Evening star., 1932-01-31
Postal Department Building Is Doomed

market and here was located the west side
OF the basin what was familiarly known as the
Twelfth street wharf A lumber yard was
established on the west of the basin, extending
to Twelfth street, by MeSsrs. King and Langley,
which in after years conducted by Ulysses
Ward for long time. With the consumption
of wood for fuel nearby, timber came in de-
mand furnishing employment to boat and
team. The canal basin became a lumber and
wood market, the business finally extending
far along the banks of the canal"
INDEED 1t is possible that this bit of curved
| masonry, after all might Rave been a land
ing place connected with the canal, for we
find that such places were built elsewhere in
the city cne for instance, at the junction of
Twenty eighth and K streets northwest parti-
culars of which years ago related
by the late William w. Birth who said
Few, if any, Of the now living inhabitants
Of our city know that on the east side of Rock
Greek, at its southeast juncti- with Twenty
eighth and K streets, there was built in the
COS Of the eighteenth century a convenient
and handsome stair landing place for river
travellers coming to the then embryo National
Capital. This structure made of Stafford
County, Va, sandstone, from the same quar-
ries that furnished the material used in the
construction OF the Presidents house and the
old sections Of the Capital. 1t was not finished
with the chisel but with the pick, or quarry
dressed
THE form Of the landing was semi circular.
At low tide level substantial platform, by
feet, was sody bedded on gneiss founda-
ton, and from that rose a series of IL OF IA
steps Of by IL inches rise and tread termi-
mating at the then street grade in a graceful
sweep up and down the creek some 80 feet in
1oypf n hty hrae ~
creek from the bridge down to its mouth a
little west Of the present canal outlet lock had
then suf1cient depth of water to safely float
Sloops and schooners of considerable size bring
ing wood, building and paving stones and sand.
The first wharf about 100 feet below the
bridge, was owned and in use by Shaw 6
Birth, my grandfather and father; the next
one was used by man named Miller who
carried on the pottery business there; then
came the public fish wharf and below it three
or four landings used for general purposes
bringing the line of wharves down to some
two or three hundred feet from the river"
The writer has no personal knowledge of the
old canal, though his grandfather, Samuel
Chids Dawson. lived on Tenth street north
west, less than 200 feet north of Constitution
avenue before the Civil War, and here the
writer's mother and father were married by
the Rev. DR.. Samson in 1855 In after years
the Dawson home was used for business pur-
other structures in the block for the intended
Department Of Justice building
QLOCK 1923, where the Post Office Building
- stands, settled at very early date
and the ancestors of many of Washinpton'x
best families once lived here as well as in the
otner blocks within the Government triangle
Some lew were living where the Post
once stands when the block was taken over
by the Government in 1890, but nearly all
mad moved elsewhere, though many had re-
tanned their interest in the block while still
Others had sold out to persons who merely held
the property for business or speculative pur-
poses.
Looking over the files Of The Star, the
writer found in the issue of October "a 1890.
the following article. which gives the names
Of the residents and names of the propertv
owners In this block at that time. The reader
will no doubt recognize quite number The
item reads:
The Post Office Site
The Property Owners Whose Ground Is
to Be Condemned
TIE petition filed at the Court House yes
terday in the name of Secretary Window bv
District Attorney Hoge to secure the con-
demnation of square 323 for the new City Post
Office site, as stated in The Star gave the
names of the property owners in the square
as follows: Catherine Connor. 120 Massachu-
setts avenue northwest; John w Cohen, 1927
G street; John Walker, Alb street northeast;
John A. Baker, 1919 H street; Nora Morgan.
905 street Ethelbert c. Morgan 9l8 street;
Joseph D. Morgan, GOT street; Ada M Hill,
1449 Rhode Island avenue: r. Ross Perry,
trustee, 1909 P street; Helene Hartney 223
Seventh street southwest Charles Duncanson,
9O9 H street; August Lepreux, 908 I street;
Charles B. Church, trustee 306 Eleventh street
southwest; Joseph ]. Darlington 1923 Twenty
fifth street northwest Charles B. Church. 3O6
Eleventh street southwest; William A. H.
Church, 212 Eleventh street southwest; Charles
w Church, Pittston. Me: William H Yerkes
IL, r1rxI 70