Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-12
How the City Looked Nearly Cez-
fury Ago.
A NONOGENARIAN' MEMORIES
Remarkable Fishing and Hunting
on the Potomac.
THE EARLY RI SID E n t 5



leave 10Th street the last point reached IN
the previous paper, and continue our
course eastward. About one hundred feet
from 10Th on the north side of Pennsylva-
MIA avenue stood the home, the store and
the office Of William Waters, a justice OF
the peace of that locality for many years,
much respected by the law-abiding portion
of the community, but terror to evlIdo-
ers Mr. Waters owned several pieces OF
real estate in the old first ward, one large
lot on the southeast corner of the avenue
and 10Th street, improved on the avenue
front with a row of frame tenements. which
were seldom vacant. and another similar lot
adjoining the west of the six Buildings
improved by a row of brick two-room
houses of one story each on the front, but
owing to the rapid northward descent or
the ground the cellars, entirely below
street grade in front were all above the
surface in the rear These tenements, TOO
were in use constantly, the two properties
yielding a good return on the investment
One of the well-known Wormley coloreu
families had a generously patronlzed BAR
ber's shop in one of these houses for sew
eraI years. The children of Mr.. waters
were two sons and a daughter. John, the
eldest, died young, by his own hand. WI
liam the second son. passed away recently
at an advanced age, leaving his estate L
think to the late Peter Laterner, with
whom he had made his home for some
time. The daughter, Kitty, married MI
chael Shanks a grocer then at the south
west corner of 9Ill and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. Here Mr.. ShankS was successful ana
he was soon able to build the Iron Hall
on the ground now covered by the more
modern structure between 9th and 10th
streets The present owner OF this valua-
BILE property is Mrs. Hit, granddaughter of
the Shankses and great granddaughter of
Squire Waters
Adjoining the Waters house on the east
do
partment clerk grandfather of Mrs R. r.
Perry. ST. Her father, John Thaw, was
schOOlmate at the old Western Academy,
which stood on the ground adjoining west
of that on which Mr.. Pollock erected his
handsome residence at the southwest cor
ner of 18th and 1 streets northwest.
..DoIIy" Madison's Parrot.
The next house east of Mr.. Thaw was the
dwelling and confectionery of Louis LIE
Preux, and east of that was the drug store
where the late Thomas P. Morgan learned
his early calling and afterward himself
conducted the business Mr.. Morgan, as is
well known, was for a term or two one of
our District Commissioners. Next to the
drug store, in the westernmost house OF
the Seven Buildings" lived for many
years Thomas Munroe, who in the early
days of the city was the secretary TO the
commissioners appointed by President
Washington to manage the sales of lots
falling to the government in the subdivision
between it and the original land owners
Mr.. Monroe had two sons; the eldest,
Thomas. was consul to Russia and died
there; the second son, Columbus, married
a daughter of Col. W. w. Seaton- There
was also a daughter, Emily, who married
one of the Randells. Previous to this mar
riage Mr.. Fox had been a sutton for the
hand of Miss Munroe, and duel fatal 70
Mr.. Fox grew cut of the rivalry
In the easternmost of the Seven Buildings,
at the corner of 18th street, President Mad
ison lived for short time, after the burn
ing of his national home in August, 1914.
] remember well seeing Mrs Madison there
frequently at the corner window feeding
and petting a fine macaw parrot. This
birds brilliant plumage was a great at
traction 10 the youngsters of both sexes of
that time. and at the regular feeding hours
many were drawn to the corner to see the
handsome bird and hear it's mistress talk
TO it. She as well as her pet was very en-
gaging- / can clearly recall her as she ap-
peared in her inevitable turban. Mrs. Mad
ison was favOrite under all circumstances,
in all places and on all occasions. She was
not beautiful but there was a something in
her manner that always interested and
charmed. Mr.. William Lee was an occu-
pant of one of these historic houses; his
two sons, Robert and William, attended the
academy at 18th and l.
Curious Keystones.
The keystones in the arches over the
entrance doors of these houses have an in
teresting history. They were imported
from England and have deeply cast in very
distinct letters on their lower ends the
name of the maker, "Coad," and his local
ity Lambeth a suburb of old London
also the date of their make. '1792." Faces
In bold cameo are cast on their fronts and
they were evidently the production of skill
ed artists. The late Fitzhugh Coyle who
had been abroad and was no ordinary
critic, on seeing one of these keys, which
had been removed to give place to a more
modern doorway. remarked: That is
perfect representative of an old fisherman
of Brittany, on the coast of France and
the hand that nodded it was that of a mas
ter in the art" Most of the other heads
on these keystones represented females
Some of them are now in place over the
yet unaltered dOorways. where they were
set one hundred years ago. The material
used was composition, the componenIs Of
which are not known here. II Is so COM
pact that blow from hammer produced
ringing sound. like that from iron or
steel 1t seems TO be imperishable There
is not the slightest Indication of abrasion
from the action of the elements in the
lapse of century. They are in the condi-
ton OF the basalt used In the construction
OF the two-room houses of the giants of
Bashan in Judea. which the Rev Mr. Rob-
inson- who visited them, says ARE In as
perfect state as when first placed in the
stone walls. roofs and DOORS a thousand
years before the Christian era commenced"
Thomas Jenerson's Ice Pond.
Continuing our eastward course on the
north side of the avenue we pass the small
triangular reservation between 10Th and
18th streets and reach te.e square bounded
Dy nth and 18th streets on the east and
west and II street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. on the north and south. When | was
a schoolboy of twelve years in age there
was but one building of any kind on this
entire area. and that was a two-story
hipped-roof frame dwelling standing on
the corner of nth and H. tenanted by q
German named Waugler, a repairer of
pianos and organs. Later, along in the
twenties. John Stillings, a cabinetmaker
and undertaken, erected his workshop 'front.'
ing ON the avenue, about two hundred feet
east of 18th street. This structure stood
on piles. as two-thirds of the square was
under water. the natural surface being
fully two feet below the then grade of the
avenue From this pond, the home of rank
growths and frogs, President Jefferson
years before, on one occasion got his supply
OF Ice for domestic uses, the mildness of
the winter being such that 1t could not he
obtained from the river nor creeks nearby
had this information from a party who
located here in 1892. whose Statements
the most implicit reliance could be placed
The occurrence caused wide comment and
amaZement that the President would use
the filthy material from a frog pond {" some