Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-08
Memories of the Old "Tiber"
Section of District.
4. & O.'S ENGINE HOUSE
eene of the Early Owners of Goose
Creek Property.
OWNERS OF SUBMERGED LAND
Slow Settlement Of Portions Of
Washington Near New Jersey
Avenue and C Street.


tlement of that part of Washington which
down by the Tiber," or past the engine
house" for the roundhouse Of the one
railroad then entering the city was SO
known. To be more explicit. between q
street on the north C street on the south,
North Capitol and list street. at that time
and years before was barren section. If
we except one solitary dwelling. that OF
John Logan. erected just south Of the site
of the government printing office about
1920, and the engine house of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad. built near the
corner of New Jersey avenue and D street
about 1S4O The Tiber. or Goose creek,
flowing a short distance east Of North
Capitol street, crossed 1t between E and F
streets and flowed over parts of the
squares south.
The adjacent ground being mostly low
land. in times of freshets being over
flowed little of this territory possessed
sites attractive to the home builder. In
deed II was regarded a hazardous under
taking to build near the stream. especial
" about North Capitol above d street.
where feeder from the eastward added
a generous quantity OF water.
Prominent Property Owners.
Despite these conditions, there is re-
corded evidence that numbers prominent
in the development Of the city were In
terested as owners of the property before
a municipal government was established.
including the Tontine Company and
Pratt Miller ct AL. known as the English
Building Company; but they were in ev-
idence mostly as taxpayers on vacant
ground, some of it covered by water.
1t is not surprising that the settlement
came slowly and much of 1t remained
unimproved until later years. For near
~ half a century the figures on the as
SCISSORS books against the lots were in
fractions of cent per square foot, the
maximum rate in the thirties being but
hale cent.
Most of the ground was included in the
Ben Oden and Carroll tracts, the line
being near the Tiber. Two entire squares
were allotted to the first named, one to
the government, and half the lots to the
government and the balance to Oden and
Carroll.
Agreement With Greenleaf.
In the agreement of 1894 with Mr..
Greenleaf to purchase and build on every
third lot were squares 625 and 626, and
lots in t28 and $50. With the exception of
the lots in the latter. which were con-
veyed in 1903 to Pratt, Francis, Miller ct
al, the English company, they have the
same early history.
Geofroy ct al. succeeded Greenleaf in
square 625 between Massachusetts, avenue.
North Capitol and G streets. until 1927,
when John F. Ingle owned 1t for two
years. It then went to Mr.. Oden. In
1872 John 8. Cabot became the owner,
later making subdivision. In lS4o J.
n. Weber bought two sublots. Two years
after William Ball bought two others for
sG
In 1S4S Tittolson Brown bought on
Massachusetts avenue, and in the hfties
a fine frame dwelling for that day was
sets avenue, which. in the midst of a
well kept garden, was an attractive place.
In 1900 square 62G, between Massa-
chusetts and New Jersey avenues and F
of Moses Young, who then lived near the
corner of Sd and D streets. after long
years spent in the consular service In
Europe. John Logan. before noted.
bought the square, built and lived there
after 1920. being assessed for 500. Wal
ter G. Johnson. then a grocer at 9th and
l. streets In 1854 bought the square and
subdivided 1t into thirty parcels, after
ward erecting the row of three-story
brick dwellings on New Jersey avenue
yet in service.
Tiber Cut Through Square.
Oden and Carroll in 1896 took title in the
odd numbered of the eight lots in the
lines of e. F and North Capitol streets
and New Jersey avenue, square 62s, and
the government the others. Mr. Young
owned the odd numbered lots in 1900 and
Mr.. Ingle in 1897 the others.
Two years after E. Burd owned lots 3
and Z. In 1888 Saunders Lewis acquired
l and j, and in 1880 w. G. Cranch
owned all except lot ). Tiber creek cut
through the southeast quarter of this
square from the square opposite.
There were six lots in square $50. fac.
ing New Jersey avenue, North Capitol
and D and Z streets. in which this title
was vested, as In the above square. The
Tiber covered nearly fourth of the
ground running diagonally across the
center of the square. Here Greenleaf was
interested in 1886. and Pratt, Miller ct al.
in 1903. In 1915 Mr.. Young owned three
lots. and between 1885 and 1910 John
Kedghi bought four. In the fifties a SUBJ
stantial brick dwelling near the south
west corner and planning mill were the
first improvements OF note
In this square between New Jersey
avenue, North Capitol and and d
streets. on which faced eleven lots owned
by Mr.. Carroll, the United States took
title In l196, and there was no change
either in ownership or the appearance of
the ground itself for many years.
B. & o. Erects Roundhouse.
The Tiber covered the northeast por-
tton and the remainder was bare Of i'm
provement until after the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad had late i'm the thirties.
erected small roundhouse upon it, This
company bought this square and two
lots. or one-half of that between LIST. I'd,
Il and & streets, September >. 1850 of
William Noland commissioner of public
buildings. for S1.6.6.3J. a little over
cents per foot. square 6}... containing
over 123uO feet. and the two lots in the
other over 10000
The latter were at the corners of list
and e and I'd and b streets and here
were erected the freighthouse and sta
bles, fer at that time the railroad had
use for horses. AS above stated, the
roundhouse was in square go, In which
later on small repair shop was in
stalled. About 1853 the railroad company
located, Its depot on this square, where
after a service of over fifty years, on the
recent opening OF the Union terminal
thousand yards OF earth have covered the
square completely obliterating all signs
OF the depot that was once familiar to
thousands of visitors and Washingtonians
West of New Jersey avenue. between c.
ID and LIST streets. the eight original lot s
were appor.ioned between Carroll and
Oden. who took the odd numbered lots,
and the government the others In 1897
Messrs. Dunlap and Carlton then and
many years after leading builders, bought
three of the governments lots, and W. s.
Chandler another. Benjamin Stoddert
trustee for the Tontine Company in 1905
obtained the Chandler lot.
ofncials Buy Land.
In 1909 Washington Boyd. marshal of
the District. owned those apportioned to