Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06

street is Banks place. and Grant street
is Alexander place.
On the lands of Margaret f. Lowrie
and Mary C. Dean. north of Sheriff
road and extending north TO Piney
run and Indian Springs branch, the
town of Deanwood has grown up.
On the lands apportioned to Emiline
Sheriff the town OF Burrville and sew
eral other settlements have grown up
and the Rambler believes that he has
located the site of the Emiline Sheriff
house within few yards of the site
occupied today by Contee African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church OF
Burrville, a small frame building on
the front of which is a sign announc-
ing All welcome. Rev. Logan Johnson.
Pastor"
The colored man whom the Rambler
met close to the Sheriff Dean burial
ground Is Thomas Bowles. He and his
son, Richard Bowles. and Richards
wife and three children live in the old
err parts of the Dean mansion. They
came to the District of Columbia from
Rockbridge county. Va, about four
years ago and are caretakers of the
place. The newer part OF the house re-
mains furnished. presumably as the
last occupant, the Rev. Mr. Lowrie.
left it. Through this part of the house
runs a wide hall On one side of il rests
once were white are now yellow and
tones Jingle and jangle. All OF the old
songs, popular long ago but now for
gotten by all except those of the gray
haired generation. have been played on
that little piano. and one can almost
hear the ghostly echoes of The Black
Hawk Waltz" Twickenham Ferry
'Maiden's Prayer" and Monastery
Bells" The paper on the wall is verS
old fashioned. the pattern being biz
floral medallions. Hanging on the wall
are engravings of Stonewall JacksoN
and Robert E. Lee. Some colored litho-
~ 1an Il trNe~
there. One of these is vlabeled The
Rocky Coast" There is one colored
picture showing race horses, with
sporting men drinking and smoking.
and worked into the picture are scat
tered playing cards. dice and dueling
pistols. At one end of the broad hall
a staircase with a banister rail of well
worn black walnut leads to the upper
story, the steps being covered with a
carpet of antique pattern. The parlor
also remains furnished. A blue paper of
floral design covers the wall, and over
the mantel is large picture of the
on the wall. and these are generally
of a religious theme. The floor is bare.
but big. comfortable chairs stand about
the room.
Branching off from the Sheriff road
at the point where that road crosses
the District boundary into Prince
Georges county is an old road now
called Eastern avenue. Its course is
inside the District line. and it runs
from the Sheriff road to the populous
colored settlement of Burrville, in
which settlement are hundreds of
homes. with stores run by colored peo-
pie. doctors Offices. churches and big
new brick public school. which among
the works of man is the most con-
spicuous landmark in that neighbour
hood. On this road. in the garden OF
a small frame house. is a fiagpole, from
which flies a faded American flag.
Nailed to the pole is a piece of plank.
on which is stenciled this: 81 W., 1115:
r. W.. 1715-1s12; NJ. W.. 1s47; C. w.
1Ss1-65: S. A. W.. 1898: Northeast Scout
Boy Headquarters, Troop A. Northeast"
The letters. of course. stand for In
dian war. Revolutionary war. Mexican
war. civil war and Spanish-American
war.
A short distance beyond the garden
with the fiagpole is one of the old-time
log houses of the District of Columbia.
1t Is without a tenant now. but IT is
owned by a colored woman named
Moore. whose father. Daniel Contee.
lived IN the mouse DeIOTe the civil WdT-
It stood on the land of Levi Sheriff.
and the belief in the neighborhood is
that the log house was standing before
the establishment of the District OF
Columbia.
Within sight of the Dean house on
another hill Is a brick house which
considerably before the outbreak OF
the civil war was the birthplace OF
Marion Fowler, of the docket division
Of the patent Office. a man whom many
Washingtonians know. 1t was the
home of his father, ]. H. Fowler. The
place was called Fife Enlarged" The
house is in a fair state of preserva-
ton, and is occupied by farmer who
carefully tills the surrounding fields,
and Washingtonians eat the vegetables
that are grown on Fife Enlarged"
Mr.. Fowler lives within a mile of his
birthplace. his present home being on
the old Anacostia road. now Minnesota
avenue. at Kenilwerth Mr.. Fowler
knew various members of the Sheriff
and Dean families. and was a friend OF
Rev. Randolps Lowrie, the last owner
and occupant of the ancient Sheriff.
Dean house.