Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21

writes for The Star each week, he feels
he should further explain how Bright
wood got its name, as we'll as mention
other things about that indefinite terri
tory which were Intentionally omitted
from an article ON this section Of the
District Of Columbia, published fort
night ago.
One of the delightful results Of writ
ing about old Washington is the pleas
ant and sometimes unexpected contact
one is brought into with some OF the
older natives of Washington, whose
knowledge of past events can To con-
siderable degree be depended upon.
OF course, If one were to believe all
that he was told and passed 1t along to
the public in the way in which 1t was
reCsiyed, he would rather complicate
matters and do history an injury, and
though the writer realizes that perfec-
ton is to be sought for, yet he is also
aware that no living person has-and
undoubtedly never will-reached the
faultlssS stage However, he does believe
that when one is born in certain
section and lived there for more than
half q century, that person-if his
mind be clear and well balanced
should know considerable about that
particular place.
1t was with this idea in mind that
Mrs. Annie C. Osborn at her delightful
home in BrightWood, 10, the purpose
of obtaining flrSt-hand informal: n
about this part of North Washington,
and in course of most agreeable con-
versation heard her relate what appears
to be the real reason why this section
of the District was called Bright
wood"
According to her version. following
the name Crystal Spring, which gen.
orally applied to this locality, the name
Brighton was given it-by whom, no
one knows. Soon after receiving this
name, a post ONCE was established al
the northwest corner of Georgia ave-
nue. and Piney Branch road, in the
country store then conducted by the
late A. c.. Osborn. It was to this
corner a number of years ago that Mr..
Osborn took his bride-now the Mrs.
Osborn with whom the writer had the
interview Soon after the selecting OF
the name Brighton and the estab-
fishing of the post office, an unfore-
seen complication arose. There hap
pened to be another post Office In the
northern part of Montgomery County,
Md, of the same name, Is miles from
Laurel, IA miles from Rockville and 70
miles from Baltimore, and the mails
intended for these two places were
eternally getting mixed.
The corner had previously been owned
by Mrs. Abigail Shoemaker, mother OF
the late Louis P. Shoemaker, who had
let the place to L. Brunett, q French
man, as a roadhouSe. After giving up
the business Brunett continued TO nVe
in the neighborhood, and no doubt be-
ing one of those who were suffering be-
cause the mail addressed here was 60
ing to the ether Brighton, and wee
versa. he suggested leaving off the SUI
fix "on"-or ton" as it really should
be-and substituting in its place the
wood" which so met with general Ia
vor that since that dav the name
BrightWood has been the name OF this
uncertain area.
CELDOM is any attention paid to the
- derivation of names. which SO fire.
ouently have as beautiful a meaning as
thew would imply. For instance, the
Anglo-Saxon word bright" means just
what one would take it to mean In THIS
case: Brilliant in color; cheerful. Ion
means a house or town. and combined.
Brighton" means bright house or
town: and following out the same ety.
nology "Brightwood" would signify a
bright, cheerful wood, or, in other words,
a bright. cheerful place of forestllke
kind. as Brightwood quite probably was
around 70 years ago, when us name
was coined.
It may also be interesting to know
that the word washington" according
to one authority. means a washing
house. However, If We separate the Woro
more closely it would really mean more
than this: Wash" meaning a place
where washing is done, ling" meaning
oGFe aT HncnaJ1dohf
meaning house or town, and combined
We have the general meaning-the de-
scendant of man who lived in house
near a wash, perhaps near a stream
where the community laundry was
brought for cleaning.
Prior to the Civil War the roads and
thoroughfares leading to and from
BrightWood were few and far between.
The Seventh street turnpike, now Geor-
gia avenue was one of the early ROADS
of Washington and, like all early Toaos,
was narrow and at times-especiaIIy
after heavy rains-impaSsable Fortu-
nately for the people of Brightwood
they had a very influential and impor-
tant neighbor-Francis Preston Blair,
whose home was at Silver Spring-and.
OF course, when Montgomery Blair, the
son. came into prominence his support
in securing needed Improvements was
also generally to be had. In this con-
nection. il was no doubt due to the
elder Hairs efforts that a plank road
was laid on the Seventh street turnpike
In 1852.
These so-called planks, 1t is said,
were trees split in halves, with the
rounded side down. They were laid from
Boundary street, now Florida avenue,
all the way to the District line, and, at
the time 1t was said that 1t was expected
to continue this type OF road to Silver
Spring, where the Bla!rs lived. NO
doubt MFR. Blair had every expectation
Of making good and frequent use OF this
road.
1t is probable that this plank road
was hardly wide enough for two teams
to pass each other, and only the lignt-
er vehicles, such as carriages and bug
gies. were permitted to make use OF it,
the heavier teams, including farm wag..
ons, being forced to walloW in the mud
on the higher part of the road, the
plank road being depressed several
inches below the other part OF the PIKE.
r. u X
BEFORE Alexander r. Shepherd came
- into sufficient prominence to have
q road named after him, Shepherd road,
which is now practically abandoned east
of Georgia avenue, was the Milk House
Ford road and ran from its intersection
with Rock Creek Church road, near
the WOODBURY. Public School, as far west
81 as Tennallytown. The Military road did
not come into existence until toward
the beginning of the Civil War. when 1t
was erected to connect the forts to the
north and northwest Of Washington.
Piney Branch road, which is fast los