Evening star., 1909-08-28
EARLY CAPITAL LIFE
Half Century's Changes IN
City's Topography.
LAND NEAR UNION STATION
First Settlement on the Iiber
Crude Homes.
SMALL GAME DISTORTED IN so
Paid Very Little in Taxes Toward
Support of Government-First
Chapel Is Built.
LAND NEAR UNION STATION
GAME DISTORTED IN so


| and 4th streets. cut into eleven ouiiolns
squares in its early-day condition. mao a
history common to the individual squares
and in it but few names occur. anu
,bev in connection with extensive plots OF
| ground. Included in the Carroll tract
east of Tfber creek and west of small
| stream flowing from spring at 4'h anu
| K streets. there was some low srouiiu.
h,t nevertheless. there was much clay.
| As late as 1880 small game anorded
snor, for me gunner. and not infrequently
did rambling boys scare up iaoo'''
| partridge and other wild foWi.
Tn to that time there was no semblance
of street. other than a wagon road in
/ II street. and zigzag tracks made py
tho carts which carried off the product
| of tho brick kilns The eastern boundary
| uas a small stream in a ravlne along 4tn
| street which started from spring III n
| strest other than the railroad track
along / street the brick kiins and sheos'
| there was no evidence that rurai cohui-
| lions wou,d be displaced. AS early as
| 1880 effort was made to dispose OF io's
for building purposes much o1 lhe srou.u .;i
being held in trust TO SELL but no. uiili'
| the little settlement on the Ilber, known
| as "Swampoodle appedfeu' was
| a sign Of building.
! MUCH nclu Wy SASAS
For over fifty years much OF IL pau
| no taxes, for it was held In the name u
| the government. and that otherwise heiu
was listed for less than cent per ioo''
| from an eighth of a cent upward some
| reaching half cent IN lSoo, ana none
| of it at cent until lSio.
| before the division between the govern
| ment and proprietors in 1876 some Oh lHe
ground had passed TO Greenleaf undeI
his agreement to build on every thiTa ~.
| and passed to Morris Nichoison' Iia'e
| ct al. but no building followed.
| In square TO. between G and II, De!a
| ware avenue and I'd street. Mr.. Carroii
| took title TO those of sixteen lois IN tie
| cas- half In 1S3o John \. Wilson owned
| civ Of the Carroll lots and Henry NJ
/ MofYatt purchased the west nail OF ine
| square of the government. selling lots
| III to IA to Thomas Owens for s4-o' pehis
| the northwest fourth OF the square.
Acquired by Georgetown College.
| The four lots between Delaware ave-
| nue.. 1st, II and l streets. square NO. -,
| fell to the United States and were IN
| cluded in the lots conveyed by the gov
ernment to Georgetown College unoer
| the act of 1883. The other. east OF Deia-
! ware avenue was vested and held by MI
Carroll until 1879, when he conveyed II
with other property to Moses laoos, =,
L
trust to sell, and six years later 1t passeo
| TO John A. Wilson. The squares located
north had a like history. Those bounded
| by Delaware avenue, 1st. l and X stree.s,
7l5 passing from the government 70
] Georgetown College in 1887, and 10. east
! OF Delaware avenue, fronting I'd. ! ana
X streets. passing from Carroll, through
| Tabbs ct al, to Mr.. Wilson in 1888.
! The square of fourteen lots fronting
G, II, Cd and Sd streets. 49,. has similar
history to that west, 719, Mr.. CARROTS $
lots passing to Mr. Wilson In 1850. Henry
NJ Moffatt, in 1s45, acquired the others;
/ OF square 751. fronting ii. l. I'd and 81
| streets. the west half of which was ap-
portioned to Mr.. Carroll, the east half
| was held by the government untl 1881
and was conveyed to Georgetown tol-
lege. The Carroll portion was convey Gonseseu, u,
! through Tabbs ct al. to Mr. wilson IN
| 1875. The whole of square 15O north, or
| twelve lots, was vested in Mr.. Carfoli,
! and Mr.. Wilson bought it in 1885 at pub
/ lie sale.
Greenleaf Properties.
Fourteen lots fronting G. H, Sd and 4th
| streets in square III, were. IKE those
/ west. included in the Greenleaf trans
actions, but in 1896 were apporuoned, the
/ government taking those in the east half
| of the square. Carroll. Youngs heirs and
| William Prout. in 1902. were vested with
| the others, and untli the thirties title was
| held by the NOungS- Inc squdit iioi tii'
! 776, of sixteen lots on II, l. Sd and attn
| streets was apportioned in 1902, the east
| portion. six lots. to Nicholas Young and
| the west to the government. In 1880 |.
| Fenwck owned the east portion. and in
| 1897 the United States lots were con-
yeyed to Georgetown College.
| Greenleafs contract included the square
| north, twelve lots on Sd, +th, l and
streets, but in the division title was
| given Mr. Young and under his will
| title went to his daughter, Mrs. Robert
Brent. In 1891 these lots were convey
| ed to Joseph Pearson.
/ In 1851 John Scoffer bought a lot for
/ $50 on 4th street south of II street, and
| in that decade Samuel Cassidy estab-
| lished a stone yard at Delaware avenue
and 1st street Duke Daley, Michael
| Sullivan, Joseph Follansbee and others
| had also become residents.
Chapel Is Built.
Some now anticipated speedy growth of
that vicinity and chapel was erected at
the southeast corner of I'd and l streets.
| The latter was known as Providence
| NJ. e. Chapel. where small consrega-
| ton worshiped. until the larger congre-
CATION on North Capitol was organized.
| Probably there has been no greater
| changes wrought than here, for both
| grades and lines of streets have been
| changed, and by reason of the location
| of the Union station and the trackage.
such an amount Of earth has been used
| that not a vestige of the old sod remains
! JAMES CROGGON.