National Republican., 1873-09-30
THE OLDEST INHABITANTS
WASHINGTON IN THE OLDBY TINES
intetcsiInE "reminiscences - The Rariy
Days or the Capitni-The First Tavern
In the city-Thc First Military Company


inihe city-Thc First Military Company
Who Composed it--scttiins tho Town.
The following Is taken from now volume
OF seven hundred and fifty pagcs, entitled
Washington, Outside and inside" which
has Just been written by Mr.. George A.
Townsend, and published by James Belt 4;
Co., Of Hartford and Chicago;
A CHAT WITH TUE OLDEST INHAprTAST.
To talk with man clgbty-nine years Of
age who has passed all his life on the spot,
and has good memory Of all the incidents
respecting II, Is In itself instructive. II your
acquaintance should chance to have passed
all his life on the site Of the capital city, and
T. able to recollect distinctly events between
lIT and 1873, you will converse with him
WIN perhaps greater satisfaction than with
the Oldest deniLcn OF any other town In
America, because his experience will span
tho entire personal life Of the nation.
Ihore are In Washington several old men
who recollect Gen. Washington. One Of
them Is Noble Hurdle, OF Georgetown, living
at NO. 1T6 High street, who Is said to be
ninoty-six years old, aud to have q grand
child past forty. Another, Christian Hines,
went to see few days ago, who was eighty
nine years Of age, and was an object Of
curiosity for relic-huntcrs and people who
wish to ask questions on old sites and points
OF Interest. AT the age Of eighty-two, he
published at his own expense, pamphlet Of
,iinety-slN pages, entitled early Recollec-
tons OF Washington City," but he was In
very straiiened circumstances. and the little
book was not rcmuneratlve, so that much
which he might have committed to print was
allowed TO go to waste. He had q clear ar
prehenslon, however, that, In his remarka-
BILE old age and keen memory, Providence
had left him some dignity worth living for,
In being OF use TO the future historians OF
the city. This consciousness llghtened up his
face, and seemed to give increased tenaclty
20 his memory, for he would sometimes make
strong desire Of giving help TO literary folks,
by which results were obtained as satisfac-
tory TO himself as to his hearers.
visit. One clustering Sunday ! sought
the old mans tenement, on Twentieth street,
between ii street aud Pcnnsylyania avenue.
It was the last piece Of property which lie re-
tained out OF a largo portion Of the block
which had belonged to bis family, and here
he had attended to an old furniture and Junk
store as long as he was able to get about, but
had finally been driven by rheumatism and
Increasing infrmiiies to the upper story,
where he resided In q lonely way with his
niece, who was very deaf, and who shared
the solitude and gayo him some little help.
The lower portion Of the store was filled with
= fuuiht tub sun, anu tue
loft where the old man lived consisted Of
three rooms, without carpets or plaster, two
o. which were forward OF partition which
divided the loft crosswlse, and In one of these
forward rooms Mr.. Hines slept, and In the
other had his frugal meal cooked. He lived
almost wholly upon his pension Of q few
dollars aquarter, received from the Govern
ment for Ills services In the war Of 1919, which
he entered as private, and became lleuten-
ant at the time Of the Battle Of Bladcnsbnrg, in
which ho was engaged. In the same com
pany appeared the names Of the Bcalls, Mil
lers, Mllburns, Shepherds, Goldsboroughs,
and many other families well known In WASH
ingtop.
Christian Hines was a iine looking old man.
and, old as he was, there was another brother,
aged ninety three, resident In Washington,
who, he said, was In much better health and
memory than himself. This brother lived on
Eleventh street near 5. There were thirteen
children In the family, whose common father
had been an omigrant from Germany to
Pennsylvania, and, by his partial knowledge
OF the English language, was recommended
TO an emigrant captain as a proper person to
procure vessel load OF people 10 come out
OF Maryland. With these emigranls, the
elder Hines settled In Montgomery county,
Nd, about thirty years before the Reyolu-
tion. He was, therefore, In Montgomery
county when Braddock's army marched
through II from Georgetown to Frederick.
Christian Hines was brought up In George
town, which he describes as pretty much Of
a mud-hole' before the Capitol was built on
the other side of Rock creek.
His first recollection Is that OF going TO sec
the Presidents House, which was then lust
rising above the basement story. lie recol-
lects that some cakes were bought for the
children at q bake-house kept. In q small
frame building, which relied for custom upon
tlu llbDfpfa WIN hnilIinav sha Witt.
House.
At fourteen years Of age he was put In
clothing store, which Georgetown merchant
established At Greenleaf's Point, and Of this
episode ho gives q very complete account.
lie passed but ono house from Georgetown
and the Presidents, except two-wcll-known
blocks called the Six and Seven Buildings.
The road led by Y street to Eleventh, and
thence across to the Island. There was not
single house on the Avenue from the Prcsi-
dents TO the Capitol. Many acres OF elegant
forest trees bordered the Avenue on what IA
now the promenade side. An insecure cross
way crossed Tiber creek, with berries grow
Ing In the marsh close to tho bridge, and the
old man remembered the sweetness of those
berries more than any Of tho prospects
which might have been supposed to touch
his imagination In the Government town.
Across the bridge he plunged into the woods,
and then, emerging, he saw that vast plain
OF old fields cntended to the river, with few
OF the fruit trees OF old farms standing up at
places In 1t; and there were no houses In all
the view, except some speculative ediaces
called the Twenty Buildings" an old man
sion, and some farmers shanties, already
condemned. ....-
Settling the town. The store being fall
ure, young Hines went to school, next door
to the house Of the Rev. Stephen Balch, In
Gcorgstown,, until l79S, At this time busl-
ness got to be relatively brisk In Washing
ton, and many strangers moved In. SOME
settled at the Navy Yard, few about the
Capitol, but the most about the Treasury
Onice, and along Y street, beyond the
Treasury, as far as st. Patricks church.
The F-strcet neighborhood got the most
settlers, and to anticipate the removal
OF the Government from Philadelphia, Mr..
Hines father. and his intimate friends In
Gcorgetown, held meeting and selected q
spot Tor their future residences In Washing
ton. They then removed from their large
two-story log house and frame attachment
and squatted near the Observatory. They
had difficulties In getting water, as there
were but few ,pumps. A part Of ihe family
began TO work cutting timber in the white
ington To build tho navy yard wharf. The
roads were wretched, and the boys had TO
haul the chips from the spot where the tim
Der was cut to their distant house. Mr.. Hines
remembers with perfect distinctness the yes-
sells discharglng furniture, &c, for the Gov
ernment edlaccs at Lear's wharf, on Tiber
creek, and carts were SO scarce that his
fathers was impressed to remove boxes of
books, papers, &c. He remembers that many
OF tho boxes were marked "Joseph Nourse,
register" At this time Mr.. Hines remembers
the north wing of the Capitol Just rising out
OF the ground, and the Presidents House half
u story high, and the only place between,
with anything like the appearance of o vii |
lage, was middle II street.
Where the General Post 0ffice stands there |
were few laborers' shantles huddled around |
q great bulk Of hotel, called Blodgett's. |
There was no street opened across the city. |
Where Washington's statue now stands, at |
"Ihe Circle, was the place for cock-nghts |
and scrub races, where the laborers working |
on the public buildings used to have sbillela6 |
lights with The idlers OF Georgetown. At the |
election between Jefferson and Adams, held |
at snter's tavern, Georgetown, there was |
good deal Of fighting and disputlng ln the
rain and mud, and Lieutenant Peter, son OF |
Robert Peter, who was q lieutenant in the |
regular army, and connection of Washing |
ton, set one OF his men to fighting with q |
Georgetown rough, by which the wounded |
soldier was made blind by the other man |
smcaring his eyes with mud, and Mr.. Hines |
remembers him led about the streets of |
Georgetown by q boy for years.
There were no druggists stores In the city, |
aud but few groceries, aud coarse country |
fair was kept up on the present Smithsonian |
grounds. The first tavern In the city was
liptz'a In nm all twn. .atnrv framo has,.oo..