Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14
Newspaper Had Fine Home


Newspaper Had Fine Home.
The Office of the old National Intelligent
Ger. established on Capitol Hill in 1900 by
Samuel Harrison Smith. was moved to this
square about 1903. and was turned over by
him In 1909 to Joseph Gales and w. w. Sea-
ton. 1t was located in lot 4, and was quite
fine structure. Assessed at $500, 1t was
listed as the most valuable house on the
square. It was here that the British on in
vadfng Washington. on August g. 1914
vented the personal enmity Of Admiral
Cockburn toward Mr.. Gales. who English
born though he was, warmly supported the
government in his paper, and was in serv-
ice with the militia. as was his partner and
employees on the paper.
The presses were broken and much of the
type Pied and the books Of the library
were thrown out, piled on the banks of the
canal and burned. Cockburn is said to
have personally applied the torch. Fortu-
nately, some of the type was saved through
a domestic, and the publication was re-
sumed in a week. 1t was continued until
about 1868 at that place, when more suit
able quarters were erected at the northwest
corner of It'll and D streets. After fifty
years. like its editors and proprietors, it
succumbed to old age
In 1920 the avenue front had been filled
by improvements. At the It'll street corner
Bacon & Moore had established the grocery
business in 1909. and eastward the shoe
store of Walter Clark was established in
1910. Thomas Hughes. grocery, in 1918, and
Ingle & Llndsay's hardware store about
1873 In that year. among others owning
property here. were Judge VIM. Cranch,
Isaac Clarke. Chas. Glover. Andrew Coyle.
John Campbell. William Morton, Samuel
Elliot. Joseph Gales, Peter Lenox, Alex
Kerr. Nicholas L. Queen. Seth Hyatt. G. c.
Grammer. D. Bates. Joseph Burrows and
John Abbott.
Valuation of Land.
The valuation of the ground was then
from 10 cents to $1.25 per foot. The I'M
provements were in the following name,
and amounts: Walter Clarke, 1890: Jos.
Clarke. 5000: Andrew Coyle. chief clerk.
Post Office Department. 5000; G. Thomp-
son. $1,000: Charles Glover, 5000: Camp
bells heirs. $500: Jones' heirs, 5000: Gales
& Seaton. $500: Thomas Hughes, s., 600:
Samuel Bacon. $4,000: N. L. Queen. 81. TOO:
Peter Lenox, $500. and J. Campbelrs heirs
$4,000. as shown in the records
In the tWentfes the curbing and paving of
the footWays on each side of the square had
been completed for, as stated. there were
business houses on the avenue 'front.' and on
most OF the lots running to street. in
which the canal was located warehouses
were erected. The principal building was
about the middle of the square. and here
for few years the City Hotel was con-
Quoted by Rumpn. Mr.. Joseph wood. an
artist OF local repute, had his Headquarters
here. There was number of boarding
houses on the square. some of the pro-
sional element Of the population. Owing to
the limited accommodations of the hotels
and tayerns members of Congress engaged
portions OF private residences during the
sessions. Mr.. Seth Hyatt, Mrs. e. McArdIe,
Mrs Pratt. Mrs. Owen. Mrs. E. Warner,
Mrs. Sawyer and Mrs. M. Miller were some
engaged In this business. At the corner of
9th street was the grocery store of Daniel
ments Of Seth Hyatt & Co. Thomas Hughes
store was about the center OF the square
That of Bacon & Co. at the corner OF 7th
street.
Many Mercantile Firms.
The hardware store of In9Ie & Lindsey.
the hat store Of H. Nichols & Co.. the china
and crockery store Of d. Butter & Co. the
dry goods stores Of William Rhodes and A.
4 ]. Holmead. the shoe store OF Walter
Clarke. the hat store and stage Office of
Isaae Clarke, the tailoring establishments
of John Dick, Richard Ballard and Joseph
Clarke and W. Wrights watchmaker's
shop were among the business houses
while DR.. Thomas Sewall, Andrew Cove
and James Pettigrew lived on the avenue
The grocery stores of Thomas Murray. M
Mcdaniel and John Conway ano the board
ing houses of Mrs. Salome Myers ana MIS-.
NaTUeH were aSO 1OcateQ there. At Mrs
Myers house number OF congressman had
their homes. and Mrs. harden had much
and market trade On the B street
side near 9th street, We're two small brick
belonging to G. c. Grammer.
1t was in the thirties that the sparsely |
settled Tth street side began to fill up. In J
1898 Richard Lackey started another tavern |
about midway of the square. Others fol- !
lowed some in small way. and by 1910 |
that portion of the square was well nigh a |
solid front of small taverns For some
reason or other the name of Cat Tail /
Row was given, and explanation of its |
origin is. that the shape of the only public /