Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-03

jr., bought lots 33 and "a the following
year: o. Cook, lot % on Union street
Philip Tuell, to 10 on o street, and P.
MARI, lot 80 adjoining.
In 1911 P. MARI bought lot q on Union
street with two-story brick house there
on. The following year James Ross bought
lot 30, with house, on the same street, and
three years later Mr.. Tuell was the owner.
In 1917 Benjamin Sprigg was the owner of
lot 81, next east Of Judge Cranchs old
home, which Gen. Walter Jones afterward
purchased, and Edward S. Lewis bought
lots 40 to AZ, which included the corner of
NJ and Az streets. In the same year Over
ton Carr conveyed to Samuel Elliot, jr.,
thirty-nine lots in the square. Mr. Dough-
erty in this year purchased lots 33 to 30,
which included the Duncanson house. and
in 1919 he bought lot 81 and part of 81 on
Union street. In 1918 Mary Sencham and
w. Wise purchased lots 20 and p on N
and Union streets. and Henry King, lots IL
to Is on 9th street and % and % on Union
street. with water privileges attached to the
9th street lots. Mr.. John Wheat in this
year became the owner of the north house
of the row erected by Greenleaf about 1894,
and the row soon became known by his
name. Thomas Coote in 1910 bought lot 16
on 9th street; A. Pagan, lot 20 on n street;
]. H. Blake, lots and 10 on o street: 1.
Little, lot p, and II. King, south part 81
on Union street. In 1890 Sam Black owned
20 and % on N street and Union street. re-
spectively. In 1922 Gen. Philip Stewart
bought Wheat's row and south lots As to 40
on ~ street
Valuations In the Twenties.
In the twenties the ground was valued
at and cents per foot, and improve
ments were listed to Betsy H. Blake, $500,
lot Z; P. Marr's heirs. $500. lot 8, and
500. lot 10; 8. Black, 500, lot 18; Winny
Hall, $500, lot II; w. r. Maddox, $3.50,
lot Fl; J: F. Webb. 81, 800, lot 80; Walter
Jones $500 lot 80: E. s. Lewis, 81, 400 lot
40; John Wheat. sl.7Oo. lot 43; P. 6. Wash
ington. 1880. lot A: r. Johnson. 81 400. lot
45, and P. Stewart, $21eO, lot 46.
The next year John F. Webb was the
owner of lots 80 to IS on N street, and a
few years later lots "a and 50 went to DIR.
N. P. Causin, afterward judge Of the Or
phans' Court, and In 1882 they passed to
Richmond johnson. In 1922 Zachariah
Halle had a life interest in lot IL, facing
the river. Lots so to IS again changed
hands and In 1923 Mrs. Ann Stewart held
the titles. In 1882, lot 80 and part of 81.
on Union street. were owned by Mrs. 1nez
y. Palmer, John Wheat, owner of lot A.,
purchased the remaining lots, 40 to 49,
thus acquiring full title to the row Of
houses which bore his name. The Bank of
Washington in 1885, owned about dozen
lots. two on o street. two at 9th and o
street and four at 9Th and streets.
In the thirdes there was a valuation Of
to cents per foot on the ground. The
improvements were listed to A. Bartle, $500
dio $OUU, lOtS II ana 10, .. BLACK, SOUU, on
lot IS: w. A. Maddox, 500, lot q, cor
ner N and Union streets; Mrs MARI $780,
lot %; J. F. Webb. 500, lot 81, on Union
street; Sarah Tuell, $500, lot "a, and $500.
lot 30; w. H. Terrett, 5000. lot 81; E. 8.
Lewis, $500, lot 20, on N street; John
Wheat, $500, lot 43: P. G. Washington.
81, 600, lot a; P. Stewart. 500, lot As. and
John Wheat, 81 900 lot 46. on AZ street.
The old commod1ous brick dwellings are
thus seen to have been valued at what ap-
pears an insignificant figure, but this may
be explainable by the fact that tenants
were hard to find. They were all we'll
built structures, but for ordinary families
the rooms were too large, requiring much
carpet for the floors, and much fuel for
heating purposes. Consequently, when
once vacant few tenants could be found
who would rent at a rate based on the orig
inal cost. One hundred dollars per an
mum was the usual rent for these houses
half century ago and, though of but nine
or ten rooms each. the tenants enjoyed
three times the space that sum would have
procured elsewhere. In the fftieS one OF
the street houses had been SO long
vacant that It had a reputation of being
peopled by ghosts, and the term Castle
Thunder" was attached to 1t.
The Original Wheat's Row.
The well-known VIM. Wise conducted a
rope walk in 1880. For a number Of years
afterward he was an employee of the
arsenal. Later in life he was commissioner
of the Washington canal and q contractor
on corporation work. The block Of houses
Az otront Whaaf'a roW In he.