Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27

oute logical that Frost would have taken the
records to his own home for safekeeping. Incl
dentaly, John T. Frost remained for many
years clerk in the office Of the House OF
Representatives, and his name appears in the
city directory at least until 1S43, when he was
residing the east side Of New Jersey avenue,
between and streets, now the site OF the
House Office Building.
In 1877 the ruins we're sold by George C.
Washington, a granddaughter of the first Pres
ident as trustee, to David English and w. s.
Nichols, and soon afterward the former sold
his interest to Peter Morte who used the same
walls in rebuilding the houses. In 1919. the
tax assessment was made in the name of Nichols
alone and the assessment for 1924 appears in
the same name.
from this fact it would appear that when
Capt. Charles lie Compile Nevitte, father OF
Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth, lived in one OF
these houses. where the celebrated novelist wss
born December &c. 1919, that he was boarding
there. although the captain may have been
running the boarding house himself
Referring to her birthplace, Mrs. Scuthworth
once said:
Here / born in the very room designed
10 be tenanted by Gen. George washington.
II was a child of sorrow from the very first
year of my life. Thin and dark. / had no
beauty except pair Of large, wild eyes-but
even this was destined to be furnished. At IL
months was attacked by Inflammation Of
the eyes that ended in total blindness-though
happily temporary. Thus it was. my first view
OF life was through a dim mysterious cathedral
light in which every object in the world looked
larger. wagner, more distant and more impoS-
ing than 1t really was
Among the friends around me- the imposing
form and sympathetic face Of my dear grand
mother made the deepest impression"
Mrs. Southworth'S mother, Susannah WALES
was the second wife of Capt. Nevitte and was
but Is years OF age when they were married;
he being As.
About this period Gen. Henry Dearborn
made his home in this fashionable boardir&
house 1t may have been even earlier or when
he was. from 1901 to 1909, Secretary of War in
the cabinet of Thomas Jefferson. This dis
tinguished American had served as captain in
the Revolutionary War, and covered the retreat
OF the patriots at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
He later came to Congress and In 1912 was APP
pointed senior major general in the United
States Army, and rendered valuable service in
the second war with Great Britain.
In 1884 and again in 1889 this property was
assessed in the name of Charles wilkes at that
time commander in the united States Navy,
who resided here according to the city direc-
tories from lS4s to 1885,
AANY will recall these buildings as the ones
wi incorporated into the Hillman House.
which. In 1873. was being conducted by NJ T.
Judd and from 1879, for \ decade or more by
NJ J. Himan, who. in 1885, advertised:
"' one square from the Capitol and
Baltimore g. Ohio depot terms per day $3.50
81 and $I.5o, according to location of rooms
226 n. Cap"
Later the Hillman House became ''the Ken
more" and it here that famous homicide
occurred in which Georgetown University law
student killed by q married woman who
made her getaway down the FIRE escape. and
when unprecedented, was tried and acquitted
Later it became the Hotel Burton
A bronze tablet has been prepared to mark
the site of the Washington houses, and the
architect of the Capitol. David Lynn, has iks
proper installation under consideration.
Speaking Of these houses which are no longer,
reminds the writer that there are but two build
ings standing today occupied by Washington as
q residence. or course, there were many places
he surely stopped for day so, and there
are places standing today used by him as his
headquarters during the Revolutionary War
the one at Chadds Ford, near West Chester,
Pa. being destroyed only within the last few
days.
But besides Mount Vernon, there is but one
building standing today that used for any
considerable time by the illustrious Father of
His Country, and maybe, in view of the forth
coming Bicentennial of the birth of the first
President it might be interesting to say some
thing of this other Home, Sweet Home" even
il we do have to go outside of Washington for
our story for, after ALL Washington spent but
little of his time in the District of Columbia
and rarely came here except when business
required his presence in passing through
the Federal territory his way north. Not
that his attachment for the District was not
very strong. for, after all. it was largely due to
him that the site selected for the National
Capital.
INDEED; it was upon of these trips, late
i'm 1893 when waShington-then President
was returning to Philadelphia to be on hand
ut the opening of the first session OF the Third
Congress, December 2 of that year, that he