Evening star., 1935-05-05
versity Of America. where he vas given
ample room for his collections"

versity Of America, where he vas given
ample room for his collections"
HOWEVER digit the progress Of
= = Brookland may have been the
first few years, yet in 1907 there seems
to have been q demand for An addi-
ton, and, Of course, the most log
ical ones to supply the needs Of the
community. were the Sherwood
brothers, James L. and Jesse r., who
in 1892, had anticipated what was
coming. just as their father had
correctely judged the future. by pur-
chasing ~ acres of land extending
from the Brentwood road to Monroe
street and from Sixteenth to Eigh-
teenth streets. for which they paid
s425 an acre. And this tract Is now
known as Sherwood's Addition to
'Brookland.
While the writer was motoring all
over Brookland, and elsewhere with
Mrs. Luton, hunting for historic
places, he suddenly found himself
down by the Eastern Branch to the
northwest Of where draceland Gene
terry once stood. and there, not far on
in the wood, he saw . number Of
marble tombstones, which made him
feel that kind Providence had sent
him there purposely to discover Q lost
cemetery that no one else had ever
seen-perhaps . burial plot Of the
Queens, the McDapiels, the Wightts,
or some other old family that had
early settled in. that part Of the
District Of Columbia.
There were many bushes and much
underbrush between the roadway and
the cemetery, but enthusiasm laughs
at obstacles, and the cemetery Just
had to be explored, and soon We were
on our way. As we neared the spot
and came close enough to read the in
scriptions there before our very eyes
was o perfectly good (or would 1t not
be more accurate to say, . perfectly
baO dog cemetery, for there on the
tombstones were engraved In large
letters such nanine names % Rover,
Prince, Trixie and the like. Well,
the laugh was on US, ~ We meekly
returned TO the car, thinking much
more, am sure, than either Of US
said
However, on our way there we
had stopped in to zee an old house
at 1900 Rhode Island avenue. which
stands ut an elevation, overlooking
the surrounding country. It u . con-
spicuous building. and unique, too, II
we can depend upon what the De-
partment Of Agriculture has said
about 1t, and In the absence Of eyi-
dence to. the contrary-and we know Of
none-ws gladly pass the statement
along ~ true.
THE department tells US that the
= main portion Of this house was
built Of rammed earth In l773, and
there u certainly not another build
ing like 1t anywhere around WASH
ington. In the 1e7 years this dwell
ing ID supposed to have stood, modi-
fications and additions have naturally
been made, and in recent years rooms
to the rear were added and the portico
at the 'front.' built On.
TANNED earth" walls, Or "Pise
de terre" walls-the French way Of
expressing fare not Q new process
Of constructing walls by any means.
and because Of the simple way Of
erecting them. the wonder II that
more houses Of this type we're not
built. And even now, we are told, oil
the builder has to do IL to select .
kind Of earth containing Z suitable
amount Of moisture for ramming be-
tween wooden forms, which on drying
out will become Surprisingly hard and
durable. Forms can be removed -
soon rs the earth is compacted," and
the description goes on to say: Ram
med earth must be protected from Wa
ter. and foundations, exterior surfaces
and openings In walls must b designed
10 prevent damage from this. cause.
summer b the bost time 70 build. but
n can b done st any ssasoa that y