Evening star., 1940-03-03

supply Santa Claus with his toys
around Christmas time, was near E
street. William S. Sammons was
also here, as was George Breitbarth.
furniture dealer; Henry Franc and
Herman Miller Along here, also,
M. T. Meizger kept grocery store.
and James S. Topham. father of the
late Washington Topham, kept his
leather goods store on this side be-
fore moving down on the Avenue.
Popular With Lawyers.
This square seems also to have
been popular for lawyers at that
period, for at least a hundred had
their offices here and in the square
to the north. w. L. Argue e. Co.
Ga very fitting name for law f1rm),
had Offices at sos. j. Madison Cults,
nephew of the celebrated Dolly
Madison, conducted his business in
the same building with the Argue"
lawyers. William F. Mattingly was
at ABS and w. K. Mendenhall was
in the building with Cults
Opposite the old Post Office Build
ing, between E and F streets, were
William Fitch g. Co.. and Tucker g.
Bishop, claim agents; William H.
Babcock, J. NJ Blanchard, William
Burns. Newton Crawford, George w.
Dyer & Co., A. H. Evans g. Co., j. j.
Halsted, Peter Hanney. F. A. Leh-
man. Andrew McCallum, w. c. Nc
Intyre, James H. Manderville, J. R.
Nottingham, Henry Orth, Prindle g.
Co., and G. B. Towles, all engaged as
patent attorneys, or solicitors of
patents, as some would put it. D. c.
Cox, at 500, took care of those seek
ing pensions.
One can easily see by the variety of
business conducted in this thorough
fare so many years ago that it was
then Washington's Fifth avenue or
Broadway, especially up to New York
avenue, and much trade was even
carried on several blocks above Mount
Vernon Square. Saturday night was
always big night in those days,
for the mechanics received their
wages once week then. just as they
do today, but the ghost" walked
only once a month for the Federal
employees. There we're then, also,
more cash purchases made than at
present, for although ever so many
people got their groceries at the cor
ner store on pass book, yet nearly
all the sales of the larger stores we're
made on a spot-cash basis, and in
consequence few firms were COM
| PEELED to maintain bookkeeping
| department as all the large ones
must do today.
Real Estate Firms.
In addition to those mentioned as
conducting their business between
E and F. streets, there were numer-
Gus real estate firms. Among these
were Charles E. Bishop & Co., John
Bowles. Charles w. Handy, R. M.
Hall, M. M. Roher, J. F. Russell, c.
F.. Schafer, Theodore Sheckels, E.
j. Stellwagen, who also practiced
law; Edwin j. Sweet, T. H. G. Todd,
Torbert & House, John F. and
Thomas E. Waggaman. E. K. Wilson
and Samuel r. Turner.
Besides Mr.. Handy, A. M. Spague
and Thomas E. Waggaman also had
their auction rooms along here, and
here were also the German Ameri-
can National Bank and the Second
National Bank, the latter being still
there. M. Eastwood, broker, was
at 500, Luchs & Bro, tobacconists,
at 525, while E. E. Court, civil en-
gineer, was at 513. j. G. Johannes,
manufacturing jeweler, was in this
cluster of stores, and it is proba-
BILE he was the father of Ira Johan-
mes, in a similar business in this
city for many years. and up to the
time Of his death a few years ago.
At sos Seventh street Frank M.
Buckingham helped to share the
profits of confectioner with his
competitor, Angelo Mosino. Shelter
& Stevens, druggists, were also in
this block at one time, as were
Maurice Joyce, the engraver, and
F.. Giovannetti & Co., fruit dealers.
Even the Good Tidings and the
Sun, two newspapers, were published
here, and fire and life insurance
were obtainable.
Opposite the Patent Office, in
1878, the following persons were
engaged in business: A Pelletier,
who made artificial stone: Bigelow
& Co., bankers: A. g.. Campbell,
George H. Miller and Mrs. Richard
8. Smith, who did the tonsorial
e