Evening star., 1943-01-10
Pioneer Recalls Early Days
At Historic WoodIey' Mansion
Miss Sophie Middleton Prizes Letter
Cleveland Wrote to Her Mother

says, IHeTe WASH dnOtllCE nCuSe as
far as where the Wardman Park
Hotel stands today.
She was christened at Epiphany,
Church but during the summers,
with her family, she attended the
little, brown painted wooden church
that was The st. Adams of that time.
In the drawing room and library
of Miss MiddleIon's present home
ale many paintings, vases. tables,
couches and chairs that were a part
of the furnishings at Woodley.
Has Note From Cleveland.
A note in Grover Clevelands S
careful handwriting, written while
he was serving his second term as
President, thanks Miss Middletons
mother for the buttermilk she sent
him every time her family did its
churning. This was while PreSi-
dent Cleveland and his family
were making Woodley the summer
White House. The Middletons then
were living next door in the house
now owned by the Swiss Legation
and occupied by the Minister from
Switzerland.
At this time the Middletons
called the property Lone Oak, but
during the period when Senator and
Mrs. Phipps of Colorado owned it,
the name was changed to Solitary
Oak. the term by which it has be-
come very generally known to new
comers to Washington.
President Cleveland's letter reads:
My Dear Mrs Middleton:
L want to thank you most sin
cerely for the buttermilk you sent
me during my stay at Woodley.
enjoyed it very much, and as proof
of your kind remembrance it was
very gratifying.
Yours very sincerely.
GROVER CLEVELAND"
One of President Cleveland's s
many neighborly acts during his
residence at Woodley and the Mid
dleton's sojourn at Lone Oak, was
his insistence that Mr. Middle
ton should keep the key to the
garden gate connecting the two es-
tates.
Another of Miss Middleton's treas
ures is red leather autograph
album with gold fooled edges. This
once belonged to a kinsWoman, Julia
Stettinus, whose son, William Stet-
tinus Clark. introduced an American
invention, the Mccormick binder
and reaper, to England and Europe
Sketch of Wheat Row"
On one of the fly leaves of this
album is a pencil sketch of famous
Wheat Row" the first row of brick
houses built in the Capital
Walking was matter OF course in
Miss Middleton's girlhood. 1t was
while her family was in residence
at Lone Oak all the year around
that she walked to the Force Public
School on Massachusetts, avenue and
later to Mrs. Pairo's School for
Young Ladies on I street between
Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets.
The route which Miss Middleton
often took in company with her two
brothers was up and down the steep
hills. following Rock Greek to Massa =
chusetts avenue, thence to Nine
teenth street, under a small wooden
bridge which spanned Rock Creek
a. the point now occupied by Taft
Bridge.
Not only do Miss Middletons roots
90 deep into the early days of the
Capital but they are also intertWined
with the history Of the Colonies in
pre-Revolutionary days, and with
our country's early struggles for lib
erty. One forbear, the Rev. Andrew
Eliot, fighting parson of Bostons
New North Church, was the friend
and counselor of the Indians in
obtaining their rights for them from
the white settlers on their lands.
A great, great, great grandfather was
William Greenleaf, who as high
sheriff of Boston proclaimed the
Declaration Of Independence from
the balcony of the Old State House
in State Straat