Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-08-13
Old Judiciary Square
Courthouse Site First Occupied by Jail in 1903;
Cornerstone Laid in 1920 for Old City Hall
By John CIoqett Proctor

Judiciary Square is one of the
most historic areas in the District
of Columbia, and it's Importance,
no doubt, will never cease so
long as the courthouse is here
in which famous Federal cases
have been frequently tried.
From the very beginning of the
city it was destined by L'Enfant
as a public reservation and early
spoken of as Judiciary Square.
However, it was not occupied by
a court building for some years
after Congress moved here,
though Jail was on the site as
early as 1903.
This reservation, as can easily
be seen, forms the top of hill,
the ground sloping eastwardly
toward the bed of the old Tiber,
southWardly again to the Tiber
and to the low lands. and south
westwardly toward the National
Archives. Indeed, it is part Of
what is known as the F street
ridge, over which all travel took
place from Georgetown to the
Capitol until the swamp land
along Pennsylvania avenue was
filled and the roadway sufficiently
improved to admit of the passage
of pedestrians and teams.
Once David Burnes Farm
Though it has been said that
this reservation is a part Of the
Benjamin Oden tract, yet the
map would indicate that it was
a part of the David Burnes farm,
purchased from that original
proprietor by the Commissioners
for $66.50 per acre, the Federal
Government paying for the 10
acres $1,263.5O.
The first settlements made on
Judiciary Square, or in that area
between Fourth and Fifth and
D and G streets, was by Irish
laborers employed in erecting the
Government buildings. who SIM
ply used the rule Of squatter
sovereignty, and without asking
any questions built their shacks,
and perhaps stayed there until
elected or until they decided to
leave. These ancestors of some
of our foremost families spread
out even to the blocks to the
south, and for many years this
part of the city was known
throughout the District as Irish
Hill-English Hill being close by
to the east and northeast.
Just where the first jail in
the city was located the writer
will not attempt to determine. At
a date prior to 1900 a log house
on New Jersey avenue and D
street Sc. was used for this
purpose. OF the McGurk jail, on
the north side of C street between
John Marshall place and Sixth
street, we have more definite in
formation around the year 1902
w. B. Bryan tells us that this
building was a small brick ediflce
of three rooms and that it was
continued as a county institution,
under the authority of the Levy
Court even after the year 1902. He
also says that from the scanty
records obtainable this may have
been the jail used by the Levy
Court of Prince Georges County.
Fir1t PCrr1.---,t jail
James Croggon, in speaking Of
this Jail some years ago, said:
When the Circuit Court of the
District by act of February "a,
1901, was established, with Will
liam Kitty, James Marshall and
William Cranch as judges, the
necessity of a permanent jail
arose. D. Carroll Brent, the mar
shall until its completion. had q
temporary place of confinement ir
| the alley north of c street between
-Four and half and Sixth streets
long known as McGurks Jail
from the fact that man of tina!
name was confined there in 1907
and executed near Pennsylvania
avenue and Second street for tn:
murder 0f his wife "
BY act of Congress approved
March 2, 1902, Congress made ar
appropriation for the erection of L
Jail, and the site chosen is said tt
have been about the center of the
square, or perhaps it can be more
definitely placed on the north side
of E street between Fourth and
Fifth streets. The following yeaI
an additional appropriation OF
$1,000 was made and the building
completed at nearly $4,000.
| 1t was a plain. oblong building