Evening star., 1933-05-20
INHAB|TANTSHOSTS
TO NATIVES SOCIETY
History of Old Fire House
Neighborhood Is Read by
James F. DuhameI.

The Society of Natives of the Dis
trict of Columbia was the guest last
night OF the Association of Oldest In
habitants at the latter's quarters in the
old engine house at Nineteenth and H
streets, and before the meeting was
adjourned the Natives had heard
much of the lore Of the old fire-fght-
ers who protected the city in its
younger days.
The Natives agreed at their last
meeting to accept the invitation of the
Oldest Inhabitants to hold their May
meeting in the engine house. Hence,
following welcome to the visitors by
j. Eliot Wright secretary of the Old
est Inhabitants, the Natives proceeded
with their regular business as though
they had been meeting in their regu-
lar auditorium in the Washington Club.
In welcoming the visiting societys
members to the engine house, Mr..
Wright pointed out some OF the old
Washington relics on display there. The
Northern Liberty Bell, on the ground
floor of the building, he explained, was
IflC IlISI D6ll 10 IOll az Vic SAIAlC Va
Lincoln's assassination and funeral.
Likewise it rang to announce the sur
render of Gen. Lee to Gen. Grant.
Spied for Smoke.
Reviewing the difficulties of the vol
unteer firemen, Mr.. Wright said that
when flames were discovered persons
would run to the engine house nearest
the scene of the fire to ring the bell.
Members of other fire companies, hear
ing the bell would run to their re-
spectiye headquarters. Lacking tele-
phones to communicate the location of
the fire, Mr.. Wright said that spy
glasses we're used atop the engine
houses to spot the location of smoke
or flames so that their apparatus too,
could be hauled to the blaze.
James F. Duhamel, historian of the
Society of Natives, used last nights
meeting to read paper on the old en-
gine companies and the history Of the
neighborhood of Nineteenth and H
streets. The section of Washington
and Georgetown, he told his fellow
Natives, was developed rapidly and
many of the houses erected prior to
1900 still are standing. Prominent
among these early structures, he re-
lated, was a market at Twentieth street
and PENNSYLVANIA avenue A section of
this structure was assigned to house
the fire engine, but soon, he said, the
density of building made 1t necessary
to move the engine house nearer the
center Of the population. So it was.
in 1884, that the engine house in which
the meeting was held last night was
erected. And this building, constructed
for the definite purpose, housed the
Union Volunteer Fire Department, which
included in its membership some promi-
nent Government employees and army
and navy officers.
That section of the city also accom-
modated most of the foreign embassies
and legations, Mr. Duhamel said, and
many of the buildings formerly used by
the foreign emn1isaries are now business
places on Pennsylvania avenue.
Used as Armory.
After housing a hand fire pump for
30 years, Mr.. Duhamel said, the Union
Volunteer Fire Company was disbanded
at the opening of the Civil War and
the building then was used as the
armory for a newly organized militia
company. About 1863, however, the
Federal Government installed a horse
drawn steam fire engine called the
Hibernian. in the old engine house. In
1867 a new engine house was con-
structed on K street between Sixteenth
and Seventeenth streets and the Union
Engine Company was quartered there.
Then the old house, the one In which
the natives were meeting last night, was
converted into a public school. Fol-
lowing its vacancy by the school, the
Association of Oldest Inhabitants of the
District of Columbia made application
for the old structure and finally it was
conveyed into the hands Of that organi-
zation by act of Congress.
During the business session. which
embraced the reviews of Washington
history. the Society of Natives Endorsed
the pending old-age pension bill for
the District of Columbia. Mr.. Duhamel
introduced the resolution calling for
approval of the bill, pointing out that
he, as a New York State Senator in
1911, introduced the first old-age pen
sion bill in that State. After some
opposition to the measure had been
talked down by its proponents, the
society adopted Mr.. Duhameps resolu-
ton and thus became. he said, the first
organization in the District to indorse
the measure.
The society also voted to membership
William S. Jones, George B. jackson,
Anna e. Callahan and Eugene H. Up
ton.
AS he presided DR.. Clarence A.
Weaver, president of the Natives, used
as a gavel, a mallet once owned and
used by Benjamin Franklin, now one
of the relics of the Association Of Old