Evening star., 1933-09-10
DAYS BEFORE CAPITAL WAS LAID OUT

tended in a westerly direction. including Camp
or Observatory Hill, from about Nineteenth
street west to Twenty-fourth street west, and
in northerly direction from the Potomac to
about G street north. judgo from the fact
of Mr.. Funk having reserved lot on which
to erect a German church at the corner of
G and Twentieth streets. Since then a church
has been erected there, Of which Rev. Mr..
Fnkel is the pastor. Funks house stood near
the old glass house, think bstween Twenty
second and Twenty third streets The brick
of which it was built, it was said, were i'm
ported from Holland. They were much smaller
than the brick made in this country, and very
hard. I have heard Observatory Hill spoken
of as originally intended as a site for una-
versty; but that was many years ago"
A CCORDING to the same author the fol-
lowing houses were standing in Hamburg
in the year 1900: In square bounded by c and
D. Twenty second and Twenty third streets, a
frame house owned and occupied by Thomas
Smith, colored. In the block to the east OF
this, one large frame house occupied by Mr..
Willard, and known Wilard's Spring Garden.
In the square between and G, Twenty first
and Twenty-second streets. one 2-story frame
occupied by John Hines during the years 1898
and 1900 Down toward the river. south of 3
street and between Twenty-first ana Twenty
second streets, near Hamburg Wharf. lived Mr..
Etevens in small frame dwelling in which he
kept grocery store. William King, and later
Joseph Forrest, owned and occupied a one story
brlck dwelling in the block between and F.
Twentieth and Twenty first streets and in the
square lived school teacher named Fer>
rel, in large frame. Between F and G, Nine~
teenth and Twentieth streets, was two-StOry
frame occupied by a Mr.. Smoot, and, accord
ing TO Miss Maud Burr Morris, the two brick
houses at 612 and GA Nineteenth street were
also quite likely standing in the year 1900.
Connghams Brewery was also in old Ham,
burg early as 1897, in a stone building in
the block bounded by Twenty-frst, Twenty-
second, street and the Potomac. 1t was
operated by c. Cunningham Co. DR. Cornelius
Cunningham, the head of the firm physis
clan as we'll as brewer and lived on the
premises in order to the work well done.
However, he did not conduct his business here
very long, but soon moved to the Navy Yard
section of the city. He was a native of England.
OF the two sites set apart by Jacob Funk fo1
church purpoSes-one at the corner Of Twenty.
second and G streets and the other at Twen-
tieth and G streets-one for Calvinist society
and the other for Lutheran society-only the
latter was occupied in accordance with the
desire of the donor. However, no effort was
made to build churches on these sites for .
long while, and they were only claimed for the
societies by Daniel Reintzel on June 28 1893.
The Concordia German Lutheran Church
erected a building on the Twentieth street site
shortly after 1880. This church. of course,
later gave way to the present structure.
A N undated item before the writer. but one
which is at least IS years old gives some
information about the old glass house which
for many years was a Landmark in this section.
as we'll as other early matters of interest re!
garding this part Of Washington. 1t says:
THE OLD GLASS HOUSE
was located near the Potomac River on square
No. SO, between Twenty-frst and Twenty-sec.
ond streets west
superior to most glass made in the country,
and was held by glaNers and others in high
estimation. This factory stood near a wharf
where. some IS years ago, ships of consider.
able burden were accustomed to anchor The
channel has been filled up by the deposit Of
sediment brought down the river and a new
one has been formed on the Virginia side
This part Of the city was originally called
Hamburg, and afterward Funkstown. from an
old Dutchman who was ambitious of having
his name Funk) transmitted to posterity. He
moved to near Hagerstown, Md, and had his
ambition rewarded by giving his name to the
small village Of Funkstown. Near a rock In
the river west of the factory Gen Braddock
is said to have landed with his army on his
way to the West. 1t was called by the old
citizens Braddock's Rock and the place near
it BraddOck'S Landing
"FOGGY BOTTOM"
This locality, embracing the low grounds
south Of F street north, and extending from
Seventeenth street west to Rock Greek, was,
anterior to the draining of the grounds, noted
for its unhealthfulness, as will be remembered
by many of our old residents. The Foggy
Bottom chills were sufficient to deter most
persons from settling in that region. and little
or no business was done there, except by the
duckers and fishermen who occupied the tene-
ments erected near the river. Until few years
past, probably not more than score of houses
dotted the southern portion of this locality,