Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-04-25

with his opinion of the navigabe facilities of
be had to the western country which would
provide an abundant market for the produc-
city was to be not only the capital of the nation,
but great emporium of commerce.
,;o me teSo ashihgton was examining TINS Ioca-
was accustomed to ride on horseback from his
farm in Mount Vernon to Georgetown. crossing
over from the Virginia shore by @ bridge which
was few years after replaced by a causeway to
Masons, now Analostan Island. He took there
a ferry boat, which piled from that point to
Geddes' landing, at the junction of Water and
Market streets, or Duck lane While in George
town he made his headquarters at Suffers hotel,
Bridge street, and there he met L'Enfant and
others, and consulted in regard to the location
and laying out of the new city.
THE SPECTATORS WATCH WASHINGTON.
The bill authorizing the selection of site be-
| came a law in July, 1870, and between that
time and the following January, when the
President by proclamation announced his de-
cision, tradition has it that his movements were
of great interest to number of enterprising
people of that day, and it is said that when he
rode over the present site, in company with
Major fEnfant, he was considerably harassed
by the questions and inquiries which were put
to him by the anxious land owners, as well as
the spectators, who were determined to be on
ane ihe time az the import
the curious ones very long in ignorance, and on
the oath of January, 1871, he issued a proela-
nation declaring that lines should be RIM from
Hunting creek, which is just below Alexandria,
at Jones Point, which should constitute the
boundaries of the ten.mile square. AS the
lines thus run included land south of the East
ern Branch, an amendatory act was passed by
Congress to authorize this extension of the ten
mile square. The first stone to mark the boun-
dairy of the District was set at Jones' Point, the
uppermost cape OF Hunting creek, on the 18th
of April, 1871, in the presence Of large con-
LIVELY TIMES IN THE NEW CITY.
The selection of a site for the new capital city
was only the initial step in the great work
| which Congress had imposed upon the Presi-
dent. plan for the city had to be chosen: an
agreement entered into with the land owners
to secure the possession to the government of
the ground; and it was required that the neces-
sary buildings should be erected for the use of
and the President by the year 1900. Washing
ton acted eXpeditiously, as may be seen by the
ton of the city was passed in July, 100; in the
| following January the selection of the site was
announced; in March an agreement en-
| the cornerstone of the District was laid and by
| the summer l. Eniant had prepared his map of
the plan Of the city, locating the public build
| ings and laying off the streets and the avenues
with the reservations as they now exist, with
but few changes. The first public sale of lots
| the Presidents house was begun, and in a few
months afterwards buildings for the Treasury
and War departments to the west and east of
the White House were started and the
cornerstone of the capital was laid.
The tobacco plantations lying within the
lines of the District presented a strange APP
pearance in those early years, and the selling of
lots and the erection of public and private
buildings transformed the quiet Of the country
into the hustle and activity that characteriZes
the haunts of men. The law authorizing the
| establishment OF capital city provided for the
should define the bounds OF the District and ar
range for the purchase of the land These COM
mlssioners were appointed, and with Gen.
Washington, met many OF the property owners
at Suffers tavern, in Georgetown, where an
agreement was entered into by which the
to fb to Messs Bea and
the limits of the city, to be divided equally be-
tween the owners and the government, with
the exception of the land to be used for public
reservations and streets, which the owners do
mated to the government. When, however the
| 1ngs or other public improvements the owners
were to be compensated for the same at the
| rate of $66.66 per acre. Under this arrange
| ment the city site was plotted and laid out and
divided between the government and the in
dividual owners and hence it is that all titles to
property In the city begin In the commissioners.
THE ACTIVE REAL ESTATE SPECTATORS,
In this division 10, 1856 lots fell to the share of
| the government in addition to such sites as
were selected for public buildings and other
| public purposes. The occupants were allowed
| to remain on their land until the squares could
be laid out, and in this interval numerous sales
were made by the original owners to the specu-
| lators who had come in great numbers to the
| capital city. Even in the agreement made by
Washington with the property owners in
March, 1871, about two months after the site
for the city had been selected, number of
names appear of men who had purchased land
| from the original owners. The accompanying
map, which was prepared from historical data
furnished by DR.. ]. NJ. Toner, of this CITY gives
the location of the various properties previous
| to the survey made by Major l. Enfant, which
was some months after the site had been chosen.
civ no i<
| certain that Samuel Blodgett, Lynch and Sands
and Ben Oden were spectators, as were also j.
gulshed from original owners: The activity Of
the spectators was SO great that in 1892, when
the division with the origina! proprietors was
made the records show that instead of twelve
original propretors OF the land lying outside of
Hamburg, Carrollsburg and Georgetown,
men were all large purchasers and bought meht
| large tracts of land. AS for instance Samuel
Blodgett bought Of John Warning 500 acres,
constituting what Is known The Jamaica
tract, its location being indicated ON the map
Blodgett seems to have been O great speculator.
ane 1 6 o nrsad sn ana large projects
entire squares to one individual for the pur-
pose OF having uniform blocks of houses built
| for himself fronting to the south of the CAPITOL
grounds Washington, however, advised the
oo m sn@ tb that it would be better
He was also interested in lottery schemes.
IN one of which having offered as q
PiALS AAhC liotci, WHICH, was actually begun
on the south front of the square now occupied
| by the Post Office department building. and
not being able to finish it, his entire property in
the District was sold under decree of the court
70 pay the winner of the first prize the amount
offered.
ROBERT MORRIS INVESTMENTS.
| Robert Morris, who was superintendent of
finances under the confederation, and during
| the dark days of the Revolutionary War, loaned
the struggling colonies money from his private
resources, was one Of the earliest as well as the
heaviest Spectator In real estate in the capital
clty. He was associated in his ventures here
with man named Nicholson, and their largest
purchase was tract of land lying between q
and ID streets and 18th aud l4th streets south