The times., 1899-05-28
DAYS When the Ancient City
Was a Great Port.
Ship, From All Seas Anchored in
Her Harb0r.
Founded Before George the Third
Was EIinG-sIany Historical Man
sions StiII in Existence.

community. It made its beginning as a !
town forty years before the proclamation
Of Washington was issued. After the es
adjustment of the new capital it became
port, and ships from the seven seas an
chored opposite its wharves. The railroad
came next and when the Potomac lost its
white sails and once luratiye shipping
trade, Georgetown lost its Importance as
a commercial centre gradually. but steadi-
ly, until the town finally sunk its identity
and became merged with the growing cor
poration of Washington. Today George
town is part of the Nations Capital and
as corporation exists only in history and
chronicles.
Nevertheless its vine-clad mansions. its
custom house, mills. factories, and wharves
tell the tale of its former pristine glory.
The city itself may have passed but its
history will always be interesting in the
extreme. In May. 1751, the legislature. by
special act, provided for the beginning
OF the town. Henry Wight Cobb. John
Needham, John Claggett, James Perry, and
David Lynn, were authorized to LAY out
and erect the town. 1t was to be located
in what was then Frederick county, Md,
above the mouth of Rock Creek, along the
Potomac River. The five commissioners
named by the legislature were empowered
to purchase sixty acres forming part of
/ the tracts of George Gordon and George
Beall. This stretch Of ground was to be
surveyed and divided into eighty lots. Cor
don and Beall did not relish the idea of
parting with their land and refused to sell
the property to the commissioners. A jury
was impaneled and the ground appraised
at $3.50 and purchased. In February, 1852,
the survey was completed and plot of the
new town prepared, showing the various
streets and lots.
Just how the town secured its name Is
not known. Many contend that the prefix
George was given in honor of Washington,
but at that time Washington was only a
| surveyor and had not attained the distinc-
| tion which subsequently made him the
| first President of the infant republic. 1t
| has also been stated that the name of the
who owned much of the ground taken for
| the site of tie place. 1t is most likely,
however. that the name was applied in
! honor of King George II. as the colonists
were then subject of England.
| AS originally laid out Georgetown covered
/ 60 acres. In 1888 81 acres were added and
designated as Beall's first addition. The
following year 2S acres were acquired from
Peter Beatty. and then what were known
as Bealle second addition, Threlkeld's,
Holmead's, and numerous other trusts were
included within the town. Georgetown was
incorporated by the Assembly of Maryland
| in November. 1873, and subsequent acts
were approved giving the town officials ad-
ditional powers as the place grew in size
and Importance. The act of incorporation
provided for a mayor recorder, a board OF
aldermen, six in number, and eleven COM
mon councilmen. The first mayoralty cleo
tion took place on the fourth Monday in
February, 1881, and after that. date BIZ
ennially. and in that year the community
was a thriving one.
No more beautiful site could have been
chosen for the place than that selected
by the early commissioners The ground
was high and commanded a good view oi
the surrounding country. besides being an
ideal spot on account of its salubrity and
splendid natural drainage. Across the Po-
tomac in later years one might behold the
old Lee mansion, now in the centre of the
| Arlington National Cemetery, and adjoin-
ing Fort Myer. Near this mansion were
the mineral springs, which were a rem
devious for public men and noted char
aeters of the Capital Not far above the
town, in the Potomac River, were th'
, rocky islets styled the Three Sisters
Across the river at this point it was onc'
the intention to erect wire suspension
bridge, but the project never materialized
Near the Aqueduct. or what is now y
; Street opposite the Union Station, is th'
Key mansion. historic in having been thu
, home of Francis Scott Key. when he was
resident of Georgetown. To the west wert
Georgetown College and the Monastery o
the Sisters of the Visitation. established il
} 1901 by certain sisters of the order of 'Pol
| Clares," who, driven from France during
the French revolution, sought refuge il
America One of these sisters was Mari;
de la Marche, abbess of the order Of ST
: Glare. East of the city was the Capita
City. with its great white dome, and tn
old Naval Observatory, on the site OF tn
camp of Braddock's men when he lande'
| them prior to his march to Fort Duquesne
On the northeast of the city was "Kalo
S rama" then a retreat for famous men o
affairs. and now part OF the growing
northwestern suburbs of Washington.
I, was at "Kalorama" that Joel Barlow, tn
author of the "Columbiad," once lived
: Fulton also resided there during the tim
of his experiments with STEAM and ais
Col George Bomford, at one time chief o
the Army Ordnance Bureau. Commodor
Decatur, who was killed in a duel wit
Barron in 1920, was buried in the same Vi
!, cinity.
d In front of the town was Analostan Isl
and, which was once owned by Genera
y | Mason. an entertainer of Louis Phillip
when he visited America in 1898. Jane
NJ Mason, who was selected to represen
the Confederacy as Minister to England
was born there. and by strange irony G
fate the old house was burnt during tn
Civil War. Subsequently the island wa
. | used as a pleasure resort and thousand
=, witnessed many exciting boat races an
- regattas from its banks. Not far abov
!, the town may be seen the tumble dow
structure which was once the Columbia
A Foundry of John Mason, who manufac
- tured ammunition and cannon for tn
s Government during the war of 1872.
. Within the town stood many histori
p mansions, of the thresholds Of which tro
d men of letters, scientists, politicians, an
e statesmen who were drawn to the Capiti
r, by the magnetic loadstone of governmen
e and who, actuated by the beauty {
O Georgetown, made II their home. Anon
C the famous houses which might be men
e toned were Monterey" the residence {
a Edward NJ. Linthicum, the founder
5, Linthicum Institute. John C. Calhoun
I, during his incumbency as Secretary {
l. War under Monroe. lived at Montere.
Then there was the Tudor Place" bui
l. a century ago and still standing in tt
y centre of beautiful plot of ground, whel
= lived Commodore Kenyon, who lost h
: life on the Princeton when that steamt
IL was the scene of a direful calamity caus
- ed by the bursting OF a gun during tr
n down the Potomac In 1874. Then thel
ID were the Brook Williams house, once Ell
livened by brilliant social functions; Il
house OF David Peter, once occupied I
Baron Sir John Cramptoh, British an
bassador; the Henry %. Cole house, sti
id in dilapidated existence; the Weave
~ Boyce, Marbury. Herk, Worthington, Do'
"a gal. and Peck mansions.
=. Such was Georgetown during the da,
| nF ha oil