Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-30
IN OLD bRADLEYT0WN
Southwest Section Which Was
Unsettled Till Recent Times.
MUD THERE KNEE DEEP
Now Traversed by Great Railroad
Lines to South.
ONCE MOTLEY YOUNG'S FARM
Mayor Robert Brent Erected First
House at Maryland Avenue
and 18th Street.
IUD THERE KNEE DEEP
ONCE MOTLEY YOUNG'S FARM

Between D. F. 9th and 18th streets
southwest. on six building squares, con-
structed of a small particle of the ex-
tensive farming lands of Motley Young.
the proprietor of many hundreds of acres.
now measured by inches. a century ago.
there was little to mark the street lines
other than the square blocks set In the
southeast corners of the squares.
So tardily did improvements come that
there are living persons who are familiar
with the countrified conditions when In
the few roadways the mud at times was
knee deep. 1t need not be said that the
few who lived there fifty years since
little dreamed that railroad tracks would
render bridges necessary to reach the
main body of the city.
In the beginning 1t was looked upon as
q promising section for development by
Greenleaf. Morris, Nicholson and others.
But not till 1920 was there Vestige of
even a struggling village.
The BradleyS came on the scene about
that time, and this portion of the city
took the name of Bradleytown. by which
name it was known for thirty Or more
years the sparseness of settlement in ad-
joining squares clearly defining the
in the mail service by boat. they foresaw
that the employees would need homes near
the wharves.
First Carved Into Lots.
The first of these squares, 327, bounded
by Maryland avenue, E, 18th and 18th
streets. carved into eleven lots. was In
1897 assigned to Mr.. Young, and under
the city government was first valued at
q &c
acquired by Mr.. Youngs son-in-law, Rob-
ert Brent, in 1909, and he made a sub
division Of it into thirty-two parcels. the
corners numbered 1, o. 16 and %. On lot
Is, at the southeast corner Of Maryland
avenue and 18th street. he erected his
home.
Mr. Brent was the first mayor of Wash
ington, from 1862 to 1872 by annual ap-
pointment by the President, and before
moving to his new home lived at the
mansion house Of Mr.. Young. Mr.. Brent
was the sole occupant of the square for
some years.
In 1923 Capt Peter Lenox. carpenter
and builder, owned lots % to . on Mary
land avenue and 18th street. and In 1928
Henry Turner bought lot 25. which he
sold the year after to Joseph Abbott. The
ground at this time had appreciated to q
cents per foot.
In 1890 Phineas Bradley owned lots 4
to 16. nearly all the west half of the
square, selling lOlS 4, u anu D on r. StTccl
to A. B. Waller, and these in 1889 were
transferred to K. II. Lamben. Frederick
Kellar in 1892 acquired lots II to %. the
Maryland avenue front; William Lambell
lots to 3. at nth and E streets. and G..
w. Kendall lot % on 18th street. In
1899 A. Shepherd owned lots to on E
street, and in 1912 Mariana A. B. Ham,
moned owned the Brent lot and lot Is.
Between nth. 18th, e and F streets.
square 32s, of four lots. in 1794 figured
xx,;+t nd ~ poIl nd
Ford having title in 1900 Other than
being included in the tax lists at the rate
Of 2, 1 and cents per foot it was ap-
parentIy unknown till 1880, when W.
ter. and Robert Leckie the northwest
quarter.
In 1888 William Devices owned the west
half and after A. B. Walker the north
west quarter. which went to K. H.
Lambell in 1880. in the meanwhile. 1875.
A. B. Smith. acquiring the corner OF 18th
and E streets.
The square between 10th. 18th. d and e
streets. known as No. 553. assigned to Mr..
Young. was Intact till 1918. and. like the
in value. 1t had been laid off for six
teen lots. and those of the west half of
the square. . to 3. then passed to Phin-
cas- Bradley. In 1919 Captain c. Walker
bought in lot Q, corner Of e street; in
1920. Samuel Wimsatt, lot 3: In 1921,
rick Kavanaugh. lots 6 and Z.
w. A. Bradley owned lots 2 to in
1925; w. Lambell, in 4. and S. Kean
in and 8. In 1920 J. Wood was in lot
4 and G. Arnold in and 6: in 1881
]. Lander in and 8. and William Bird
in and 8: in 1881 A. B. Waller in 5 and
6. G. White in D, 6 and Z. 8. Shryock
ct al. in and 4: and w. W. Stewart In
Z; in 1885 Mary Robinson and Sophia
Lamben In 9; in 1888 Selah Beans, 5: in
To tn nd in nr n ID
Clark in 8.
Square $50, between 10th. 18th. E
and streets was of sixteen lots and
remained intact till 1920. 1t was a
Greenleaf square and for some years
subject to the courts. In early times it
bore the same value as the above noted.
l.. II. Machen in 1928 bought lot 4 in
F street. and in 1929 ]. N. Ford and 9.
Wimsatt had parts Of this lot and G.
White a lease in it and Robert Key
Douglas and w. Adams names attach to
lot 8: E. Lindsleye to l corner 10th
and F streets; H. Turner to 3: H. Gel
ston to .. In 1881 B. Bean was on lots
and 2. the next year John Stettinus lot
g. which S. ]. Todd had after. In 1885
in 1889 w. A. Bradley ! to 3, and w.
Radcliffe owned and 3. as also L.
Thomas. In 1871 NJ. Wilson assigned
lease in part to Richard Wimsatt, and
in 1872 Joseph Stephenson had lots l.
and 3, the corner of 10th and F streets.
One Of the Greenleaf Squares.
No. 3S7. between 9th. 10th, D and f
streets. with wide alley or street rum
ming east and west, was cut into seventy
six lots and was one of the Greenleaf
squares. In late years, however. by SUBJ
! dividing. two wide alleys took the place
of that mentioned. and the square has
dwellings on all fronts. The early values
were the same as noted above, but 6
cents was the rate in the sos. The north
half of lots q to 30 in 1917 went to John
Law, and William Cooper acquired title
the same year In 1922 George Crandall
had lot 43, and In 1928 c. Lyons So and
49, and j. Harbough % and So. In 1872
William Cooper had 20, H. Ault q. SO
and "a. H. Gassaway 80 and As, Thomas