Evening star., 1937-01-02
STREETS AN ASSET
Wise Planning of Washington Has Been
Attractive to Visitors, as Well as
Historic in Names Chosen.

In February, 1882, TO a portion Of D
street. from Pennsylvania avenue east
to the Police Court Building. At that
time, in the five-block stretch, deadly
weapons were being openly offered for
sale, without question, to children,
criminals and whoever wanted them.
EARLY settlers, applying for land
grants, gave names of their own
choosing. The first hospital for the
insane was named Elizabeth because
1t was located on the hills of tract
of land patented under that name In
1863, soon after the Lord Baltimores
settled in Maryland. Blue Plains.
where advance supplies for the war
were manufactu was the name Of
land grant applied for in 1852.
Friendship was land grant to Thomas
Addison and James Stoddard as early
as 1918.
Arlington National Cemetery was a
part of land grant made to Robert
Howson in 1869 by Sir William
Berkeley, then Governor of Virginia.
Arlington was named in honor Of the
Earl of Arlington. The property
passed to the Columbus Alexander
family later, and they owned large
tract of land. The City of Alexandria,
for this family.
Antedating the City of Washington
by nearly 100 years is the name Mount
Pleasant, originating from an old land
patent. 1t was given to a locality in
100 when an older grant was re-
surveyed
The 6-foot-7-inch skeleton of Ninian
Beall was in perfect condition and the
hair still retained its auburn hue when
in late years it was dug up from his
estate, named, in 1701, the Rock Of
Dumbarton. At that time there were
no public cemeteries. and promine.>
families had private burial grounds on
their estates. That of the Beall FAM
lily was on Gay street until it was
moved to make way for modern
buildings.
Ninian Beall settled on the site OF
the Indian village of Tohogae in 1903,
which is now Georgetown. and it is
generally believed that Georgetown
was named after his son George and
George Gordon, whose father was Q
neighbor of Ninian Beall
MANY country homes which lay
below Florida avenue and have
disappeared long ago were the incen-
tive for names retained today. Rock
Hill extended from Rock Greek to
Florida avenue. The first house on it
was built in 1850 Forty years later
Joel Barlow. the famous philosopher.
statesman and philanthropIst. had just
returned from an important mission
In Europe and needed a suitable resi-
dence.
He engaged Latrobe, who supervised
the construction of a part of the
Capitol and many fine homes, to re-
model the house and lay out the
artistic grounds. The house was in
full view of the Potomac. The blue
Virginia mountains rose in the dis
tance while in the foreground were
the buildings of the new City of WASH
ington. From this panoramic outlook
Mr.. Barlow named the estate Fine
View. Later. when classical taste be-
came popular, it was changes to Calo-
rama, now spelled with X
Calorama was the center of INTEL
lectual activity during Joel Barlow's
life. After his death it was the mecca
Of foreign visitors as long as it re-
mo in ha fa Iltr
city surrounded and obliterated the
famous showplace, but the name still
lives in Kalorama road and Heights.
Joseph ]. Gales, jr, bought the land
east of North Capitol street and north
of Florida avenue soon after 1920.
Ten years later he built a mansion
there which he called lexington, from
the village in England where his par
ents were born and his own early
years spent. A street in the Northeast
section reminds us Of the beautiful
estate which was obliged to make way
for expanding Washington.
WOODLEY, an estate on Woodley
w road, belonged to Barton Key. a
noted lawyer and uncle of Francis
Scott Key. For century and quar-
ter. beginning with 1900, 1t has been
occupied and is one of the few still
kept up. Two streets, as we'll as
section between Connecticut avenue
and Cleveland Park, are named for
this historic site.
Cleveland Park, 50 called because
President Cleveland lived there. wa
frst named Rosedale by Gen. Urf1
Forest. who built the houSe.