Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-14
Van Ness, Nathan Towson. Obadiah
Brown and James Larned as trustees.

OF $lO,0OO, whlcn was empnaSlzeo Dy
the Van Ness gift of an eligible lot on
H street between 9th and 10th north
west on which to build a permanent
home. For thirty-eight years within
this valued home the managers shell
tered, fed clothed and schooled a large
number of orphans.
THE vast addition to the population
of the city following the civil war add
ed largely to the number of orphans
| whose claims could not be ignored. w.
w. Corcoran having disclosed a purpose
! to favor the institution with the pres
ent site, the managers sold the H street
home for $4,000 and the trustees rent
ed one of the large residences 'front.'
ing on / street near I'd street north
west, adjoining che then residence of
Gen. Grant. from whose family the In
stitution received many kindly atten-
tions. In this temporary home the
managers continued their kind Efforts
until May. 1876. The deed for the pres
executed by Mr.. Corcoran, plans for
the home were prepared and adopted,
and the corner stone was laid July
IS. 1865. with Masonic ceremonies. Ad-
Whiting of the Masonic order and Will
liam Harlan, then Secretary of the In
terror, and prayers by Rev. Dr.. Gill
lette and Rev. p. D. Gurley.
by the close of the season the build
ing was satisfactorily inclosed. and in
the spring of 1866 the then Secretary
of State, Mr.. Seward. requested its COM
pletion for the accommodation of the
State Department The distinguished
tenant was soon put into possession,
The institution for which the building
was erected was installed In May OF
the year following"
Managers Of Long Ago.
Names familiar to the elder genera
ton Of Washingtonians are found in a
faded little pamphlet of seven pages,
the annual report of the managers of
the institution for the year 1870. At
that time the board of trustees was
composed of w. w. Corcoran, William
B. Todd. Charles A. Knapp, ]. c. Hark-
ness and DR.. James c. Hall.
The managers of that year, nearly
half century ago, were Mrs: s. r Lee,
first directress; Mrs. Washington.
treasurer; Mrs. G. S. Gideon, secretary.
and Mrs. Brown. Mrs. S. P. Hill,
Mrs w. NJ Merrick, Mrs. N. Mulliken,
Mrs. J. W. Maury. Mrs. Zeilin. Mrs.
J. c. Hardness. Mrs. Edwin Green. Mrs
George Head. Mrs: Marshall Brown.
Mrs. William B. Todd. Mrs. M. G.
Emery and Mrs. Peter Parker.
There have been admitted into the
asylum during the year tWenty-four
them girls and eleven boys. Twenty
have left, twelve boys and eight girls.
We are now forced to put our boys out
at from twelve to thirteen years old,
and deeply feel the necessity OF retain
ing them longer, so as to insure good
physical development and some bust
ness training. so that their services
may be sufficiently valuable to gain for
them good treatment from those to
These bound children are now
source of more solicitude to the board
than those within the sheltering arms
of the asylum. Forty nine boys and
family. of whom ninety-six receive
daily instruction in the schoolroom.
Miss Wannall, the matron, and her
household have long possessed the en-
tire confidence Of the board, and every
year confirms its appreciation Of their
worth"
Helped Care for Orphans.
Among the physicians whose skill
and kindness proved them invaluable
friends at that time and who were
mentioned in the report for their serv-
ices are DIR. Marbury. DR.. Hagner. DR..
Drinkard and DR.. John Clark. Mrs.
Joseph w. Nairn received the merited
thanks of the board for the supplying
of needed medicines, and Mr.. Sleman
for his continued instruction in sing
ing. The report of the treasurer, Mrs.
Temple, showed the receipts to have
been s13,4S5. the expenditures $12.052
and the balance in hand for 1871 $1.433.
The present board of managers. like
its predecessors, is composed of women
prominent in philanthropic and social
circles of the National Capital
the death of Mrs. w. NJ. Mer-
rick of Leicester. Md. Mrs. 2. T. Sow
chief executive office in connection
with the asylum. The treasurer is Mrs.
S. w. Woodward. the recording sec
rotary Mrs. Adds B. Browne. the cor
Bradley. and the registrar Mrs. W. v:
Cox Other members of the board
are Mrs. George N. Beale. Mrs. William
D. Colt. Mrs. Ben HELEN. Mrs. A. L.
c: Lindsey. Mrs. S. o. Richey. Mrs.
Wright Ives, Mrs. L. NJ. Saunders. Miss
Julia D. SSrong and Miss CARRIE 8.
Tisdel. The board of trustees is COM
posed of j. j. Darlington. William e.
Edmonston. Senator Blair Lee. F. B.
MCGUIRE and Chief Justice Shepard.
DR.. William F. Sewers is the surgeon;
the physicians are Drs. Larkin W.
Glazebrook. E. L. Mason. E. W. Titus.
B. Carmichael. c. Augustus
Simpson and Virginius Dabney. The
to whose unfailing la
bors a great deal of the success Of the
work carried on within it's walls is
credited. is Mrs. Mary L. Squires. Dur
ing the year 1914, at various times,
she superintended the care of no less
than $50 children.
ITO our dear superintendent" runs a
recent report of the secretary, I'VE
again give our heartfelt thanks for
her watchfulness and tender, motherly
care. Her duties are shared and
lightened by an able staff of teachers
and helpers, whose faithfulness de-
serves all our praise"
The treasurer's report shows receipts
during the year 1914 of s17,S23 and ex-