Evening star., 1914-03-18
HOMES Of EARLY DAYS
IS THEME OF SPEAKER
Old Residences on Georgetown
Heights Described by VIII
liam A. Gordon.
Address Before Columbia Historical
Society Preceding Business
Session.

The Columbia Historical Society held a
meeting last night at the Shoreham Ho-
ted, the principal feature of the occasion
being an address by William A Gordon
on The Old Homes On Georgetown
Heights
Mr.. Gordon presented many facts con-
cerning the Oaks, Clifton, Bellevue, Tu-
dor Place. Montrose, Ever-May, the
Mackall house and other residences of
Georgetown built in revolutionary and
prerevolutionary days, as well as details
regarding the ancestry, relationships, ac-
complishments and ability of those who
built and occupied the homes in those
days and in the decades following.
Along the river front in Georgetown
in its early days" Mr.. Gordon said, lone
heard the shrill cry Of the pro1ane and
rough fishwoman; one saw the glare of
iron furnaces. and one was attracted by
she shops of the cabinetmakers with their
stores of foreign woods. 1t was a typical
southern town, and slavery, mild form
Of domestic service. iourished there.
Georgetown was the home of an enter
nrising. .self-reliant people, but now the
trades have gone out of existence there.
Training Place of Financiers.
1T was great city in its day. situated
as it was at the head Of tidewater on the
Potomac It was the training place OF
financiers, such as Peabody. Corcoran and
RIGGS. and in 1914 Georgetown assisted
the federal government to the extent OF
S1oooOoe, a loan of money which was
jackson at New Orleans. In Georgetown
100. were cast the cannon with which
much of the revolutionary war was
foHght.''
Justice Job Barnard, vice president OF
the society. presided. After the presenta.
ton of Mr.. Gordon's paper, it was in
formally discussed by a number of mem.
ters of the society. including Henry
Blount, the present owner of the Oaks
Louis P. Shoemaker. A c. Clark, DR.
William Tindall, Miss Sally Somerville
Mackan and NJ. I. Weller.
Portrait as Legacy.
II was announced that the will of Mary
J O'Herrin of Syracuse. n. Y, provides
that the society shall be presented with
portrait she owned of Rev. DAME
Waldo. a revolutionary soldier. who was
born in Connecticut in 1862. and died 1Ot
wears ago. Miss S. G. Hickey, William
II. Shir-Cliff and A. ]. Mckelway were
added to the roll of members.
The following commune alton from DR.
George F. Bowerman, librarian of the
Public Library. was read by the secre.
tary. Mrs. Mary Stevens Beall:
The Public Library has just rendered
Il valuable service to students of the
history of the District of Columbia in
preparing an analytical catalogue of the
columbia Historical Society records This
work well illustrates the idea that it is
not sufficient for a library to collect
printed matter relating to a given sub
ject, but that in order that such materia
may be OF use 1t must be made accessible
by expert service
Many Papers Catalogued.
In preparing this card catalogue o
the sixteen volumes of the proceeding.
of the Columbia Historical Society 1t wa.
y found that there are 14O different pa
pers. In some cases the separate paper.
are represented under two or three sub
jects, so that the series as a whole /.
represented by 321 different author ant
subject entries.
The Library of Congress has printed
the cards for this series, though all o.
the work of preparing the copy was com
piled by the catalogue department of the
District Public Library. Sets of the print
ed cards can be purchased by other loca
libraries or by individuals. and will, nc
doubt, be purchased by many hbrarie.
throughout the country that have sets o.
the Columbia Historical Society records.'