The Washington herald., 1918-10-06
Two Old Landmarks.

Two of the buildings in the far
than passing notice are the original
almshouse. latterly used as part of
the Washington Asylum Hospital, and
the District Detention Camp. where
smallpox suspects and others sup
posed to be affected by CONTAGIOUS
disease were held by the health au-
thorities pending a decision as to
whether the detained ones should be
taken to the smallpox hospital ad-
joining potter's field or be released
from custody.
The District almshouse was estab-
lished nearly 106 years ago II is To-
Gated at Nineteenth and c streets,
next to the Jail. An age-yellowed
ledger in the office of the building
states that prior TO 1915 the almshouse
and workhouse were separa'e institu-
tions, but because OF the small num-
ber of inmates I'm each. on April G. 1873.
AN ordinance was passed o. the city
council providing for THE accomino-
dation in the almshouse Of such per-
sons as might be committed under an
act concerning free negroes and Vag-
rants"
A later ordinance, passed by the
city council April Is, 1921, set forth
that said joint institution should be
known as the Washington Asy-
lum." The records show that In 1889
the asylum vas a frame structure
located on VI street north between
Sixth and Seventh streets west"
This structure having been found un-
suitable for the purposes required.
application was made to .he Presi-
-
portion of the reservation on the
Eastern Branch of the Potomac as
might be necessary for the erection
of new asylum" This was granted,
and May 10, 1S43, an ordinance was
passed providing for its erection. The
building. which at that time was
frame, was destroyed by fire March
,, 1871. and one OF the inmates, a
woman, was burned TO death. The
present structure was then erected,
being first occupied January q, 1859.
1t is stated that the building, now
known as the Washington Asylum
Hospital, viii soon be torn down TO
make room for the proposed munich
pal or Gallinger general hospital.
Many Women NiolatorS.
At the time of the fire in 1857.
all of the chronicles of the institu-
tion were burned except one musty
old record book which was rescued
from the flames by the venerable
clerk. On the yellowed pages of
this volume appear the names of
some of the City's characters who
habitually fell into the clutches of
the law and were confined in the
combined almshOuse and wOrkhous6
Among these old Washington Of
fcnders Of from 1914 TO 1921 were: .:
Polly Harrod, a white woman of
middle age, who served several
terms in the workhouse, as well as
in the city penitentiary." as the
Jail was then termed: Caroline
Baltimore and Lucinda Fox, coIored :;
Dolly Ann Smith and Betsy Shar-
dack, white. All these. the records
show, were committed by Justice
Robert Clark for various misde-
meanors.
At that time the NJ street insti-
tuition was well out on the northern
suburbs of the city. surrounded by
wide stretches OF unimproved land,
with here and there woods, ravines
and scum-covered ponds. The Sc
lection of the NJ street site was
mace because or It's Isolated and
sparsely settled location. That
section now teens with life and is
thickly populated and built up with
modern residences. Just east Of
the frame almshouse on VI street,
Tiber Creek flowed on its way to
the sea. via the Potomac. and was
visited in the popular season by
parties from the city who gathered
blackberries from its banks.
One OF the first men sent to the
workhouse by Justice Clark was
Reuben Smith, who was described as
"a worthless person given to idleness
and strong drink, and a nuisance to
his neighbors." It was further said
about him that when the British
ruthlessly invaded the municipality
of Washington in 1914. the said Smith
avoided military service by concealing
himself in the thickets near Chillum
Castle" (near Hyattsville). So it was
recorded that Reuben Smith was per-
haps the first Washington Stacker.
While the present almshouse at
Nineteenth and C streets southeast.
l.. ns To -