Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-22
Business and Building Progress Be-
gan About 164O-Residents Of
the Section in Review.

S>Au0hNc VI liic ldTtI vi the DulueTS III
the future. This. too, when the streets
were not much more than mere wagon
roads. and the footways were only we'll
beaten paths. Frequently after heavy
rains the surfaces of Massa chusetts ave-
nue. and 9Th street were disfigured by
miniature ravines.
In the division between the United
States and the original proprietors in 1897.
square 453 within the lines of 9Th. 7th. II
and I streets. was subdivided that
one-half of the twenty lots went to David
Burns and the other half to the United
States. the latter taking the western por-
ton Benjamin Stoddert. the first Secre-
tary of the Navy, acquired the govern
ments lots in 1902 and sold two lots. Nos
; and s, fronting on H street. to CAPT.
Peter Lenox father of the later mayor
of the city. Capt. Eenox was a carpenter
and builder. and for many years he held
the position of master carpenter at the
Capitol. Another lot west Z. was pur-
chase in 1904 by David Shoemaker and
Patrick Frazier took a lease on it. There
were improvements made in the square
which. in 1920. were listed as follows: Lot
l, corner Of 9Th and H streets. SIPS, to
Burns heirs: lot 5. 5000, to Capt. I.enox.
and lot I, $3.50, to David Shoemaker.
The ground assessed in $50. at l cent per
foot was then rated at cents to cents.
Some I Street Owners.
on street. In 1926 George Gibson owned
lots Il and 13; G. c. Grammer. and 8: J.
A. Smith. lot 10; ]. R. Nourse, No IA.
and leases were held on lot . by William
Phillips and Josiah Essex In 1928 Jo-
seph Sands held lease on lot l and
James Lewis on lot 2. Jonathan Seaver
had 5000 improvement on lot l. and
the owners of other property i'm the block
We're: Henry Hunt. lot 10. and John A.
lease on lot Is. In 1880 c. D. King owned
lot I. Gen. Van Ness No. II and S. Phil
lips part Of lot l, while W. T. Griffith had
lease on lots and ,. In 1881 w. Adams
owned lot H., Col. Bomford, William Bee
die and Josiah Essex, IA. and John II.
Goddard and William Bond, Is and Is. In
1882 John Tretler owned lois 1 and and
j. B. Phillips and n. Osborne had leases
on lot 1. In 1885 c. A. Howle owned
lot Is. and Cornelius Cox IA. In 1886 C.
Baum held lease on lot 49, In 1897
David S. Waters owned lot ., William
Hoover Is and Is. II. N. Henning 10 and
90 and {. Spence had a lease on 10 and
j. B. Phillips on 20. In 1888 H and w.
Truman, A. B. Gladman and w. H. Gun
nell owned lot II, Ulysses Ward IL, r. r.
Goldin Is and Is and Emory Osborn lot l.
In the thirties there were on H street
Jos. Sands. John Tretler. a bookbinder:W.
r. Griffith, tailor; David S. Waters and a
few others. In the forties besides Mr..
Waters there were w. d. Wallach, after
ward editor of The Evening Star; Samuel
Ftzhugh of the Post Office Department:
John E. Holland of the Treasury: James
Grimes, carpenter; Theodore Wheeler and
Nathan Herbert.
Happenings in the Thirties.
In the thrties VIM Adams, grocer, was
on It'll street. corner of 1 street. and to
the south were the residences of James
Shreve. who for years was engaged in
the livery business; William Hunter, a
clerk in the fourth auditors office; the
blacksmith shop of Thomas Griffith cabi-
net shop of James Connolly. wheelwright
and wagon shop of James A. Wise, who
afterward engaged in the feed business,
and the tailor shop of Henry Eberly.
On l street In the early thirties Josiah
Essex erected a frame residence with
carpenter shop in the rear. On this street
in the forties the residents were: j. G..
klenck editor of the German Gazette:
Samuel Grubb. better known as Squire
Grubb; n. Halter of the post office:
Joseph Radcliffe. clerk at the city hall;
Robert j. Roche. who succeeded his
neighbor Mr. Rothwell. as collector of
taxes: Benjamin Giddings. employed at
the Capitol: and f. Woltz. a carpenter.
who was employed at the Smithsonian
! Institution from the date of its opening
until his death: Capt. J. II. Goddard.
chief Of the Auxiliary Guard which was
superseded by the metropolitan police.
justice of the peace and alderman. was
| another dweller in the square, as was
also Mr. Werden, baker. from whom
"Werdens alley took its name. Wer-
dens alley afterward became Goat
| alley" and now it is named Essex court
! On the 9th street side of the block
some improvements We're made in the late
thrties and in the following decade the
house owners were Mrs. Sarah Gary
Charles Baum. a carpenter and builder.
and William j. Simmons. prominent in
! octn hri. yls,x-n
Shreves livery stable which was on 9th
4 street, was for years one of the leading
stables in the city. One Of the charac-
| ters employed at the place was slave
known as Jim Darkey. In his hoyhood
days he was jockey on the old National
race track. but having served as. an Off
GERS servant in the Mexican war and
showed his bravery In battle he had
friends without number. David S. Waters
was an auctioneer and for many years
he had rooms on 18th street north of Penn
sylvania avenue. His forte was in selling
| horses and his mart was about the spot
where Gen. Hancock's equestrian statue is
| located at the present time.
Square 485 as One Lot.
| East Of square 4a3 was square 49,.
which was laid out as one lot. facing 9Th.
9Th and H and 1 streets and in 1896
the title stood in the name of Mr..
Oden. The property was owned by
| Micajah Tucker. Thomas Booth. Peter
May and Hanson Gassaway in success
! sion and in 1927 it was purchased by
| Samuel Packard. At that period the
| ground, which had been listed at one
| half a cent. was rated at cents. One
| of the first dwellings in the block was
| fine two-story frame cottage. with cover
| ed porches extending across the whole
| front II set back few feet from the
| street with the front mass of growing
vines The lawn was decked with cherry
| trees and the whole square. used as
| garden for vegetables and flowers. was
| one of the beauty spots of the city dur
| ing Mr.. Packard's occupancy. On the
| north front of the square was a smaller
| house occupied by one Hatch. the garden
| err. In the thrties the Improvements
| were listed at $4,000 and in the name of
| Mr.. H. Gassaway. Though not until 1856
| was a subdivision of the square recorded
parts Of 1t were sold during the forties
| and improvements were made. In that
decade Capt Sam Wroe occupied a frame
| house at the northwest corner of 9Th and
H streets. using part of it as a grocery
| store. James H. Moore. we'll known as
| a carpenter and builder and later as
| grocer. succeeded to the Wroe residence
and business. and for many years his was
the only grocery store in the neighbor-
| hood. On the west side Of the square in
houses in which lived D. a. Baird. up
| holsterer: William Murray. a stone cut
| ter. and Henry Bishop, shoemaker. A
L