Evening star., 1934-01-28

branch of the old Georgetown OF
Bladensburg road, and con-
siderably Travelled when Washington was In fact
Q city of magnificent distances. At an early
date it became known as Taylor's Lane road,
which later gave way to the name by which
it is now known.
Boschke, in his map begun in 1856 and COM
pleted in 1859, shows this road as starting
from the east bank Of Rock Greek at p street,
continuing around Boundary street (now
Florida avenue), until it intersected with
Connecticut avenue, from which point it con-
tinues over nearly the entire course Of Co.
lumba road until it reaches q point in Colum-
bia Heights about due north of Twelfth street,
from which it takes a northeasterly course,
joining Rock Greek Church road at about Park
road, and continuing along the same road,
past the Soldiers Home, Rock Greek Cemetery
and on to Bladensburg Baltimore and points
north A part Of it, which seems not to have
been widened, runs q short distance west Of
New Hampshire avenue and north of Park road,
and crosses Georgia avenue, where Is the pres
ent Rock Greek Church road.
In describing this road, more than 80 years
ago, w. w. Birch, one Of Washington's Oldest
residents at that time, said that from the
p street ford, the road passed along Florida
avenue, past the gates Of Kalorama and the
residence of T. w. Pairo. The triangular block,
bounded by Twenty-nr r and Boundary
streets, he says. was q cockpit at an early date;
Douglas vegetable garden was to the right at
the head Of Connecticut avenue. The road
passed Washington Heights, he tells us, which
once famous blackberry field; Thorntons
Woods and Meridian Hills, where Commodore
Porter lived; on past the Columbia College
property and the race course; and he speaks Of
the famous race there between Eagle, New
York horse, and Eclipse of Virginia, for $40 000
and says that opposite the race course was
the cemetery of the college. Indeed, the
writer recalls that, when Sixteenth street was
widened from Florida avenue to Columbia
road, about As years ago, the body Of woman
was unearthed in the middle of the street
where it is crossed by Fuller street.
THE Boschke map. published at the begin
of the Civil War, gives owners OF
property in the area north of Rock Greek a
little south of the present line Of Massachusetts
avenue east of Rock Creek again, west of
Columbia road and south of Adams Mill road
as being Reynolds and Fletcher, Mrs j. Kali
and Prof. C. Jewett. At the northwest corner,
where is now st. Margaret's Church, was a
tract of land owned by j. B. Kibbey who had
an Office at 65 Louisiana avenue northwest.
Then came the farm of the heirs Of j.
Corcoran, adjoined the north by the estate
of John Little, and between this and the
Adams Mill road was tract owned by Mrs.
S. R. Hobbie, which was taken over by the
War Department during the Civil War and
became known as Cluffburn Hospital In ad-
dition to the use of the mansion, large build
ings and tents were erected in the grounds.
It used only from April to December, 1862.
One of the old residences of John Little
still stands at 1869 Columbia road. 1t is now
being used for educational purposes, and is
called Lady Margaret School. It is almost
opposite the original house which stood where
is now the Belmont Apartment, southeast cor
nef of Belmont and Columbia roads This
early house was frame, was about Is feet
square, and a story and a half high, and, as
the writer knew it in his youthful days, it was
whitewashed It was probably built by Mat
thew and Christian Hines about 1928, it
might have been there when they bought 56
acres of land, hereabouts, from Anna Maria
Thornton, wife of William Thornton, architect
of the Capitol, and the tract was likely Mr..
Thorntons farm, to which Mrs. Thornton
refers so many times in her diary Of happen
ings in Washington. 1t was destroyed by fire
some time about the late 8Os.
For this property the Hines agreed to pay
$3.50, of which amount $500 was paid at
the time of sale. Through losses in canal
stock the Hines brothers finally defaulted, and
in 1886 title was vested in John Little. The
house still standing, on the west side Of the
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