The evening times., 1899-04-13
OLD SLAVE PEN AND JAIL.
Historic Structure Now Being Torn
Down.

Historic Structure Now Being Torn
Down.
One of the most historic of Washing
toms buildings is being torn 10 make room
for the new Police Headquarters.
The structure is one which very few
people knew existed in the city and yet
it has been in undsturbed possession OF
its quarters for at least fifty years. per-
haps longer. no one being able to state
exactly when it was built.
The structure is in the rear OF the Dis
trict Building. on C Street. and at one time
was exactly in the centre of the square,
the block at that time being entirely va
cant except for the building in question.
1t was fifty feet long and two stories high
and was what is known as "save pen"
! and Jail. 1t was one of the first jails in
the city of Washington and was used as
such for number of years.
The pen was supposed to have been
built in the forties and when the work
men commenced to tear it down they
found it to be of such solid construction
that it resisted demolition. The rafters.
joints. and girders were all of yellow pine
their being placed in the building were
trimmed down TO a nicely with "a Jack
plane and not placed in rough, as is the
practice nowadays.
The walls were very thick, and the clap
boards were nailed on so securely that i.
required the combined efforts of three col
ored men armed with gigantic crowbars TO
loosen them. And even then an entire
day was consumed in removing the roof.
The window sashes> and door jambs were
so tightly clinched in the brick and NOR
tar that they could not be torn out. and
the walls will have to be removed first.
The building was put up in this secure
manner TO prevent the escape of the slaves
that were confined there. The slave driy-
ers would come into the city with a con-
sgnment OF negroes and would place them
in the pen, SO that they could be kept Sc
curely until customers were found for them
in much the same manner as is practiced
by the cattle drivers who bring their herds
to the stock cards and then go forth in
search of a Purchaser. Runaway slaves
were also confined here, as we're also Grim
inals of the lowest class. Ii was considered
a great disgrace for a criminal to be con-
fined in a slave pen. as they were called,
because of the compulsory association with
slaves.
Il remember the niger pen on the lot
between Four-and- half and Sixth Streets
very WELL" said an old resident of the
District TO Times reporter today. There
were two such buildings in the city, one of
which was situated somewhere in the rear
of where the Smithsonian Institution now
stands and the other the one which is
now being torn down. The first pen was
demolished some time ago to make room
for a modern dwelling. 1t would have
been in just as perfect condition as the
one now being destroyed as they were both
built of the most substantial materials.
We boys often gathered around the old
pen and watched the slave-drivers show
their wares. Sometimes a slave would
make break for freedom and then there
would be an exciting chase until he was
captured. There was no regular Jail until
the building was erected on Judiciary
Square where the Pension Office now
stands and the pen was often pressed into
service as a place of detention for crimi-
nails. The square where the pen stood
was entirely vacant and it was at one time
a great playground for the boys of the
neighborhood. old Cat and similar boy
ish pastimes were indulged in there every
day.
There was not much Of Washington in
those days except Pennsylvania Avenue
and the district north of this street was a
sort OF wilderness. 1t was made up prin-
cipally Of mud ponds and small streams.
The place where the pen stood was on the
side Of a high hill from the top of which,
about the corner Of Fifth Street and Lou
isiana Avenue. an excellent view of the
lower portion ofSthe city could be obtained,
1t was very pretty view, too. at times.
Tiber Creek ran along where the Centre
Market stands and you could see it wind
ing through the southern part of the city
on its way to the river which could also
be seen for some distance. That was a
long time ago. however. and l suppose
there are not many in the city who re-
member how the city looked at that time"