Evening star., 1945-02-04
BY John Clagett Proctor

BY John Clagett Proctor.
The recent unearthins Of several
graves on the north side Of U street
between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets NV. should not seem to be
at all strange, when we consider that
this entire square from u to v street
was once used for cemeterial purposes
by st. Matthew's Catholic Church, or
ganized In 1887. Indeed, 1t would be
surprising If other graves were not
found from time to time in this i'm
mediate vicinity, for 1t is evident that
burials were made in the entire block,
though it Is quite probable that no
burials were made here subsequent to
1857, when Mount Olivet Cemetery on
the Bladensburg road was laid out.
AS far back as 1867 remains of those
buried in this square were being dug up.
and it was during this year that John
Burroughs, the poet and nature writer,
built his home at 1882 v street, still
standing. 1t was 10-room brick, with
an ample front yard. but with only
little garden patch. Here, according to
his statement, he raised few tomatoes
and some corn, which proved to be not
very good for, as he says: "Thered been
an old Catholic cemetery on the spot,
and what with original digging of the
graves and the more recent removing
of the bodies, dirt had been thrown UP
on top that ought to have been below"
Abandoned Cemetery
AS with the removal of all bodies
from abandoned cemeteries, within the
knowledge of the writer, the removal Of
the bodies from this cemetery was no
more thorough than was probable be-
fore or since, and SO we find Mr.. Bur-
roughs recorded as saying:
"The removal of the bodies hadn't
been done very thoroughly, and when
we were putting in cistern we un-
earthed two cofflns. They were decayed
but not broken, and we buried them
alongside the fence.
while we were building the chimney
and had completed it up to the second
floor it settled one night nearly feet
Evidently it was right over a grave and
had gone down on the body. We kept
on. The man under the chimney was
held down by that great weight, and I
expected to hear him groan, but never
did, and I never saw any spooks on the
premises.
"We rented the upper part of the
house, and the place was all paid for
In less than two years"
Pearce's Summer Garden
This was then in the suburbs Of Wash
ington, as stated by Mr.. Burroughs,
and remained so for some years, as
the writer can testify of his own know
ledge. Pearce;s Summer Garden was
probably still on Fourteenth street,
near the boundary" and the building
Of the Washington City Orphan Asylum
at the southeast corner of Fourteenth
and streets. into which moved the
Department of State in 1866, was also
there, having been practically completed
the year it was first occupied by the
Government, and here, in 1867, as many
may recall, was arranged the purchase
of Alaska for $7,200,000. The State De-
psrtment remained at this corner I'M
til 1875 -+. -.
This building is still standing, with
remodeled front on the Fourteenth
street side. In the writer's early days
there was in front of this structure a
high hedge, which bore what were .
called milk balls. and with these many
battle was fought by the boys when
on their way to and from school.
While Burroughs was a resident of
this vicinity the one-horse, conductor
less bobtail street cars ran only as far
north as Fourteenth and streets. At
the southeast corner of Fourteenth and
v streets-just short distance west of
the Burroughs home-once lived
family named Frisby. In 1866 Thomas
Frisby, probably Of the same family,
Kept grocery store at Fourteenth and
W streets, and William Murphy, a
gardener, lived on the west side Of the
street at Florida avenue.
The Murphy Family
The Murphy home, a little brick build
Ing, was at the bottom of Fourteenth
street hill, and in the yard was q most
delightful and refreshing well of water
that was freely patronized by those who
Travelled that way, when Fourteenth
street north of Florida avenue was a
sea of mud in winter and cloud of
dust in the summer.
In the middle of the 21O0 block lived
Elisha H. Cole, carpenter with whose
son, Irving Cole, the writer went to
school
No doubt the first house erected in
this vicinity was an old farmhouse
which stood on Florida avenue between
Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, be-
fore the Government moved here In
1900. 1t was built by Robert Peter and
remained there until about 1889. In
the writer's childhood days he visited
at this old frame building, then occu-
pied by his aunt, a Mrs. Logan. It was
a rather good-sized house, which sat
back from what was then Boundary
street, with q large plot Of ground
around 1t, and was surrounded by q
grove Of silver maple trees. 1t is prob
able the Logans resided there prior to
1878, at which time they were renting
house on the Little farm which then
included the area bounded on the south
by Florida avenue, on the east by
Champlain avenue, on the west by
Columbia road and on the north by
the old Adams Mill road.
An Unattractive Setting