Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01
BACON EARLIEST RESIDENT
John Marshall One of the First Pur.
chasers There.
BEGINNING OF ST. MATTHEW'S
Founding of Colored Presbyterian
Church on 18th Street-Miller-
ties Disappointed.


ton H. which is now known as McPher-
son SQUARE was for half Il century or
more a oart of the plain east of Gen.
Macornb's residence TO which his name
attached Till the fifties it was the salut-
ing ground on inaugural and other Occa-
sions And the squares north. south and
east of il were of tardy development. as
will be seen, habitations being few and
far between To we'll down in the last
century between II. l.. 14th and 18th
streets and Vermont avenue homes and
other buildings could be counted on the
fingers. In fact. now populous square
with scarcely a vacant spot from the day
ft was plotted till after the civil war re-
maincd i'm the hands OF the heirs OF the
original owners.
Benjamin Bacon's House.
The lots i'm the two squares fronting IL
street in the eyes of the early residents
we're. of course regarded as the most val
VA bic. and the names of some of the lead
ing men over century ago figured as
owners of property when 3 cents per
foot was the assessed value of the ground.
There is however. no record OF early
Improvement by such on these squares.
The first settlement in the five squares APP
pears to have been made IN li9o ny ben-
on lot \ for an improvement OF Sl1O is
noted on the early tax book, but does
not apuear later. Gen. James McHenry
and John NJ. Emory owned on the north
west and southeast parts OF the square
respectively. at the same period, li3o Inc
former then was Secretary OF war
There were thirteen lots laid out IN
square 20 and in 1896 vested In the Unlteo
States. This in the lines OF h. L ana Io,h
streets and Vermont avenue. in the Sam
Davidson tract. though but a stone
throw of the White House. bore valua-
ton of 5 cents per foot for the ground
Early it was partially in the possession OF
some of the leading men of the day. In
1879 John Francis Mercer of Mary
land, prominent as having served in the
war of the revolution in the Continental
Congress. the constitutional convention
and as a representative in Congress. then
residing in the Six buildings, Dousht Oh
Vermont avenue lot ..
John MarshalFs Purchase.
Six years after Chief Justice John Mar
shall. with his brother. Justice James
Marshall bought seven lots. and in 1907
L.ndo had six of them, which he sold to
George Andrews and Nicholas King in
1910 In 1918 lot 3. on Fl street. went to Col.
w r. Randolph: to William Cooper. lot 4,
corner of Vermont avenue. and to Charles
Glover lot north. In 1915 ]. b. Pick
ford had lots 10 and II. corner OF 10Th
and / streets: Thomas Munroe, lot >. and
Col. Randolph. lot q. In 1878. Robert
Leckie had the corner of vermont ave
nue. and III street and Samuel Brooks lots
10 and II. including the corner of 10th
and IL streets, and in 1850 Surgeon Gen.
eral Lowell bought lots and 8.
At this time 1921, Samuel Brereton
leased. with the privilege of purchase. lots
10 and II. extending south from the COR
ner of 10Th and III streets. soon after &C
uuring the fee title. Mr.. Brereton opened
grocery and feed store and had row
of small frame houses, which became
well known as BreretOn's row. With fine
water on the corner, in the locality were
to be found carriages, wagons and teams
at almost any hour.
In 1872 Col Bomford owned in lot 6. as
did in 1927 the heirs of William Lehman,
and in the two years in lot ) the names of
r. NJ. Harrison. John Connell, j. G.
Hardness and Thomas Taylor attach. The
ground was listed at 6 to Il cents per foot
in the twenties. and the Improvements
were as follows: Robert Harrison 5000
in lot j; William Lehman: $500. lot g.;
S. Brereton, $1,000, lot 10. and S. Brooks,
$500. lot II. In 1855 the seven lots bought
by the Marshalls passed to the Bank of
Alexandria. and the next year were pur-
chased by James H. Causten. John Boyle
at this time owned lot 4, and Aquilla
Ricketts, in lot ). Then Robert Leckron
Tor Leckie) had residence on Vermont
avenue listed at $500, in lot 4; Connelrs
u,
$1oO0. lot q: S. Brereton 5000, lot TO-
and j. and S. Stott. $50. lot IL.
The square east of the above. officially
80. vested in the Davidsons. originally
ty in 1910. Thomas Snowden had ac-
CURED number of them In 1SG3 and
The valuation was but cents per
foot for twenty years. The first improve
ment was made by K. j. Dwyer. d clerk
in the city post office. who in 1918 bought
lots ! and - 14th and ~
streets. Here he erected a comfortable
brick residence listed at 500 the ground
being at j. cents per foot. In 1890
Joseph w. Hand bought lot II and j. T.
Templcman lots and 10 all on II street !;
the latter in 1884 buying lot 80 on 18th
street. In 1884 George Z. Dyson and w.
;. Nichols had III street lots, did Mrs.
Ann 5. Hill. Col. Charles Hill in 1929
bought five lots. including the corner of
the square These were unimproved till
1SfS. when Walker bought the corner
and "A two-story dwelling with store. was
erected. and for long series of years it
was business corner.
ST. Matthews Church.
About three fps d foot was the price
paid for the@ste of st. Matthew's Catho-
lie Church at the corner of I'll and 18th
streets. abandoned a few years ago for a
new site and structure on Rhode Island
avenue near 18th street for in the four
lots costing about 5000 there We're about
sixteen thousand feet of ground. The
deed was made to Samuel Eccleston,
Archbishop of Baltimore, and on the
erection OF the church, Rev. John p.
Donelan was placed in charge OF the
parish, which then included the west part
Of the city to Rock creek, and it was the
third parish in the city. Within its Dor
ders were many of the faith including
numbers attached TO the foreign lega-
tioas and high in the official and social
large and influential congregation. speedi-
well known and could not have been
also his brother, Father James Donelan.
who succeeded him in the partorate. was
popular with all classes. With the
church was erected the rectory two
story attic and basement house north of
the church
ON IL street Mrs. Hill erected a fine
residence in the fortIes. and on 18th street
some colored people settled. among them
Frank Madison, Mrs. Hickman and Bar
Der: and on ! street Thomas Brown. The
property OF one Of these a few years ago
was bought for $4,000.
Gen. McHenry's Property.
Square 2Is. between ]. X. 18th and 18th
streets. laid of in twenty-five lots, vested
in the United States in 1877. was the
scene of more activity in transfers in old
times than the preceding. AS early as