Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-24
Stories of Early Lower Ninth Street

the dealers in fruits and vegetables in the mar
ket took store room and engaged in the COM
mission business, being the first of that now
numerous class. He was known as French John
at first, but later as Cheap John. and he met
with such success that he surrendered his mar
ket stall to other parties and stuck to his store"
When Mr.. Croggon wrote this long while
ago, he perhaps had in mind the south side OF
Louisiana avenue, for later on in his descrip-
ton he places Mr.. Moore in the bacon busi-
ness on Louisiana avenue near Tenth in q
frame building which was destroyed by fire in
1910. Perhaps the date 1880" given by Mr..
Croggon Is a typographical error and really
should make Cheap John starting in business
on Louisiana avenue at an earlier date. How
ever, Mr. Croggon's writings are generally very
accurate, and whatever he has written is worth
reading Here is his interesting statement:
Mr. Moore built on Louisiana avenue near
Tenth street two frame houses, conducting the
bacon business in one These were in June,
1910, destroyed by fire, and were replaced by
brick buildings Mr.. Moore occupying one and
Mr. Skaters leather store the other. On c
street were the boarding houses of Mrs. Kicker,
Mrs. Dom and Mrs. harden, which fiourished,
being favorite stopping place for those en-
gagged in the market. Henry L. Davidson
[should be Samuel c. Davisonl, long a con-
stable and Mrs. s. j. Hutchins, dreSsmaker,
lived on Tenth street. and at the corner Of
Louisiana avenue and that street was the
American Organ, published in the interest OF
the native American or Know Nothing party
in the sos, with vespasion Ellis editor.
about the center Of Louisiana avenue was
located pump of spa water. which was re-
garded as of highly medicinal quality, and tt
was carried to all parts Of the city, frequently
crowds Of people waiting their turn"
This pump the south side Of thu
street, and Is stin remembered by many mem~
bers Of the Association Of Oldest Inhabitants.
It's water may have come from one Of the
lodges that caused the contractors so much
trouble when they were excavating the founda-
ton for the Internal Revenue Building, just to
the west. At any rate, It's supply was always
sufficient for the demand.
4 AR. CROGGON had personal knowledge OK
M this locality, which he grow from a
mudhole to q respectable looking neighbor-
hood and back IN 1906 he wrote for The Star
very interesting article regarding it, part
Of which reads
1T was many years before the square bor-
dering the canal directly west Of the market
became Of use for business purposes Thomas
Law was an early investor, being the owner OF
four of nine lots in 1902, when the ground rate
of cents was reduced to half cent. In the
30s the valuation was from IS to so cents
and the few buildings upon it were owned by
Messrs Law and Van Ness. One Of these was
valued at $500, facing the canal in which 8. w.
Handy had hat factory. This was burned in
November, 1910. There was valuation Of
81 600 on two frame houses facing Louisiana
avenue near Sluice Run. willow tree was q
prominent object here, and far and near the
term willow Tree" was the recognized name
for the locality The west lot was owned by
Gen. r. c. Weightman and Richard Smith,
with the exception of small portion leased to
John p Ingle. On this lot in the 40s was
Snyder's blacksmith shop and one night 1t was
burned.
The military and civic ball of the Washing
ton Light Infantry was in progress that eve
ming and many present in uniform were fire.
men as well as soldiers. When the alarm was
sounded 1t was responded to so generally that
the terpsichorean exercises at the ball were
crippled and the fire apparatus. manned by the
militia. made spectacle not often witnessed.
This lot was used by the Washington Gas
Light Co. site for tank and shop, and
Capt John McClelland in the SOS located his
machine works here. Charles Lyons had his
carpenter shop on Louisiana avenue and, with
the exception of houses on Ninth street occu-
pied by A. Davis and Ignatius Luckett, the rest
of the ground was used for the storage Of wood
and coal, B. & F. G. Waters having used much
of it in 1926.
I'm the 40s the wood and coal yards of
Joseph Fugitt and John B. Boone were on
ninth street. In the sos the market house
had led to the location Of some stores. Some
brick houses had been erected on the corner Of
Ninth street and Louisiana avenue, in which
stores were located John H Semmes & Co.,
grocers, were here many years and others soon
followed. West of this was small hall used
for some time as practice room Tor Joe
Marcolettis band and about 1887 the central
guard was erected by the corporation.
That there some queer characters to be
found here need not be said to many Of the older
ones. There was one known 'Nosey for his
prominent nasal appendage, but when Beau
Hickman appeared here and saw the man be
applied to him the title of Champion cherry
picker giving as reason that from the shape
and size of his nose he could hang himself to