Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-01


approaching Its centenary. What is
Trinity NJ E. congregation also used the
tobacco barn before the old Ebenezer. now
the First NJ. P. Church. was erected on 4th
street Under the names of East Washing
ton and 4th street the Methodist Episcopal
congregation worshiped there many years
before locating at 9Th and c streets south
east.
OF Historic Interest.
About square 733 between 1st and I'd.
c and d streets, especially to the Catholics,
terest attaches especially to the Catholics.
for the second of their parish churches, St
Peters. Is there located. Prior to 1890 the
title to the thirty lots in :ie United
States and M. Carroll. and AT hat ime
Griffith Coombe bought e:gn- Of hem from
the church site at Cd and c s;reets,
lots % to q. and Is NJ. Carroll
bought them and aftarward in 1924
conveyed them to Arcno'sh Up Marechal,
1t was doubtless M. Carrol's iaten-
ton in 1920 to donate them ID the ch.rch.
Prior to 1929 st. Patrick's parish covered
the whole extent of the city besides the
parish church at 10th and F streets, st.
Mary's Chapel on the point being a place of
worship known as Barry's Chapel. Meas
ures were taken at that time for establish
Ing another church. and it was decided
to locate 1t east of the Capitol. commit
tee was appointed to carry the enterprise
into effect, consisting of Rev. VIM. Mat
thews. Daniel Carroll. Wm. Brent, clerk of
of the CAPITOL Nicholas L. Queen of the
hotel of his name. Edward Mattingly. tav
ern keeper; James d. Barry and James
Spratt, dry goods merchant. They soI'rjted
subscriptions and erected the church. l. Was
a plain brick structure, seating not more
than 200 persons. and was on knoll back
from the street. Rev. J. f. NJ. Lucas en-
tered on his duties there on the opening
of the church, September 3, 1921 1t for
, many years was attended by the residents
of that section with many from South
Washington and the county east of the
Eastern branch. The late James 7. Bois-
seau the first child christened In the
church. and, Spending rs en.ire life in the
fold of st. Peter g, was buried thprefron a
few years ago. well UP in the eighties, and
today his descendants are communicates.
Among the communicates in early days
were the families of those named, with the
Shoots, Baynes. Hckeys, MAYORS, FitZrat-
rtcks Devlins. fuckers, Colemans, Mitch
ellis. McGuigans. Jenki Uses, Davises, Nc
Kennas and Others and also a large number
of the colored race. one of whom. David
Atkins. born a slave. became a man of
means, leaving at his death valuable prop
erty. some to the church. During his life
he gave much for charitable and religious
purposes. Many of the original commune
cants are represented today by grandchi-
dren.
The Archbishop of Baltimore.
Mr.. Carroll in 1924 conveyed lots 25 to II
to Ambrose Marechal, Archbishop of Balti-
more, and the same year they went to ].
F. NJ Lucas, then the priest; VIM. Mat
thews, pastor of ST. Patrick's; Samuel D.
Wroe. Elexius Simms, Philemon Moss and
James Rhodes trustees. AS stated, the
original church was small brick structure.
Attached was graveyard. and In the rear
of the building and north were a number of
graves with monuments and memorial
stones. The last interment made there
was that of James Rhodes, who for many
years was a leading butcher of the Navy
Yark section.
After Father Lucas came Fathers beagle,
Van Horseigh, who served a number of
years; Peter Lanahan, McManus, later mon
signor; Knight, from 1853 to 1851 then F.
x. Boyle, who served as chaplain to the old
Capitol prison during the war; De Woolf,
G. D. Devne and jeremiah O'Sullvan, the
latter becoming Bishop of Mobile.
The church edifce underwent little change
for nearly thirty years, during which time
the congregation increased, and in Father
Knights pastorate the question OF enlarg-
ing the building was discussed The ladies
held fair in 1859 at the Anacostia engine
house and raised more than 5000. With
that nucleus the church was enlarged,
front and rear, sacristy with Sunday
school room on the west and a new front
for the accommodation of the choir and or
gan and belfry being added The next year
the bodies were removed from the church
yard and in 1862 a bell was placed in the
belfry.
Trying to Protect Fruit.
John Bell in 1920 owned the east half of
lot ., on D street; FIVE years later l. John
son had a lease on part of lot ], on the same
street; in 1890 William Bush had part of lot
) and the title to lots g 4, g. D. 81 Is and
80 was in Rev. Father Matthews as trustee
for St.Vincents Orphan Asylum. There were
no improvements in the thfrtieS, but fifty
years ago there was a family named Gross
located west of the church, and in tie in
closure a number of pear and other
fruit trees. 1t was only by eternal vigil
lance that fully ripe fruit secured, for
ha oh tai or
portion of it when not guarded at night as
well day. Along the ravine in the square
were ponds and there are some who re-
member many days they enjoyed skating
there, as also the numerous stone battles,
from which the name of Bloody Hill
originated On Thanksgiving day fifty
years ago the ponds were frozen over, and
though the ice was thin some of the boys
boldly set out for a days sport. 1t was
not long before one of them, now WASH
ington business man. broke in, and his COM
off to get a rope While they were gone
the half-drowned and frozen boy endeav-
| ored to crawl upon the ice, and only sue
ceeded in breaking the edges, falling back
with each successive effort. and when. as
1t seemed to him, hours had passed and he
was on the point, for want of strength. of
/ the rope. 1t was thrown to him.
But, he says, Il was so near gone and
my fingers were so stiff that l grasped it
with difficulty, and sledlike l was drawn
out. carried home and put to bed. and
providentia,ly escaped spell of pneumonia.
We later found that the water where /
broke in was not waist Deep and 1 could
have easily walked out. but lost my head
and my companions theirs. This episode
had no appreciate effect the boys for
this place as playground became popular.
1 have often thought that in the business
world my boyhood's experience has fire.
quently been repeated. One finds himself
staring failure In the face and calls to his
friends for help. when If he would put forth
his best efforts he could extricate himself"
Angular Plot Of Ground.
The angular piece of ground known as
square 734. formed by the lines of North
Carolina avenue. list, D and 2 streets, was
plated for eighteen lots. They in 1896
were apportioned between Mr.. Carroll and
the government. In 1900 Solomon Etting
took title to lots and 10, and in 1902 w. s.
Chandler had lot II and Benjamin Stoddert
lots 1, Is and Is. all in the eastern part of
the square. They were prominent in the
real estate operations of that period, the
last named in official circles, but there is
no evidence that they improved the prop
erty, nor, indeed. that any portion of the
square was used for building sites for
twenty years.
w. H. Tuckfield, Jacob Chandler ard