Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-27

House. fruits. plants and flowers engag-
ed the attention of the family and
friends. The carriage house was on New
Jersey avenue. Mr.. Elliott was for a
clerk in the patent office, DR.. Thornton
being the superintendent.
| Some idea Of the topography of these
squares may be had when 1t is remem-
1 bered that at the corner of G. street and
New Jersey avenue the natural grade
was ten or twelve feet below the pres
emit grade, and that eastward at North
Capitol street the hill was twenty feet
higher than the present grade.
On the Original Level.
| Some Of the original grounds Of Capitol
Hill have rema ned on the original level
within the two squares. and about 1t
there are ninety-one houses. a few OF
which were erected before the street was
cut down, making underpinning nee
essary.
| In 1916 the next settlement was made,
Thomas Brooks. colored man. leasing
tween North Capitol street and Delaware
| avenue. for ninety-nine years, at $25 per
year. On this lot he erected q two-story
brick house intended for back building,
and this remains to this day. A few
years after on the east half Of the lot,
L
has long since disappeared.
| 1t was provided that at the end of
forty years the lessee would be allowed
$3.50 for the Improvement on surrender
Of the lease. The Brookses lived here many
years. as did the Stevensons. but before
| the civil war James M. Butcher, long a
court bailiff was the occupant Of the
Brooks house, and a long tine after
came Charles r. Campbell. and recently
q Chinaman.
Buildings Erected in the 4Os.
The locality improved slowly and up to
1915 the total Of dwellings and outbuild-
ings did not exceed a dozen. Early In
the forties William S. H. Stanford, a well
known tailor. bought Of p. W. Browning
lot No. Z. adjoining the present No. !
truck house on North Capitol street, or
which was erected the frame building in
which the late Chief Belt lived for some
years. This building, on the street being
cut down, was given an additional story
built of brick. About 1S41 John l.. Writ
for long time one Of the six watchmen
| or policemen at the Capitol, bought a lot
| south of this, on which was erected a two.
story brick house which, like the other
was underpinned. and in the fifties Capt
c. w. c. Huntington Of the Capitol police
resided here.
In 1845 William Wurdeman, a mathe.
NAUTICAL instrument maker who had re-
| sided on B street east Of Delaware avenue
bought lot No. l. square 6S5. at the north.
west corner of B street and that avenue
! on which he first erected a handsome
frame cottage and later the cornar was
| occupied by a three-story brick factory in
! which Mr. Wurdeman manufactured many
instruments for the observatory and the
coast survey, as well as for private par
ties
About 1915 James Crutchett came to
this city and took up a residence in the
house lately occupied by the National
Herb Company and the Kretol Company,
north Of No. l truck house, and lived
| there for some years. This house had
been occupied by Mrs. Bacon and own
ed by George Scott. who sold 1t to w.
w. Stewart, and these houses constitut-
ed all the improvements up to that time.
Mr.. Crutchett subsequently bought much
OF the property in adjoin .ng squares. and
ner Of North Capitol and c streets. and
the house WAS later occupied by n. M.
McGregor, a dealer in furniture, and
Mrs. Murray as a boarding house.
Mr.. Crutchett was an ex-purSer OF the
English navy, and always wore more or
less Of its uniform, the deep-visored cap
especially. He was reported to have
been very wealthy but met with re-
verses before his death.
B. & o. Station Gives Impetus.
The location of the Baltimore and
Ohio station at New Jersey avenue and
d street In 1852 gave some impetus to
building. In 1S4s. in anticipation of the re-
moval Of the station. Thomas H. Parsons,
who for many years was agent for the
company here. bought on Delaware ave-
nue. and erected the large three-story
building now owned by Mr.. Van Ness OF
New York, and lived here several years.
There were also houses erected by Reu-
ben Collins. the baggage agent OF the
Baltimore and Ohio company: Mrs Tyler
and one or two others on Delaware ave-