Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-11
BY BEN McKELWAY.

|
Progress tugs at heartstrings as it
marches along.
Facing Western avenue a few blocks
| from Chevy Chase Circle there is a
black and white sign, still standing
braveiy erect though It's two support
| ing legs have grown wobbly with age,
one of them bending forward and the
4 other Sagging to the rear, in some
| manner grown shorter. The white
! lettering against the black back
| ground has been blurred BY changing
! seasons. but If one looks closely the
wording is still found feebIy proclaim
| ing THE kirkside Golf club"
| Though the course and the club are
gone, the sign hangs on and some
| body ought to take 1t down. All that
| 'emains of the old clubhouse and mems
| locker room. establishments which
never set themselves up as ornate or
| prepOssessng. is the group of trees
which once sheltered them. The rest
| IF the course IL cut up by hard. glaring
| streets of new concrete, boFdered with
| spick Il nd.span houses of brick or
| stucco or the red earth of what soon
will be somebody's cellar. There used
| to be q knoll not far from the club.
| house. crowned with dignified group
of noble old oaks. and when golfers
| climbed its gentle slope to shoot from
| the sixth tee they looked out through
leafy framework on an inviting pic
| ture of green fairway stretching to
the west. Not long ago an unroman.
| tic steam shovel bit into the knoll
and swallowed it.. trees and all, reduc'
| ing it to the prosaic level of the
ground about it.
| X \. r
1t was only % years or so ago that
| the old Bapnockburn Club in Chevy
Chase was a long way out in the
country. The green OF It's f1irways
was surrounded by, open fields and
woods 1t was the scene of family
outings and picnics. as we'll as the de
/ light of golfers. On holidays families
were wont to pack up lunch and &C
company father to the links and while
| he played thet children scampered
around on the grassy lawn about the
clubhouse. The trip to Bannockburr
| from town was something of an eX
| petition. 1t represented a long street
car ride out through the open wilds
/ of Connecticut avenue. and 1t pro
vided a stimulating breath of country
air for those who lived on the out
skirts Of the crowded city, say on L
street northwest.
! In 1915. when the owners Of the
| land raised the rent and when the
vanguard Of the march of progress
| threatened the sanctity of the links
many members of the old .Bannock
burn withdrew and moved the club to
! Glen Echo, Md.--far, far away. But
others stayed on, changing the name
of the club to the Kirkside. It's mem
| bership was restricted, for the course
was never large. They played golf
there happily until about two years
| ago, when the land was whacked up
and parceled into building sites and
| lie green turf was gouged and SCARED
| by picks and shovels. The old club
house and locker room were torn
down. The Kirkside members Joined
other golf clubs. A few months ago
/ the old barn that used to stand in the
rear of the clubhouse burned. The
fire was at night. There was moth
! ing to do but to let it burn. II saved
the expense of razing the ramshackle
old building-and il made a beautiful
blaze.
But somebody ought to take down
that sign.
The District is growing fast. Such
landmarks as the kirkside, with all
their memories, are going every day.
One does not have to be very old to
remember when U street was sort
Of northern boundary line for the city.
all beyond it being open, unexplored
territory. Yet there is still lots of
room left in the District There are
many broad acres of virgin forest and
farmland remaining in the District
5000 acres. to be exact. The District
is not half grown up, though it is be-
ginning to show the signs of adde's
cence. Half million persons live
within one crowded square mile in the
East Side of New York. Here in
Washington our estimated population