Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17


fne old trees growing in it. One, beautiful
ash, when the place was sold was bought by
Samuel Kirby the well known cabinet maker,
and made into furniture. He was one Of the
characters of Washington. An exceedingly
charitable man, he hated to have his good
deeds known, and was deeply offended
thanked for his lberality.
1T is related Of him that he had given very
literally to the church he attended Some one
not understanding his popularity got up in
church and publicly thanked him. He never
could be induced to enter the church again,
nor cid he again contribute to its support.
~He began sending turkey every Christmas
TO the Washington Orphan Asylum, on H street
between Ninth and Tenth, next to the Van
Ness Inausoleum AS the number of children
increased so did the number of turkeys, until
n barrel full was needed to supply the demand.
Year after year the barrel was sent Christmas
eve. One year barrel came. At the very
last minute the matron and manager had to
hustle around to get up a Christmas dinner
for the children. When asked why he had not
sent the turkeys as usual he said that women
never could keep secret; some OF the women
with their long tongues had told all about the
gift of the turkeys, and he didn't mean TO
send any more
In this case he was a little unjust to the
women, the secret having leaked out through
the market man. barrel OF turkeys Is
good deal for private individual to buy and
and would be apt to cause comment, but I
at Christmas"
GTRANGE to say the Center Market had its
beginning in the Presidents Square, and IL
the writer remembers Alright it stood about
where the State, War and Navy Building
stands Although there seems to be no GER
tainty as to when the market was erected SO
close TO the White House, yet it was there in
the Summer of 1901, when, as Mr.. Bryan tells
us, "the citizens started a movement to erect
. market house on Market Square, on the south
side of PENNSYLVANIA avenue between Seventh
and Ninth streets. The Commissioners at first
agreed to help the good work by subscribing
$500 toward the building fund. But evidently
the popular subscription did not warrant such
an ambitious scheme, although DR.. Thornton
acted as chairman of the meeting of citizens.
and William Brent was the treasurer, and
James Hoban and Clotworthy Stephenson were
constituted q building committee. Finally the
Commissioners proposed that if the expenses OF
removal were paid by the subscribers they
would give the old market house on the Presi-
dents square IS q Temporary aid to the market
"On . subsequent date, James Hoban was
authorized to remove the public sheds from
the Presidents Square to the Market Square
BY the middle of December, on Tuesday, the
18th, the market was opened and also on the
following Thursday and Saturday which are
the market days at the present time. The place
soon received the name of Center Market, which
It bears to this day"
place a market being marsh land, as Marsh
Market would imply and even after this reser-
walton taken possession Of for this purpose
there was no positive assurance-at least from
the first--of q definite market day, for the
Tiber had habit Of backing up and covering
these blocks with water after every heavy rain.
But no doubt, after all, it was due to the Tiber
that this spot was selected, for the market
place under favorable conditions could be
reached by small boats, and the Twelfth Street
Wharf was only couple Of blocks away, which
was also an inducement.
NATURALLY all sorts Of methods were en-
ployed In bringing supplies to the market.
Christian Hines speaking OF the year 1900,
tells US:
1T was customary for the country people to
bring in their produce, such as corn, corn meal,
potatoes apples, etc. on horseback, and in re-
turn, take back few groceries, not forgetting
a jug of whisky. The tobacco, of which there
was large quantity shipped (more particularly
from Georgetown) to Europe, was brought to
market in a way that may appear strange to
many who have never seen it. 1t was done in
this manner: The hogshead containing the
tobacco, had hole bored in each head, and
an axle run through from one end to the other.
To this axle shaft was attached something like
the shaft of a cart To this horse was
hitched and the tobacco brought to town, up
and down hills. over stones, etc. 1t looked
precisely like the roller with which the streets
are now rolled"
Fifty years later we are told:
lone of the great attractions Of the Center
Market was the fact that many FISH dealers
sold fish alive. When the fish were caught in
the Potomac, or elsewhere, they were brought
In live boxes and 1T was no unusual sight to
see fish jumping about the fish stands pro-
spective purchasers inspected them. If no sale
was made the fish were simply dumped back
into the baskets and then into the live boxes,
which were floating in the canal only as feet
south of the market The stock could be kept