Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-18
The Presidents House In 1900.

Tne FrcH.ucntS House lSOO.
This thought gave a new significance To the
rather mean and primitive surroundings
of the occasion. No kodak awaited the pro-
cession of September Is. 1873, and beyond
the list of the organizations that marched
that day there Is nothing except the pen
pictures OF contemporaries to give us an
Idea of how Washington looked in that
period of its history.
Not In a Wilderness.
The event was of such Importance in the
infant republic that the eyes of America
and the world were turned toward the site
selected on the banks of the Potomac The
comment that appeared in the public print
and In books of traveI-for nearly every
foreigner of distinction travelling in this
country visited Washington, and the same
Is true today-varied from extravagant
adulation OF the new city and its prospects
TO the most dOleful predictions of the utter
folly and failure Of it all. The idea that
was most tndustriously circulated was that
the new city was being built in remote
wilderness How far from the truth such
an idea was is shown by the fact that this
locality was one Of the earliest visited by
Europeans, and before the revolutionary
war the importance of the situation COM
mercially. lying as II does at the headwaters
OF great navtgable river. was recognized
The river was too important a stream to
escape notice. and about seventy years
after Columbus had discovered the new
country there Is a record Of Spanish ex-
plorers ascending the river as far as Oc-
coquan-
In the year 1903 the famous navigator
Capt John Smith. sailed up the river on an
exploring expedition, and il is believed that
the farJhest point reached was Indian
Head The first European. as far as is
known. to visit this exact locality was
Capt Henry Fleete. In the spring of ISn
he came up the river with the intention of
visiting the Indian town of Tohaga, which
Is said to have been on the site now &C.
eupied by Georgetown.
Nearly Tarcc Hundred Years Ago.
In his narrative Fleete says: I'VE came
10 anchor about two leagues short of the
falls. being in the latitude Il, on the 18th
of June This place. without all question,
Is the most pleasant and healthful place in
all this country, and most convenient for
habitation- The air. temperate in summer
and not violent in winter. 1t abounds in
all manner of fish. The Indians in one
night will catch thirty sturgeon in a place
oms broad. and as for deer buffalo. bears
turkeys. the woods do swarm with them
and the soil is exceedingly fertile"
He speaks OF hearing the falls roar above,
evidently referring to the Little Falls
The Information that was early at the
disposal of the map makers Of that time is
shown by some OF the old maps to have
been quite exact in regard to this locality
Some Of the maps printed in London in the
early part OF the Last century show tie
Anacostia and the main river above Ana
Lostan Island and also the island which
Formerly existed at the Virginia end Of the
Long bridge. This was known as Holmes.
Island and also Alexander's Island In ad-
clifton to the advantages of the site chosen
Tor the city. owing to Its being at the head
waters OF large river and also the pic
turesque and commanding location OF the
land. circumstances which were noted In
the comments Of nearly every visitor to the
city from early times. there were already
indicatfons that II would he the center Of a
population, independent OF fts ~botca y = -ba
permanent seat Of the government Georges
Town was Organized with n municipal gov
errnent IN 1751. and at this time 1. Ind be-
come town Of considerable commercial i'm
portarce Further down the river was s.iIl
another settlement. known es HAMBURG
which was located near where the old naval
observatory building stands.
Paper City.
Oh ehe records Hamburg was a good-sized
place. with its streets and building sites