Evening star., 1952-08-03
Historic Southeast Houses
BY John CIogett Proctor

BY John Gil
To those interested in the
historic buildings Of the Federal
Capital the Southeast section
should afford q wonderful field
for investigation.
Here at the time the City Of
Washington was laid out was
the property Of Daniel Carroll.
part Of an early grant known
as Germ Abbey Manor. and to
the east of this the farm of
William Prout, the lower end of
which is now included in the
Navy Yard. Then came the
Hop Yard" parts of which
were owned by Daniel Carroll.
Morris &. Nicholson. George
Walker. Abraham Young, Will
liam Young's heirs and Prout.
Morris & Nicholson. Close to
the Eastern Branch was First
Recovery" owned by the Widow
Wheeler. Prout and others, and
"Hog Pen Enlarged" which be-
longed to the Widow Wheeler
separately.
This widow, whose name fig
ures in early local history, was
the sister of William Young.
Her maiden name was Elizabeth
Young. Her property skirted
the Eastern Branch along the
Navy Yard front, eastward be-
yond the Anacostia Bridge. Just
when she died no one seems to
know, but wherever her name is
recorded it is by the appella-
ton widow Wheeler" .
William Prout's home was
near the Eighth street entrance
to the Navy Yard. He was born
in 1853, married a Miss Slater,
and died in Washington in 1923.
For many years after the
Capital was moved here, South
east Washington was consid-
cred one Of the city's most i'm
portant residential sections, and
some Of our chief citizens re-
sided within its boundaries.
Mony Old Buildings
In number of blocks in this
section can still be seen old
buildings which will carry ones
thoughts back many years, to a
period Of architecture easily
more than a century old. And
some Of the structures are so
ancient that no one seems to
know just when they were
erected. An instance of this is
the Tunnicliff Hotel at Ninth
and Pennsylvania avenue Sc,
erected sometime during the
Colonial period.
Old Christ Church, on G street
between Sixth and Seventh
streets, date back to nearly
1900. Greenleaf Point, which
lies just over the border to the
west, was the cradle of the local
Methodist church, which held
its first meeting here in a pri-
vate dwelling in 1902. It was
known as "Old Ebenezer," and
after leaving Greenleaf Point
moved to one Of the Twenty
Buildings" on South Capitol and
N streets. later occupying the
Carroll Tobacco House, after it
was vacated by the Episcopali-
ans in 1907. when they moved
into G street.
Among the earliest of the
more important people attached
to the, new seat Of Government,
who sought out the picturesque
spots In the Southeast for their
homes, was DR.. Frederick May,
a graduate of yarmouth College
and Of Harvard University
Q792). He studied medicine,
came to this city from Boston
in 1795 and began the practice
Of medicine, indicating his in
tention to remain here by erect
ing a residence at 324 Virginia
avenue Sc, in 1900.
We find his name frequently
linked with such men as
Thomas Law. DR.. Thornton and
other notable people who early
settled in Washington. A man
Of humane impulses, he was
always ready to serve the pub
lie, even though he had no rea-
son to expect pecuniary reward.
An instance Of this kind, in
1900, comes down to us from
Mrs. Thornton's diary. which
says: as we returned,
called at the Office and asked
DR.. T. to go to the Presidents
House with us, which he did
and then came home with us.
He stopped DR.. May as he was
passing and took him to see a
poor SICK man who was laying
out Of doors under a tree, no
body being willing to take him
in lest he might have the yellow
fever. He came from Alexandria.
where 1t Is said there has been
some cases. DR.. T. got him to
put into the new stable built for
the President-he Is very ILL.,"
The Presidents stable. here
referred to, is the old school
building which stood for MANY
years at the southeast corner Of
q and Fourteenth streets NV.
Identified Booth
DR.. May left q son named
John Frederick May, who. be-
came . noted physician and
surgeon, and died In this city
on May !, 1891. He was one Of
those who assisted IN identity
ing the body Of John wilkes