Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-04
OLDEST INHABITANTS
Meeting Held for Considera-
ton of Business.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
MR.. CROSBY s. MOVES ELECTED
VICE PRESIDENT.
Address by Mr.. T. v. Uoonan-Death
Of Member Recommendations
for July 4.

men VINO nave grown up with IL. AFTER the
meeting had adjourned the members were
reluctant to leave, and they fingered to talk
| over the times of yore, when it was posi-
| BILE to know nearly every one in the city,
| and swap stories recalled by some of the
| speeches of the evening.
One of the first things done at the meet
! ing was to elect Mr. Crosby s. Noyes a
vice president of the association. After the
secretary had publicly announced the death
of William Wallace Kirby, one of the pom
GERS of the city and vice president in this
organization, A. H. Raglan addressed the
chair. He said:
Mr. Kirby was one of the most excellent
members of this association He was
public-spirited man and one of the most
liberal l ever knew. We have lost a good
member. And we have to lose other good
members. We have excellent members
among us now, and one of them l now
nominate for the successor of Mr.. Kirby as
vice president Mr.. Crosby S. Noyes.' The
election was unanimous.
Address by Mr.. Noonan.
When in the order of business, addresses
and communication were called for, 7. V.
Noonan arose to make an address. In be-
ginning he said:
1T is fitting, Mr.. Pres dent, that the adj
dress delivered by Henry B mcfarland,
on the 10th of the past October. D.s
trict of Columbia day at the louisiana
Purchase EXpositio held in the city of St
Louis should not be allowed to go down to
oblivion and be forgotten by those who are
to come after u.s. and thus to blot out for
ever from the memory of the citizens of the
District of the ablest. most scholarly
and Succinct statements in all its details
relating to and in behalf of the District of
Columbia, and the duty OF the national gov
eminent to perform it's part to help build
up the capital city.
This address, Mr.. President, is too good
to be lost to posterfty, and should therefore
of right, be preserved in the archives of
this association as historical paper, and
intend at some future time to have said ad-
dress properly framed and presented to
the association.
THE fact Mr. President that the Dis
trict Commission, as constituted today
Mcfarland, West, Biddle-is the best
Board of Commissioners this District has
ever had 1t is also a fact. that cannot be
denied, that the present District Commits
sioners have been given more consideration
by Congress and therefore granted larger
appropriations. and hence we have more
improvements for the benefit of this com
munity, together with the fine municipal
building that Is to be erected in this city,
than any Commission of their predeces-
sors Now, Mr.. President. L ask the priv
ilege of reading the address of Commits
sioner Mcfarland
Following this Introduction, Mr.. Noonan
read from The Star of October %, 1904, the
address of the Commissioner. In this ad-
d. ess the speaker touched on the develop
ment of the District from it's establishment
and maintained that, contrary to the usual
opinion, it had been built up and main
tanned by the people of the District them
selves, and not by the general national
government. At first, when the country
was just recovering from war; there was
some reason why the people of the capital
should support it; but, he maintained. TINS
does not explain the neglect of the seventy
eight years afterward. In this address the
speaker pointed out that 1t was the civil
war which fixed for all time the capital
where 1t is now. At that time Washington
was the place sought and fought for, and
The blood shed in its defense made it sacred
as the capital of the nation. Washington
is not a city, he said of material riches,
but a city of intellectual and spiritual
achievement 1t promised that this
speech would be framed and be preserved
for the association.
Historical Sketch.
James Croggon followed Mr.. Noonan with
an historical sketch of what is now South
east Washington, but what was known
fifty or sixty years ago as the Navy Yard
district. He said:
I'm the days before the civil war that
portion of the city between Capitol Hill and
the navy yard south of East Capitol street
was known as the Navy Yard that term
being used for localities within half mile
of the capitol. But few years before.
when there were six wards in Washington.
portions of three of them were on the
yard it was possible for that section
to furnish half of the membership of the
councils.
About the navy yard wall and near the
foot of New Jersey avenue there were some
of the Oldest buildings in Washington, but
there had been but little done in the way
of street improvements, very few streets
having been graded, graveled or given brick
sidewalks.
Indeed, the virgin soil was looked on as
the grade There were no sewers provided
md c1rfan Ir9i gra WAS he "a
quently 1t was not rare that ponds OF
standing water could be found or that deep
gulleys were washed in what are now Inn
proved streets. Gradually, however, the
term Navy Yard has been contracted and
now takes in but few squares from the
wall, the term Southeast Washington COW
ering the original territory.
THAT the Navy Yard portion of the city
was early promising section is seen in the
fact that as early 1905 the Branch mar
ket was established on X street between 9Th
and 9th streets, and for many years 1t was
the principal business mart. An inlet from
the Eastern branch then extended above L
street, and into 1t flowed small stream in
9Th street from spring near Virginia ave-
nue.
1.-The Branch market is said to have de-
clined In business in the 40's upon the es-
tablishment of a market near the intersec-
ton of Pennsylvania and New York ave-
nues at 9Th street, in place of that and the
Capitol Hill market.
up to 1889 the apparatus of the Ana
costa Fire Company was located in frame
building north of the market but In that
year the brick engine house at 9th and X
streets was erected for the company and oc-
cupied This is one of the two old-time en-
CINE houses remaining.
NAVAL Lodge No. 4, of the Masonic order.
held it's early meetings on 7th street, below
Virginia avenue, but later at the northwest
corner of Virginia avenue and 4th street.
Eastern Lodge of Odd Fellows also met
here. The lower room was for many years
used as school room. Naval Lodge and
other bodies are now in the big building at
the northwest corner of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and 4th street southeast. A modest
two-story brick at the northwest corner of
It'll and G streets was built by Harmony
Lodge of Odd Fellows, which occupied it for
many years, renting the lower story for
school purposes. Union Lodge of Odd Fell
lows Anacostia Tribe of Red Men and sew
eral temperance societies also met there.
THE churches in the yard were Christ
Episcopal, formed before the general gov
eminent here New Jersey avenue, early
located on G street between 9th and 7th
streets. The Methodists were located on
4th near street, their church being known
as Ebenezer. The Methodist Professionals