Evening star., 1937-01-10
By John CIagetf Proctor.

ENNSYLVANIA avenue, over
which will march the parade
on Inauguration day, was about
i the most unattractive and un-
Inviting part of Washington when
the Congress of the United States first
opened here in the Autumn OF l800
and even If Mr.. Jefferson had so de-
sired it would probably have been
impossible to stage a parade along
this thoroughfare four months later
when he was inaugurated President
unless boats had been used for trans
porting those who participated for
part Of the way at least. and the rest
of the way would have been greatly
impeded by trees and bushes and other
forms Of vegetation.
It is true that the Commissioners
IN charge of the improvement in those
days did give orders in 1892 to have
"a breadth Of perches in the mid
die of the Avenue from the Presi-
dents palace to the Capitol" but
contrary to the directions given, Da-
vid Burnes, one of the original pro-
prietors, was still planting seed as
late as 1896 on the higher parts OF
the land through which was to run
the Avenue, and he was warned not
to repeat 1t the next year; and when
Congress first assembled here, &C
cording to John Cotton Smith. a
member of the House of Representa-
tives from Connecticut, this thor
oughfare for nearly the entire dis
tance, and particularly from the Cap
ttol to the White House, was "a deep
morass covered with elder bushes
which were cut through the width OF
the intended avenue during the then
ensuing Winter" Indeed, according
to Representative Smith, the only i'm
provement to be seen was a sidewalk
made from the stone chips result
ing from the shaping of the stones
used in constructing the Capitol, and
this, he said, extended but q little
way.
"A MOTHER early resident Of the
"a city who recorded his recollec-
lions Of Washington Of the period OF
1900 informs us: "The Commons,
where now the Avenue is, from the
foot OF Capitol Hill westward, was
almost impossible for vehicles of any
kind; indeed, it was difficult for a
person to walk, in some places, on
account of the mud, bushes. thorns,
briars, etc, and more particularly on
the south side, where the clumps of
thorn bushes in some places were so
thick that they were cut down with
scythes so as to enable the workmen
to make footway to Fifteenth street,
which they did by carting earth,
gravel, chips of freestone, etc, on
both sides of the Avenue, to the full
extent, until a tolerably good footway
was made all the way along"
On the north side of the street, we
are told, it was not quite so bad, be-
cause the road from Georgetown
to the Capitol ran pretty much on
high ground from about Ninth street,
In a southeasterly direction, passing
along the foot of the hill below Blod-
gett's Hotel (where the Post Office now
stands: then by McGirk's little jail,
and on past the rear Of jackson Hall
to Tiber Creek, and thence to the foot
Of Capitol Hill, where it turned south
ward and passed along where Breck-
inridge's Church was afterward
erected.
1t will be observed that Pennsylvania
avenue lies at the foot of a ridge Of
ground that extends from the Capitol
to Fifteenth street, and as it is natural
for water to seek its level, so was it
natural for the water flowing from
the northern part of the District to
pass along a large part of this low
land on its way to the Potomac River.
And SO, where is now the lower part
OF this broad beautiful avenue-the
part nearest the Capitol-once flowed
Tiber Creek, a stream Of considerable
proportions which flowed westward
from the Capitol to the river, about
on a line with Constitution avenue,
and as the grade in this area increased
only slightly, even after Pennsylvania
avenue was improved, the water fire.
uuently backed up and overfowed that
part as far westward as Fourteenth
street, over which will pass the parade
soon to take place.
N7HEN Mr.. Jefferson become Presi-
w dent he began to take an active
interest in improving the city. and
gave special attention to Pennsylvania
avenue, upon which he spent a con-
adorable sum for those days, and OF
this the late DR.. Tindall says:
I'm 1903 Congress spent $13.466 in
the improvement Of Pennsylvania ave-
nue., which at the time Of the removal
Of the Government was almost i'm
passable. This appropriation was
largely due to the interest Of Presi-
dent Jefferson, who was also response
bic for the planting Of the double row
Of poplars which adorned Pennsyl-
vania avenue from the foot of the Cap
ftol grounds to Fifteenth street"
At this time Christian Hines wa!
~ years old, and he tells us that ''Mr
Jefferson, who succeeded Mr.. Adams
as President, was q tall, well-propor.
toned man, 6 feet or upward II
height. He was generally seen OF
horseback-seldom riding in his car
riage. He usually wore blue clotf
double-breasted coat with gilded but
tons, and do not recollect ever hav'
ing seen him with around-breastet