The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-13
OLDEST INHABITANTS Home
VER|TAbLE HOUSE OF RELICS
BY JOSEPH r.. HARRIS.


Attracting little attention because of
its remote situation and apparent insig-
nificance, the old firehouse. the present
home of the Association of Oldest Inhab-
itants. standing at the corner of Nine
teenth and II Streets Northwest. is an
edifice in which one could spend hours.
with the city of Washington. The
gloomy old building with it's quaint
steeple Is museum in itself.
From the time the building was erect
ed in about 1906 until the civil war, II
was both firehouse and public school.
On the lower floor OF the fire company OF
the First Ward, during the time the Dis
trict had municipal government, had its
headquarters. The firemen occupied this
building until about 1862, when more im-
proved fire engines came into use. The
upper floor was occupied as a school
room until about twenty-five years ago,
when better buildings were erected.
1t was not until July 4. 1911, that the
Association Of Oldest Inhabitants took
possession Of the old firehouse. Previous
to this time the association had been
holding its meetings in various places,
until the Corcoran Building at Fifteenth
and F Streets Northwest, was erected
by w. w. Corcoran, member of the
building were drawn up, Mr.. Corcoran
place for the association. Here the meet
ings were held until almost two years
ago, when the association moved into
its present quarters.
In the upper floor of the house there
has been gathered collection of old
newspapers Of Washington, pictures, and
documents that are Of the utmost inter-
est. The collection of newspapers, care
fully nailed up in a glass wall case. is
there are upward of 80 newspapers, rep
resenting nearly every paper ever pub
l:shed in this city, and some of the old
est published in this country.
Interesting Papers.
To John B. Mccarthy. corresponding
secretary of the association. goes the
credit for thei assembling of these pa
pers, which form one of the most elab-
crate collections in the country. He has
amassed them only after years of con-
slant surveillance Of the papers left In
old estates and of inspection of old sec
ond-hand book stores. Many Of them
were secured from the estate Of ]. A.
Wineberger, who maintained second
hand book store some time ago in tho
Corcoran Building.
The oldest publication in the collection
is the New England Courant, a weekly,
which was on the market in 1923. The
next, in point of antiquity, is the Wash
ington Gazette, tri-weekly, published
in 1886. Other famous papers, publish
ed about this time, were the Washington
Federalist and the National Intelligencer,
both of which made their appearance in
1902 Included in the collection are pa
,;oL hn a
Lincoln and Garfield, and the hanging of
Guiteau, the slayer of Garfield. Several
of the papers mention details of the
British invasions of the war of 1872 and
wildly describe the burning of the Capt.
toll and White House and the battle Of
Bladensburg.
Probably the two most distinctive ones
of the vast collection are the Exodus
and the National Era. The former was
a paper whose sole purpose was to ad-
vocate the removal of the negroes to
Africa. The latter is significant, because
1t contains several chapters OF Uncle
Toms CABIN which was first published
IN the form of serial story before 1t
was put into book form.
Among others in the collection are fac
SMILES of the first newspaper ever print
ed in America. The Boston News Let
ter is the name of the pamphlet and l7O4
is the date of its publication. There Is
also & facsimile of the first paper print
ed by Benjamin Franklin. The most
unique member of the collection is the
Boston Notion. This paper, when spread
out, is actually the size of four average
size papers of today. Its cost was %
cents a copy.
According to Mr.. Mccarthy. who gath
cred the collection, there has been as
many as seven newspapers in Washing
ton at one time. In 1873, he declares,
there were this number.
Among the numerous documents which
have been carefully preserved is copy
of Home, Sweet Home written by
John Howard Payne, the author of the
famous old melody. 1t is not the origi-
nal manuscript. but copy of the song
written by the author at the request Of
a friend.
One of the most valuable of the many
treasures is an order written by George
Washington p. Gusts, an adopted son
of George Washington. Following is the
way the order was written:
"Mr. Linthicum:
please to give the bearer pounds Of
shingling nails.
GEORGE w. p. CUSTIS.
November q. 1927"
Gracing the walls are also the pictures
OF all the past presidents or the aSSo-
all Of whom are now dead.
Some of these portraits include Benja-
min Ogle Taylor. the first president Of
the association. who died in, 1866; ]. B.
Blake, John Marbury, jr., Allison Nailor,
jr, who died in 1908. and J. Edwin Lib
hey. who died in 1909.
In order that the association may
some time in the future look at a pic
ture of the last frame house that now
stands on Pennsylvania Avenue. a photo
graph of~Mades Hotel, Third Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue. has been taken,
and Is now hanging on the walls Of the
f1rehouse. There Is also to be seen .
painting of the first house built in
" ashing,oa, the David Burns cottage.