Evening star., 1940-08-04

Church, the United States Navy
from the stories told them by their
parents and grandparents. Of
course, they might not have every
thing just exactly right, for tradition
frequently errs in the handing down
of events by word of mouth, and
still it is always interesting to hear
some early resident relate events
which he had reason to believe hap
pened many years ago.
Just where Capitol Hill leaves off
and the Navy Yard section COM
mences, so far as the writer knows,
is matter of geography that has
never been satisfactorily determined.
For, indeed, the latter is as mythical
a territory as Brightwood, Foggy
Bottom, English Hill, SWampoodle
and some other parts of Washing
ton-one knows when he is in it,
but he does not know exactly when
he is out of it. But, generally
speaking, anywhere east of about
Sixth street southeast and south of
Pennsylvania avenue to the Ana
costa River might safely be called
what is known to the old WASH
ingtonian as the Navy Yard section.
Popular Old Hotel.
Until few years ago probably the
Oldest building standing in South
east Washington was the old Eastern
Branch Hotel, occupied by William
Tunnicliffe in 1876. There the
Washington Dancing Assembly held
its first ball in December of that
year, the first one recorded as held
in the city. In 1900 it became the
home of Capt. William Easily and
subsequently served as a saloon, a
garage and storage place until it
was razed It stood at the south
west corner of Ninth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, the site being
now occupied by gasoline station.
Another old landmark that stood
TOR years in the Navy Yard section,
substantially unaltered, and which
might well have been saved for
future generations, but which was
severely remodeled several years ago,
was the residence known as The
Naples, which stood on the north
side of South Carolina avenue. be-
tween Sixth and Seventh streets.
near Sixth. This building was
erected in 1856 by Capt. William
Mayne Duncanson, who held the
rank OF captain in the British Army,
who came to this country in 1894
with Thomas Law, and who, with
the latter, came to the Federal Cap-
ital in 1895.
When Capt. Duncanson arrived
here he surely came at an oppor-
tune time to lose all he had ever
made, as did the other members of
the syndicate who contracted with
Uncle Sam for q per cent of all
the lots in the city. Capt. Dun
canson parted with $4,000 and un-
dertook other obligations which left
him a poor man, and also quite a
different person, financially at least,
from the wealthy gentleman who
had arrived here only a few years
before and who had built the man
sion on South Carolina avenue.
Capt. Duncanson was of the Eng
lish aristocracy, we'll bred and we'll
educated, and his home was the
meeting place of the elite in WASH
ington at that time. His mansion,
which was designed by William Low
ering, was in keeping with his social
standing and he had a coach house
and stable sufficient in size for his
four -in-hand, then quite the thing
for men of wealth and refinement.
But the making of fortune-or
the adding to one-proved an illu-
sion, and on July 25, 1909, decree
was issued by the court directing
the sale of his South Carolina ave-
nue. property, with the dwelling
we see today, to Francis Scott Key
as trustee.
On July 20. 1888, title to this prop
erty was again transferred, this time
to Maj. Augustus A. Nicholson of
the United States Marine Corps,
at that time one of the best-known
men in the Navy Yard section. He
was man of very aristocratic char
acter. of fine taste, and what the
French call bon vivant. In 1921
he was married to Miss Lispenard
of New York. His second wife was
Sallie Carroll, daughter of Daniel
Carroll of Duddington.
Conveyed to Senator.
Subsequently, on June 2, 1856, a
deed conveying Nicholson's holdings
was drawn to John M. Clayton,
United States Senator from Della
ware, who died in Dover, Del, No
vember 9 of that year. 1t was
Senator Clayton. who, when serving
as Secretary of State in the cabinet
of President Zachary Taylor, March
7, 184s, to July %, 1850, negotiated
the Clayton-Bulwer treaty with
Great Britain, which provided for
the construction of ship canal
across the Isthmus of Panama, and
in which both parties agreed not
to erect Notifications here or to
acquire any part of the Central
American territory.
Senator Clayton improved the old
residence by adding on the east
front a ball or music room for his
daughter. and at his own expense