Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-13
C|TY'S EARLY HISTORY
New Department Buildings
Site Long Waste Land.
DEVELOPMENT WAS SLOW
Interesting Details Regarding Its
Earliest Owners.
WHERE TIBER CREEK FLOWED
Increase in Value From Nominal
Price Until Today Property
Is Worth Millions.
WHERE TIBER CREEK FLOWED

The five squares of ground which the
government is about to acquire for a
site for the Departments of State. JUS
tice and Commerce and Labor. Nos DIG
to go. inclusive, south of Pennsylvania
avenue between 18th and 18th streets.
have an ancient history. although q
greater part of the improvements on them
have been made within the recollection
of the living. As will appear, with the
exception of the avenue front. progress
was slow and few buildings appeared.
In the olden time. in describing the To-
cality. it would be said to have been
bundled on the south by the open Tiber.
for the walls combining the Theirs waters
to a canal were not built until about
1882. after the corporation had bought
out the old canal company which had
constructed the canal from 18th and B
streets to the Eastern branch.
Where Tiber Creek Flowed.
The water of the Tiber to that period
nearly covered the ground south of c
street. When the walls were extended
to 18th street and the ground filled In
some not ornamental ponds were made.
About the corner Of Ohio avenue and
18th street there was slight rise of
ground Some few houses appeared there
in the thrties. A fire here. in the neigh
borhOod of 1910. went into local history
through the singing of song by the
firemen in which it was described.
The avenue houses. which at the time
were looked on as first class. were. mostly
were known as Mc1eod's Washington
Hotel. In the thirties. after the burning
of the Treasury in March. 1893. they af-
forded a home for several years to the
offices. Boarding houses. residences and
stores came. Long before this 1t was an
important section.
Square 226. now worth over a million.
and we'll built up in 1902, was assigned to
David Burnes and carved into fourteen
lots. In 1902 Isaac Pollock owned six OF
these mostly on E street. w. Ii. Dorsey
owned the same number. including the
avenue front. The latter made some i'm
proven7ents and that year was assessed
on lots and 10. the site of the Hotel
Regent, for $500, $500 and $500 improve
ments.
The following year Thomas Herty. the
first register of Washington. under Mayor
Brent, in 1s02-11, leased in lot 0. 18th
street and the avenue, as did A. s. Jon.
cherez who assigned to Herty. In lSO2
c. Blount had lease in 10. IL and Ii. and
E. Friethy in IL. in 1907 assigning 1t
to Ezra Warden.
The appraisement of the ground had de-
creased from 1O-12H to 6-s cents. The i'm
provements were assessed to Thomas
Herty. lot 9. $500: G. Blount. lot g..
81 600: John MCGOWAN. lot 10. $1,000, and
Ezra Warden lot II, s120.
Benjamin Stoddert then had bought lots
3 to on and 10Th streets; John Tayloe,
lot 13 on 14th street and the avenue.
In 1903 Rev. James Laurie was as
signed Blount's lease in 10 and IL. There
he resided for fifty years or over. during
which time he was pastor of the F Street
Presbyterian Church and clerk in the
Treasury registers ONCE. as also man.
ager of the Colonization Society.
In 1911 James Moore secured lot IA,
on the east front of the square. In 1913
Thomas Buchanan owned in II and IL.
Incident of War Of 1912.
In. 1914 Mrs. Suter kept boarding
house at the corner of 10Th street and
the avenue 1t was here that British
officer boarded for some days prior to the
invasion of Washington August % Of that
year. None of the occupants knew him
other than as a casual quiet visitor. After
his departure he was soon forgotten.
When the work of devastation was in
progress Mrs. Suter was called to the
parlor and there found person in nj
form who asked If she did not know him.
She replied that his features looked ia
miliar. He then gave the name under
w nlCil Sic Idu hHS"u lIIIl anu Stdtcu
that he was. as she understood, either
Admiral Cockburn or one of his officers.
He was evidently of high rank.
He assured her that her property as
all other private property would be re-
spected. as only the government property
would be destroyed, and took his leave.
This incident came to the late William
Birth from Mrs. Suffers lips.
In 1919 Nicholas l.. Queen owned lots
3 to Z. the southwest part of the square.
In 1877 II SSpd To L Rlake then
mayor of Washington.
Mr.. Dorsey then made a subdivision of
lots to 13. in which. besides the Herty,
Joncherez. MCGOWAN and Blount lots.
bought then and in the next few years
by David OFT. Daniel Randall. Michael
Nourse. Thomas Munroe Margaret G. G.
Handy. E. G. Handy, David Shoemaker.
Col John Tayloe. T. Randall. Mrs. Isa-
bel Mcdonald John Stith. William Pat
terson. Thomas Cookendorfer. John Nc
Duell. Eliza Braden and l.. Shepherd
In the twenties the ground was valued
at from to 10 cents and the improve
ments were assessed: To Herty's heirs.
s., 900: McGowan's heirs. $500: James
Laurie, 5000: r. Cookendorfer $2.3D:
John Tayloe two houses. 500 each;
w Patterson 81 POD: Eliza Braden. s.. q o;
Mary G. and E. G. Handy. $+Oe Mr..
MCGOWAN was a master painter. one OF
tie founders of DR.. Laur:e's church. a
member Of the councils. a volunteer fire.
man in 1904 ard a public-spirted citizen
who long resided here.
Capt Peter Faulkner lived in the Herty
house and after him came Hiel Peck,
who conducted a boarding house. as did
Mrs Braden. near 14th street. Mrs. Nc
Donald carried the millinery business
and l.. G. Handy the manufacturing of
hats and later son was long in the
grocery business here.
William Cox had a wine cellar, Thomas
Davidso on. Jacob Janney and Charles
White were in the boot and shoe bust
ness DIR. r. Randall had his office and
residence here. l.. Shepherd was long a
leading barber and George Matt;ng!y a
grocer.
The Office of the American Colonization
Society vas near 18th street and in
charge of Rev. r. r. Gurley as secretary.
with John Kennedy as clerk. Justice
Rushrod Washington of the Supreme
Court was then president, and Henry
Clay w H. Crawford. F. s. Key prom
inent in the management OF the society.
In the thirties the ground was taxed
for value of 20 hi cents. and the i'm
prove ments TO Eerty's heirs. 81 COO: II. X.
Randall. $4,000: Mr.. NCursA. $500; I.
Shepherd. 50 100: James Saum $iOr0:
Rank nf Washington 81 90. f-oo,,