Evening star., 1907-10-24
TO Be USED AS PLAYGROUND
CEMETERY IN GEORGETOWN
WILL SERVE NEW PURPOSE.
Workmen Removing Tombstones,
Trees and Brush-Condemnat
Proceedings by District.

The old Presbyterian cemetery, at 34th
street and Volta place will soon be a
thin gof the past Workmen are removing
establishment of public playground The
work is being done by the CONGREGATION
of the West Street Presbyterian Church,
which holds the title to the property.
Congress last winter appropriated s7J,-
ooo for Fairgrounds in the District, and
already two have been established in other
sections, which leaves about $50 600 for a
playground in Georgetown. The District
Commissioners have contemplated the
purchasing of the property but IT is stated
there was hitch in the proceedings be-
cause the heirs of the Beatty estate claim
ed that the property was left for a bury
ing ground and that if it were to be used
as playground it should revert to them.
The matter was referred to the corpora
tion counsel who, it is stated, Is to take
proper proceedings to condemn the prop
erty
AS soon as the ground has been cleared
the Washington Playground Association
proposes to install apparatus. About $1,000
worth of apparatus which is now at the
jamestown exposition has been given to
the association by the Playground Asso-
citation of America.
Was Principal Burying Ground.
The cemetery is between 33d and 34th
streets and Volta and Dent places, form
erly 4th and 5th and Market and Fred
erlck streets, and is said to be the Oldest
cemetery in Georgetown. 1t was the prin-
cipal burying ground until the laying out
of Oak Hill cemetery in 1850. More than
half century ago the attention of the
Presbyterian Church was directed to the
condition Of the graveyard, which had
been neglected, and number of ladies
or the congregation called a meeting of
lot owners. as a result of which a new
fence was erected, the briers and bushes
were cut down, the lots sodded and the
walks graveled.
Among those whose bodies were buried
in the cemetery were: Robert Peter the
first mayor of Georgetown. who died No
vember 10. 1906. aged eighty years; John
Ba mes. who was collector of the port of
georgetown for twenty years, and found
ed the poorhouse and who died February
~, IL, lsz6' aged ninety-six years; James
gillespie, representative in Congress from
North Carolina, died January IL, 1905;
Mary Bohrer, wife of John P Bohrer.
died August s. 1874, in the nnety-seventh
yea: OF her age; Elizabeth Thompson,
died March g. 1877. aged eighty-seven
years; William Waters, a soldier of the
revolution. died August 10, 1859, in his
ninety-third year; Col George Beall, born
In Georgetown February 26, 1929, died Oc-
tober IS, 1907, in his seventy-ninth year;
John Haydock of Lancaster England,
died April Is, 1907; Andrew Chew, died
January 10, 1911: Lynde Elliott. died Au-
gust 3. 1917; Richard Elliott. died July 5,
1S4S; John Hyde, died October 25, 1907
Elizabeth Cullingwood died February 10,
1874; Samuel Luke, died November %.
1923, and Wolf Tone, a celebrated Irish
patriot.
Many of the tombstones have with.
STOOD the elements, and others are crack
ed, while the younger generation has mn
tilated others Several of the tombstones
bear designs in paint of skull and cross
bones, while brush and briers cover MANY
of the graves. Tall trees have sprung up
over some of the graves, and many of the
tom mbstones are covered over with earth