Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27

VIM. Ward and John Stetttnius were In the
dry goods business: 8. W. Handy & Co,
Thomas Webb. apothecary; Chauncey Bis
tor. dealer In china, etc.: A Ldttlejohn, bar
Der; T. Cookendorfer, stage agent; B. o.
Tyler, lottery agent: William Bayley. bot
tier; r. Darrah, dentist, and c. s. Burr.
lawyer. were on the avenue. and d. A.
Hall and r.. NJ. Beale. lawyers. on 9th
street.
Changes in Business Life
About 1880 there was a Browns Tavern
cas- we'll as hotel on this square. one VIM.
Brown keeping such a place in a frame
building at the corner Of 9Th and c streets.
which In few years passed into the hands
OF H. H. Tilley. The valuation of the
ground In this decade had trebled. ranging
from $1.O0 to $500 per square foot. and the
been subdivided into twelve parts, A and
being on the avenue and d to G on
street The valuations were: A. B. D, Z
and F. 500. to John Withers; c. 100.
parts l. and 3. $4,000. Jesse Brown:
$500. w. A. Davis; 4. $4,000. w. H. Ha-
mer: and $1,000. Barry & Holtzman; 5. W.
Ward. 81. 400; w. Clarke. $4,000; J. ).
Clark. $500. and John Stettinius, 5000.
The well-known merchant tailors, Tucker
4 Thompson, who moved from Bridge
street. Georgetown. to the neighborhood in
1916. bought near the corner of 9th street
in 1923, but the last named sold his interest
to Enoch Tucker. who afterward conducted
the business. taking his son into partnership.
In 1888 he bought in lots 8 and and con-
verified the old buildings into a hail. be-
coming known as the Concert Hail. Here
he engaged In the manufacture OF hats
and caps. and the rooms not needed In his
business were rented for offices, Adjoining
his own store was that of A. Green. auc-
tioneer. and over the stores Charles De
Selding, general agent; DIR. c. H. Van
Patten, dentist, and David A Hale, had
offices in the forties. DR.. Seth j. Todd
came into the square in the thirties
druggist. Then came Charles Stott, who
for many years had wholesale drug store
here. Then were ]. f. Clark. apothecary;
s. Ditty. merchant tailor: c. s. Fowler &
Co., and ]. B. German. lottery dealers;
Holmead & Catlett, Ward & Noyes, Harper
and Kneller Stettinius, dry goods dealers;
Slade & English, hardware dealers and
W.. A. Williams, jewelers.. on the avenue
about 1888.
The Epicurean Eating House. at the cor
ner of 9th street. was in 1884 the negro
Shows establishment and the scene of Q
mob uprising because of an alleged in
sulting remark concerning the ladies OF
Washington made by him. This remark
was said to have been made to a butcher.
and in a few hours the irate people were
searching for him, but without success, and
his place was sacked and bar smashed. and
pandemonium lasted for two days. Mrs.
Seaton wife Of Col. Seaton, of the Intelli
gencer wrote of this occurrence:
During the past two days we have been
in an alarming state Of disorder from
dread of instruction. or rather a dread
of the Illegal hanging of instigators to mis-
chief A white man was put In Jail a few
days since on the charge of Circulating
incendiary pamphlets This was the be-
ginning of disturbance. Mobs have collect
without trial. Marines are stationed in
and around the Jail. but there is great ap-
prehenson felt. the soldiers from Point
Comfort having gone to Baltimore. so that
hox Of a ri
Snow will certainly be torn to pieces by the
| mechanics, II he be caught. and they are in
full pursuit of him. Unfortunately. sew
eral hundred mechanics are out Of en-
ployment, who. aided and abetted by these
sympathizers. creates the mob. - 1 trem-
BILE for the consequences OF any encounter
with mistaken, Infatuated men. who have
set the laws at defiance. and must now be
put down by force The post office Is
guarded. but they threaten the mayor; and
you Will understand all my fears when
tell you that your dear father has been out
the last two nights exerting his influence
to quell the storm. We have only hand
full of troops here. but company from
Annapolis Is expected tonight Your
father has just returned home and reports
all tranquil.
"The Middle Forties"
BY the middle OF the forties the name Of
8. w. Handy G. Co.. hatters. had disap-
peared from the square. and that business
was TcpTcScHlcu ny w. D. 4Ood' ditSk "aio
| Todd G Davis. now by the Davis brothers.
at 18th street and Pennsylvania avenue.
The dry goods trade was represented by
George Stettinius. J. B. Clarke and Briscoe
& Clark, those names having been con-
tinuous for years. The merchant tailors
were represented by Enoch Tucker & Son
(the senior having been of the ancient firm
of Tucker & Thompson. which had been dis
solved) Young & Steer "a. II. and p. j.,
both long in business). and w. T. Jennings
O. So Nov Vnr1y rrrif nrrn In,
charge and j. H. Daniels and Charles Stott
and G. D. Gilman, whose name is preserved
there today, were the druggists. Daniel
Wolf had a Daguerrean gallery over the
Stott store. reached by stairway on c
street. The lottery and exchange offices Of
A. w. Kirkwood, c. ]. Nourse, H. Howison
and Richard France & Co. were here.
Walkers eating house has taken the place
of Todds concert hall buildings was the To-
cation of Oliver Whittlesey & Co.'S paint
and oil store, as near by was Timothy
Buckley'sf ruit store and ]. ]. Hempler
merchant tailor, and j. N Carey had bar
Der shop on 9Th street An old resident
tells of his experience in buying lottery
tickets In this section as follows: They
were pretty square people to me. For some
years made a habit of buying SO as to al
ways have a ticket, and, while never won
a large prize, won several small ones. At
one time. however, 1 was going to the bad.
being nearly 500 out. walked In an office
one day and was persuaded to buy ticket.
This drew a prize. and when the dealer
cashed it remarked With the discount OF
1 will be left about square The dealer
paid me the money. remarking: Young
man, II this squares you. keep SO. and never
buy another ticket and I never have"
In square No. 459. between 9th. 1th and
streets and an unnamed avenue as stated
in the old Deeds there were six original
lots, and though before 1903 they had pass
ed out Of the hands of the commissioners.
occupancy and settlement was slow. Capt.
Thomas Truxton was the first purchaser.
he taking lot 8. at the northeast corner Of
the square in 1799 and by that date VIII
liam H. Dorsey had the lot south. Robert
Brent that west. Mr.. Dorsey the next ].
c. Wilson and Thomas Herty the next
one. and the corner on which the Bank
of Washington is situated was owned by
Mrs Ann Brodease. At that period the
~ground was valued at s and 10 cents per
foot. but four years later 8 cents was the
rate. There were no improvements listed.
In 1908 conveyances appear to Stettinius.
Jones. the Ciarkes. Davis and others in
terested In the square south and there Is
little doubt that some improvements were
made then or shortly afterward. In the
twenties improvements were charged to w.
Crawford ct al. $500. and R. Brent, $500.