Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
Sixth street, between the har and the new

VI
early age, with my long hair in a psyche knot
to look more like boy than q girl; Miss May
Low Rachel and Maggie Garrett, Elizabeth
Riley, Annie Rowell, Sarah E. Wise, who taught
for over so years, and whose fiftieth anniver-
sary I attended with a good friend J. william
Strobel Victoria Trook, John w. Thompson
and last Isaac Fairhrother nearly all Of whom
have now passed and are in heaven, a reward
they justly earned after years of trouble with
the incorrigible youths of those days, of which
was probably the worst.
JUST across the Eastern Branch we journey
to what in those days was known as Union
Town, now Anacostia-and also we find there
the old st. Elizabeth's Asylum, to which now
many new additions and improvements have
been made. An uncle of mine, George Wash
ington Talburtt, resided in Union Town from
very early days, and he and John Howard
Payne, the author of Home, Sweet Home,
were boon companions, often visiting and
spending days together at Talburtt's old home
at the foot of Asylum Hill. No street cars were
there in those days. Said uncle Talburtt, who
married my fathers sister, was the grandfather
OF the the famous historical writer for The
Rambler The latter was born in Anacostia.
and I used to play with him as a small boy
His father was J. Horatio Shannon (from the
Irish Shannons one Of whom was Mary Sham
non, wife of my grandfather George Mattingly).
adventurer and traveller, and well known IN
those early days. The Rambler was called
the Boy Orator, at the age of surprising his
parents with a recitation of 'Bingen On the
Rhine He had the most wonderful memory,
and travelled with his father throughout this
country and abroad as the Boy Orator The
Talburtt heirs still own much property in Old
Union Town
Many names of the old denizens of the
Island come to me-the Johnsons, Wimsatts,
Stevensons, Hammetts, Tunes, Dants, Board
mans, Rowlands, Harveys. A fine son Of Mr.
Harvey, who lived near my home, is Tom
Harvey, representative of The Evening Star,
for years reporting the proceedings for all our
courts. Probably the most eccentric and best
known of cur prominent citizens of those re-
construction days Shortly after the Civil War
was the old IriShman, Pat Cullinane, who,
guess, even before the Official life Of Gov
Shepherd, laid the wooden blocks on Four
and-a-half street. that soon decayed, but 1t
was probably the beginning Of Pats fortune,
for he was one of the richest men of the
Island. He built for himself and family an
Sixth street, between Eye and K southwest,
what seemed to all of us to be the largest
house in creation. It was not completed in
his day, and do not think it was ever occu-
pied by him. His only son died, and an only
daughter, Miss Mary CuHlnane, RESIDES bodey
in one of three fine houses her father built
opposite St. Dominic's new parsonage. She
never married. In one of those houses, many
years ago, fine physician, DR.. J. J. Stafford.
q brother of the former pastor Of st. Patrick's
Church. Dennis Stafford, now deceased, also
died. They were sons of another famous old
contractor of the Island, named Stafford. One
of his daughters is stu living think in New
York! They all lived near my old birthplace
on street.
S*,T>HE Island has undergone little change
since my youth: but great improve