Evening star., 1936-06-21

to state that he would be both an en-
lightened and q safe depositary Of
theug.
"The local situation which has been
selected is particularly recommended
by its solubility and healthfulness, as
well as by its contiguity to the Capitol
Of the United States. where, in the
hours Of recreation, the best lessons
Of eloquence and patriotism may be
advantageously studied and imbibed,
in the Supreme Court Of the United
States, as well as in both houses Of
Congress"
The city directories for 1927 and
1880 show that the Washington City
College did occupy, for these years at
least, the old brick Capitol. How
ever, between this last year and 1848
there are apparently no record of its
location or existence, and the next
definite record is the Prospectus of
the Washington Seminary" published
in the National Intelligencer. Septem-
ber Is. l848, when the statement is
made that the seminary will reopen
for the youths of Washington, and
that liable and experienced teachers
have been secured from the George
town College to conduct the seminary"
The name. John z. Blox, president"
is signed to the announcement.
ONE Of the earliest catalogues OF
Gonzaga College makes this sig
r,ifica nt statAment.
This college, formerly known, and
still favorably remembered under the
above name, was reopened for the
youth of Washington City and its
vicinity on the I'd day Of October,
l848. It is conducted by the fathers
of the Society Of Jesus"
About this year it is believed to have
returned to the site adjoining st. Pat
rick's Church, which then faced F
street, and here it remained until it
moved to its street home, on Sep
tember 4, 1871.
When the seminary building on F
street was built in 1915, this neighbor-
hood was still rural and undeveloped:
the farm house and orchard Of James
Burnes, to the north, were still there,
the house being occupied by members
of the Burnes family. Old John Orr
was likewise still farming the Patent
Once site, and his cows were grazing
on fields nearby, now thickly occupied
by dwellings and large buildings. The
city spring was still serving its pur-
pose at Ninth and F streets, and no
one then could possibly have visualized
the F street Of today.
And yet, however countrylike may
have been the surroundings of the
seminary in 1916, it could not have
been any worse than was Its present
site on ! street. between North Cap
itol and First street northwest, when
the college was moved there.
II you will listen to many an old
timer, he will tell you that Swan
poodle lay to the east Of st. Aloysius
Church. But this picturesque settle
ment was not a subdivision and con-
sequently had no metes and bounds
and a block or two, one way or the
other. would make no difference in
locating what was once one Of WASH
ington'S most celebrated neighbor-
hoods; where the dog catcher hesi-
tated to 60, the police passed it up
and where the neighbors' quarrels
we're generally settled in the back
yard and when the best man usually
won.
Indeed, this part of Washington
was slow in developing and to go
back some so years before the move
was made We find that the square
where now stands the church, COL
lege and other church buildings was
then and was for some years later
known as Burch's Hill, and here stood
two-story frame building on an ele-
vation, occupied by Ignatius Boone,
clerk in the Treasury for some |
years. A small stream flowed east
ward to the Tiber and this made the |
ground more valuable for pasturing |
cattle. Practically all Of this neigh |
borhood was then used as farm land |
and in time the area became known |
as Lynch's Farm, being in the SOS
changed to Rover's Garden.
TN 1919 THIS block, known as square
622, was bought from a Mr.. Og-