Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05
Historic Mount Vernon Square
BY John Clagett Proctor.

BY John Clagett Proctor.
There is hardly spot in Washington
that does not hold within its neighbour
hood something Of outstanding interest
of bygone days, something for the pres
ent and future generations to dream and
reflect upon, and to carry the minds of
the people back to the early days of the
city when the Capital of the Nation was
mere village, and when present-day
conditions were rar beyond the power
Of any one to visualize. Take, for in
stance, the site of the Public Library in
Mount Vernon Square, between X street
and Mount Vernon place, Seventh and
Ninth streets. .ay<
This public reservation is within the
bounds of parcel of land, of which
there was about II at the time the City
Of Washington was laid out. 1t was held
during this period in the names of
Lynch and Sands, John Davidson's heirs.
Samuel Davidson, and Dickens, Morris
and Nicholson, and extended from about
Eighteenth street and New York avenue
NV. north almost to Rhode Island
avenue; thence on an angle eastward to
Third street. and south on Third street
to I street; thence on an angle westward
to the place of beginning. All lines being
approximates
According to an early account, the
part of this section of land between
I and M and probably Sixth and Ninth
streets was Jenkins farm. which ex-
tended little beyond the old poorhouse.
On this farm was an old dwelling house
and tobacco house or barn From this
to Florida avenue Originally Boundary
street, was what was called the White
Oak Slashes," all in woods.
And in this condition it probably re-
manned at least up to the latter part Of
the '30s, when, we are told, there were
q few homes in the neighborhood A
writer for The Star, some 40 years ago,
In referring to this square, also tells us
that: In fact, north Of it, with the ex-
ception of the Washington Asylum (the
workhouse) there was not much sign of
improvement to be found other than a
pretense Of keeping the wagon road OF
Seventh street in such condition as to
be used; for that street was, of course,
then 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 a short distance north Of the
asylum" Incidentally, the poorhouse
was located on square 448, between M
and N and Sixth and Seventh streets
NV, which was purchased by the
Corporation Of Washington on October
81, 1906.
Pioneer Residents
The pioneer shoemaker of this part
OF the city, Thomas. French, lived at
the southeast corner Of Ninth and K
streets, where he owned a two-story
frame house. Many years later this site
was occupied by the drug store of DR..
Charles A. Prentiss, member of an early
Washington family of professional men,
and an early graduate in medicine from
old Columbian University. Eastward on
K street were two 3-story brick dwell
w. H. Ward, and near the corner of
Eighth street was brick dwelling owned
by Anthony Preston, who then lived on
Ninth street between G and H streets.
The southeast corner of Eighth and X
streets was then 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 a free colored
woman named Ford Farther to the east
lived a family named Elliot, saddle
makers. The father made the trees; one
son. blacksmith, put on the irons;
another fitted the leather, while
daughter assisted in the sewing This
was case where everybody worked but
mother, and no doubt she looked after
the housework.
The southeast corner Of New York
avenue and Seventh street was then
vacant ground, and when the Post Office
Department ceased to use the space at
r street between Sixth and Seventh
streets to burn the unclaimed dead let
ters and refuse paper, this material was
hauled here and destroyed.
Speaking Of the period around 1910,
an early issue Of The Star tells us that
the west end of the two angular squares
fronting the east side of the space was
III wv 4