Evening star., 1939-02-26
YAlleys Giving
Clues Pointed
To Sections
Rows of Houses in
Old Places Had
Great Value
By John CIaqen Proctor.


In London and in many other
foreign cities. ones attention is fire.
quently attracted to the early names
of localities and streets that have
been retained from an early period
and may never be changed. In
deed, the people in these old cities
would not agree to have these early
names changed, for which they have
had handed down to them a senti-
ment not easily set aside.
OF course, Washington is but an
infant compared to some of the Old
World cities, and yet our people
have regard for the names of its
old sections. for the names of its
old roads and for its other thor
oughfares which are still, OCCASION
ally, being changed to honor some
State or some practically unknown
person.
Maybe the old names once applied
to parts of Washington do not
sound nicely or euphoniously, but
one cannot deny that none of our
names sounded worse than Rotten
Row." and many of the names of
our streets. now obsolete, sounded
better than "Piccadilly" street and
other London localities.
Changes in so Years.
Fifty years in growing city like
Washington makes big difference,
and many of the old sections we
once knew by name that Just grew -
would not now be recognized by ma
tive residents of less than so years
Of age, and some names running a
little farther back would probably
not be remembered at all by any one
except one oldtimer who tries to keep
up to date.
Take for instance "Cattail Row.
mentioned by Crosby S. Noyes in his
recollections of his coming to Wash
ington, as published by The Star
in its supplement to its 50th ami
versary edition. He said:
"It was nearly midnight Decem-
ber 81, 184O when we reached the
city, and just as we came to the
Center Market, then called the
Marsh Market, the bells were ring
ing the old year out and the new
year in.
The market house then was a
set of tumble-down sheds, moss
covered, doorless and the lodging
place for tramps and vagrants OF
all sorts. Back of it was the filthy
old canal, the city cesspool. the
receptacle for all the offal of the
city.
"I lodged for the night at one OF
the small taverns on Seventh street
opposite the market, called then
Cattail Row. In the morning I paid
a levy for my lodging and a flip
for a cup of coffee and some dough-
nuts at the market house. In those
days the old Spanish silver currency
was in use, and the small coins were
the levy worth 1872 cents, and the
ftp 6K cents. When the coins were
worn beyond recognition they were
scratched with cross and then
passed only for 10 cents or 5 cents
respectively. After my light break
fast started out to see Washington
heading first for the Capitol, as most
visitors do
Archives Building Site.
And so, by this, we know that Cat
tail Row was on the east side o1
Seventh street between Constitution
and Pennsylvania avenues, where is
now the Apex Building, and the ole
market he speaks of stood on the
sc No{ hi r.
Ing. 'The filthy old canal was the
Washington City Canal that took
the place of Tiber Creek, which in.
cidentally gave Thomas Moore
thoughts for his poetic lines wher
he visited this city in 1904, anc
which in part follows:
I'm fancy now, between the twilight
gloom,
Come. let me lead thee DER thi.
modern Rome!
Where tribunes rule, where dusky
Davi bow,
And what was Goose Greek once !!
Tiber now!
This fam'd metropolis, where fancy
sees
Squares in morasses, obelisks II
trees:
Which travelling fools and gazetteer
adorn
With shrines unbuilt, and heroes ye
unborn"
It seems that the Irish bard ans
wit was vexed when he wrote thu
foregoing lines, and this is als'
plainly indicated in the lines h
wrote applying to the men on Cap
ltol Hill:
'Tis evening now; the heats ant
cares of day
In twilight dews are calmly wep
away.
The lover now, beneath the western
star,
Signs through the medium of hi
sweet segar,
And fills the ears Of some consent
ing she
With puts and VOWS, with smok
and constancy;
The weary statesman for repos
hath fled
From halls Of council to his Negro
she'd"
When excavation was going on i
1928 for the Bureau of Internal Rev