Evening star., 1931-11-01

residences q long Wnlle DeIore tEfat part 10 tf1s
west of the same street began to show hf'
except for cabin here and there occupied DI
people usually of moderate means.
In the Spring of 1872 one of the periodica
boons in real estate struck Washington, espe-
cially in that part which later became known
as the West End Shepherd and other mem.
bers Of the Board of Public Works had begur
in earnest to improve Washington. and Massa-
chusetts avenue. Scott circle, Dupont circle and
vicinity were getting their share Of attention.
West of Sixteenth street at that time was
practically unimproyed, and brick yards were
still being operated near Dupont circle by VIII
liam Hopkins who had succeeded to the busi-
ness of Thomas Corcoran. brother Of the
banker and philanthropist w W. Corcoran.
True, a struggling village had begun to ap-
pear many years before in the block bounded
by L and M, Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets
but elsewhere homes were isolated, and alto
gether few thousand dollars would have rep
resented the entire amount expended for build
ing purposes.
Slash Run, or Shad Run. as it was some
times called-a drowsy. shallow branch having
its main source somewhere around Fifteenth
street and Columbia road-was still an open
stream in many places, and the odor arising
from the insanitary slaughterhouses which
lined the banks was even more unpleasant than
in the days when William Linkins, Frank Lin
kins, John PfeaSter, John Berry, George
Walker, John Hoover, John Little and others
did their killing hereabout This picturesque
branch, wen known to the old-timer. entered
the city by crossing Florida avenue at about
Eighteenth street feeder which joined the
main stream in the center of square 156, be-
tween Seventeenth and Eighteenth and @.
added TO the size of the branch as it wended
its way southeasterly to near Sixteenth and L
streets, where it zigzagged west to Twenty
second street and flowed into Rock Greek at
q point between and o streets
Slash Run. One was known as Browns, and
was near Florida avenue east of Fifteenth
street; another was on the south site Of Rhode
Island avenue east of Connecticut avenue.
and the third was in the grounds now occupied
by the Louise Home. At Twenty-firSt and l.
streets, where John Berry slaughtered cattle
there a wooden bridge, and where the
stream crossed Thirteenth street it was arched
over.
A N item the writer came across the other day
says that as near as it could be ascer-
tanned Guy Graham was the first actual settler
In the Dupont circle neighborhood.
"Mr. Graham" SO the article states, "was a
pioneer of the District and was one of those
who cut the road from the Capitol to the
Treasury which was designated Pennsylvania
avenue Some of his descendants, now living.
cut so as to fall across the road and stone
and gravel were filled in for making the road
bed He had come to this country after his
marriage in Scotland. and with his family set
tied near Twenty first and streets about
1908. when ground was sold at O0l per foot
For some time he was in charge of Holmead's
burial ground. The family lived here for many
years and son, Guy Stone Graham, was also
superintendent of the graveyard and manager
Of the Kalorama grounds
When the Municipal Government assumed
control Holmead's graveyard had been laid out
and some families had placed their dead there
The elder Graham was the first superintendent
and in the 2oS Philip williams filled this office.
as well that of clerk of the West Market.
After him, G. s. Graham had charge"
A descendant of this family Of Graham c. e
Graham, is an empoye of the District Water
Department.
All along Slash Run there was good cunning
when the city was young, and, judging from its
other name, "Shad" Run it would seem that
shad once made their way into this stream bv
way of Rock Greek Many years before the
District of Columbia was provided for per
hapS centuries ago Slash Run was a much
larger body Of water than the early Wash
ingtonian knew it TO be, and quite deep. On
several occasions when excavations have been
made along its course tree trunks and Yegeta-
ton of an early period have been found some
times 20 feet below the earth's surface
There are still old residents living no doubt,
who in their boyhood days went swimming in
this stream and gathered berries and fox
grapes from fields nearby which are now oc-
cupied by residences belonging to multi
miilionaireS, and the chances are that there
stih are few who recall when there were but
two or three houses on Thomas Circle and
when that park was only circle on paper.
Two dwellings known TO have existed at an
early period were the residence occupied by
William II. Crawford. in 1921, when he was
Secretary of the Treasury on ground now oc-