Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-08
SOUTHEAST SECTION
Owners of Real Estate in Early
Days of City.
PROVIDENCE HOSPITAL SITE
Folger Square, Eighty Years Ago,
Was a Common.
ORIGINAL GROUND VALUES
United States as Holder of Title.
Trustees Of Washington Academy
Exchange Lots.
PROVIDENCE HOSPITAL SITE
ORIGINAL GROUND VALUES

By reason OF the location of the avenue
known as North Carolina south OF II
street /, intersection I'd and Sd streets south
east in the original plan of the city was
left this space. which now bears the name
Folger Square. Under the care or the
national government Il has become one
Of the many well-kept parks OF the Capi-
tai city For more than eighty years,
however It was only an open common.
and for that matter so were the adjacent
squares, which had been laid on INTO
building lots. for much OF the perloo.
Very slowly improvements were made on
Their, Nevertheless In the vicinity was
located one of the two pubic scho"is
hundred years ago. Nearly as long ago
was ground secured by the Sisters "f
Charity on which Providence Hospital
was located during the civil war, ana IN
and about D street east OF the square III
the fortias was vtliage-!ike settlement.
Doubtless there are very many FesiueHtS
Of this city who remember 'letr scAoo4-
boy DAYS when at recess time and before
and after school hours there Was little
danger of disturbing neighbors, for lhe
schoo!house was at the corner or 81 ahd
ID streets.
The square north Of Folger Square NO.
1853 between {, D, I'd and I'd streets, was
in 1906 divided equally between Mr.. car
roll and the United States each taking
eight lots The original valuation of the
ground was y cents per foot ana th@re
appear no improvements In the RECORDS
down to 1890 by which time ! cent more
had been added to the valuation ana n"
change had been made as 70 title. IN
1887 the lots assigned TO Mr.. Carroll were
decided to Georgetown College.
Site of Providence Hospital.
Title 20 square 7s4 between I'd, Sd, D
and streets, the site of Providence
Hospital, was vested in the United
States and Mr.. Carroll. the former taking
the east half seven lots in 1896. Capt.
James Barry, in 1893 acquired the east
half of the square. In 1901 the lot at the
southeast corner Of I'd and D streets
was conveyed by Mr. Carroll to his
mother, Mrs Mary Fenwck, who had
previously resided in Carrollsburg. There
was erected a fine frame residence on
little knoll. which, in 1902 bore valua-
ton of So 900 and which was in good
condition when in the sixties II was de-
molished The ground was valued at ;
cents on the first assessment rolls, and
reduced to half that rate until the
twenties. when 3 cents was again charged
and remained at that figure till ...e for
ties. In 1927 Rev Louis r Deboul. D. D.
acquired lots to g. nearly half the
square. fronting on I'd. D and f streets
Father DebOul was the superior of the
Sisters of Charity of ST. Joseph. who had
about that time located in ST. Patrick's
parish. and to these he conveyed the lots
in 1880 John Coyle in 1884 was the
owner Of the east half of the square, lots
to 3, and 10 TO IA, and about ten years
later James r. Ferguson owned lot !
corner of Sd and + streets, and IA. adj
joining on the north.
The ground owned by the Sisters. as
stated. during the civil war became the
site Of Providence Hospital. In the first
year of the war, 1861. the Sisters were al
the Washington Infirmary. north of the
court house in Judiciary Square, and on
the night of November 3 of that year the
building was destroyed by fire. 1t was a
three-storied structure, the center portion
of which had been In use as the jail from
1904 to 1898. and during the war It had be-
come military hospital, a number of
frame wards experimenting the acCommo
dations in the old building. In these the
Sisters were engaged till the establish
of Providence Hospital on its present site
In 1864, they having in the meantime &C
CURED all the square. The first building
was of moderate dimensions but appro-
priatons of $4,000 were made by Con
gress in 1865 and 1865 and additions were
made.
East of Folger Square the lines of North
Carolina avenue, c. Sd and 4th streets
form square 791. This was cut into five
lots which in 1897 were divided between
William Prout and Mr.. Carroll
Value of Ground
Three cents per foot was the value frs
placed on the ground. Afterward 1t was
reduced to half that rate. Then . cents
became the value In 1870 and remained so
for twenty years. Little change was
~ IN no e 10,
till 1892 did title leave the original owners.
when lot 5, at Sd and c streets, pass d to
r. S:mrs. who later acquired lot 4. thus
owning the west front of the square. In
1874 Edward Castul owned lot ?. on c
street, and Henry Hatton a sublot on I'd
street.
Sd. 4th and D streets and North Caro-
lima avenue. showed more developne1t
in the early days than others. 1t was
plotted for eleven lots. title to which was
vested In Carroll, Prout and the United
States in 1897. BENJAMIN Stoddert in 1901
owned lot 9. the northeast corner OF the
square. The next year Gen. Van Ness
owned three lots and Elexius Middleton
lot /. corner Of Attn and D streets. Two
cents per foot was the ground value In
1902, and later less, and in the thIrtics
fifty dollar IMPROVEMENT on i'O' lot "'i !.
corner An and D streets. was charged
to James Middleton. and in the thirties
to P. Stewart. Jason Ross in 1908 had
the oorner of North Carolina avenue and
Attn street. and in 1908 James Bassett had
lots and II. near 4th and y streets.
| Thomas Munroe, superintendent of
Washington city. in 1905 conveyed part OF
| lot D. at the northeast corner of Sd and
| D streets. TO Mr.. Carroll, and two years
! later appears a deed of Il to Elias 3.
Caldwell and William Brent, trustees of
! the Washington Academy, IN which is re-
| cited that It Is exchanged for lot s. square
I61. corner OF PENNSYLVANIA avenue and
! ID street. There esta blished one of
the two public schools of Washington.
known then as Academy East and later
as the Eastern Lancasterian. Eastern and
| Third District Public School.
Early Day Teachers.
1t was better known in the old days
by the names OF the teachers. among
whom were E. D. Tippett, L. 8. True,
Hugh Mccormick. William McCathran
John Fill and Thomas Goldsmith The
building was a one-story brick, and with
in Its walls many East Washington people
learned the three Rs-readins, riting and
rthmet.c-and prepared for higher stud
les.
In the twenties. Rev. A. T. Mccormick
rector of Christ Church; Edward S Lewis
of the Treasury: Samuel n Sm4l!wo1d
lumber merchant and eX-nayor; George
WatterSOn, librarian of CongresS NJ i