Evening star., 1945-05-13

In Washington's Northern Liberties

lived family named Eliot, Saddlemak-
ers. The father made the trees; one son,
blacksmith, put on the irons; another
fitted the leather, while a daughter
assisted in the sewing This was a 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 also va
cant ground, and when the Post Office
Department ceased to use the space at
F street between Sixth and Seventh
streets to burn the unclaimed dead let
ters and refuse paper, this material was
hauled here and destroyed.
Downtown Bridges
Speaking of this area, 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
not improved until after the 40s, and
was not susceptible of improvement, for
stream which had it's head in the
commons north of the space crossed by
Seventh street near the center of the
square north of K street and New York
avenue, east of Seventh street, made its
way in the gulley of Sixth street to the
Judiciary Square, the waters joining
those from Willow Tree Spring on New
York avenue between Fourth and Fifth
streets. A small arch Spanned this
stream at Seventh street and there was
narrow bridge at the roadway on New
York avenue. Not far east of the square
there had been brick yard. What was
then known as Spignuls corner, at the
northeast corner of Seventh and K
streets, was then vacant, but the owner
of the land, W. T. Griffith, had erected
two brick dwellings short distance
westward and lived in one for a number
of years afterward.
Near the corner of Eighth and K
streets there were two old-fashioned
brick houses setting back, a Mr.. De
Kraft living in one and Lund Wash
ington residing for time in the other
The northwest corner of Eighth and K
streets was vacant prior to the '4Os, as
was, in fact most of the square.
"Mr Daniel Gold, son-in-law of
Amos Kendall, and a well-known COR
respondent, owned nearly, If not quite
all, the south front of this square, living
in a three-story brick house near the
corner of Ninth street. This ground was
in the '40s held first at and subse-
quently at 10 and Is cents per foot"
The Mount Vernon Place Methodist
Episcopal Church South, which stood
until few years ago where is now the
Machinists' Building, was not erected
until 1859. Its first pastor was the Rev.
w. v. Tudor, D. D.
Northern Liberty Fire Company
In 1840 the Northern Liberty Fire
Company erected its engine house on
this square about where is the main
entrance to the Library. It's first officers
were: President, John Y Bryant; vice
president, Joseph Bryan; treasurer, j. G.
Robinson, and secretary, Benjamin
Evans. The company continued to occupy
this property for 16 years and during its
early life the second story of the build
ing was used by Prof. Weber in teaching
dancing. The Northern Liberties Divi-
sion of Sons of Temperance here pro-
mulgated the principles of total absti-
nence. Military instructions were also
given here by Maj. S. H. Walker, and
Rev. French S. Evans for a time
preached here on Sunday afternoons.
On March 20, 1916, President Polk
gave his consent to erect on this reser-
vation market house, those most re-