Evening star., 1935-04-07
National Leaders Sheltered i'm Houses
Being Demolished by G. W. University

what were the real facts in the case
will never actually be known. The
charges centered about the appoint
ment of q certain John s. Evans to
q post leadership at Fort Sill, Okla,
and the reputed payment by Evans Of
$4,000 for immunity from removal
from ofice.
In 1876 Gen. Belknap was impeached,
but the Senate vote was lacking in the
necessary two-thirds for conviction.
As q matter Of fact, Gen. Belknap's
previous resignation from the Army
had actually removed him from the
Senate's jurisdiction. Gen. Belknap
had been a distinguished officer dur
ing the Civil War, attaining briga-
diership upon the recommendation Of
Gen. Sherman for his courage in
command during the campaign
through Georgia and across the Caro-
linas, and for him the greatest SYM
pathy was maintained by President
Grant and his fellow cabinet men,
bers who felt that Gen. Belknap was
the innocent victim of circumstances.
About TIA Twenty-first street fingers
an unauthenticated story concerning
its planning by an admiral who was
an authority on ship construction, and
who was, apparently, more at home
afloat than ashore. Before going to
sea he drew up explicit specifications
and directions for the building of
the house, with orders that they were
in no wise to be deviated from by
so much as ''jot or title" Where
in to execute his ideas was under
the necessity of tactfully inquiring:
"Is 1t your plan, sir, to use ships
sliding pole for stairs?" The admiral
had entirely omitted this very neces-
sary provision from his calculations.
In 1887 this home was the resi-
dence of Admiral S. H. Ramsey, and
was subsequently acquired by James
B. Lambie, a prominent Washington
business man, who lived there for 40
years prior to the university's acqui-
sition of the property. Its sunny up
stairs rooms are now given over to
rest and study quarters for the women
students of the university and to the
Offices of the director of women'S per-
sonnel guidance. The spacious down.
stairs drawing rooms have been at
tractively furnished, in keeping with
the background and traditions of the
university, by three university organi-
cations, Columbian Women, the Pan
Hellenic Association and the General
Alumni Association, and are a center
of social activities of the young
people of the university.
Where the laboratories of the
George Washington University School
Of Engineering are now located, at
the southeast corner of Twenty-first
and H streets, there was once an old
fashioned house with high steps as
cending to its front door. Here lived
Thomas Fillebrown, a native of Halo
well, Me-, with his blind wife. One
of their three sons. Thomas Scott
Flllebrown, became commodore in
the United States Navy and died while
in command of the Brooklyn Navy
Yard. Mr.. Fillebrown himself was in
the employ of the United States Gov
ernment. Many years before his
death he set up his own monument
in Oak Hill Cemetery. with his name
suitably carved upon it. Every Sun
day afternoon, attired in high stock,
tall silk hat and q long.tailed coat,
it was his custom to betake himself
In solitary state to the cemetery to
survey the stone which was to
memorialize his final resting place.
William Wilson Home.
William Wilson, who owned one Of
the largest fuel supply yards in the
city, had a home on part of the site
now occupied by Stockton Hall, the
George Washington University Law
School building, on Twentieth street
between G and H streets.
There are many other houses in
the neighborhood, outside OF the uni
versltys holdings, which are of in
terest because Of the DISTINGUISHED
names associated with them. Doughty
Admiral Scott lived at 2028 G street.
His niece, Mrs. Richard Townsend,
was q social leader of her time, and
his grand-niece, Mathilde Townsend.
now Mrs. Sumner Wells, the charm
ing subject Of one of Sargent's love-
liest portraits, is one Of Washington,s
famous hostesses.
Another home on G street which
was a mecca for Washington's So
cially elite was that of Admiral
Charles H. Poor at 203O G street
His three attractive daughters, who
were great bellies, were married from
TINS residence. Annie became the
bride OF Charles Carol Glover. des-
tined to become one of Washington s
most distinguished bankers and a
civic leader of vision and purposef,,l
courage. Their son, Charles Carol
Glover, jr, is vice chairman of the
Board OF Directors and vice president
OF the Riggs National Bank, a trustee
OF George Washington University, and
an earnest and able supporter of
civic projects. A daughter, who re-
turns to her native Washington for
frequent visits, is Madame van Swim
deren, wife of the Netherlands Min
lister to London
A neighbor of the Scots and the
Poors was Gen. John Story, Mrs.
Story Is remembered as having been
as exquisite as bit of Dresden china
to the day Of her death. Their daugh-
ter, Caroline, was known as beautiful
Caroline Story" and was one Of the
most popular and charming debu-
tantes that has ever graced a WASH
lngton season. Her marriage to
Count Conrad de Buisseret of the
Belgian Embassy was considered a
real love match. During the World
War. while her husband was on diplo-
matte detail to Russia, she lost her
life from diphtheria contracted while
doing emergency nursing service in a
Belgian hospital near the front lines.
Mrs. Story, the aged mother, per-
formed an heroic feat in crossing the
ocean alone during the worst period
OF the submarine disasters to bring
the young de Buisserets to be under
her care in America until the conclu-
sion OF the war. The eldest of these
grandchildren, Francois, who was the
successor to his fathers title. manv
Will remember when he was subse-
quently an attache at the Belgian
Embassy here. His untimelv death
last year cut short what r,royoiead =,