Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
ROUND TOP BUILDINGS
Group Which Stood Near Oath
and L Streets
IN THE NORTHWEST
LAND OWNED ORIGINALLY By
ROBERT PETER.
oldTime History Supplied by Mr..
James II. Wineberger and
Others.

Round Top" in the years past was the
name of group of buildings which stood
on hill which would now be about the
vicinity of 23d and oath and l. streets
northwest. Round Top farm was the orig
nal name of the surrounding land which
was owned by Mr.. Robert Peter, who mar
ried Martha, the second daughter of John
Parke GUSTS. son of Mrs. Martha Wash
ington the generals wife. John Parke Gus
It's married Eleanor Calvert, at Mt. Airy,
on the Patuxent river, Maryland
Mr.. Robert Peter after his marriage lived
in one of these four houses, and they were
the finest at that day in this section of the
then country called Washington city.
Pennsylvania avenue was only on the map
of future condition then, and a resem-
blance to a road ran where that stately
street now is. Mr.. Peter afterward built a
stately house. which is now standing on X
street northwest, No. 261S, and here he
died, when the house was occupied by
Mr.. Peabody, an auctioneer and real estate
dealer OF Georgetown. who was the grand
father ofo9Hr.sG George Pea body the veteran
volunteer fireman of the District and the
first chief of the pay department.
Mr.. James A Wineberger of the Oldest
Inhabitants Association. a venerable citi-
zen In his eighty-thtrd year, and who was
born on 18th street In Georgetown and
spent his boyalood days near Round Top"
speaks of the place follows:
Pennsylvania avenue, then "a road was
broad, going in southeasternly direction
over the commons to about 18th street. A
small house could be seen here and there in
the distance on the right and left hand.
Open fields were on all sides, and there
We're no indications where street lines
should be, where now are streets and dwell
ngs
Tar In of
into cultivation On the common could be
seen cattle grazing over the pasture land:
the marsh was overgrown with a dense
underground of thOrns and thistle bushes
so that it made it difficult to force a pas
sage through them, except where the cat
tie had made paths in going to some shady
spots, or to get drinking water from the
ravines.''
members who lived in Round Top" were
Robert Peter, Joseph H. Hilton. Miss
Smart. Mrs. Coerr, the mother of Mrs
Green; Mr.. Streep, the tailor, and Mr.
Kirby.
Quotations From the Records.
The earliest records of the section show
that at a session of the general assembly
of Maryland, held in Annapolis, December
7, 1871, the Right Honorable Frederick.
lord baron of Baltimore, signed an .Act for
laying out and erecting a town on the Po-
| loifidC river, ABOVE ROCK creek in Fred
erlck county. attached to which was fine
name samuel Ogle esq. governor
The first land sold and occupied east of
Rock creek was to a Scotchman named
D paw Burns, who purchased almost what
the entire city now would be. He sold the
portion known as Round Top hill farm
to Robert Peter. The southwestern MARI
ne kept himself. and his cottage the first
was standing intact a square back of the
| White House until a few years ago when IL
| was torn down to make room for improve
mertS.
The ground where the White House and
the government buildings now stand he.
ionged to David Burns, and Gen. WASH
| lngton had a hard time to get him to dig
pose OF part of it. The ground was
nnally condemned and bought in by the
| government through the action of Cen
washington, which very much incensed
Burns. Several years afterward Gen
washington was in this neighborhood and
thought he would call on Burns, expecting
| the old mans ire to have somewhat aba ted
| by this time. Nothing of the kind Burns
| net him at the door with a frown and told
T Washington ~ mat he was nothing. nohow.
| with the Widow Custs lie would have not
amounted to busheI of shucks',
Gen. Washington smiled and rode a wav
remarking upon the austerity of the Scotch
| man.
First Street of Consequence.
| L ne iist Stfeet OF any consequence west
| OF Rock creek was High street. George
town. and that was like an old Boston cow
path. and was the only business thorough
| fare In the District TIE little stores and
| houses ran like crooked teeth, crowded
against each other clear up to the old reser-
vofr. and some of them are stilI standing
| that date back before the revolutionary
| days Like the old docks of Georsetov-n
| and the houses of Quality HILL High
street has had a past. Thousands or neo-
! pie daily cross this old stage road on their
| way to Cabin John and Glen Echo and
many OF them go up and down daily the old
route which once the main artery of
travel, trade and commerce of bygone DAYS
High street never was residence street
but Bridge street was. and good-sized
graveyard was portion of ii up to about
the centennial year. Bridge street was not
much of a thoroughfare until the water
works of the District built an iron bridge
over Rock creek at NJ street. This was
about the time of the outbreak of the re-
| bellion, and with the introduction of street
| cars by the Washington and Georgetown
Railroad Company, Bridge street became
| leading thoroughfare. At the upper end OF
Bridge street was the Aqueduet bridge
which. when new, was the biggest thing OF
| the kind In The world. and for a number OF
/ years was the fashionable promenade of
| this section of Sunday evening, and all
the weli-dressed people as we'll as fine
equipages We're assembled and moved UPON
| It. In fact. Bridge street received its name
from having bridge upon each end of It.
| Before this Aquednet bridge WAS built the
/ people were ferred across the Potomac
river at the foot of High street by rome
| landing upon what is now AnaloHtan Island.
In those days Mason's Island, they went
across little rivsr By causezvay to the