Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-18
OLD FRANKLIN SPRING
REGRET THAT IT Should BE
CONDEMNED AS IMPURE.

The recent action of DIR. w. C, Woodward
the health officer. in condemning the water
from the springs in Franklin Square. be-
tween |, X, 18th and 14th streets, declaring
it to be deleterious to public health, has
caused comment in various quarters. For
seventy-five years the springs have furnish
ed water for use at the White House, the
State. Treasury, War and Navy depart
ments. and many houses in that portion of
the city. during which time there has been
no complaint of the quality of the water.
Many hale. hearty old men and women,
some of them octogenarians. have been life
long users of the water. ii is claimed, and
have Jared fully as well those who We're
supplied by other springs.
by the way, said one whose brow is
silvered by the frosts of three score and ten
years. Franklin Square is not one of the
original parks as generally supposed, but
was once private property. laid off in thirty
building lots On the plat of the city II
was designated square $40. Alexander w.
Campbell owned eleven lots. Victor b. RAN
dolph four, Richard Smith five. David A.
Hall and Syivanus Hartshorn. each two;
Louis II. Machen, George Cover. Robert
Robertson, w. w. Billing and Charles l..
Coltman, one each. and George Newton.
Thomas Williamson and Alexander Jordan
jointly one lot. in 1880.
1t was included in the lands of Gen.
John Davidson of Annapolis. of the
original proprietors, who resided on the
square northeast. No PSI. In the division
between the United States and the proprie-
tors square 2i9 allotted to the former
and subsequently conveyed to Benjamin
Stoddert. From him it passed to Wheeler
and Cooper in 1901. and from the latter
the title of the lots passed to others.
I'm the early days, as we have learned
from our grandfathers, the stream which
ran through 18th street and south OF ii
street flowed eastward across 10th street
.,,I -S,r,tt arx--, m n
canal 1t had It's rise in Mr.. Davidson
spring, which was near his residence This
flowed into 18th street at about the site OF
the Livingston Apartments. and at | street
Joined the waters from the square, forming
a pond From the neighborhood of 10Th
and NJ street and F and 9th street this run
was reinforced by other springs.
Government Orders Improvements.
"It is not surprising" the old man con-
tinued that at an early day there were
means to utilize the waters from Franklin
Square projected by the government, the
corporations and citizens. 1t was shortly
after the war of 1872, so l have been told,
that wooden pipes were laid by some of the
property holders on 18th street and water
carried down to +, street and thence to l4th
street 1t was in the days of Monroe that
the Franklin Square waters were conveyed
to the White House and the departments,
over $1,000 being appropriated therefor, of
which less than $1,000 was expended.
About 1920 the name Fountain Square
was given it. and though owned by pri-
vate parties it treated public prop
erty In 1924 the corpora ton directed that
the source of the fountain be found. The
result was that although streams were
found outside the lines OF the square, fine
one under what is now the pavement
hundred feet or so south of X street on
the west side of 18th street-a larger spout
with some smaller ones was located about
the middle of the square. Under the act
of Congress of March 3. 1929. an appro-
priation of 5000 was made to purchase the
square. Mr.. Richard Smith conveyed his
five lots in July following. and the deeds
for the others were made 1899 to 1899.
in 1898. under appropriations made in
that and the preceding year, over $1,000
was expended in conducting the water, the
construction of reservoirs and fountains al
the public offices and nclosing and plant
ing trees in Fountain Square. Thus was
this system of water works established.
But Few Streets Paved.
There were few streets in the vicinity
graded then. the 18th street side of the