Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR.


with snow upon the ground t.
4 look for an old swimmin' hole yoI
have not seen for many years; bu
that is just what the writer did tn
other day when he went looking 70
Big Rock, the principal place on Roc
Greek where the boys OF 40 and s.
years ago went swimming. OF course
the rock was still there, and, quit
naturally. the water was there, too, ant
it was unusually high. since the snow
was melting all around and the waite
was finding its way into this old stream
and rapidly flowing with it toward thu
Potomac, there to, add its small bi
in augmenting that majestic stream.
Big Rock was an obscure and isolated
place on the east side of Rock Greek, per-
haps not over thousand feet south o.
the old stone quarries, just to the soutf
after leaving the old Quarry road. Il
was so named because of the large rock
about four by six feet, which protrudec
from one to three feet out OF the
stream, depending upon the height OF
the water. AS there were no obstruc-
tons in front of this big, fiat stone
and as the water was around seven
or eight feet in depth here. it was one
Of the best diving places to which the
boys were privileged to go. However
out of the water to grasp 1t and raise
ones self up, recourse for this purpose
was made to a smaller rock only a
few feet north of the larger stone,
which no doubt many of the boys OF a
half-century ago will gladly recall
To get to Big Rock was not then an
easy thing, but on the contrary 1t was
difficult, and especially so for the
smaller boys. The path leading to this
famous swimming place-where, by the
way. every one wore the same kind of
bathing suit--was around series of
steep hills, separated by little valleys,
over which 1t was difficult to climb.
usually requiring the grasping of heavy
vines or tree roots for assistance in
gaining the other side.
Upon one occasion the writer had the
painful experience of being jostled by a
larger boy at one of these points, which
caused him to fall some Is or 20 feet
to the bottom of the ravine, receiving
in the many revolutions he made a
cash In the forehead which resulted IN
a scar he carried for many years after
ward. 1t so happened that my big
brother, who was five years my senior,
was with the crowd upon this particular
occasion, and it took considerable apol-
ogizing upon the part of the boy who
caused the accident to keep him from
getting good thrashing.
X X =
THERE were two ways of getting to
l. Big Rock. One was by way of
Quarry road. and the other through
Milk House lane. The former is partly
still on the map, though separated
by Lanier place, where the old road
is abruptly cut off and its continual
ton gained only by way Of a long &C.
ment stairway To me, Milk House
lane is practically lost, though it quite
likely followed the course of what is
now Ontario road, which runs from
Columbia road to near the creek.
Its significant name, no doubt, had
its origin from the fact that along
about where Adams Mill road intercepts
Ontario road-or rather, about where
ontario road reaches. the Geological
Park-there was an old but unpreten-
tiouS house, in which q family lived
and kept cows-and dogs and other
things In order to get to Big Rock
by this road 1t was necessary to pass
close to the house and dairy buildings,
and because the cattle and dogs Away:
looked sort of offended at intruders
the boys ordinarily avoided this route
and only used 1t when there was quite
a number of lads in the party. Before
and during the early SOS there wa.
no other house on Milk House LIANT
and but one on Quarry road.
The only house then on Quarry roae
stood at the entrance of the lane OF
the south side and afterward about ISL
feet back from COLUMBIA road on thu
north side, to which place 1t was latel
moved. It was early occupied by [
family named Haho, and subsequently
by the Widow Mulligan and her inter.
esting family.
Beginning about 1887 other house.
were built facing the road. Duane C
Turner erected q cottage on the spring
lot, where he formed q lake with the
water from the spring, stocking it with
fish and pond lilies. Many q mar
win recall having quenched his thirst
with the pure nectar from this Ole
spring in the days when he wore knee
breaches and when rheumatism anc
govt and similar ailments were to him
unknown. Indeed, 1t was for q while
depended upon by the early settlers Of
this neighborhood as their only supply
for drinking water. The home of vii.
liam A. Fry, civil engineer, alst
faced Quarry road, as did the home 0.
Q family named Buckingham.
Among the early residents of Laniel
Heights, which is bounded by Columbis
road, Quarry road and Adams Mill road
was the family of Archibald M. Nc.
Lachlen, who, ] believe, laid out thi.
subdivision and whose residence occu,
pied the site where the Ontario Apart
ment now stands. The home of DR.. G
Brown Goode, late secretary of tn,
Smithsonian Institution, stood near tn.
top OF the stone quarry and overlooked
the Geological Park. The resident,
here also included several other Smith
sonian employees, among them bein,
Randolph !. Geare, DR.. Fred P. Dewe,
and DR.. j. B. Smith. There wer,
also living in this group of scientif,
people Otto Heideman and his wife
Mrs. Mica Heideman, the artist: Rich
ard y. Goode of the Geological Survey
De Lancey Gill and a Mr. Hayden
Frank Faust built the first house facinl
Columbia road, in Lanier Heights, ex
cept possibly two houses down towars
the Eighteenth street end of the sub
division. This house is still standing.
QUARRY road does not appear on tn
" map of 1870, and was probabl
not made thoroughfare until the Dis
trtct. under the old Board of Publ
Works which functioned from 1871 {.
1874, began to work the stone Quarrie
for constructing macadam roads in tn
District. Blasting was common her
at this period as was the sight of mas
eive machinery employed in crushin
the stone into the different size
needed
Boundary street-now Florida ave
nue-was one of the first, If not tn
first street to be macadamized. an
nearly every driver in town with
speedy horse took advantage of thi
excellent stretch of road to try Oh
his noble steed.
"A policeman's lot Is not a happ
one" as the old song went that the
used to sing on the stage. and the
had their troubles with the drivers G
horses years ago, Just as they have wit
the automobile drivers now. But, afte
all. We do miss today the beautifu
T. -