Evening star., 1945-11-18
Capital Sidelights
BIZ Will 2. Kennedu.

Alexander T. Rorke, librarian and
archivist of the American Irish His
torical Society. discloses some Ameri-
can-Irish firsts:
The first lighthouse on the Atlantic
coast, of the mouth of the Savannah
River, was built by Cornelius Mccarthy,
in 1759 He also built the first county
jail, and, according to the South Caro-
lima Gazette. was the first man i'm
prisoned therein. Colonial records dis
close that an indictment was brought
against him by the royal governor of
Georgia on the charge of "sedition" in
that he and others had endeavored to
induce citizens of Savannah to join
q revolutionary regiment across the
river in South Carolina.
The first woman to whom a monu-
Margaret Haugherty, maiden name
Gaffney, known in history as Mar
garet of New Orleans" a philanthropist
who did much in many ways to relieve
the poor and built church, school,
hospital and almshouse in New Or
leans. The city went into mourning at
her death and erected a monument in
a public square.
The first woman to fight for Ameri-
can liberty. and the first to receive 4
pension from the United States Gov
ernment for services ip the Revolution
was Margaret Corbin, born in Ireland.
The first woman schoolteacher in
New England was Mary Healey. re-
ferred to in the town records of Com
bridge. Mass, in 1880. as "the good
Mistress Healey" She was the wife of
"Willyum Healey. 1rishmAn," resi-
dent of that long-famous university
town as early as 1864.
The first permanent settlement in
what is now the State of Maine was
made in 1885 by families of Kelly and
Healy, fishermen from Galway. on the
Isles of Shoals, where Roger Kelly was
known as King of the Isles" and An
drew Healy was called King of the
| Shoals"
| The first permanent settlement In the
where President Wilson was born, was
made by John Lewis from Donegal in
1885, The first church in the valley
erected by an Irish colony, had as its
pastor Rev. John Craig from Dun
garvin. while the first schoolmaster in
the valley was John Wilson from
Armagh.
Washington's equestrian statue in
Richmond was first toasted at Wash
ington's birthday party in Rome in 1851
attended by Julia Ward Howe, who II
years later wrote THE Battle Hymn oi
the Republic" in the Willard Hotel here
Mrs. Howe's sister Annie proposed the
toast: "Washingtons clay in Crawford,
hands" which was appropriate because
Thomas Crawford was then modelling
the statue. He had done much of thu
adornment of the Howe mansion in New
York, later he married Mrs. Howe,
sister and became the father Of tht
celebrated novelist, r. Marion Crawford
That same Thomas Crawford executet
the bronze Statue Of Freedom" sur.
mounting the Capitol dome, modelled ir
Rome, cast in the shops Of Clark Mill
on the Bladensburg road, and erectee
December 2, 1868. He was also sculptor
of the bronze doors at the east entranc,
to the Senate wing, but died before h,
could complete work on the bronze door,
at the east entrance of the House wini
which was completed by W.sH. Rinehart
y x &a
Some members of Congress have jus
discovered" the thrilling adventures o
Daniel Ellis, the Union guide in Eas
Tennessee for q period of nearly fon
years during the Southern Rebellion.
is an autobiography published in 1867.
Their next book Of the week" TO
cloakroom discussion Is The Life an.
Times Of Sargent Smith Prentiss," b.
Joseph D. Shields, published in 1884. I
was Representative Frank Fellows 0
Maine who suggested the reading Of thi
book. and about one Of the creates
speeches ever made In Congress.