Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-10-14
St. John 5 at Forest
Glen Contributed
! Its Generous Share
|. to E gents Which
|. Led to Creation ct
RepubHc-0rig-
/ inaI Structnre
|. Built in TN BY
archbishop John
Carroll Present
Pastor to Observe
Golden Jubilee.
BY JOHN cLAcETT PROCTOR.

BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR.
- EW of us are at ali familiar with Forest
Glen OF course. nearly everybody
- knows that there Is such place and
that 1t Is not far from the city. There
are many who would not know how TO
get there, and yet 1t y one Of the
oldest and most attractive places around wash
inGton, being but about mile and three
quarters to the northeast Of the north corner
stone Of the district Of Columbia. and reached
by going out Georgia avenue to about half 3
mile beyond woodside. where left-hand turn
Il made on the road leading to the village nos
Tar distant. S.
Il stands $40 feet above the Potomac River.
and Ms height and pacturesqueress early At
tracted the attention Of . company Of gentle-
chased and subdivided . portion Of 1t In 1875.
But Washington was too young then TO support
= subdivision 80 far away intended for it,
people, With the result that the project after
. few years, was abandoned ana the properly
disposed Of, just g jackson City failed TO
Materialise, though laid out just across the
river to the south, In 1887.
Washingtonians did not have to 90 away
from the bounds Of the city proper In the early
days for cheap land upon which to build.
There were hundreds Of acres OF undeveloped
land which could be leased for the price Of
the taxes.
Later, however, this all changed, and It be-
came necessary for the man Of moderate means
to reach out into the country for villa sites.
Many town sites were put upon the market
for this purpose. including one By the Forest
Glen Improvement Co., formed about Is years
aeo, which put Forest Glen Park on tho
market, and erected IS one Of its first struc-
lures the Forest Inn, the architect being T. r.
Schneider and the builder w. p. Lpscomb.
The o6acers Of the company were: President.
=. 3. Presbrey: vice president. 8. W. Tulloch:
secretary, +. B. Noyes. and treasurer. A. T.
Hensey. The board of directors included Q. A.
Boston, A. T. Hensey, r. B.. Noyes =. 9.
Presbrey, Alfred Ray, II. W. Talbot and 8. w.
Tdlloch.
At this time M. Ray owned considerable
farm land hereabout. and had - near neigh
hors. W. J. Baxter, N. D. Adams. O. II. Law
renee. Martha Reyes. Thomas J. Brown. Daniel
Brown, Mrs. Taylor, Charles Eccleston and
Cart. james Roher. The Wheaton Post Once
probably supplied the mail
YM writer has fond recollections Of this de-
IL lshtful place. noted for its hills and valleys.
1oeest and streams, with the beauty Of which
nature has 20 generously endowed It, for Is =
child he went there more than once On Sunday
school picnicA Here he has enjoyed the exc
lflarattng air, and refreshed himself with
oopious drafts Of the water from the famous
6arroll spring; has batled In the creek near BY.
1Wung IN the swings erected for the pleasure
u the children upon such occasions, and gour-
Mandised himself on ice cream and cake and
lemonade.
OF course, this was prior to the forming Of
Ne Forest Glen Improvement Co, when thsre
Ners only few homes IN this neiehborhood
ind these mostly occupied BY farmers. Nat
arally, the old Catholic Church WAS there Tor
!. John the Evangelist-the onicial name Of
The church-was even then historic az 1t least