Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-26
A HISTORIC LOCALITY.
Recollections Of the Old Houses on
the Site Of the New Post Office.
HOMES OF PROMINENT MEN.
The Evening Stars Old Hoine-Fanny Kem-
bie's First Impressions Of America-How
She Chose the stago-Gov. Shepherds Rccol-
lection Of DR.. May-The 1arln as . Stumbling
Block.
Written for The EVENING Stan.

Written for TIE EVENING STAR
THE COMPLETE OBLITERATION OF
u the buildings on the square opposite the
Office OF The EVENING STAR. to make room for
q colossal building for this city post Office, is
another stride in the onward march of i'm
provements which will in time make this city
the equal Of the capitals of the old world. 1t
may be, too, an advance toward the contem-
plated occupancy of the south side of the ave-
nue. for public buildings from the Botanical
Garden to the White lot.
Looking back at the advance which has been
made in comparatively few years, it may be
confidently believed that such an improvement
Is In the range Of probability. That neighbor-
hood a. l knew it from my boyhood has seen
many and varied changes. I can recall it for
more than sixty years. The house in which
was born was built as early as 1900 and rebuilt,
after its destruction by n fire, about 1910. 1t
was an imposing structure for that day for .
dwelling, some forty feet front, and next it, to
the east, was the residence for years Of Mr..
John Sessford, an old and respected citizen.
who came here with the government and was
Tor years in the Treasury Department. Mr..
Sessford was also for some years one OF the
commissioners of the city and supplied the
Aafioaat InteHigencer with reports Of the i'm
proyements made year by year. believe the
FAMILY, though quite numerous one, is ex-
tinct, though some members OF another branch
OF the family remain, represented by Mr. Sess-
ford OF the Smithsonian. Beyond that old
house. remember so well, was one occupied
Tor years by Mr.. Tongue, a tinsmith. and then a
ball alley, before the days of base ball, which
In that day was called ''round cat
Ihe large building on the corner of 18th
street, built by Mr.. William j. Stone, whose
widow yet lives. was occupied. when first re-
member 1t, by Col. Peter force as the Office q
the National journal In the library of the
Georgetown University found some volumes
OF the National journal OF 1851. 1t was
the organ OF Mr.. John Quincy Adams. and while
Mr. Adams was Secretary Of State it was charged
by the National hteitigencey, which was in op-
position to Mr. Adams and in favor of Craw-
ford for the presidency, that the National Jour
nal was edited by the Secretary OF State. The
Journal was the organ of the administration OF
Mr.. Adams when he became President Mr.
Philip r. Fendall and George Wattersou and
Richard s. Coke wore editors of the same
paper. Subsequently, in 1888 f. the year of the
cholera, 1t was used as hospital, and there a
gentleman afterward mayor of Washington
John 1. Towers. was a resident medical student.
The same building was the homo of THE
EVENING STAR under Dug Wallach and remained
there until it outsrcw its limited quarters.
OTHER RESIDENCES
On 18th street were some small homes and
the residence of Mr.. James F. Halliday, who
was for some years collector OF the city and q
member of the board of aldermen and common
council, and next door to his residence the
Washington Library. literary resort in those
days. The remains of that institution are to be
seen at the Young Mems Christian Association.
Passing round the corner to street can re.
call the homo of Mr.. John 7. Given's father,
and the house was standing and in good condi-
ton year or two ago when passed there.
On 18th street we're some small houses and
waters wood yard, fayorite play ground,
and then came, at the corner OF street. a
grocery store, kept for years by q Mr.. Myers
and John and Dave Morgan. and next a small
brick, where Mr.. Hauptman lived and carried
on tin shop, and his son lives on 18th street
above the avenue in the house his father built
and where he moved on leaving D street, and
that was many years ago, for Mr.. Seutferle
occupied it when his son, Mr.. George
Seuiferle, of Jackson d Seufferle, was
| small boy. In about 1856 81 We removed from
there and then the march of Improvement was
beginning in small way Opposite, on the ave-
nue., at the corner OF 18th street. was a large
tavern, not a hotel in those days, ''The Foun.
tain Inn, with swinging sign, kept by David
Appler, and afterward by Jock Douglass and
next door to him was the music and sta
tiouery store ol W.T. rl5cuer ana f1Sney
Thompson's book store, and then came the
tobacco store of Lewis johnson and the dry
goods store Of John Allen. some sort Of q store
by Mr. Gibson, and on the corner, where The
EVENING STAR Office is now, the drug store of
Wallace kirkwood. In that store, as O clerk,
was his brother, Samuel j. Kirkwood. subse-
quently governor of Iowa and United States
Senator from that state. and who still lives.
WHERE VAN NESS RESIDED
Going back to the south side Of 18th and D
streets is the house. modsrnized somewhat,
where Gen. John P. Van Ness resided while the
Van Ness mansion was being built, and next to
the corner on ID street Mr.. Richard Cults, who
was secretary of the Senate in the early DAYS.
An old resident of that locality is Mr.. Henry A.
Clarke, who lived on 18th street Just above the
avenue, and opposite lived Col. John H. Riley
and Henry NJ. Moffitt, a leading member of the
bar, and Henry Ashton, marshal of the Dis
trict.
THE OLD HARDWOOD HOUSE.
Years after, and / cannot recall when, the
Kirkwood House was built and kept by the
brothers John and Albert Kirkwood, and they
took az an annex the house of Col. John H.
Riley. There John c. Brecklnridge Lac Pow
ell, Senators from Kentucky, and Albert Pike
resided. But that was in modern times. Darius
Clagett, for whom my father built the house,
kept for years dry goods store on the corner OF
1Atu cbIcet anu aFeHuo where now Is bren-
| tano's book store. Years after Robert Farm
| ham and then Blanchard Mohun occupied il
! as book store. Carusi's Saloon, on 18th street,
now theater, is among my earliest recollec-
| tons when his annual May ball was the event
Of the year. It had been a theater long before
and have often heard my mother extol the
players Of that period-old Jefferson, Blissett,
Francis Warren and others
FANNIE KENBLE's FIRST VISIT.
A recurrence to the old theater and actors Of
that long past recalls diary OF Fannie Kemble,
published in 1885, which fell into my hands
some days ago. The journal begins in 1882,
while she and her father, Charles Kemble, were
on the ocean, en- route to fulfill her first en-.
gagement in this country. She was then
| twenty-one years Of age and had made her debut
in London four years before az juliet to her
fathers Romeo The voyage lasted thirty-two
days! great space is taken mp with her ex-
perience on board and the passengers, and not
interesting to the general reader. She de-
| scribes the visit of the pilot off Neversink and
OF q news collector" who brought news of the
cholera raging and the contest between Jack.
son and the wings on the bank question. On
her way to the hotel, '.Cozzen's American. -
lower Broadway and barclay street, she speaks
Of the houses in lower Broadway as '.glaring.
white and red straw color and gray, and with
trees"-seventy years ago nearlyi Hotel din
ners she describes as "slovenly and outlsnd-
ish, and she continues to lament the i'll breed
ing Of the people walking in and out Of our
room without leave or license
WHAT SHE THOUGHT OF AMERICANS.
Hor Arok xiai Nn1to