Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-22
EARLY LAND OWNERS.
Those Who Bought Big Tracts Of the
Future Washington.
THEY WERE WEALTHY MEN.
James Barry, the Friend % Washing.
ton, and Other Houscs-seuth wash.
tngtOn Was Once a Business Center
Many Houses Famous for Hospitality.
Written for TEE EVENING srAl.

A There, taking in some portions Of the
m!Navy Yard and running mp as far as
what was subsequently known a. Coombes
wharf, about 4th street He owned on the
Maryland side Of the Potomac about 800 acres
OF land where now the Insane Asylum stands.
Mr. James Barry was a man Of large wealth,
and it was said settled here in anticipation Of
the removal of the seat Of government to some
locality not distant from its present site. He
was correspondent of Gen. Washington, and
actuated by the desire Of being near his res
idence he made his home here. An only
daughter died some years after he had
fixed his residence, and as . mortuary
tribute to her memory he built "Barry's
Chapel" Of which I had heard in my child
hood, for in our family it was often spoken Of,
my father having suns in the choir when little
more than boy. The chapel was built some
where about 1906. and mass was said there
regularly by Father Plunkett, and the attend
ants came from all parts of the city and from
Maryland as far as Glesboro'. The daughter
of Mr.. Barry was buried there and two Of his
sisters, who died in Madeira some years before
the chapel was built and their remains we're
brought there. Its location was east Of James
creek, then a navigable stream for large YES
sels, and near the banks Of the Potomac and
between what ia now Half and LIST streets. Some
remains Of brick and mortar mark the spot
MR.. BARRY's RESIDENCE.
Mr.. Barry built very large and handsome
residence, which Is still standing and seemingly
In good condition just above Coombes' wharf.
and there he dispensed most liberal hospital
lily, and the dining room, where Gen. Washing
ton and others of distinction at that day dined
with Mr.. Barry, remains intact. Mr. Barry, ii
was said, had large contracts with the govern
ments of England. Spain and France to supply
''hard bread" and built bakeries here and in
Alexandra and New York. The nephews OF
MIR. Barry. Mr.. James d. Barry and Mr. Robert
Barry. transacted the business for their uncle,
and was shown the other day, by the vener-
able Mr.. Zadoc Williams a large ledger of the
house of Lear Co. Of 1874 to 1876, in which
the names of Mr.. James ID. Barry and James
Barry appear in transactions OF thousands OF
pounds sterling, proceeds of bills of exchange
on London. Among other entries in this ledger
found the name of Thomas Law for e., 56l
los. 3D., that being the proceeds Of bills Of ex-
change on London.
Where Coombes' wharf as it was known for
years. still stands MIR. Barry had a large
ware house, and not very far west of it Thomas
Law built very extensive sugar houses. That
part OF Washington bordering on the Potomac
seems to have been the business part of the
city. The remains of substantial houses are vet
In existence, and up as far as Maryland avenue
it appears to have been quite thickly settled.
u
part OF this century, and his estate. said to be
most valuabl, one, descended to his nephews.
The little chapel was neglected by the inner
!tors Of his wealth. After the removal of the
remains of those buried there to st. Peters
Church, Capitol Hill, no care was bestow ed
upon it, and it fell into ruins. One Of the
nephews Of Mr. Barry married daughter OF
the late Griffith CoOmbes, who for years occu-
pied the house built by Mr.. Barry.
THOMAS LAW AND HIS LAND.
Mr.. Thomas Law settled here about the time
OF or just preceding the removal of the gov.
eminent to this city and owned a very consid-
cradle portion of the land in that section OF
the city. He and some other of the landed
proprietors built the Twenty Buildings which
for years were conspicuous amid the surround.
ing waste. MIR. Law was the brother of Lord
marlborough, lord chief justice OF Great
Britain aud viceroy of India. 1t was said he
was sent here by his brother to prevent his
giving testimony in the trial of Warren Hast
ings. MIR. Law married the daughter Of George
Washington Parke Gusts. MIR. Tobias Lear
who for years private secretary of Gen
Washington. who kindly remembered him in
his will removed his business from Georgetown
to or near the site of Coombes' wharf and in 1916
committed suicide, consequent upon some com.
mercial troubles. Lear's wharf and the stone
ware house were at the foot of 18th street. Mr.
Greenleaf, after whom Greenleafs Poin. was
named and where the U. S. arsenal is located
resided on Capitol Hill and was one of the large
owners OF land in the eastern and southeastern
sections of the city. Mr. Greenleaf, whom Mr.
Zadoc Williams knew very well, had sold prop.
erty in New York IN the early part of the cen.
fury to invest here, prices in New York being
very low and prices here high and advancing
He was one of the builders of the '.Twent,
Buildings" All improvements tended toward
that part Of the city and we're retarded by tn,
high prices demanded for land by the origna
H.
Greenleaf, had made large investments in thai
section. Coming up from a visit to the Barry
house l find in all that part of the city evil
dences of a thickly inhabited neighborhood
and reaching Maryland avenue. from 7th stree:
to the Long bridge at l4th street. the houses o,
our old citizens line the avenue.
THE FIRST ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL.
Mr.. Abraham Bradley, who was the first as.
sistant postmaster general appointed by Gen.
Washington. built the house subsequently oc.
cupied by MIR. William A. Bradley, a nephew Of
Mr.. A. Bradley, who was the father OF the late
Joseph H. Bradley, so long the leading prac.
titioner of the Washington bar. His brother,
MIR. A. Bradley, jr., the father-in-law OF Mr.
Ashton White, was for years president Of the
Patriotic Bank and resided over the bank, then
most commodious dwelling. DR.. Phineas
Bradley, the brother Of the first assistant post.
master general, resided next to Mr. VIM. A.
Bradley. who had been mayor Of Washington
in the early forties. Gen. jackson removed
Mr.. Bradley from the place he had held of as.
sistant postmaster general from the founda-
ton Of the government. and that re-
moval created sensation which spread
through the whole country. The ardent
and devoted friendship existing between Mr.
Clay and the Bradleys dated from that period
when MIR. Clay denounced on the floor Of Con-
gress the removal of Mr.. Bradley as 'tyranni-
cal abuse OF executive power" Mr.. Clay was
the guest OF Mr.. VIM. A. Bradley in the large
double house on Maryland avenue, now . Cath
olic school, when his Raleigh letter Of April
a, 1874, appeared in the Nitiondl Inteliigeacer,
timore on the LIST Of May, 1874. Mr.. Joseph H.
Bradley's distress at the defeat of his friend,
Mr.. Clay, when he was called on a. president
OF the WING organization to make the An
nouncement moved his audience to tears. He
lived to an advanced age and died at his resi-
dence. Chevy Chase" above Georgetown. only
few years ago.
Passing MIR. Bradley residence near It'll street
We come to the residence OF Gov. Shepherds
father, on Maryland avenue next to the corner
of 18th street, on the south side, where Gov.
Shepherd was born in 1885, and next beyond
still stands the residences of Ignatiug Mudd,
commissioner of public buildings, and Col. VIM.
b. Randolph, for years chief clerk of the treas.
urer's office. Peter Lenox built the large house
near the bridge, where he lived He was the
father OF Walter Lenox, who was mayor of
Washington and for years one of our most con-
spicuous citizens-a lawyer of eminence and
one Of the orators Of his day. He vas pupil
OF Chief Justice Chase when he taught school
here. The mention Of the name Of Walter
Lenox brings up that Of his near friend and
associate, Richard Wallach, one Of Washing
tons most popular citizens. MIR. Wallach was
appointed by Gen. Taylor marshal Of the Dis
trlct and was subsequently elected mayor Of