Evening star., 1933-06-04
LIBRARY PRIZES
BOOKS ON CAPITAL
Treasury of Civic History
Now Occupies Space in
Central Building.

Central Building.
The Washingtoniana division of the
Washington Public Library slowly but
surely is becoming known as a treas
ury of civic history, and since 1t deals
with the annals of the National Cap
ifal. it has special significance to stu
dents. DR.. George F. Bowerman,
librarian. has been building up the col
lection during nearly 80 years. Miss
Katharine K Patten long was assigned
to its care, but since her death Miss
Ethel A. L. Lacy has been in charge.
A portion of the second floor corri-
dor of the Central Library Building
has been set aside for Washington ma
terial. Tall bookcases have been con-
structed on the one side of high oak
partition and glass display cases have
been set against the other. Book
shelves also have been placed against
the inner corridor walls, and desks, Ia
bles, chairs, map files and files for
pamphlets, magazine and newspaper
clippings photographs and drawings
have been introduced as furnishings for
the made-to- o-order room There is am
pie space for staff members and pub
lie.
Volumes Arc Displayed.
DR.. Bowerman and Miss Lacy yes
terday displayed some of the most val
liable of the volumes in their care. The
former showed with particular pride an
original and reprint of the Washing
ton City Directory for 1922. edited by
Judah Delano and embellished with en-
graved advertisements of the merchants
of that time. He also exhibited copy
of Christian Hines Early Recollections
of Washington City" published in 1866
and covering the period beginning in
1896 and running up to the date of
printing. Another quaint item was a
vest-pocket volume, entitled, "A De-
scription of the Etiquette at Washing
ton City" by DR.. E. Cooley. published
was William @. Forces Picture of the
City of Washington" with many fine
steel engravings and few excellent
wood cuts, issued in 1880 All of these
books are of vast importance to stu
dents of the early days of the COM
munity
Miss Lacy called attention to copy
of Jonathan Elliot's Historical Sketches
of the Ten Miles Square" printed by
the author in $780, She also brought
out one Of the Library's most priced
possessions-a collection of seven Of
the eight pamphlets. Considerations
on the Government of the Territory of
Columbia by 'Epaminondas," 1901
1902. The authors real name was
Augustus Brevoort Woodward, and the
papers originally appeared in the Ma
tional Intelligencer, edited by Samuel
Harrison Smith, whose autograph one
OF the series bears.
Book on Capital Society.
Mrs Smith was Margaret Bayard,
author of First 40 Years of Washing
ton Society," copy of which DR. Bow
erman has secured. She was one of
the first writers of fiction to choose the
Capital as a background theme. Her
novel, What Is Gentility?" she gave
in manuscript for the benefit Of the
Washington City Orphan Asylum. 1928.
The division has. facsimile copy of
the first Congressional Directory. 1t
ing book is an original copy of the di-
rectory for First Session. Thirtieth Con-
gress 1843. in which Abraham Lincoln
is listed as residing at the boarding
house Of Mrs. Spriggs, Capitol Hill.
Altogether there are at, present 3,507
books in the Waslringtoniana collec-
ton, not to mention an unknown num-
ber of leaflets, drawings, photographs
and maps. The bound volumes in
clude. besides congressional directories,
city directories, city reports. commits
sioners' reports, committee reports, mu-
nicipal and court publications, social
registers, Inauguration souvenirs, news
papers and magazines. Among the
"a y,I,ic ,,ootorialc lie nrioir1o al
print of the famous Ellicott map of the
District engraved in 1892. 1t bears the
notations Of Robert Morris, written in
his own hand
In one case are several hundred books
Of fiction whose setting invariably is
the Capital. Foreign, as well as
American names occur in the list of
authors.
Books of Clippings.
Miss Lacy displayed a series of books
of clippings compiled and bound by the
library staff. Among these is one of
the historical writings of James Crog-
gon, an historiographer of old Wash
ington, who wrote regularly for The
Star until his death, August %, 1915
Others are devoted to the White House,
historic residences, hotels and restau-
rants. memorials and monuments. In
the pamphlet and clipping collection
unbound, are literally thousands Of
pages OF data on every phase Of Wash
ington life, past and present.
DR.. Bowerman told several anecdotes
OF his experience in the acquisition of
some of the prize items. "One of the
treasures" he said, was that of the
books collected by James A. Wineberger
Of Georgetown. He began to accumu-
late literary material about Washing
ton when young man. and was loyal
10 his hobby until the last days of his
life. BY that time he had several
houses filled with books. After his
death John B. Larner. trustee of
the Library, suggested that We should
purchase the whole accumulation. but
we did not have money enough avail
able. The whole mass then, was put
up at auction. Two local attorneys.
partners, bid it in, and during several
years thereafter they had it stored in
several Offices in building downtown.
They desired to put it in order for re-
sale. but the task was so great that
neither lived long enough to complete
1t. Their executor. to close up the
estate. gave the entire collection to
the Library We thus came into posses
sion of approximately 5000 volumes.
which. however. we shared with the
Library of Congress and other institu-
tionS That was q fortune. won by
waiting, as the proverb says"
Collection Of Leupp
The collection of Francis E. Leupp
also came to the Library He had been
correspondent for the New York Eve
ming Post and commissioner of Indian
affairs, and had written attractively
ABOUT the city in his Walks About
Washington" Another valuable gift
was that of Washington Topham, who
remembered the Library in his will. Fine
additions to the division likewise came
from william V. Cox and James Frank
lin Hood.
DR.. Bowerman has invited residents
cf the city to think Of the Library when
desiring to dispose of books old or new
dealing with local affairs. He has ap-