Evening star., 1899-03-04
The Selected Site of New Library
Building.
IT'S FORMATION AND EARLY HISTORY
Once the Hunting Ground Of Resi-
dent Sportsmen.
MARCH OF IMPROVEMENT

Mount Vernon Square, which has been
selected as a site for the public library,
for which Mr.. Carnegie has made munifi-
cent Donation is to many of the older resi-
dents, well as the younger members OF
the old Washington families, an interesting
place. In the bounds of the northern Sec
ton of the city may be found some persons
old enough to have enjoyed rare sport with
dog and gun in It's vicinity; to have seen
Colonel Seaton make some good shots at
flying bird or running hare, while one, at
least, remembers a narrow escape he had
from being drawn into a Guicksand a few
hundred yards east of 7th street. Probably
there is no spot in the District which pos
sesses so varied a history or around which
cling more memories-some of them pleas
ant to recall and others which one would, if
possible, blot from the invisible record of
the past
This space, now to all intents and pur-
poses a park, is made by the intersection
of Massachusetts and New York avenues
with K and Sth streets, the beds of which
create on the pan of the city apparently
useless space. That somewhat eccentric
French engineer, L'Enfant, when he laid
off the avenues to intersect the streets in
the plan of the city (by which the land
was divided into regular squares), made
possible the numerous circles and triangles,
which, having been improved, now add SO
much TO the attractiveness of the city, and
ere our first century has closed his fore
sight and wisdom have been INDICATED.
1t is said his motive was to make the cap
itars avenues Of strategicaf Importance,
should there be any necessity of meeting
an uprising of the people, such as had been
the case in his native country. Happily
this precaution of his has seldom been put
to such test, and places which he fore
saw might be used for the planting Of
cannon and mobilization of troops have
been used such for saluting purposes
and muster grounds for peaceful process
SionS
The gathering of the local troops to put
down the Snow riot in Judiciary square
some sixty years ago and the marines en-
counter with the crowds at the polls near
the Northern Liberty Market on Bloody
Monday over forty years ago are the only
occasions outside of war times these spaces
have been used for actual war purposes.
The open spaces made by the deviation Of
the avenue lines from those of the streets
are of various dimensions and forms, and
full half century had passed before the
general public was aware of their exist
euce, save as copVeniences for cross-lot
pedestrians 1t was the popular belief that
where space was bounded by the building
lines of streets and avenues It was a gov
ernment reservation, but for what purpose
was not inquired into, and when the lines
of streets and avenues entirely covered the
ground the space was supposed to be under
the control of the municipal authorities
This is shown in the fact that in 1862 an
act was passed by the council relative to
the occupancy of all public reservations,
squares, etc.
With the exception perhaps, of Lafay-
cite Square, Franklin Square, the Mall and
judiciary Square, which were fenced
scarcely any attention was given these pub
Tic spaces by either the general or city
government. Indeed, il appeared that the
general government was desirous of rid