson, Andrew, 78, 92, 183.
Samuel, 253.
James, Reverend Mr., 200.
Jancerez, A. L., 35.
Jefferson, Thomas, 4, 58, 70, 199, 254.
_Jersey_, 90.
John Glassford & Company, 14.
Johns, Margaret, 224.
Captain Richard, 35.
Sarah, 289.
Thomas, 18.
Johnson, Andrew, 183.
Thomas, 58, 59.
Thomas, Jr., 18.
Joiner, Robert, 42.
Jones, John, 44.
Joseph Semmes's Tavern, 31.
Josepha, Anna Maria, 254.
Joyce, Col. John J., 295.
Kearns, Francis, 30.
Keith, James, 129.
Rev. Ruel, 213.
Kennon, Mrs. Beverley, 106, 204, 261.
Mrs. Britannia W., 265.
Martha, 154.
Martha Custis, 266.
Key, Francis Scott, 99, 208, 213.
Philip Barton, 18, 31, 95, 200, 208.
Keys, The, 40.
Kilty, Hon. Mr., 56.
King, William, 18, 31, 87.
Kings Arms, 25.
Kirk, Alexander, 298.
S. and Sons, 35.
Thomas, 34.
Kirk's School, 163.
Knave's Disappointment, 11.
Knox, Mrs. McCook, 131.
Lacy, Benjamin, 30.
Lafayette, General, 144.
Laird, Helen, 146.
John, 17, 87, 144, 146.
Peggy, 148.
William, 268.
Mrs. William, 127.
William, Jr., 146.
Lancaster, Joseph, 212.
Lancastrian School, 136.
Langfitt, Colonel, 258.
Lanman, Charles, 239, 241.
_Lawrence, The_, 72.
Laws, Sunday, 76.
League of American Pen Women, 115.
Leakin, Rev. George, 143.
Lear's Wharf, 83.
Lee, General Charles, 253.
Charlotte, 215.
General Henry, 91.
Mrs. Henry, 204.
Margaret, 215.
Richard Bland, 53.
_R. E._, 204.
General Robert E., 172, 267.
Thomas Sim, 85, 297.
Lemon, Hannah, 87.
L'Enfant, 51.
Lewis, Fulton, Jr., 279.
Mr. and Mrs. Fulton, 279.
Sir Wilmott, 115.
Leyhman, Christopher, 86.
Liancourt, Duc de la Rochefoucault, 16.
Libbey, Joseph H., 218.
Martha, 218.
Liberia, 103.
Liberty League, 201.
Light-Lane, 48.
Lincoln, Abraham, 149, 155.
Robert Todd, 149.
Lingan, James Maccubbin, 17, 52, 58, 89, 306.
Nicholas, 19, 232.
Robert, 58.
Linthicum, Edward M., 107, 161, 303.
Institute, 163.
Kate, 163.
Lippincott, Mrs. Hare, 160.
Lippman, Walter, 119.
Lipscomb's School, Miss, 155.
Little Old Stone House, The, 61.
Little Falls, The, 40.
Lockwood, Gen. Henry Hayes, 247.
James, 247.
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 210.
Longfont, Major, 55.
Lord Baltimore, 5.
Lottery, 46.
Louise Home, 171, 269.
Loundes, Christopher, 109.
Francis, 17.
Rebecca, 109.
Lovering, William, 38.
Lover's Lane, 304.
Lowndes, Francis, 261.
Lower Marlboro, 67.
Lutz, John, 74, 106.
Lynch, Dominick, 58.
Lynn, David, 10, 301.
Jane, 301.
Rosetta, 301.
Lyon's Mill, 19.
Macaulay, Mrs. Edward, 113.
Mackall, Benjamin, 112, 200, 284, 298.
Christiana Beall, 271.
Christiana, 284.
Leonard, 74, 112, 284, 298.
Louis, 284.
Dr. Louis, 181.
Dr. and Mrs. Louis, 191.
Sally Somervell, 291.
Madison, Dolly, 30, 254, 308.
James, 30, 254.
Magruder, Dr. Hezekiah, 18, 202.
James A., 213.
Mrs. James A., 217.
Samuel III, 10.
"Mamre," 69.
Marbury, Eleanor, 289.
John, 97, 141, 167.
John, Jr., 299.
William, 95, 279.
Marburys, 130.
March, John, 35.
Marche, Madame de la, 36.
Mary de la, 119.
Marlowe, Julia, 287.
Morsell, Judge, 157.
Marshall, John, 95.
Martineau, Mr., 112.
Mary Margaret Home, 217.
Maryland Agricultural College, 172.
_Maryland Gazette_, 24, 25, 26, 46.
_Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, The_, 55.
Mason, Mrs. Beverley Randolph, 214.
Emily V., 250.
James, 171.
John, 50, 65, 69, 92, 200.
John Thompson, 115.
Robert, 7.
Matthews, Henry Cooksey, 215.
Maximilian, Emperor, 98.
McCartney, Mrs., 196.
McCleery, Harry, 208.
McCormick, Mrs. Ruth Hannah, 252.
McCoy, Mrs. Frank R., 273.
McCraith, Richard, 243.
McDermott, Maria, 119.
McDonald (Alexander, Mary), 42.
Andrew, 32.
McGrath's Company, 43.
McIlvaine, Rev. Charles, 215.
McKenney, Henrietta, 196.
Samuel, 74, 196, 212.
Summerfield, 275.
McLaughlin, Charles, 30.
McLean, Mrs. Evalyn Walsh, 298.
McPherson, John D., 283.
McVean, Dr. James, 216.
Rev. James, 6, 181.
Margaret, 181, 286.
Melvin, James, 83.
_Memories of Long Ago_, 133.
_Merrimac_, 136.
Merry, Anthony, 82.
Methodist Church, 161.
Methodist Episcopal Church, 197.
Meyer, Hon. and Mrs. Balthasar, 208.
Sylvia, 208.
"Middlebrook," 90.
Middleton, Miss, 143.
_Mikado_, 108.
Military Academy, 63.
Miller, Benjamin F., 251.
Mrs. Benjamin, 218.
Hezekiah, 143.
Mitchell, Miss Kate, 303.
Maffitt, John, 83.
Monroe, James, 92, 254.
Monrovia, 103.
"Montrose," 300.
Moore, Clement, 213.
Frederick L., 279.
Morris, Anthony, 254.
Commodore Charles, 128.
Gouveneur, 196.
Louise, 167.
Mrs., 113.
Rebecca, 254.
Robert, 58, 70, 196.
Morrow, Hon. Dwight, 288.
Morsell, Judge, 219.
Morton, William, 213.
"Mount Airy," 137.
"Mount Alban," 254.
Mount Alto Hospital, 23.
Mount Vernon, 51, 173.
Mount Zion Methodist, 179.
Mountz, John, 85.
Murdock, John, 10, 17.
William, 17, 52.
_Museum, The_, 33.
Myers, John, 213.
Napier, Lord and Lady, 169.
National Gallery of Art, 160, 202.
Naval Agent, 37.
Observatory, U. S., 134.
Neale, Rev. Francis, 116, 118.
Needham, John, 10.
Newbold, John L., 258.
Lydia, 257, 258.
New Orleans, Battle of, 93.
Nicholson, Commodore, 245.
John, 58.
Nicolls, William, 224.
"Normanstone," 305.
Norwood, Dr. William, 213.
Nourse, Major Charles, 254.
Major Charles Joseph, 136.
Elizabeth, 136.
Miss Emily, 106, 247.
Joseph, 83, 247, 253.
Miss Mary, 267.
Miss Rosa, 267.
"Oak Hill," 83, 189.
Cemetery, 167.
"Oak View," 95, 269.
"Oaks, The," 161, 300.
Odell, Thomas, 24.
Oden, Benjamin, 58.
Oeller's Hotel, 63.
Oertel, Reverend Mr., 200.
_Old Houses in Georgetown Heights_, 161.
"Old White," 172.
Old Yarrow, 206.
Olney Institute, 219.
O'Neal, John Carter, 289.
O'Neale, Peggy, 308.
O'Neill, Bernard, 10.
Order of Poor Clares, 118.
Orme, James, 83.
John, 25, 26.
Rev. John, 26, 288.
Lucy, 26.
William B., 283.
Otie, Bishop James Hervey, 273.
Oueston family, 137.
Oulahan, Richard V., 218.
Ould, Mattie, 130.
Judge Robert, 130.
Owens, Isaac, 74.
Pairo, family, 112.
Pancost, Wm., 38.
Parrott, Mrs. Jane. 68.
Richard, 305.
Parrott's Mill, 19.
Patrenotre, Monsieur, 305.
"Patmos," 69.
Patton, Mrs. James D., 217.
Payne, John Howard, 91, 308.
Peabody Educational Fund, 177.
Peabody, George, 151, 174.
Pearson, Drew, 180.
Peirce, Edward, 58.
James, 58.
Pendleton, Mr., 270.
Dr. William, 172.
Perrie, James, 10.
Perry, Commodore, 72.
Perthshire, 13.
Peter, Alexander, 153.
America, 264.
Ann Thomas Beall, 288.
Armistead, 153.
Armistead, Jr., 261.
Dr. Armistead, 140, 186, 266.
Britannia, 264.
Columbia, 264.
David, 289, 302.
Mrs. David, 289.
Elizabeth, 67.
Major George, 150, 151, 153, 175, 266.
George Washington, 306.
Jane, 302.
John, 10, 50, 83, 86, 142.
Margaret, 142.
Robert, 10, 14, 47, 58, 66, 87, 105.
Mrs. Robert, 80, 142.
Sallie, 149.
Thomas, 64, 262, 306.
Mrs. Thomas, 64, 266, 275.
Walter G., 265.
Peter's Grove, 289.
Square, 66.
_Philadelphia_, 128.
Philip, Henry, 156.
Philippe, Louis, 65, 82.
Phillips, E., 34.
Pichon, Monsieur, 69.
Pick, Mrs., 81.
Pickrell, Annie Graham, 209.
John, 213.
Pinckney, William, 173.
Piney Branch, 5.
Pious Ladies, The, 119.
Pitt, George, 30.
Plater, Ann, 151.
Rebecca, 93.
Thomas, 90, 200.
Podestad, Marquis de, 219.
Pollock, Isaac, 253.
Pompean Hall, 29.
Poore, Ben Perley, 239, 240.
Post, Dr., 144.
Potomac Fire Engine Co., 37.
Fire Insurance Company, 104.
Powell, Genevieve, 273.
John Wesley, 272.
Presbyterian Church, 275.
Sabbath School, 182.
President's House, 38.
"Pretty Prospect," 11, 109.
Prince Georges County, Md., 9.
_Princeton_, 275.
Prospect Cottage, 115.
"Prospect House," 113.
Prout, William, 58.
"Quality Hill," 115.
Radford, Admiral, 245.
Sophy, 245.
Randolph, John, 82.
Read, Isabella, 144.
Jane, 144.
_Red Devil, The_, 99.
Redin, Catherine, 155.
Richard Wright, 153.
William, 153.
Reed, Dr. Walter, 245.
"Red Top," 269.
Reintzel, Daniel, 11.
Reverend Addison Belt's School, 163.
Richardson, Thomas, 10, 18, 52.
Ridgely, Anna Key, 128.
Elizabeth, 123.
Riggs, Bank, 26, 104.
Elisha, 165, 175.
George W., 165.
Riley, Marianna, 141.
"Riley's, Dr.," 140.
Ritchie, Dr. Lewis, 131.
Mary, 208.
Rittenhouse, Fannie, 252.
Loulie, 258.
Robbins, Warren Delano, 252.
Roberdeau, Mr. 61.
Roberts, Owen J., 210, 214.
Robertson, Thomas, 160.
Robinson, Margaret, 298.
William, 297.
Roche, Captain de la, 189.
Rochefoucault, Madame de la, 119.
Rock Creek, 158, 179.
Rock of Dumbarton, 11.
Rogers, Mr., 34.
Dr. William Barton, 144.
Rolling Houses, 10.
Roman Church, The, 116.
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 130.
Mrs. Henry Latrobe, 246.
James, 205.
Theodore Memorial Association, 66.
"Rosedale," 93.
Ross, Andrew, 83.
"Royal George," 82.
Sailor's Oak, 23.
Sailor's Tavern, The, 30.
Saint Frances of Assisi, 118.
Saint John's Church, 115, 135.
Sayrs, Rev. Mr., 199.
St. John's Episcopal Church, 199.
_Salem_, 29.
Sands, Comfort, 58.
Admiral James Hogan, 202.
William Franklin, 202.
Sartiges, Count de, 289.
Second U. S. Regiment, 202.
Seminary, Miss English's, 97.
Seminary, The, 183.
Semmes, Cora, 129.
_Sentinel of Liberty, The_, 33, 48.
Sevier, Mr. and Mrs. John, 226.
Schladt's, Joe, 107.
Schoofield, Jacob, 34, 81.
School for Young Ladies, 34.
Schultz, Mr., 35.
Scotch Row, 69.
Scott, Arianna, 80.
Captain Douglas, 202.
Elizabeth, 66.
George, 66.
Gustavus, 19.
Winfield, 287.
Shaffer, Amy, 129.
Sharpe, Louise, 119.
Shepherd, Alexander, 191.
Ships--
_Potomack Planter_, 22.
_Brothers_, 22.
_Betsy_, 22.
_Ritson_, 22.
_Felicity_, 22.
_Lydia_, 22.
_Columbia_, 22.
Shouse, Jouett, 201.
"Sign of the Golden Fan," 35.
Sign of the Indian King, 31.
Sigsbee, Admiral, 250.
Simms, Mrs. Albert, 252.
Captain Charles Carroll, 136.
Simpson, Ignatius, 27.
James Alexander, 132, 206.
John, 132.
Reverend, Mr., 220.
Slidell, Hon. John, 170.
Smith, Barbara, 86.
Clement, 97, 125, 213, 299, 305.
Gurdon B., 168.
James, 9, 130.
Captain John, 3.
Jennie, 224.
Margaret, 76, 224.
Matilda, 125, 299.
Roberta, 224.
Smoot, John D., 155.
Snyder, Dr. Arthur, 138.
Dr. John M., 137.
"Sotterley," 93.
Sothern, E. H., 287.
Southworth, Mrs. E. D. E. N., 115.
"Sporting Parson," 106.
Sprague, Kate Chase, 244.
"Spring Hill," 71.
Stanton, Edwin M., 308.
"Star and Garter," 177.
_Star-Spangled Banner, The_, 101.
Steele, Franklin, 113.
Frank, 275.
Stephenson, Lucy, 135.
Steuben, General von, 60.
Stevens, George, 31, 32.
Oscar, 143.
Steuart, Adam, 10, 18.
Stewart, William, 200.
Stoddert, Benjamin, 10, 16, 47, 58, 112, 307.
Captain Thomas, 16.
Stohlman, Frederick, 108.
J. William, 108.
Stohlman's, 108.
Stone House, 86.
Stone, John H., 58.
Stouffer, Henry, 47.
Strange, Michael, 207.
Stuart, Albert Rhett, 214, 216.
David, 56, 59.
Gilbert, 44, 159.
Joshua, 182.
Col. Philip, 307.
Sumner, Charles, 163.
_Surprise_, 77.
Suter, John, 27, 28.
John, Jr., 86.
"Swallow Barn, The," 200.
Symonds, Misses, 120.
Tabor, Alice, 119.
Taft, Senator Robert A., 280.
Talcott, E. M., 206.
Miss Lucia, 286.
Talleyrand, 82.
Tavern, Union, 81.
Tayloe, Annie, 138.
Jane, 302.
John, 89, 302.
Sophie, 138.
Temple of Islam, 179.
Templeman, John, 111.
Tenally Town, 257.
Tennally, John, 31.
Tenney, William H., 214, 220.
Tenneys, Miss, 214.
Terrace Top, 287.
Thaw, Blair, 130.
Thomas, Edward, 47.
Gen. George C., 219.
Thompson, Charles, 51.
George, 83, 93.
Thomson, Elizabeth, 234.
Thornton, William, 31.
Mrs. William, 30.
Dr. William, 89, 263.
Threlkeld, Elizabeth, 123.
Henry, 17, 121.
Jane, 125, 299.
John, 63, 123.
Tillinghast, Rev. N. P., 239.
Timberlake, Mr., 308.
_Times and Potowmack Packet_, 28, 45, 46, 51.
Toby, Lemuel, 22.
Tohoga, 4.
Tudor Place, 89, 154, 261.
"Tunlaw," 209.
Tschuda, Ume, 241.
Turner, Nancy Byrd, 36.
Turner's Counting House, 44.
Tyler, Dr. Grafton, 149, 187.
Mittie, 182.
Dr. Walter Bowie, 189.
_Undiplomatic Memories_, 202.
Union Bank, 87, 108.
Hotel, 77.
Tavern, 29, 64.
United States Bank, 183.
Upper Marlboro, 26.
Vanderwerken, Mr., 85.
Van Devanter, Christopher, 202.
Sally, 202.
Van Nell, John P., 58.
Van Ness, Marcia Burns, 308.
Victoria, Queen, 177.
_Vigilant, The_, 36.
Villard, R. H. L., 35.
"Vineyard, The," 134.
"Virginia Dons," 15.
_Gazette, The_, 18.
Military Institute, 172.
Visitation Convent, 118.
Volney, Count, 82.
Volta Place, 206.
Speech Association, 121.
Wadsworth, Hon. James J., 131.
Waggaman, Thomas E., 201.
Walker, George, 15, 58.
Mr. and Mrs. John, 160.
Wapping, 40.
War Department, 170.
Warburton Manor, 63.
Ward, Ulysses, 213.
"Warehouse Lot," 87.
Warren, Mr., 93.
Washington Cathedral, 68.
City Orphan Asylum, 170.
Eleanor Ann, 287.
_Federalist, The_, 30.
George, 12, 15, 28, 51, 58.
George Corbin, 287.
John Augustine, 287.
Washington and Lee University, 172.
Washington, Lewis, 287.
"Washington Merry-Go-Round," 180.
Walters, William, 74.
Weaver's, Admiral House, 156.
Webster, Daniel, 169, 174.
_Weekly Ledger, The_, 33.
Weems, Doctor, 18.
Welsh, James, 35.
West, Mrs. Frank, 299.
West Washington School for Girls, 215.
Western Channel, 22.
Western High School, 126.
"Weston," 257.
Whann, David, 89.
Jane Maffitt, 181.
William, 83.
Wheatleys, 130.
Wheeler, Elizabeth, 58.
Whiskey Insurrectionists, 150.
Whitall, Samuel, 257.
Sarah, 257.
White House, 39.
White, Jane, 31.
White Sulphur, 177.
White's Tavern, Mrs., 44.
Wigglesworth, Hon. Richard B., 131.
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, 295.
Wiley, Dr. David, 83, 181, 216.
Rev. David, 34.
Wilkinson, General, 150.
Theodore, 141.
Willard Hotel, 277.
William and Mary College, 172.
William of Orange, Prince, 13.
Williams, Alec, 140.
Brooke, 291.
Brooke, Jr., 275.
Mrs. Brooke, Sr., 274
Elisha O., 160.
Mrs. Elisha O., 270, 289.
Harriot Beall, 144, 202, 274, 291.
Jeremiah, 191.
Gen. Otho Holland, 52, 219.
Mrs. Rebecca, 291.
Dr. Walter, 216.
Capt. William G., 263.
Williamson, Rev. Alexander, 105.
Mrs., 156.
Wilson, William, 87.
Winant, John G., 205.
Winslow, Mary, 274.
Wirt, William, 34, 81.
Wise, John, 26.
Wood, Admiral and Mrs. Spencer, 160.
"Woodlawn," 89.
"Woodley," 95.
Woods, Marian, 156.
"Woodyard," 9.
Worthington, Dr. Charles, 115, 200, 298.
Mr. and Mrs. John, 156.
Lilah, 156.
Nicholas, 115.
Yellow Tavern, 205.
Young, Abraham, 58.
Notley, 58.
William, 58.
Zeller, Mary, 217.
Transcriber's Notes.
The copyright clearance of this work has been researched and no
indications were found that the U.S. copyright was renewed.
Punctuation has been normalised, and hyphenation of words outside quoted
material has been made consistent, without comment here.
Due to the large number of variant spellings in the material quoted in
this work, the following possible typographic errors in quoted material
have not been corrected:
Page ix: "trnsubstantiation."
Page 20: "American indenpendence."
Page 30: "June 31, 1800."
Page 38: "George Town, where he palns to."
Page 38: "Carpenter, can by the asistance."
Page 49: "number of dogs in Gerogetown."
Page 133: "a freqeunt visitor."
Page 158: "Rensselear."
Page 282: "admit mere curisoity."
Page 283: "blissful comsummation."
Page 292: "The mariage ceremony."
On Page 7 "at the the feast of the Annunciacion" was corrected to "at
the feast of the Annunciacion."
The following typographic errors outside quoted materials have been
corrected:
Page 32: "Paquet" to "Packet," and on Page 32 and Page 51:
"Potomack" to "Potowmack," to match other instances of the name of
the "_Times and Potowmack Packet_."
Page 67: "Garnirke" to "Garnkirke."
Page 74: "Samuel McKenny" to "Samuel McKenney."
Page 109: "vari-clored" to "vari-colored"
Page 127: "Mr. and Mrs. Willliam Laird" to "Mr. and Mrs. William
Laird."
Page 129: "many other in this part" to "many others in this part."
Page 157: "Artistocratic" to "Aristocratic," per Bibliography.
Page 172: "the Greenbiar" to "the Greenbriar."
Page 174: "ninety strokes as cariage" to "ninety strokes as
carriage."
Page 175: "Encyclopedia" to "Encyclopædia," to match other references
to "_The Encyclopædia Britannica_."
Page 280: "Lincoln's assasination" to "Lincoln's assassination."
Page 313: "Beavoir School" to "Beauvoir School"
Page 320: "Queston family" to "Oueston family."
Page 314: "Burres, David" to "Burnes, David" and "Calton, Joseph" to
"Carlton, Joseph."
Page 317: "Hallerith, Hermann" to "Hollerith, Hermann."
Page 318: Indentation of Index entry for "Keith, Rev. Ruel,"
corrected.
Page 319 "Marsell, Judge" to "Morsell, Judge" and "McCloy, Mrs.
Frank R." to "McCoy, Mrs. Frank R."
Page 321: "Phillyss, E." to "Phillips, E."
Page 322: "Soyrs, Rev. Mr." to "Sayrs, Rev. Mr."
Page 323: "Thomsen, Elizabeth" to "Thomson, Elizabeth."
The Index has been re-ordered after correction so that entries are in
alphabetical order.
Further it is noted that:
On Page 288, in "to live one another" one or more words is missing.
There is variation in the spelling of "Tenally Town", which is also
given as "Tennally Town" on Page 31, where the name is related to
that of its founder John Tennally. Both spellings appear to have
been in common usage.
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