Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09

cars now stop. Some OF this old causeway
| Is still TO be seen. Gen. Washington, and,
| IN fact, all people crossed by this way and
means. So did Dolly Madison when she es-
| capped from the city upon the British burn
Ing the White House during the war of
1912. First she went to the house of Mrs.
| Love, and finding the soldiers were upon
| her track, she went a few miles further to
| a Mrs. Miners. who hid Dolly in closet.
Here she remained until Mr.. Madison could
be communicated WITH he being In Phila-
| delphia.
/ Old Taverns on High Street.
On High street there were many old tav-
ems and farmers hotels and drove yards, in
addition to wholesale and retail houses.
1.-THE Old White Horse Tavern" where Gen.
Washington stopped. is no longer standing.
I but the Montgomery House and the Yellow
| Tavern are there.
| Georgetown was the only place for farm
| erS In those days. They came all the way
from Pennsylvania and the upper counties
| Of Maryland in four and six-horse teams.
| The wagons We're as big as circus wagons,
with thicf white canvas stretched over the
hoops. with bells fastened to metal arch
| over the head Of every horse. These wig
ons carried butter, eggs. whisky and pork.
| They came in on Sunday evenings and re-
turned upon Monday.
In addition to commercial route. High
street was the old stage road to Rockville,
! and a regular line of coaches from
| Bridge street up the pike. After the Bal
| timore and Ohio railroad was built these
/ stages ran only as far as Tenleytown.
/ and were running up to a few years ago,
| when the electric ears took their place AT
/ the foot of High street used to be the live
Hest place in town, the Sailors Tavern
! Further up the street was the home of the
first fire department. the building OF which
| was built about 1879, and the first engine
| was named the 'Vlglant."
Now to the beginning of the story of the
nelghborhood of Round Top At the juno
| .'on OF High and Water streets stood the
tavern of George Peter Suter. where COM
lnenced road running east toward now
| Church road, which for a few hundred yaris
was skirted by big boulder called the
| Rock of Dumbarton. That portion or the
river front was known as Wrapping,
| named after the celebrated locality in the
/ east part of London. After leaving WaD-
| ping the road took on a turn from east to
due north. running alongside of the creek
| to r street, where shaky plank brldge
| was laid, to cross Rock creek.
Known as Rock Street.
| The upper portion OF this road was
| known as Rock street, which overlooked
| the creek and bridge, remnants Of which
are now to be seen. Four old-fashioned
| frame houses are still standing upon this
| remaining part of Rock Creek Church road.
| Persons will notice from the car window
when crossing the P street bridge fine, old
| square house situated below the bridge
| nearly fifty feet and will wonder why that
! house was built there: but this house was
| then on the grade, and the road Whlch
| runs by 1t was the old Rock Creek Church
road now having for a terminus the bank
of the creek, where Is built the brick mar
/ ket house. After crossing Rock Creek ana
| the site of the market house there We're
! two struggling roads at a juncture one
| going north up the creek In. the direction
| Of the old Jones mill. called Rock Creek
| Church road, and the other branch lun-
| nj St
| road, which ran on to about where Gen-
/ wood Cemetery now is located.
This old Bladensburg road was the main
| thoroughfare, and the country between that
and the Potomac river was a vast wilder
| ness with an occasional log house or small
| stone dwelling, which in those days were
palatial for these parts, and the way these
| few came here were offshoots from the orig
| inal settlers, some being their relatives,
others their friends. and some from the
| people who titled what little soil there was
under cultivation
The original ground of Washington city
was Nottingham" The next distinct por-
| ton was at 14th street and Florida ave-
nue., then the Bladensburg road, called
| "Holmead" Nottingham extended up to the
| fork of Rock creek near Chevy Chase. and
| beyond this point came an English gen.
| tleman named John Coates, who brought
| with him some of his wifes family named
/ Jones Coates first house Is still standing
near Chevy Chase lake, and the old Jones
grist mill. the first one In this section
of the country, has piece or two Of it
| still left. The Jones family was a very
| distinguished one. and intermarried with
| the Washington family. Among the last
| people to own and reside at Mt. Vernon
was Charles Augustine Washington, and
/ his wife. Miss Jones, who was born at
| Chevy Chase lake.
| Buzzard's Point.
/ At Buzzard's Point, the foot of Az street.
was wide wharf of some sticks, stuck In
10 fasr Mo Of
landing. and from there struggling
path up the street to about 7th and q
| streets northwest, where. on G street, there
| Is an old frame house still standing which
was part of one built by the original land
| holders or squatters. From here the cow
| path ran up what is now about Sth street
| to Florida avenue, or the BIadensburg road
| of those days. The land between this old
| path from the river to the road and going
west to Rock creek was the possession of
! Bobby Burns. So Round Top, the finest
house. was built by Robert Peter. after his
marriage with John Parke Custis' daugh-
ter.
| Where the old Bladensburg road crossed
| what is now 18th street extended there
| stood some seventy or eighty years ago
| Columbia race course. This marked the
northern extremity of 14th street at that
| period. and opposite the race course was
/ Eslin's cock pit, and to these places the
! later year gentry. such as Webster, Clay.
| Randolph and a few more of like fmpor
hours In the then favorite pleasures or gem
| tlemen.
About the year 1S39-4O Jake Dixon and
| Jim Long were the most noted sports in
the District and were both owners of good
/ studs of horses. The stables of both were
] located on Rock Creek road. near the race
course. and were weil-known throughout
| the country.
/ From the race course the road ran north
j east, through what IL now Soldiers, Home
| park. Upon the right hand was Petworth,
| which belonged to John Tayloe the uncle
| of Benjamin Ogle Tayioe. The Soldiers
| Home ground was known as '.Harewood-
at that time.
/ Rock Creek Church.
| Rock Creek Church, the structure which
| gave its name to the road. was built In 1710.
the bricks being imported from England In
| 1T15 1t was rebuilt, and remodeled In 1868.
The old church yard, now cemetery, was
known as the .Globe" ard was the gift OF
| John Bradford.
About 1922 there was road started from
i the Capitol. IN northeast direction, TO the
Bladensburg road and old John Holmead
sold portion of his northern tract for $36
an acre.