Evening star., 1901-12-21
Reservation Long Known as the
Arsenal Grounds.
PROMINENT IN THE COLONIAL DAYS
included in the Extensive Domain
of Thomas Motley.
OLD ct U RkEY BUZZARD ("

Inc station recently taken by the bat
| talon of the United States Engineer Corps
| under Col. Black for the establishment Of
| a school of application at the Washington
barracks, better known in old times
the arsenal. at Greenleafs Point, is one of
| the oldest of the military establishments
| of the United States. Much interesting
| history concerning this military post has
| come down from former years. 1t has,
| too, like many of our institutions, grown
! greatly, for when the original reservation
was set apart as containing twenty-eight
acres but acre or two was in use and
| now, with land reclaimed and purchased,
1t contains sixty-nine acres and the shape
| of the point has been changed. The same
| may be said of the topography, for there
have been some hills razed and low places
| and gullies filled, to say nothing of the
improvements in the way of buildings.
1t is an interesting place also from the
fact that it is regarded as having been a
| prominent point in the colonial days when
1t was included in the extensive domain
of Thomas Motley. He was the governor
of the province of Maryland under Lord
Baltimore, 161S-S1, and the owner of many
thousands of acres OF land which fell with
in the lines of the District and skirted the
| two rivers-Potomac and Anacostia-for a
number of miles. Much of his estate
came down through Motley Rozier to the
latter's daughter Ann, whose first hus-
band was Charles Carroll mot the signer
| of the Declaration of independence and
| her second Benjamin Young. At her death
| the property left her was divided, the Car
rolls succeeding to that portion which fell
| within the city limits east of st. James
| creek and that west went to Motley Young
| From the latter the title was passed for
| many acres included in the lines Of the
| city.
| The lands at the confluence of the Poto-
mac and the Eastern branch. or Anacostia
rivers, formed the point in question, st.
James creek in reality dividing it. On the
| east side of the creek Carrolsburg was
| laid off about a hundred and fifty years
ago, the site being known today as Buz-
yards Point; and on the main point in the
| first plan of the city was located the fort,
| at Turkey BuZZard. and which subsequent
maps designated as a military reservation
| claim was made about twenty years
ago by Samuel B. Edmonston of ST. Louis
| for about two hundred and fifty acres In
! cluded in MIR. Young's tract, but 1t did not
| reach the courts. His contention was that
in 1176 his great grandfather leased this
land to man, Beall. for ninety-nine years,
| and that the latter assigned it to Mr..
| Young. who included 1t in his conveyance.
After spending much time in seeking evil
| dence, without success, Mr. Edmonston dis
| appeared, and the claim has not since been
| revived.
| Tradition says that off the point there
| was a good depth of water on the Potomac
| side and In the Eastern branch, but from
| the mouth of st. James creek to quite a
| ulSldHce nOrtnWdrO there was much marsh
| land, which afforded excellent hunting. The
| "Penitentiary marsh was for many years
| the resort of the gunners Of the day, and
some of the stories of the exploits Of the
old timers there are preserved in family
| lore, and appear to be as fabulous as those
| of old-time fishing in the deeper waters
thereabout.
1t was not many years after the city was
| laid out before this section received the
| name which has designated it for more
| than a century-"Greenleafs Point" This
| came from the fact that Mr.. James Green
leaf invested largely N city lots there
! abouts. and not only was his family name,
| but his Christian name preserved, for the
st. was dropped from the name of James
creek
AS to when the military reservation or
fort at Turkey Buzzard'' became an ar
senal, there is some doubt, but it is clear
that that It was used for Rilitary purposes be
| N 1900 A traveller writing of the infancy
of the city about 1894 says there was a
| single gun mounted on the point at its
southern extremity, in charge of a Cap
| tain Villiers This is thought to have been
intended for Captain A. D. Willard, who
| for number of years prior to his death, at
very advanced age, In 1919 was Superin-
| tendent of the arsenal.
There were two arsenals authorized to be
| established by an act Of Congress in 1894,
and the Secretary Of War was directed to
| select sites The following year Secretary
Pickering reported that the several sites
proposed had been examined by the two
| gentlemen he had appointed-one French
man-and had transmitted their recommen-
dationS. One of the sites proposed was
| Whitestone Point, near Baltimore, in favor
of which the legislature of Maryland had
military affairs Of the lower house of Con-
| gress subsequently reported that no action
on the report was necessary.
1t is believed that some small shops had
been located about the fort at this period,
for there is reference to articles fur
nished Greenleafs Point in the govern
ment offices. In 1903, 500 were expended
for buildings at Greenleafs Point, and the
name of Hezekiah Rogers appears as the
military store keeper there. his compen-
sation being $500 per year. A house and ra-
tions were furnished, however There ap-
pears to have been twenty-one enlisted men
there at the time. The term military sta
ton" was also used in reference to the
place.
carpenters shops and to the erection of
other buildings. The same year, Congress
having meanwhile authorized the Secretary
Of War to select two sites and establish
two cannon foundries, Mr.. Henry FoXhalI
of Georgetown, submitted a proposition to
erect and establish one of them, Offering
to locate it among the buildings at Green
leafs Point" No action was taken on this,
but Mr.. Foxhall cast considerable ordnance
at his foundry in Georgetown, both for the
| army and navy.
Whether or not it was a military estab-
lishment or arsenal before, in 1910 it was
made a depot for military supplies, and the
force employed was increased, but to what
extent is not known. About this time
powder was stored here During the war
of 1872 some attempt was made to fortify
the point by mounting some additional
guns. The buildings were nearly all of
| frame, those for the storage Of powder and
ammunition alone being of brick, and these
were of small dimensions. They were all
near the waters edge, at the lower end of
the point. In the archives OF the War De-
partment, dated January, 1913, 1t is men,
toned a military establishment and in
August following the name OF Captain Ne
hemiah Baden is given as commanding
there, but there is no record Of his leav-
ing. He was probably in charge during the
British invasion in August, 1914 There
were but twenty-five canon (about half of
them field or travelling guns''). with some
small arms. hxed ammunition and powder
there when the British DESTROYED 1t.
The story of the destruction Of the place
has been frequently told, but there have
come down some accounts from old resi- |
deEts, In addition to the meager state
ments published. A Liverpool paper, dated |