Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28
HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Section Where Christ P. E.
Church Was Located.
PLAT OF SQUARE 878 IN 1895
Designed for Forty-Two Lots When
Division Was Made.
VALUATION OF GROUND IN 1907
Improvements Noted Five Years Later
United States an Owner
VALUATION OF GROUND IN 1907

In that section of Washington city in
which Christ Protestant Episcopal Church
was located hundred years ago the ed.hce
for many years stood solitary and alone
sparsely was the neighborhood built up
On G street, between 9th and 18th streets
southeast. this edfce has stood for over a
hundred years. the spiritual house of many
families who have continuously worshiped
there. The congregation. It may readily be
conceived was not in former years made up
OF nearby families. for the Washington
parish long took in the entire city. but
with the old timers a mile or two was not
considered a long distance. and until the es
! tablished OF St. Johns parish communi-
cants We're in far distant parts of the city.
| Its location, however, does not seem to
have had an appreciate effect on the set
Element of that section. for. as above
| stated. 1t had the appearance Of a country
church. Nevertheless. while the little
knobs and undulating land west and south
| of the church afforded some ideal spots for
cottage sites the buildings or homes
erected for nearly half century in this sec
ton were south of G street. others in sight
being easily counted on the fingers. Never
theless.t there was gradual growth. and by
| the thirties there was neighborhood south
of the church In which the merchant me-
chanic, musician. medical practitioner.
ma gistrate and others passed their home
! life. With so many lots unnclosed. and
those improved by houses being capacious.
advantage was taken by some of the set
| tiers of the conditions, and there was not a
few whose cows graZed on the open Fields,
while others maintained flower and kitchen
gardens, and. despite the laws. FEW hogS
ran at large. From the south. l street.
| there was gentle rise on the east part OF
| the square south of G street and a greater
rise the west portion. and through Ith
street much of the ground north was
| drained, occasionally that street being
overfiowed.
Plated for Forty-Two Lots.
| Square s7s within the lines of G. 1, 9th
| and eth streets, was on the original plan
| plated for forty-two lots, one-half of
which were in the division made in 1195
vested in Mr. Prout. he taking the west
| half of the square. In the same year. how
| ever. the whole square was included in the
| holding of Greenleaf, and for few years
was subject to the ramifications with Morris
| Nicholson and others. Aaron Won Bibber
| in 1903 bought lot o on | street James
| Ward the following year bought lot IA on
| 9th street and in 1907 Gen. Van Ness had
| the lot adjoining. At this time cents was
| the value of the ground per foot and there
were no improvements assessed. The next
| year Thomas p. Brice took lease on lot
| ~. adjoining on the north the corner lot at
1 and 18th streets. He is known to have
] erected a small frame dwelling assessed
at $3.50, and this family was here till the
| thirties. when the fee title passed to Peter
| Little, then the clerk of the Eastern Branch
market.
| In 1909 William Iambell bought lot Is,
| on 9th street. convenient to his work as
| ship carpenter in the navy yard and
| erected a model residence assessed for
$3.50 value in the twenties The name was
| perpetuated by the well-known Kelly Lam
| bell. who for some years had a shipyard
| near the foot of 9th street and later was
| in the brickmaking business. William
Hampden was on the same lot by lease in
| 1872, and had small frame home valued
at 5000 for thirty years or more.
| DIR. Alexander McWiliams came on the
, square in 1911. leasing lots and 5 and
afterward and fronting on 1 street and.
| improving the same, made his home here.
| The corporation value was 500 and the
| ground cents per foot. DR.. McWilliams.
| the elder. as well as the son of the same
| name and son-in-law, Dr. Noble Young.
| were leading physicians Of that day mem
| bers of the board of health and connected
with the hospitals. prisons and asylum.
| Drs. George Dove and 8. A: H. McKim
! were also here Later.
In 1911 Lemuel Townsend leased lot 1, at
the corner of 18th and 1 streets. and erected
grocery store and dwelling. which the
| corporation valued at 500. This is now
within few years of being a grocery for
century. the business having been con-
tfnuous. Martin King bought the property
in 1881, with parts of the lots adjoining on
the north and west. and continued the
business for many years. so long in fact
that Kings corner seemed a permanent
fixture.
improvements in 1912.
In 1912 H. Spooner was on part of lot IS
on 18th street and put $50 improvements
upon it. A. Talbert. a carpenter came on
lot % G street. and lived in a $500 resi-
dence for almost fifteen years. In 1888
Mrs. NJ. E. Cuvilleer. wife of the leader
of the Marine Band. this property.
The southwest corner of 9th and G.
| streets. lots u to "a and part %. was
bought by John Mcleod in 1913. These lots
with Is to 90 were bought in 1916 by Maj.
S. Miller of the Marine Corps. John Crabb
a justice of the peace. bought in the
ner lots. 21 to %. 6.3OD feet of ground the
same year for $4,000. Mr. Crabb. whose
office was opposite the Marine barracks at
once improved the corne- by the fine brick
structure yet standing. This taxed
on $3.50 valuation in the twenties and
was the home of the family for several
years. In 1887 it became the property of
Mrs. Hannah Allen. The Dulin family. of
which the late James G. Duln was a men,
Der. lived here for some years, as did Dr.
Noble Young in the forties. 1t is
owned by the Charles Schroth estate.
John Dunn in 1910 leased in lots I and
on I street, and erected house valued
at $3.50. ExMayor Smallwood owned
portion of lot . the next year and was as
sessed 5000 thereon. In 1921 Vencranda
Pullizzi bought in lot 3, adjoining the Nc
William property, and had a residence s.
sessed at 5000. Mr.. Pullizz was of the
little company of Italians who came here
about 1S04-5 and entered the Marine Band
William Speedin, clerk in the navy
purser's store. conducted the grocery and
dry goods store at Sth and l. streets, and
lived on l street In the twentles he set
tied permanently by leasing lots 40 and
Al on eth street. buying them four years
later with lot ~ adjoining. This he inn
proved and 1t was the family home for
many years.
In 1894 John Tucker bought lot 81 on
9TH street. on which was a small frame
house. and in 1886 it was bought by ]. C.
Cassidy.
In 1887 Sarah A. T. Dulany owned lot
10 on street, and John II. Smoot master
Joiner. lots 40 and Al on 18th street
In addition to those named there was
on 18th street in the thirties Thomas Red
dish. William Thomas and James Nc
Cathron. ship carpenters; Patrick Tuell
blacksmith J. II. Myers musician; Henry
Tuell. carpenter. and A. Crawford, J. Roby
and 7. Griffith. blacksmiths Among those
on | street were George Atkinson, black
smith; Daniel Page. clerk; A. II. Lawrence
attorney at law; and Benjamin Smith who
weighed 300 pounds and was known as
Big Smith.
Square Divided