Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-19
EARLY DAYS HERE
Clerks Kill Game South of the
White House.
DIVIDE WITH THE CHIEFS
Davy Burns Cottage a Social
Center.
GEN. VAN NESS WINS BRIDE
Zigzag Roads for Streets Not IN
common-Old Canal and Wharf.
Corcoran Gallery Site.
ZEN. VAN NESS WINS BRIDE

The fact that at the mouth Of the Tiber
where nth street terminated at the wa
| ter's edge, the Commissioners constructed
a wharf, where much Of the material used
! in the construction of the President
house and public buildings was landed
and that the cottage of Davy Burns, the
original proprietor of the land there
abouts. was close at hand. made some OF
the early property holders and the off,
! GERS OF the corporation optimistic as to
immediate development.
| Seventeenth street, forming the west
boundary of reservation /. the site of the
Presidents house and other public build
| ings, became at an early day thor
oughfare to the wharf, but the grounds
| south Of the White House below Penn
sylvania and New York avenues were left
In the open for forty years or more. A
| few zigzag roads to points east were
| worn, but most of it remained waste
until about 1850, when a plank fence was
| provided, and this, being whitewashed,
gave the name of white Lot to that
! parcel of ground.
/ Up to this time there was at times
small game found. and tits related that
IN the thirties, when work was slack In
| the departments some of the Gle ks often
tried their skill here and made amends to
their chiefs by dividing the game.
Gen. Van Ness Courtship.
| The home of Mr.. Burns, being in what
was square south 113, between B and Z
streets west of 18th, was that OF Miss
| Marcia Burns. who was just buGGin
| into womannood, and her beauty, with
her prospective wealth through the con-
version of farming lands into building
sites, attracted MANY admirers among
| the leading people 81 that day. The 1T
tie cottage, therefore, figured In the
| carly s.c4al lie OF Washing ton.
Gen. John p. Van Ness, then mem
| Der Of Congress from New York, was
the fortunate sutton, and after spending
several years at the residence near the
| southwest corner OF 18th and D streets
Mrs. Van Ness. where about 1915 he had
erected q. palatial residence on the plans
Of B. H. Latrobe, then architect of the
Capitol.
Tne place was modernized. laid out in
cardens and walks, but the primevai
trees--noble oaks-Ware not disturbed
Their only daughter did not long enjoy
The Surroundings. but died at an carr
age, and Mrs. Van Ness withdrew from
Washington society and devoted her time
nd means 70 ciaritv AS frst directress
Of the Washington City Orphan Asylum
sic was IT'S pt.nc Pal patrO.., and ere ed
| for it a fine building on H street between
| 9th and 10th streets. and the Temporal.
| quarters, on the west side Of 7th sire
| between a and l streets, were aban-
doned about 1913
Scene Of Children's Recreation.
The old homestead in square south 173
| r. manned in possession Of Gen. Van Ness
| to the time of his death-about 1877
| and with other property passed into the
hands Of trustees to sell.
| The grounds being an ideal place for
the enjoyment of children, more than one
outing was given for Sunday and day
schools there. In the f1fties the residence
of Thomas E. Green was located there.
! In the early days. within q few hundred
yards of the departments, the place was
| veritable country seat on the river and
creek, for Virginia avenue and B
street were not cut through, and not until
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal in the
thirties did the blowing for the locks and
the tinkle of the bells become familiar
music. With the constr uction Of the
ed to canal or river. bridge was con-
structed to the wharf and a dollhouse
erected.
The Carbery Wharf.
| The wharf, early in the century, under
| the management of Thomas Carbery, be.
came known by his name. and we'll down
| to the civil war 1t was of some com.
| mercial importance. In the twenties ii
was landing point for the Alexandria
steamers. and good-sized vessels used the
wharf, but with the gradual filing up OF
the river the vessels became smaller.
&c lott
and grain were shipped here. much
| coming by the canal. and there was a
coal yard on the wharf and for many
ears thousands of bushels of sand were
was establ shed by q Mr.. Derringer about
1S4O.
Corcoran Gallery.
The site Of the Corcoran Gallery Of Art,
square III, between New York avenue,
18th, 18th and f streets. undivided, was
vested in Mr.. Burns in 1892, and shortly
after Dr. Thornton had title and sub
| divided it into twenty -four parcels. A
short time afterward 1t was listed on the
assessment books to William IL. Dorsey
at to cents per foot, and there was a
| building OF $1.SOO value on sub o. corner
| of 18th and E streets and New York ave-
| nue.. In 1929 the valuation had decreased
| to and cents on the ground and no
| improvement was listed.
In that year M. f. Hersant Of Amster-
| dam became the owner of subs IA to Is.
and part Of 4, for $4,32O.3S, and six
years later sod 1t to Baron Guillaume
Hyde De Neville for a nominal consid-
Grafton, the latter being the French min
| lister.
| The square south. 172. was. In 1892,
vested in the United States. and had been
plated into twenty-eight lots fronting D..
z, 18th and 18th streets. Though there
was in the early days much activity in
the transfers of title, and ground was
| appraised at and 8 cents per foot, in
the course Of twenty-five years 1t became
isted at 2 and ) cents.
Some Early Transfers.
Before 1900 Morris & Nicholson, through
Greenleaf. had holdings here of nearly all
the lots. John Weems. owner Of lot I.
corner nth and D streets, sold to Col.
David Crawford. In 1902 Joseph Burrows
bought at the sale Of the Morris & Mich
olson lot, No. 24-5Oh by IS feet-at the
corner of 18th and D streets. TO-. $75-half
cent per foot. Following came John
| Willis, E. Wayman, j. Callahan Dr