Evening star., 1938-05-15
BARNEY HOUSE
HEAD IS BOOSTER
Miss Ellen A. Vinton Would
Make Southwest Garden
Spot of Capital.
By JOHN J. DAILY,

To make Southwest Washington the
garden spot of the Nations Capital
is the dream of Miss Ellen A. Vinton.
honorary president of the Barney
Neighborhood House, now preparing
given three days-from to 10 pm
Thursday. Friday and Saturday.
Just halfway between 80 and 81
years of age-she celebrates her
birth anniversary in November-Miss
Vinton is called by all who know of
her work 'the heart and soul Of
Barney Neighborhood House" In her
own way of phrasing it, she wants the
Barney Neighborhood House to be
the heart and sout of Southwest
Washington.
Opened in 1901 by Mr. and Mrs.
Charles F. Weller, Neighborhood House
got its greatest impetus when the late
Mrs. Albert Clifford Barney purchased
three houses in Southwest Washington
and gave them as club quarters. First
head residents were Mr.. and Mrs.
j. p. S. Neigh, who emphasized the
development of industrial work. After
tins the place was reorganized and
Neighborhood House became social
and industrial settlement
Shortly after the 10th anniversary,
Miss Vinton and her mother, the
late Mrs. Lucretia Vinton, purchased
four houses adjacent to the present
quarters, 470 N street, and two of
these now house the Day Nursery.
Interested in Better Housing.
Though Miss Vinton was interested
in the Barney Neighborhood House
from the very beginning, she had been
hard at work trying to get better
housing for the poor and deserving
of Washington since the year 1896,
when she first came to the city.
Now, looking back on it all, she be-
lieves the greatest place to make
general sweep of improvement Is
down Southwest way"
AS Miss Vinton viSualizes it. the old
Southwest is one of the last remaining
charms of the city. 1t has plenty
historic interest, and natural beauty
that could, If it were preserved, recall
the early days of Washington. Some
of the old houses are the pride and
Joy of architects. Many of them can
be preserved with very little ex-
penditure.
"Our first intention, of course, is
to preserve the Barney Neighborhood
House-and keep its environs what
they should be-" Miss Vinton said
yesterday Working out from there,
the entire Southwest could be
cleaned up-and made a model part
of the city. 1t has infinite possibili-
ties"
Logical Starting Point.
That the Barney Neighborhood
House is the logical starting point for
a Southwest development, in the sense
of modern-day housing, is attested by
the fact that hardly any other agency
in that section holds such claim to
friendship and neighborliness, Miss
Vinton believes. She says that all
the folks within a radius of many
blocks look upon the Barney Neigh
borhood House as their very own: and
that the persons who run Neighbor-
hood House look upon all those who
surround them as desirable neigh
bors-good neighbors"
At Neighborhood House for So years
the children and adults of Southwest
Washington have taken part in games,
dances and folk plays rejecting old
tales of ancient magic. AS Maytime
is the season for remembering old
legends, in all countries and among
all peoples. Southwest Washington
then becomes the embodiment of the
spring. In keeping with this spirit,
on Thursday and Friday at 4:3O
O'Clock, THE Old Woman Who Lived
in a Shoe" will be presented, fol-
lowed by dance around the tradi-
tional Maypole. On all three days, up
to closing hour on Saturday, May 81,
another play, Magic in May" will be
presented. This is the play where Pan
will come to life with his bamboo
pipes, and, in honor of the occasion,
Miss Vinton has written a poem called
Pan is Not Dead" It will be recited
as part Of the play.