Evening star., 1908-12-13
SOLD FOR A TR|FLE
EarIy Owners of Land Around
Dupont Circle.
SECTION OF SLOW GROWTH
Until the Fifties Only Half a Dozen
Settlers.
LONG SITE OF BURIAL GROUND
Graveyard Held the Remains Of One
of the Lincoln Conspirators-Now
Location of Palatial Homes.
LONG SITE OF BURIAL GROUND

The northwest quarter of circle CEN
tering at the Dupont statue with Florida
avenue incIosing it, now contains but
few vacant building sites and is worth
as many dollars a square foot as the few
tenths of a cent for which it was assessed
in the early part of the last century.
Above street and west of 10Th street,
Connecticut and Massachusetts avenues
and neighboring streets have become the
locations Of palatial homes and the neigh
borhood is second to none in the character
of improvements or in the standing of its
| residents. The land belonged to David
Peter. A. Holmead and Gen. James NJ
Lingan when the transfer was made for
laying out the seat Of government. For a
long time the major part was unimproved
and SO slowly did residents appear until
about the fifties that they could be count
ed on the fingers of one hand.
At Foot of Kalorama Heights.
Lying at the foot of Kalorama Heights,
the estate Of Judge Baldwin, on which
| was the family vault where Commodore
Decatur was laid to rest in 1920 more
generally known as Col. Bomford's. Rock
Hill, owned by the Pairos, and the Cedars
where lived John Little, the space in the
lines of 10Th and streets was mostly
waste land for years. A graveyard
known as Holmeads burial ground was
the principal feature, and a house or two,
half a dozen gardens and now and then
a brick yard. were to be seen. All else
was slashes in which were some Of the
old native trees. The avenue and street
lines were difficult to define, but could
l,D ssSyf,, taA f~ov, ftn ryyQI
roads to the graveyard, Kalorama, Rock
Hill and the Cedars. These places figured
largely in the old days of Washington.
The Bomfords, Pairos and Littles were
prominent families. The groves were
much used for school picnics and the
residences were scenes of hospitality.
Though little was done by the corporation
to improve the streets. the roads were
well worn. Not till 1856 was 20th street
graded and graveled and then it was the
result of pledge made by a candidate in
a municipal campaign.
The First Settler.
AS near as can be ascertained Guy Gra-
ham was the first actual settler in this
space. Mr. Graham was a pioneer of the
District and was one of those who cut
the road from the Capitol to the Treas
ury, which was designated Pennsylvania
avenue. Some of his descendants, now
living, remember his description OF how
the trees were cut so as to fall across
the road and stone and gravel were
filled in for making the roadbed. He had
come to this country after his marriage
in Scotland. and with his family settled
near 21st and s streets about 1913 Wheh
ground was sold at .O01 per foot. For
some time he was In charge Of Holmead's
burial ground The family lived here for
many years, and a son. Guy stone era
ham, was also superintendent OF the
graveyard and the manager or the haio-
rama grounds.
When the municipal government as
sumed control "Holmead's graveyard
had been laid out and some families had
| placed their dead there. 1t was plot OIL
| about one-third of an acre at the south
west corner of 10th street and Florida
| avenue, in square 100. Two squares were
assigned by the commissioners of the city
| for burial purposes for the interment o1
all denominations of people, IN TINS
| 14th streets north of III street northeast
| Under the act of March IA, 1897, they
were placed under the management OF
commissioners. The squares were plated
into burial sites, with section Tor the
colOred.
The elder Braham was the first super
intendent of the former, and in the twen-
ties Philip Williams filled this office as
we'll as that of clerk of the West mar
ket. After him G. S. Graham had charge.
Soldiers Buried There.
There were buried here a number of the
soldiers of the war OF ISL and prominent
people, including, in 1884, Lorenzo DOW
that successful Methodist minister known
throughout the land for his oratorlcal
powers, piety and zeal. One of the last 10
be buried here was Lewis A. Payne, VINO
was hanged as one of the Lincoln assasSl-
nation conspirators, in July, 1850. his
1869 but this did not prove last resting
place Early in the seventies the ground
were condemned as a menace to health
The remains of Lorenzo Dow were re-
moved at the instance of w. w. Corcoran
to Oak Hill and inferred. Numbers Of
others were removed to other cemeteries
by relatives and friends and unclaimed
bodies were placed in lot at Rock
Creek, that of Payne among them 1t is
related that owing to the fear of resurec-
tionists, about 1880, a dying man deter
mined to thwart them. AS death ap-
preached he selected those whom he
wanted for pallbearers. They were called
in and he requested that lime should be
placed around the body in the coffin and
when they had lowered him in the grave
to pour in sufficient water to destroy the
usefulness of the body as a subject. These
gruesome directions were carried out TO
the letter.
Fall in Land Values.
1sle square west, NO. ~, between -otn
street. Connecticut avenue, and Bound
airy streets, three lots, was in 1907 vested
in the government. John Douglass in 1896
bought lot 3, and the next year bought
the others. In 1902 the ground was as
sessed at one cent and quickly after re-
duced to half a cent. Mr.. Douglass es-
tablished here a flower garden, with
greenhouses, in which an extensive bus1-
ness was established, represented for
years at 18th and G streets. That the
| commencement was in a modest way is
shown by the appraisement of $3.50 only
I'm 1880.
South of the graveyard square no was
plated for sixteen lots. facing r, S, 18th
and Goth streets. and in 1877 it was ap-
portioned to Gen. James NJ. Lingan. In
the early days of the last century Mr..
Greenleaf was interested. and in 1919
William O'Neale of the Franklin House
owned the square. Two years after it
was owned by Mary Brown, and in 1S32
it was again in Mr.. O'Neale's name. The
square south, Ill. between 10Th, Q and r
streets and Connecticut avenue, twelve
lots has the same history of title.