Evening star., 1933-11-18
Daniel Webster's Home.

nails OF the National Legislature. Wher
he died, in 1893, he owned six lots il
the new city, valued at $l9,l32.
Daniel webster's Home.
The old residence of Daniel Webster
MIR. Croffutt continued. stands on the
upper side of Lafayette Park, across
which it looks to the White House
The grounds in the rear form the finest
private garden and park in Washing
ton
This mansion was built by the
father of foimer Gov. Thomas Swami
of Maryland. who was Succeeded in its
occupancy by Webster when that
statesman became Secretary of State
In the cabinet of Mr.. Fillmore" Later
1t was the home for more than 30 years
| OF William w. Corcoran, banker-philan-
thropiSt and founder of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art. The Marquis de Mon
tholon, French Minister: Senator Cal
win S. Brice, Senator Chauncey M. De-
pew and William Corcoran Eustis, sue
cessively, were tenants after Mr.. Cor
coran's death in 1883. The Chamber
of Commerce of the United States
building now covers the site
A mansion that visitors always look
at twice, at least" said Mr.. Croffutt,
lis that where Stephen Decatur lived,
and where he died a pitiful but dis
graceful death. 1t stands on Lafayette
Park, dlagonally across the street from
Websters old home, a solid double brick
house, spacious but unpretentious De-
catur built it out of the prize money
received from his gallant capture Of
British vessels in 1872, and on its walls
were pictures of his great and victo-
rious battle with the Macedonian"
Carried Back From Duel.
Shot by Commodore James Barron
In duel at Blsdensburg, March 90
1920, 'the dying hero was borne back
in his blood to the mansion he was
proud to have reared" and there, in
the midst of his frenzied family, he
nliserably died at midnight"
Later occupants included Baron de
Tuyn, Russian Minister; Henry Clay
Martin Van Buren,, Edward Living
ston, Sir Charles Vaughan, British
Minister; Baron Hyde de NeuviIle
French Minister; John Gadsby of the
National Hotel, Joseph Gales of the
National Intelligencer, Howell Cobb.
John A and James G. King, Senator
Judah P. Benjamin and Gen. Edward
Fitzgerald Beale. Gen. Grant, after
his retirement from the presidency, was
Beale's guest for many weeks"
The first private residence built
u8l9) on Lafayette Square, the De-
catur house still Is standing, much as
It was in Mr.. Croffutt's time, a mon
ument to its own historic past.
But the house once occupied bv
James Monroe when Secretary of State.
still standing unchanged Tin 1887 at
the lower corner of the square on the
same block" is greatly altered. Ac-
cord1ng to Mr. Croffut, it was "a sober
and dignifed residence, worthy of
place in the republican court, and its
nearest neighbor. across the street, is
the Executive Mansion. This Monroe
house is Of plain Stucco, painted white,
ana windows are shaded with green
blinds. A semi-circular flight of steps
leads up from the walk" Following
Monroe, Andrew Jackson when Senator,
Levi woodbury. when Secretary of the
Treasury and Schuyler Colfax when
Vice President were tenants. Still
later Peter Parker, one time Minister
to China, resided within its walls. From
1905 to 1910 1t was the temporary home
OF the Bureau of American Republics.
At present it shelters the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.
Saw Key from Dwelling.
At IA Jackson place is the shadow
of the secopd dwelling. erected on the
west side Of the park, the so-called
Stockton Sickles house, from the win
dows of which, as Mr.. Croffut wrote.
+ Representative Daniel E. SickleS saw
the object of his jealous hate, Philip
Barton Key, standing in front of the
club building on the other side of the
square and thence he went In midday
and killed him"
The original owner of the property
was DR.. Ewell, a Navy surgeon. Subse-
Quently, 1t was occupied by Smith
Thompson, Samuel L. Southard Levi
! Woodbury.. Senator William c. Rives
and Vice President Colfax when Speaker
of the House.
Mr.. Croffut's citation of the club
where the unfortunate Key died refers
10 the historic Rodgers residence, which
fdor about a century stood where the
Belasco Theater now stands. Built by
tCon1dr. John Rodgers. who acquired
the land from Henry Clay in exchange
for donkey brought back from a
foreign port, it was the third dwelling
TN Lafayette Square Eminent tenants
Included Roger B. Taney while Secre-
tary Of the Treasury and James K.
Paulding while Secretary of the Navy.
For while a fashionable boarding
house, 1t had as guests Calhoun and
Clay. 1t was the Washington Club at
the moment of the Sickles-Key
tragedy. February 81 1889 Six brief
but unhappy years later it was the
Ecene Of the assault of Lewis Payne on
Secretary of State William H Seward,
April IA, 1865, an incident in the plot
which resulted in the assassination of
President Lincoln the same night.
Gen. w. w Belknap succeeded
Seward as owner, then after serving as
q shelter for the Commissary Depart
inent the place was purchased by
James G. Blaine and was his residence
during the remainer of his life. 1t was
removed in 1895 to make room for an
opera house. which in turn became
the Belasco play house.
These were but few of the mansions
which, as Mr.. Croffut said. made the
Lafayette Square section of the city the
center of the social life of the Capital
two or three generations ago.