Evening star., 1932-09-08
FORGOTTEN NAMES
OF D. c. RECALLED
DuhameI Address Arouses
MemorieS-Friends Pay
| Topham Tribute.

DISCUSSING the subject Forgotten
Names in Old Washington City" James
r. Duhamel, corresponding secretary of
the Association of Oldest Inhabitants.
last night aroused lively discussion and
many "reminiscences of the early days
Of this city at meeting Of the asso-
citation at the old Union Engine House.
The speaker traced briefly some of
the principal features of the old city,
and referred not only to peculiar old
names of vicinities in the Capital but
TO towns nearby.
I'm our vicinity" he said, eve had
AlexandrS, Bladensburg. Corrollsburg,
Hamburg, Georgetown. Little Falls and
Matildaville at Great Falls.
Very few of the early WaShingto-
mans ever heard Of either Carrollsburg
or Hamburg" said Mr.. Duhamel. Per
hapS not one in a thousand knew of
such places prior 10 1870. None of the
city maps showed them, and no event
connected with them has given them a
place in history. Carrollsburg had cAe
house and perhaps a wharf, but there
Is no evidence of building in Ham
burg.
Houses Not Numbered.
"In the early days of Washington
City" said Mr.. Duhamel, when its in
habitants were well confined within the
boundary of what is now Florida ave-
nue., the numbering of houses had not
been resorted to, and without any pre-
conception the town became divided
into sections. with designations to guide
those in quest of the citizens
Not only were certain sections util-
lied to locate the dwellers but con-
spicuous buildings, and especially rows
OF houses, were used: and we find in
tie early city directories many illusions
to sites now demolished or forgotten,
such as Carroll row, Duff Green row,
Franklin row, Six Buildings, Seven
Buildings, Twelve Buildings, Glass
House and Wheat row.
Some sections covered large terri
tory and did not afford very specific
location, such as the Island, First Ward,
Northern Liberties, Swampoodle. Capt.
tol HILL English Hill, Vinegar Hill, Her
ring Hill, etc, or near some Govern
rent establishment like the Arsenal,
Navy Yard, Observatory. Sometimes
q depression designated a residential
section, such as Foggy Bottom, Blood
field, Helfs Bottom, Cowtown, Slashes,
st. James Greek. Buzzards Point,
Adopted About 1855.
"The adoption of house numbers
about 1885 caused the elimination of
some OF these names and others disap-
peared after the advent of the decimal
system about 1870, but in recent years
the arrival Of so many outsiders and
the migration Of many old residents to
the suburbs has not only caused the
neglect of the old designations but
their total absence from our daily use"
The spring in the Grotto of the
Capitol Grounds, Mr.. Duhamel be-
lieved. was the only remaining open
spring of the IS referred to in LEn-
fant's map.
The locations of several of these
Duhamel in part as follows: Vinegar
Hill, about Twenty-fourth and N
streets; Grow Hill, Fourth and M
streets; Foggy Bottom, along the river
and about Observatory Hill; Bald Knob,
Twenty-third street circle; first ward,
west of Fifteenth street; Slash Run,
down Champlain street to Scott Circle
to L street and up Twenty second street
TO o street and Rock Creek; Windmill |
Point, foot Of d street; Easbys Point, |
the same; Glass House foot of Twenty |
second street; six buildings. Twenty |
first street and Pennsylvania avenue;
seven buildings, Nineteenth street and |
pennsylvania avenue; slashes in the |
early days were marshes about II street |
and below Franklin Park, at a later
date, marshes between Fourteenth
street and Connecticut avenue; the
Island, below street. now Constitu-
ton avenue: Canal, Constitution
avenue to Sixth street, then southeast:
BuZZard'S Point, tip east Of st. James
Creek Canal; Northern Liberties, around
Seventh street above H street. Jail, @
street and Fourth street; SWampoodle,
along Tiber Greek above @ street; Tiber
Greek, rose in Soldiers Home Grounds,
flowed through North Capitol street
around Capitol Hill and west under
Constitution avenue; Mount Pleasant,
along Park road; Cow Town, upper
west end Of p street bridge; Hell's
Bottom, Eleventh, Twelfth, P and s
streets.
Adds Suggestions.
Among the further suggestions ad-
vanced by Fred A. Emery, vice presi-
dent Of the association, were Hop Yard.
large tract in Southwest Washington;
Duddington's Pasture, in South Wash
ington; Beall's Levels, north Of Dud-
dington's Pasture on Goose Greek
Bay; Mexico, between Hamburg and
Georgetown from the Potomac River
along Rock Greek northward; Widows
Mite, north OF Hamburg. including the
Dean tract now Temple Heights. Other
old places discussed were the haunted
house on New Jersey avenue, Louise
alley and Willow Tree alley.
The association adopted formal
resolution on the death of the late
Washington Topham, vice president Of
the association, who died last month.