Evening star., 1945-06-03

number are still well preserved, while
others could be made habitable at
reasonable expense. One of the latter,
in particular, named Springfield, is
located in large open field to the
south of the main entrance of the Ken
wood Country Club and about 400 feet
off the old River road which extends
from about the intersection of Wiscon-
sin avenue and Albermarle street to
Seneca, Md, and beyond. 1t is said to
be an older road than the Frederick
road, of which Wisconsin avenue once
formed part.
Not long since the writer's attention
was called to this old structure by
Richard F. Curry, and few Sundays
and Miss Mercedes Jordan, of the Wash
ington Public Library, both enthusiastic
lovers of early dwellings, the writer
visited Springfield, which, he was told,
was 200 years old, statement easy to
make but often hard to prove. But this
old veteran actually looked the part,
and could undoubtedly have been erect
ed when this part of Maryland was in
cluded in Prince Georges County.
1t is one-story and attic building and
originally its walls were all of stone, OF
which this county furnishes a plentiful
supply, the brickwork being of more re-
cent period 1t has three dormer win
dows and what seems to be modern
roof It's interior walls are covered with
an inch of mortar, two coats of brown
and one white coating, the laths and
nails being handmade and the timbers
handheWn.
French Huguenot Design
Thomas T. Waterman, Washington
architect, and an authority on Colonial
American architecture, who also accom-
panied the party, said that this farm
house is an excellent example of French
Huguenot design, and that "the ground
level rooms have communicating door,
way between them and each room has
separate door leading out to the brick
paved piazza in front of the house. He
is also quoted as saying that the house
might date back as far as 1716, and that
''the masonry is not expert and the stones
were piled one upon another in such a
way that their own contours might be
nodded into pattern, rather than being
cut and fitted"
AS to the history of Springfield, which
has stood for many years in Bethesda
district, and may be still in that dis
trict, Mr.. Waterman says that the farm
itself was originally a portion of a
l,366-acre tract known as Friendship,
and was the property of Col Ninian
Beall.
This intrepid warrior was born in
Largo, Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1925,
and died in Prince Georges County. Md,
in TIT. He was the patentee of the
Rock of Dunbarton, now Georgetown,
and was a member of the House of
Burgesses, and commander in chief of
Provincial Forces of Maryland. In
grateful recognition of his services upon
all incursions and disturbances of
neighboring Indians, the Maryland As
sembly of 1899, passed an act of gra-
tuity. Today bronze tablet erected to
his memory stands at the southeast
corner of o and Potomac streets on the
grounds of St. Johns Church, George
town, where it was dedicated, October
80, 1910
However, about the most authentic
and complete record of Springfield
comes from Pictures of the City of
Washington in the Past" by Samuel
Clagett Busey, in his day one of Wash
ington's foremost physicians, who was
president of the Medical Society, 1856.
and an outstanding member of the Co.
lumbia Historical Society of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and a contributor
to its proceedings. DR.. Busey knew this
place from childhood days, and tells us
that:
A Springfield Resident
John Busey, my father, was the son
Of John Busey, and was born on farm
not far distant from Stony Lonesome,
but soon after reaching his majority
took up his residence with his uncle
Samuel Busey, on the farm known then,
as now, Springfield, situated on the
old River Road from Georgetown to the
Great Falls of the Potomac, about one
mile east of the Dalecarlia Reservoir
Springfield was purchased in 1885 by
Peter D. Posey, whose eldest daughter
married, and is now held by me, under
his will, in trust for her two surviving
sisters"
Of the history of this early estate,
this author states that, "On the old
River Road leading to the Great Falls
of the Potomac, about one mile east of
the Dalecarlia Reservoir, is situated the
old farm known as Springfield, so named
because in each of its field subdivisions
there is free-fowing and ever-failing
spring. On it is still standing the
unique, if not the oldest farmhouse in
that part of Montgomery County, Md,
lying along the border line of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The records of the Land Office of
Maryland show that Springfield was a
part of Friendship and addition to
Magruder's Purchase in right Friend
ship 1858 acres, was surveyed May g.
IT'S, for Thomas Fletchall and Charles
Beall, and patented to them December
10, IT'S, lying upon the short branches
of the Potowmack'
Part of the above tract was surveyed
for zachariah Magruder, August "a, 1853,
and patented to him March 25 1765, and
called Part of Friendship'-containing
5o7 acres. Addition to Magruder's Pur-
chase, containing 300 acres, was resur-
veyed March 2, 1922, for Ninian Ma
gruder, and patented to him July 10,
1725.