Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12

faced Sixth street. The site was known
as lot No. 8, and was purchased from
Thomas and w. w. Corcoran for $3.50,
the deed being dated March ID, 1645.
Subsequent purchases in this block IN
cluded part of lot 9, from John NJ.
Springman, May II, 1860, 1or S3,52o;
part of lot 9, from Patrick O'Brien, May
"a, 1860, for 81 100; part of lot 9, from
George Wright, May %, 1860, for 1928;
lot No. 10. from Richard Barry, May II,
1850, for $500.
For many years the South Washing
ton schools were in what was called the
fourth district, now designated as the
fourth division, and the elementary
schools of that section are now a part
of it. The first teacher in School
Suuare-where the jefferson Building
stands. now a Junior High School-of
which the writer has record was Henry
Hardy. In 1849 Mr.. Hardy resigned
and John E. Thompson succeeded MN
as principal of the school, being as
sisted by Mrs. M. A. Hinton.
In this district MIR. Thompson re-
manned for nearly 40 years, always in
\ high capacity. He resigned his posi-
|, Zion in October, 1884, and died March
e9 of the following year. He was re-
@arded as one of the greatest instruc-
kors of his time, and the scholars who
were well equipped to enter life's battle
for respectable livelihood.
There was more rivalry in the early
DAYS between the four districts than
apparently exists today, due no doubt
to the number of prizes then annually
awarded to the pupils. Chief among
these were the Kendall, King and
Columbian College scholarships.
The first of these was provided for
I'LL r11l1 Hove III -
Columbian College-now George Wash
sngton University-in which he stipu-
lated that it was to remain operative
only SO long as Calvary Baptist Church
was represented on the board OF truS-
tees of that institution.
The King scholarship was the gift
of Horatio King, Postmaster General
during BuchananS administration, and
provided a scholarship in Dickinson
College.
The Columbian College scholarship
was provided for direct by that college
in 1866, and the successful scholar that
year was James E. Bangs of the Male
Grammar School in the first district
Strong John Thomson's school-the
runners-up being Giles A. Heilprin,
w. r. Brown and Henry Simpson.
X x X x
TN 1870 the Kendall scholarship was
, = first awarded to Theodore W. Noyes,
who lived with his family on the
Island" and went to school to John
z. Thompson. The report of the ex-
amining committee for the public
j schools was dated July 80, 1870.
In 1912 this scholarship went to
William H. Luff, also of the Male
Grammar School of the fourth school
district. presided over by MR. Thomp-
son, Strong Johns" able rival in edu-
eating prize pupils. The King scholar
ship went to Daniel Foley of the third
district. The following year, the Ken
dali prize, Six-year course in the
university, went to Edwin L. Scott of
the third district, the King scholarship
being awarded to Walter M. Mcfarland.
The jefferson School Building re-
placed the brick school which was built
in this block in 1845. At the time it was
erected it also replaced nine one-Story
frame buildings used for school pur-
poses and which had been built in this
block between the years 1850 and 1859
The first teachers assigned to the
present building were: John E. Thomo-
son, Mrs. Mary E. Martin, Miss Maggie
A Pumphrey, Miss Mary A. Lee, E. H
Thompson, Mrs. Sarah E. Wise, Miss
Annie Van Horn, Miss Susie A. Langley
Miss Victoria V. Trook, Miss Annie M
Adams, Miss Rachel A. Garrett, Mrs
Mary A. Bowen, Miss Elizabeth j. Riley
Miss Harriet L. Davis, Miss Ellie Dunn
Miss Margaret E. Garrett, Miss Annie
E. Fowler, Miss Ellen E. Halliday. Miss
Adele B. Gray and Miss Bette A
Robinson.
2he building was designed by Adolf