Evening star., 1950-04-02
By Jessie Font Evons

Mrs. Elizabeth +. BlSSOnnette
telephone operator at the White
House. is proud of her discovery
of Capitol Hill as an ideal place
of residence. She enthusiastically
recommends it to others who work
IN the central portion of the city
When l first entered Govern
ment service here nine years ago
I battled traffic twice daily anc
paid monthly parking fee down
town to have something Of the
quiet, after-hours atmosphere tc
which 1 was accustomed in my
home town Burlington. Vt,
she told me. Then I decided
there must be another answer
Why couldn't l find a place
could call home nearer my place
of Work?"
Some four years ago her New
England determination finally led
her. after much searching. to 326
A street Sc. Although the house
couldn't have been more run
down, sne recognized it. prim on
its high terrace, as the end of her
search.
Now I use my car chiefly for
weekend motoring. You see I am
only a square away from both the
East Capitol street Mount Pleas
anti and Pennsylvania avenue
Sc. carlines and I can get to
my job at the White House with
in Is minutes from my front
door. If 1 am working late or
the weather is bad, I take a taxi,
for am in the 30-cent zone"
Near Important Buildings.
Diagonally across the street
from Mrs. .Bissonnette's is St.
Marks Church at Third and A
streets Sc. One square away
is the new addition to the Library
of Congress. Nearby are the Fol-
ger Library, the Supreme Court
and the Capitol
From her backyard on summer
evenings she can see the lights
from the Capitol. and if the wind
is in the right direction it brings
her soft strains from the concerts
on the Capitol Plaza. Side
porches upstairs and down in the
Charleston manner, and one
across the front, insure relief
from the heat if there are breezes
blowing.
Originally a farm house, in all
probability over hundred years
old and said to have been the
first built in the open fields then
a feature of the vicinity, it is now
pebble dashed and shining white
instead of a grimy yellow.
The upper cornice is still of
frame beautifully designed and
carved The second story front
window cornices are also in an
attractive carved design. There
was originally an open fireplace in
every room For atmosphere she
has left one of the latrobe coal
stoves that were fitted into most
of the fireplaces during its occu-
pancy in the '90s.
Mantels Are COlOrful.
All of the rooms have fireplace
mantels. some of pine, others of
either black-veined marble OF of
a composition which resembles
marble. Many of the inside door
and window frames have cabinet
headings. Actually, her little
house is deceptively commodious
one, for it has four rooms and a
full shower and bath downstairs
and three rooms and the same
type bath upstairs. Despite mod
Iernizatlon> of the roomy kitchen
and the installation of such labor
saving devices as a washing ma
chine and mangle, she has kept
it the heart of her home where
guests love to linger.
Practical Mrs. Bissonnette by
no means minimizes her hard work
and planning. "It was a challenge
and gratifying one all the way"
she declared. But if I hadn't been
my late husbands bookkeeper and
general helper in the contracting
business in Vermont, I would have
been stunlped many times. Fortu-
nately for me, this old house which
l got at a great bargain-its
worth is trebled today-proved to
be structurally sound. I got off
layers and layers of wall papers
and I sanded and resanded it's
firm, original floors, put together
with handmade nails"
Last summer Mrs. Bissonnette
was able to tend a garden that
included corn, beans and tomatoes,