Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-10

ceptlon OF the washington Asylum
(the poorhouse) there was not much
sign of improvement to be found
other than a pretense' Of keeping
the wagon road of Seventh street in
that street was, of course, as now,
the route to Montgomery County.
and during the days Of the cholera
epidemic it was much used by
hearses and wagons bearing away
the victims Of the dreaded disease,
who were buried short distance
north of the asylum
Incidentally, the poorhouse was
on square 448, between M and N and
Sixth and Seventh streets NV,
which was purchased by the Cor
poration Of Washington in 1909.
The burial ground attached 10
the institution was on the line Of
N street, and the one for the in
terment of the cholera patients was
on the Sixth street side of the
square. In 1845 the poorhouse was
removed to the neighborhood of the
old Washington jail, near the East
ern Branch, and only remnant
Of the poorhouse buildings remain.
During subsequent building oper-
atoms. the remains of many buried
in this locality were disinterred,
several of whom had around them
what was supposed to be the re.
mains of leather belts, conveying
the impression that they had been
laboring men.
SaddIemakers.
Some years later. on K street,
/ between Eighth and Ninth streets
NV, near Ninth, were two 3-story
brick dwellings owned by Harvey
Cruttenden and w. H. Ward, and
near the corner OF Eighth street
was a brick dwelling owned by AM
thony Preston, who then lived on
Ninth street between G and n
streets. The southeast corner Of
Eighth and K streets was vacant,
and about where Charles Dismer
used to dispense lamb stew and
Mertzen beer, stood back from the
building line the two oldest houses
in the neighborhood, one of which
was occupied by free colored won-
an named Ford. Farther to the
east lived a family named Elliot,
saddlemakers. The father made
the trees, one son, a blacksmith,
put on the irons; another fitted the
| leather, while a daughter assisted
in the sewing. This was q case
where everybody worked but moth.
er, though, as & matter of fact,
she probably did more than all the
others combined.
The southeast corner of Massa-
chusetts avenue and Seventh street
was then vacant ground, and when
the Post ONCE Department ceased
to use the space at r street be-
tween Sixth and Seventh streets
to burn the unclaimed dead letters
and refuse paper. this material was
hauled here and destroyed. This
was prior to the coming TO this
corner Of Burr's wood and coal
yard.
Old Buildings.
Speaking of the period around
1910, an old-timer tells us, in an
early issue of The Star: The west
end of the two angular squares
fronting the east side of the space
was not improved until after the
'40s and was not susceptible Of i'm
provement, for a stream which had
its head In the commons north Of
the space, crossed by Seventh street
near the center Of the square north
Of X street and New York avenue,
east of Seventh street, made its
way In the gulley OF Sixth street
to the Judiciary Square, the waters
joining those from Willow Tree
Spring and New York avenue be-
tween Fourth and Fifth streets. A
small arch spanned this stream
at Seventh street and there was a
narrow bridge at the roadway on
New York avenue. Not far east
of the square there had been q
backyard. What was then known
as Spignul's corner. at the north
west corner of Seventh and K
streets, was then vacant, but the
owner Of the land, w. T. Grtfnths
had erected two brick dwellings a
short distance westward and lived
In one for a number of years after
ward.
The Mount Vernon Place Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South, which
stood until decade or more ago
where Is now the Machinists' Build
ing, was not erected until 1859. It's
first pastor was the Rev. w. v.
Tudor, D. D..
In 1910 the Northern Liberty Fire
Company erected its engine house
on this square about where Is the
main entrance Of the library. It's
first officers were: President, John
Y. Bryant; vice president, Joseph
Bryan; treasurer, ]. G. Robinson,
and secretary. Benjamin Evans. The
company continued TO occupy this
property for is years and during
its early life the second story Of
the building was used by Prof.
Weber in teaching dancing. The
Northern Liberties Division of Sons
OF Temperance here promulgated
the principles of total abstinence:
military instructions were also given
here by Maj. 8. II. Walker and Rev.
French s. Evans for time preached
here On Sunday afternoons.