Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30
LOWER FIRST WARD
Part of Washington City Once
Known as Hamburger.
SEVENTEEN LOTS IN SQUARE
Sales and Exchanges in the Early
Days of District.
VALUATIONS AT Low FIGURE
Property in the Territory Owned in
Large Part by Government
Officials.
SEVENTEENLOTS IN SQUARE
VALUATIONS AT Low FIGURE

Near the center of the town of HAM
burgh. which was laid out in III by
Jacob Funk, in the lower part OF tins
first ward, fronting on the river east of
University Square-the reservation AFTER
ward being known as the old Observatory
groulds-were seventeen lots plated as
square 1O4 In the two decades preceding
| the taking possession by the commission
ers for the government, Funk. II is shown,
| disposed of number of lots by lottery,
| and others were sold direct, the considera-
| ton in case being thirty-five pounds
about S9i. There were 2SS lots in the
| town, the average size embracing about
$1,000 square feet, and some of them fell
in this square. In this division, however,
for some Of the city lots, other lots in
! Hamburger We're exchanged. There was
some activity in the transfers of lots in
! the early days in which some prominent
| men took part. and soon after the year
| 1900 improvements were made in the
| square.
| vision was made with the proprietors,
| Conrad Grosh and others conveyed lots
Ia and II, over $4,000 square feet. and
| fronting 80 feet on 10th street, to Philip
over 5000 feet, was conveyed the same
year to b. Stoddert and William Deakins
by Rudolf kneiler, the deed reciting that
kneller had bought lot 22l of Funk for
thirty-five pounds.
In 1893 John Beall owned lot Il. of over
1900 feet, on 21st street; William King.
lot II, of the same size, on 20th street,
and j. w. Chiswell. lot II, fronting over
So feet on 10Th street, containing over
| 1900 feet.
Owners in 1894.
In 1874 James Greenleaf had lots and
), at 21st and E streets, and the same
| year, on the apportonment with the own
| ers, Stoddert and Deakins took title to
the lots heretofore in Greenleafs possess
sion; DR.. Thomas acquired lots IA and
10: John Bsall, lot Z; John letter, lot 8;
Gen. Lingan. lot IL: William King lot
Is; James Terrell and Christian Kemp.
lot II. In the following year NJ. Ker-
shaw had lot 8, on list street, and
George French lot 8, adjoining, and Stod-
dert and Deakins filed receipt for $50
paid for lot 4, which had been exchanged
for a Hamburger lot. This contained over
5000 feet and was located on f street.
+ In 1906 Capt. w. Mayne Duncanson
and others owned the ground undisposed
of, and the next year conveyed lots l
and II. at the southeast and northwest
corners of the square, respectively, to
Dunlop & Carlton, the builders, with
many other lots conveyed by Norris &
Nicholson security for $4,000 in notes,
with power to sell in default of payment.
J. Baptist Neale, in January, 1894, bought
of James Garick lot Il, containing over 5000
feet, on @1st street, for $500. Two years
afterward Duncanson holding went to
Forrest and Deakins. and in 1901 to John
Templeman and Benjamin Stoddert be-
ing included in the latter's thirty-five-
thousand-dollar purchase of city lots
In September, 1900, Maj II. Gather
bought for $1.920 lots and 3, with two
others in square 121, on / street between
18th and 18th streets. over $1,000 feet
in all. John Alexander in 1901 leased OF
Stoddert and Templeman part of lot l.
for $50 per year. and soon after had a
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. building upon it. Will
liam Harrison the same year owned in
lot 6, on 21st street, and was listed for
improvements amounting In value to $120.
Assessments for improvements.
In 1892 Alex Kerr bought of Forrest
and Templeman for S1,091 lots and
on E street, and in the square south
over 5000 feet. John Abbott bought
parts 10 and II, James Hadnett parts
of same, and George King bought lot
T.. At this time the ground was assessed
at > cents per foot, and there was listed
to Stoddert and Templeman, on lot IL,
DIST and f streets, at $1,000 for house.
William McCreery owned lot l., 10th and
f streets, at the same time, and Zach
Farrell was assessed for $3.50 on lot IL,
10th street.
Mr.. McCreery in 1905 had a deed to
part of lot Is on 10th street, south of
f street and in 1906 he bought at mar
shars sale another portion of the same
lot, with house, for $1,119. John Knapp
bought part of lot 4, on f street, and
r. Johns part of lot /, the latter going
to Henry Suttle the year following. In
1906 Mr.. Kerr conveyed to Joseph knapp
part of lot 4, 400 square feet, for $274ll.
In March, 1897. Charles w. Colds
borough bought OF w. B. Smallwood for
$l,JO0 parts of lots ~ and IL, 1,SOO feet
in improvements. At the same time Mr..
Knapp was listed for $1,000 on f street.
as Joseph Forrest $1,GU for the
McCreery house on 10th street. In 1SU9
John Abbott sold 4.516a square feet to
Mr.. Goldsborough for S20U. In 1911 a
deed for parts of lots 10 and IL to Mr..
Forrest was recorded In 1915 William
Whann bought lot on 21st street.
Col. Constant Freeman in 1916 bought
parts of lots 10 and IL at the corner of
list and + streets, with 13,sSS feet of
ground for $500 and long made his resi-
dence here.
In 1917 Maj Gathers lot was sold
to Robert King for $i6O.S7, and after
Ebenezer Stott bought part OF lot IL and
h. Haldreth lot II on 10th street In 1918
7. Gillian leased Farrell lot 16 at $50 per
year, the lot embracing over 5000 feet
fronting on 10th street
In 1927 Margaret Freeman owned in
the mort Invest corner of the square, as did
John Nicholson and B. B. Beall. The
next year George Graham owned parts
of lots 10 and IL. and f. Handley part of
lot / and John Peters sold small build
ing to b. Ogle Tayloe. In 1920 James
Aud owned in lot /, 10th and E streets.
Richard Smith in 1881, trustee con-
veyed parts of lot 10 and 11-13SSS square
feet-to w. w. Ramsey for $3,S15. In
the thirties the corporation listed the
ground at ; cents per foot and improve
ments as follows: b. B. Beall, $1,000:
Ed Handley, $500. and Mr.. Forrest, 500,
on lot l, corner of 10th and + streets: E.
Stott $500. lot 4, E street; George Ora
ham, $1,000, lot IL, 2lst and F streets,
and Joseph Forrest, $1,000. lot ID, on
Goth street.
Owned by Government Officials.
These property owners were early on
the ground, and were among the original
employees of the government, Joseph For
rest on 10th street, being of the internal
revenue bureau and afterward secretary
of the commissioners under the Florida
treaty; Col. Freeman, at 21st and f
streets was for Sonre years the fourth