Evening star., 1937-12-12
By John Clagen Proctor.


4 the K Street Market brings tc
the outgrowth or continuation Of one
Of the flrst business places of its kind
In Washington, when, as the Western
Market. it was first opened about 1903
pursuant to the city ordinance OF
October 6. 1902, and the apparatus
of the old Union Fire Company was
located there the following year.
OF course. the market was not
opened on the present site, but was
placed in the triangular space be-
tween Pennsylvania avenue and !
street, Twentieth and Twenty first
streets, little over q block south
OF its present location.
Among the many things the first
Commissioners appointed by President
Washington provided for were sites for
market houses, and for this particular
market Reservation No. was allotted.
But in this case the city fathers had
anticipated too far in advance, for
1t 50 happened that this reservation
was bounded by Twentieth and Twen-
ty-f1rst streets, B street (now Consti-
tuition avenue) and the Potomac
River. and that under normal condi-
tons was almost entirely covered with
water, which made it unsuitable for
the purpose intended, but better fitted
exclusively for fish market, and
even then the few customers who
might have come this way would have
bad to use boats for conveyances.
This location, as those well informed
on local history will recall, was once
the southern end of Hamburger, or
Funkstown, which was laid off in
town lots by the owner, Jacob Funk,
n It'll, but, unlike Topsy, it never
grew. However, its boundaries are
interesting as having begun midway
between Eighteenth and Nineteenth
streets and extended west to Twenty
third street, and from H street on
the north it extended south to the
river. The brewery of c. Cunningham
b Co., stone building. erected at
an early date, occupied the river
front about where is now the build
Ing Of the National Academy Of Sci
fnceS.
But, for obvious reasons, as stated,
The Potomac site did not appeal to
the pioneer settlers of the Capital,
and as substitute the Avenue site
before mentioned was turned over to
the people for this purpose, but even
this did not prove of any particular
value for some years at least, as
We find that as late as 1914 but one
stall had been rented during the two
previous years and not any at all
IN 1914.
THE original market was a small
building, about 20 by 40 feet, but
apparently a larger one was not justi-
fed until 1922, when a considerable
addition, with a ccmmodious and
useful room over it" was built, and
shis second story or room became
the town hall or general meeting
place for that part of Washington.
As one old-timer records: 1T was
probably the most popular hall in the
District. It was utilized for many
purposes. 1t was school room, IN
which many received at least part
Of their education from Mr.. Allison
and other teachers; in municipal elec-
tions 1t became a polling booth, after
It had served as the meeting place for
the nomination of candidates for Of
Ace; in the days of Lorenzo Dow it
was to some extent his church, for he
expounded the gospel here to crowds;
it was also used for temperance rail-
lies, particularly during and after the
Washingtonian movement; for balls.
parties and fairs, in which ladies en-
gagged; for political and club meet
.ngs, and, in fact, whenever it was
desired to interest the people of that
section and hall was needed the old
town hall came into play. Notwith-
standing its general use, there were
organizations, including secret So
cieties, which met there-Hiram Lodge
Of Masons, Friendship Lodge of Odd
Fellows and Marion Division, Sons of
Temperance.
"As the hall of the old Union Fire
Company, whose apparatus was housed
on the market floor at the west end,
1t was widely known. Among those
who prior to 1920 were often partici-
pants in meetings here were the men,
bers OF the fire company, whose roster
bore the names of Thomas Munroe,
former commissioner, then city post
master; Thomas Carberry, surveyor,
and afterward mayor of the city; John
N. Moulder, Richard S. Briscoe, Henry
M. Steiner, Charles B. Davis, William
Mcpherson, George Macdaniel, John
Woodside, Thomas Fillibrown, John
D. Barclay, Charles vinson, James H.
Handy, Samuel Potts, Jacob Hines,
T. B. Dashell, John Stretch, Joseph
Forrest. Daniel Waring, John Potts,
w. B. Beall, F. D. Tschiffely, G. A.
Davis, Michael Nourse, Samuel Brook,
N. r. Ellis, R. Harrison, w. William
son, John Burke, John Craven and
Joseph Thaw, who were department
people; DR.. G. Cozens, William O'Neale.
jr.; Nathan Moore, Robert Frazier,
Fred Phillip, Abram and Matthew
Hines, Thomas Herbert, S. Sandiford,
William O'Neale, Joseph Brumley,
George Walker, John Rawlings, j. M.
Maus, William Godfrey, Aaron Nalley,
Julius Watkins, w. Worthington
Thomas Sandiford, John Davidson,
w. Anderson, jr,; James Lowry,
Thomas Crown, James Williams, j.
B. Timberlake. James Baker, James
A. Kennedy, John Kennedy, w. Link
ins, James Sandiford, Jesse Baker,
j. L. Crosby, Benjamin Strong, w.
Worthington, jr.; S. Harkness, jr.; A.
c. Moore, John Thompson, John Will
liams, L. Brengle, John Bancroft,
John Burke, John Rich, M. j. N.
Waters, L. Lepreux, John Palmer, 8.
r. Waters, w. Ford, w. Burket, John
Mattingly, James Hodnett, Thomas
Cook and James Watson"
A MEETING of more than passing
importance was held in this old
building in 1882, when the people
gathered there for the purpose Of tax
ing action on the death of Mrs. Mar
cia (Burnes) Van Ness, wife Of John
p. Van Ness and the handsome and
wealthy daughter Of David Burnes.
MIRA Van NAaa diad ~, <ha vxno,r, Il, -