Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-16
Nearby Was Potter's Kiln Square,
Generally Shrouded in Smoke.
NO STATUTE AGAINST NUISANCE
Citizens Kicked, but Plant Continued
to Turn Out Pots and Emit
Black Masses.

Office HILL AT the time 1t was a hill the
summit being about the center of the lines
Of sth street. about a hundred feet north
of the F street entrance. The descent to
the westward. toward Sluice run, was
abrupt, but in other directions gradual.
On this hill lived, as late the forties.
John Orr and his wife. The latter was
known to the boys as Jimmy" Orr. They
had a cabin of two rooms. one of brick
and the other an upper room of frame, and
about it they, had a few fruit trees. includ-
ing mulberry, apple and cherry trees. a
garden and pasturage for a COW, and they
raised chickens.
There had been others on this reServa-
ton, the impression being that it would
be a long time, if ever, before the govern
ment would have use for it. 1t was re-
garded perfectly. safe for home sites.
and a few families settled near what was
called the Ridge" the path and wagon
road along F street. In the twentes an
ice house was built in the southwest cor
,ner of the reservation by the late DR.. Will
liam Gunton--a frame octagon building
the roof OF which turned the water and
formed fine place for boys to wear out
their pants in sliding. When the govern
ment took possession of the reserva ton
in 1896 there naught in the way of the
buildings save Orr's cabin and the ice
house. and one or two cabins barely worth
carting away.
Sketch of Gardener.
The old gardener, Orr. and his wife were
the subject of the following sketch written
about twenty years ago. under the caption
OF "Orrs Troubles and Death"
my first acquaintance with this man
was in 1921. l had erected two frame build
ings at the corner of 9Th and G streets, di-
rectly opposite to his cabin. which stood
on the public square. In going and coming
from his orchard he had to pass my house.
At first he only gave me silent salute as
he passed. but at length became somewhat
more familiar. ~
Zone day he called on me to tell me of a
trick the boys had played him. He said he
always carried his musket to the orchard
when his fruit was ripe to brighten boys
who were stealing his fruit. When engaged
In digging he placed his musket on the
ground. These chaps had seen this and.
slipping behind him, they stole his musket
and were rejoicing over the exploit. Hear
ing the noise behind him he went to get
his musket. but soon discovered what had
happened and started to drive the boys
away. They then twitted him, asking
why he had not loaded his gun that morn
ing. and what had become Of the flint, etc.
After firing OF that line Of petty annoy
ances they threw the gun over the fence.
He took it up and went to his house. He
said he was very much ashamed that the
boys had discovered that the gun was never
loaded, and only used to frighten them. OF
course, the gun had lost its tarrors.
Another anecdote will mention. The
old man was on his way to tho orchard
with his gun on his shoulder. which some
what astonfshed me. as 1 thought fs had
laid II aside: a.ked him where he va.
he.o-somebody has mi1ked our cor for the
two last mornings and / am going to zee
who It vas In q Httie while saw him
inquired II he had seen who had MIXED
the COW. He hesitateA TOR some time be-
fore telling me. Indeed I have. SIR he
finally said 1t WAS q large black snake.
But you must not ten ANYBODY. a. the old
woman would not be able to seil her nzfIk'
Old Mans Misfortune.
Just az Vas about to remove from
this part OF the city to Capitol Hill he
called on me in q very aeitated state. with
tears giistening IN his eyes. Some one had
taken down a large piece OF his fence on
7th street. which nearly cut his orchard
into two parts. I promised to make some
inquiry into this matter. assertained
that this lot had been sold by Gen. Van
Ness to a clerk in the post Office. and
went to the general about the matter but
he did not treat me with much cosidera-
ton.
This was the commencement of the cid
mans troubles. Burns the original owner
OF this part of the city, had died. and Van
Ness having married, his daughter became,
through her, heir to a large estate. In a
few months, after disposing of this lot on
7th street. he sold the western lot on 9th
street, which took in the. fruit trees and
the cultivated part of the orchard. This
now entirely deprived Orr of the means of
gazing a livelihood, and practically drove
him to despair He would look over his
orchard and throw himself on the ground
lilo 20 4
find him, taking him up like a child.
This misfortune was the fatal blow
which terminated his existence. Before I
had heard of his death he was buried by
the corporation as common pauper in q
pauper's grave.
''The working people in the new patent
Office voluntarily erected a small cabin
for the widow, into which she was carried
as her cabin had to be removed and where
she fingered but a short time. She was in
TERED near her husbands grave.
Patent Office Building.
The erection Of the patent office building
was authorized by the act of July 4, 1886
appropriating $10S,O00 for the work. and
luckily. for December Is following. that
office was destroyed by fire. with the post
office. in the Blodgett Hotel building on
street. together with other offices. This
appropriation was augmented by others
until over 100000 were expended the last
being for enclosing the square and planting
trees. in 1872, and for some years wooden
palings were on the lines of the streets not
covered by the building. AS is we'll known.
there were in the building the museum of
the National Institute. In which the lwo-
headed calf was star attraction with the
curios gathered in Wilkes antarctic ex-
petition and other explorations. Outside
was the stone sarcophagus presented to
Gen. Jackson by an eastern potentate For
time a small greenhouse was on the G
street side of the reservation. 1t may be
that 1t was In this Office that the germ OF
the Department of Agriculture was laid.
That was the collection of statistics under
the commissioner an appropriation of but
$500 being expended therefor In 1883.
North of the building, while Il was in
process of construction, was the territory
becoming known as the Northern Liberties,
and it is said that the name came from
that of a saloon in the neighhorhood es-
tablished by Philadelphia who had run
with the Northern Liberties Fire Company
of that city.
In 1900 much of the ground nc-.s, of this
reservation was the property snf Dayy
Burns, one of the original pfoprietors
Al of the square between TIN and
Sth streets and much of that between
Sth and 3tif streets and as far north. as