Evening star., 1934-11-18

required for this amount the Marines of
mechanical turn would have to help
OF course, you have heard of the original
proprietors of Washington, or those who owned
the land upon which the City OF Washington
was so excelently planned by the French engi-
neer, LEnfant. One OF these proprietors was
named William Prout, an extensive land owner
in the eastern part of the city, and upon one
of whose farms were later placed the Marine
Barracks.
1t was an irregular shaped tract of land,
embraced in a grant known as Abbey Manor,
and in general way its eastern line began in
the north half of square 1925 between
Twelfth and Thirteenth and M and N streets,
SOUTH and extended in northwesterly direc-
ton to little above Fifth and G streets, north,
where it turned, going westward TO Thlrd and
G streets, north; from there it went in an
almost southerly direction to Fourth and M
streets, SOUTH thence to Sixth and streets
south, terminating near the Eastern Branch
on line with Ninth street.
Prout was probably a Marylander. was born
in 1855, and died in 1928. In 1890 he was
residing in Baltimore Town." or what we would
call today Baltimore city, and is referred to as
"a staid Baltimore merchant" which would
indicate that he bought this farm and acquired
other interests in this locality in anticipation
of the Capital coming here.
At this early date he is recorded as having
but one son, and that one over 16 years OF
age Eventually his first wife had passed
away, for she is not mentioned In the census.
Apparently, during the next 10 years he remar-
ried for in 1900, his son, over 16 a decade
before, is recorded as being between &c and
AS he himself was over AS; his wife was
between 26 and AS. he had three female children
under TO- and owned four slaves.
IA /ILLIAM PROUT became valuable citizen
w in the new Capital, and was elected to
the first city council receiving 120 votes Later
he served in the fourth fifth eighth, eighteenth,
and nineteenth city councils In 1919, he was
a member of the Navy Yard Bridge Co, which
was granted charter by Congress to span
the Eastern Branch with bridge at the foot
of Eleventh street southeast, the other members
of the company being William Marbury, Samuel
N Smallwood Timothy Winn, and Adam Lind
saw This was the first bridge erected at this
point and was 900 feet long, Is feet WIDE built
of wood resting piles and had draw. The
channel at this time, was "a feet deep. He was
also member of the commission appointed
by the city council in 1920 to superintend the
construction of the City Hall, now known
the court house.
The first city directory, published in 1922.
gives his business as dry goods merchant, cor
ner of and Eighth Streets Navy Yard, the
site being now Occupied by the Transit Co.
car barns, and his home was, in all probability.
on the same corner. However his first place
of residence here was somewhere between
Eighth and Tenth streets and south of K, and
here and within these lines, when the Com
missioners laid off the city, were dwellings,
barns and stables of William Prout, as well as
the graveyards of the Prout and Slater families
Mr.. Prout was charitable, and when the
congregation of Christ Church expressed a
desire to build its church, still standing on q
street between Sixth and Seventh streets SOUTH
east two offers Of site were made one by
Prout and the other by Law & Carroll, and the
former tender was accepted. Prior to moving