Evening star., 1938-04-24
By John ClagNt Proctor.

~ pike, was popular with men
OF means for their country homes
and quite a number of Washington
ians owned fine acreage estates along
this old road during and subsequent
to the Civil War period, and among
these were at least three Mayors and
a Governor. namely. Thomas Car
berry, Richard Wallach. Matthew G
Emery and Gov. Alexander R. Shep-
herd.
The Wallach estate. of 80 acres
known as Maple Grove Farm, was
purchased from Mr.. Wallach by John
Saul, May %, 1884, and in 1906 the
property was subdivided and became
Saul's Addition to the city OF Wash
ington. Later its name was changed
to Piney Branch Park.
The Wallach country home was
rather small one, according to John
A. Saul. son Of the pioneer John Saul,
when his father bought the land
and he added a central portion to
the house and a wing to correspond
with the original structure. This was
Mr. Sauls home at the time of his
death, May II, 1897
When Maple Grove was subdivided
into building lots the dwelling was
moved to site nearby on Crittenden
street, and still stands in its remod-
eled form, which. however, changed
its appearance considerably.
Richard Wallach was Mayor of
washington from 1861 to 1867, and
probably only used the 80 acres in
Maple Grove as a cunning retreat or
as place to which he might go for
seclusion and rest. since the house
that went with the land did not size
up to the requirements of man OF
his importance.
The farm fronted on two roads, the
east front being on the old SevenA1
street pike-later Brightwood avenue
and now Georgia avenue-the west
front being on Piney Branch road,
only a short section of which is now
in existence. 1t extended on the south
to the farm Of John A. Rupert, a
wel-known butcher Of half a century
ago, and on the north to the Pat
terson tract.
THE old Rupert home stood until
about II years ago at the north
west corner of Upshur street and
Kansas avenue. Quite a while back
the District government bought this
property and here were raised a large
proportion of the trees used to adorn
our city's streets. The Junior High
School, facing Iowa avenue, and the
Roosevelt High School. facing Thir-
teenth street. as well as the old
tuberculosis Hospital, are built on the
Rupert property, and the Petworth
Branch OF the Public Library. now
building, is also on that tract Of land.
Brainey men, like Mayor Wallach,
have very good reasons for whatever
they do. And so, when we learn that
on the east side of Georgia avenue,
opposite Maple Grove, was the fine
estate Of 1876 acres of Marshall Brown,
we can easily see that the reason why
Mr.. Wallach selected this particular
farm was that he might be close to his
old chum, whose daughter he married,
though subsequent to the time he
disposed of Maple Grove.
The story of his marriage is quite
an unusual one. Jesse Brown was
one Of Washington's earliest and most
prosperous hotel keepers. Prior to
coming to Washington, about 1920. he
had kept the City Hotel in Alexandria,
then a part of the District of Colum-
bia. In Washington he soon opened
the Indian Queen Hotel, which he con-
Quoted until his death, when he was
succeeded by his sons, Marshall and
I1llotson Brown. Another family that
came to this city from Alexandria at
an early date was that of Richard
Wallach, who came to Virginia from
Boston and married into q distin-
guished Virginia family.
WALLACH had a fine legal mind
and used it to good advantage
and his son, Richard, jr. mayor OF
Washington from 1861 to 1867, Inherit
ed many Of his fathers fine qualities
The Browns and the Wallachs became
close friends, and when Marshall
Brown was married, Richard Wallach
the younger. was among the guests
Marshall Brown, since he had lust
became q benedict, thought all his
chun1s should get married too, and &C
he suggested to Mr.. Wallach, who was
then about 20 years of age, that hi
select bride from among the many
fine ladies present. But bachelor Dick
did not agree to this proposition
though he Is said to have jokingly re.
piled: mo, will wait until you hav.
. daughter. and when she grows up
will marry her" And that is just
what happened, and just 50 years
ago this month Richard led Ross
Brown to the altar, when he was 4t
and she was II. He died March 4
1881, the day that Garfield was in.
augurated President, and Mrs. Wallack
passed away January IS, 1916.
At one time the Marshall Brown
property belonged to Theodore Mosher
. lumber dealer. who had his yard ir
the southeast section of the city ane
his city home on New York avenue
NV. The Mosher property extended
northward from Petworth to ths
stream known as Piney Branch
though 1t was not likely that the Mar.
shall Brown tract extended quite q,
far south. It is also probable thai
the old residence that was q land.