Evening star., 1935-05-05


During the past fortnight the writer
had the pleasure OF meeting two de-
lightful people who have lived In
Brookland for long while-one for
80 years, the other for half . century
and more.
Mrs. Jesse N. Luton was the for
mer, and with her as guide . num-
Der Of historic sites IN that part Of
the District were visited. and the trip
was not only q helpful one but very
enjoyable one as well, for Mrs. Luton
seemed to be very well informed on
the old buildings and people tn this
section.
An older person, and one identified
with the birth and growth Of Brook
land and other subdivisions nearby,
was James l.. Sherwood, . prominent
Mason and banker OF this place. That
Mr.. Sherwood knows Brookland, no
one should question, and that he Is
courteous and glad to impart his
knowledge to others, the writer can
testify.
His father, Jesse r. Sherwood, he
said, came from Alexandra in 1880
and bought IS acres Of the McCeney
farm, paying for 1t $l25 an acre. At
this time there was on the place a
four-room tenant house, still located
at the southwest corner Of Eighteenth
and Newton streets, into which the
family moved. enlarging it about 1887.
Later on the senior Mr.. Sherwood
sold this farm of IS acres. including
the tenant house, to McLachlen g.
Bachelor, who subdivided 1t and sold
the lot where the house stood to
Firman r. Horner, the well-known
milk dealer Of that period, and to
this place Mr.. Horner moved and
further enlarged the house, which Il
now the home Of Randolph A. Men
efee.
At this period what il now Eight
eenth street, Brookland, was the
Queens Chapel road, and to the east
of this road was the Edel farm, where
lived two truckers-Dietrich and Louis
Edel, who brought their garden prod
uce into town and sold 1t at the Center
and Northern Liberty Markets. The
Edel farmhouse, considerably remod-
eled, Is now numbered 1904 Lawrence
street, but back In the eighties, and
perhaps even later, what Is now the
west side Of the house was the front,
and the view overlooked the old his
toric road.
WHEN Jesse r. Sherwood sold his
w place to McLachlen g. Bach
elder he bought tract Of 10 acres
Of the Kibbey Farm, his purchase
extending from about Twentieth to
Twenty fourth streets and from
Rhode Island avenue back to New
ton street. For this he paid $4,000,
or at the rate Of $3.50 an acre.
Here the elder Mr.. Sherwood built
the residence which still stands at
2420 Rhode Island avenue, and which
then faced the Brentwood road, which
runs close by. 1t was here that
Mr.. Sherwood died in 1897, after
which his executors were able to OBJ
tain $65,000 for what he paid but
$4,000 a few years before, and In
more recent years a. much as $3.50 q
square foot has been obtained for
this ground, which, as subdivided, was
first known as Sherwood, but u now
called Woodbridge.
Brookland, proper, had its begin
ming in 1887, when title to this part
Of the estate Of Col Jehiel Brooks,
containing 134 acres, was transferred
to Ida U. Marshall, who on June 8,
1887, executed . deed Of trust to
]. q. Hester and r. Ross Perry, set
ting forth that she was indebted to
Emily Brooks for $4,000 purchase
money for Inclosure, the property
to which she had just taken title.
Other deeds filed On the same
date as mentioned, in order to per-
feet title, included one from Nicholas
Boyd Brooks and his wife, Helen Vic
toria Brooks, Of Claybank, Gloucester
County, Va, to Ida U. Marshall Of
Washington, D. g.; one from Frank
Brooks Of Vancouver Barracks, WASH
ington Territory, 10 Ida U. Marshall;
one from Laura Brooks (unmarried),
Elizabeth Queen (unmarried) and
John Henry Brooks and his wife,
Agnes Clifford Cor De Clifford, an
of the County Of Washington, to Ida
q. Marshall.
It would seem that Ida q. Marshall
took title 10 the property Just for
convenience, for On June IL Of the
same year, she n found transferring
titls to the SANE tract Is, BENJAMIN
!. ieightoni and Richard Paifo Tor
176o 900, which. y described - lying