The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-29
THE CIqY'S FOREST BRA
Towns on the Potomac Before the
Capital Was Founded.
tracts OF Land Located Centuries
Ago Upon the site upon whit.
washington Is Located-The HAM
let Founded by Jacob Funck
In the Western Part of the city.

Before the exodus Of the Indians from,
the woodlands which have since become
the Capital of the American Republic, the
white man had made rough surveys and
obtained land patents from Maryla;d on
one side of the Potomac River. and the
trees, amid which the Indians occasionally
still prowled, we're "blazed" with tina
white mans marks that asserted the saw
ereignty OF the King and the ownership
OF his subjects. On the west side of the
river the county OF Stafford. in Virginia.
extended to the falls, while on the Mary
land side the land which is now the Can't
tai was included in Charles county. In
1868 Francis Pope patented a tract of land
on the Tiber Creek, which he called Rome.
and Capt. Robert Troop patented an ad-
Joining tract, to which he gave the nams
of Scotland. Duddington Manor. budding
toms Pasture, New Troy, and the Widows
! Mite were all under patent within the
/ bounds of what is now Washington. when
Captain Howsen patented the land at the
south end of the Long Bridge in October.
1863, and month later disposed Of his
patent to Julius Alexander. These were
the years in which the plague ragged in
London, where was situated the suprems
control of all the lands hereabout
The year 1876 may be accounted as the
date OF the entire extinction OF the Indian
power in the neighborhood of Washington,
| and after that date the land patents of
Rome" Scotland "Duddington." etc.
became available as plantations. rhe In
dians who remained were but few, and
these we're the abject servants of tie whits
man. Territorial changes came with the
new conditions. Prince George county
was cut off in Maryland above Charles
county in 1886. in pursuance of an act of
the Colonial Legislature of Maryland,
passed in 1885. The Washington site was
included within the new county.
In the county the Hundreds district
of Piscataway and New Scotland, were
created. Piscataway Hundred was below
Oxen Branch. while New Scotland Hun
dred extended north from Oxen Branch to
the Falls Of the Potomac, and. Of course.
included the Washington and Georgetown
lands. In this Hundred was created, in
1896. the first local government of this
section, and its officials we're all minor
ones. These were: David Ebbett, consta-
bile; Charles Beall, pressmaster, and
Francis Prisby. overseer of roads. Ebbett
was thus the forerunuer Of Major Sylyes-
ter, with his captains, lieutenauts, SER
geants. and hundreds of policemen
Prisby was the herald of the Engineer De-
partment of the District, but Beall. the
pressmaster. has no follower, for it was
not the printing press that he mastered.
He was the official that headed the press
gang of primitive Washingtonians that on
order seized. all Migrants and sent them 10
the Army, according to one version of the
office. Another is that the pressmaster
was the master of the public tobacco press.
where all the tobacco raised within tie
hundred was pressed fCf export, for the
tobacco grown on what is now the Capitol
Grounds and in other localities needed 20
be tied into big bundles and then pressed
into smaller ones before it could go on
shipboard
The patents of Francis Pope, for Rome,
and of Robert Troop, for Scotland. were
long in the papers of the office OF the
Mayor of Washington at the City Hall,
having been presented in April, 1881, by
R. Y Brent, esq. The description in
these patents shows either that the Po-
tomac in front OF what is now Washing
ton was at that time called the Anaeos-
tia River. or that these patents were
granted for land near the navy yard 1t
is not impossible that. at first, all the
river which flowed north OF Anacostia or
Analostan Island and north OF the
marshes, which have since been filed up
and crnamented, as well as the Eastern
Branch. was called the Anacostia River,
while that portion OF the stream which
flowed south of AnaIostan Island, south
of the marshes, now known as the Viz
GINA channel was considered the real Po-
tomac River. The researches of Mr.. Hugh
Tagaart Mr.. Wineberger. Mr.. William
BryIn and other searchers into the past Of
this section will determine the fact in this
matter sooner or later.
The lower portion Of Scotland Hundred
and true site of the city OF Washington
remained in Prince George county. until
by an act of Assembly, December, 1I4S, tie
county was divided by line which began
on the south side of Rock Creek and ran
thence in a straight line to the east side
of Seth WAITS plantation. This line was
evidently about coincdent with the present
New Hampshire Avenue. East of this line
remained in Prince George county and
west of it the county of Frederick was
created: so that when Georgetown was in
corpOrated in 1851 it was located in Fre.i-
erick County at the tobacco warehouse
near the mouth of Rock Creek.
During all this time, Alexandria. incor-
porated in 174S and Georgetown, incorpor-
ated in 1851. had been growing a cities.
but the site of Washington was mostly
given up 10 raising corn and tobacco.
There were. however. two small exceptions
20 the general agricultural character of
unbuilt Washington. \ German, Jacob
Funck, had gathered a hamlet near the
south ends of the present streets from
Eighteenth 10 Twenty-third Street This
settlement was first designated as Fuucks
Town. Mr.. Funck was an enterprisins
man. and in f711 made a plat OF town
to be called Hamburg. with Arch, Per-
simmon. Locust, Walnut Mulberry, High
Market and Raven Streets. Mr.. Funck
granted land for church in Hamburg.
This curious paper is still extant. 1t
reads: BE Il remeambret that in the year
1868 jacob Funck laid out a carting pece
of grOun ling between Rock erik and COOS
grick on Petomk in prince georges County
MARYLAND into lots for town called Ham
burg | SOLE two lots in the year l16S to the
Ouch earnings in sed town Of Ham
burg one No. 10 to the gearming prispoter-
ipgs Congrc CATION for chung and bearing
ground for witch seaid lot | have Recaved
five points corent money of the aforesaid
congregation it beang in full for the above
lot And also lot No. 1S3 TO the gearman
lutharing Congregation for churge & Bear
irg ground for which sead lot l recaved
i've pounts current money of the lutherins
congregation it being in full 70: saed lot
Rec By Jacob Funo! To the Gear Of adoni
gos!er and David Kennel
The Concordia Church on Twentieth and
G. Streets northwest, still keeps the ar
chives and is the representative of the
"prispoterings' church OF Funckstowp, es-
tablished in lT6S.
shortly before this. in 1870, Henry 20
zier. Daniel Carroll. and Wesley Young
had laid out the town Of Carrollsburg at
the junction of James Creek with the Eas-
tern Branch CarrOllsburg had Middle,
Union. North. Short and James Streets