Evening star., 1935-07-21
Nezv p Street
Bridge Stands
Near Site of
Old Kaloruma
Home Where
Robert Fulton,
Mveutor of the
Steam m b0at,
.WaS often q
.GueSt.'
By John Clagett Proctor.

OV OFLH NGU6Ct IOIkVg
T THIS late day it is hard to
n produce conclusive proof re-
"A garding many things which
4 \ happened hundred years or
more ago, and though we may have
our own set ideas about certain
events, which we are confident did
happen that far back, yet should we
be called upon to produce evidence to
establish the authenticity Of a num-
Der of things which we are morally
certain did happen in a certain par
ticular way that many years ago, we
might be forced to fall back upon
that good old substitute friend, 'tra-
dition," in order to prove that they
really did transpire.
Along this line of thought, un-
doubtedly there will always be a
question as to whether Robert Fulton
did or did not make any experiments
with his model of the Clermont on
Rock Creek while he was a guest at
Kalorama of Joel Barlow, In 1907,
and the writer admits that he was
once decidedly of the opinion that he
had never done so.
Here are what may be accepted as
some facts in the case: Fulton did
not arrive in New York until Decem-
ber 13, 1906, after having spent 10
years abroad. Soon after this he
came to Washington and stopped for
q while at Kalorama, which was not
bought by Barlow until 1907, though
it must have been at the very be-
ginning of that year, for Mrs. Bar
lows brother, Senator Abraham
Baldwin, of Georgia, was buried on
the estate in the early part of
March of that year. But let us
digress briefly to speak of Kalorama,
still recalled by many Washington
1ans of a reminiscent age.
At very early date, Kalorama be-
longed to Anthony Holmead, an Eng
hshman, and one of the original pro-
prietors of land selected for the Fed
eral Capital. It was he who erected
the original house on a commanding
eminence and called it Rock Hill.
TT WAS originally a tract called
Widows Mite, and as such was
granted in 1864 to John Langworth.
It then contained some 500 acres and
the part south of Florida avenue and
within the city lines was later given
the name of James His Park the
name under which it was held by
Holmead when he agreed with the
other proprietors to transfer, under
certain conditions, their lands TO the
Federal Government.
Originally Kalorama was called
Rock Hill by Mr.. Holmead; but this
name did not quite suit Mr.. Barlow
and he changed it to Belair, but
later on, considering the number of
places then bearing that name, he
decided upon the name Kalorama,
from the Greek, meaning fine view
In the beginning it was spelled "Cal-
orama," but soon afterward this form
gave way to its present spelling.
In 1874 or 1875, Holmead sold the
lnanSion house and about 40 acres Of
land to Gustavus Scott, who had been
made one of the. commissioners to
supertntend the erection Of the public
buildings here. His career was an
honorable one. He was q distin-
guished lawyer, and curing the period
Of the American Revolution rendered
valuable service to the cause Of In
dependence. He was q member of the
Association of the Freemen of Mary
land, which decided in July, TITS, to
throw of the proprietary power and
assume provisional government. Later
he assisted in framing the constitu-
tion of Maryland in 1776, and SUBJ
sequently served in the State Assem-
bly,, and in 1874 was sent as dele
gate to the Continental Congress.
Although his political career was as
o resident Of Maryland, yet his BIRTH
place was in Prince william County
Va, his father having been a Scotch
Episcopal clergyman who settled in
that State in 1880. 1t may seem
ridiculous, but 1t is true nevertheless
that the credit Of the general Govern
ment was so low while Scott was one