Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-10
EARLY WASHIN GTON
Rustic Envir0ns of the Capitol
Back in the TWenties.
THE IMPROVEMENTS SLOW
Unique Condition of Affairs When
City Was Small.
OBSERVATIONS OF AN 0LD.TIMER
Scenes Along Tiber Creek-First
Public Gardener Came From
Kentucky-Notes.

In the first quarter of the last century
the infancy of the national capital, square
No. o15 between Pennsylvania avenue and
b, LIST and I'd streets northwest, occupied
unique position-that of a building square
sandwiched between areas or reservations
for public uses. At least such was its ap-
pearance on paper, but In reality so slow
were improvements made that the general
public was long in realizing that it was
intended for the site of private buildings,
ana, indeed TIL after the war of 1872 it
was looked on as part and parcel of the
grounds surrounding the Capitol which
then extended west to AZ street north and
to 9Th street south Of the avenue. Up to
changed for the drainage of the low grounds
and lots in the reservations were placed on
the market, with the exception of the
roadway on the avenue. and the wooden
brldge over T1ber creek, with a few shops
on the south front of the square, the work
of nature had not been molested
The western limits of the Capitol grounds,
though on paper reaching to LIST street,
were inclosed to about the line of Arthur
place, few feet west of the location of the
John Marshall statue. This was inclosed
by wooden picket fence describing a semi
circle, and all outside was in a wild state.
The outlook eastward from the square was
therefore, not pleasing one. On the west
the Tfber skirteC- the northeast corner, and
at I'd street crossed the avenue into what
are now the botanical gardens. This slug
g1sh stream was only a few feet deep and
barely moved over gravely bed and was
reached by moderate declivity. 1t was
an ideal watering place for hackmen and.
Transfers. There were. however, some
dangerous holes along the stream, and it
is related that in the forties a nighttime
hackman driving into one-~of these holes
wrecked his entire outfit The carriage
was wrecked and both he and his horses
a tor fbevuy fl,k,
stream was liable to overflow, and on more
than one occasion broke over the northern
portion of the square. once damaging
houses fronting on the avenue. During the.
thirties, it is said. the back building of a
tavern was washed away.
Some Early-Day Assessments.
OF the original lots plated in this square
Thomas Law, in 1907, became the owner
Of six. three of which, Nos 8, and 5, in
cluded the southwest corner Of the square:
and others on B street, Nos. g. and TO-
In 1903 j. NJ. Miller bought part of lot f.
corner of I'd street; and James Ingle ap-
pears on this lot at the same time, by the
corporation assessment books of that year
while Jones & Kahn appear in lot east
ward. The valuation of the ground at this
time was 10 cents per foot; but in the sec
ond assessment. 1897, this was reduced to
8 cents on the corner lots cents on the
avenue. cents on LIST street and half
cent on bs street. Ine improvements at
this period were assessed to Jones & Kahn
$500, on lot 81 ]. M. Miller, $120 and Joseph
Ingle 5000 on lot 4. Mr.. Miller had in 1906
transferred his property to James and John
Moore.
On the lot at the corner of LIST street and
Pennsylvania avenue, much of which is
now partly within the circle around the
Peace monument, No 1, came John Min
chen in 1911: and Mrs. Martha Gordon
came on the lot in 1916 After John Moore
had made another purchase in lot T. corner
of I'd street, in 1917. quite number took
leases on parts of the avenue lots, with
the privilege of purchasing. Among these
was D. Stewart coachmaker, who took
part of lots and. 4. Here also was the
coach-making business carried on for a
number of years by Solomon and David
Stewart. In 1918 Horatio Kingsbury leased
in lot 2. eastward, as did also p Odlin and
G. Betterton. Mr.. Kingsbury was a car
penter. and located his shop here The next
year Ennals Holt, a master carpenter, had
his shop east of Mr.. Kingsbury, and Mr.
John Foy took lease west of the shops.
Mr.. Foy came here from Kentucky at the
instance Of Henry Clay in 1919 to take
charge of the Capitol grounds. and may be
day there are in the Capitol grounds some
trees and plants which he brought here
and set out. The cedars of Lebanon, on
the south side of the east grounds, and
the. jujuplant dhe zizyphus vulgaris) of
which there are several thousand were
brought here by him. He became active
in the local military, and was the captain
OF an Irish company the Montgomery
Guards Tor few years before his death
In 1923. He erected on sublot two brick
dwellings, in one of which he lived and
died and in the other Mrs. Jane MARI kept
q tavern in the twenties Mr. John Fov
a nephew of the captain, came here laie
in the twenties. and a few years after es-
tablished farther west the weiI-Anown
Jackson tavern most popular resort for
the democracy: also the first and last place
a ret
the Capitol.
The Old Jackson Tavern.
1t is related by some of the former resi-
dents of the locality that the sign was an
old-fashioned swinging board, on which
was painted a likeness of Gen. jackson.
This sign soon showed a large crack down
the face and people were wont to refer
to the place as where you could see the
man with a cut down his face" They also
knew the place we'll because Of the screech-
ing made by the swinging of the sign in
some years. To the proprietorship Patrick
Moran succeeded in the thirties. and few
years later-it was DESTROYED by fire.
In 1921 Frederick A. Russell leased
ground for the coach-making business near
the Jackson tavern. having his residence
on Louisiana avenue; and William McKin-
ney bought farther east. Shortly before
1925 Mrs. Harriet Green. John Bowen.
6reScry EhhiS anu coiiii = ny were IeS-
sees or owners Of avenue property. The
assessors in 1924 placed a valuation of Is
cents per foot on the ground, and for the
improvements Horatio Kingsbury was as
sessed on $3.50; F. Pics heirs, $500: Mrs.
Mckinney 500; G. w. Danfield, $50; John
Foy, $500, and D. Carroll $3.50 in Car
rolls subdivision of lots and 2; d. Stewart
5000 on original lot 8: Gregory Ennis, $500,
and John Moore's heirs, 81 600 on lot 4, cor
ner of ID street
AS heretofore stated, most of the improve
ments were shops. At the corner of LIST
street in the twenties was the grocery
store of Archibald Stewart. and In the same
business during the forties and fifties was
Mr.. John T. Kilmon. On the Moore prop
erty, corner of the avenue and I'd street,
there was large two-storied frame, which
In the thirties was owned by e. Hopkins
and was occupied by Mrs. e. Warren, who
conducted q boarding house. When the
railroad depot was established. just over the
Tiber 1t proved a convenient stopping place