Evening star., 1936-02-09
First Congress Here
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sons boarding house, was another
place of the same type which Robert
w, Peacock had also leased from Mr..
Law, and in all probability few
members of Congress stopped there
and Joined in the common mess as
was the custom in those days and
for a long while afterward. The
Capitol Hill Tavern, conducted by
Elizabeth Leslie as early as 1896, was
evidently near the Capitol, but just
where, no one seems to know.
william Tunnecliff's Eastern Branch
Tavern remained standing until re-
cent years, at the southwest corner
of Ninth and Pennsylvania avenue
southeast. 1t was no larger than
an ordinary Washington residence of
the present day, and yet some of
the most important dancing assemblies
of that period were held there. Mrs.
Thornton, in her diary for February
S, 18O0 refers to this place and tells
us that Mr.. Brent had called on them
for the loan of their carriage for
the Misses Johnson, who desired to
attend the ball at Tunnecliff's Tav-
ern, and later she records that there
were 80 ladies in attendance, and,
assuming that there were equally
as many men present, the number
would make a very good-sized crowd
for such a small place. But who
played the jew's-harp, the organ.
the harps;chord or the fiddle, or just
what instruments were used, Mrs.
Thornton does not mention; but we
can assume it was good music any
how.
TUNNECLIFF was not satisfied with
= this location and about a year
before the Congress moved here in
1900, we find him, in connection with
George Walker, building a hostelry
on the site of the Supreme Court
Building, which they called the Wash
ington City Hotel.
Later, this became one of Stelles
hotels, and it was here, during Mr..
Jefferson's administration. that dele
CATION of Turkish commissioners made
their headquarters and; incidentally.
made a request that the President
was unable to grant.
The Bashaw (now written Pasha)
according to the story, which is very
old paid a visit to Jefferson.
who was engaged planting, at the
time of his arrival, the weeping will
low (Salix babylonica) trees which
stood at the eastern gate of the Presi-
dents grounds. He preferred the re-
quest to jefferson that he should be
furnished with IL wives! On being
told by Jefferson that it was out Of
his power to comply with his wishes,
the Bashaw remarked that he 90
being King, could make the ladies
have him! A gentleman still living
purchased opium from this delega-
zion while stopping at this house. They
were perfectly nude, excepting sash
around their loins, and a large tur-
pan on their heads. Their persons
we're painted a dark yellow. They
proved to be not only disorderly, but
very troublesome to the authorities.
The block between Fourteenth and
Fifteenth and F and G streets was
early selected as a good location for
hotel by James Hoban, the Irish
architect, whose design was selected
for the building of the White House.
This square, known as No. 224, as
originally planned, contained 16 lots,
lots numbered l to being on the
r street side, with lot No. l at the
northwest corner of Fourteenth and
r streets, and lot No. being next
90 the northeast corner of Fifteenth
and F streets, and it was on this lot
that Hoban built the Little Hotel,
which, at the time the Federal Gov
ernment moved here. was being con-
Quoted by William Rhodes.
built on lot at the northeast
corner of Fifteenth and F streets a
hotel, into which Rhodes moved and
conducted under his own name. A
few years later he was succeeded on
this corner by Joseph NJ Semmes, and
after his occupancy ceased the prem
ises were taken over by Mrs. Barbara
Suter-probably the widow of John
Suter, who had conducted in George
town after her husbands death the
Fountain Inn, and 1t was she who
was conducting it as a boarding hou5e
at the time of Washington's invasion
by the British on August "a, 1914. It
was here that the British command
ers. after extinguishing the lights.
"ate their supper by the blaze Of
the burning buildings" which were
destroyed at that time by the enemy.
1t is believed that at least a part of
building that stands on this corner
today is the one occupied by Mrs.
Suter at that time.
Beside those mentioned, there were
a few other taverns in Washington
to supply the needs of the first Con-
gress to meet here, but we are told
chat at least half the members pre-
-erred to live in boarding houses and
this practice continued for more than
half q century afterward. Some Of