The evening times., 1901-06-06
HISTORIC Old GEORGETOWN
Saturday the f50th Anniversary
of IFS Foundation.
The Actual Date Matter of Dis
pute-Thc Proposed ScsIuf-Centen-
RiaI AbaRdoued-A House Where
George Washington Once stopped.


pute-Thc Proposed Scsuuf-Centen-
RjaI Aba1doned-A House Where
George Washington Once stopped.
One hundred and fifty years Will have
passed. next Saturday. since the city Of
Georgetown was founded To this state
ment there are some who take exception.
for there is discussion. and some room
for argument over the exact date upon
which the measure creating the town OF
Georgetown was passed The weight Of
evidence seems to be uDon the side Of
June $ l75l. though the text book to
which all citizens OF Georgetown pin their
faith-"Jackson's Chronicles of George
town-'-states that the date OF the found
ing was May 15. 175I. Residents OF West
Washington which Is the old George
town absorbed into the new Washing
ton. a city fifty years its junior. were so
satisfied that June was the date. that
few months past they discussed the
question of holding 4 SeSqui-Centennlai
celebration on that day, but gave 1t up
because they felt they could not do suf-
fcieut honor to the occasion
The story embracing the date June 5.
as the the date on which the town was
founded states that the Legislature Of
Maryland met on May Is, l75l- Mary
land was then q Crown colony under
King George
The measure which provided for the es-
tablishment Of Georgetown provided that
il should be upon certain lands at the
junction of the Potomac River and Rock
Creek The bin was introduced some
weeks after the conveninE Of the Legis-
lature and was passed later. 1t did not
90 TO the hands Of the Governor until
June $. ct which time he signed it. The
act appointed a commission to locate the
town. This commission did not meet until
September s, 1851. and 1t was February
! IS52. before any real work was done All
the land necessary was not obtained cas-
iIy The approximate location given IN
the bill included pieces of property owned
by two worthy farmers one whose name
| is not well known because he let the Gov
/ eminent take his land, and the other,
! man by the name of BeaIe, who persist
/ entity resisted the attempt to. confscate
/ his property
! The agreement was that the land own
/ ers should have a certain amount of mon
! = in compensation for the property taken
/ from them, and they We're to have the
/ choite of all the building lots into which
+ the city site was divided.
/ AIr. BeaIe did not like this agreement.
! but finally the Legislature sent him word
/ that he would have 70 take the town lots
| and give up his farming property, OF else
/ clear out of his farm property and not
/ have the town lots He took the town
I lots. The old plat Of the town. a quantity
/ letteTed and ng-since-yeIIowed docu-
ment, IS still in existence and it shows
! about eighty lots. About sixty acres Of
! land was involved and It lay between
/ what are now called Thirty-first and Thir-
/ ty-third Streets and extended Up a few
/ blocks from the water front.
/ Even the Oldest iuhabitant Of George
{ town Is not certain which were the first
| houses built, bat It Is known that during
/ the first decade the city did not grow
rapidly Yet the old residential land
marks are numerous The antiquarians
! have tried 10 make It seem that the town
/ was called Georgetown after George
/ Washington, byt that is a contention dis
1 proved by the fact that the bill which
! passed the provincial Legislature states
/ that the city should be called George
| town. George Washington was born in
| l732, and, therefore. was q mere stripping
| when the measure passed the Legislature.
! He did not come into prominence until
| several years after 1I5L when he went 10
! Fort Duquesne, with Bradl5ck-
After Washington became prominent in
/ political life he frequently passed through
/ Georgetown and during his Presidential
terms, made long stops there
There IS still standing on n Street op-
/ posIte the intersection Of Jefferson Street,
! . Two story stone building, that bears
every evidence that it was built in the
/ early part OF the century It has q gable
! r90f. and all the paraphernaIia Of the
mansion Of 1880 This is said to be the
l. ~
/ he was in the District of Columbia.
! Another place that has gone down in
/ history IS Suffers Tavern which was the
| headquarters for Senators and Represen-
| tatives before Washington became q town
| Of any size, and when Georgetown was
! practically the political and commercial
| and social centre Of the Potomac Valley
! From in front Of Suter's Tavern ran the
/ hack line OF which so much has been
/ said in the private letters Of the early
| century members Of Congress The hack
/ line operated regularly during the day
| between Georgetown and Washington.
and carried the notables to their places Of
/ business in the Capital City 1t is
! thought that the old frame house which
stands on the corner Of Thirty-frst and X
Streets. the old Water Street, was SUter' 5
Tavern. This location Of the noted inn is
| disputed by many however Locations
/ are somewhat difficult TO make because
OF the fact that the conformation Of the
land around the mouth Of Rock Creek was
quite different IN the oIdeu days from
what II is now. The crack now runs be-
tween narrow banks into the river, but
in the early part Of the century il spread
out, the west bank being near Thirty
second Street and the east bank being
! near the Old Observatory There was
much marsh land. and after more than a
| century had passed the city Of Washing
ton and the city Of Georgetown Jointly
appropriated sufficient money 20 build q
bridge and causeway where the K Street
Bridge is now The bridge was a fine
| stone arch and the caUseWay was made
for z good wide road. Il helped to nj
up the marsh lands, and buildings went
up rapidly upon the reclaimed ground
Upon the stone bridge the citizens had
carved May the Union last as long as
this bridge" III ten years the bridge had
! been swept away. Il is noticeable fact
that the Union still stands.
Georgetown maintained her supreme cv
| over Washington without dispute until
about 1S2l Georgetown was the politi-
! cal headquarters, and all public officials
had their residences there. going tl
| Washington only to attend to their bus
+ mess. Gifted with Il sort Of natural har.
Dor Georgetown became soon after its
foundation, a city Of much commerce