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Georgetown
Architecture
NORTHWEST
FUE
(MADISON
SEP21 SEP ATIONS 1970 LIBRARY LIBRA MO << HILL RET
CONVERY
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE
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WA
MAP
POTOMAC
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GEORGETOWN D.C.
Seals 300 A wind
Published by
FAEHTZ & PRATT
1874.
SELECTIONS FROM THE HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY NUMBER 6
GEORGETOWN ARCHITECTURE - NORTHWEST
Northwest Washington, District of Columbia
Historic American Buildings Survey Selections
Number 6
Issued by
THE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS
Room 7000, Interior Building
18th and C Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240
The program for the surveys and publications of Georgetown
architecture was under the direction of Charles H. Atherton,
Secretary of the Commission of Fine Arts.
Georgetown Commercial Architecture-- M Street (1967)
Georgetown Commercial Architecture--Wisconsin Avenue (1967)
Georgetown Architecture--The Waterfront (1968)
Georgetown Historic Waterfront, Washington, D.C. (1968)
Georgetown Residential Architecture--Northeast (1969)
Georgetown Architecture--Northwest (1970)
Georgetown Architecture (1970)
A of
nith
the additions.
Frances Financk
Noncrable the
Guorye tenn
Cteak
Geo Town College
.
The
Potomac
R
River
Dury
1814 Map of Georgetown with the Additions by Francis
Fenwick--portion showing western Georgetown (D.C.
Surveyor's Office)
iii
1 John Thomson Mason House
13 Longden House
Q
STREET
2 Goszler-Monogue House
i4 Goszler-Meem-Brown House
3 Teresa Fenwick House
15 Jeremiah Sullivan Building
4 Brown House
16 Keliy House
5 Corroll Daly House
17 Georgetown Visitotion Convent
13
6 Williom Monkins House
18 Simms-Dowes-Hurley House
7 Mohorney-O'Brien House
I9 Bussord-Newmon House
8 Buehler-Suilivon House
20 Bronough-Bibb-Libbey House
9 Holy Trinity Porish
21 Prospect House
Convent of Mercy
22 Findley House
Church
23 Doniel Kone House
Rectory
24 Zepp Row House
VOLTA PLACE
IO Simms-Lihoult-Doly House
25 Mohorney-Horrington House
II Herron-Moxley House
26 Hornedy Row Houses
i2 Mc Corthy-Sullivon House
27 Holcyon House
Convent of the
Visitotion
17
II
P
STREET
7
3
25
23
20
6
24
4
2 BO
O STREET
L
D
14
15
Georgetown
9
University
37th STREET
36th STREET
35th STREET
19
34th STREET
5
2
0
0
N STREET
22
16
Site of librory
under construction
26
R
PROSPECT AVENUE
2
27
CANAL ROAD
M STREET
cao CANAL
POTOMAC RIVER
iv
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1
I
THE SITE
9
II THE RESEARCHERS
33
III THE SOURCES
39
IV THE STRUCTURES
55
John Thomson Mason House
56
3425 Prospeet Street, N.W.
Goszler-Manogue House
94
1307 35th Street, N.W.
Teresa Fenwick House
116
3512 P Street, N.W.
Brown House
136
1404 35th Street, N.W.
Carroll Daly House
160
1306 36th Street, N.W.
V
William Mankins House
182
1411 35th Street, N.W.
Mahorney-O'Brien House
202
3522 P Street, N.W.
Buehler-Sullivan House
218
3617 0 Street, N.W.
Holy Trinity Parish
234
36th Street between N and O
Streets, N.W.
Simms-Lihault-Daly House
260
3610 O Street, N.W.
Herron-Moxley House
282
1503 35th Street, N.W.
McCarthy-Sullivan House
302
3623 O Street, N.W.
Longden House
314
1555 35th Street, N.W.
Goszler-Meem-Brown House
332
3412 O Street, N.W.
Jeremiah Sullivan Building
348
1331 35th Street, N.W.
Kelly House
362
1239 37th Street, N.W.
Georgetown Visitation Convent
380
1500 35th Street, N.W.
vi
Simms-Dawes-Hurley House
416
3619 0 Street, N.W.
Bussard-Newman House
428
1311 35th Street, N.W.
Bronaugh-Bibb-Libbey House
446
1408 35th Street, N.W.
Prospect House
468
3508 Prospect Street, N.W.
Findley House
500
3606 N Street, N.W.
Daniel Kane House
518
1419 36th Street, N.W.
Zepp Row House
538
1407 37th Street, N.W.
Mahorney-Harrington House
562
1423 36th Street, N.W.
Harnedy Row Houses
576
3617, 3619, 3621 Prospect
Street, N.W.
Halcyon House
590
3400 Prospect Street, N.W.
V
SUMMARY
643
VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
649
VII APPENDIX
653
vii
GEORGETOWN
HISTORIC DISTRICT
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A
REGISTERED NATIONAL
HISTORIC LANDMARK
UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE
HISTORIC SITES ACT OF AUGUST 21, 1935
THIS SITE POSSESSES EXCEPTIONAL VALUE
IN COMMEMORATING AND ILLUSTRATING
THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
1967
"Today we are not only speaking in terms of preserving streetscapes instead of
isolated individual homes of the renowned, but we are also speaking of saving
cityscapes as thriving communities."
Plague presented October 7, 1967 - located at 30th Street and the Canal Toe-
path in Georgetown (Photographed by David Blume)
viii
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
A new concept of historic preservation has developed in recent
years. There is today an emphasis on noteworthy buildings as
places for human use, where people have continuously worked
and played, where houses have steadily been a part of the
fabric of society, reflecting the economic and sociological
flux of the country.
The importance of focusing the past on our current society is
stressed in the recent findings of the Special Committee on
Historic Preservation sponsored by the United States Conference
of Mayors:
"If the preservation movement is to be success-
ful, it must go beyond saving bricks and
mortar. It must go beyond saving occasional
historic houses and opening museums. It must
be more than a cult of antiquarians. It must
do more than review a few national shrines.
It must attempt to give a sense of orientation
to our society, using structures and objects
of the past to establish values of time
and place.
"This means a reorientation of outlook and
effort in several ways."
No longer is historic preservation confined to the restoration of
buildings connected with famous figures and events of the past,
nor of re-creation of areas such as Williamsburg which typify a
fragment of our past in a museum-like fashion.
Today we are not only speaking in terms of preserving street-
scapes instead of isolated individual homes of the renowned, but
3
we are also speaking of saving cityscapes as thriving communities.
Old buildings can be used in new and imaginative ways while the
architectural character is maintained.
This modern concept of historic structures is illustrated in
this report of some of the houses in the western portion of
Georgetown. With a few exceptions these are not mansions.
They are the dwellings of people from simple walks of life,
people who worked and struggled to maintain their modest homes,
and in the process contributed to the vitality and growth
of their community.
Little research or organized study has previously been devoted
to this area of Georgetown. It has been difficult to explore
because of the scarcity of documentary data, of recorded reminis-
cences, or of validated evidence about the people who lived
in these houses. Few of the residents of the homes have been
recorded in written accounts, but their lives and dwellings
represent an important aspect of our heritage.
The Old Georgetown Act of 1950 (P.L. 808) affords some protec-
tion for preservation of the area, but these controls have
not entirely prevented inroads into the essentially residential
character of the western portion of Georgetown. The possibility of
further encroachments prompted the selection of this part of
Georgetown for exploration.
This report of the western part of Georgetown was planned by the
Commission of Fine Arts and the Historic American Buildings Sur-
vey, but the research is the result of widespread citizen
participation. The volunteer program, described in Chapter II
of this report, was a departure from customary procedures of
conducting historic research where professional personnel plan
and execute the work. It may be the first, perhaps the only,
program in which citizens were organized into a unit, given
briefings, and guided in the use of original documents for their
research. A list of the materials containdd in the Briefing Kit
is included in the Appendix.
One aim of this study of structures in western Georgetown is to
prssent a view of houses that have endured through the years as
functional dwellings, having been altered by one generation
after another to adapt them to each family's needs. The houses
4
represent quite a range in value, from modest homes to elegant
ones.
The other purpose of the study is to be of service to future
researchers, for there is much yet to be discovered in this
portion of Georgetown. Analysis needs to be made of the forces
which attracted such a large concentration of laborers to this
area. Many other influences affecting the settlement of western
Georgetown would be rewarding to independent researchers, volun-
teers in a research program, or to professional scholars.
In this report the first chapter contains a brief description
of the area which was studied. In the second chapter an explana-
tion is offered of how the volunteer program of research operated.
Chapter III includes a discussion of the sources of information
which contributed to the study and Chapter IV, which comprises
the body of the volume, contains individual reports of each of
the structures which was studied. These reports are written in
the format used by the Historic American Buildings Survey in their
nationwide record of old buildings.
Documentation of facts is indicated by a number in parentheses
which refers to the list of references at the end of each histori-
cal analysis of a structure. Variations in the spelling of
proper names in original documents have been faithfully repro-
duced in each narrative. A chain of title is included as part
of each study of a dwelling so no additional documentation is
supplied about deeds. Since city directories had a variety of
titles through the years, it seemed simpler to list them under
a single title, City Directory, in the list of references. A
complete list, with specific titles, is found in the Appendix.
Chapter V contains a summary of the report and some conclusions
which evolved as a result of the study. In the final chapter
are acknowledgements to the many contributors to the report.
The Appendix includes some useful materials which will aid in
interpreting the report.
This volume represents a keen adventure to the many people who
worked on it. The research awakened a new awareness of the
impact of the past on the present day and a broader compre-
hension of the continuity of life.
5
References
1. Rains, Albert, Chairman, and Henderson, Laurance,
Director, A Report of a Special Committee on
Historic Preservation, under the auspices of the
United States Conference of Mayors with a grant
from the Ford Foundation. New York, New York:
Random House, 1966, p. 207.
6
<<<<
They
JUM MINIM
"This is a diversified section, comprised of homes both large
and small, bordering on a major university and on a renowned
convent, each of which has exerted influence on the growth
and development of the area." (Sketch by David Sheppard)
7
THE SITE
THE SITE
The structures described in this report are largely found
on the western fringe of Georgetown, from approximately
37th Street to 35th Street and Prospect Street to P Street.
This is a diversified section, comprised of homes both
large and small, bordering on a major university and on a
renowned convent, each of which has exerted influence on
the growth and development of the neighborhood.
It is an area of homes which has shifted with the economic
tides of Georgetown--sometimes expanding, sometimes barely
holding on, sometimes the center of hurried selling or
bargain buying of property. Its history goes back to the
beginning of Georgetown.
In 1751 the Assembly of the Province of Maryland appointed
six commissioners " to lay out and erect a town on the
Patowmack River a town which was to become "George
Towne. 11 This was a hundred and thirty years after Henry
Fleete, the first Englishman to visit the future site of
Georgetown, had sailed up the Potomac in 1621 and a
hundred and seventeen years after Leonard Calvert founded
the Colony of Maryland in 1634.
Sixty acres of land were to be purchased from George Gordon
and George Beall, both of whom owned large estates. These
acres, drawn from the two plantations, were to be laid out
into eighty lots. (1)
Six additions were later made to the original eighty lots;
the second of these additions to Georgetown was made in
November 1785 by Robert Peter, Charles Beatty, John
Threlkeld, and William Deakins, Jr. It consisted of twenty
acres which were divided into sixty lots in the west end
of Georgetown. (2)
11
Drewn
Sheet
OF
H
CEORGETOMY
in the
DISTRICT. COLUMBIA
WILLIAM BUSSARD
1530.
1830 Map of Georgetown by William Bussard (Map Division,
Library of Congress)
12
The land for the addition was laid out in the previous year
upon part of the following tracts: one acre of "Frogland"
owned by Charles Beatty; two acres of "Discovery" owned by
Robert Peter; thirteen acres of "Conjurer's Disappointment"
owned by William Deakins, Jr.; and three acres of "Re-
survey on Salop" owned by John Threlkeld. (3) Most of the
lots dealt with in this volume are part of the Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition.
The additions to Georgetown were necessary because George-
town was expanding rapidly as an important seaport and trad-
ing center. The thriving town was fulfilling the prophecy
of those who selected its strategic location near the head
of the tidewater on the Maryland shore of the Potomac.
With its navigable waters and its productive back country,
Georgetown inevitably became an important center of shipping
and inspection of goods.
The surrounding countryside of the Potomac Valley consisted
of huge plantations owned by aristocratic Maryland and
Virginia families who brought their tobacco to Georgetown
to be shipped abroad. The plantation economy was dependent
upon the imported labor force of slaves and indentured
servants to cultivate the tobacco. Small tobacco farmers
began to sell their crops to the large planters, for it was
more profitable than dealing with the English agents.
Gradually the large planters became traders and grew more
involved with the life of the town.
After the Revolution and during the first quarter of the
nineteenth century Georgetown, which had become incorporated
in 1789, was at its peak as a shipping port; factories and
mills and shops and banks were flourishing. Prosperous men,
many from the old plantation families, joined by a substantial
number of New England merchants, built mansions such as the
John Mason House and Prospect House, both included in this
report. (4)
During this era of prosperity the west end of Georgetown
developed rapidly. Georgetown College was founded in 1789,
the same year in which Georgetown was incorporated. In
Morrison's Strangers' Guide to Washington and Its Vicinity,
Morrison quotes a letter which Archbishop Carroll wrote in
1790 describing the location of the College: "Next Spring
we will commence our academy on a sight the most lovely the
eye could wish to rest upon." Morrison, writing in 1842,
endorses this viewpoint, praises the appearance of the
buildings and grounds and adds one unusual fillip as an asset
"
While its peculiar salubrity is attested by the extraor-
dinary fact that no student has died on the premises since the
13
foundation of the College. (5) In 1815 Congress raised the
rank of the College to a University, the first time such a
distinction had been accorded to an institution of higher
learning in the United States. (6)
Holy Trinity Church was established in 1788. as a parish
church for Catholics in the neighborhood, on land purchased
from John Threlkeld for five shillings--a virtual gift. (7)
The Academy of the Visitation, founded in 1799, is also
contiguous to the western area of Georgetowr. The Georgetown
Visitation Convent, part of the Academy, dates back to 1816.
(8) The school has a long and illustrious history. Morrison's
description in 1842 of the aims of the school reflect the aims
of the society of its day:
"The whole is under the direction of the Sisters
of the Visitation, the sole object of whose
united exertions is the advancement of the young
ladies in piety and virtue, in intellectual and
external cultivation, and in fitting them for
the domestic duties of life." (9)
In 1861 the course of instruction included thirty-five subjects,
among them "Orthography
Prose and Poetical Composition,
Sacred and Profane History
Music on the Piano
Painting in
Water Colors, in Oil, and on Velvet, Plain and Ornamental
Needlework, Tapestry, Lace Work, Beadwork, etc." (10) These
institutions all exerted a cultural influence in the area.
While Georgetown was thus expanding economically and culturally,
the seat of government was being established at nearby
Washington City. In 1790 Congress had passed an act establish-
ing the Federal seat of government on the Potomac, but specified
that Philadelphia should be the Federal capital for ten years
while the Federal city was being built. (11)
Furthermore the act "
empowered the President to choose the
exact location and to engage commissioners to take charge of
planning and building the new capital "(12) On January 22,
1791 President George Washington appointed Daniel Carroll and
Thomas Johnson of Maryland and David Stuart of Virginia as
commissioners for the new capital. (13) Much of the planning
occurred in Georgetown at Suters Tavern. (14) The Forrest-
Marbury House where the final arrangements for the purchase
of land for the new city were made still stands today at
3350 M Street in Georgetown. For the next eleven years the
three commissioners continued to manage the affairs of the
future capital city. (15)
14
During the ten years before the government was transferred to
Washington there was an avalanche of land speculation in the
Federal city area. Many wealthy gentlemen residing in western
Georgetown invested heavily in the new real estate venture,
thereby diverting capital which formerly had served to
develop Georgetown. The Duc de La Rochefaucault, a French
nobleman traveling in the United States from 1795 to 1797, de-
scribed the financial decline in Georgetown: " the
spec-
ulation in the lots of the federal city is a powerful cause
of the decay. They have turned a great part of the capital of
the merchants into that channel and consequently diverted
it from the trade of that place.' (16)
These "merchants" had hopes that their land would find a ready
market in the influx of people who would be drawn to the capital
of the nation. John J. Walsh in Early Banks in the District
of Columbia 1792-1818 says of these gentlemen, "They were eager
to see the new city prosper and develop for personal as well as
patriotic reasons They staked their fortunes on their
sincere optimism and lost heavily on the collapse of the land-
price boom." (17)
Closely allied to this economic fluctuation in Georgetown
fortunes was the establishment of the Bank of Columbia in 1793
by a group of prominent Georgetown residents. Two prime movers
of the enterprise were Benjamin Stoddert and Samuel Blodgett
whom Walsh characterizes as "civic-minded, well-meaning,
landed gentlemen." (18)
Adverse criticism of the idea of having a bank in a small com-
munity like Georgetown roused Blodgett to a vigorous defense.
Among the advantages of banks which he cited, a few particularly
reflect the concerns of that era:
"
It reduces usury, wherever there is a
sufficient number of rival banks, to prevent
a monopoly of its benefits.
"
It affords well known strong and con-
venient places for safe keeping, and this
prevents even a temptation to robbery.
"
It saves an incalculable sum in a
fair estimate of the time saved in count-
ing large notes instead of silver and
other coins.
"
It saves the expense of carriage,
which calculated for a long distance, on
large sums, are great, and the post, on
half notes, by mail, is always a safe
mode of conveyance." (19)
15
Many of the incorporators of the Bank of Columbia were men who
held important official positions and who were leaders in civic
affairs. A few of them, all residents of western George-
town, were: Benjamin Stoddert, a Revolutionary War hero, who
built and paid for the rough sidewalk between Georgetown and
Washington City; John Mason who was superintendent of the
Indian trade in Georgetown; James Maccubin Lingan who was
collector of the port of Georgetown; and John Templeman who
superintended the construction of the Potomack River Bridge.
(20)
The charter of the Bank of Columbia was so designed as to be
of special service to two groups: 1) the commissioners of
Washington City who were invited to buy up to $2000 worth of
stock in it, and 2) the directors and stockholders who had
first claim on loan facilities of the bank. Thus the bank
served as the city's fiscal agent and also aided the bank's
directors by extending credit for their large real estate
transactions. John J. Walsh describes the policy of the
Bank of Columbia and its economic effect on Georgetown:
"
The bank came along at the right time, the
Commissioners became stockholders in it and
when they needed land, the bank's directors sold
them their private holdings. This explains in
a measure why the demands of the Government and
real estate operators took precedence over the
needs of commerce and industry in Georgetown." (21)
Three other banks which appeared slightly later in Georgetown
had less direct effect on the growth of the community.
The Union Bank of Georgetown, incorporated on February 18, 1811,
included among its founders many names prominent in Georgetown's
history--Samuel Davidson, Thomas Corcoran, Francis Dodge,
Richard Parrott, John Teakle, among others. Walsh reports on
the short life of the bank:
"The bank survived the business crisis of 1819 for
on April 1 of that year it declared a dividend at
the rate of 8 per cent per annum for the half year.
However, the panic of 1837 must have proved too
much for it as the next year Congress granted it
permission to wind up its affairs and for this
purpose its charter was extended to July 1, 1842.
After July 1, 1838, the law prohibited it from
incurring any new obligations or liabilities and
it could not issue or reissue any bills payable
to bearer." (22)
16
Congress extended the charter several times for the settlement
of the bank's affairs, but in 1849 the charter finally expired.
Another bank which had an even shorter life span was the Cen-
tral Bank of Georgetown and Washington. It was chartered by
Congress on March 3, 1817, but its career was short, for in
1821 Congress ordered the bank to liquidate, permitting a
maximum of five years for the settlement of its affairs. (23)
The Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown, organized in
1814 and chartered in 1817, the same year of the Central
Bank's charter, had a successful history. William Marbury
became the first President; Clement Smith was chosen cashier
and in 1821 became President of the bank. (Smith's name
appears on many deeds of trust involving real estate in the
western part of Georgetown.)
The bank prospered, rendering service not only to the com-
munity but to the nation. Walsh describes the financial aid
the bank supplied to the U.S. Government to meet the costs
of the War of 1812. In 1872 it became a national bank called
"The Farmers and Mechanics National Bank of Georgetown." In
1928 it merged with the Riggs National Bank, continuing as
the Farmers and Mechanics Branch. (24)
When the land-boom in Washington City collapsed, most of the
speculators, having over-extended themselves and failing to
make a quick financial profit, lost the fortunes they had
inherited or had earned as tobacco magnates. Gentlemen such
as Benjamin Stoddert and John Templeman went heavily into
debt, often leaving debts to be paid off by their survivors
for years to come.
While these men were speculating on land in the Federal City,
John Threlkeld, another prominent citizen of Georgetown, was
devoting his efforts closer to home. He had been closely
identified with Georgetown for some years. Most of the houses
described in this report were once part of the John Threlkeld
landholdings.
John was the only son of Henry Threlkeld, who emigrated from
Cumberland County, England, "probably about 1730 to 1735,"
and Mary Brown Hopkins, daughter of Dr. Gustavus Brown, of
Rich Hill, Maryland, and widow of Matthew Hopkins. (25) The
Threlkeld family is said to be of Danish origin, although
the facts are obscured by time. Reverend Balch says that
the family name probably was "Thorkel" or "Turkil" and that
17
"While these men were speculating on land in the Federal
City, John Threlkeld, another prominent citizen of George-
town, was devoting his efforts closer to home."
Portrait of John Threlkeld (Smithsonian Institution)
18
the first of the family to settle in England may have been one
of the three earls who governed England under Canute. (26)
Proctor says that the Threlkelds were descended from a Danish
general who settled in England in 1550. (27) Mamie Williamson,
who compiled Threlkeld Family Data, notes that there is in
Cumberland County, England, a town named Threlkeld which had
a chapel as early as 1341. (28)
Henry Threlkeld's estate is described by Edgar Russell in his
A Short History of Berleith as a thousand acres, known
as Berleith, which bordered on the Potomac River. It ran
north from the Potomac and included the grounds of Georgetown
University, the Convent and Western High School." (29)
John grew up in a family "of culture and refinement,' as the
author Mary Lockwood describes it. (30) In his Reminiscences
of Georgetown, D.C., Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch describes
John Threlkeld as a scholar:
"My father has often told me that he was the
preceptor of John Threlkeld, who lived near
the Catholic College, and that he was one of
the best Latin scholars he had ever known.
He was also an admirable geographer and even
topographer
He was also well acquainted
with Boccaccio, though we do not know he could
read him in the Italian." (31)
In 1787 John married Elizabeth Ridgely of Maryland. A descend-
ant of Threlkeld says, "Mrs. Threlkeld was a lady of great
personal beauty. Mr. Threlkeld was widely known as a fine
scholar, and of great benevolence." (32)
Reverend Balch throws further light on Threlkeld as an individ-
ual:
"He was a man of commanding appearance, and a
fine equestrian. He rode a handsome sorrel
horse, and was rather impetuous in his move-
ments, but at times would rein in his steed,
until he quoted some Latin epigram to any
one liberally educated, and then he would
wheel suddenly round and be off at a tangent." (33)
When Georgetown was incorporated in December 1789, John
Threlkeld was one of the distinguished group who "...are here-
by appointed alderman of the said towne, so long as they shall
well behave themselves therein." (34)
19
Proctor describes Threlkeld as one of the wealthiest men of
his day, pointing out that in 1790 he owned fifty-one slaves.
(35) As an only child he inherited his parents' estate;
there he engaged in breeding stock on a large scale. He
extended his property, for like many of his contemporaries
he engaged in real estate transactions, selling plots of
land and building houses for rental purposes.
Threlkeld and his family continuously played an active part
in Georgetown affairs. Minutes of the Corporation of George
Town reveal that in 1793 he was elected its Mayor and also
appointed President of the Corporation. One of Threlkeld's
daughters married John Cox, who was Mayor of Georgetown for
twenty-two years and who built Cox's Row, still standing in
Georgetown on the north side of the 3300 block of N Street.
Their home, "The Cedars," was built on the Threlkeld estate,
Berleith. (36)
Threlkeld's fortunes rose and fell with the economic fluctua-
tionş
the community. By the time of his death in 1830,
at the age of 73, he was heavily indebted and some of his
land had to be forfeited.
He, like John Bronaugh and others, had been seriously affect-
ed by the economic depression of the 1820's and 1830's. Trade
had declined, owing to a number of factors. The canal and
lock system of the Potomac Company had failed; the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad offered rapid transit of goods to Baltimore
and Philadelphia; Washington City constituted serious com-
petition in goods and services. (37)
The financial slump affected all areas of life. The failure
of the Bank of Columbia was a serious blow:
"When the bank failed it created considerable
excitement in the community. Those who held
notes in the bank, found them worthless. Those
who owned stock in the bank and lived upon their
dividends, found their incomes gone. Those who
had money deposited there, discovered it was
lost." (38)
As the history of the houses in the western part of Georgetown
reveals (in Chapter IV), the real estate market during this
period was seriously affected by the business slump. Property
was sold at auction in default of trusts. There was a rapid
turnover in houses. Some people who had small savings bought
houses cheaply and moved their families into them.
20
Chief among this group were the Irish immigrants, many of whom
had been brought here by brokers who would " sell them into
limited terms of indentured servitude in payment of the passage
money to America. (39) The Irish immigrants, many of whom
settled in the west end of Georgetown, were desperately needed.
as laborers.
Mrs. Margaret Smith, wife of the proprietor of The Intelligencer,
writes in 1832:
"Several large public works are going on. The
Canal, the McAdamizing Pennsylvania Avenue,
and the opening of the ground for the conveyance
of water
It is a great work, which added
to others, has drawn to the city at least a
thousand laborers; in addition to our own, most
of them Irish." (40)
It was shortly after this, in 1839, when Georgetown was attacked
by natural forces--a barrage of ants that for three years infested
the area. Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch gives a whimsical account
of what was intrinsically a serious matter by comparing the in-
vasion to a military campaign:
"
their operations were conducted with much more
effective skill than Napoleon displayed either in
Russia or Belgium. They moved on in solid columns,
and so soon as one was killed another took its place;
or, rather, a thousand came to bury it with military
honors. They devoured evey herb. The gardens per-
ished before them; Property fell down to zero in
those parts of the town which they assaulted. They
attacked the specie in the old Bank of Columbia;
Ben Stoddert's residence, because its former owner
had once been Secretary of our Navy; General Mason's
because the General was the commander of our militia;
and Frank Key's, because he had written the Star
Spangled Banner." (41)
So serious was the menace that the Mayor offered a dollar for
every pint of slain ants--a measure quickly rescinded as in-
feasible in the control of an epidemic of insects. Suddenly,
three years later, as mysteriously as the plague had arrived,
it departed.
By the 1850's western Georgetown was sharing in the country's
improved economic situation. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
had been completed as far as Cumberland, Maryland. It was in
this period that Georgetown began to expand as a city--streets
were illuminated with gas; two schools were built; Oak Hill
21
"In the west part of Georgetown houses were increasing. One house,
Prospect Cottage at Prospect and Lingan (36th) Streets, became well
known as the home of the popular novelist, Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth."
(Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library)
22
Cemetery was laid out. In the west part of Georgetown houses
were increasing. One house, Prospect Cottage at Prospect
and Lingan (36th) Streets, became well known as the home of
the popular novelist, Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth. (42)
Georgetown felt the impact of the Civil War in many ways.
Situated between the North and the South, the town became a
strategic location for both sides. Leading to the capital
were highways, including the Georgetown-Alexandria Aqueduct
which was drained to serve as a military road.
Union soldiers were quartered at Georgetown University as
well as in many private homes. Forrest Hall on High Street
(now Wisconsin Avenue) became a hospital, as did a number of
schools, churches, warehouses, and hotels. The Washington
and Georgetown Street Railway was incorporated in 1862 to
operate horse cars which conveyed the crowds which swarmed
to the town.
Although Georgetown did not serve as a battlefield, the Civil
War--as do all wars--affected permanently certain aspects of
life. There was a great turnover of houses during the 1860-
65 period, as residents left for the North or the South, de-
pending upon their sympathies.
Life in Georgetown under war conditions impinged on the econom-
ic status of citizens in widely differing ways. Southern
businessmen suffered because they could not replenish their
stocks. Inflation caused a sharp disparity in consumer needs
and purchasing power. Constance Green describes the situation
in nearby Washington at this time:
"Skilled workmen commanded unheard-of wages, some of
them as much as $3.50 a day, merchants with stock
bought cheap could sell at huge markups, and people
with real estate to dispose of made killings; but
petty tradesmen without the credit to purchase goods
at the right moment, common laborers, and people on
salaries suffered. Families whose income had derived
from the South or from the hire of their slaves faced
real want
"Military priorities and the loss of easy access to
former sources of supply heightened inflation." (43)
The west end of Georgetown was populated heavily by laborers and
skilled workmen. Perhaps this war-time affluence, coupled with
the vacant houses due to the exodus of many people, accounts for
the number of houses in west Georgetown that were purchased dur-
ing the war period.
23
......
......
PUMPLE
*****
"Georgetown felt the impact of the Civil War in many ways. Situated
between the North and the South, the town became a strategic location
for both sides. Leading to the capitol were highways including the
Georgetown-Alexandria Aqueduct which was drained to serve as a
military road." 1868 view of western Georgetown, showing Georgetown
College, Holy Trinity Church, and the Aqueduct Bridge (Library
of Congress)
24
By the end of the war investments by northern interests had be-
gun to overpower local financial figures:
"New Yorkers and Philadelphians, having gained control
of the local banks and the principal street railway,
now overshadowed native capitalists like W.W. Corcoran
and his associates." (44)
The Civil War left in its wake many problems. The immediate
shrinkage of business opportunities came just at the time
when soldiers were returning to civilian life in need of jobs.
The political and social structure of Georgetown was affected
by the large numbers of recently freed Negroes, who not only needed
jobs but also the education and skill to execute them.
However, in the decade following the war Georgetown began once
more to develop, and at an accelerated pace. Sewers and other
urban conveniences began to appear. (45) Gradually, house
construction, repair, and remodeling were resumed.
Social life in Georgetown became reactivated. In 1871 a
newspaper account describes the Georgetown scene:
"
every afternoon and evening the fashionables are
in a whirl of excitement and find it difficult, even
with the aid of fine equipage and fast horses to make
the round of calls between noon and midnight." (46)
However, only a few of the residents of western Georgetown were
socialites. Most of the inhabitants of the area at this time
were more likely to be artisans or to be working in a manual
capacity.
In February of 1871 Congress revoked the charter of Georgetown
and it became 'an integral part of Washington, D.C.'
though permitted to retain its name and the names of its streets."
(47) But despite official edict, Georgetown continued to grow
with an entity of its own.
In the last quarter of the nineteenth century eight public
schools were opened in Georgetown, not counting Linthicum Institute,
" a free school 'for boys and youths of more advanced years
an evening school, to which, after the daily toil is ended they
may resort for such practical instruction as will qualify them for
active duties and business life
"
(48)
On February 11, 1895 Congress decreed that Georgetown, now with
a population of about 15,000, shall no longer be known by
name and title in law of City of Georgetown and same shall be
known as and shall constitute a part of the City of Washington
"
25
"Most of the inhabitants of the area at this time were
more likely to be artisans or to be working in a
manual capacity. " View of western Georgetown from
Georgetown College, 1893 (Library of Congress)
26
The Commissioners of the District of Columbia were directed
to cause the nomenclature of the streets and avenues of George-
town to conform to those of Washington as far as practicable.
At the same time all real estate square numbers in Georgetown
were altered so that none was a duplicate of a square number
in Washington. (49)
But although Georgetown lost its official identity, its aura
continued to thrive, with occasional setbacks such as the period
following the First World War. While the mansions maintained
their elegance, many of the small houses had deteriorated, often
being without sanitary facilities. Some parts of the town
had become squalid.
During the latter part of the 1930's a metamorphosis began in
Georgetown housing. The New Deal brought many young, bright
newcomers to Washington. They discovered the convenience and
quiet charm of a Georgetown residence. Swiftly, houses be-
came in demand, restoration became fashionable, and within a
very few years much residential improvement occurred.
Western Georgetown reflects this growth, in both the
physical state of the houses and in increased land values.
This westernmost part of Georgeoown has its roots in the early
development of the town. There is a harmony of scale and
texture in the small row houses and an enduring quality in
their simplicity.
Unfortunately, the attentive and dedicated effort which has
resulted in fine restoration and maintenance of this essentially
residential area has also tempted an array of commercial
interests to seek to capitalize on a sought-after neighborhood, and
there is yet the possibility that they may serve to destroy
it, or at least seriously mar it.
To recapitulate, western Georgetown is a diversified
area, composed of many elements. Famllies living in houses
from one generation to another have adapted their homes to
new ways of living, retrenching during hard times and expand-
ing during prosperous decades.
These old houses constitute a living museum, one that is not
designed for exhibition, but one that represents a viewpoint
of cherishing the old while simultaneously embracing more
convenient ways of living.
This small area of the western part of Georgetown exemplifies the
modern concept of preservation. It is a process that does
not obstruct progress, but rather channels it for the convenience
of twentieth-century people living in eighteenth- and nineteenth-
century homes.
27
References
1. Evans, Henry Ridgely, Old Georgetown on the Potomac.
Washington, D.C.: Henry Ridgely Evans, 1933, PP. 9-11.
2. Mackall, S. Somervell, Early Days of Washington.
The Neale Co., 1899, p. 44.
3. "An Act for an Addition to Georgetowne in Montgomery County,"
Acts of the Assembly Since the Revolution. Annapolis,
Maryland: Frederick Green, printer, 1787, chapter 45.
4. Same reference as #1. P. 16.
5. Morrison, William M., Morrison's Strangers' Guide to the City
of Washington and Its Vicinity. Washington City: William
M. Morrison, 1842, PP. 76-77.
6. City Directory. 1822, P. 131.
7. Kelly, Laurence J., Rev., History of Holy Trinity Parish,
1795-1945. Baltimore, Maryland: John D. Lucas Printing Co.,
1945, P. 17.
8. Alumnai of Georgetown Visitation Convent, The Convent Story.
Washington, D.C.: Georgetown Visitation Convent, 1965, p. 2.
9. Same reference as #5. P. 82.
10. Bohn, Casimir, Bohn's Handbook of Washington. Washington,
D.C.: Casimir Bohn, 1861, p. 107.
11. Green, Constance McLaughlin, Washington Village and Capital,
1800-1878. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University
Press, 1962, p. 8.
12. Same reference as #11. P. 12.
28
13. Caemmerer, H.P., Washington The National Capital.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932,
p. 17.
14. Caemmerer, H. Paul, A Manual on the Origin and Develop-
ment of Washington. Washington, D.C.: United States
Government Printing Office, 1939, p. 19.
15. Walsh, John Joseph, Early Banks in the District of Columbia.
Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University Press, 1940,
p. 68.
16. De la Rochefaucault-Liancourt, Duc Francois-Alexandre-
Frederic, Voyage dans les Etats-Unis d'Amerique. Paris,
France: 1799, Vol. III, 1795-1797, p. 653.
17. Same reference as #15. p. 71.
18. Same reference as #15. p. 62.
19. Same reference as #15. PP. 63-64.
20. Same reference as #15. pp. 68-69.
21. Same reference as #15. pp. 69-71.
22. Same reference as #15. pp. 132-134.
23. Same reference as #15. p. 150.
24. Same reference as #15. pp. 144-147.
25. Threlkeld, Hansford Lee, Threlkeld Geneaology. Hansford
Lee Threlkeld, 1932, p. 305, Jefferson Room, Library of
Congress.
29
26. Balch, Reverend Thomas Bloomer, Reminiscences of George-
town, D.C., Second Lecture. Washington, D.C.: Henry
Polkinhorn, Printer, 1859, p. 8, Jefferson Room, Library
of Congress.
27. Proctor, John Clagett, Editor-in-Chief, Washington Past and
Present. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing
Co., 1930, p. 431.
28. Williamson, Mamie, compiler, Threlkeld Family Data. Grant,
Kentucky: p. 2.
29. Russell, Edgar, A Short History of Burleith. Washington, D.C.:
The Author, 1955.
30. Lockwood, Mary s., Historic Homes in Washington--Its Noted
Men and Women. New York, New York: Belford Co., 1889,
pp. 277-278.
31. Same reference as #26. p. 8.
32. Same reference as #25. p. 32.
33. Same reference as #26. p. 8.
34. Same reference as #2. p. 45.
35. Same reference as #27. PP. 431-432.
36. Ecker, Grace Dunlap, A Portrait of Old George Town.
Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, Inc., 1951, p. 125.
37. Young, Rogers W., The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the
Antebellum Commerce of Old Georgetown. Washington, D.C.:
National Capital Region, U.S. National Park Service, 1940,
PP. 5-6.
30
38. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.:
The Society, Vol. 33-34, 1932, p. 145.
39. Same reference as #38. Vol. 44-45, 1944, p. 146.
40. Smith, Margaret Bayard, The First Forty Years of Washington
Society. New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1906, pp. 335-336.
41. Same reference as #26. PP. 21-22.
42. Same reference as #38. Vol. 44-45, 1944, p. 94.
43. Same reference as #11. pp. 264-265.
44. Same reference as #11. p. 289.
45. Same reference as #11. p. 345.
46. Georgetown Courier. January 28, 1871.
47. Williams, Mathilde D., "Chronology of Georgetown Events 1621
to the Present," Donald Stetson Davis in collaboration with
Scott Hart, Georgetown 1751 to the Present. Washington, D.C.:
Donald Stetson Davis, 1965, p. 19.
48. Same reference as 47. P. 19.
49. "An Act Changing the Name of Georgetown in the District of
Columbia...," U.S. Statutes at Large. 53rd Congress, 1893-
95, Vol. 28, Chapter 79, p. 650.
31
43
78
75
7
SECOND
GEORGETOWN
COLLEGE
50
38%
38
(A)
61
N
53
19
PROSPECT
33
35
M
12
30
AND
9
POTOMAC
Bridge
S
so
Aqueduet
RIVER
Map of western Georgetown (Hopkin's Atlas, 1887)
32
THE RESEARCHERS
THE RESEARCHERS
The research for this study was executed by volunteers,
citizens who were deeply interested in the preservation
of historic Georgetown. None of the participants was a
trained historian, although many of them were skilled in
research techniques in other fields.
The decision to employ volunteer research assistance for
this study was based on the success of the 1966 pilot
project conducted jointly by the Commission of Fine Arts
and the Historic American Buildings Survey. At that
time six volunteers assisted the professional staff in
documenting selected commercial structures in Georgetown
on High Street (Wasconsin Avenue) and Bridge (M) Street.
These volunteers proved to be so outstanding in ability,
dedication, and enthusiasm that it was recognized that
a previously untapped resource was yielding great returns.
Consequently, the volunteer program was expanded and
used for this study of the western part of Georgetown.
Each researcher was responsible for the historical
documentation of one building. A skeletal chain of title
for the structure was provided by a staff member of the
Commission. The researcher's task was to determine the
date of erection of the building, to find out who occupied
it, and also to discover historical information about the
structure and biographical data about the individuals
connected with it. They were encouraged to develop
new techniques and unearth new sources.
To assist in the study the Commission of Fine Arts
prepared a Briefing Kit directed entirely toward historic
research in Georgetown. The kit includes maps, bibliographies,
and other source materials. (See Appendix.) Further
35
assistance provided by the Commission of Fine Arts
consisted of conferences with specialists and small
group meetings of participants where progress was
evaluated and information shared. Tracking down facts
in the District of Columbia was particularly tedious
because records have been shifted from place to place as
the government has expanded and changed.
"A program involving volunteer researchers who deal with
primary sources and original documents may well be unique."
Miss Mathilde Williams, curator, and Mrs. Howard Cayton at
the Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library (Photographed
by David Blume)
36
"The research for this study was executed by volunteers, citizens
who were deeply interested in the preservation of historic George-
town."
Mrs. J.K. Mansfield at the Recorder of Deeds, Old Liber Room
(Photographed by David Blume)
37
SOURCES
SOURCES
The nation's capital contains a myriad of sources for historical
research about Georgetown. Some, like the National Archives and
the Library of Congress, are well known. Many records are in
obscure places and it takes a combination of skill and luck to
locate them. Information from one source may provide clues for
a pursuit that may disclose a cache of records the existence of
which was not even known to the researcher.
This report reflects the variety of sources that were detected.
The following listing covers not only places where specific
material was located for use in this volume, but also places
which were explored and where related records were unearthed.
The latter are included in the expectancy that they will be of
assistance for future Georgetown investigators.
Federal Institutions
Arlington National Cemetery
Department of Navy
Fort Myer, Virginia
(Library)
Washington, D.C
Army Corps of Engineers
Historical Division
Department of State
Baltimore, Maryland
(Library; U.S. National
Commission for UNESCO)
Washington, D.C.
Army Map Service
Bethesda, Maryland
41
Bureau of Land Management
Library of Congress
Division of Lands and Realty
(Geography and Map Reading
Department of the Interior
Room; Local History and
Genealogy Reading Room;
Main Reading Room; Manu-
Bureau of the Census
script Reading Room;
(Library)
Microfilm Reading Room;
Department of Commerce
Newspaper Reading Room;
Suitland, Maryland
Prints and Photographs
Reading Room; Rare Book
Reading Room; Thomas
Chief of Engineers Office,
Jefferson Room)
U.S. Army
Washington, D.C.
Scientific and Technical
Information Section
(Library)
Museum of History and Tech-
Washington, D.C.
nology
(Library; Political History
Division; Photography
Coast and Geodetic Survey
Section)
Cartography Division
Smithsonian Institution
Department of Commerce
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
National Archives and Records
Department of Army
Center
(Library)
(Audio-visual Branch; Carto-
Washington, D.C.
graphic Branch; Central
Research Room; Legislative,
Judicial, and Diplomatic
Department of Labor
Records Division; Microfilm
(Library)
Reading Room; Old Military
Washington, D.C.
Records Division)
General Services Administration
Washington, D.C.
Engineer Center, U.S. Army
(Library; Museum)
Ft. Belvoir, Virginia
National Collection of Fine Arts
(Exhibits; Library)
Smithsonian Institution
Geological Survey
Washington, D.C.
Topographic Division
Map Information Office
Department of Interior
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.
(Collection; Library)
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C.
42
National Historical Publications
U.S. Capitol
Commission
Art and Reference Library
National Archives and Records
Office of the Architect of
Center
the Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
National Portrait Gallery
U.S. House of Representatives
(Collection; Library)
(Committee on the District of
Smithsonian Institution
Columbia)
Washington, D.C.
House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Office of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation
U.S. Senate
Division of History
(Committee on the District of
(National Landmarks Program)
Columbia)
National Register of Historic
Senate Office Building
Places
Washington, D.C.
Division of Historic Architecture
(Historic American Buildings
Survey)
Washington Aqueduct Division
(Historic Structures Branch)
Army Corps of Engineers
National Park Service
Washington, D.C.
Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.
Washington National Records
Center
Post Office Department
Archives Branch; Reference
(History Division; Library)
Service Branch
Washington, D.C.
Suitland, Maryland
Public Buildings Service
Historical Studies Office
General Services Administration
Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia Institutions
Assessment Services Division
D.C. Central Public Library
Maps and Titles Section; Records
(Art and Picture File; General
and Information Section
Reference Room; Washingtoniana
Municipal Center
Room)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
43
D.C. Register of Wills
National Capital Planning
U.S. District Court
Commission
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
D.C. Recorder of Deeds
Office of the Surveyor
(General Land Index Room; Lot
District Building
and Square Index Office; Liber
Washington, D.C.
Room)
Washington, D.C.
Property Assessment Division
Personal Property Assessment
District of Columbia Government
Section; Real Estate Assess-
Executive Office, Office of the
ment Division
Secretariat
Municipal Center
District Building
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
United States District Court
Division of Licenses and Permits
for the District of
Bureau of Licenses and Inspection
Columbia
District Building
(Civil Action Docket Room)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Marriage Bureau
D.C. Court of General Sessions
Washington, D.C.
State and Local Institutions
Alexandria City Hall
Alexandria Public Library
Circuit Court and Corporation
Alexandria, Virginia
Court
(Land Records Office; Estate
Records Office; Marriage
American Archives Association
License Bureau)
Washington, D.C.
Alexandria, Virginia
44
American Institute of Architects
Frederick County Court House
National Headquarters
Frederick, Maryland
(Library)
Washington, D.C.
Frick Museum
(Art Reference Library)
Anne Arundel County Court House
New York, New York
Annapolis, Maryland
Georgetown Branch of D.C.
Capitol Hill Southeast Citizens
Public Library
Association
(Peabody Room)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Citizens Association of George-
Maryland Hall of Records
town
Annapolis, Maryland
Committee on Historic Preserva-
tion
Washington, D.C.
Maryland Land Records Office
Maryland Hall of Records
Annapolis, Maryland
Committee of 100 on the Federal
City
Washington, D.C.
Medical Society of the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
(Library)
Washington, D.C.
Montgomery County Court House
(Land Records Office; Marriage
License Bureau; County
District Public Library
Surveyors Office; Register of
(Burton Historical Collection)
Wills)
Detroit, Michigan
Rockville, Maryland
Enoch Pratt Free Library
Montgomery County Public Library
Baltimore, Maryland
Rockville Branch
Rockville, Maryland
Foundation for the Pre-
servation of Historic
Montgomery County Tax
Georgetown
Assessor's Office
Washington, D.C.
County Office Building
Rockville, Maryland
45
National Geographic Society
Richmond City Hall
(Library)
Richmond, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Virginia State Library
Peale Museum
Richmond, Virginia
Baltimore, Maryland
Washington Metropolitan
Prince George's County
Chapter
Library
American Institute of
(Maryland Room)
Architects
Hyattsville, Maryland
Washington, D.C.
Historical and Patriotic Organizations
Accokeek Foundation Inc.
American Historical Society
Accokeek, Maryland
Washington, D.C.
Alexandria Historical and
American Philosophical
Preservation Commission
Society
Alexandria, Virginia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
American Association for
American Society for Legal
State and Local History
History, Inc.
Nashville, Tennessee
Washington, D.C.
American Catholic Historical
Arlington Historical Society
Association
Headquarters
Catholic University of America
(Hume Museum)
Washington, D.C.
Arlington, Virginia
American Historical
Capitol Hill Restoration
Association
Society
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
46
Colonial Dames of the XVII
Maryland Historical Society
Century, National Society
Baltimore, Maryland
Washington, D.C.
Massachusetts Historical
Colonial Williamsburg
Commission
(Research Department)
State House
Williamsburg, Virginia
Boston, Massachusetts
Columbia Historical Society
Montgomery County Historical
(Library)
Society
Washington, D.C.
Rockville, Maryland
Daughters of the American
Mount Vernon Ladies Association
Colonists, National Society
of the Union
Washington, D.C.
(Library)
Mt. Vernon, Virginia
Daughters of the American
Revolution, National Society
National Genealogical Society
(Library; General Registrar's
Washington, D.C.
Office)
Washington, D.C.
National Trust for Historic
Preservation
Gunston Hall
Washington, D.C.
(Archives)
Lorton, Virginia
Naval Historical Foundation
(Truxton-Decatur Naval Museum)
Historic Alexandria Foundation
Washington, D.C.
(Archives and Library)
Alexandria, Virginia
Philadelphia Historical
Commission
Historic Georgetown, Inc.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Washington, D.C.
Potomac Lodge No. 5
Historical Society of
Masonic Fraternity
Delaware
Washington, D.C.
Wilmington, Delaware
Scottish Rite
Historical Society of Penn-
Headquarters, Supreme Council,
sylvania
Southern Jurisdiction
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(Archives and Library)
Washington, D.C.
47
Society of Architectural His-
St. Mary's County Historical
torians
Society
(National Headquarters)
Leonardtown, Maryland
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(Latrobe Chapter)
Washington, D.C.
United States Capitol Historical
Society
Washington, D.C.
Society of Colonial Dames of
America
National and Local branches
United States Civil War Centennial
(Library and Historical Division)
Commission
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Society of The Cincinnati
United States Daughters of 1812,
(National Headquarters and
National Society
Museum)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Virginia Historical Society
Society of the Oldest
Richmond, Virginia
Inhabitants
Washington, D.C.
White House Historical
Association
Sons of the American
Washington, D.C.
Revolution
(National Society; D.C.
Society)
Washington, D.C.
Religious Institutions
(Birth, Baptism, Marriage, and Death Records)
Christ Episcopal Church,
Convent of the Visitation
Georgetown
(Archives)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
48
LV MEMORY
of
My dear Jushand
TIMOTHY d.SULLIVAN
Died July 10, ISSS.
aged 36 years
Marhe ristón peact.
"Information from one source may provide clues for a
pursuit that may disclose a cache of records the
existence of which was not even knwon to the
researcher." Holy Rood Cemetary (Photographed by
David Blume)
49
Friends Meeting House
Oak Hill Cemetery
Washington, D.C.
(Georgetown)
Washington, D.C.
Georgetown Presbyterian
Church
Pohick Episcopal Church
Washington, D.C.
Lorton, Virginia
Grace Episcopal Church,
Potomac Stake of the
Georgetown
Church of Jesus Christ of
Washington, D.C.
Latter-Day Saints
(National Genealogical
Research Records)
Holy Rood Cemetery
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Quaker Records Center
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Church
(Georgetown)
Washington, D.C.
Rock Creek Cemetery
Washington, D.C.
Mormon Records Center
(National Genealogical
St. John Episcopal Church,
Records)
Georgetown
Salt Lake City, Utah
Washington, D.C.
Educational Institutions
American University
Dumbarton.Oaks
Institute of Genealogical
Harvard University-trustees
Research (Summer session)
(Research Library)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
50
George Washington University
University of Maryland
(Library-Wright Collection)
(Library-Maryland and
Washington, D.C.
Rare Book Room)
College Park, Maryland
Georgetown University
(Archives; Library;
Woodstock College
Department of History)
(Archives)
Washington, D.C.
Woodstock, Maryland
John Hopkins University
(Library)
Baltimore, Maryland
Business Institutions
Board of Trade-Metropolitan
District Title Insurance
Washington
Co.
(City Directory Library of R. L.
Washington, D.C.
Polk & Co.; Nineteenth Century
Club)
Washington, D.C.
Firemen's Insurance Co. of
Washington and Georgetown
Washington, D.C.
Book Dealers--Used and Rare
Park Book Shop; W. H.
Lowdermilk & Co.
General Accident Insurance
(Old Books, maps, and prints)
Co.
Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chesapeake and Potomac
Georgetown Pharmacy
Telephone Co.
(Old prescriptions)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Columbia Real Estate Title
Guardian Federal Saving
Insurance Co.
and Loan Association
Washington, D.C.
(Archives and Museum)
Washington, D.C.
51
Druis
W
M D
Office
AND
REMOVE
him
init
jul
nt
pxvi
GEO. B. PharOcial, LOCKHART ST., con
instructions
3612
F THE 1 I 1334
CHARLES
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OFFICE no DREBALLE DR. xr.
ARMISTERD PETER. Ar. 6 M.D. M.
I
31
Buff
min WILLIO yelps in & met in
"Many records are in obscure places and it takes
a combination of skill and luck to locate them."
1883 Prescriptions, Georgetown Pharmacy
(Photographed by David Blume)
52
Harris and Ewing
Montgomery Mutual Insurance
(Photographers)
Co.
Washington, D.C.
Sandy Spring, Maryland
Insurance Company of North
National Bank of Washington
America
Washington, D.C.
Philadelphía, Pennsylvania
Potomac Electric Power Co.
Kiplinger Letters
Washington, D.C.
(Washingtoniana Collection)
Washington, D.C.
Riggs National Bank
Washington, D.C.
Leet - Melbrook, Inc.
(Photographers)
Rockville, Maryland
R. L. Polk E Co. (Publishers)
Washington, D.C.
Local Newspapers
(Reference files including
Rufus S. Lusk e Son, Inc.
obituaries, photographs,
Washington, D.C.
etc.)
Washington, D.C.
Washington Gas Light Co.
Washington, D.C.
Millicent C. Chatel, Wise
and Gilliat Inc. (Real
Estate)
Washington, D.C.
People
Persons associated with a
Long-time residents in
structure by family, lo-
Georgetown (Interviews)
cation, business or
other circumstances (In-
terviews)
Persons owning private col-
lections (Business records,
diaries, family records,
letters, photographs)
53
THE STRUCTURES
I
56
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-167
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
("Quality Hill")
Address in 1969:
3425 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 80 Prospect Street.)
Location:
The house occupies Lot 42 in Square 51
in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot
835, out of Lot 808, in Square 1221 in
the City of Washington.
Date of erection:
1797-1798
Owners in 1969:
Senator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell
Occupants in 1969:
Senator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
This structure is one of the finest of the
few surviving large, free-standing, late
eighteenth-century town houses of George-
town. From its first owner, John Mason,
to its present one, Senator Claiborne Pell,
it has been continually occupied by
individuals prominent in local and national
affairs.
57
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1798-1807
In August of 1798 John Threlkeld and his wife conveyed
Lots 41 and 42 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition to Georgetown to John Thomson Mason, attorney
at law. The price paid for those lots which were
in the tenure and occupation of the said John Thomson
Mason.. was 450 pounds. This sum for the two lots
would indicate that the land was not vacant at the
time of Mason's purchase, so it is probable that his
house was already standing when he took title to the
land in the late summer of 1798.
John Thomson Mason may well have been living in the
house when this deed was recorded. A letter written
by Mason in March 1798 mentioned his residence in
Georgetown. (1) The birth of his first child in
Georgetown in January 1798 would suggest that the
Masons had moved to the Prospect Street house by the
autumn of 1797. Mason may have commissioned the
house soon after his marriage in January 1797, and
construction may have been completed when he took
title in August 1798. As it was assessed after 1800
as a "new house," it is not likely that it was built
much earlier than 1797-1798.
Tax assessment records for the period 1800-1807 show
two different entries for John T. Mason (one no doubt
earlier than the other):
58
Persons Names Real Propurty
Personal
Proputy
Property
M
Dolay
Dolly
soyths
toy with im
Furniture 30
proor ments 4010
4000
50
1050
Marry William Dost lot ongay
street Doo
400
400
then
lot withim.
proviously one
high theet 1600
Hoo
1600
2 lots with im
1 higrow him 280
provencing opposed
boy 120
what 235k
m. 3000
/ " thoman 100
2 Cours
14
2 Horses 120
Gurnelure soo
3010
1144
4144
"As the tax records indicate, Mason was a man of
means when he built his home in Georgetown."
Georgetown Assessment of Real and Personal
Properties 1800-1807 (National Archives)
59
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 3)
"John T. Mason
new house
$2356
2 lots with improvements
opposite Mr. Stoddert
3000
2 Nigroe men
280
1 Nigroe boy
120
1 Nigroe woman
100
2 COWS
24
2 horses
120
Furniture
500
and
3 Improved lots on Prospect St.
$6000
2 lots on Fayette St.
300
1 Negroe Man
150
3 Negroe Women
450
1 horse
20
2 cows
30
Furniture
800" (2)
As the tax records indicate, Mason was a man of means when he
built his home in Georgetown. He came from a family of the
Virginia landed gentry.
John Thomson Mason was born on March 15, 1765 at Chappawamsic,
Stafford County, Virginia. He was a younger son of Thomson
Mason and Mary Barnes Mason. Mary's father, Colonel Abraham
Barnes, of Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland, was a
prosperous tobacco merchant. Since much of his time was spent
in England, his son-in-law, Thomson Mason, managed the business
for him. Mary had two brothers, Richard, who was a prominent
leader in the Revolutionary party in Maryland, and John, whose
firm, Barnes and Ridgate, owned stores in Georgetown and on
the shores of the Potomac before the Revolutionary War. Since
neither of Mary's brothers had children who survived them, her
son, John Thomson Mason, ultimately inherited property from both
of his uncles. From Richard he received "Tudor Hall" near
Leonardtown and from John "Montpelier" in Washington County,
Maryland. (3)
60
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 4)
When John Thomson Mason was very young, his father moved
to "Raspberry Plain" in Loudoun County, Virginia. Thomson
Mason took an active part in the government of Virginia
during the Revolution and in the political settlement
afterward. His "Letters of a British American" were
published in Rind's Virginia Gazette during 1774. (4)
Thomson Mason died at "Raspberry Plain" in 1785, leaving
his Loudoun County lands to his eldest son, Stevens
Thomson Mason, United States Senator from Virginia, and
a part of his property in Stafford and Prince William
Counties to John Thomson Mason. (5)
John Thomson Mason was educated at David Griffith's Academy
in Loudoun County by the Reverend Robert Buchan of Over-
wharton Parish and at the College of William and Mary in
Williamsburg. (6) He was admitted to the bar in Maryland
and became an eminent member of his profession.
When John Thomson Mason built his Georgetown residence,
1797-98, he was thirty-three years old, he had a large
independent income from his landholdings in Virginia and
Maryland, and wanted a house to which he could take his
young bride. In January 1797 he had married seventeen-
year-old Elizabeth Beltzhoover, daughter of Melchor
Beltzhoover of Frederick County, Maryland. (7)
Mason was one of a group of eminent gentlemen, like Ben-
jamin Stoddert, who were drawn from the counties to
Georgetown by the activities of the nearby rapidly
developing Federal City. John Mason sought to establish
his law practice in the new center of national affairs.
His family connections, including his brother, a Senator
from Virginia, brought John in close contact with the
political scene.
61
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 5)
During Mason's tenancy of the house on Prospect Street he
became active in public affairs in Georgetown as well as on
a national scale. However, he apparently had no interest
in public office, for in 1801 he refused President Thomas
Jefferson's offer to become Attorney General of the United
States and ten years later refused a similar offer by
President Madison. Nor would he accept the post of Attorney
General of Maryland. (8)
The Prospect Street home in Georgetown was the scene of much
social activity, a place where friends gathered to enjoy
the Mason's expansive hospitality. Some of the guests were
leaders of the nation. According to reminiscences by John
Thomson Mason, Jr., Thomas Jefferson visited the Mason house
so plainly dressed on one occasion that a servant refused
to admit him! (9) One speculates about the matters of state
that were exposed, discussed, and decided amid the light
social chatter under the Mason's roof!
It is not clear how long John Thomson Mason and his family
lived in the house. Legal documents concerning the settle-
ment of his brother's estate describe him as "of George
Town" in 1804. (10)
Mason's interest, however, drew him more and more away from
Georgetown and involved him in the complicated operations
of plantations in the extremities of southern and western
Maryland. The estate of his uncle, Colonel Richard Barnes,
was finally settled in 1804. It had been involved for a
long time in litigation because, by his Will, Richard Barnes
had freed over two hundred slaves. The final settlement
provided for their manumission over a period of ten years,
with John Thomson Mason as the trustee and surety for their
freedom. The settlement of the estate of his other uncle,
John Barnes, also provided for the freedom of all of his
slaves, but they numbered less than fifty. (11)
62
JK
in
"The Prospect Street home in Georgetown was the scene of
much social activity, a place where friends gathered to
enjoy the Mason's expansive hospitality." John Thomson
Mason and Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason (Mr. and Mrs.
Ralph Burdick Loudonville, New York)
63
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 6)
In 1806-1807 Mason's flour accounts from "Montpelier"
are noted as paid by him in "Georgetowne. (12) When
he sold the house on Prospect Street in 1807, however,
the new owner was already living in it as a tenant.
Mason is described in the deed as "late of George
Town, now of Washington County," while the deed is
headed at St. Mary's County, Maryland. At the time
Mason and his family were living on his estate in
Maryland. (13) On August 8, 1808 John Thomson Mason
paid freight charges on a barge-load of furniture
shipped from Georgetown, which suggests that the
family took the last of their possessions from the
Prospect Street house at this date. (14)
The Masons, however, with their many connections,
maintained an interest in Georgetown. Letters from
Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason to her children (now
preserved at Gunston Hall, Lorton, Virginia) indicate
that the children attended school in Georgetown in
the 1820's and 1830's as boarding students. (15) John
Thomson Mason's Account Book (now in the Manuscript
Division of the Library of Congress) is a farm account
book from his "Montpelier" plantation in Washington
County, Maryland. There, Mason raised wheat with free
Negro laborers and tenants, sending his flour to markets
in Georgetown and Baltimore. The accounts show a
perceptible shift from hiredlabor to tenancy and afford
an interesting example of efforts to break away from
a slave-oriented economy. (16) John Thomson Mason sold
all of his lands in St. Mary's County to Philip Key
between 1811 and 1813, possibly because wheat was better
suited to free-labor farming than tobacco. (17)
The Masons had eight children. John Thomson Mason, Jr.,
named for an older brother who had died while the family
was living in Georgetown, was Judge of the Maryland
Court of Appeals. A daughter, Mary Barnes Mason, married
the Reverend John Winter of St. Paul's Lutheran Church,
Hagerstown, Maryland. (18)
64
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 7)
Another son, Melchor Beltzhoover Mason, is mentioned in the
correspondence of Governor Stevens Thomson Mason of Michigan
(a cousin) as active in the development of western lands. (19)
John Thomson Mason, first owner of the house, died at "Mont-
pelier," near Clear Spring, Washington County, Maryland on
December 10, 1824. Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason, his widow,
also died at their Maryland estate on June 30, 1836. Both
are buried in the family burying ground on the "Montpelier"
property. (20)
1807-1810
The new owners of the Prospect Street house, John and Elizabeth
Teakle, had been leasing the house from the Masons before pur-
chasing it. The deed discloses that John Thomson Mason, "late
of George Town, now of Washington County, Maryland," and
Elizabeth, his wife, conveyed to John Teakle, "late of Accomac
County, Virginia, now of George Town," for $5000, a tract of
land comprising Lots 41, 42, 53, 54, and 55 in Peter, Beatty,
Threlkeld and Deakins Addition to Georgetown including
the brick house now occupied by the said Teackle at the
intersection of Prospect and Fayette Streets
"
The Teackles were a distinguished family of the Eastern Shore
of Virginia. The second owner of the Mason Prospect mansion
was "John Teackle of Kegotank," Accomac County, Virginia, who
had very extensive business and land interests at the time
of his death in 1835. He was a son of Levin Teackle and married
Elizabeth Dennis, daughter of Littleton and Susanna (Upshur)
Dennis of "Beverly on Pocomoke." (21)
John Teackle was a Federalist and was closely allied by
political views, as well as by personal friendship, with other
Federalist leaders such as Josiah Quincy and Thomas Sim Lee.
Mrs. Quincy's letters describe their frequent visits to the
Teackle home. (22)
65
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 8)
The Teackles had three daughters, one of whom, Henrietta, was
married to Elihu Chauncey in the parlor of the Prospect Street
house on October 13, 1810. A week after the wedding the
Teackles vacated the house, for they had sold it to the eminent
physician, Dr. Charles Worthington.
1810-1856
Dr. Charles Worthington first came to Georgetown in 1783 from
Anne Arundel County, where the Worthingtons have long been an
important family. He was born at "Summer Hill" in Anne
Arundel County on October 8, 1759, and was a younger son of
Colonel Nicholas and Catherine (Griffith) Worthington. His
father, Colonel Nicholas Worthington (1734-1793), was a member
of the Anne Arundel County Committee of Observation and
commanded the Severn Battalion of the Maryland militia during
the American Revolution. His older brothers served with honor
in the Maryland Line at the Battle of Long Island and elsewhere.
The war years were years of study for Charles Worthington, how-
ever. He was granted his M.D. in 1782 by the University of
Pennsylvania. Dr. Worthington volunteered at once for military
service, and on July 31, 1782 he was appointed Surgeon in the
Continental Navy and assigned to the four galleys under the
command of Captain Zachariah Walley. This squadron patrolled
the Chesapeake Bay against raids by the Royal Navy. Dr.
Worthington was honorably discharged on January 31, 1783. (23)
He came to Georgetown that same year. Dr. Charles Worthington
practiced medicine in Georgetown for 55 years. Before moving
to this house in 1810, he had lived in a house at the southwest
corner of Market (now 33rd) and Bridge (now M) Streets.
On February 14, 1788 Dr. Charles Worthington had married Miss
Elizabeth Booth of Jamestown, Virginia. Cordelia Jackson in
her reminiscences of Georgetown gives a clue to the bride's
affectionate regard for her new community:
66
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 9)
"When preparations were begun for the
wedding, she [Elizabeth] informed the
prospective bridegroom, 'she would buy
her trousseau in Georgetown or there
would be no wedding.
The Worthingtons had five children. Their eldest son, Dr.
Nicholas W. Worthington, received his M.D. from the University
of Pennsylvania in 1807. He stayed on in the family homestead
on Bridge Street, later bequeathed to him by his father, and
died there in 1849. John Griffith Worthington, the second
son, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1849. The third son, William
N. Worthington, died in Washington in 1842, leaving a young
widow and a son. The two Worthington daughters, Catherine
and Elizabeth Ann (Eliza), and the two younger sons lived
in the Prospect Street house with their parents.
When he moved to Prospect Street in 1810, Dr. Charles Worthing-
ton was well-established in his profession and in the affairs
of the community. He was an active member of St. John's
Episcopal Church in Georgetown and served as a vestryman for
several years, beginning in 1807. He was also the first
president of the Medical Society formed in the District of
Columbia. In politics he was an old-line Federalist.
Personally austere, dignified and serious, Dr. Worthington
kept the old style of hair in queue, knee breeches, and
shoe buckles until his dying day.
During the War of 1812, Dr. Worthington brought wounded British
officers (evidently paroled prisoners) to this house and gave
them an opportunity to recuperate there as his guests. After
the war they presented him with a gold snuffbox (mentioned in
his Will) as a token of their gratitude. (25)
Dr. Worthington clearly opposed "Mr. Madison's War" and
Margaret Bayard Smith, an astute observer of early nineteenth-
century life, described his elation at the American defeat at
Bladensburg and the British advance on Washington in 1814.
67
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 10)
Ironically, he heard the news while ministering to Anna
Maria (Murray) Mason, who lay sick in her Georgetown
home, while her husband, General John Mason, and President
Madison attempted to rally the retreating American forces.
(26)
On September 3, 1816 the Reverend John A. Grassi, S. J.,
President of Georgetown College, solemnized the marriage
of Elizabeth Ann Worthington to Congressman William Gaston
of North Carolina in the parlor of her father's Prospect
Street residence. William Gaston (1778-1844) was the first
student on the rolls of Georgetown University and had a
distinguished career as a jurist in his native state, serv-
ing as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
from 1833 to his death in 1844. The courtship of Elizabeth
Worthington and Congressman Gaston is preserved in their
letters, quoted at length by his biographer. (27)
Dr. Charles Worthington lived in the Prospect Street house
for more than a quarter of a century. He is said to have
called the house "Quality Hill," a name also used by later
owners. He died in this house on September 10, 1836, when
he was 76 years old. In his Will Dr. Worthington left
the house on Prospect Street to his eldest daughter,
Catherine, the widow of Joseph Pearson, a former Congress-
man also from North Carolina. In addition he left bequests
to his grandson, William Gaston Pearson. Dr. Worthington's
eldest son, Dr. Nicholas Worthington, who was a bachelor,
was willed the old family home on Bridge Street, Dr.
Worthington's "Maple Grove" farm (within the limits of the
District of Columbia), his medical library, slaves and
other bequests. The younger sons and his daughter, Elizabeth,
Judge Gaston's wife, were generously remembered in their
father's Will. (28)
68
"Dr. Charles Worthington lived in the Prospect Street house
for more than a quarter of a century. He is said to have
called the house 'Quality Hill,' a name also used by later
owners. (Library of Congress)
69
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 11)
1856-1915
On June 20, 1856 Catherine Worthington Pearson conveyed the
house and land, comprising lots 41 and 42, to James Kearney
for the purchase price of $6000. Members of the Kearney
family resided in this house from 1856 until 1915, so that
it might justifiably be called the Kearney House, as it
often was in the late nineteenth century.
James Kearney was born in Ireland. On April 11, 1813 he
was commissioned as an Infantry Lieutenant in the United
States Army and the following day was transferred to the
Topographical Engineers. He saw action in northern New York
State during the War of 1812. Later, as a Captain, he was
assigned to Washington. During his nearly fifty years of
active duty Colonel Kearney rose to be Chief Topographical
Engineer. His reports of surveys and works undertaken,
chiefly the improvement of rivers and the harbors on inland
waterways, chronicle the work of the Army Engineers from
the War of 1812 to the Civil War. He co-authored a report on
the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1832 and one on the potential
development of the Tennessee River at Muscle Shoals in 1836.
He was engaged in a survey of the Great Lakes harbors over a
long period of time. He retired as a Colonel on September 9,
1861. (29)
Colonel James Kearney and his family lived in the city of
Washington during most of his active service. For many years
their home was at the corner of 14th and F Streets, N.W. (30)
In 1855 Colonel Kearney is listed at 80 Prospect Street, so that
the family had evidently moved to their Georgetown house before
buying "Quality Hill" from Mrs. Pearson in 1856. (31)
He died in his Prospect Street house on January 10, 1862. By
his Will, Colonel Kearney left all of his property to his wife,
Louisa Kearney. She continued to live in the house after his death.
70
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 12)
Her name last appears in the Washington City Directory for
1892. (32) The 1866 Directory also lists "Robert, clk.
Comm. Dept." at the same address. (33) Robert S. Kearney,
son of Colonel James and Louisa Kearney, was an official
of the War Department for more than forty years. He
lived at 42 First (N) Street in Georgetown from 1868 to
1870 and at 73 Fayette (35th) Street from 1871 to 1874,
then moved to Alexandria. He returned to the Prospect
Street House in 1900 and was living there when the house
was sold in 1915. (34) Blanche Kearney, a daughter of
Colonel James and Louisa Kearney, first appears in the
City Directory for 1876, residing with her mother. George
Kearney, another son, is listed at different times as
assistant librarian at the Library of Congress, librarian
of the Justice Department, and as a lawyer. He edited a
number of official publications, including the State
Department series of documents on foreign relations. He
is listed as head of the household in 1915, but did not
reside at the Prospect Street house continuously. (35)
Louisa Kearney, the widow of Colonel James Kearney, deeded
the property to Maria O'Reiley, unmarried, on July 29, 1889.
However, Mrs. Kearney continued to live in the house until
1892 when she died. (36) Maria O'Reiley, unmarried, con-
veyed the property to Blanche Kearney, unmarried, on May
31, 1898.
Blanche Kearney never married. She died on May 15, 1910,
and in her Will she left the house to her nephew, Alexander
Kearney, to be held in trust for her two nieces, Louise
and Estelle Kearney.
The estate of Blanche Kearney was settled by a decree
of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia,
March 5, 1915, in the case of Louise Kearney vs.
Alexander Kearney, Estelle Kearney and George Kearney.
71
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 13)
Alexander Kearney and A. Leftwich Sinclair were appointed as
trustees to administer the estate. All parties agreed on
May 7, 1915 to terminate the trusts set up under the Will of
Blanche Kearney, and Louise Kearney elected to take title
to the house on Prospect Street as part of her share of the
estate. On June 10, 1915 a deed was recorded giving title
to the property to Louise Kearney.
Less than a month later, on July 5, 1915, Louise Kearney
married Prince Agustin de Iturbide. Agustin was the grandson
of Emperor Agustin I, Liberator of Mexico, and Empress Ana
Maria Huarte de Iturbide (who after her husband's death
came to Georgetown to live); and he was the son of Prince
Angel and Alice Green de Iturbide (granddaughter of General
Uriah Forrest). As a child Agustin had been adopted against
his family's wishes by Maximilian, the brother of Joseph I
of Austria, whom Napoleon III of France set up as the puppet
Emperor of Mexico during the United States's preoccupation
with the Civil War. Prince de Iturbide was raised in Mexico
and the United States, both in Philadelphia and Georgetown.
At the time of his wedding he was professor of Spanish and
French at the Georgetown College preparatory school. (37)
Louise Kearney de Iturbide and her husband sold the Prospect
Street house immediately after their marriage and set up their
home at Pelham Courts, 2115 P Street N.W. Agustin died in
1925, but his widow, born at "Quality Hill," outlived him by
forty-two years and was just a few days short of ninety-five
when she died in 1967. (38)
1915-1942
Albert Adsit Clemons, the next owner of the John Thomson
Mason House, was an eccentric individual who lived nearby
at Halcyon House (3400 Prospect Street). Among other
peculiarities, he was a compulsive collector of miscellane-
ous articles, ranging from genuine art objects to the
residue of demolished buildings. He never lived in his
72
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 14)
house at 3425 Prospect Street but used it as storage space for
his miscellaneous collections which outgrew the proportions of
Halcyon House. It was during Clemons' ownership that "Quality
Hill" was known in the neighborhood as the "haunted house. " (39)
Clemons died in 1938. The proceeds of his estate, including
3425 Prospect Street, were bequeathed to Harvard University.
After the contents of the John Thomson Mason House were
donated to museums throughout the country or sold at auction,
the house was conveyed in 1942 to Lady Norma Bowler Lewis. (40)
1942-1961
Lady Lewis was the wife of the eminent scholar and journalist,
Sir Willmott Lewis. Lord Lewis was born in Cardiff, Wales,'
and was educated at the University of Heidelberg in Germany
and at the Sorbonne in Paris. He was widely known as a lin-
guist, as well as a specialist on the Far East. Lewis was
editor of the North China Daily News and lived through the
Boxer Rebellion in China. During the Russo-Japanese War he
was a foreigh correspondent for the New York Herald.
It was in the Far East that Lord Lewis became friendly with
General Pershing, under whose command Lewis handled American
propaganda in France during the Second World War. Following
the war he remained in Paris during the peace conference as a
correspondent for the New York Tribune.
In 1920 Lord Northcliffe, owner of the The Times (of London),
engaged Sir Willmott as a foreign correspondent for the news-
paper because of his familiarity with American journalism
and methods. In 1931 he was knighted for valuable service
rendered in connection with the Naval Conference of 1930. (41)
73
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 15)
In 1942 when the Lewises bought 3425 Prospect Street they
began such major restoration of the structure that it was
two years before they could move from their Massachusetts
Avenue home into "Quality Hill ." Electricity and heat
and plumbing had to be installed. Further modernizing for
safety's sake included structural repairs such as shoring
up walls, sheathing and tiling of the roof. But wherever
it was possible the original features of the house were
maintained. All of the floors and cornices are original.
All of the mantels except one are original; so heavily
encrusted with paint were they that special tools had to
be devised to gouge the paint without harming the old
carving. Adaptations to twentieth-century life were made
with respect for the beauty and dignity of the eighteenth-
century architecture. One door, which Lady Lewis says Mr.
Clemons had salvaged during alterations on the U.S. Capitol,
was duplicated to form twin doors for the restored house.
What was once Dr. Worthington's "medicine room" was converted
to a bathroom; what was once the Kearney stable became a
pantry. The arch in the center hall came from the Francis
Scott Key house. The black and white tile floor came from
an old building on Capitol Hill.
These changes, and many others, were the result of Lady Lewis'
steady and persistent effort to retain the best of the old
features of this early structure and blend them harmoniously
with the demands of contemporary life. "I was there with the
workmen every day," said Lady Lewis. (42) And the results
reflect this assiduous care!
In 1944 the Lewises were able to move into their new home.
Lord Lewis covered the major events of the war period for the
London Times. He retired in 1949 and died the next year.
Lady Lewis remained in the house until 1961 when she sold it
to Senator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell and moved to a smaller
house nearby.
74
"The Pells have maintained the beauty and dignity of their
eighteenth-century home." (Photographed by J. Alexander)
75
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 16)
1961-1969
It is fitting that Senator Pell, descendant of a distinguished
family with a long heritage of public service, now occupies
the historic Mason house. The Pells have maintained the
beauty and dignity of their eighteenth-century home. (43)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1798
John Threlkeld and wife
Deed August 29, 1798
to
Recorded August 31, 1798
John Thomson Mason
Liber D-4, folio 85
Lots 41 and 42
" now in the tenure and occupation of the said John
Thomson Mason...." "
Consideration 6 450
76
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 17)
1807
John Thomson Mason and wife,
Deed October 17, 1807
Elizabeth
Recorded January 21, 1808
to
Liber T-19, folio 36
John Teackle
beginning at a stone no. 30 being the S.W. corner of
the brick house now occupied by the said Teackle and at the
intersection of Prospect and Fayette Streets...
"
Consideration $5000
1810
John Teackle and wife,
Deed October 17, 1810
Elizabeth
Recorded December 26, 1810
to
Liber Z-25, folio 356
Charles Worthington
"All the messuage and tenement in Georgetown whereon
the said John Teackle now resides being the same which
hath been conveyed to the aforesaid John Teackle by John
Mason...."
1836
Charles Worthington dies and Will September 17, 1835
by his Will devises to his
Probated September 28, 1836
daughter, Catherine Pearson,
will Book 4, page 325
and her heirs the house in
which he resides fronting
on Prospect and Fayette.
77
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 18)
1856
Catherine Pearson
Deed June 20, 1856
to
Recorded September 9, 1859
James Kearney
Liber JAS 121, folio 129
Consideration $6000
1862
James Kearney dies and
Will September 19, 1861
by his Will gives all
Probated January 25, 1862
his estate to his
Will Book 9, page 25
wife, Louisa Kearney.
1889
Louisa Kearney
Deed July 29, 1889
to
Recorded July 30, 1889
Maria O'Reiley, un-
Liber 1410, folio 320
married
1898
Maria O'Reiley, un-
Deed May 31, 1898
married
Recorded June 4, 1898
to
Liber 2331, folio 30
Blanche Kearney, un-
married
78
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 19)
1910
Blanche Kearney, unmarried
Will November 28, 1908
dies May 15, 1910 and de-
Probated June 9, 1910
vises said property in
Will Book 73, page 594
trust to her nephew
Alexander Kearney, executor for her two nieces, Louise Kearney
and Estelle Kearney, for life or until their marriage, and
upon the death or marriage of both, then to be divided among
the said two nieces, and upon the death or marriage of both,
then to be divided among the said two nieces and two nephews,
Alexander Kearney and George Kearney, and provided that in
the event that one or more of said nieces or nephews should
die leaving issue, the said issue shall receive the share
which the parent would have received if living.
1915
By Decree of the Supreme Court of D.C. passed March 5, 1915
(Equity 32401, Docket 70):
Louise Kearney
vs.
Alexander Kearney
Estelle Kearney
George Kearney
Alexander Kearney and A. Leftwich Sinclair were appointed
trustees to take charge of and administer all of the prop-
erty both real and personal formerly belonging to the estate
of Blanche Kearney.
In accordance with a certain stipulation filed in the Equity
(32401) Cause on May 7, 1915, all parties agreed to terminate
and end the trusts under the Will of Blanche Kearney and
Louise Kearney in the exercise of the option given her in
said stipulation has elected to take the hereinbefore described
property as a part of her share in the estate of said Blanche
Kearney
79
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 20)
Alexander Kearney
Deed June 10, 1915
A. Leftwich Sinclair,
Recorded June 10, 1915
trustees
Liber 3802, folio 136
Estelle Kearney
George Kearney, unmarried
Alexander Kearney in his own right
et ux Elizabeth Crosby
to
Louise Kearney
Louise Kearney, unmarried
Deed July 13, 1915
to
Recorded July 13, 1915
A. Leftwich Sinclair
Liber 3797, folio 394
"In Trust to rent, lease, manage and control said ground
and premises..."
A. Leftwich Sinclair,
Deed August 21, 1915
trustee for Louise Kearney,
Recorded August 23, 1915
unmarried
Liber 3829, folio 75
Louise de Yturbide (nee Kearney)
and husband, Augustin
to
Albert Adsit Clemons
80
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 21)
1938
Albert Adsit Clemons dies
Will March 13, 1938
March 17, 1938, directing
Probated May 12, 1938
that the proceeds and
Will Book 252, page 586
assets of his estate be
transferred to Harvard University as an endowment to be received
and known as the Albert Adsit Clemons endowment. At the time
of his death he was residing at 3400 Prospect Street--Halcyon
House. F. Urban Wolpert, George H. Paltridge, and William E.
Huntington were appointed trustees.
1942
F. Urban Wolpert
Deed October 13, 1942
George H. Paltridge
Recorded October 13, 1942
William E. Huntington,
Liber 7801, folio 197
trustees
to
Norma Bowler Lewis
1961
Norma Bowler Lewis
Deed May 11, 1961
to
Recorded May 12, 1961
Claiborne Pell and wife,
Liber 11598, folio 173
Nuala Pell
81
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 167 (Page 22)
References
1. Letter from John Thomson Mason to Archibald McCall,
March 20, 1798. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, National Archives
Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).
3. Poole, Martha Sprigg, "Tudor Hall and Those Who Lived There,"
Maryland Historical Magazine. Baltimore, Maryland: The
Maryland Historical Society, Vol. 61, 1951, pp. 257-277.
and
John Thomson Mason Commonplace Book. Richmond, Virginia:
Virginia Historical Society, p. 46, p. 78.
4. Virginia Gazette. Williamsburg, Virginia: July 21--Septem-
ber 8, 1774.
5. Stafford County Deeds. Stafford, Virginia: Liber s, folios
309-332. (Microcopy in Virginia State Library, Richmond,
Virginia.)
6. David Griffith Account Book. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia
Historical Society.
7. Same reference as #3. p. 118.
8. Same reference as #3.
82
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 23)
9. Same reference as #3.
10. Stafford County Deeds. Stafford, Virginia: Liber AA, folios
148-149. (Microcopy in Virginia State Library, Richmond,
Virginia.)
11. John Thomson Mason Account Book. Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, p. 38.
and
Washington County Wills. Book B, page 50-57.
12. Same reference as #11, first part.
13. St. Mary's County Land Records. Lorton, Virginia: Gunston
Hall Archives.
and
Washington County Deeds. Annapolis, Maryland: Maryland Hall
of Records, Liber s, folio 966.
and
Letter from John Thomson Mason to James Madison, July 25,
1807, Rodney Papers. Wilmington, Delaware: Historical
Society of Delaware.
14. Same reference as #11, first part.
15. "Letters of Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason," Mason Family Papers
1821-1835. Lorton, Virginia: Gunston Hall Archives.
16. Same reference as #11, first part.
17. Same reference as #13, first part.
83
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 24)
18. Same reference as #3.
and
Registers of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Hagerstown,
Maryland.
19. John Thomson Mason Papers. Detroit, Michigan: Burton
Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.
20. Brown, Helen W., compiler, Marriages and Deaths 1830-1837
Recorded in the Republican Banner. College Park, Maryland:
The Author, 1962.
21. Whitelaw, Ralph T., Virginia's Eastern Shore. Gloucester,
Massachusetts: Peter Smith, 1967, p. 1024.
22. Quincy, Eliza S.M., Memoir of the Life of Eliza S.M. Quincy.
Boston, Massachusetts: J. Wilson and Son, 1861.
23. Newman, Harry Wright, Anne Arundel Gentry. Baltimore,
Maryland: Baltimore Press, 1933.
24. Jackson, Cordelia, "People and Places in Old Georgetown,"
Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.:
The Society, 1932, Vol. 33-34, p. 148.
25. Same reference as #23.
and
Vestry Minutes. St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown
Parish.
26. Smith, Margaret Bayard, The First Forty Years of Washington
Society. New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1906, pp. 105-106.
84
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 25)
27. Schauinger, J. Herman, William Gaston, Carolinian.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bruce Publishing Co., 1948,
pp. 26-32.
and
Durkin, Joseph T., Georgetown University. New York,
New York: Doubleday & Co., 1964, p. 6.
28. Same reference as #23.
29. Abert, John J. and Kearney, James, Report of Col. John J.
Abert and Col. James Kearney. upon an Examination of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from Washington City to the Point
of Rocks. Washington, D.C.: Gales and Seaton, 1831.
and
Powell, Col. William H., List of Officers of the Army of
the United States from 1775 to 1900. New York, New York:
L. R. Hammersley & Co., 1900.
30. City Directory. 1822, p. 48; 1827, p. 45; 1834, p. 31;
1843, p. 45; 1846, p. 53.
31. Same reference as #30. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 6.
32. Same reference as #30. 1892, p. 579.
33. Same reference as #30. 1866, p. 415.
34. Same reference as #30. 1868, p. 110; 1870, p. 456; 1871,
(Georgetown Section), p. xvi; 1874, P. 270; 1915, p. 278.
35. Same reference as #30. 1876, p. 316; 1915, p. 728.
85
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 26)
36. Same reference as #30. 1892, p. 579.
37. Evans, Henry Ridgely, Old Georgetown on the Potomac.
Washington, D.C.: The Author, 1933, pp. 32-39.
38. Obituary, Louise Kearney de Yturbide, The Evening Star
(Washington, D.C.) September 19, 1967, P. B-5.
39. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) March 28, 1938.
40. Will of Albert Adsit Clemons, Will Book 252, page 586,
District of Columbia Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.
41. Conference with Mr. Ian McDonald, The Times (of London),
Washington, D.C. office, January 29, 1969.
42. Conversation on March 10, 1969 and interview on April 7,
1969, with Lady Norma Bowler Lewis, 3416 Prospect Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C.
43. Congressional Directory, Ninetieth Congress. Washington, D.C.:
U.S. Government Printing Office, March 1967, p. 156.
86
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 27)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This symmetrical, well proportioned,
formal free standing two-story brick house lives up to its
early name, "Quality Hill." It has been carefully restored
and cared for, and contains a wealth of late eighteenth and
early nineteenth-century detail, unmarred by later Victorian
accretions.
Condition of fabric: Very good, well maintained.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 56'-0" by 42'-0", with a
40'-6" by 18'-0" two-story brick ell at the north-east corner.
Main block has five bays across Prospect Street and three
bays across 35th Street, and is three stories high including
the finished attic floor. Exterior painted light gray with
white trim.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Brick, Flemish bond, painted; moulded
stone water table at first floor line, painted.
Chimneys: Two; one at each gable end.
87
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 28)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The main entrance has a pair
of three-panelled doors topped by a graceful fan-
light and set into a panelled, arched reveal.
There are fluted pilasters each side supporting
a finely moulded triangular pediment. The rear
center door has six flat panels, no transom, and
is set in a shallow panelled reveal. It has doric
pilasters with pronounced entasis and a rather
heavy triangular pediment, apparently of early to
mid-twentieth century date.
Windows and shutters: Windows in general are
twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash, with
painted stone sills and lintels, which have
moulded key blocks. Shutters on front and sides
are heavy wood louvered replacements; but those
in the rear are of raised panel design, having
one small panel above one long panel with mould-
ed sticking.
Porches: Front steps are Aquia Creek sandstone, in generally
good condition, and have mid-twentieth century iron rails
repeating the circle motif of the other front fencing.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable with ridge running
eastwest. Slate covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Modillioned wood cornice with fluted
panels between modillions. Hanging metal ogee
gutter.
Dormers: Three on south and three on north;
wood frame with slate sides and six-over-six
wood double-hung sash with triangular pediments.
88
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 29)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: First floor has center hall with stair in ell to
west rear; living room on west of entry hall; library in
southeast corner; dining room in northeast corner. Second
floor has stair hall in northwest corner; master bedroom in
southwest corner; bath in center south; study in southeast
corner; bedroom in northeast corner with bath over pantry in
addition at northeast corner. Addition also has servant's
suite accessible only from pantry below. Third floor was
not open to the researcher at this time. Basement has two
large rooms in southeast and southwest corners; kitchen
and stairs in northwest corner; wine cellar under northeast
addition.
Stairways: Main stair is a straight run from east to west
along north wall to a rectangular landing along west wall,
and from there on up to the second floor. The plan repeats
to the third floor. The balusters are simple rectangular
pickets and the handrail is simple moulded mahogany, end-
ing in a volute. Occasional balusters are of painted metal
of the same section as the wood balusters with angle exten-
sions top and bottom for support. A stained chair rail
echoes the handrail. Newels are square open box shapes made
apparently from one piece. Landings cross windows on west
wall.
Flooring: Wide, random-width pine throughout, except white
marble octagons with black squares in vestibule, vinyl in
upstairs baths, pantry, kitchen, and basement.
Wall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster throughout, gen-
erally pastel in tone except library, where walls are red.
Doorways and doors: In general doors have six flat panels
and wide backbanded trim. Doors on the second floor have
similar mouldings but have panels raised on one side. All
doors are painted except the inside front door and the
library doors which are stained. The doorway from vestibule
to hall has an elaborate wood-muntined fanlight and simple
side lights. Parts of this glass wall appear to be mid-
twentieth century but the door and fanlight are old.
89
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 30)
Decorative features and trim: Cornices in general are painted
plaster box cornices with crown and bed moulds. In the living
room the crown is formed of separate acanthus leaves, the bed
of egg-and-dart, and there is a frieze filled with rinceau
scrolls. In the library the mouldings are straight run wood,
stained. In the dining room the crown is leaf-moulded and
there are egg-and-dart and lamb's tongue bed moulds. Upstairs
cornices are straight-run mouldings similar to those downstairs
but are smaller.
Door and window trim is generally wide with a moulded backband.
The library door trim has been replaced with a similar one
having a leaf carved moulding in the backband; the original
window trim remains.
There are two-piece chair rails in the living room, dining room,
library, upstairs halls and bedrooms; there is a wainscot with
raised panels, moulded sticking, and leaf-carved cap in the
main entry hall-stair hall; there is a flat-panelled wainscot
with a simple bull-nose cap in the vestibule.
Mantelpieces, while varied in design from room to room, are of
similar character throughout. There is one exception, a small
plain white marble mantelpiece in the northeast bedroom, a
later replacement as evidenced by traces of a larger hearth
in the floor and patches in the chair rail. The other mantels
are as follows:
Living room: Reeded pilasters and frieze, vertical
elliptical rosettes above pilasters, square fan
center, bowed shelf with reeded border and concave
breaks over pilasters, painted. Black marble hearth
and surround.
Library: Reeded half-oval pilasters, reeded frieze,
flat elliptical panel in center, moulded shelf with
square breaks at pilasters, stained. Black marble
hearth and surround.
Dining room: Pilasters have pearl-moulded panels.
reeded imposts and center panel, complex carved
fan motif each side of center, moulded straight
shelf, painted. Black marble hearth and surround.
90
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 31)
Master bedroom: Pilasters have pearl-moulded panels.
oval rosettes at imposts, reeded and fan-carved
frieze, moulded straight shelf, painted. Black
marble hearth and surround.
Study: Pilasters have plain panels, frieze has
three panels across, dentil moulded straight shelf,
stripped of paint but not refinished. Black marble
hearth and surround.
Bedroom: White marble flat pilasters and entablatures,
turned corner rosettes, gilt bronze maskin center, no
mouldings except shelf edge. Gray marble hearth and
surround.
Hardware: Many doors retain original hardware. Hinges are self-
closing wrought iron except inner front door, which has plain
silver butts. There are many large iron box rimlocks with silver
knobs and key escutcheons on the first floor and with brass knobs
and key escutcheons on the second floor. The southwest bedroom
has cast brass rimlocks with brass knobs and escutcheons. Front
door knobs are large silver-plated ribbed balls, somewhat worn.
Lighting: There are a variety of chandeliers in the house, none
of them original furnishings. The library has a brass circular
chandelier with eight crystal arms and bobeches. It is not
electrified. The dining room has an all-crystal electrified
chandelier. The master bedroom has a very tall French style
bronze and crystal electrified chandelier, originally gas.
Several types of electric lantern-style fixtures light the
hallways. There are two large silver coach lanterns at the
front door.
Heating: Boiler in basement, radiators throughout.
91
JOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-167 (Page 32)
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the northeast
corner of 35th and Prospect Streets, the house faces south.
The neighborhood is composed of somewhat smaller houses,
with the exceptions of Halcyon House (3400 Prospect Street)
and Prospect House (3508 Prospect Street). The area is a
well-maintained residential neighborhood with some educational
buildings to the west.
Enclosures: Wrought and cast iron ornamental fence at both
sides of entrance door, fence continues down 35th Street to
the rear entrance. Rear yard enclosed by brick wall topped
with an iron fence.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick.
Landscaping: Residential scale foundation planting along
street facades, rear yard carefully planted around grass
area and brick paved terrace. There is a marble wall
fountain against the west wall of the rear addition, and
a marble statuary group in the northwest corner.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
November 18, 1968
92
94
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-193
GOSZLER - MANOGUE HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1307 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 36 Fayette
Street.)
Location:
The house occupies the south part of Lot
67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 842 in
Square 1228 in the City of Washington.
Date of Erection:
Between 1794 and 1798
Owner in 1969:
Miss Janet Saxon
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
One of the oldest houses in Georgetown,
this modest, late eighteenth-century
house still remains reasonably intact
and retains many interior and exterior
decorative features.
95
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1794-1808
John Goszler purchased from John Threlkeld the southern half
of Lot 67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition to George
Town in 1794 for 37 pounds, 10 shillings.
Four years later, in 1798, Goszler sold his property to
Thomas Sanders for 300 pounds. This increase in value of
the land indicates that John Goszler built the house between
1794 and 1798, in which year Thomas Sanders was taxed "for
1 House and Lott in George Town" valued at 120 pounds. (1)
Sanders held the property for eight years. In 1806 John B.
French bought it and two years later sold it to Daniel Bussard,
who had purchased the northern half of Lot 67 in 1805.
1808-1828
Bussard was a prominent citizen of Georgetown having several
businesses there as well as being active in the Presbyterian
Church and in civic affairs. (2) He was a land developer and
builder and had numerous holdings in Georgetown in the early
1800's. In 1808 Lot 67 was assessed to Daniel Bussard, listed
as "improved," and valued at $800. The 1813 tax records list-
ed "2 single story frames" on Lot 67 which were valued at
$850. This assessment also showed Bussard owning a brewery,
a tannery, and a distillery in Georgetown. (3)
96
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 3)
It is not known what use Bussard made of his frame house on
the south part of Lot 67; but the 1834 City Directory lists
four tanners on Fayette Street in close proximity to one
another, so it may be that a few years earlier Bussard's
tannery had been located on his Lot 67 on Fayette Street.
Early deeds referring to Lot 67 mention "the branch." Since
the tanning of hides required a special flow of water, the
old Georgetown Sewer Line (which the residents in the area
of 35th and 0 Streets, N.W. say starts near or in Lot 67)
may have been laid in an old creek bed, formerly called
"the branch,' so vital to the tanner's trade.
1828-1841
In 1828 Peter Hoover bought the house at 36 Fayette Street.
At the same time he purchased the house on the northern
half of Lot 67 as well. In the year of his purchase Hoover
gave a deed of trust to David English to secure the purchase
money for his new properties. By 1840 Hoover, a butcher,
was so seriously in debt that he was taken into custody and
sent to Baltimore. (4) Lot 67 with its structures was sold
at auction to Andrew Hoover for $1,002. That same year
William Noyes bought the Lot from Andrew Hoover and resold
it a year later to John Clements. Some time between 1813
and 1840 the house on the south part of Lot 67 was faced
with brick and a second story added, for the deed to John
Clements reads:
" in consideration of the sum of twelve
hundred dollars current money the whole of Lot number
Sixty seven in Threlkeld's addition to George Town
to-
gether with all the brick dwelling house and other build-
ings standing thereon Also, a fire insurance policy
in the name of Andrew Hoover, dated January 13, 1840, states:
"$1200 on his two-story brick house and brick back building
attached, covered with shingles, unadjoined by any other
house, occupied by Peter Hoover as a dwelling, and situated
97
Date
Number
Name of Assured
Description of Property
1840
I an 13.
221.
Herrs
Renewal
222.
ditto
Renewal,
14.
829
TwelveAmedred dollars on his two
story breakshouse and breck back build.
used attached, covered with strugles, un.
adjorned by any other, house, occuped
by Peter Hoover as or devellerig and
Sebuated on Lobility in Herelheld's
addition to George
Easpside of Layette Streetand being
between 2nd Streets in George
Sown aforesaed
"Sometime between 1813 and 1840 the house on the south
part of Lot 67 was faced with brick and a second story
added
Fire Insurance Policy (Firemen's Insurance
Company of Washington, D.C.)
98
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 4)
on Lot No. 67 in Threlkeld's addition to George Town, front-
ing on the East side of Fayette Street and being between
First and Second Streets in George Town aforesaid." (5)
1841-1866
Clements, a painter, sold the northern portion of Lot 67 in
1847 and continued to occupy the house at 36 Fayette on the
southern portion. (6) Seven years later, in 1866, John
Clements and his wife conveyed their house to Hugh Caperton
in trust for Ann Jackson "...with full power for her to sell
and mortgage as she may direct...." The relationship be-
tween the Clements' and Ann Jackson is unknown; perhaps she
was a married daughter.
1866-1879
Ann and her husband, Richard A. Jackson, listed in the city
directory as "boatman," lived at 36 Fayette Street with
their family at least through 1878. (7) During this period
the property passed from trustee to trustee until in 1879
Ivory G. Kimball and his wife, Ann, trustees in that year,
deeded the property to Joseph F. Collins.
1879-1888
Collins held the house for eleven years but used it as rental
property. In 1883 John McCauley, a cobbler, moved from 103
Second Street (now 3424 0) to 1307 35th Street and built a
small cobbler's shop adjoining his brick dwelling on the north. (8)
99
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 5)
His cousin, Mrs. Sophie Cousins, born in Georgetown in the
1880's, said that in addition to making and repairing shoes
for the students at Georgetown College he also repaired
their football helmets. The G.M. Hopkins Plat of 1887 shows
McCauley's cobbler's shop as a small structure on the south
part of Lot 67 edging on the north side of 1307 35th Street
and to the south of the frame house at 1311 35th Street. (9)
Also, the 1887 City Directory lists John McCauley, shoemaker,
at 1309 35th Street. (10) This area, now cleared, is part
of present Lot 835.
1888-1962
In 1888 James Manogue, a tailor with a business at 149 Bridge
Street (now M) on the south side between High (now Wisconsin)
and Potomac, bought the brick house from Joseph Collins. (11)
Manogue had emigrated from Ireland during the potato famine
and started a tailoring business in Fordham, New York. He
was summoned to Georgetown by Georgetown College to make
their priests' vestments. (12) There is no evidence that
James Manogue ever lived in his house at 1307 35th Street
or what use he made of it and the small structure to the
north. He undoubtedly developed a successful tailoring
business, for when he died in 1900, in addition to his 35th
Street property, he left several pieces of property and
houses in Georgetown to his wife, Catherine. (13)
Fifteen years after James' death Catherine Manogue passed
away, leaving the premises at 1307 35th Street to an only
daughter, Mary Josephine Manogue, " for life, or as long
as she shall remain unmarried
"
Mary J. Manogue died, unmarried, in 1939. Her property by
Will was to be divided among her nieces and nephews. All
three of Mary Manogue's brothers had died before her death,
two of them childless. The children of her brother, William
H. Manogue, survived their Aunt Mary. In 1949 the Manogue
descendents made a legal agreement to divide their lands
inherited from their grandfather, James Manogue, their uncle,
George Manogue, and their aunt, Mary J. Manogue. By this
100
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 6)
agreement Mae J. Manogue obtained title to the house at
1307 35th Street.
In 1962 Mae J. Manogue, unmarried, sold the property to L.
Ronald Scheman and his wife, Ethel. The Manogue family had
held this property for 74 years.
1962-1969
Scheman, executive secretary of the Pan American Development
Foundation, and his wife lived at this address until 1966 when
they sold the property to Janet Dunham Saxon. Miss Saxon has
used this early house as rental property.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1794
John Threlkeld et ux
Deed March 21, 1794
to
Recorded May 23, 1794
John Goszler
Liber B-2, folio 35
South half Lot 67--Consideration 37 pounds,
10 shillings
101
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 7)
1798
John Goszler et ux
Deed May 28, 1798
to
Recorded June 15, 1798
Thomas Sanders
Liber C-3, folio 468
South half Lot 67--Consideration 300 pounds
1806
Thomas Sanders et ux
Deed September 23, 1806
to
Recorded September 27, 1806
John B. French
Liber Q-16, folio 113
South half Lot 67--Consideration $500
1808
John B. French et ux
Deed November 7, 1808
to
Recorded December 8, 1808
Daniel Bussard
Liber V-21, folio 80
South half Lot 67--Consideration $300
(Bussard purchased the north half of Lot 67 in 1805
for $100.)
102
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 8)
1828
Daniel Bussard et ux
Deed June 19, 1828
David English, trustee
Recorded July 1, 1828
William Bussard and
Liber W.B. 23, folio 38
Catharine Bussard
to
Peter Hoover
Conveys the whole of Lot 67
Consideration--$650
Peter Hoover et ux
Trust June 19, 1828
to
Recorded July 1, 1828
David English
Liber W.B. 23, folio 42
Trust to secure purchase money
1840
Alexander Hunter, Marshal
Deed March 27, 1840
of D.C.
Recorded September 4, 1840
Peter Hoover
Liber W.B. 78, folio 450
to
Andrew Hoover
Recites that Andrew Hoover bought the property at auction,
11 January 1840, for $1002 to make the damages and
costs aforesaid out of the goods and chattels, lands and
tenements of the said Peter Hoover being found in his
bailiwick....' Refers to Peter Hoover, "late of George
Town in the District of Columbia, but now of Baltimore."
103
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 9)
Andrew Hoover et ux
Deed October 31, 1840
Sarah
Recorded March 18, 1841
to
Liber W.B. 84, folio 445
William Noyes
1841
David English, trustee
Deed March 24, 1841
to
Recorded March 25, 1842
William Noyes
Liber W.B. 93, folio 226
William Noyes et ux
Deed September 21, 1841
Mary
Recorded April 25, 1842
to
Liber W.B. 93, folio 230
John Clements
1866
John Clements et ux
Deed in Trust April 17, 1866
to
Recorded July 13, 1866
Hugh Caperton
Liber RMH 20, folio 81
Conveys south part of Lot 67 in trust for Ann Jackson,
with full power to sell and mortgage as she may direct.
John Clements had sold the north part of Lot 67 to
George S. Neill in 1847 "on which stands a 2-story
frame house."
104
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 10)
1874
Hugh Caperton, trustee
Trust August 27, 1874
Ann Jackson
Recorded September 22, 1874
to
Liber 764, folio 23
R. P. Dodge & I. G. Kimball
1879
Ivory G. Kimball et ux
Deed January 25, 1879
Anna L.
Recorded January 31, 1879
to
Liber 903, folio 495
Joseph F. Collins
1888
Joseph F. Collins et ux
Deed July 30, 1888
Mary Amelia
Recorded August 6, 1888
to
Liber 1341, folio 17
James Manogue
1900
James Manogue died
Will November 17, 1899
February 21, 1900,
Probated April 1, 1901
leaving all his property
Will Book 51, page 147
to his wife, Catharine
Manogue, for life.
105
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 11)
1915
Catharine Manogue died March 19, 1915, leaving all her
property to Mary Josephine Manogue, her daughter, for
life or as long as she remained unmarried.
1939
Mary Josephine Manogue died Will December 31, 1936
September 15, 1939. Her
Probated March 4, 1940
three brothers, John,
Will Book 274, page 191
William, and George predeceased
her; so the property was left
to be divided between her
nephew and nieces, the three
children of William--James J.
Manogue, Blanche C. Wilson
and Mae J. Manogue.
1949
Blanche C. Wilson
Deed of Partition August 25, 1949
Mae J. Manogue
Recorded August 25, 1949
James J. Manogue
Liber 9035, folio 184
Helen W. Manogue, wife of James
Agreement to make a partition and division of lands
coming to them by Wills of their grandfather, James
Manogue, their uncle, George W. Manogue, and their
aunt, Mary J. Manogue. Mae J. Manogue gets 1307
35th Street, N.W. as well as other property.
106
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 12)
1962
Mae J. Manogue,
Deed August 1, 1962
unmarried
Recorded August 8, 1962
to
Liber 11847, folio 447
L. Ronald Scheman et ux
Ethel,
tenants by the entirety
1966
L. Ronald Scheman et ux
Deed July 7, 1966
to
Recorded August 5, 1966
Janet Dunham Saxon
Liber 12651, folio 13
References
1. Land Records. Montgomery County, Maryland, 1798 Tax
Assessment.
2. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,
D.C.: The Society, Vol. 7, 1904, P. 46.
and
Journal of the Trustees of Georgetown Presbyterian Church.
107
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 13)
3. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807);
Roll 8 (1808-12); Roll 9 (1813-18).
4. City Directory. 1834, P. 10.
5. Blotter Reference No. 829, Firemen's Insurance Company of
Washington and Georgetown, Washington, D.C., P. 208.
6. Same reference as #4. 1855 (Georgetown Section), P. 3;
1858, P. 437; 1862, P. 190; 1864, p. 296; 1865, P. 378;
1866, P. 408.
7. Same reference as #4. 1870, p. 455; 1872, P. 512; 1874, P.
546; 1876, P. 299; 1877, P. 367; 1878, P. 389.
8. Same reference as #4. 1883, P. 573.
9. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, Compiler, A Complete Set of
Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.
10. Same reference as #4. 1887, p. 578.
11. Same reference as #4. 1888, p. 622.
12. Conversation with, Mr. James J. Manogue, 3201 P Street,
N.W. He is a grandson of James Manogue, the tailor.
13. Will, James Manogue, November 17, 1899, Probated April 1,
1901. Will Book 51, page 147, Register of Wills,
Washington, D.C.
108
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 14)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This brick structure is a well
preserved and distinguished example of a modest Georgetown
residence of the last quarter of the eighteenth century.
Condition of Fabric: The interior and exterior are both
in generally good condition. There has been remodeling
of the interior, especially of the second floor,
while on the exterior the 35th Street (front) elevation
appears relatively intact. The northeast corner of the
rear wing has recently been repaired and reinforced at the
basement level.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall Dimensions: This two-story brick house with full
basement faces west on 35th Street between N and 0 Streets
and its south wall is approximately 90' along 35th Street
from the centerline of N Street. Its three bay front is 22'
and its depth is 40'.
Foundations: The brick wall is continued down as a foundation.
Because of the slope of the land the entrance at street level
is only slightly above grade while at the rear (east) elevation
the full height basement wall is exposed.
109
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 15)
Wall Construction: The construction is brick bearing wall
with red face bricks of a dense smooth finish laid in Flemish
bond at the west elevation and rough texture red bricks laid
in common bond for east and north elevations. The west
elevation has beaded mortar joints while the east and north
have flush joints. One special item of note in examining
the wall construction is a stepped line of a heavy mortar
joint on the north elevation about three-fifths up the wall.
The line steps down from west to east and may mark the roof
line of a former addition.
Porches: There is one wood frame porch at the northeast corner
at the first floor level. It is covered by a wood roof pitching
down from south to north. The porch is entered from the end of
the stair hall and from the back room. Although the porch now
extends beyond the north wall of the main block, from marks on
the east wall of the main block it appears originally to have
ended at the line of the north wall.
Chimneys: Two separate chimneys are present and usable;
one in the middle of the east wall of the rear wing and one at
the middle of the south wall of the front room. The east
chimney is red brick 6' by 2' with a simple two course brick
cap, The south chimney is a party chimney with the adjoining
house; it is 4' 8" by 2', has two flues, and is capped with
brick.
Openings:
Doorways and Doors; The main entrance is a simple wood
trimmed masonry opening with a mid-twentieth century 3' 4"
six-panel door. The opening has a flat arched lintel of
15 sawn brick two or three piece voussoirs. There is a
four light wood trimmed transom window over the doorway
and a sandstone sill.
110
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 16)
A basement level doorway at the east wall of main block
opening onto the patio has been bricked closed leaving exit
to the rear yard from the north wall of the rear wing.
Additional doorways on the first floor are one from the
end of the main stair hall to the porch and one from the
back room onto the same porch.
Windows and Shutters: Two lower floor windows of the west
elevation are nine-over-six light double hung wood sash with
10" deep flat sawn-brick arched lintel of 14 two-piece
voussoirs. Three upper floor windows are six-over-six
light double hung wood sash with 8" deep flat sawn-brick
arched lintel of 14 single piece voussoirs. Shutters are
louvered two panel wood units with "H" shape metal hinges.
Metal shutter stops appear to be mid-twentieth century addition.
A window opening at west end of north wall of rear wing of
first floor porch has been bricked closed.
Roof :
Shape, Covering: The main block of the house is covered
by a simple gable roof with its ridge running north-south,
while the rear block has a shed running up from north
to south to party wall. Roofing material is standing
seam metal.
Framing: Not visible.
Cornice, Eaves: The cornice on the front elevation is a
three course brick corbelled sawtooth type painted
white. North wall is brought up beyond the roof
covering and this parapet has eared profile due to
corbelled end blocks. It is capped by a two course brick
cap. Gutters and downspouts are metal.
Dormers: None.
111
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 17)
Technical Description of Interior
Floor Plans: The plan is a simple "L" shape with a main
block on 35th Street and a rear wing along a party wall with a
building at south. A porch fits into the angle of the "L."
The first floor has a front and a back room with a stair hall
at north end of the main block. The second floor has two levels:
a higher front level with two bedrooms, and a two step lower
rear area housing a bedroom and two baths. The bath at the south
party wall is skylit. The present basement contains a front
kitchen-laundry area plus a small bedroom and a rear room with
a door to a patio on the north.
Stairways: The main stairway at the north side of the main
block runs from the first floor up 11 risers from west to east
with a return from a platform of four risers from east to west
to second level of main block. Below the stair is enclosed;
the rail is rounded wood mould, newel posts are simple turned
wood; balusters are squared wood; and stringer ends have half-
rounded wood angle blocks at stair tred ends.
A second stair is in the rear wing connecting the first floor
with the basement. It runs along the east wall of the main
block down 11 risers from north to south and from a corner
platform down three risers along south wall toward the east
to the basement floor. The railing and balusters are probably
mid-twentieth century additions.
Flooring: Random width pine floors are used on the first and
second floors. Floor construction of the first floor has been
enclosed by a mid-twentieth century ceiling in the basement. The
floor in the rear wing of the basement is of red bricks laid in
a basketweave pattern.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Walls and ceilings are plastered
throughout.
112
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 18)
Doorways and Doors: Doors are of a simple six wood panel type
with simple wood frames.
Trim: Walls have a baseboard with top moulded edge, but there
is no chair rail or wainscot. Door trim is a simple mould
resting on plinth blocks at the wall face.
Hardware: Brass and other metal hardware of early and mid-
twentieth century of a simple case are used throughout.
Lighting: There are a variety of twentieth-century fixtures.
Heating: Several fireplaces and their enframements provide the
most distinctive interior features. On the first floor the front
room fireplace at the south wall appears to have mid-twentieth
century trim but the rear wing has an east wall fireplace of
brick hearth and fireback with an ornamental enframement which is
probably original. The opening is bracketed by fluted pilasters
supporting a 9 1/2" deep mantel shelf. Ornamental medallions
seem to have been removed from blocks supporting the two ends
of the mantel. The other fireplace of possible original type is
in the basement at east wall. It has a wood enframement with
two full round 2' by 6" Tuscan doric columns framing the opening
and supporting a 12" wide mantel. These columns are on 6" wood
block bases but do not have echinus ring capitals. Supported
by the columns and supporting the mantel are blocks with a pointed
arch cut out. Present heating is a central system with radiator
units in each room.
Site
General setting and orientation: The house is on the east side
of 35th Street between N and 0 Streets. It is in a mixed
residential-commercial neighborhood.
113
GOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-193 (Page 19)
Enclosures: There is a white wood picket fence 8' to 10' from
the west facade. The rear yard is fenced by a wood fence
6' to 7' high.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: On the west red brick paving extends from the foundation
wall to a red brick public sidewalk 8' to 10' away.
Landscaping: In the rear a brick paved patio under the porch
extends severàl feet beyond the east elevation of the rear
wing.
Prepared by: William P. Thompson
Architect
Historic American Building Survey
June 1968
114
III
П
$
inn
110
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-83
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3512 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 73 Third
Street.)
Location:
This house occupies part of Lot 106 in
Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown in
old Square 77, now taxed as Lot 845 in
Square 1247.
Date of erection:
1826
Owners in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Parrott
Occupants in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Parrott
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
A fine example of an early nineteenth-
century, free-standing town house, this
dwelling has been carefully restored to
regain its original character. The guest
house recently built in the same style
and the extensive garden serve to create
a setting which enhances the charm of
the old house.
117
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 83 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1823-1826
In 1823 John Threlkeld sold the land on which the Teresa Fenwick
house stands to John Pickrell for $150. Two years later Pickrell
and his wife deeded the property to Henry Waring, the consideration
being $200. On September 1, 1826 Henry Waring and his wife,
Milicent, and Joseph Brigden conveyed it to Teresa Fenwick, Brigden
receiving the sum of $1700 and Waring one dollar. This increase
in price in just nine months would indicate that the house was
erected between December 1825 and September 1826. The house was
almost certainly built for Teresa Brent Fenwick or purchased by
her as a new building.
1826-1839
Teresa Brent was a daughter of Robert and Anna Maria (Parnham)
Brent and was born at "Brentfield," Charles County, Maryland in
1767. She married Colonel James Fenwick of Pomonkey, Charles
County, Maryland, as his second wife. They had one daughter,
Sarah Anne Fenwick, who died as a young girl. Colonel James
Fenwick (1763-1823) was the eldest son of Colonel Ignatius and
Sarah (Taney) Fenwick of "Cherryfields," St. Mary's County,
Maryland. His father had been a member of the Maryland Provin-
cial Congress and commanded a regiment during the American
Revolution. The Right Reverend Edward Dominic Fenwick, broth-
er of Colonel James Fenwick, was the first Roman Catholic
Bishop of Cincinnati. (1)
Colonel James Fenwick died at Pomonkey on September 3, 1823.
By his Will, dated 3 September and probated 14 October 1823,
he left his widow, Teresa Brent Fenwick, a life interest in
all his lands and all of his estate not otherwise devised.
118
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 3)
His lands in St. Mary's County he bequeathed to his grandson,
William Hamersley Plowden, with the rents payable to his
daughter, Henrietta Fenwick Plowden, and her husband, William
Hamersley Plowden, Sr., during their lifetimes. His lands
in the District of Columbia went to his grandson, Robert James
Brent, and his stock in the Bank of Columbia to his grand-
daughter, Maria Brent. After the death of Teresa Fenwick his
Charles County lands were to be divided between Edmund James
Plowden, son of William and Henrietta Fenwick Plowden, and
Robert James Brent, son of William Leigh and Maria Fenwick
Brent. (2)
Teresa Brent Fenwick evidently moved to Georgetown after her
husband's death and made her home in the new house purchased
by her in 1826. The land was vacant in 1818, according to the
Georgetown Tax Assessment Records in the National Archives. (3)
In 1831 she acquired additional land on the southwest corner
of Third (now P) and Fayette (now 35th) Streets, with a 120-
foot frontage on Third and a 60-foot frontage on Fayette from
James Adams and others. (4) The 1830 Directory cites "Teresa
Fenwick, Widow, Third Street near Fayette" and the 1834
Directory "Mrs. Fenwick, Widow, Third Street, south side." (5)
In her Will, dated 23 July and probated 4 December 1839,
Teresa Fenwick requests "...to be buried by the side of my late
husband in the graveyard on the plantation where I formerly
resided on Pomonkey Neck, Charles County, Maryland." She
left to Edmund James Plowden, among other bequests, the
bed, bedstead, curtains, and other furniture belonging there-
unto, in the front room on the second story of my present
dwelling and also all the other furniture which may be in the
said room at the time of my death and one dining set
of china called Liverpool-ware and the carpet and fender in
my drawing room." She left to Francis Henry Digges, among
other bequests, "...my side board and all the furniture in
my front room or parlor and "one pair of silver salt cellars."
119
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 83 (Page 4)
Sarah Ann Brent, daughter of William Leigh Brent, her nephew
and a Congressman from Louisiana, received "one silver coffee
pot, one silver tea pot and cream pot and silver sugar dish."
Edmund James Plowden also inherited her carriage and horses.
These bequests give some suggestion of the way Teresa Fenwick's
rooms in her home in Georgetown were used and furnished. (6)
The 1830 Census lists the household of Teresa Fenwick as "one
white female aged 15-20, one white female aged 50-60, two
white females aged 60-70, one male slave aged 36-55, one female
slave aged 36-55, and one female slave aged 10-24. "(7) In her
Will Teresa left a "Servant Woman Mary" to Robert James Brent
and a "Servant Man Sam" to Francis H. Digges, with particular
instructions that they be treated kindly. She set free anoth-
er three young slave boys named Michael, Henry, and James.
Among a large number of money bequests, Teresa Fenwick left
$400 to the Reverend William McSherry, President of Georgetown
College; $100 to Mother Ann Agatha, Superior of the Georgetown
Visitation Academy; and $100 to "poor widows with children."
To make these cash bequests possible she instructed that her
house and the lots attached be sold. (8)
1839-1845
Her executors, named in the Will, were Edmund James Plowden, her
late husband's grandson, and her nephew, Francis Henry Digges.
Plowden married Charlotte Coad of St. Mary's County on November
11, 1839. They resided on a plantation near Leonardtown and
there is no indication that they ever occupied the Georgetown
house. (9)
In 1845 Edmund James Plowden "of St. Mary's County" sold the
Georgetown property where Teresa Fenwick had lived for thirteen
years to Francis Henry Digges "of Charles County," who had re-
fused to serve as executor. Research has not revealed who
occupied the house from 1839 to 1845.
120
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 5)
1845-1864
During Digges' ownership, 73 Third Street was used as rental
property. In 1855 Johnson Jones, listed in the City Directory
as a "Farmer" was living in the house and in 1858 Edward S.
Wright, an "auction and commission merchant" with a business
at 174 Bridge (now M) Street, was residing there with his
family. Although the other four houses on this block of
Third Street were occupied during the Civil War, there was
no listing in directories during this period for the Teresa
Fenwick house. (10)
1864-1889
Just before the War's end, Daniel Brown, a grocer residing
and having a store at 54 Fayette (now 35th) Street, purchased
the property from Francis Digges in 1864. Formerly, in 1855,
Daniel Brown had been listed as a laborer residing nearby at
83 Third Street. (11) The 1865 tax assessment record credits
Daniel Brown with a two-story brick dwelling on Lot 106
(the Teresa Fenwick House), another at Dumbarton and Montgom-
ery (now 28th) Streets on Lot 131, and a two-story frame
dwelling on Lot 105 (his home and store at 54 Fayette Street).
(12)
Daniel Brown died in 1865, a year after purchasing the house
at 73 Third Street. His widow and three children, however,
held the Teresa Fenwick property for almost a quarter of a
century, while continuing to run the grocery business and
reside at 54 Fayette Street until 1879 when they moved to 84
First (now 3400 N) Street. (13)
121
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 83 (Page 6)
1889-1939
David Cotter, listed in city directories as a policeman and
later as having a real estate business, bought the Third Street
property from the Browns in 1889. (14) While he resided at a
number of different addresses in Georgetown, Cotter rented his
dwelling at 3512 P Street throughout the years to a number of
persons performing neighborhood services; these included
laundresses, laborers, cooks, and drivers. (15) When David
died in 1921 his widow, Ella, inherited the property and con-
tinued to rent the house. From 1933 to 1936 the tenants oper-
ated a shoe repair business on the first floor of the building
and lived upstairs. (16)
1939-1951
Ella Cotter died in 1939, bequeathing the property to her
tenant, Mary W. Calohan, thus terminating fifty years of
Cotter ownership. Five years later the building was bought
by Margaret Weller who was in the process of restoring other
houses in this area.
1951-1969
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Alexander Parrott, the present owners and
occupants, bought this early nineteenth-century house in 1951
and have meticulously preserved and enhanced its charm.
122
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 7)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1823
John Threlkeld and wife
Deed December 3, 1823
to
Recorded December 15, 1823
John Pickrell
Liber W.B. 8, folio 269
Consideration - $150
1825
John Pickrell and wife
Deed December 6, 1825
to
Recorded December 8, 1825
Henry Waring
Liber W.B. 14, folio 339
Consideration - $200
1826
Henry Waring and wife, Milicent Deed September 1, 1826
Joseph Brigden
Records December 16, 1826
to
Liber W.B. 17, folio 276
Teresa Fenwick
Consideration-$1700 to Brigden and $1 to Waring
123
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 83 (Page 8)
1839
Teresa Fenwick died
Will July 23, 1839
in 1839.
Probated December 4, 1839
Will Book 5, page 154
Will directed the house on Third Street, and lots
attached, then occupied by her should be sold by
her executors to permit certain bequests.
1845
Edward James Plowden,
Deed July 5, 1845
Executor
Recorded July 5, 1845
under Will of Teresa
Liber W.B. 118, folio 41
Fenwick
to
Francis H. Digges
Consideration - $1500
1864
Francis H. Digges and
Deed October 4, 1864
wife, Mary Jane
Recorded October 14, 1864
to
Liber NCT 47, folio 436
Daniel Brown
Consideration - $2500
1865
Daniel Brown died intestate, leaving his property to his
widow, Johanna, and three children - Annie D. Brown, Maggie
C. Brown, Mary E. Brown.
124
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 83 (Page 9)
1889
Johanna Brown, widow
Deed November 16, 1889
Annie D. Brown
Recorded November 18, 1889
Maggie C. Brown
Liber 1430, folio 447
Mary E. Brown
heirs of Daniel Brown
to
David J. Cotter
Consideration - $2100
1911
David J. Cotter and
Deed June 28, 1911
wife, Ella F.
Recorded June 29, 1911
to
Liber 3428, folio 382
Harry A. Calohan
Harry A. Calohan and
Deed June 28, 1911
wife, Mary
Recorded June 29, 1911
to
Liber 3428, folio 384
David J. Cotter
Ella F. Cotter
joint tenants
1921
David J. Cotter died July 17, 1921, leaving his wife, Ella F.
Cotter, surviving tenant by entirety.
125
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 10)
1939
Ella F. Cotter died in 1939 and by her Will devised Lot 106 in
Square 1247 to tenant, Mary W. Calohan, survivor of her husband,
Harry A. Calohan.
1943
Mary Calohan
Deed April 26, 1943
to
Recorded June 2, 1943
Ellen E. LaMotte
Liber 7861, folio 103
(aka Ellen Newbold LaMotte)
Ellen E. LaMotte
Deed July 7, 1943
to
Recorded July 13, 1943
Margaret B. Weller
Liber 7874, folio 152
1951
Margaret B. Weller
Deed May 15, 1951
to
Recorded May 17, 1951
Thomas Alexander Parrott
Liber 9472, folio 44
and Barbara B., his wife
tenants by the entirety
126
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 11)
REFERENCES
1. Chronicles of St. Mary's. Leonardtown, Maryland: St.
Mary's County Historical Society, 1953, Vol. I, PP. 20-
24.
and
O'Daniel, Victor F., The Right Reverend Edward Dominic
Fenwick. Washington, D.C.: Dominicana Press, 1920.
and
Brent, Chester H., Descendants of Giles Brent. Rutland,
Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Company, 1938.
and
Will of Janet Brent. Charles County Wills, Will Book 15,
page 527, Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland.
2. Will of Colonel James Fenwick. Charles County Wills, Will
Book 14, page 283, Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis,
Maryland.
3. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assessment
of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605, National
Archives Record Group 351, Roll 11 (1818-1819).
4. Land Records. Washington, D.C., Liber W.B. 35, folio 173.
5. City Directory. 1830, p. 7; 1834, P. 7.
127
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 12)
6. Will of Teresa Fenwick, Will Book 5, page 154, District
of Columbia Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.
7. Population Census, Georgetown, D.C. 1830.
8. Same reference as #6.
9. Same reference as #1.
10. Same reference as #5. 1855, (Georgetown Section), P. 6;
1858, p. 472; 1860, p. 164, p. 165, p. 167, p. 172; 1865,
P. 375, P. 378, P. 380, P. 386, P. 388, P. 390.
11. Same reference as #5. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 2.
12. Same reference as #3. Roll 12 (1865-1870).
13. Same reference as #5. 1878, p. 167; 1879, p. 190.
14. Same reference as #5. 1889, p. 311; 1899, p. 350; 1914,
P. 355.
128
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 13)
15. Same reference as #5. 1914, p. 718; 1924, P. 1499;
1932, p. 1479; 1935, P. 1356.
16. Same reference as #5. 1933, p. 1255; 1936, p. 2006.
ABCAECC
NOPORSTUVWXYZ
boders
Confeience sittateful the the may tell
But may d'dictates well
soever with her lives at Itrife
Loies there better friend for life
of
her
Dating from the eighteenth century, many members
of the Fenwick family have resided in western
Georgetown and been active in the life of its
institutions. Sampler worked by Maria Fenwick at the
Ladies Academy, George Town, in 1802 at age 9
(Georgetown Visitation Convent)
129
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 14)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural character: The Teresa Fenwick House is a fine
example of a large scale Federal domestic structure of the
second quarter of the nineteenth century. There have been
many modifications of the interior and of the side and rear
wall fenestration, but the front facade and the interior
(through restoration) remain largely of nineteenth-century
cast.
Condition of fabric: The house is in good to excellent
condition on both the interior and the exterior. The interior
was restored in the 1950's by a competent restoration archi-
tect.
Description of Exterior
Overall dimensions: The Fenwick House is a distinctive two
and a half story brick rectangular block facing north on P
Street between 35th and 36th Streets and along P Street
approximately 165 feet from the centerline of 35th Street.
The three bay front (north) elevation is approximately 22
feet and the depth of the house is approximately 32 feet.
Foundations: At the north elevation the rubble stone
foundation is revealed approximately six inches while due to
the slope of the land it is revealed approximately eight feet
at the south elevation. The foundation wall has received
an exterior coat of plaster on all elevations.
130
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 15)
Wall construction: This brick bearing wall structure has
Flemish bond for the north elevation while the other
elevations are in common bond with bonding course every
six courses.
Framing: Not visible.
Porches, stoops, bulkheads, etc.: There is no front porch
or stoop. At the rear an exterior metal stair and stoop
to the first floor level is mid-twentieth century in date.
Chimneys: There are two three-flue brick chimneys approxi-
mately five feet by one foot eight inches at the west wall
of the structure. They are surmounted by simple two course
brick caps.
Openings:
Doorways and doors: The front entry has a mid-
twentieth century six panel wood door, a sand-
stone sill, and a simple wood-trimmed masonry
opening surmounted by an early nineteenth-
century transom window. This transom has four
leaded panes and is ornamented by an oval metal
framework.
(See HABS DC-83, sheet 10--measured drawing.)
Windows and shutters: The north elevation
windows have 6/6 light double-hung wood sash.
Masonry openings have painted stone sills and
sawn brick flat arched lintels. The two-panel
wood fixed louvered shutters still maintain
some original lintel hardware. The second
floor western window may have an early nine-
teenth-century shutter stop.
131
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 16)
The south elevation retains three pairs of
two-panel wood shutters for the first floor
and floor to ceiling 9/9 light double-hung
wood sash. Windows which are probably
original to the house are present in the
following locations: the second floor hall
east wall; the third floor back room south
wall; the third floor front room north wall;
the second floor back room south wall; and
the second floor front room north wall eastern
window.
Roof:
Shape, covering: The medium pitch gable roof is
covered by standing-seam metal.
Cornice, eaves: The north elevation is capped
by a simple three course brick corbelled cornice.
Gutters and downspouts at both the north and
south elevation are metal.
Cupolas, dormers, towers: The two front and one
rear dormer have 6/6 light double-hung wood sash.
The pedimental wood cornices have a broken
horizontal band.
Description of Interior
Floor plans: The simple rectangular plan has an east side
stair hall with the stairway at the south-east and a front
and rear room on each floor.
The first floor has both front and rear parlors linked by
an opening approximately six feet wide. Second and third
floors have two bedrooms each with two second floor and one
third floor bath.
The basement at present contains a front kitchen and laundry
room and a rear dining room.
132
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 17)
Stairways: The stair occupies the south half of the east entry
and stair hall. The stair is of the simple half-turn-with-
landing type. From the first floor the stair runs up from north
to south twelve risers to the landing and then back six risers
to the second floor. Continuing to the third floor, the stair
rises north to south eight risers and then from the landing
back eight more. The stair to the basement under the main stair
originally was probably enclosed completely with a stud wall on
the west where now there are balusters. The stair ascends twelve
risers from north to south.
The simple rounded stair rail, square newel post and rectangular
balusters appear to be original. The ends of the stringers
have simple curved profile angle blocks which visually support
each riser.
(See HABS DC-83, sheet 10--measured drawing.)
Flooring: The pine flooring on the first, second, and third
stories appears to be twentieth-century.
Doorways and doors: Wood six-panel doors all appear to be
twentieth-century types. Doorway frames are of simple wood sec-
tion.
(See HABS DC-83, sheet 9--measured drawing.)
Decorative features and trim: The apparently original baseboard
trim appears in several locations. A five inch baseboard
with moulded cap appears in the second floor hall. A simpler
four and a half inch baseboard without a cap piece but with a
simple groove is used in the third floor bedrooms. There is
no wainscot, chair rail, or cornice mould.
Notable hardware: There is a variety of twentieth-century hard-
ware.
Lighting: There is a variety of mid-twentieth-century fixtures.
133
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 18)
Heating: There are several distinctive second quarter nine-
teenth-century fireplaces as the chief decorative features
of the interior. The two first floor fireplaces both have
slate hearths and slate facing surrounds. Each is trimmed by
a wood pilastered enframement supporting a mantel shelf and
large mirror. A special feature of the mantel is an under-
mantel center block with an oval cut-out. The front room
mantelpiece is the same in detail as that in the rear except
that it is one inch wider.
(See HABS DC-83, sheet 9--measured drawing.)
Another fireplace of the second quarter of the nineteenth
century appears in the rear room of the basement. It also
has a slate facing and a slate hearth but is trimmed by an
unusual "eared" enframement and detached mantel shelf.
Above the fireplace between the top of the opening and the
trim mould is a central geometric cut-out feature block.
(See HABS DC-83, sheet 8--measured drawing.)
Modern central heating has radiator units in each room.
Site
General setting and orientation: The structure faces on a
residential street near Georgetown University and across the
street from the Convent of the Visitation.
Enclosures: The rear yard is completely surrounded by a
wooden fence. On the east at the south elevation there is
an approximately seven foot retaining wall topped by an
approximately five foot wooden fence.
Outbuildings: A modern two-story guest house and garage has
been built at the northwest corner of the lot, and at the
center of the south end of the lot there is a one story modern
storage shed.
134
TERESA FENWICK HOUSE
HABS No. DC-83 (Page 19)
Walks: The house abuts a concrete walk approximately four feet
from the north facade. In the rear yard a flagstone patio has
been built to the south and west. In addition a brick circumfer-
ential walk recently has been built around the rear yard
approximately twelve feet from the wood fences.
Landscaping: The rear yard has a lawn inside the brick walk
and a series of shrubs and large and small trees between the
walk and the fence.
At the front a large tree stands at the curb at about the middle
of the elevation.
Prepared by: William P. Thompson
Architect
Historic American
Buildings Survey
135
OX
136
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-191
BROWN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1404 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 55 Fayette Street.)
Location:
The house is located on old Lot 99,
Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 847
in Square 1247 in Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
1791
Owner in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. William Earle Bradley
Occupant in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. William Earle Bradley
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
This free-standing town house is one of
the earliest in the west end of George-
town. It has been carefully restored
to maintain many of the original details
while unobtrusively providing modern
conveniences.
137
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1791-1815
In 1791 John Threlkeld sold Lot 99 to his first cousin, Dr.
William Brown, physician of physic, of Alexandria, Virginia.
(1) Mary Brown Hopkins Threlkeld, the mother of John, and
Reverend Richard Brown, the father of Dr. William Brown,
were brother and sister.
The Browns of Virginia came of a distinguished Scottish
family. Dr. William Brown was a grandson of Dr. Gustavus
Brown, also a physician, who came to Maryland at age nine-
teen in 1708 as a ships surgeon and remained in the Colony
to practice medicine and found one of Virginia's first
families.
Dr. Gustavus Brown had thirteen children. His eldest son,
the Reverend Richard Brown, was educated at the University
of Edinburgh and ordained in the Church of England July 9,
1750 by the Lord Bishop of London. While in Scotland he
married Helen Bailey, a Scottish lady, the first of his
three wives. Their second son was Dr. William Brown.
Though born in Scotland while his father was a student
there, Dr. William Brown's early education was at King
and Queen parish, St. Mary's County, Maryland. His
parents then sent him to Scotland where his grandfather
owned lands. In 1770 he received his M.D. at the
University of Edinburgh with the thesis "De Viribus
Atmosphurae." (2) Returning to Virginia he settled in
Alexandria and married his cousin, Catherine Scott,
whose father was the Reverend James Scott, an Episcopal
Rector in Virginia. (3)
138
of the Request of William Brown the following Quo was Recorded this 16" day of
May 1791 Jowit This Indenture mass this Signature day of May One Thougato geven
Haundred and ninety One Beliveen John Threlkets of Montgomery County 4 State' of cleary.
land of the One' gart 2 William Chonn Physician of Alexytionia and State of Virginia
of the Wha gant Witneforth Meat the fair John Threlhets for and " Confideration of the
fun of five Phillingo to him in Hand quio the Occeipt whereof is hereby acknowloged
the fair William Brown discharge from Every eart and parcel thereof Math given
fill alien unto hun the faid William Brown his Mouro and Morgno lower
granted bargaines gots almod 2 banfirmed by there profento doth give grant barg am
all hio the faid John Thanketoo right tille Internot lann on' Demand to that Soll on'
gareet of ground in oad Thacketoo Addition to George Soun known Y) Distingmotics
by Mumber Minety mind reference to the Platt being Piar will more fully appearidageMics
"In 1791 John Threlkeld sold Lot 99 to his first cousin, Dr.
William Brown, physician of physic, of Alexandria, Virginia."
Portion of Threlkeld--Brown Deed of 16 May, 1791 (Land Records,
Montgomery County Courthouse, Rockville, Maryland)
139
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 3)
Young Dr. Brown courted Catherine at Mount Vernon. She
was related to Hannah Bushrod, wife of John Augustine
Washington, a brother of George. George Washington's
diary records that he returned to his Virginia estate to
find Dr. Brown a visitor. After William and Catherine's
marriage they rented George Washington's house in
Alexandria, Virginia. Washington's cash accounts record
an item of sixty pounds for a year's rent paid the
general by the young doctor.
Dr. Brown was one of the gallant Virginians who support-
ed Washington in the American Revolution. He served
from September to December 1776 as surgeon to the Second
Virginia Regiment under Colonel Woodford. Congress then
appointed him on recommendation of Dr. Hugh Mercer to
succeed Dr. Benjamin Rush as Surgeon-General to the
Middle Department of the Army on May 13, 1777. On
February 6, 1778 he became Physician and Director-Gen-
eral " to superintend the practice of physick in the
Army Hospitals " (4)
During this time Dr. Brown wrote in Latin the first
American pharmacopia, now a rare book. His work was
based upon the Scottish pharmacopia and intended for
use in the colonial army hospitals where drugs were
scarce at the time. (5) In 1780 he resigned from the
Army because of İll health induced by his military
exposure.
Not entitled to the military bounty lands because
he had not served the required period, the Virginian
and his services were held in such esteem that the
grant was given in a special resolution. His share
amounted to seven thousand acres of land in the
western country. (6)
After retiring from military service the Virginia doctor
returned to Alexandria where he lived and practiced
medicine. About 1791 Dr. Brown entered into a partner-
ship with Dr. Gustavus B. Campbell for carrying on
the practice of Phisick and the business of selling
drugs..." " (7) In the spring and summer of the same
140
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 4)
year he purchased the site in Georgetown from his cousin,
John Threlkeld, and built Brown House. The Virginia
physician evidently intended to reside, at least part
time, in the Federal city to be, but there is no documentary
evidence that he ever occupied his Georgetown house. The
deed for Lot 99 was recorded in May 1791. In that same year
the relatively young man wrote: "In the name of God, Amen.
I, William Brown, phisician
afflicted by a disorder of
uncertain event
declare the above written in my own hand
to be my last Will.'
Dr. Brown died in Alexandria on January 11, 1792. He was
buried at "Preston," the estate of his kinsman, Charles
Alexander, with this inscription on his tomb:
"In Memory of
WILLIAM BROWN M.D.
(Formerly Physician General
of the Hospitals of the United States)
who died on the 11th of Jan. 1792
in the 44th Year of his Age
this TABLET is inscribed
by
his affectionate & afflicted widow.
His zeal and fidelity as a patriot,
his patience, diligence & skill as a physician,
his benevolence, curtesy & integrity as a Man
Secured him
the applause of his Country,
honor & emoluments of his Profession,
the respect of the wealthy
and
the veneration of the poor.
LET
the grateful witness of his virtues in domestic Life
Add
that as a Husband, Father & Master
he was tender, instructive E humane,
that he lived without guile
and died without reproach!"
141
In the of God, Amen.
J William Brown of the Soun of Alexandria in Verginia phise
can bring of saindjudgment and understanding as in my or
tenary stite of health but afflicted with a discrder of uncertain event
do for the more satisfactory disposition of my worldly affairs make
" 'In the name of God, Amen. I William Brown of the
Town of Alexandria in Virginia phisician being of sound
judgment and understanding as in my ordinary state of
health, but afflicted with a disorder of uncertain
event do for the more satisfactory disposition of
my worldly affairs make " Will of Dr.
William Brown (Virginia State Library, Richmond,
Virginia)
Darsett County. Anayland, also le my sell Gustavus my house and
JoH in Threthelds addition to Georgeleven 11" Mi all the appurtenance,
and whereas have only h. John Shuthela's Pren'o to make me "
sufficient Dico for said LoH is Land, 8 do Aesire that said Decd may
forthwith oblaince accordengly from it's Thicketo, and request him
to marest to mu ven Gustavus. If after settlement of my fu isonal
"
also to my son Gustavus my house and Lott in
Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown with all the
appurtenances " Will of Dr. William Brown
(Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia)
142
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 5)
About 1916 when the Pennsylvania Railroad desired the site to
accommodate increasing traffic and Dr. Brown's grave was re-
located at Pohick Church cemetery in Virginia, it was recorded
that Dr. Brown's skeleton remained in perfect condition. He
had been interred in his Continental uniform, the buff and the
blue, the buttons still shining, his white kid gloves (though
brown with time) on his hands, a ribbon decoration on his
breast, with his sword by his side. (8)
Gustavus, the youngest son, was bequeathed the quarter in
Fairfax County and "...also to my son Gustavus my house and
Lott in Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown with all the
appurtenances M (9)
Catherine Brown, although quite young when her husband died,
never remarried and eventually went to live in Fairfax County,
presumably on the quarter near Ravensworth where she died in
1813. The tax records for Georgetown show that Catherine
Brown paid the taxes for the house on Fayette Street in 1808
although her son, Gustavus Alexander Brown, was the legal
owner. (10)
Who occupied Brown House during the twenty-three years between
1792 and 1815 is still an historical mystery. Since housing
was in great demand while the Federal city was being constructed,
it seems not unreasonable to believe the house was a rented
property.
1815-1819
Gustavus Alexander Brown of Alexandria, Virginia, sold the house
in 1815 to his second cousin's husband, Dr. William Grayson, Jr.
of Georgetown, who had married Mary, eldest daughter of John
Threlkeld. Presumably they occupied the house until their estate
was completed. In 1816 Dr. Grayson sold Lot 99 on which is
erected a two-story brick house with attic..." and Lot 100 as
well to John W. Bronaugh, formerly a Virginia planter.
143
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 6)
In February of 1810 Bronaugh had advertised in the Alexandria
Gazette "Mount Air," his seven-hundred-acre plantation
located nine miles south of Alexandria on the Post Road, and
his three-hundred-acre island in the "Potomack" twenty miles
above Georgetown. (11) John Bronaugh also purchased Lots 101,
102, 103 and 110 from John Threlkeld, thus acquiring one half
of the present Square 1247. Heavily in debt to many in George-
town, Bronaugh sold Brown House in 1819 at public auction to
Joseph Jackson, a Georgetown grocer living on Bridge Street
(now M Street). (12)
1819-1854
Ownership of the property passed from Joseph Jackson, after
his death in 1831, to his widow Rebecca with an uncon-
trolled power of disposing same pa Twenty years later
William O'Brien, owner of a shoe store at 159 Bridge Street
(now M Street), purchased the house from Rebecca Jackson. (13)
Research has not revealed what use O'Brien made of 55 Fayette
Street, for he never resided at this address.
1854-1881
In 1854 Mary Bibb purchased Brown House. Mary Bibb was the
former Mrs. Dyer who married Judge George Motier Bibb in
Washington, D.C. in 1832. George Bibb came from Kentucky,
where he had spent thirteen years as Chief Justice of the
Kentucky Court of Appeals, to serve nine years in the U.S.
Senate. In 1844 he was Secretary of the Treasury under
President Tyler. After his service in the Federal government
George Bibb remained in the Capital to practice law. Judge
Bibb was known as a fine scholar and a mathematician. He
was a personage of many accomplishments both in his career
and in his interests. He enjoyed gardening and developed
a variety of lettuce, now popularly known as "Bibb lettuce."
(14)
144
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 7)
George and Mary Bibb had five children; George Bibb had twelve
children by his first marriage. (15) If the whole family had
lived in Brown House, it would have been full indeed! Perhaps
the Bibb family also occupied the house they owned just to
the north of Brown House at 59 Fayette Street (now 1408 35th
Street).
After Judge Bibb's death in 1859 his wife, Mary, and the family
continued to live at 55 Fayette Street until the Civil War.
The next occupants were the Joseph Bartons who rented the house
until 1868. (16) Mr. Barton was an official with the Treasury
Department; it was reported that the marriage of "his beautiful
and talented daughter" to the son of Baron de Bodisco was one
of the social events of the year 1865, "attended by Cabinet
officers and foreign diplomats." (17)
William T. Herron, a contractor who had built and lived in
the mansion on the corner one block north at Third (now P
Street) and Fayette (now 35th Street), moved into Brown House
with his family in 1869. (18) However, he did not remain
long, for the next year he was living on "2nd near Frederick."
In 1871, still living on Second (now 0 Street), he opened a
wholesale and retail grocery business on the southeast corner
of High (now Wisconsin Avenue) and Bridge (now M Street) as
a successor to William H. Tenney. (19)
When Mary Bibb died in 1875 Brown House passed to her son,
George Laurence Alexander Dyer. He held the property for six
years and in 1881 sold it to Rebecca Martin, a clerk in the
Treasury Department.
1881-1940
Rebecca Martin died in 1885. Her Will devised the property to
her parents, James and Jane Martin, for the duration of their
lives, and thereafter to her sisters, Lavinnia Patterson, wife
of John T. Patterson, and Sarah E. Reynolds, wife of Dr. Walter
Reynolds. James and Jane Martin lived at 1404 35th Street for
fourteen years, from 1882 until 1896. James Martin was a
145
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 8)
shoemaker with a shop at various addresses on Bridge Street
(now M Street) from 1876 until 1886. (20) Occupancy of
Brown House between 1897 and 1917 has not been determined.
However, Lavinnia Patterson, widow, is listed in the
Washington City Directory as residing at 1404 35th Street
from 1917 to 1940, the year she died. (21)
1941-1951
In 1941 Susan Jay (Mrs. Peter Jay) purchased Brown House as
an investment. Mrs. Margaret Weller was commissioned by
Mrs. Jay to restore the house during the summer of 1941.
Mrs. Weller stated that at the time of the Jay purchase the
house had neither plumbing nor heating other than the five
wood-burning fireplaces. She further added that the present
architectural details were those she found in 1941. At the
time of Mrs. Weller's initial inspection two very aged ladies
occupied the house, keeping warm by the open fire on the
first floor (now the dining room).
The Jay restoration consisted of installing bathrooms at
the ends of the third and fourth floor hallways and installing
a coat closet and powder room at the end of the second floor
hall in the rear by raising the brick walls above what had
been the "out-house" at the first floor back, still in use
in 1941! (22) During World War II Mrs. Jay's daughter (now
Mrs. Joseph Alsop) lived in the house for about two years.
Then it was rented to a series of tenants until 1951 when
it was sold. (23)
1951-1969
At that time Mr. and Mrs. Graham Parsons bought the house and
held it for four and a half years. In 1956 they sold it to
Mr. and Mrs. Armand Harkless. Neither the Parsons nor the
Harklesses lived in the house. Three years later, in 1959,
the Harklesses deeded the property to Mrs. Harkless's daughter,
Marie E. Mongan, who sold it a few months later to Mr. and
Mrs. William Earle Bradley. Careful maintenance in harmony
with the eighteenth-century original has been undertaken by
the present owners to preserve this early structure.
146
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 9)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1791
John Threlkeld
Deed May 16, 1791
to
Recorded May 16, 1791
William Brown
Montgomery County, Md.
Liber D-4, folio 598
1792
William Brown dies
Will and Codicil November
January 11, 1792.
24, 1791
Probated July 19, 1792
Arlington County
Records 1786-1800, Wills
(Virginia State Library,
Richmond, Virginia)
1815
Gustavus A. Brown
Deed October 30, 1815
to
Recorded December 28, 1815
William Grayson
Liber AK-35, folio 420
"Conveys a certain 2-story brick house and
lot known as No. 99 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown..
"
147
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 10)
1816
William Grayson
Deed September 18, 1815
to
Recorded October 18, 1816
John W. Bronaugh
Liber AM-37, folio 19
1819
John W. Bronaugh
Deed in Trust January 23, 1819
to
Recorded June 11, 1819
Thomas G. Muncure
Liber AV-46, folio 58
Robert Kerby & William Clagett vs. John Bronaugh
James Melvin vs. John Bronaugh
Charles B. Robertson & Joseph Jackson vs. John
Bronaugh
Leonard M. Deakins & Thomas Cramplin vs. John
Bronaugh
"...to secure payment of all fees and costs due by
defendant within 30 days, and if not then paid the
property conveyed in trust which is to be the house
and lot of defendant on Fayette Street in Georgetown,
to be then sold after a week's notice by advertise-
ment in the Messenger to the highest bidder for cash
and the money to be applied as aforesaid, expenses of
sale and reasonable commission to trustee to be first
deducted from purchase money and the balance after
paying as above to be paid to said Bronaugh."
Thomas G. Muncure, Trustee
Deed June 14, 1819
to
Recorded July 3, 1819
Joseph Jackson
Liber AV-46, folio 171
148
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 11)
1831
Joseph Jackson dies,
Will September 22, 1826
devises to wife Rachael
Probated May 30, 1831
all real and personal
Will Book 4, page 86
property, with an uncon-
Administration 8592
trolled power of disposing
of same.
1851
Rachael Jackson
Deed June 26, 1851
to
Recorded July 2, 1851
William O'Brien
Liber JAS 26, folio 30
1853
William O'Brien
Trust April 7, 1853
to
Recorded April 15, 1853
Richard P. Jackson
Liber JAS 53, folio 498
Secures Thomas J. Magruder $1695.80, power
to sell or default in payment.
1854
Richard P. Jackson, 1st
Deed in Trust June 27, 1854
party
Recorded December 21, 1875
William O'Brien et ux
Liber 809, folio 7
Mary, 2nd party
Mary R. Bibb (wife of
George M.), 3rd party
to
Lewis Carberry, 4th party
149
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 12)
Recites that party of first part has sold property
(agreeably to directions in deed of April 7, 1853)
to party of third part in trust for the sole and
separate use of said party of the third part and
to permit her to occupy and enjoy the same and
receive the rents and profits thereof free from the
control or intermeddling of her present or any fu-
ture husband and without being liable for his debts
or engagements.
1875
Mary R. Bibb dies, de-
Will October 8, 1874
vises property to her
Probated October 19, 1875
son, George Laurence
Will Book 19, page 142
Alexander Dyer, for
and during his natural
life and then to George
Alphonsus Dyer, his
present child, and any
other children born to him.
1881
Richard P. Jackson,
Deed September 20, 1881
Trustee, 1st party
Recorded October 4, 1881
George A. Dyer, 2nd
Liber 985, folio 141
party
to
Rebecca A. Martin, 3rd
party
Recites that by Decree in Equity of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia #7679 (passed
September 15, 1881) in which George A. Dyer was
plaintiff and Shoemaker et al defendants--
Richard P. Jackson was appointed trustee in place
of Lewis Carberry, deceased--premises sold to
part of third part,
150
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 13)
1885
Rebecca A. Martin dies
Will September 30, 1884
February 21, 1885.
Probated May 22, 1885
Will Book 22, page 195
Administration 1975
Devises property to her mother and father
(James and Jane E. Martin) during their
natural lives and upon death of both to
her sisters, Lavinnia Patterson and Sarah
E. Reynolds.
1941
Frank M. Young and
Deed May 21, 1941
wife, Ruth E.
Recorded June 9, 1941
James E. Young,
Liber 7625, folio 185
unmarried
(devisees under Will
of Lavinnia Patterson)
Mary Elizabeth Reynolds
Elsie V. Reynolds
Walter Martin Reynolds & wife,
Lillian
Lelia R. Metzger (formerly Lelia
Rebecca Reynolds)
(sold heirs at law of Sarah
E. Reynolds)
to
Susan Jay
1951
Susan Jay
Deed May 7, 1951
to
Recorded June 21, 1951
James Graham Parsons
Liber 9496, folio 56
and wife, Margaret
J., tenants by the
entirety
151
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 14)
1956
James Graham Parsons
Deed January 31, 1956
and wife, Margaret J.
Recorded February 29, 1956
to
Liber 10611, folio 449
Armand W. Harkless and
wife, Lucille E.,
tenants by the entirety
1957
Armand W. Harkless and
Deed November 5, 1957
wife, Lucille
Recorded November 13, 1957
to
Liber 10952, folio 293
Louise M. Redmond
Louise M. Redmond
Deed November 5, 1957
to
Recorded November 13, 1957
Lucille Harkless
Liber 10952, folio 295
1959
Lucille Harkless and
Deed March 16, 1959
husband, Armand W.
Recorded April 3, 1959
to
Liber 11215, folio 579
Marie E. Mongan
Marie E. Mongan and
Deed August 10, 1959
Wilbur Mongan, her
Recorded August 26, 1959
husband
Liber 11297, folio 89
to
William Earle Bradley and
Virginia Meyer Bradley,
his wife
152
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 15)
References
1. Land Title Records. Montgomery County, Rockville,
Maryland, Liber D-4, folio 598.
2. Hayden, Horace Edwin, Virginia Genealogies. Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania: E. B. Yordy, copyright 1885, printed 1891.
Reprinted, Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company,
1959.
3. Meade, Right Reverend William, Old Churches, Ministers and
Families of Virginia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. B.
Lippincott, 1912. 2 volumes.
4. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929, Vol. III, p. 157.
5. Chapman, Sismunda Mary Frances, Alexander, Brown, Chapman
and Associated Families. Richmond, Virginia: Privately
printed by Dietz Printing Company, 1946.
6. Journal of the House of Delegates of Virginia. October
Session, 1782, p. 11 and P. 24.
7. Arlington County, Complete Records, 1786-1800. "Wills,
Bonds, Inventories," Microfilm 0100, Richmond, Virginia:
Virginia State Library, pp. 59-71.
153
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 16)
8. Same reference as #5.
and
Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association.
Vol. XVI, No. II, November 1927, p. 1091.
9. Same reference as #7.
10. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, National Archives
Record Group 351, Roll 8 (1808-12).
11. Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia). February 10, 1810,
Newspaper Reading Room, Serial Division, Library of Congress.
12. City Directory. 1830, p. 9; 1834, p. 10.
13. Same reference as #12. 1853, p. 76.
14. Whitley, Edna Talbott, Kentucky Ante-Bellum Portraiture.
Paris, Kentucky: The National Society of Colonial Dames
of America in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1956, PP. 328-
329.
15. Same reference as #4. Vol. 2, p. 235.
16. Same reference as #12. 1864, p. 294; 1868, p. 98.
17. Georgetown, D.C., Clippings from newspapers and magazines.
Compiled by Washingtoniana Division, Public Library,
Washington, D.C., 1936 to present. 5 volumes.
18. Same reference as #12. 1867, p. 313; 1868, p. 108; 1869,
p. 82.
154
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 17)
19. Same reference as #12. 1870, p. 454; 1872, p. 510.
20. Same reference as #12. 1876, p. 372; 1882, p. 511; 1884,
p. 595, p. 596; 1886, p. 588; 1896, p. 653.
21. Same reference as #12. 1917, p. 945; 1940, p. 1013.
22. Conversations with Mrs. Margaret Weller, 4000 Cathedral
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
23. Conversations with Mrs. Peter Jay, 1611 29th Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.
155
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 18)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: A late eighteenth-century house re-
taining many original details despite modernizations by suc-
cessive owners. The unusually high basement and the proximity
to the street give the house a towering effect.
Condition of fabric: Both exterior and interior are in very
good condition and are well-maintained. Mid-twentieth
century kitchen and bathrooms have been unobtrusively inte-
grated into the existing structure.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 20 by 30 feet. Three bays
across 35th Street facade. Two stories high with unusually
high basement and large finished attic story. Small rectan-
gular two-story addition on rear.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Brick with later stucco covering.
Chimneys: Two on south side; no exterior projections.
156
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 19)
Openings:
Doorways and doors: Main entry door in north
bay of east front is six panelled with four-
light transom, panelled reveals, smooth pilasters
each side, and large entablature. Service door
to basement kitchen is at east end of south wall
(possibly beneath main entry originally?) One
further door in small rear addition from terrace
to basement dining room.
Windows and shutters: With the exception of wood
casement windows in attic, windows are generally
double-hung wood sash. The basement has 6 over 6
sash as do the first and second floors. The attic
has two single-leaf casement windows on the south
side and double-hung wood 6 over 6 sash in east
and west dormers. Most windows have louvered
shutters although only one original wrought-iron
hold-back remains; others are cast iron.
Porches: Twelve granite steps curve up to a 6'-0" by 6'-0"
landing at front door, supported by two square columns of the
same material. The handrail is of wrought iron in a simple
ornamental design. This entire construction appears to be
of slightly later date than the original house.
Roof:
Shape, covering: Gable with ridge running north-
south; standing-seam metal cover.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Simple box cornice with ogee and bed-
mould returned on itself; hanging metal gutter.
Dormers: Wood, metal roof.
157
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 20)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plans: First floor has side hall on north, double parlor
on south; stair is in rear (west) of hall separated from entry
area by an archway; powder room in modern addition at rear of
hall. Second floor has two bedrooms on south side, bath at
east end of hall, stair at west end. Attic has two bedrooms on
south side, bath at east end of hall, stair at west end. Base-
ment has kitchen at southeast corner, dining room at southwest,
storage room-laundry at northeast corner, and stairs at north-
west corner. Door to rear terrace behind stairs in modern
addition at rear. There is no partition between stair hall and
dining room.
Stairways: All runs are closed-string construction with painted
square wood balusters and stained moulded wood rail. The general
character is simple and direct; much appears to be original.
Flooring: Wide random-width pine flooring throughout, except
basement, where kitchen has resilient floor covering and dining
room has carpet.
Wall and ceiling finish: Painted smooth plaster, with some wall-
paper in bedrooms and dining room.
Doorways and doors: A variety of late eighteenth- and nineteenth-
century paneled wood doors exist, the earliest being on the
second floor, where the trim is also of an early date. Doors
and trim on the first floor are slightly later in design and
are probably replacements. The attic doors are of batten
construction and for the most part are mid-twentieth century
additions.
Decorative features and trim: Door and window trim as noted
above. Door and window trim on the second floor shows marked
relationship to stair mouldings. Moulded wood cornice in the
living room is Georgian in style and is probably a twentieth-
century addition, as are the the archway in the hall and the
built-in book cases in the living room.
158
BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-191 (Page 21)
Hardware: A variety of iron and brass rimlocks and mortise
locks are present, but none is outstanding.
Lighting: All twentieth-century electric fixtures.
Heating: Twentieth-century boiler in screened area off kitchen,
and fireplaces.
Site
General setting and orientation: East front of house faces 35th
Street and is set back only slightly from the public sidewalk.
The neighborhood is well-maintained and in character with the
house.
Enclosures: Across the front of the property is an ornamental
fence of both wrought iron and cast iron. The rear yard is
enclosed by a wood fence.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick.
Landscaping: Simple foundation planting in front; rear yard
brick paved.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
October 30, 1968
159
1306
the
160
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-205
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1306 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 36th Street was Lingan Street,)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
93, Square 56 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 815,
Square 1226 in the City of Washington.
Date of erection:
Between 1883-1886
Owner in 1969:
Mrs. Sylvia P. Williams
Occupant in 1969:
Mrs. Sylvia P. Williams
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
Although the interior of this dwelling
has been greatly altered to suit the
tastes and meet the needs of twentieth-
century occupants, the exterior with
its elaborate brickwork, characteristic
of the late nineteenth century, has been
maintained. The original builder, a
contractor, possibly used his own home
as a showcase for his talents.
161
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1824-1830
John Threlkeld, who owned considerable property in Georgetown,
was feeling the impact of the economic decline which affected
many large landholders in the 1820's. In 1824 Threlkeld placed
a trust with John Baker on some of his property, including
Lot 93 (present Lot 815). Baker was a tanner who in 1830
lived on Warren Street (now 37th). (1) Four years later he was
established on the east side of Lingan Street (now 36th). (2)
1830-1879
In 1828 Lot 93, among other lots of Threlkeld's, was forfeited
to meet Threlkeld's indebtedness. Two years later, in 1830,
Lot 93 was bought from John Baker by two brothers, Dennis and
Patrick O'Donnoghue, for $300. For the next 58 years it re-
mained in one branch or another of the large and interesting
0' Donnoghue family.
In 1830 Patrick and Dennis were "tallow chandlers" at Second
(now 0) Street near Warren (now 37th) Street. (3) Together and
separately they gradually bought a substantial amount of
property in Georgetown, including Lot 93 on Lingan, Lot 83
adjoining on the corner of Lingan and First (N), and Lot 84
adjoining on the west, fronting on N Street. Their soap
factory was on Lot 83, adjacent to present 1306 36th Street.
(4)
162
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 3)
By 1847 Dennis had died without leaving a Will. His widow,
Sarah, and four minor children (Peter, Mary, Patrick, and
Dennis) inherited the property. (5) Sarah was entitled dur-
ing her lifetime to one-third of the estate, which consisted
of half of the joint holdings of her late husband and his
brother, Patrick. The four children each inherited one-
fourth of the remaining two-thirds of their father's share
of the property.
Gradually, as the children grew up, they sold their portion
of the property to their uncle, Patrick, although Dennis'
son, Patrick, exchanged his interest for some property his
uncle owned at Bridge (now M) Street and Green (now 29th)
Street. In 1866 Sarah, who later married Laurence Leavy
and had been widowed again, sold to her brother-in-law,
Patrick, for $1300 her dower rights to Lots 93, 83, and 84
on Lingan and First Streets as well as three other lots
in Georgetown.
The O'Donnoghue clan occupied homes and ran businesses in
much of the nearby area. Clusters of property belonging
to the O'Donnoghues are found from Third (now P) Street
and Lingan (now 36th) to the shores of the Potomac. Some
of the property held by the O'Donnoghues extended to Beall's
Addition and Holmead's Addition, both east of present
Wisconsin Avenue. (6)
The economic rise of the O'Donnoghue family is one more
example of immigrants who settled in Georgetown and by
their own efforts rose from simple beginnings to become
prosperous citizens and substantial landholders.
In fact, the O'Donnoghues expanded their business beyond
Georgetown. In 1843 Dennis and Patrick also owned a "Soap
and Candle Manufactory" on the north side of G Street be-
tween 4th and 5th Streets. Various members of the
'Donnoghue family worked in the factory until 1862. (7)
Some of them lived in the same building in which the factory
was housed.
163
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 4)
Timothy O'Donnoghue, another member of the family, was in
the soap and candle manufacturing business also. In 1853
Timothy's factory was on the south side of First Street and
in 1858 it was listed as "Timothy O'Donnoghue & Son (James)
soap and candle manufacturers" at the corner of First and
Lingan Streets. (8) John, another O'Donnoghue, was listed
as a soap chandler at 105 Second (now 0) Street in 1855. (9)
It is interesting to note that the O'Donnoghues generally
employed their relatives, a common practice among families
who emigrated to Georgetown in the early and middle nineteenth
century.
After the Civil War, some of the O'Donnoghues moved on to
white collar employment as teachers, while others earned
a living as millers, grocers, or butchers. (10) A few
continued to work as laborers, tinners, etc. (11)
1879-1888
In June 1879 Patrick O'Donnoghue, brother of Dennis, deceased,
sold the southern part of Lot 93, 30 feet fronting on Lingan
Street by 120 feet deep (which is the present Lot 815) for
$450 to Charles McCarthy, a shoemaker at 128 Second Street.
Patrick had been having financial difficulties and apparently
the sale to McCarthy was an effort to realize a profit on
some of his property while staving off possible seizure of
his property by a U.S. Marshal. Or it is possible that McCarthy,
a neighbor, was obliging Patrick by making a "straw" purchase
that would then revert to O'Donnoghue.
In any event, the ruse was unsuccessful, for the following year
a part of his property, both the site of his former soap factory
and
the southern half of Lot 93 (present Lot 815), earlier
"purchased" by McCarthy, were sold by a U.S. Marshal to Jane
E. Brooke for $360. She at once conveyed the lots back to
Patrick O'Donnoghue.
164
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 5)
Patrick then became involved in lengthy litigation in an
effort to hold on to the property; but, in 1883 a court
order forced him to sell the south half of Lot 93 (the
present Lot 815). It was purchased by Carroll Daily
(later spelled "Daly") for $27.50 per front foot, a total
of $9825. However it was not until five years later, in
1888, that the final deed was conveyed to Daly.
1888-1929
During the year 1888 Carroll Daly, a contractor, was living
at 3610 O Street. He and his wife, Margaret, had three sons,
one of whom, Daniel, is recorded as living with them. John,
another son, lived across the street at 3609 o Street. Both
John and Daniel were laborers at that time. (12)
In 1879 the tax records show no indication of a structure on
Lot 93 where 1306 36th Street now is located. (13) On the
Hopkins map of 1887 there is a brick house and frame stable,
with the same dimensions as the present structures on the
site. (14) It is probable that Carroll Daly, a contractor
whose sons were skilled in construction work, built the
present structure on the land he had bought in 1883. He
and his family moved into 1306 36th Street and lived there
for many years.
There is no record in 1888 of where William, the third son,
lived, although ten years later William is listed as a
clerk living at 1306 36th Street. (15) William lived in
the house with his parents, while his brother John is
listed as living at 3610 O Street, although the word "stable"
at his parents' address also appears beside his name. At
the time John and his brother Daniel were firemen.
(16)
By the turn of the century Carroll Daly had become a
"driver." He lived in the house with his wife until his
death in February 1904. (17) At the time of his death he
owned, besides the house he was living in, a brick house on
the southwest corner of 36th and 0 Streets.
165
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 6)
Carroll died in 1904 without leaving a Will. He was survived
by his wife, 70 years old, and his three sons. The real
estate descended to the children. The two homes were occupied
by the widow and two of the sons, John and William, who also
rented out rooms in their homes. Daniel, the third son, re-
ceived no income from the rentals, so brought court action
against his mother and two brothers. Since the two houses
were not adjoining, and therefore could not be partitioned,
Daniel requested that the real estate be sold and the funds
be divided among the four Dalys. (18)
In 1904 the court ordered sale of the property. Daniel Daly
bought the south 30 feet of Lot 93, 1306 36th Street, for
$3100 and "assigned" it to his wife, Margaret.
Daniel Daly and his family later moved into the house. (19)
In 1921, Margaret died, leaving no Will. She was survived
by her husband, Dnniel, and four children, all heirs-at-law.
Daniel continued to live at 1306 36th Street until 1926 when
he and two of his sons moved to 2011 Park Road, N.W. and
rented the 36th Street house. (20)
1929-1969
In 1929 Daly and his children sold the house to Charles D. Wise,
an iron worker who later became a bricklayer. (21) Wise and
his wife occupied the house. After her death Wise sold the house.
In 1941 it was purchased by Jean L. Rehbock, Director of Berlitz
Schools of Languages, and was occupied by him and Hazel, his
wife. (22) The Rehbocks remodeled the house estensively during
their tenancy.
Six and a half years later they sold it to Robert P. Williams,
Jr. and his wife, Sylvia Williams. Mr. Williams, who was with
the Rheems Manufacturing Co., died in 1958, leaving the house
to his wife, who presently occupies it.
166
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 7)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1824
John Threlkeld
Deed in Trust December
to
17, 1824
John Baker
Recorded June 13, 1825
Liber W.B. 14, folio 30
Lot 93 and other property
1828
Tench Ringgold
Deed December 4, 1828
U.S. Marshal
Recorded December 4, 1828
to
Liber W.B. 20, folio 644
Clement Smith
Lot 93, among other property of John Threlkeld's,
was seized and sold by a Marshall of the Court on
the basis of a "writ of fieri facias" (a writ of
execution commanding the sheriff to levy and make
the amount of a judgement from the goods and chat-
tels of the judgement debtor). Property was bought
by Clement Cox as agent for Clement Smith.
167
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 8)
1830
John Baker
Deed March 19, 1830
to
Recorded April 14, 1830
Dennis O'Donnoghue
Liber W.B. 29, folio 465
Patrick O'Donnoghue
tenants in common
Lot 93 was sold for $300 under Trust from John
Threlkeld dated December 17, 1824. "John
Threlkeld and Edward Davis assent to sale."
This sale "...extinguishes above sale of
December 4, 1828."
Between 1830 and 1847
Dennis O'Donnoghue
Administration #3, folio 768
died intestate. He
Guardian Docket 2, folios 730,
was survived by his
750, 751, 752, 753
widow, Sarah (later the
wife of Lawrence Leavy),
and four children:
Peter - - age 13
Mary - - age 9 (later married to
Francis Harper)
Patrick - age 7
Dennis - age 4
The widow and children were heirs-at-law.
1852
Peter O'Donnoghue, Jr. and
Deed October 22, 1852
wife, Rebecca C.F.
Recorded November 30, 1852
to
Liber JAS 48, folio 358
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Peter, son of deceased Dennis, sold all of his
interest (one-fourth of one-half of the property)
to his uncle.
168
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 9)
1856
Francis Harper and
Deed May 9, 1856
wife, Mary (formerly
Recorded August 3, 1856
Mary O'Donnoghue,
Liber JAS 160, folio 328
daughter of Dennis)
to
Patrick O'Donnoghue
The Harpers sold their interest in the property
left by Dennis, which is one-fourth of two-thirds
of one-half of the property which Dennis (father)
and Patrick (uncle) owned. Since the mother was
still living, she was entitled to one-third of
her late husband's estate during her lifetime.
This deed, therefore, sells any residuary rights
that would descend to the daughter, Mary, on
her mother's death.
1862
Dennis O'Donnoghue and
Deed February 20, 1862
wife, Genevieve
Recorded November 12, 1864
to
Liber NCT 49, folio 272
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Dennis (son of Dennis, deceased) sold all his
interest (which was one-fourth of one-half) of
the property owned by his father and uncle.
He included all reversionary right in the widow's
dower (which would have descended to him on his
mother's death).
169
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 10)
1866
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Deed of Exchange
(brother of Dennis,
September 10, 1866
deceased) and wife,
Recorded January 25, 1867
Ann E.
to
Patrick O'Donnoghue
(son of Dennis, deceased)
Patrick and Ann gave to their nephew, Patrick, parts
of Lots 183 and 185 in Beall's Addition to George-
town (at corner of Bridge [M] St. and Green [29th]
St.) in exchange for which Patrick, son of Dennis,
deceased, gave his uncle and aunt all of his interdst
(which was one-fourth of one-half) of the property
he had inherited from his father (Lots 83, 84, and
93 in Threlkeld's Addition) including the rights to
the property that would descend to him after his
mother's death.
Sarah Leavy (widow of
Deed of Dower Rights
Laurence Leavy and
August 27, 1866
before that widow
Recorded January 25, 1867
of Dennis O'Donnoghue)
Liber RMH 24, folio 22
to
Patrick O'Donnoghue
(brother of Dennis,
deceased)
Sarah sold all dower right to
several pieces of property, one
of which was Lot 93, by convey-
ing all dower right in same.
170
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 11)
1879
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Deed June 6, 1879
to
Recorded June 10, 1879
Charles McCarthy
Liber 911, folio 484
Patrick sold part of Lot 93, the
south thirty feet on Lingan (36th)
St. by one hundred twenty feet deep
(present Lot 815) for $450.
1880
Frederick Douglass
Deed August 24, 1880
(U.S. Marshall, D.C.)
Recorded December 22, 1880
to
Liber 956, folio 377
Jane E. Brooke
All title and interest of O'Donnoghue in Lot 85
and the south half of Lot 93 (present Lot 815)
in Square 56, Threlkeld's Addition, was seized
under "fieri facias" writ. Ordered by Supreme
Court of D.C. (Equity Cause 7178, July 30, 1880),
the lots were sold by the U.S. Marshall to Jane
E. Brooke for $360. She conveyed the deed to
O'Donnoghue.
Jane E. Brooke
Deed December 18, 1880
to
Recorded December 22, 1880
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Liber 956, folio 380
Lots 83, 84, and the south half of Lot 93 in Threlkeld's
Addition being the same conveyed to the first
party by two deeds from the U.S. Marshall on July 6
and August 24, 1880."
171
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 12)
1883
William Lord
March 21, 1883
W.W. Kirby
Equity Cause 8429,
vs.
Docket 22
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Supreme Court of D.C.
et al
There was a law suit involving several pieces
of property, including the south half of Lot
93 (present Lot 815). Part of the court de-
cision in the lengthy equity case was an order
to sell the south half of Lot 93 to Carroll
Daily for $27.50 per front foot--a total of
$825.
1888
L. Cabell Williamson, Tr.
Deed February 4, 1888
to
Recorded February 11, 1888
Carroll Daily (later
Liber 1296, folio 497
"Daly")
Sale of property including south half of
Lot 93, order by court decree in Equity
Cause 8429, Docket 22.
1904
Daniel Daly (son of
June 28, 1904
Carroll, deceased)
Equity Cause 24590
and wife, Margaret
Supreme Court of D.C.
vs.
1. Margaret Daly, widow
2. John Daly
3. Josephine, wife of John
4. William Daly
172
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 13)
5. Jesse H. Wilson, Tr.] Liber 2659,
6. Levin S. Frey, Tr. ] folio 387
7. Edgar P. Berry, Treas.,
Citizens Equitable Bldg.
Assn. of Georgetown
8. Joseph H. Bradley, Tr.] Liber 2746,
9. Charles F. Wilson, Tr.] folio 150
10. Harry W. Blunt, Tr.
]
Carroll Daly died February 20, 1904 without leaving a
Will. Survivors were his wife, 70 years old, and
three children: Daniel, John and William. The real
estate descended to the children. Real estate con-
sisted of south part of Lot 93 (now Lot 815) and part
of Lot 90 in same Square, at the southwest corner of
36th and O Streets. Real estate was "improved" by
two brick dwellings, occupied by Margaret, widow, and
John and William, sons, who were collecting rent from
some of it, of which Daniel had received none. Since
the real estate did not lend itself to partition, re-
quest was made to sell real estate and divide funds
among interested parties and that a receiver be appointed
to manage the estate.
The court decreed that the sale be made. Trustees
were Michael Colbert and Hugh Taggart. Daniel Daly
bought the south 30 feet of Lot 93 for $3100. The
two trustees were also paid off.
Michael J. Colbert, Tr.
Deed November 18, 1904
Hugh T. Taggart, Tr.
Recorded November 22, 1904
Daniel Daly
Liber 2889, folio 61
to
Margaret Daly
Daniel Daly bought present Lot 815 and
"assigned" it to his wife, Margaret.
173
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 14)
1921
Margaret Daly died August 9, 1921, leaving no Will. Survivors,
all heirs-at-law, were husband, Daniel, and children:
Carroll A. Daly
Raymond A. Donohue
Helen M. Glock
Mary M. Donohue
1929
Daniel Daly, widowed
Deed March 15, 1929
Carroll A. Daly, unmarried
Recorded March 19, 1929
Raymond A. Donohue, unmarried
Liber 6299, folio 125
Helen M. Glock
Mary M. Donohue
to
Charles David Wise
and wife, Susie S.,
tenants by entirety
1941
Charles D. Wise,
Deed June 16, 1941
surviving tenant
Recorded June 20, 1941
to
Liber 7630, folio 168
Jean L. Rehbock
1948
Jean L. Rehbock and wife
Deed January 16, 1948
to
Recorded January 21, 1948
Robert P. Williams Jr.
Liber 8668, folio 321
and wife
174
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 15)
1958
Robert P. Williams
Will October 5, 1954
died in 1958.
Probated March 7, 1958
Will Book 505, page 593
References
1. City Directory. 1830, p. 2.
2. Same reference as #1. 1834 (Georgetown Section), p. 3.
3. Same reference as #1. 1830, p. 11.
4. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
5. Guardian Docket No. 2, folios 730, 750, 751, 752, 753,
Administration #3, folio 768, Register of Wills, Washington,
D.C.
6. Same reference as #4, Roll 12 (1865-70); Roll 13 (1871);
Roll 15 (1874); Roll 16 (1875); Roll 18 (1876); Roll 26
(1879).
175
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 16)
7. Same reference as #1. 1858, P. 233; 1860, p. 120;
1862, p. 138.
8. Same reference as #1. 1853, P. 76; 1858, P. 233.
9. Same reference as #1. 1855, P. 8.
10. Same reference as #1. 1866, P. 419.
11. Same reference as #1. 1872, P. 519; 1879, P. 586.
12. Same reference as #1. 1888, P. 328.
13. Same reference as #4. Roll 26 (1879).
14. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of Sur-
veys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G. M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.
15. Same reference as #1. 1898, p. 347.
16. Same reference as #15.
17. Same reference as #1. 1904, p. 354.
18. Equity Cause 25490, Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, June, 1904.
19. Same reference as #1. 1921, P. 538; 1923, P. 547; 1925, P.
506.
176
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 17)
20. Same reference as #1. 1926, P. 492, P. 538; 1927, P. 484,
P. 2069.
21. Same reference as #1. 1941, P. 1546.
22. Same reference as #1. 1942, P. 1342.
23. Same reference as #1. 1956, P. 1405.
177
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 18)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: One of several late nineteenth-
century houses on the street, this building demonstrates
the fondness for decorative brickwork typical of the
period. Though not identical, it shows a marked similar-
ity to the buildings on both sides of it.
Condition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 30'-0" with a
12'-0" by 16'-0" ell at rear. Two stories high. Three
bays wide across the 36th Street facade.
Foundations: Brick,
Wall construction: Pressed brick facade, common brick side
walls; painted.
Chimneys: Two on south side.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The original front door and
stoop have been replaced, but see 1304 36th Street
for the design of the cast iron stoop and railing.
There is an arched moulded brick lintel above the
door opening.
178
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 19)
Windows and shutters: Windows in general have
two over two double hung wood sash. There is
a small wood segment with machine carving in
the space between the flat window head and the
shaped brick arch. The shutters are louvered
wood. Several metal casement windows have
been introduced fairly recently into the side
and rear walls.
Porches: Brick stoop at front door, but see 1304 36th Street
for probable appearance of the original cast iron stoop and
rail.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Flat, pitched toward rear (west).
Metal covering.
Framing: Wood (assumed).
Cornice: Shaped and corbelled brick machicolations.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The interior of this house has been greatly re-
modeled in the past twenty-five years, leaving practically
no trace of the original disposition of the rooms, At
present the first floor has a living room across the east end,
a dining room behind that, leading into a kitchen at the rear.
The kitchen was originally in a wood lean-to at the rear, the
roof line of which may be seen in the party wall to the north.
The second floor has a bedroom across the east end, a small
room and bath along the south side, and a bedroom across the
rear. The basement is one large space, undivided except by
several small closets.
179
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 20)
Stairways: Ascending from west to east along the north wall
of the dining room is a modern closed-string stair with
victorian newels, balusters, and rails. Visible framing in
the basement and a skylight on the second floor indicate
that the probable location of the original stair was in the
center of the south side.
Flooring: Modern oak strip flooring.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted; some walls
papered.
Doors and doorways: A variety of late Victorian four panel
doors are combined with mid-twentieth century batten doors
and flush doors.
Decorative features and trim: No trace of the original
mantel exists, and all the rooms have been re-trimmed with
twentieth century stock mouldings. There are wainscots with
panels of applied mouldings throughout the first floor and
stairwell.
Hardware: No notable hardware.
Lighting: No notable fixtures.
Heating: Radiators throughout.
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the west side of
36th Street, this is one of an irregular row of similar houses
facing the Holy Trinity Church and School complex.
180
CARROLL DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-205 (Page 21)
Enclosures: Wrought-iron carriage gates across drive. Be-
lieved to have come from Georgetown Medical School. Wood
plank fences at sides of rear yard.
Outbuildings: One, story garage across west end of lot, upper
floor removed about 1940.
Walks: Brick, concrete, and flagstone.
Landscaping: Semi-formal residential planting in the rear
yard; large statue in pool originally from a fountain group
at the St. Charles Hotel, New Orleans. There is no front
yard.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 5, 1969
181
182
and 33
4
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-190
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1411 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
(Formerly this address was 64 Fayette
Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
95, Square 76, in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 852,
Square 1246 in Washington, D. C.
Date of Erection:
Between 1834-1843, with later addition.
Owner in 1969:
Anne Heard Flythe
Occupant in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. William Perry Flythe
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
A much remodeled nineteenth-century house,
this was the home of both a noted worker
for women's rights and a well-known news-
paper columnist. The lowering of 35th
Street in the late nineteenth century
accounts for the reorientation of the floor
plan, a problem encountered in many of the
older houses within this particular area.
This early simple frame house has been
stuccoed, unifying the facade and giving
it a more imposing aspect.
183
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1824-1843
Lot 95 (the northern portion of which is now 1411 35th Street)
was part of the large parcel of land which John Threlkeld
conveyed in trust to John Baker in December of 1824 as collat-
eral for a debt of $722. The city directory of 1830 lists
Baker as a tanner living on Warren Street (now 37th Street).
(1)
Baker came into possession of a share of the property when
Threlkeld died intestate, his debt to Baker unpaid. Under
the insolvent act Jeremiah Bronough was appointed trustee of
Threlkeld's estate. Jane Cox and Mary Grayson, Threlkeld's
heirs at law, together with Bronaugh and Baker sold the
property to Joshua Bateman for $200 in March 1834.
In the 1830 city directory Bateman is listed as a carpenter
living on Fayette Street. (2) However, it is unlikely that
he ever lived at 64 Fayette Street (now 1411 35th Street),
for city directories list him in 1853 as a grocer at the
corner of First (now N Street) and Fayette (now 35th Street),
in 1855 as a grocer at 31 Fayette Street, and in 1858 as a
grocer whose store and home are both at 31 Fayette Street. (3)
By the 1830's Georgetown was suffering from a business de-
cline which also affected real estate transactions. John
Cox, then Mayor of Georgetown, in describing the economic
depression in Georgetown for the period 1820-1830, said,
"Our merchants and mechanics were industrious and willing
to work; but business was slack." (4)
184
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 3)
The tobacco business had ...continued prosperous until the
death of John Laird, on the 11th of July, 1833, when the
firm of Laird & Son was dissolved, and the trade died with
them, as there appeared to be no other tobacco merchants
in the market. '(5) About 1805 river shipping was forced
to use the eastern channel of the Potomac because the western
channel was closed by the building of a stone causeway to
Analostan (now Roosevelt Island). A few years after this an
active trade developed in the transport of wholesale groceries
from New York to Georgetown. (6) But in 1835, when the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a railroad line between
Baltimore and Washington, this business died. (7) (8)
Bateman was fortunate to be able to hold on to his property
until the more prosperous 1840's. In June 1843 he sold the
northern part of Lot 95 (on which 1411 35th Street now stands)
to William Mankins for $450. This high price (for only part
of a lot for which he had paid $200 eleven years earlier),
leads to the inference that Bateman probably had constructed
a house on the site.
1843-1885
William Mankins lived in the house for over forty years.
Mankins was a fisherman who later operated an "oyster saloon"
on Bridge Street for a time and then moved the establishment
to Potomac Street. (9) It seems a natural step from prosperous
fisherman to proprietor of an oyster saloon. Apparently, for
one year, 1866, his restaurant was in his home, for the city
directory of that year lists beside his name, "restaurant
64 Fayette Street.' (10)
The house itself is described as "two-story frame brick" in
the tax assessment records of 1865-70. In fact, two such
houses are noted as belonging to Mankins. One was valued
at $600 and the other at $1200, but in the following year
they increased in value to $700 and $1500. (11) Tax records
beginning in 1872 indicate one sum of $2200 for the value of
the improvements without describing the houses. (12)
185
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 4)
In August 1880 Mankins used as collateral " the northern
portion of Lot 95 in Threlkeld's Addition together with
improvements and easements to borrow $600 from Elizabeth
Shekell. Mankins may have borrowed the money to expand his
business enterprise for the date coincides with that of the
opening of his oyster saloon on Bridge Street.
1885-1908
Five years later, 1885, Mankins and his wife, Bridget, gave
a deed of trust for $1400 on his property to Lewis C. Kengla,
for the sole use and benefit of Mary A. Johnson, her heirs,
free from all obligations of her present or any future hus-
band." Mankins moved next door to 1409 35th Street at this
time. This house may have been one of the two houses described
earlier in the 1865-70 tax records as belonging to Mankins.
Mary Johnson and her husband, James, who is described in the
1887 directory as a "driver" held the property only one
year, selling it to Mary H. Forrest for $1800. (13) Mary
Forrest was the widow of Bladen Forrest who lived at 3339
N Street, the Forrest family home.
Bladen Forrest was a prominent Georgetown citizen. It was he
who was responsible for building Forrest Hall at the south-
west corner of First (N) Street and High Street (Wisconsin
Avenue), where one corner of the property rests on Boundary
Stone No. 46, one of the original markers when Georgetown
was surveyed. At various times during the Civil War the
building was used as quarters for enlisted men of the Second
U.S. Infantry, as a hospital for Union soldiers, and as a
military prison. (14)
Bladen Forrest and his family are described in the 1853 City
Directory as living at 78 First Street (now 3339 N Street);
and this listing continues through 1871, after which his
widow and members of the family occupied the house for fifty
years or more. (15) Captain French Forrest, the distinguished
naval officer who served in both the Mexican and Civil Wars,
died in this same house--his brother's home. (16) The house
was the first one to be built in "Cox's Row." John Cox,
once mayor of Georgetown, had built it and used it as his
residence.
186
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 5)
It is clear that Mary H. Forrest continued to live in the
family home; she never lived at 1411 35th Street, but
apparently bought it as a rental investment. Mary died
intestate October 9, 1898, leaving as her sole heirs-at-
law nine children, two of whom died within ten years of
their mother.
1908-1940
By court order, the Forrest property was partitioned; and
two trustees were appointed in 1908 to sell the property.
(17) One of the children, Thomas R. Keith Forrest,
bought the land " improved by frame dwelling No. 1411
35th Street for $1800. Thomas Randolph Keith was a
lawyer with the U.S. Pension Office. (18)
It was not until 1927, however, that Forrest and his wife,
Marie M., moved from the family home on N Street to the
house at 1411 35th Street. (19) After Forrest's death, in
August 1930, the property was inherited by his wife, Mary
H. M. Forrest (Marie Moore Forrest) who continued to live
there until 1940. (20)
Marie Moore Forrest was a well-known figure in Washington.
She was vociferous in her espousing of women's rights and a
founder of the National Woman's Party. She was active in
many civic organizations. In addition she was an instigator
in the community drama movement in Washington, directing
drama and pageants for the city for almost 25 years. Dur-
ing the first World War she was called to other parts of
the country to stage commemorative pageants. In Mrs. For-
rest's obituary in The Evening Star her contributions to
local drama are vividly described:
187
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 6)
"Mrs. Forrest's pageants were spectaculars.
They sometimes included up to 1,000 players.
If she planned a battle scene the United
States cavalry was pressed into service.
Her favorite setting was the steps of the
Capitol.
"A large dynamic woman, she never needed a
megaphone to direct her productions. She
could sit at the bottom of the Capitol steps
and be heard at the top.
"People flocked to see her productions,
which numbered in the hundreds. When Federal
and District officials wanted to commemorate
and event, they called on Mrs. Forrest and
she did not disappoint them." (21)
1940-1950
On September 24, 1940 the house was bought by Mrs. Margaret
B. Weller who states that the house was in a badly run down
condition. (22) After extensive renovations Mrs. Weller
sold the property to Mr. and Mrs. George Burgess in July
1943. (23) The Burgesses further improved the house by
making plumbing alterations. (24) Real estate records of
1948 describe the exterior of the structure as "Frame-
Pebble Dash." (25)
It is interesting that in 1948 the assessed value of the
house is exactly triple that of 1935 when Mary H.M. Forrest
bought it. The increased value may be due not only to the
improvements in the house, but to the revewed vitality of
the housing market in Georgetown.
1950-1969
In December 1950 the Burgesses sold the property to Rowland
Evans, Jr. and his wife who lived in it for the next six years.
188
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 7)
Evans is an eminent writer, who at the time of his residence
at 1411 35th Street was a correspondent for the Associated
Press and later a staff member of the New York Herald Tribune.
He is included in the 1966-67 edition of Who's Who in America,
where he is listed as a "syndicated columnist." (26) The
column, of which he is co-author, is concerned with reporting,
analysing and interpreting political events. The "striking
success" of the column, according to Time, is due to the
"emphasis on reporting facts," or sometimes unearthing facts
that have not yet been published. (27)
In June 1956 the Evanses sold the property to Far Hills Com-
pany, a firm which was incorporated in Delaware. According
to Mrs. E. Harrison Clark (then Mrs. Agnes M. Mercer) who
bought the house two years later, she purchased the house
from Mrs. Armonel Moorhead, through the Far Hills Company.
Between 1956 and 1958 the house was rented to two girls. (28)
Agnes Mercer Clark and her husband sold the house in 1961 to
Anne Heard Flythe. She and her husband, William Perry Flythe,
still reside there.
Original and Subsequent Owners
At the time of the cession of the District of Columbia the
land was owned by John Threlkeld.
189
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 8)
1824
John Threlkeld
Deed of Trust December 17, 1824
to
Recorded June 13, 1825
John Baker
Liber W.B. 14, folio 30
"Lots 93 and 95 and those parts of Lots 80-81 not
sold lying between said Baker and Lawrence's
Factory and a lot sold to Mrs. Mallen extending
about 85 feet on Fayette Street (now 35th)."
Property was conveyed to John Baker to secure
certain debt.
John Threlkeld died intestate, with the debt to
Baker unpaid. Threlkeld's co-heiresses at law
were Jane Cox and Mary Grayson. Jeremiah
Bronaugh was trustee under the insolvent act.
1834
John Baker, Tr.
Deed March 12, 1834
John Cox and wife,
Recorded July 7, 1834
Jane
Liber W.B. 51, folio 2y
Mary Grayson
Jeremiah W. Bronaugh, Tr.
to
Joshua Bateman
1843
Joshua Bateman and wife,
Deed June 13, 1843
Jane
Recorded June 27, 1843
to
Liber W.B. 101, folio 362
William Mankins
"Conveys northern part of Lot 95 in Threlkeld's
Addition to Georgetown... "
190
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 9)
1880
William Mankins and
Deed of Trust August 10, 1880
wife, Bridget
Recorded August 20, 1880
to
Liber 950, folio 61
Eugene A. Shekell
1885
Release of above trust
Recorded June 28, 1885
Liber 1120, folio 8
William Mankins and
Deed in Trust, March 26, 1885
wife, Bridget
Recorded March 28, 1885
to
Liber 1120, folio 8
Lewis C. Kengla
"In trust for sole use and benefit of Mary A.
Johnson, her heirs, free from all obligations
of her present or any future husband."
1886
Lewis C. Kengla, Tr.
Deed November 1, 1886
Mary A. Johnson and
Recorded November 11, 1886
husband, James
Liber 1216, folio 363
to
Mary H. Forrest
191
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 10)
1898
Mary H. Forrest died intestate October 9, 1898, leaving as
her sole heirs-at-law, her nine children:
Joseph Forrest - died 1903 intestate
James K. Forrest - - died 1908 intestate
Mary H. Forrest
Rosalie A. Forrest
Irene E. D. Forrest
Edwin Forrest
Thomas R. Keith Forrest
Bladen Forrest
Albert Dulaney Forrest
1908
By court order property
Equity 26248
was partitioned and trustees,
Supreme Court of the
Justin Morrill Chamberlin
District of Columbia
and Oscar Luckett, were
January 27, 1908
appointed to sell
property.
1909
Justin Morrill Chamberlin,
Deed July 21, 1909
Tr.
Recorded July 21, 1909
Oscar Luckett, Tr.
Liber 3259, folio 117
to
Thomas R. Keith Forrest
"...improved by frame dwelling No. 1411 35th Street
"
192
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 11)
1930
Thomas R. Keith Forrest
Will February 14, 1930
died August 3, 1930,
Probated December 3, 1930
leaving the property
Will Book 166, page 57
to his wife, Mary H. M.
Forrest.
1940
Marie Moore Forrest
Deed September 24, 1940
(aka Mary H. M.
Recorded September 30, 1940
Forrest and Mary
Liber 7526, folio 304
Henderson Moore
Forrest)
to
Margaret B. Weller
1943
Margaret B. Weller
Deed July 30, 1943
to
Recorded July 30, 1943
George W. Burgess and
Liber 7881, folio 415
wife, Helen L.
tenants by entirety
1950
George W. Burgess and
Deed December 1, 1950
wife, Helen L.
Recorded December 19, 1950
tenants by entirety
Liber 9369, folio 263
to
Rowland Evans, Jr. and
wife, Katherine W.
tenants by entirety
193
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 12)
1956
Rowland Evans, Jr. and
Deed June 15, 1956
wife, Katherine W.
Recorded June 20, 1956
tenants by entirety
Liber 10679, folio 97
to
FAR HILLS COMPANY, a body
corporate, duly incorporated
under laws of the State of
Delaware
1958
FAR HILLS COMPANY
Deed December 15, 1958
to
Recorded December 23, 1958
Agnes M. Mercer
Liber 11165, folio 541
1961
Agnes M. Clark
Deed January 23, 1961
(formerly Agnès M.
Recorded January 27, 1961
Mercer) and
Liber 11547, folio 526
husband,
E. Harrison Clark
to
Anne Heard Flythe
References
1. City Directory. 1830, p. 3.
194
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 13)
2. Same reference as #1. 1830, p. 3.
3. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 6; 1855, p. 1; 1858, P. 431.
4. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D. C.
from 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: Polkenhorn
Printer, 1878, p. 39.
5. Same reference as #4. p. 119.
6. Same reference as #4. p. 118.
7. Same reference as #4. p. 124.
8. Hungerford, Edward, The Story of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, 1827-1927. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's
Sons, 1928, Vol. I, pp. 169-175.
9. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 65; 1855, P. 7; 1860, p. 170;
p. 1862, p. 197; 1863, p. 232; 1865, p. 388.
10. Same reference as #1. 1866, p. 417.
11. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12, (1865-70).
12. Same reference as #11. Roll 13 (1871).
13. Same reference as #1. 1887, p. 505.
195
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 14)
14. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:
Barre Publishers, 1968, P. 5; PP. 27-29; P. 36; p. 87;
pp. 155-156.
15. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 37; 1871 (Georgetown
Section) P. x; 1898, p. 427; 1921, p. 670.
16. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, Vol. 6, 1931, p. 531.
17. Equity Cause 26248, Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, January 27, 1908.
18. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) December 4, 1956.
19. Same reference as #1. 1890-1926; 1927, p. 618.
20. Same reference as #1. 1940, p. 2148.
21. Same reference as #18. December 4, 1956.
22. Interview with Mrs. Margaret B. Weller, 4000 Cathedral
Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C.
23. D. C. Department of Licenses and Inspection, Building
Permit Division, Building Permit 232789, November 3, 1940.
24. Same reference as #23. Building Permit 43420, June 21, 1949.
25. Lusk's District of Columbia Real Estate Directory.
Washington, D.C.: Rufus S. Lusk and Son, 1948, p. 1246.
196
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 15)
26. Who's Who in America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis
Co., 1966-67, Vol. 34, P. 640.
27. Time. New York, New York: Time, Inc., Publisher,
December 2, 1966, PP. 76-77.
28. Interviews with:
Mrs. Rowland Evans, Jr., 3125 0 Street, N. Wo, Washington,
D. C.
Mrs. E. Harrison Clark (Agnes Mercer), 1555 35th Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C.
197
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 16)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: Originally a two-story frame house
with a brick basement, the house became three stories high
with the lowering of 35th Street. Because of the change in
materials beneath the stucco covering, the upper floors
overhang the first floor by several inches. It looks very
much the early nineteenth-century house that it is, despite
the change in height, in covering, and in entrance.
Condition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 21'-0" by 36'-0". Three
bays across 35th Street facade. Three stories high.
Foundations: Brick and stone.
Wall construction: Brick first floor, frame above, stucco
over all.
Chimneys: One large brick chimney in the approximate center
of the house, and one smaller brick flue in the nòrtheast
corner of the main block of the house.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The front door has six raised
panels and is simply trimmed. There are sliding
alumninum and glass doors from the sitting room to
198
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 17)
the rear deck, and several glazed wood doors from
various service areas to the exterior.
Windows and shutters: Six over six double-hung
wood sash on the 35th Street facade; a variety of
double-hung wood sash on the south and east facades.
Windows on the west front have louvered wood shutters.
Porches: The front porch has a gabled roof supported by square
chamfered wood columns, two horizontal flat rails at each side,
and a brick floor. It is all obviously of mid-twentieth
century construction. There is a large recent redwood deck at
the rear forming the roof of the basement laundry room and
covering a large areaway as well.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable with ridge running north-
south, shed pitched to east across rear. Painted
metal covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: There is no cornice, simply a hung metal
gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The first floor, originally the basement, has an
entry-stair hall in the southwest corner, a library in the
northwest corner, a dining room in the southeast corner, and
a series of small kitchen and service rooms extending to the
northwest. The second floor has a stairhall in the south-
west corner, and a sitting room in the northeast corner, with
an eating area and bar across the east end. The third floor
has a bath and stairhall in the southwest corner, and a bed-
room in the northwest corner, a bedroom in the southeast corner,
and a bath in the northeast corner.
199
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 18)
Stairways: Both stairs are straight run with winders at the
top. There are plain round handrails and simple square
pickets.
Flooring: Random width pine on the third floor, twentieth-
century oak strip and carpet on the second floor, and
resilient flooring and carpet on the first floor.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted. The dining room
is panelled with vertical boards.
Doors and doorways: There are several early doors with six
panels and no sticking, some early doors with six raised
panels and ovolo sticking, some batten doors, and some
twentieth-century six-raised-panel doors.
Decorative features and trim: There are several notable
mantelpieces in the house, more than likely replacements
rather than original to the house. The one in the first
floor library has plain pilasters supporting an entablature
which has two swags in gouge work leading to a composition
bouquet in the center; there are two composition figures
of "Graces" in the impost blocks, and both the bed moulding
and shelf edge are formed of coves and beads. The hearth
and surround are of black stucco. The one in the second
floor bedroom has a simple moulded architrave supporting
a reeded panel with flat brackets on each side, a punch-
and-gouge dentil bed mould, and a cove-moulded shelf.
The hearth and surround are of black slate, and there is
a cast-iron fireback. The one in the third floor front
bedroom has a simple moulded surround, a quirked cyma
reversa bed mould, and a plain shelf. The hearth is brick
and the surround is stucco. Some of the trim in the front
rooms is of an early-to-mid-nineteenth century design, al-
though there is much mid-twentieth century trim work
throughout.
200
WILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE
HABS No. DC-190 (Page 19)
Hardware: There are a few cast iron box rimlocks with their
original brass knobs and trademark plates. Some doors have
early wrought-iron hinges, and the closet doors in the second
floor bedroom have hinges with elaborate surface-mounted
leaves.
Lighting: No notable fixtures; mid-twentieth century
incandescent.
Heating: Radiators, boiler on first floor.
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the east side of
35th Street, the house is set back from the sidewalk by a
small front yard, slightly deeper than most of its neighbors.
The neighborhood is composed of well-maintained houses of
similar scale and quality.
Enclosures: Low iron fence encloses the front yard, high
board fence encloses the rear.
Outbuildings: None,
Walks: Brick, concrete, flagstone.
Landscaping: The small front yard has simple foundation
planting around a brick paved area; the rear yard has
somewhat over-scaled planting beyond the redwood deck
which opens off the second floor sitting room.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
December 17, 1968
201
M
I
202
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-198
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3522 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 79 Third
Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of Lot 105
in Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition to
Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 817 in
Square 1247 in the City of Washington.
Date of erection:
Between 1821 and 1832, with additions
made in the 1860's.
Owner in 1969:
Stanhope Chase
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
For over a hundred years the home of per-
sons performing manual and domestic
services, this early nineteenth-century
house demonstrates effectively twentieth-
century adaptation without loss of
character of the structure.
203
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1821-1834
In June 1821 John Threlkeld advertised in the Georgetown
Metropolitan offering for sale at a cheap price eight or
ten lots in northwest Georgetown. (1) Three months later
he sold Lots 104 and 105 to George Mahorney, a bricklayer,
for $500. In 1818, three years earlier, Lot 105 had been
assessed to Threlkeld at $400 and listed as vacant. (2) The
very low purchase price in 1821 would indicate that the
land was still vacant at that time.
In the first Washington City Directory listing Georgetown
residents as such, in 1830, Mahorney is noted as living
at the corner of Third (now P) and Lingan (now 36th)
Streets. (3) Since there were no numerical addresses in
those early years in Georgetown, it is not definite which
house George Mahorney and his family occupied. However,
it is probable that being a bricklayer he built the four
houses--85, 83, 81 and 79 Third Street--on Lot 105 soon
after purchasing the property and used the western-most
house, number 85 Third Street on the corner, as his
residence and the other three, including 79 Third Street,
as rental property.
In the decade between 1820 and 1830 Mahorney made numerous
real estate purchases in Georgetown and Washington. At
the same time, with Joseph Brigden as business partner,
he operated a storehouse and grocery business in Washington.
Another of his ventures was operating a tavern at the corner
of Third and High Streets (now P and Wisconsin Avenue) in
Georgetown.
204
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 3)
By the end of the decade he was in financial difficulties and
had to place properties in trust for his wife, Eleanor, hav-
ing used all the money brought by her to the marriage. At
that time George dwelled at his tavern location while his
wife, Eleanor, lived at the Third and Lingan corner. But
two years later he was living at his Third Street house. (4)
In 1832 Mahorney, still in financial straits, lost his prop-
erty on Third Street in a foreclosure suit. On Saturday,
January 26, 1833 the Georgetown Metropolitan advertised for
sale at public auction by the U.S. Marshal: "Lots 105 and
134 and the north part of Lot 104 with the improvements
and appurtenances consisting of several (four) excellent two-
story dwelling houses (one brick, the others frame) well
calculated for the accomodation of families.' (5) There are
at the present time on old Lot 105 and part of old Lot 104
four two-story dwelling houses--the corner frame building
is 1431 36th Street (formerly 3528 P Street), the next brick
one is 3526 P,and the next two frame ones are 3524 and
3522 P Street. (6)
Although losing this property, Mahorney continued to reside
in Georgetown and deal in real estate until 1858 when he
went to Washington to live with a daughter. At his death a
year later his children inherited various Georgetown and
Washington properties. Active in community affairs,
Mahorney had held the office of "Messenger and Scavenger"
for the Board of Aldermen in Georgetown and also owned
stock in the Georgetown Corporation. (7)
1834-1843
Alfred Boucher, who owned other property in the neighbor-
hood and who had a grocery business at the corner of
Potomac and Bridge (now M) Streets, bought Mahorney's
Third Street property in 1834 for $800. The Bouchers
held Lot 105 and part of Lot 104 for nine years, using it
as rental property. (8) In 1843 the eastern portion
205
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 4)
on which 79 Third Street stood was sold to William Herron,
while the western part was conveyed to John O'Donoghue
(sometimes spelled O'Donnoghue or O'Donohue).
1843-1851
Herron, a contractor, who later in the mid-1850's built his
mansion on the nearby northwest corner of Third (now P)
and Fayette (now 35th), owned and rented this part of Lot
105 (now Lot 817) until 1851 when John O'Donoghue, living
at "Third Street, corner Lingan," added it to his western
portion.
1851-1859
John O'Donnoghue, owner of the property for the next eight
years, was part of a large clan who operated candle and
soap factories both in western Georgetown and in Washington
City. The early O'Donoghues (or O'Donnoghues) were Irish
immigrants who came over to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal. The first ones built houses, and as friends and
relatives came over to join them, took them in as roomers
until they could manage to build their own houses.
In 1834 John, together with Peter O'Donoghue, was operating a
"Soap and Candle Factory, near Lingan & First Streets, south side."
The 1855 City Directory lists him as "soap chandler, 105 second"
(now 0). Three years later in 1858 he is still listed as a
chandler and now living near his earlier business on First
(now N Street) near Lingan (now 36th Street). Many other
O'Donoghues were also living and doing business at these
same addresses.
206
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 5)
In 1860, the year after selling his 79 Third Street property
to John O'Brien, the Georgetown Directory shows John
0' 'Donoghue living at 19 Lingan Street, near the Georgetown
factory. However, that same year the Washington City
Directory lists a John O'Donoghue as "clerk, house 498 G
north"--the location of the O'Donoghue factory in Washington.
It is probable that this listing in the Washington Directory
refers to a son or nephew. (9)
1859-1943
Although he bought the property in 1859, John O'Brien, laborer,
is not listed as living at 79 Third Street until 1865. In
1860 he was boarding at 59 Bridge (now M) Street, and in 1863
and 1864 he was living at 180 High (now Wisconsin Avenue). (10)
However, for twenty-three years, until his death in 1888, John
O'Brien did work as a laborer and raise his family at 79 Third
(now 3522 P) Street. Surviving him, when he died (intestate),
were his widow, Johanna O'Brien and four children--James and
John O'Brien, Ellen O'Brien Sullivan and Mary O'Brien Sullivan.
(The last O'Briens to be listed in city directories at this
address were noted in 1888 when both John O'Brien and John
O'Brien, Jr., stonecutter, are listed at 3522 P.) (11)
Johanna outlived her husband by twenty years. She continued to
live in their P Street house across from the Convent for eight
years after John's death. Living with her were her daughter
and son-in-law, Mary and John Sullivan; he was listed in city
directories as a clerk and later as a bartender. (12) In
1897 Johanna moved in with Ellen O'Brien Sullivan, her other
married daughter, nearby on 0 Street, and rented the P Street
house. (13)
P Street had been regraded in 1895 to provide tracks for a
trolley line. This change placed the first floor of this
small frame house below street level. (14)
207
MAHORNEY- BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 6)
For over fifty years, until the O'Brien heirs sold the little
house in 1943, it was rented to persons such as "George
Coates, helper" and "Louise Williams, porter," who performed
manual and domestic services in the neighborhood. (15) Mary
O'Brien Sullivan, John O'Brien's last surviving child, stated:
"I collected the rents from it, sometimes they paid me and
sometimes they didn't '(16) During hard times, the good
Sisters of the Convent for the Visitation fed these families
and their children. There was a small service door with a
turntable in the Convent wall on P Street just across from
this house where workers and tenants on the block lined up
at meal time and were always fed by the cloistered Sisters.
This door was sealed up a few years ago after several
burglaries occurred. (17)
1943-1969
When the house was sold to Roxanna Doran in 1943 for $3500,
it was occupied by Florence Vinston' (wid Daniel), maid,"
who paid a monthly rental of $20.50. (18) After major re-
pairs it was sold in 1948 to Stanhope Chase, who for twenty
years has been using it as rental property. One of the
tenants for a time was the celebrated actress Myrna Loy
(Mrs. Howland Sargeant). She had been serving as a member
of the National Commission of UNESCO, United Nations. (19)
The house has been vacant at intervals, but in recent years
has been occupied, chiefly by tenants who work in govern-
ment and industry. (20).
208
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 7)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1821
John Threlkeld
Deed September 27, 1821
to
Recorded October 9, 1821
George Mahorney
Liber W.B. 2, folio 255
1834
Clement Cox
Deed July 2, 1834
trustee of George
Recorded July 2, 1834
Mahorney
Liber W.B. 51, folio 16
to
Alfred Boucher
1843
Alfred H. Boutcher
Deed May 26, 1843
et ux Sarah
Recorded August 15, 1843
to
Liber W.B. 103, folio 151
William T. Herron
1851
William T. Herron
Deed October 13, 1851
et ux Henrietta V.
Recorded October 15, 1851
to
Liber JAS 31, folio 331
John O'Donoghue
209
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 8)
1859
John O'Donnoghue
Deed October 7, 1859
et ux Jane
Recorded September 7, 1860
to
Liber JAS 196, folio 429
John Brien
(also known as O'Brien)
1888
John O'Brien died April 14, 1888, intestate, survived by
his widow, Johanna O'Brien, and four children--James and
John O'Brien, Ellen O'Brien Sullivan.and Mary O'Brien
Sullivan.
Johanna O'Brien died July 30, 1908, intestate.
1943
Phillip F. Biggins
Deed February 18, 1943
William R. Simpson, Jr.
Recorded March 22, 1943
trustees under Decree
Liber 7842, folio 175
in Civil Action #10584
(Mary Sullivan vs. other
heirs of John and Johanna
O'Brien)
to
Roxanna B. Doran
1948
Roxanna B. Doran
Deed November 5, 1948
to
Recorded November 5, 1948
Stanhope Chase
Liber 8862, folio 429
210
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 9)
References
1. Georgetown Metropolitan. June 1821, Newspaper Reading
Room, Serial Division, Library of Congress.
2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 8 (1813-18).
3. City Directory. 1830, p. 10.
4. Same reference as #3.
5. Same reference as #1. January 26, 1833.
6. Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Washington, D.C.
Hatboro, Pennsylvania: R.H. Baist, 1968, Vol. 3, Plan 2.
7. Will, George Mahorney, Case os 4108, Will Book 15, page 194.
March 27, 1859. Probated October 26, 1875. Register of
Wills, Washington, D.C.
8. Same reference as #3. 1834 (Georgetown), p. 2.
9. Same reference as #3. 1834, p. 6; 1855, p. 458; (George-
town Section), p. 8; 1860, p. 171 and p. 120.
211
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 10)
10. Same reference as #3. 1860, p. 171; 1863, P. 234; 1864,
P. 306; 1865, P. 390.
11. Same reference as #3. 1888, P. 683.
12. Same reference as #3. 1890, P. 833; 1896, p. 872.
13. Civil Action Case, Mary Sullivan vs. Other heirs of John
and Johanna O'Brien, #10,584, U.S. District Court for
the District of Columbia.
14. Georgetown, D.C., clippings from newspapers and magazines,
compiled by Washingtoniana Division, Public Library,
Washington, D.C., 1936 to present, 5 volumes.
15. Same reference as #3. 1914, p. 1665; 1928, P. 2132.
16. Same reference as #14.
17. Same reference as #14.
18. Same reference as #14.
and
Same reference as #3. 1942, p. 1672.
19. Unemployment Insurance Certificate (for employees).
Policy No. OB 2034688, Date of expiration, August 8,
1952. Affixed to wall, 3522 P Street, N.W.
212
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 11)
20. Same reference as #3. 1954, p. 387; 1956, p. 1027; 1960,
p. 452; 1964, p. 405; 1965, P. 424; 1967, p. 395.
21. Interviews with:
Mrs. Agnes Southey Sullivan, 3701 Connecticut Avenue,
N.W. (Mrs. Sullivan's husband was the grandson of
John O'Brien.)
Mr. James Sullivan, 1331 P Street, N.W. (Mr. Sullivan
was born in Georgetown in the 1880's and as a boy
delivered groceries in the area. He died in February,
1969.)
Mrs. Lillian Kengla Harper, 1248 Wisconsin Avenue,
N.W. (Mrs. Harper is a granddaughter of Margaret
O'Donoghue.)
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Ahearn, 3242 Q Street, N.W. (Mr.
Ahearn was born in Georgetown in the 1880's, carried
papers in the area as a boy, and for the rest of his
life operated a newsstand on M Street in Georgetown.)
213
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 12)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This small clapboard house, though
planned like a row house, is actually free-standing by virtue
of the narrow paths to rear yards on each side of it. Al-
though it is two stories high (three at the rear), it appears
amaller because the street and sidewalk have been raised about
three feet. The front appears to have been resurfaced at
some time, and the cornice is a mid-nineteenth century replace-
ment.
Condition of fabric: Fair; needs painting badly.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 20'-0" with
16'-0" by 16'-0" ell at rear. Two bays across P Street facade.
Two stories high.
Foundations: Rubble stone basement walls with some later brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame; front has 8" drop siding; sides
and rear have plain 6" weatherboarding; there are plain, un-
beaded corner boards.
Chimneys: One about 30" square of brick, located at rear of
main block of house.
214
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 13)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Front door has six raised
panels, a three-light transom, and a flat,
backbanded, dog-eared surround.
Windows and shutters: There is one window on
the first floor, two on the second. All are
six-over-six double hung wood sash. There
is a quirked cyma reversa cap moulding on
otherwise flat trim. Shutters are louvered
wood. Windows in the rear addition are
modern.
Porches: None,
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable, ridge running east-
west on main block, north-south on rear ell;
composition shingles.
Framing: Wood, with very wide sheathing boards
(14" - 16").
Cornice: Later wood cornice has four scrolled
brackets and fifteen smaller modillions.
Gutter is built in behind.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The first floor has one room across the width of
the house with a stair along the west wall, to the south of
which was added at an early date another room with a stair
to the basement along the west wall. The second floor has
a bedroom above the front living room with a modern bath-
room in the southwest corner. The basement has a kitchen
under the north living room and a dining room under the
south living room, with a small powder room and heating
equipment area between.
215
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 14)
Stairways: The stair to the second floor ascends from a one-
riser landing in the southwest corner of the original house
along the west wall to the second floor. The stair to the
basement descends from the northwest corner of the rear
addition along the west wall to the dining room. Both stairs
are of closed-string construction with modern newels, bal-
usters, and handrails.
Flooring: Flooring in general is random width pine; that
in the dining room is 12" pine boards; that in the kitchen
is resilient tile.
Walls and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted or papered.
South living room has exposed rafters, stained dark;
kitehen has exposed adzed joists above, dining room has
exposed sawn heavy joists above. Fireplace wall in north
living room is panelled with striated plywood.
Doors and doorways: There are batten doors, six raised-
panel doors, and louvered doors, all of mid-twentieth
century manufacture.
Decorative features and trim: One doorway left of the fire-
place in the north living room has an early to mid-nineteenth
century casing. The south living room fireplace has a very
simple mantel shelf with beaded edges supported by two narrow
cyma reversa brackets; the dining room mantel is similar.
All three fireplaces have been rebuilt with brick surrounds
but still have early hearths. The north living room fireplace
has a simple architrave (modern) around the new brickwork,
although there is a very elaborate cast-iron and brass Empire
style grate. Door and window trim throughout is mid-twentieth
century.
Hardware: No notable hardware.
216
MAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-198 (Page 15)
Lighting: No notable fixtures.
Heating: Forced hot air.
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the south side of
P Street, this small free-standing house appears smaller due
to the raising of the street level in the past century which
created a 3'-0" deep area-way across the front. The block is
composed of similar sized houses of varying ages and faces the
grounds of the Convent of the Visitation.
Enclosures: Cross-buck fence of 2 X 4's around areaway at
front, various wood fences enclose the rear yard.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick and concrete.
Landscaping: Small-scale residential planting in the fenced
rear yard; none in the paved areaway in the front.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 3, 1969
217
218
CLUE
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-189
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3617 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(0 Street was formerly called Second
Street. The early number of this
structure is not clear; however, ac-
cording to the table of highest and
lowest street numbers on Second Street
on page 87 of Boyd's 1865 City Direc-
tory, the house at 3617 was probably
118 or 120 Second Street.)
Location:
The house is on part of Lot 112, Square
78 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-
town, now taxed as Lot 805, in Square
1248 in Washington, D. C.
Date of Erection:
1842-1850, with remodeling in the 1860's.
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupants in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Williams
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
This simple frame dwelling dating from the
middle of the nineteenth century is one of
the few such houses in Georgetown which
remains almost completely intact. The
wideboard siding of the west elevation is
particularly noteworthy.
219
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1797-1815
In August 1797, John Threlkeld sold to Edward Boone for
sixty pounds all of Lot 112, fronting on Second Street
for 60 feet and extending back 150 feet. Two years
later, when Boone sold this same property to Ignatius
Middleton, he received 375 pounds for it, almost a 600%
increase. Middleton's "improved lot" on Second Street
was assessed at $1300 at some period between 1800 and
1807; and later, between 1808 and 1812, Lot 112 is de-
scribed as improved. (1) It is not until the period
between 1813 and 1818 that the record shows a house -
"one-story frame" - on Lot 112.(2) There is no way of
knowing on which of the three present subdivisions of
old Lot 112 the one-story frame house stood. It may
have been part of the ground floor of the present house.
Middleton, his wife, daughter and two slaves lived in
Charles County, Maryland, so the Second Street structure
was
probably rented as an investment.
1815-1842
In July of 1815 Edward Dawes bought from Middleton all
of Lot 112 as well as some adjoining property. This
was a period of prosperity in Georgetown. Shipping of
tobacco and foodstuffs was extensive; warehouses lined
the Georgetown waterfront; employment was high and
consequently the purchase of land and the construction
of buildings flourished. (3) So Dawes' investment in
land at this time seems a natural financial expansion.
However, Dawes ran into monetary difficulties. He may
have over-extended himself, or may have been caught up
in the business slump which Georgetown suffered in the
1820's and 1830's.
220
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 3)
John Cox, then Mayor of Georgetown, commented on the languish-
ing
business of Georgetown at that time, observing
that houses ceased to be built; and many of those that
had been erected were without tenants. (4) In any event,
by 1831 Dawes owed $7200 to the Bank of United States and
$1740 to the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. His Second Street
lots were used as Security to the Bank of United States to
meet his indebtedness.
Dawes was able to salvage some of his property, but on July
16, 1842 Dawes and the Bank of United States sold all of
Lot 112 and part of the adjoining lots for $550 to John
Biechler. (Variations of the surname appear in documents
as: "Buehler," Bietchier," "Beihler," and "Boehler."
1842-1854
Eight years later, in the 1850 Census, Beihler's real estate
was valued at $1000, which would indicate that he improved
his lot on Second Street soon after purchasing the property.
John Beihler was a carpenter who had been born in Germany
at the turn of the century, so it is likely that he immigrated
to America during hard times in his native country, bought up
land cheaply, and built the present structure for his family
himself. (5) In 1853 the city directory lists a "Mr. Boehler,
carpenter, north side of 2nd and Fayette near the College."
(6) Perhaps as his business prospered he added to his prop-
erty and moved his family of five children to a more commodi-
ous house nearby in the next block.
1854-1860
In June of 1854 Joseph Weaver bought from Buehler all of Lot
112 and parts of two other lots fronting on Second Street,
"
together with buildings, improvements " for
$1305.
Weaver was at this time 27 years old. He was part of a
large family, in the butcher business, living on High Street
(now Wisconsin Avenue) beyond the northern limits of George-
town. Research has not revealed what use Joseph Weaver made
of his property on Second Street. Certainly he never lived
there.
221
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 4)
It is interesting to note that by 1870, ten years after he
disposed of the property, Joseph Weaver had in his house-
hold, besides his wife and children, a 19 year old apprentice
butcher and an 18 year old "domestic servant, born Ireland,"
and that his real property was valued at $25,000 and his
personal property at $5000. (7) This is the Joseph Weaver
whose son, Robert, became a leading citizen of Georgetown.
Robert was president of Georgetown Gas Light Co., vice-
president of Corcoran Life Insurance Co., a director of
Riggs National Bank, and a director of the D.C. Paper man-
ufacturing Co. Among his many civic activities was his
position on the Board of Trustees of the Edes Home in
Georgetown. (8) (9)
1860-1895
Joseph Weaver sold the Second Street property in 1860 for
less than he had paid for it. Timothy Sullivan bought it
for $1150. The 1861 tax assessment records state: "Im-
provements: Brick and frame tenaments" on Timothy Sulli-
van's property, Lot 112. (10)
In August of 1863 Timothy and his wife, Bridget, sold the
west part of Lot 112, having a 40 foot front on Second
Street, to John Sullivan for $100. Listed as improvements
in the tax records 1865-1870 are "two new two-story frame
houses," with a value of $600 for the land and $2000 for
the buildings. (11) These houses are on present Lots 805
(3617 O Street) and. 804 (3615 0 Street). From the terms
of the deeds it is clear that the two houses were built at
the same time. (It should be recalled that in early records,
the term "New" is sometimes used to describe remodeled
property.)
222
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 5)
In 1870 John Sullivan and his wife, Ellen, sold the western
20 feet of Lot 112, fronting on Second Street to Jeremiah
Sullivan for $1300. In 1872 Jeremiah was a "cartman," but
from 1874 until 1893 he is listed in city directories as a
grocer. (12) His shop is cited at different addresses on
Second Street, one of which in 1881 is noted as 3617 o
Street; so perhaps his shop was in his home at one time.
(In 1893 he is listed as a grocer at 3428 0 Street, where
there is a grocery to this day.) (13)
The Sullivan clan was a large one, the early members having
emigrated from Ireland, possibly as part of the wave of
immigrants who came to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal. Many of the Sullivan men are listed as laborers in
city directories and may have been among the large group
of bricklayers, stonecutters, and carpenters who participated
in the vast amount of building that was occurring in the
Federal City as well as in Georgetown. The women stayed
home and cared for their families, "keeping house" as census
records state. (14) The families lived near each other on
Second Street. Even today, in this neighborhood, Sullivan
descendants own a number of buildings, some of which they
occupy and others which they use for rental purposes.
1895-1944
On December 13, 1895 Jeremiah Sullivan, at the age of 52,
died of pneumonia. At that time he lived at the corner
of 35th and o Streets. (15) His Will was dated on the
same day of his death so apparently was made on his death-
bed. He bequeathed to his beloved wife, Ellen, all his
estate during her natural life or widowhood but should
my wife Ellen Sullivan remarry, then I give, devise and
bequeath all my estate to my children, share and share
alike " (16)
223
To ang Minister of the Cospel Authorized to Celebrate Marriages in the District of Columbia,
GREETING:
You are hereby Licensed to solemnize, the Rites of Marriage between
Dennes Hagerty
of Georgetown, DC
AND
Budget Sullivan
of
do
if you find no lawful. impediment thereto; and having so done, you are com=
manded 10 appear in the Clerk's Office of the Supreme Court of said
District, and certify the same.
Witness my hand and the seal of said Court this 280 day
of October
1870.
, Clerk.
I,
,
Minister of Catter
Church in
GEO your
,
hercby certify that, by authority of a
License of the same tenor as the foregoing, I solemnized the Marriage of the parties afresaid, on
the 28 day of Oct
18 /D,at
hiniy-ah
in the District of Cowmbia.
"The Sullivan Clan was a large one, the early members having
emigrated from Ireland, possibly as part of the wave of
immigrants who came to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal." 1870 Marriage license for Rites at Holy Trinity
Church, Georgetown (D.C. Marriage License Bureau)
224
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 6)
Ellen Sullivan did not remarry. She held on to the house
at 3617 O Street, although she did not live there. The
house continued to serve as rental property with occasional
periods of vacancy. The tenants during the first four
decades of the twentieth century were chiefly laborers. (17)
Ellen died in December 1937. In her obituary her residence
is listed at 3422 0 Street. (18)
1944-1969
Four of Ellen Sullivan's seven children were living at the
time of her death. They and three children of a daughter
who had died were heirs to the estate. In 1944 the
property was conveyed to Josephine Elko Williams. She and
her husband, James T. Williams, who was employed by the
U.S. Department of Navy, still live there, although in
1965 they sold it to Georgetown University. (19)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1797
John Threlkeld
Deed August 29, 1797
to
Recorded September 9, 1797
Edward Boone
Liber C-3, folio 175
1799
Edward Boone
Deed January 3, 1799
to
Recorded February 15, 1799
Ignatius Middleton
Liber D-4, folio 195
225
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 7)
1815
Ignatius Middleton
Deed July 20, 1815
to
Recorded December 12, 1815
Edward Dawes
Liber K-10, folio 394
1831
Charles Edward Dawes
Deed of Trust February 28, 1831
to
Recorded March 10, 1831
Richard Smith, Cashier
Liber W.B. 35, folio 240
of the Office of Discount
and Deposits, Bank of the
United States
1842
Edward Dawes and wife,
Deed July 16, 1842
Ann
Recorded August 5, 1842
Richard Smith
Liber W.B. 92, folio 432
to
John Biechler
(Note: In later documents,
name is spelled variously
as "Buehler," "Bietchler,"
"Butchler," and "Buchler.")
Consideration $550
1854
John Buechler and wife,
Deed June 20, 1854
Ann
Recorded October 9, 1854
to
Liber JAS 86, folio 163
Joseph Weaver
Consideration $1305
226
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 8)
1860
Joseph Weaver and wife,
Deed May 19, 1860
Catherine
Recorded June 12, 1860
to
Liber JAS 199, folio 273
Timothy Sullivan
Consideration $1150
1863
Timothy Sullivan and wife,
Deed August 13, 1863
Bridget
Recorded January 6, 1864
to
Liber NCT 23, folio 275
John Sullivan
1870
John Sullivan and wife, Ellen Deed February 18, 1870
to
Recorded May 31, 1870
Jeremiah Sullivan
Liber 614, folio 389
1895
Jeremiah Sullivan died on
Will December 21, 1895
Dec. 13, 1895, bequeath-
Probated December 23, 1895
ed his entire estate
Will Book 39, page 289
to his wife, Ellen.
1937
Ellen Sullivan died (intestate) December 17, 1937, leaving
her estate to her four children and to three grandchildren.
227
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 9)
1944
Josephine Sullivan
Deed January 24, 1944
James J. and wife, Harriet
Recorded February 9, 1944
S. Sullivan
Liber 7938, folio 375
Jeremiah and wife, Ellen
A. Sullivan
Lillian E. Sullivan
Robert A. Cox, unmarried
Ann Marie Briggs
Regina Cox Katalinas
to
Josephine Elko Williams
1965
Josephine Elko Williams
Deed November 30, 1965
and husband, James T.
Recorded May 23, 1966
Williams
Liber 12614, folio 387
to
The President and Directors
of Georgetown College
References
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807),
Roll 8 (1808-1812).
228
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 10)
2. Same reference as #1. Roll 9 (1813-1818).
3. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C.
from 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: Polkenhorn, 1878,
P. 118.
4. Same reference as #3. p. 39.
5. Census Records Washington, D.C. National Archives,
Microcopy T-6, Roll 47 (1850), p. 332.
6. City Directory. 1853, p. 9.
7. Same reference as #5. Microcopy T-8, Roll 32 (1870),
p. 284.
8. New York Herald Tribune (New York, New York), The Washington
lost and The Evening Star (Washington, D. C.) September
30, 1934.
9. Proctor, John Clagett, ed., Washington Past and Present.
New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co.,
Vol. III, 1930, p. 134.
10. Same reference as #1. Roll 36 (1862-64).
11. Same reference as #1. Roll 12 (1865-70).
12. Same reference as #6. 1872, p. 526; 1874, P. 560; 1875,
p. 618; 1876, p. 512; 1877, p. 658; 1885, p. 787; 1894,
p. 938.
229
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 11)
13. Same reference as #6. 1864-73.
14. Same reference as #5. Microcopy T-8, Roll 32 (1870), P. 35,
P. 36, p. 43.
15. The Evening Star (Washington, D. C.) December 14, 1895.
16. Register of Wills, Washington, D. c., Will Book 39, page 289.
17. Same reference as #6. 1914, p. 1657, P. 1064; 1920, P. 1812,
P. 1541; 1925, P. 1848, P. 1535; 1930, p. 1989; 1935, P. 2434,
P. 499; 1940, P. 1977, p. 275; 1943, P. 194, P. 1220.
18. Same reference as #15. December 17, 1937, P. A-14.
19. Same reference as #6. 1948, P. 139, p. 1231.
230
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 12)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: At one time a twin to 3615 0 Street,
this house retains for the most part its earlier plan. Al-
though its facade has been resurfaced, the west side still
has the original extremely wide weather boarding. It is a
simple, unassuming, two-story clapboard house.
Condition of fabric: Fairly good; some areas in need of paint,
some wide weatherboard split and loose. West wall completely
unpainted.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 35'-0". Two bays
across 0 Street facade. Two stories high.
Foundation: Brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame.
Chimneys: One large central chimney, one small one at rear
off kitchen ell.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Door has two small horizontal
panels at bottom and one large top panel which is
actually painted glass. There is a small-light
transom, and the whole has a wide flat board trim.
231
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 13)
Windows and shutters: Six over six double-hung wood
sash. Shutters on front are louvered wood.
Porches: Small wood shed roof over back door, brick paving of
terrace continues under to form floor (not raised). Front stoop
is semicircular brick, two risers high.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable, ridge running east-west;
metal covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Wide wood box cornice with bed mould; hang-
ing metal gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: First floor has one room across front, one room
across rear, and kitchen in small addition off northeast corner.
Second floor has one bedroom across front, one in rear, and a
bathroom. There is a full attic storage room and partial base-
ment under dining room, both with access stairs.
Stairways: Ascends from north to south along east wall of rear
rooms. Originally enclosed with wide boarding, the first to
second floor run has been opened up and had an old rail from
elsewhere inserted.
Flooring: Wide, random width pine.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted.
232
BUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-189 (Page 14)
Doors and doorways: Simple mid-nineteenth four-panel doors
with flat trim.
Decorative features and trim: Very heavy early-to-mid-nine-
teenth century mantel pieces of a simple design; flat wood
trim; no cornices.
Hardware: No notable hardware.
Lighting: No notable fixtures.
Heating: Furnace in modern basement.
Site
General setting and orientation: One of several houses of
similar scale forming the north side of 0 Street. No front
yard; ample rear yard.
Enclosures: Rear y ard enclosed with wood fence. Board gate
access to rear yard from street.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick paved terrace in rear, brick walk on west side
of house.
Landscaping: Simple residential planting.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
October 30, 1968
233
A.:
234
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-201
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
Address in 1969: Original Church - 3513 N Street, N.W.,
(now Convent
Washington, D.C.
of Mercy)
(N Street was formerly
First Street.'
Present Church
- 36th Street between N and
0 Streets, N.W., Washing-
ton, D.C. (formerly Lingan
Street between First and
Second Streets).
Rectory
- 3514 o Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. (0 Street
was formerly Second Street.'
Location:
The Original Church occupies old Lot 72
in old Square 57 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now known as part of Lot
803 in Square 1227 in the City of
Washington.
The Present Church stands on old Lot 75
and part of old Lots 74 and 72 in old
Square 57 in Threlkeld's Addition to
Georgetown, now known as part of Lot 803
in Square 1227 in the City of Washington.
The Rectory occupies old Lots 78 and 83
in old Square 57 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now known as Lots 78 and
808 in Square 1227 in the City of
Washington.
235
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 2)
Date of Erection:
Original Church - 1794
Present Church - 1851
Rectory
- 1869
Owners in 1969:
Roman Catholic Church
Occupants in 1969:
Roman Catholic Church
Use in 1969:
Original Church - Living quarters for Nuns
teaching at nearby Holy
Trinity Schools
Present Church - Holy Trinity Parish
Church
Rectory
- Holy Trinity Church
Rectory
Significance:
The original church was the first place
for public Catholic worship in the Dis-
trict; the present church is an ante-
bellum edifice, and even the rectory is
a century old.
236
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 3)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1787-1851
Although Maryland was colonized largely by Catholics seeking
freedom of religion, they found themselves in difficult
straits when Protestants gained political power, for Cathol-
icism was rigidly repressed. For almost 130 years Catholics
were prohibited from having churches, so that Mass had to
be held in private chapels of the homes of the well-to-do.
These were called "Mass-houses." (1)
After the American Revolution Catholicism was established
in the new country on a different basis:
"...it would have been unpopular for Catholics
in the States to remain under the spiritual
jurisdiction of English prelates. Consequently
on June 9, 1784, the Holy See appointed Father
John Carroll, a cousin of the celebrated Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, the signer of the
Declaration of Independence, as Prefect Apostolic,
with faculties to administer the Sacrament of
Confirmation." (2)
The appointment of Father Francis Xavier Neale to establish a
Catholic Parish in Georgetown was one of Archbishop Carroll's
first deeds. In 1787 the Most Reverend John Carroll bought
from John Threlkeld for five shillings--a virtual gift--a
plot of land, sixty by one hundred and twenty feet on the
north side of First (N) Street between Fayette (35th) and
Lingan (36th) Streets for the site of a Roman Catholic
Church. (3)
237
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 4)
Although Father Neale began planning and soliciting for
the church in 1791, his progress was delayed. It was
not customary during that era for people to donate
money for churches, and since many of the residents of
the community were poor, the collection of funds proved
to be a slow process. Consequently, Mr. James Doyle, the
builder, was unable to complete the construction until
1794. In fact, the church could not afford to pay him
in cash, but instead provided rental pews as recompense.
Mr. Doyle later willed his rental pews to Georgetown
College in exchange for twelve years of tuition and board
for his sons.
The little church on First Street was opened for services in
1794, but "There were no pews in the center of the Church
until 1832. The open space was occupied by those who did not
rent pews and by colored people. They sat on stools or
benches or chairs which they brought from home." (4)
From the beginning, as the Church Register indicates, Holy
Trinity Church was an active force in the Parish. On January
1, 1795 the record shows that pews rented for seven shillings
and sixpence a year and that Mrs. Simms, William Fenwick,
Margaret Queen, and "Old" Mrs. Fenwick had paid their rentals
in full, while Mr. Johnson paid only half of his and Thomas
Bowling owed fifteen shillings and eleven pence.
The first marriage record occurs on January 1, 1794 for "David
Thomas to Phyllis, a Negro Slave, property of Elizabeth Coyle
of Georgetown." A month later the first baptism is recorded,
"William James, son of James and Ann James, living in George-
town.' (5)
Holy Trinity Church also served the community in secular ways.
Reverend Kelly in a history of the Parish describes one way
in which the church served its neighbor, Georgetown College:
238
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 5)
"For forty years graduation and literary exercises
were held in the church, converted temporarily into a
hall
In 1799 on the death of General Washington
a large concourse assembled in the church to pay
a tribute to the memory of the Father of his Country.
" the last commencement [of Georgetown College] to
be held in the church took place in the month of July,
1832. Odes were read in Latin, Greek, French and
Spanish...." (6)
Devitt verifies the use of Holy Trinity Church by Georgetown
College:
"The solemn academic exercises were held in Trinity
Church until the large study-hall in the Mulledy
building was opened in 1834. A procession was
formed on the college grounds, and the officials,
students and invited magnates marched to the
church." (7)
The church soon became too small as Georgetown began to grow.
Many families, such as the Fenwicks, Digges, Youngs, Neales,
and Brents, moved into town from the counties.
Funds were raised to enlarge the church and vigorous efforts
ensued to provide apace for the religious needs of a rapidly
growing congregation:
"Attempts were made first to widen it [the church],
then to add to the length, but the results were un-
satisfactory. Two confessional were build alongside
the church which were to be used also as vestries and
sacristies. Arches were cut in the side walls and
sheds erected. Finally an addition was built in the
rear, greater than the original in depth...." (8)
239
240
)
S HI I
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 6)
However, it soon became clear that the alterations would not
take care of the overcrowding and that a new solution was
required.
Plans were made to build a new church on land which Father
Neale and Georgetown College had acquired on the east side
of Lingan (36th) Street from First (N) Street to Second (0)
Street. Father Peter O'Flanagan, whom Kelly calls the church's
"Second Founder," was instrumental in organizing the drive for
the new structure. Ground was broken in 1846 and the corner-
stone laid in place by Archbishop Eccleston on July 8, 1849,
so that "...this second church antedates all others now standing
in Washington as they were erected after 1850." (9)
1851-1869
Construction of the second Holy Trinity Church took more than
two years. So it was not dedicated until June 15, 1851.
(The old church on N Street became a parochial school. Much
later, in 1918, it became the Convent of Mercy and was converted
to its present use as living quarters for the nuns who teach
at the Trinity Grade School on the corner of 36th and N Streets
and Trinity High School at 1325 36th Street on the corner of O
Street.) The first marriage in the new church occurred on
May 13, 1852 between Dennis O'Donnoghue and Theresa Jamieson.
(10)
Holy Trinity Church was one of the seven buildings in George-
town that were converted into hospitals during the Civil War. (11)
Military guards, under the command of Captain Strong of Penn-
sylvania (a brother of Father George I. Strong, S.J.) were put
in charge of the entire church property. Temporary flooring
was built over the pews and sanctuary. (During the Army
occupation the old church on First (N) Street was used for
worshipers.)
241
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 7)
After Holy Trinity had been restored as a place of worship,
General Whipple's funeral service was held there. Kelly
describes President Lincoln's attendance:
"The sexton was told to keep the main aisle clear
for the President. But not recognizing him the
sexton under orders tried to stop his passage up
the aisle. The President humorously remarked:
'Would that my officials were as exact in the
performance of their duty as your good sexton.'" (12)
After the war Holy Trinity received compensation from the U.S.
government for the use of the church and for repairs.
1869-1969
At the end of the decade and twenty years after the corner-
stone was laid for the "new" Holy Trinity Church, a permanent
residence was erected for its pastors and their assistants.
Prior to that Father Neale and his staff had roomed and boarded
at the College. During this period a small house on the south
side of First (N) Street, which the College owned and used as
a boys' school, was also the pastors' center for tending their
parochial duties. In 1823 this house was converted into a
residence for the priests when the boys vacated the building
upon completion of Trinity School. Ten years later the
"Residence of the Pastor and Assistants of Holy Trinity Church"
was set up in the O'Donnoghue house nearby on First (N) Street
near the center of the block. This building, often dubbed
"The White House" by the Fathers because of its color, remained
the official pastoral residence until 1869, when the present
structure was erected on the southeast corner of Lingan (36th)
and Second (0) Streets. Designed by architect Francis Stanton,
this imposing brick building with its mansard roof stood next
to Holy Trinity Church for some fifty years. In 1917 the
242
nel
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 8)
rectory was propped on supports and hauled around the corner
to its present location on 0 Street. This was done to make
way for the new Trinity Schools to be built on both sides
of the church. (13)
Holy Trinity continued to prosper and to serve an increasing
parish. During the influenza epidemic of 1918 the church was
closed when the U.S. government prohibited public gatherings.
At that time services were held outdoors on the athletic field
of Georgetown University. (14)
The church, a local landmark, still carries on its functions,
as it has done almost from the beginning of Georgetown. It
has been attended through the years by notables such as
President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, as well as by less famous
parishioners, the working people who comprised the core of
western Georgetown.
References
1. Kelly, Lawrence J., History of Holy Trinity Parish.
Baltimore, Maryland: John D. Lucas Printing Co.,
1945, p. 17.
2. Same reference as #1. p. 9.
3. Same reference as #1. p. 15.
244
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 9)
4. Same reference as #1. p. 18.
5. Proctor, John Clagett, ed. Washington, Past and Present.
New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1930,
Vol. II, P. 791.
6. Same reference as #1. PP. 77-78.
7. Devitt, Rev. Edward I., S.J., "Georgetown College in Early
Days," Records of the Columbia Historical Society.
Washington, D. C.: The Columbia Historical Society, 1909,
Vol. 12, p. 35.
8. Same reference as #1. p. 19.
9. Same reference as #1. p. 23.
10. Papers of Clara O'Donnoghue Ennis 1799-1903. Washington, D.C.:
Private Collection, 1903.
11. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:
Barre Publishing Co., 1968, P. 87, P. 100.
12. Same reference as #1. p. 27.
13. Same reference as #1. PP. 75-76.
14. Same reference as #1. p. 27.
245
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 10)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Convent of Mercy
General Statement
Architectural character: Originally Holy Trinity Church, this
late eighteenth-century building, now used by the Convent of
Mercy, has been altered considerably. The regular spacing
of windows on the sides has been interrupted by the introduction
of similar additional windows and the removal of several others,
yet the general appearance of the architecture is orderly and
unified due to the overall painting and the regular rhythms of
the cornice.
Condition of fabric: Good; reasonably well-maintained, al-
though the paint on brickwork has weathered badly.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 36'-0" by 110'-0", with a
12'-0" tower at the center of the south front. Two stories
high. Three bays wide by eight bays long.
Foundations: Brick to grade.
Wall construction: Brick, painted; shaped brick water table
and corbelled brick caps on the stepped roof parapets.
Chimneys: None visible.
246
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 11)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The front entrance has a pair
of three-panelled doors with a semicircular transom
light above, made up of two circular panes and
various irregular wedge-shaped panes. Panelled
pilasters on each side support an arched cornice
and a sign bearing the name of the convent, sur-
mounted by a cross. A rear entrance at the north-
west corner has a pair of doors with six vertical
panels and a two-light transom. Chamfered pilasters
and scrolled console brackets support a flat
modillioned entablature.
Windows and shutters: Windows in general have six-
over-six double hung wood sash, stone sills, and
brick jack arches. One window above the main
entrance has a semicircular head. At the attic
level in the tower are boarded-up circular openings
on the east, south, and west sides.
Porches: On the north end of the east side is a two-story
modern wood utility porch and stair, partially roofed over,
serving as an auxiliary means of egress from the second floor.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Low gable with stepped parapet
ends; ridge running north to south; painted standing
seam metal covering.
Framing: Wood (assumed).
Cornice: The wood cornice is made up of a large cyma
recta above a broad soffit support on regularly spaced
carved scrolled brackets with smaller carved modillions
between, all mounted on a broad wood entablature.
247
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 12)
Tower: The twelve-foot-square masonry tower extends
just above the ridge line, at which point there is a
bracketed and modillioned cornice similar to that on
the main building. A very low pitched metal roof
provides a transition to an octagonal wood clapboard
belfry divided into two sections by a belt moulding;
the lower section has horizontal rectangular louvers
in each of the eight sides and the upper section has
vertical rectangular louvers with gabled pediments
in each of the eight sides. There is a smaller
modillioned cornice above this and a low pitched
metal roof with a large metal ball at the peak, sur-
mounted by a cross.
Technical Description of the Interior
The interior of this building was not accessible to this
researcher.
Site
General setting and orientation: Situated high above N Street,
this former church building occupies the southwest corner of
the Holy Trinity-Convent of Mercy educational complex. Its
entrance front faces south toward N Street; and although it is
located in a prominent position, it is overshadowed by the
large red brick educational buildings across the street and
adjacent on the west.
Enclosures: There is a wrought and cast iron fence along top
of the massive stone retaining wall along N Street; on the
east is a high, plain board fence; on the west is a brick
wall enclosing the paved area between the school and the
convent.
Outbuildings: None.
248
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 13)
Walks: Herringbone brick paving in front of the building,
concrete and asphalt paving on west and rear. Steps up
from the sidewalk are red sandstone.
Landscaping: Irregular low shrubbery is planted on the
steep embankment from the top of the retaining wall to
the lighter level of the brick-paved terrace, which has
a few planting pockets in it.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 10, 1969
249
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 14)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Holy Trinity Church
General Statement
Architectural Character: This straightforward, symmetrical
building is a good example of the adaptation of the Greco-
Roman temple form for use as a place of Christian worship.
The simplicity of the exterior gives little indication of
the elaborate decoration of the interior, yet is in harmony
with it. Its light color and graceful proportions set it
off from the darker utilitarian school buildings that flank
it.
Condition of fabric: Very good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 64'-0" by 109'-0", two
stories high. The 36th Street facade is divided into five
bays by rectangular pilasters; the outer two bays are blank,
the next two have circular stained-glass windows at the
second floor level, and the center one has the main entrance
doorway. The center three bays form the back of a full
height Ionic portico with a gabled pediment. The south side
is divided into seven bays; the outer bays project 10" from
the others to form small pavilions, the west bay has a door-
way, the remaining bays have tall, semi-circular headed
stained-glass windows. The north side is similar to the
south, but reversed. The east end is divided into three bays
with blind arches in them. There is a door low in the center.
250
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 15)
Foundations: Stucco covers the masonry foundation walls to
grade.
Wall construction: Ashlar-coursed stucco over masonry bear-
ing walls.
Chimneys: One, on the southeast corner.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Main entry has double three
panel doors surmounted by a pediment supported
on carved consoles, all in wood. There is a
semi-circular stained glass transom light. The
north and south entries have double three-
panel doors with five-light transoms over wood
architraves, and wood console-supported
entablatures. Door sills are granite.
Windows and shutters: Windows are generally
tall, semi-circular leaded stained glass windows
with wood and metal frames. There are two
circular stained glass windows in the west
facade. There are no shutters. All flat-bot-
tomed windows have granite sills.
Porches: The front portico has four Ionic columns of stucco
over masonry with limestone bases and capitals supporting a
triangular pediment with a modillioned cornice, and large
carved and gold-leafed "IHS" in the tympanum. The floor of
the porch, which is concrete, is nine granite steps above
the sidewalk.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable; metal standing seam
roof; ridge running east-west.
251
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 16)
Framing: Wood trusses (assumed).
Cornice: Classical wood cornice with modillions on
both main building and pedimental portico. Concealed
gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: Although the church is basically one large space,
there are confessionals across the west wall on both sides of
the entrance door, and there are small stair halls just inside
both side doors. There are sacristies on each side of the
altar area at the east end.
At the west end is a large balcony two bays deep, supported on
two rows of ornamented cast iron columns. There is seating
on both sides of the balcony, while the center is occupied by
the organ, its console, and the choir area.
The basement was not accessible at the time of this writing.
Stairways: The two stairways giving access to the balcony in
the northwest and southwest corners of the building. They
begin with a series of winders at the outer corners, ascend
along the west wall, and then turn again with a series of
winders toward the east.
Flooring: Resilient tile under pews, carpet in aisles, white
marble in the chancel area.
Wall and ceiling finish: The general color of the interior is
a warm gray, picked out in gold leaf. In the balcony the
wainscot area is sponge-stippled with a slightly darker gray.
The ceiling is coved, and the field area is coffered.
252
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 17)
Doors and doorways: The interior vestibule doors are similar
to those on the exterior except that they have obscure glass
in the upper panels.
Decorative features and trim: The center and side altars,
pulpit, chancel rail, and floor are of white marble. Above
the side altars are large niches, painted blue inside,
containing statues. However, the dominating decorative
element is the full-height Ionic order with full entabla-
ture complete with rinceau moulding in the frieze. Many
of the mouldings are picked out in gilt, as are the fluting
and capitals of the pilasters and the rinceau in the frieze.
Hardware: Modern brushed aluminum and bronze; panic hard-
ware on exit doors.
Lighting: Modern electric hanging fixtures and recessed
lights.
Site
General setting and orientation: Situated in the middle of
the block somewhat above the street, though not set back very
far from it, the church dominates the east side of its block
of 36th Street. It is surrounded by a variety of affiliated
educational buildings.
Enclosures: There is a wrought-iron fence atop a stone re-
taining wall at each side of the main steps along the 36th
Street facade. This fence continues to the corner of 0
Street, enclosing the adjacent school building.
Outbuildings: None.
253
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 18)
Walks: Concrete paving surrounds the building.
Landscaping: Low shrubbery in front, paving on sides and
rear; well-kept.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 7, 1969
254
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 19)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Holy Trinity Rectory
General Statement
Architectural Character: A large, square, free-standing building,
this house forms an ideal transition from the residential-
scale buildings along 0 Street to the school and church build-
ings adjoining it. The bold cornice, entryway, and roof
structures are an effective counterpoint to the stolid massive-
ness of the brick body of the building.
Condition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall dimensions: Main block is approximately 40'-0" by 38'
-0", two-stories high with a mansard story. There is a 12'-
0", two-story high brick addition across the rear of the main
block, and a 10'-0" by 30'-0" enclosed sleeping porch across
the rear of the addition at the second floor level. Main
block has three bays across 0 Street facade and is four bays
deep.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall Construction: Brick, except sleeping porch, which is
stucco on frame.
255
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 20)
Chimneys: Two on each side of main block.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Front doors are a pair of heavy,
two-panel leaves with deep mouldings opening into a
vestibule, from which a pair of similar doors with
obscure glass in the arched top panels opens into
the stair hall. There is an elaborate canopy above
the segmental arched transom, supported by overscaled
wood scrolls on each side. The woodwork in the
vestibule has painted graining in some parts.
Windows and shutters: Windows in general are two
over two double-hung wood sash with plain painted
stone or wood sills and straight, painted stone
or wood lintels with a leaf-carved crown moulding
across the top. There are no shutters, but traces
of them remain. Dormer windows are two over two,
double-hung wood sash.
Porches: Painted stone steps lead up to entry door.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Steep mansard with hexagonal
slates; top deck is probably painted metal, but
was inaccessible for verification.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Elaborate Victorian wood cornice with
both brackets and modillions.
Dormers: Three across the front, one double one
between the chimneys on each side; wood with metal
roofing.
256
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 21)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plan: There is a center stair hall originally having two
large rooms on each side. The northwest and southeast rooms
remain as separate rooms; the northeast has been divided by a
wood and glass partition to form two smaller rooms, while the
southwest has been completely partitioned to form a bath and a
chapel. The brick addition across the rear contains a kitchen
on the east and a dining room on the west. The basement echoes
the center hall plan, with various storage rooms opening off
each side. The upper floors were inaccessible to the researcher
at the time of his visit.
Stairways: The stair has a straight run from north to south
along the west wall to a landing the width of the hall, thence
a shorter run from south to north to the second floor. This
plan continues for the full height of the building. The newel
and balusters are heavy turned wood, the handrail is heavy
moulded wood, and each tread has an ornamental jigsawed scrolled
bracket on the stringer. The basement stair is enclosed with
narrow beaded boards, and is a simple wood open riser stair.
Flooring: Oak parquet for the most part; center hall and dining
room carpeted; southeast office has linoleum covering.
Wall and ceiling finish: Walls are painted plaster; ceilings
in rooms are painted pressed metal, ceiling in stair hall,
dining room, and kitchen are painted plaster.
Doors and doorways: Doors in general have four panels, with
obscure glass replacing the upper two vertical panels. There
are also several other nineteenth-century panelled doors in
smaller openings.
Decorative features and trim: All mantelpieces have been re-
moved and the fireplaces closed. Door and window trim is
elaborately moulded and is about seven inches wide. The outer
edge is undercut, giving a strong shadow line around the open-
ings. Cornices, where they exist, are of pressed metal.
257
HOLY TRINITY PARISH
HABS No. DC-201 (Page 22)
Hardware: Some modern mortise locks, a few old cast iron
rimlocks, white china knobs.
Lighting: All mid-twentieth century electric fixtures.
Heating: Boiler in center front of basement; radiators
throughout.
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the south side
of o Street, the house is set off by driveways on each side.
While the neighborhood is essentially residential, this
building is part of a large school, church, and convent
complex otherwise oriented toward 36th Street.
Enclosures: Chain-link and board fences around rear yard;
wrought iron gates on the west between this building and
the school building; wrought iron fences around planting
areas at each side of front door.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Concrete.
Landscaping: Large foundation planting in areas each side of
the front door, paving around remainder of house.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
November 20, 1968
258
260
КИ
H
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-207
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3610 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 107 Second Street.)
Location:
This double house (the western portion
being 3612 0 Street) occupies part of
Lot 90 in Square 56 in Threlkeld's
Addition to Georgetown, now taxed as
Lot 804 in Square 1226 in the City of
Washington.
Date of erection:
Early nineteenth-century with a series
of later additions.
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Two private residences (one on the first
floor and one on the second floor).
Significance:
This is a very early example of the double
house found in varying architectural styles
throughout Georgetown in all its periods
of development. The use of the house to-
day maintains its original dual nature.
261
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1794-1818
On March 21, 1794 John Threlkeld and his wife, Elizabeth,
conveyed this property to Joseph Milbourn Simms. The land
was then vacant.
Joseph Milbourn Simms was a son of Joseph and Catherine
(Culver) Simms, who were married on May 28, 1753; she was
a descendant of Marmaduke Semmes, one of the early settlers
of Maryland. Joseph Simms, Sr. inherited "Culver's Choice"
in Frederick (later Montgomery) County from his wife's father.
The "Culver's Choice" property was evidently the dwelling-
plantation of Joseph Milbourn Simms before he acquired the
property in Georgetown.
He was enrolled as a very young man in the Montgomery County
militia during the American Revolution, belonging to the
lower battalion of the County--an indication that "Culver's
Choice" was located not too far from Georgetown. He married
Elizabeth Mudd on February 2, 1790; the Simms family appear
on the census record for Montgomery County that same year.
If "Culver's Choice" were not too remote from Georgetown,
Catherine Culver Simms may be the "Mrs. Sims" who owned a
pew in Holy Trinity Church in 1795, or it may have been her
daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Mudd Simms.
Joseph Milbourn Simms died intestate sometime before 1804;
in his father's Will, probated that year, there is a refer-
ence to Joseph Milbourn as deceased. He was survived by
his wife Elizabeth and two sons, Joseph and Francis.
262
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 3)
Elizabeth Simms married a second time. The date, place, and
even the Christian name of her second husband, a Mr. Thompson,
are uncertain. On May 19, 1807 Charles Thompson was assessed
for a house and lot "near the Roman Church" in Georgetown,
valued at $400; two Negro men, one Negro boy, and furniture
were valued at $900. (2) It is quite probable that Elizabeth
(Mudd) Simms married Charles Thompson and that they, together
with her two sons, were living on the former Joseph Milbourn
Simms property.
Without straining the evidence, one might reasonably assume
that Joseph Milbourn Simms built a frame house on the property
now known as 3610-3612 0 Street about the year 1795, that he
may have died shortly thereafter, and that his young widow
subsequently married Charles Thompson and made her home with
her second husband and children at the same address. (3) Charles
Thompson died between 1807 and 1809, leaving Elizabeth Thompson
again a widow.
On May 10, 1809 Elizabeth Thompson was assessed for Lot 90 with
improvements, valued at $800, and other property totaling
$1475. Three years later, on July 1, 1812, she was assessed
for a one-story frame house, located at Second (now 0) and Gay
(now 36th) Streets, on Lot 90 of Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and
Deakins Addition, again valued at $800. (4)
On July 29, 1813 Joseph M. Simms, Francis Simms, and Elizabeth
Thompson were assessed for one-third each of a one-story frame
house located on Lot 90 at Second (0) and Gay (36th) Streets. (5)
Two years later, in 1815, Elizabeth Thompson was assessed for
one-third of a one-story frame house at Second and Gay Streets
on Lot 90, valued at $534. (6) The assessment roll for 1818
listed Elizabeth Thompson as owner of a one-story frame house
on Lot 90, located on Second near Gay Street, valued at $1400.
(7)
263
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 4)
In 1813 one of Elizabeth Simms Thompson's sons, Francis,
exchanged properties with his brother, Joseph, relinquish-
ing Lot 90 to Joseph in return for one hundred acres at
"Culver's Choice" in Maryland. That same year Joseph
married Tabitha Richards at Holy Trinity Church. The
following year, 1814, Francis married Verlinda Hagan,
descendant of one of the earliest families to settle in
Maryland. (8) It is possible that Joseph and Tabitha lived
in one dwelling of the double house on Second (0) Street
while Elizabeth Thompson lived in the other.
In 1818 Joseph, his wife and his mother (who had dower rights)
sold the property to Louis (or Lewis) Joseph Lihault and his
two sisters, Marie Francoise and Marie Magdelaine for $1000.
In this deed all three of the grantors are described as of
Scott County, Kentucky, which would indicate that they had
changed their residence from Georgetown to Kentucky.
1818-1833
The high sale price of $1000 (far above the cost of a one-
story frame house) and the increased assessment from $534
in 1815 to $1400 in 1818 suggest that the original house
had been considerably altered or even replaced on the
same foundation before the family sold the property in
1818. (9) The structure with its double living quarters lent
itself to separate occupancy by Louis Lihault and his children
and
by his two unmarried sisters.
In a deed dated November 10, 1819 Louis Lihault conveyed the
property in Lot 90 that began "...at the Northwest corner
of a two-story brick house supposed to stand at the Western
extremety of said Lot 90...." This was given to his sisters
in exchange for part of a tract of land called "Fox," being
part of Lot 8 and Lot 201 in Hawkins and Beatty's Addition
to Georgetown.
264
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 5)
The Will of Lewis J. Lihault, dated February 1, 1823, men-
tioned his sister, Mary (Marie) F. Lihault, a certain
Elizabeth Lihault, widow, and her children, Louisa M. Li-
hault and Augustus Joseph Lihault. It is probable that
Elizabeth was the widow of Joseph A. Lihault, who was very
likely Lewis's brother. Marie Magdelaine Lihault died in
1821. Her Will, dated January 28, 1820, left all of her
property to her sister, Marie Francoise. (10) Unfortunately,
neither of these Wills gives any clue to the kind of life
lived by the Lihaults. The witnesses to Lewis Lihault's
Will included A. H. Boutcher, a later owner of the house.
1833-1842
By her brother's deed of sale in 1819 and her sister's Will,
Mary Frances (or Marie Francoise) Lihault became sole owner
of the property. On November 21, 1833 she conveyed the
property to Alfred H. Boutcher for $670. This 1833 deed
noted a frontage of 46 feet on Second Street comprised of
42 feet at the westerly end of Lot 90 and 4 feet at the
easterly end of Lot 89.
Alfred H. Boucher (or Boutcher) and his family lived in the
house on Second Street according to the extant Georgetown
directories and kept a grocery store on Bridge (now M)
Street. (11) Boucher appeared in the 1830 census as a
resident of Georgetown with a household composed of "
two male children under five and one aged between five
and ten years, one white male aged between 30 and 40 years,
one aged between 80 and 90, one female child aged between
five and ten, one white female aged between 30 and 40
years, one free colored male and one free colored female
adult and one free colored child under five years." (12)
Boucher divided the property in 1842 when he sold it.
The more easterly portion, with a 24 foot frontage on
Second Street, was conveyed to Mary Manyett in a deed
dated October 13, 1842. The Manyetts owned an iron
265
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 6)
foundry on Maine Avenue in 1846 and are listed as residing
at that time in downtown Washington. (13)
1842-1862
For most of the twenty years that the Manyetts owned the
property, it was occupied by members of the family. One
of the Manyett daughters, Mary Magdalina, lived with her
husband, John P. Freeman, in the house for many years.
Freeman was a tailor, whose shop was on High Street (Wis-
consin Avenue) between Prospect Street and First (N)
Street. (14) (15) Then the property was rented in 1858 to
Thomas Duvall, a machinist, and later in 1860 to Leonard
Hohstein, a tanner. (16)
1862-1904
Carroll Daly, a laborer and later a contractor, bought the
house in 1862; he and his family lived there until 1888
when they moved to 1306 36th Street. Daly retained owner-
ship of the O Street house. One of his sons, John, who
was a fireman, continued to live in the house for about
ten years and then moved across the street.
In the 1865 tax assessment of Georgetown, Carroll Dailey
(Daly) is recorded as the owner of a small brick tenement
on Lot 90, with a frontage of 19 1/2 feet on Second Street
and a 60 foot depth to his property. The total assessed
value was $500. (18) The same description and valuation
are listed in the 1872, 1874 and 1875 assessments. (19)
This would seem to indicate that no substantial changes
had been made to the building between 1819 and 1875. It
was still only a two-room, two-story brick house. Be-
tween 1875 and 1887 certain wooden additions would appear
to have been made to the house, most probably by Daly, a
contractor whose son was also skilled in construction work.
266
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 7)
The house was extended in the rear, with the addition of
another small room. These changes are shown on the
Hopkins map of 1887. (20)
Carroll Daly died February 20, 1904 without leaving a
Will. Survivors were his wife, Margaret, age 70, and
three sons, John, William and Daniel. The real estate,
consisting of two properties--one on 36th Street and
one on O Street--descended to the children. Margaret,
Carroll's widow, and two of her sons, John and William,
occupied the dwellings, renting some of the rooms in
their homes. Daniel, the third son, receiving no pro-
ceeds of the rentals, sued to have the properties sold
and the funds divided. The court decreed that the sale
be made and appointed Michael Colbert and Hugh T.
Taggart as trustees. (21)
1904-1942
In September of 1904 the O Street property was sold to Nathan
Sickle who was a tobacconist and lived on Eye Street, N.W.
(22) Sickle held the property for two years and in 1906
sold it to Aloysius J. Correll, a coach painter, who used
it as his residence for the next six years. (23)
In 1913 the property was purchased by John T. Scrivener, a
grocer, whose business and home were on Prospect Street. (24)
He used the O Street property for rental purposes. In 1919,
after Scrivener's death, it was conveyed through a lawyer,
LeRoy Humphrey, who served as a "straw," to James E. Scrivener,
presumably a son of John. James was an inspector for a meat
packing company. He and his wife lived in "Foggy Bottom"
on G Street, N.W. (25)
From 1920 to 1929 John F. Carmody, an engineer, rented the
house on 0 Street. (26) In 1923 William H. Lewis had bought
the house, but Carmody continued to rent it until 1929 when
it was sold through Joseph Dillon, a lawyer, to James J. Sullivan.
267
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 8)
James held the property for only two weeks before selling it
to Mrs. Nellie W. Brenizer, whose husband, Gilmer, was
employed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Department. (27)
These transactions occurred only a month before the Wall
Street crash, when economic values dipped sharply. It
is interesting to note that 3610 o Street was continuously
rented during the thirteen years of ownership by the
Brenizers. The tenants were largely professional people--
editors, journalists, writers, and high-level government
employees. (28)
1842-1969
In 1942 the property was purchased by Dr. Thomas A. Poole,
a physician, and his wife. They moved from their home
in McLean, Virginia, into their Georgetown dwelling.
After Dr. Poole's death his widow remained in the house
until 1948 when she sold the house to Durham G. Rodgers. (29)
Rodgers kept the property a little more than two years,
although he did not live there. In 1950 Eugene Carland
and his wife bought it, but two years later, in 1952,
sold it to Georgetown University, the present owners.
The house has been rented since then. City Directories
of recent years list the tenants as economists, instructors,
and research workers--people engaged in a variety of
professional careers. (30)
268
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 9)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1794
John Threlkeld et ux
Deed March 21, 1794
Elizabeth
Recorded April 2, 1794
to
Liber B-2, folio 3
Joseph Milbourn Simms
1813
Francis Xavarius Simms
Deed December 1, 1813
to
Recorded March 16, 1814
Joseph Milbourn Simms, Jr.
Liber AG-32, folio 221
1818
Joseph M. Simms, Jr. and
Deed July 31, 1818
Elizabeth Thompson
Recorded September 22, 1818
(Simms)
Liber AS-43, folio 253
to
Louis Joseph Lihault
Marie Magdalene Lihault
Marie Francoise Lihault,
tenants in common
269
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 10)
1819
Louis (or Lewis) Joseph
Deed November 10, 1819
Lihault
Recorded December 6, 1819
to
Liber AW-47, folio 377
Marie Magdelene (or
Magdelaine)
Lihault
Marie Francoise Lihauft
1821
Mary Magdelene
Will January 8, 1820
(or Magdelaine)
Proved November 20, 1821
to
Will Book 3, page 163
Mary Francoise Lihault
1833
Mary Frances (or Marie
Deed November 21, 1833
Francoise) Lihault
Recorded November 28, 1833
to
Liber W.B. 48, folio 159
Alfred H. Boutcher
1842
Alfred H. Boutcher
Deed October 13, 1842
to
Recorded October 25, 1842
Mary Manyett
Liber W.B. 93, folio 493
270
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 11)
1862
Joseph Manyett and wife,
Deed July 10, 1862
Catherine
Recorded October 25, 1862
John Casper and wife,
Liber JAS 223, folios 371-5
Mary Madgalina (Manyett)
to
Carroll Dayley (or Daly)
1904
Michael J. Colbert
Deed September 20, 1904
Hugh T. Taggart
Recorded September 21, 1904
trustees for estate
Liber 2805, folio 423
of Carroll Daly, deceased
to
Nathan Sickle
1906
Nathan Sickle, unmarried
Deed September 12, 1906
to
Recorded September 12, 1906
Aloysius J. Correll
Liber 3020, folio 422
1913
Aloysius J. Correll
Deed April 18, 1913
to
Recorded April 22, 1913
John T. Scrivener
Liber 3626, folio 34
271
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 12)
1919
Margaret H. Blackman and
Deed September 11, 1919
husband, Andrew A.
Recorded September 13, 1919
Blackman
Liber 4232, folio 482
James E. Scrivener and wife,
Mary B. Scrivener
Mary C. Simpson and husband,
Ellsworth T. Simpson
as heirs of John T. Scrivener,
deceased
to
LeRoy Pumphrey
LeRoy Pumphrey
Deed September 12, 1919
to
Recorded September 13, 1919
James E. Scrivener
Liber 4232, folio 487
1923
James E. Scrivener et ux
Deed March 7, 1923
to
Recorded March 8, 1923
William H. Lewis
Liber 4904, folio 40
1929
William H. Lewis
Deed September 3, 1929
to
Recorded September 18, 1929
Joseph Dillon
Liber 6373, folio 235
Joseph Dillon
Deed September 11, 1929
to
Recorded September 18, 1929
James J. Sullivan
Liber 6373, folio 236
272
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 13)
James J. Sullivan
Deed September 26, 1929
to
Recorded September 30, 1929
Nellie W. Brenizer
Liber 6377, folio 267
1942
Nellie W. Brenizer
Deed October 16, 1942
to
Recorded October 20, 1942
Thomas A. Poole and wife,
Liber 7803, folio 331
Margaret E. Poole, joint tenants
1948
Margaret E. Poole,
Deed May 14, 1948
surviving tenant
Recorded May 18, 1948
to
Liber 8747, folio 101
Durham G. Rodgers
1950
Durham G. Rodgers
Deed August 22, 1950
to
Recorded August 25, 1950
Eugene Carland and wife
Liber 9282, folio 61
1952
Eugene Carland and wife
Deed May 19, 1952
to
Recorded May 20, 1952
President E Directors of
Georgetown College
273
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 14)
References
1. Newman, Harry Wright, Maryland Semmes and Kindred Families.
Baltimore, Maryland: Maryland Historical Society, 1956.
2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).
3. Records of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Washington,
D.C., 1795.
4. Same reference as #2. Roll 8 (1808-1812).
5. Same reference as #2. Roll 9 (1813-18).
6. Same reference as #2. Roll 10 (1815).
7. Same reference as #2. Roll 11 (1818-19).
8. Marriage Register, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.
Washington, D.C., 1813.
9. Same reference as #2. Roll 11 (1818-19).
10. Will, Mary Magdelaine Lihault, January 28, 1820. Will
Book 3, page 163 Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.
274
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 15)
11. City Directory. 1830, p. 4.
12. Population Census Georgetown, D.C., 1830.
13. Same reference as #11. 1846, p. 60.
14. Same reference as #11. 1853, P. 38.
15. Same reference as #11. 1855 (Georgetown Section), P. 4.
16. Same reference as #11. 1858, P. 441; 1860, P. 167.
17. Same reference as #11. 1862, p. 191; 1888, P. 328; 1898,
P. 347.
18. Same reference as #2. Roll 12 (1865-70).
19. Same reference as #2. Roll 14 (1872-73); Roll 15 (1874);
Roll 17 (1875).
20. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler. A Complete Set of
Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G. M. Hopkins, 1887, Plate
39.
21. Equity Cause 24590, Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, June, 1904.
275
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY - HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 16)
22. Same reference as #11. 1905, p. 857; 1906, P. 1019.
23. Same reference as #11. 1907, P. 413; 1913, P. 475.
24. Same reference as #11. 1913, p. 1320.
25. Same reference as #11. 1919, p. 1290.
26. Same reference as #11. 1920, p. 406; 1929, p. 2033.
27. Same reference as #11. 1930, p. 285.
28. Same reference as #11. 1929, p. 2033; 1935, p. 1503; 1938,
P. 1141; 1940, p. 1197; 1942, p. 1469.
29. Same reference as #11. 1942, P. 1296; 1943, P. 1194;
1948, p. 910.
30. Same reference as #11. 1954, P. 736; 1956, p. 823; 1960,
p. 183.
276
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 17)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This two-story brick double house,
although it has been much altered, retains the appearance
of an early nineteenth-century building in its brickwork,
chimneys, and parapeted gable ends. The eastern half, 3610,
has been divided into two apartments, while 3612 remains
a single dwelling. There is no indication that the two
were ever joined into a single dwelling.
Condition of fabric: Good, fairly well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 32'-3" by 26'-3", with
four bays across 0 Street facade. The original two-story
portion was 17'-0" deep, however. There has been an
addition about 24 feet long to the rear of 3610 and one
about 20 feet long to the rear of 3612. The front 33 feet
of 3610 is two stories high, the rear only one story,
while all of 3612 is two stories high.
Foundations: Brick. There is a small, fairly recent cellar
under 3610, reached by a trapdoor in the living room floor.
Wall construction: Brick; some areas covered with stucco,
particularly on 3612. Rear addition to 3612 is of concrete
block.
277
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 18)
Chimneys: One at each gable end of original building, one
at party wall in first addition to 3610, and one at rear
center of 3612.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Traces of the locations of
original doors remain at the center two windows
of the first floor. Entrance to 3610 is now a
pair of glazed french doors in the center of the
east side, entrance to 3612 is a single six panel
door in the center of the west side.
Windows and shutters: Windows on front have 9 over
6 wood sash; side windows on 3610 are a variety of
casements, fixed sash, and double-hung units, all
mid-twentieth century; side windows on 3612 have
6 over 6 double-hung wood sash; rear windows on
3610 and 3612 have 6 over 6 wood sash. Front win-
dows have modern replacement wood louvered shutters;
the westernmost first floor window has early
wrought iron shutter dogs.
Porches: The roof of the one-story addition to 3610 is used
as a deck and entrance porch for the second floor apartment.
It has a painted metal deck a simple rail built of 2 X 4's,
and simple wood utility stairs from the ground.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable on original house with
a ridge running east-west, sheds pitched to the
south on rear additions to 3610, shed pitched to
the west on 3612; all standing-seam metal covered
except front of 3612 which has corrugated metal.
Framing: Wood.
278
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 19)
Cornice: Three projected brick courses with a
metal hanging gutter across the front; no
cornices elsewhere, just the gutter alone.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: Apparently each half of this building originally
consisted of two rooms, one above the other, with probably a
one-story room across the back, as indicated by the continuity
and
discontinuity of the brick coursing on the east side
and similarity of plan on both sides up to this point. The
current disposition of rooms is as follows:
3610: Across the north is a bedroom; just south of that a
living room with stairs on the east wall; then the entry
area, which is only partly screened off from the living
room; then the dining area (east) and the bathroom (west);
and across the south end is the kitchen. The second floor
has a bed-sitting room across the north end; a kitchen-
dining room in the center; a bath on the south east; entry
hall in south center; and a closet area in the south west.
3612: The first floor has a dining room across the north;
a kitchen at the party wall and entry hall with stairs on
the west center; a living room across the south end with a
powder room in its northwest corner. The second floor has
a study across the north; a bedroom across the south; and
a bath, closets and stair well in between.
Stairways: Both are straight run; 3610 has an open rail
with plain balusters and a turned newel, and is closed up
at the ceiling; 3612 has a closed stair with remnants of
a beaded-board enclosure at the second floor level.
279
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 20)
Flooring: The front rooms in both houses have wide pine floor
boards, while the other rooms have narrower pine flooring.
Kitchens and baths have resilient tile flooring.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted. The living
room in 3610 has partially exposed ceiling joists stained
dark.
Doors and doorways: Doors in general are modern six-panel
replacements; however, the openings from front rooms to the
remainders of the houses appear to be in their original lo-
cations.
Decorative features and trim: All mantels have been removed;
none of the replacements are of note. They are all mid-
twentieth century with the exception of the second floor
front of 3610, which has a heavy simple, late nineteenth-
century mantel. All trim is of mid-twentieth century man-
ufacture with the exception of the south side of the door-
way from bedroom to living room in 3610, which has an early
nineteenth-century casing, much damaged and heavily painted.
Hardware: Nothing of note; all mid-twentieth century.
Lighting: No notable fixtures; all mid-twentieth century
electric.
Heating: Boiler in small cellar under 3610; boiler in small
masonry addition to the southeast corner of 3612; several
woodburning fireplaces.
Site
General setting and orientation: The house is situated on
the south side of 0 Street between 36th and 37th Streets,
in a neighborhood of small scale residential buildings
bordering the main gate of Georgetown University. There is
open space on both sides, however, giving it the appearance
of a larger free-standing house in contrast to the smaller
row houses across the street.
280
SIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-207 (Page 21)
Enclosures: Wood paling fences enclose both rear yards and
the east side of 3610; there is a brick wall along the west
side of 3612. Both have wood gates to the sidewalk.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Both houses have brick walks along their sides to the
entrance doors and brick terraces at the rear; however, 3610
has mixed in with the brick many parts of broken white marble
nineteenth-century tombstones in the rear terrace.
Landscaping: Simple residential planting; 3610 has an arbor
frame of pipe at the entry area for vines, not much else
because the entire area is paved; 3612 has a bit more planting
and a slightly larger rear yard with some grass. There is no
front yard.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
November 20, 1968
281
282
TITTTE
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-195
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1503 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 76 Fayette
Street.)
Location:
The house occupies parts of Lots 132 and
133 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-
town in Square 1253, now taxed as Lot
146 out of Lots 825 and 826.
Date of Erection:
1853-1854
Owners in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Fenwick
Occupants in 1969: Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Fenwick
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
Built in the mid-nineteenth century by a
well-to-do contractor, this free-standing
brick mansion retains many outstanding
Victorian and Greek Revival interior de-
tails. The elaborate trim, elegant mantels
and ornate lighting fixtures which
characterize a period of splendor, have
been maintained and used throughout the
years.
283
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1785-1852
When Georgetown was ceded to the District of Columbia Lots
132 and 133 were owned by John Threlkeld who, by an Agree-
ment made September 7, 1785, agreed to sell them to Charles
Beatty who died before the deed was executed. In 1810 his
son, John Beatty, sold them to Mrs. Mary Mitchell, widow
of John Mitchell.
Mrs. Mitchell held these lots for ten years, and at her
death the trustee of her estate, Charles Glover, sold them
to Jeremiah W. Bronaugh. Bronaugh sold them to John Cox
who was Mayor of Georgetown for many years. Cox's second
wife was Jane Threlkeld, daughter of the original owner
of the land.
For more than half a century Lots 132 and 133 were held
as investments and sometimes put in trust as security for
loans. This practice was typical during this period as many
chains of title show. Among the owners after the Coxes were
William and Jeremiah Hoffman, William Jewell, and Eliza M.
Mosher.
1852-1868
In 1852 William T. Herron, a contractor, purchased the lots
and built there a large brick house well set upon the site
for his own family use. This construction took place be-
tween 1852, when he purchased the property for $775, and
1855, when this address, 76 Fayette Street, first appeared
in a city directory. (1)
284
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 3)
The other structures which Herron built on the lot---an
ice house, a carriage house and stables---reflect his mode
of living. (2) The Herron family enjoyed their mansion
for about fifteen years. William T. Herron had his construc-
tion business (Rittenhouse, Fowler & Co.) just across
the street at 77 Fayette. A son, William A., also worked
as a clerk in the office and boarded at 76 Fayette. (3)
In 1868 the Herrons sold their large house to Erastus B.
Barrett and his wife, Mary Julia, for $20,000, and moved
south on Fayette Street to number 55 (now 1404 35th
Street). The Herrons lived there only a year before
moving their residence to Second (now 0) Street near
Frederick (now 34th) Street. At this time Herron opened
a grocery business on the southeast corner of High (now
Wisconsin Avenue) and Bridge (now M) Streets. (4)
1868-1870
In 1867 Barrett was listed as a ship chandler and Justice
of the Peace, boarding at 17 Congress (now 31st Street)
and owning a business nearby at 23 Congress. (5) By 1869
he and his son, H. W. Barrett, had formed a partnership
with Joseph F. Collins known as "Barrett, Collins E Co.,
brick manufacturers." Although they maintained their
factory at 23 Congress, the Barretts transferred their
domicile to the mansion at the corner of Third (now P
Street) and Fayette (now 35th Street). (6) Erastus, how-
ever, died within a year after moving to the large house,
and his wife rented the mansion to Senator John Scott
of Pennsylvania before selling it in 1870 to Colonel
Benjamin Moxley. (7)
1870-1933
Colonel Moxley owned a tobacco and cigar store on the
northwest corner of Bridge (M) and Washington (30th) Streets.
285
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 4)
He moved from his home at 57 Bridge (M) Street to the
spacious dwelling on Fayette (35th) Street. However,
he enjoyed its comforts only briefly as he died with-
in the year. (8) His widow, Emily, remained in the
house for the next sixty years, until 1916. Part of
the time she shared her home with members of her
family. Among them were James A. Moxley and George
C. Moxley, partners in a feed business called Moxley
and Brothers. (9)
Although ownership passed from the family in 1897 when
it was sold for unpaid taxes to Malcolm Hufty, Moxleys
continued to reside there as tenants. Prominent in
Washington society, Mrs. Emily Moxley and Mr. Eugene
Moxley were noted in The Washington Elite List in 1893.
(10) Eugene, once secretary to Alexander Graham Bell,
died in the house in 1933. Once members of Washington's
most exclusive clubs, this old family was said to have
suffered financial reverses in the "coffee panic. 10 (11)
1933-1943
For about twenty-five years the aging mansion was the
subject of various trusts and liens until Fred L.
Wagar purchased it in 1918, again for unpaid taxes.
Four years later Mrs. Nellie Waddell Brenizer bought
it. Mr. Brenizer and her husband, Dr. Gilmer Brenizer,
came to Washington from North Carolina in 1899. She
was an artist who had at one time worked for the United
States Department of Agriculture. For many years she
played an active role in societies which were concerned
with genealogical and historic work. She died in the
mansion in 1943. (12)
286
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 5)
1944-1964
Commander and Mrs. Edward Alsted Bacon purchased the big
house in 1944 and resided there twenty years. Commander
Bacon was a banker and later a government official. His
career included service as Assistant to the Secretary of
the Army for Canal Zone Affairs; Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Army; Chairman of the Executive Council Air Coordina-
ting Committee, Army and Navy Munitions Board; and
U.S. Chairman of the Internation Joint Commission, U.S.
and Canada. (13)
1964-1969
When the Bacons moved to Florida they sold their house
to Wesley Irving Steele and Paul Judson Rohrich who
lived next door in the converted carriage house of the
mansion, which had been sold by the Bacons to Bernice
T. Morris in 1945 and in turn to Steele and Rohrich in
1951. Steele and Rohrich kept the land they wanted for
their elaborate garden and sold the big house in 1966
to Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Graham, who, with their five
children, lived in the house for the next three years.
In May 1969 the house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Charles
G.
Fenwick who presently reside there. It is
interesting that the new owners have moved to the area
where so many members of the Fenwick family lived in
the early days of Georgetown, along 35th Street and P
Street.
287
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 6)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1785
John Threlkeld
Agreement September 7, 1785
to
Liber N-13, folio 302
Charles Beatty
1810
John M. Beatty (son of
Deed January 20, 1810
Charles)
Recorded March 3, 1810
to
Liber Y-24, folio 54
Mrs. Mary Mitchell, widow
of John Mitchell
1818
Charles Glover,
Deed February 13, 1818
Trustee
Recorded May 6, 1818
to
Liber AR-42, folio 48
Jeremiah W. Bronaugh
1820
Jeremiah W. Bronaugh
Deed January 7, 1820
to
Recorded February 16, 1820
John Cox
Liber AX-48, folio 230
288
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 7)
1822
John Cox
Trust June 8, 1822
to
Recorded June 28, 1822
Walter Smith
Liber W.B. 6, folio 129
(Being payment of debt due William and Jeremiah Hoffman.)
1824
Walter Smith
Deed July 12, 1824
to
Recorded February 3, 1829
William Hoffman and
Liber W.B. 11, folio 112
Jeremiah Hoffman
(tenants in common)
1828
Jeremiah Hoffman
Deed December 19, 1828
to
Recorded February 3, 1829
William Jewell
Liber W.B. 24, folio 301
1834
William Jewell
Deea April 18, 1834
to
Recorded April 22, 1834
Eliza M. Mosher
Liber W.B. 49, folio 367
1852
Eliza M. Mosher
Deed September 3, 1852
to
Recorded September 20, 1852
William T. Herron
Liber JAS 39, folio 495
(Consideration $775)
289
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 8)
1868
William T. Herron and
Deed November 5, 1868
wife, Henrietta V.
Recorded November 7, 1868
to
Liber D-2, folio 414
Erastus B. Barrett
"Lots 132 and 133 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-
town fronting about 120 feet on Fayette Street and
same distance on Third (now P) Street." "
"...Being ground and premise now and for a long
time occupied by the said William T. Herron as a
place of residence together with the brick mansion
and all other buildings...
(Consideration $20,000)
1870
Mary Julia Barrett, widow of Deed April 21, 1870
Erastus B. Barrett
Recorded May 21, 1870
to
Liber 617, folio 285
Benjamin F. Moxley
Benjamin F. Moxley died
Will November 16, 1870
November 26, 1870,
Probated December 20, 1870
leaving his wife, Emily,
Will Book 11, page 402
and eight children - Mary
T. Dent, George C. Moxley,
James A. Moxley, Emily A.
Turner, John R. Moxley,
Florence R. Patterson,
Eugene C. Moxley, Wilfred
L. Moxley
290
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 9)
1899
Commissioners of D.C.
Deed May 22, 1899
to
Recorded August 15, 1899
Malcolm Hufty
Liber 2423, folio 272
(Sold April 7, 1897 for unpaid taxes)
1905
Commissioners of D.C.
Deed July 17, 1903
to
Recorded May 26, 1905
Emily W. Wiltsie
Liber 2919, folio 172
(Sold for unpaid taxes)
1918
Charles H. Wiltsie
Quit Claim Deed March 6, 1918
et ux et al
Recorded March 6, 1918
to
Liber 4041, folio 241
Hamilton, Monogue, and
Gertman,
trustees under equity case
namilton, Monogue and
Deed May 8, 1918
Gertman,
Recorded July 20, 1918
trustees
Liber 4108, folio 82
to
Fred L. Wagar
291
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 10)
1922
Fred L. Wagar and
Deed June 3, 1922
wife, Elizabeth H.
Recorded June 21, 1922
to
Liber 4720, folio 498
Nellie W. Brenizer
1944
Albert M. Noble,
Deed May 24, 1944
sole acting Executor
Recorded May 24, 1944
under Will of Nellie W.
Liber 7981, folio 449
Brenizer
to
Lorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.
1945
Lorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.
Deed February 5, 1945
to
Recorded February 5, 1945
Bernice T. Morris
Liber 8066, folio 311
(Sale of stable and carriage house,)
1951
Bernice T. Morris
Deed July 27, 1951
to
Recorded July 27, 1951
Wesley I. Steele
Liber 9521, folio 401
(Stable and carriage house property.)
292
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 11)
1964
Lorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.
Deed June 30, 1964
et vir
Recorded June 30, 1964
to
Liber 12234, folio 434
Wesley Irving Steele, et al,
joint tenants
1966
Wesley Irving Steele
Deed May 5, 1966
et al
Recorded May 5, 1966
joint tenants
Liber 12606, folio 85
to
Richard A. Graham et ux
tenants in common
1969
Richard A. Graham and
Deed May 5, 1969
wife, Nancy A. Graham
Recorded May 8, 1969
to
Liber 12991, folio 518
Charles G. Fenwick and
wife, Marie Jose Fenwick
References
1. City Directory. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 5.
293
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 12)
2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
3. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 313; 1868, p. 108.
4. Same reference as #1. 1869, p. 82; 1870, p. 454; 1872,
p. 510.
5. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 103.
6. Same reference as #1. 1869, p. 72.
7. Same reference as #1. 1870, p. 339.
8. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 73; 1855 (Georgetown
Section), P. 7; 1860, P. 171; 1870, p. 460; 1871,
p. xxi.
9. Same reference as #1. 1872, p. 518; 1880, p. 490; 1890,
p. 659; 1897, p. 678; 1898, p. 719; 1901, P. 786; 1910,
p. 982; 1915, p. 927; 1916, p. 890.
10. The Washington Elite List. Washington, D.C.: The Elite
Publishing Company, 1893, p. 135.
11. Obituary of Eugene C. Moxley, The Washington Daily News.
April 4, 1933.
294
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 13)
12. Obituary of Mrs. Nellie Waddell Brenizer, The Evening Star
(Washington, D.C.) April 13, 1943.
13. Who's Who in America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis
Company, 1950-51, Vol. 26, P. 111.
295
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 14)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: A large, imposing, formal, symmetrical,
free-standing square brick mansion built in the mid-ninteenth
century. The house has typical, but large scale Victorian
and Greek Revival details.
Condition of Fabric: Exterior and interior are intact and well
maintained. Mid-twentieth century kitchen, bathroom and heating
features are a minimum intrusion. The basement of the house is
made into a large apartment and the upper floors are used as a
family residence.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Approximately 45' square. Three bays
across the 35th Street facade. Two stories in height with a
partially exposed basement. No additions or wings.
Foundations: Brick. Continuous stone areaway on sides and rear.
Wall Construction: Brick. The west or front of the house has a
smooth red face brick and the sides and rear have a rough face
brick. The walls appear to be in original condition with no
alterations to the openings.
Chimneys; Four brick chimneys. Symmetrical arrangement with two
chimneys on each side of the house.
296
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 15)
Openings:
Doorways and Doors: Main entry door is in the center
bay of front or west facade and has wood pilasters on
each side and a pediment above. Louvered shutters in
this opening form a vestibule behind which is a pair
of glazed doors with sidelights and transom which
have ornamental etched glass. Doors have some Greek
Revival and some Victorian characteristics. Lesser
doorways are placed symmetrically on all sides of the
house. French doors go from bedrooms to rear second
floor porch.
Windows and Shutters: Variety of window sizes from
face to face of the building. All windows are double
hung wood. The basement has eight-over-eight light
sash front and rear and six-over-six light on the
sides. Above most main sash have six-over-nine lights.
To the rear of the first floor are eight-over-twelve light
sash of which the bottom section slides into a ceiling
slot to permit entrance to the porch. Windows have
simple stone lintels and sills. Most windows are
equipped with shutters that have louvers on the top
half and panels on the bottom half.
Porches: The house has porches on all four sides. The
front porch is the only one not covered. This has a
series of 14 stone steps up from the sidewalk and a
graceful ornamental iron railing. Similar ornamental
iron is used for the fence around the yard, around the
side and rear areaway and over lower portions of first
floor windows. Two similar side porches have round Doric
columns, bracketed cornice trim, and flat roof decks.
Railings with open ornamental woodwork of diminishing
squares are on the upper and lower levels. These porches
are one floor high. The rear porch runs the entire
length of the house and has two covered floors. This
porch is wooden, has square columns and bracketed
cornicework. The railings for the porch have a panel
motif on the lower half and square balusters on the
upper half. The center stair at the rear of the rear
porch is of ornamental iron.
297
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 16)
Roof:
Shape, Covering: Standing seam, metal, flat-hip roof
with a center stub that may be a cupola stub. Porch
roofs are flat.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice, Eaves: Wood bracketed.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of Interiors
Floor Plans: First floor has a center entry hall which is
flanked on the right (north) by a kitchen and to the left
(south) by the library. There is a center hall and stair
hall from the right or south center of the house connecting
the side porch. These two halls meet each other and form
an L-shaped circulation pattern. Across the rear of the
house are to the left (north) the dining room and to the
right (south) the living room. All rooms are large.
Second floor has an L-shaped hall. Two bedrooms are on the
front and two on the rear of the house. Bathrooms are located
between the rooms on the front and on the rear centers.
Basement is presently divided as an independent apartment,
but most partitions are original to the house. Entry is from
the center of the south side of the house under the porch.
There is a hall running from there to the center of the
basement which is also a stair hall to the first floor.
298
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 17)
Across the front of the house are two bedrooms in the
corners with a pair of bathrooms between. On the right
(south) rear of the basement is the living room and to the
rear left (north) are a kitchen and dining area. There
are other small storage areas and access to the outside
through the kitchen and a furnace room located on the center
of the north side of the house.
The plan of the house and arrangement of all rooms is formal.
Location of the kitchen on the first floor is probably not
original. Baths and storage areas have been added for the
convenience of family living.
Stairs: Main stairway is open on one side and runs from the
first to the second floor in a U-shaped pattern. It is wood
with a heavy newel post and a curving wooden rail with simple
balusters. There is scrollwork on the stair ends, and a
heavy chair rail running up the stair. The landing of the
stair is lighted by a window in the center of the south
side of the house. The stair from the basement to the first
floor is simple, wood and utilitarian.
Floors: Random width pine painted a dark brown, throughout
first and second floors. Front of basement has wood random
width boards in south (right) room and narrow hardwood in
north (left) room.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Smooth plaster.
Doorways and Doors: Large and wood throughout the house.
Main doorways on the first floor are very high and have
large scale Greek Revival pilasters and pediments and are
similar to trim on windows. Doors are heavy four panels and
have simple molded trim. Second floor doors are similar but
smaller in scale. Basement has some four and some five panel
Doors.
299
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 18)
Trim: Base mouldings are very deep, especially on the first
floor, there are also heavy chair rails and moulded cornice
trim, on the first and second floors. The basement has only
simple and utilitarian trim. Door and window trim as noted
above. There are nine fireplaces open. These have a variety
of mantels. The library has a white, Victorian, rectangular,
carved marble mantel. The kitchen has a brick faced fire-
place with simple wood trim. The dining room has a white
marble, Victorian, arched carved mantel. The living room has
a black, Victorian, arched and carved marble fireplace with
a coal grate intact. The right (south) rear second-floor
bedroom has a white arched Victorian carved marble mantel.
Both front bedrooms on the second floor have simple wood
Greek Revival mantels. The front right (south) bedroom of
the basement has a wooden mantel with free-standing Corinthian
columns and a shelf. The rear right (south) room or living
roof of the basement has a simple wooden Greek Revival mantel.
Hardware: A variety of brass hardware - nothing outstanding
noted.
Lighting: A variety of electric fixtures in most rooms. The
dining room and library equipped with ornamental brass and
bronze gas chandeliers. These are mounted from ornamental
plaster ceiling medallions.
Heating: Radiators and nine fireplaces.
Site
General Setting and Orientation: The house is on a raised
mound several feet above the grade of the street and public
walks that are on the west and the south of the property.
300
HERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-195 (Page 19)
The house is in a residential section of Georgetown that
is in character with this house. The main front of the
house faces 35th Street or west, the right side (south)
P Street.
Enclosures: The house 1S surrounded by a decorative iron
fence that is on top of a brick coping and has brick
corner posts.
Outbuildings: At present a building to the east of the house
and facing on P Street is reputed to have been the stable or
carriage house. It has been much altered and is a separate
residence now.
Walks: Simple brick walks surround the house. A center walk
connects the main entry porch to the sidewalk with a series
of stone steps.
Landscaping: A variety of residential landscaping surrounds
the base of the building. The planting is not highly formal,
nor the site elaborately developed. The rear yard is grass.
The house has a number of large trees around it.
Prepared by: Donald B. Myer
Commission of Fine Arts
July 20, 1967
301
i
302
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC- 199
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3623 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Location:
The house is on part of old Lot 113,
Square 78 in Threlkeld's Addition to
Georgetown, now taxed as lot 830 in
Square 1248 in Washington, D.C.
Date of Erection:
Early 1860's
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College.
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
This hundred-year-old simple frame house
forms part of the picturesque streetscape
of the north side of o Street. Although
altered for twentieth-century living, its
early exterior character has been maintained.
303
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 199 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1823-1865
The early history of this property is identical with that
described in the record of 3619 0 Street, N.W., for Lot 113
was not divided until Patrick McCarthy did so in 1864, when
he sold the eastern 20 feet of the lot (now 3619 O St., N.W.)
to John Hurley.
1865-1883
The following year, 1865, McCarthy sold the rest of lot 113,
consisting of a 40 foot frontage on Second Street and extend-
ing back 150 feet, to Timothy Sullivan. The 1865-70 tax
assessment records value McCarthy's property at $600 and
value the "Improvements: Frame Tenement back, at $400. "(1)
Sullivan already owned adjoining lot 112 and part of lots
111 and 121.
In 1866, Timothy and his wife, Bridget, sold one half of
the western 40 feet of lot 113, with a 20 foot frontage on
Second Street, to John Sullivan. (Timothy had already sold
to John some adjoining lots. So together they owned a
considerable portion of the north side of Second Street.)
In 1867 John and his wife, Ellen, sold this same property
to Timothy Sullivan, presumably their father. (2)
304
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 199 (Page 3)
1883-1969
After Timothy's death the property was inherited by his
children-John Sullivan, Mary Sullivan McCarthy, and Elizabeth
Sullivan. They, in 1883, sold it to Jeremiah Sullivan, in-
creasing his holdings since he owned adjacent property.
Jeremiah died in 1895, leaving his estate to his wife, Ellen,
for her lifetime, and then to his children. The house was
rented during Ellen's ownership to a series of tenants, chiefly
carpenters and other manual laborers. (3) Ellen Sullivan died
in 1937 and four years later, in 1944, the property was sold by
her children to Abraham Aljan and his wife. They held it for
three years and then sold it to Lorine M. Delsnider. In 1951
Georgetown University bought it and has since used the house for
rental purposes. Occupants in recent years have consisted
mostly of government executives. (4)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1823
Rebecca McCann
Deed August 25, 1823
Joseph Clarke of Robert
Recorded March 3, 1824
Robert Clarke
Liber W.B. 9, folio 478
to
Edward Dawes
305
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-199 (Page 4)
1830
John Threlkeld
Deed March 18, 1830
to
Recorded August 31, 1830
Rebecca McCann
Liber W.B. 32, folio 81
Joseph Clarke of Robert
Robert Clarke
tenants in common
Heirs of Elisha Fowler, Jr. purchased the lot from
Threlkeld but deed was not recorded in the time pre-
scribed by law. A decree of the Chancery Court of D.C.
ordered the conveyance above to clear the title for the
1823 sale.
1843
Richard Smith, Tr.
Deed September 22, 1843
Bank of the United States
Recorded September 27, 1843
Edward Dawes and wife, Ann
Liber W.B. 102, folio 425
to
James R. Gates
1857
James R. Gates and
Deed June 27, 1857
wife, Mary Jane
Recorded June 29, 1857
to
Liber JAS 136, folio 437
Patrick McCarthy
306
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 199 (Page 5)
1865
Patrick McCarthy and
Deed June 7, 1865
wife, Julia
Recorded April 21, 1866
to
Liber RMH 14, folio 322
Timothy Sullivan
(Western 40 feet of Lot 113)
1866
Timothy Sullivan
Deed April 19, 1866
and wife, Bridget
Recorded April 21, 1866
to
Liber RMH 14, folio 320
John Sullivan
(20 feet of Lot 113)
1867
John Sullivan and
Deed May 6, 1867
wife, Ellen
Recorded September 14, 1867
to
Liber ECE 15, folio 279
Timothy Sullivan
(20 feet of Lot 113)
307
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 199 (Page 6)
1883
Richard R. Crawford, Ex.
Deed July 5, 1883
of Will of Timothy
Recorded September 10, 1883
Sullivan
Liber 1049, folio 368
John Sullivan
Mary McCarthy
(formerly Sullivan)
Elizabeth Sullivan
to
Jeremiah Sullivan
1944
Josephine Sullivan
Deed August 19, 1944
James J. Sullivan and
Recorded March 21, 1945
wife, Mary
Liber 8083, folio 271
Jeremiah Sullivan and
wife, Ellen A.
Lillian E. Sullivan
Deed August 19, 1944
Robert A. Cox, unmarried
Recorded March 21, 1945
Ann Marie Briggs
Liber 8083, folio 271
Regina Cox Katalinas
to
Abraham Aljan and
wife, Sarah E.,
tenants by entirety
1947
Abraham Aljan and
Deed February 24, 1947
wife, Sarah E.,
Recorded February 25, 1947
tenants by entirety
Liber 8431, folio 247
to
Lorine M. Delsnider
308
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-199 (Page 7)
1951
Lorine M. Delsnider
Deed June 8, 1951
to
Recorded June 11, 1951
President and Directors
Liber 9487, folio 830
of Georgetown College
REFERENCES
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
2. Census Records. Washington, D.C., National Archives, 1870,
p. 36.
3. City Directory. 1914, p. 1657, p. 1410; 1920, p. 1812, p. 680;
1925, p. 1848, p. 688; 1930, p. 1989, p. 552; 1935, p. 2434,
p. 467; 1940, p. 1977, p. 258; 1943, P. 194, P. 1100.
4. Same reference as #3. 1954, p. 229, p. 182; 1960, p. 440,
P. 1196; 1967, p. 385, P. 749.
309
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-199 (Page 8)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: A simple, regular, informal house,
last of its row. This house has been remodeled and added
to many times, giving the side and rear elevations a
haphazard quality out of keeping with the regularity of its
facade.
Condition of fabric: Good, well maintained.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 17'-6" by 17'-6". Two bays
across o Street facade. Two stories high. Two-story concrete
addition across entire rear and one-story concrete block ell
at northeast corner.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame, concrete block ell at rear.
Chimneys: One small chimney off ell at rear.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Mid-twentieth century six panel
door with glass in top two panels; simple flat trim.
310
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-199 (Page 9)
Windows and shutters: Eight over eight double-
hung wood sash on first floor, six over six
double-hung wood sash on second floor.
Porches: Four foot by eight foot wood porch at rear of
second floor. Brick stoop with iron rail at front door.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable, ridge running
east-west; asphalt shingle covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Simple wood box cornice with
hanging metal gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Because of many additions and renovations, nothing notable
remains of the original plan nor of the original decorative
features.
Site
General setting and orientation: Westernmost of several
houses of similar scale forming the north side of 0 Street.
No front yard; ample yard in rear.
Enclosures: Rear yard enclosed with wood fence.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick, concrete.
311
McCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-199 (Page 10)
Landscaping: Rear yard terraced with stone retaining
walls, although planting is at a minimum.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
December 4, 1968
312
314
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-194
LONGDEN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1555 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(In past years this house has had the
following addresses:
100 Fayette Street to 1895
1623 35th Street 1896-1898
1621 35th Street 1899-1931.)
Location:
The house occupies Lot 179 and part of Lot
181 in Square 104 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 802 in
Square 1274 in the city of Washington.
Date of erection:
1853
Owner in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. E. Harrison Clark
Occupants in 1969: Mr. and Mrs. E. Harrison Clark
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
Although originally a modest dwelling,
this free-standing, frame ante-bellum
house has been embellished throughout
the years by various owners so that to-
day, with its carefully landscaped set-
ting, it presents a much more elegant
appearance than its modest beginning.
315
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1826-1850
In 1826 much of John Threlkeld's property was sold for taxes
by court order. This Lot 179 and part of 181 were included
in the lands put up for sale. Clement Smith, President of
the Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown, paid twelve
dollars for the ground at the auction sale on January 19,
1827. In his Will Smith left this ground together with
other property to his widow and brother, Margaret and Walter
Smith, respectively. The widow sold her dower interest in the lot
for cash to her brother-in-law, Walter Smith. This occurred
in 1840. Because of debts owed by Walter Smith and his
deceased brother, the lot was placed in a deed of trust to
creditors in April 1843. Four years later in settlement
of a small claim, Sophia W. Smith, the sister of Walter
Smith and the deceased Clement Smith, accepted the lot
by deed, but immediately gave a bond of conveyance to George
W. Longden, which was finalized by a deed the next year.
1850-1865
George W. Longden, a Georgetown carpenter and later a builder,
constructed the house for his own use as a residence in 1853.
The Washington Star of that year reported in its "Georgetown
Affairs" column of May 23: "George Longden erecting fine
dwelling opposite Convent." This would indicate that plans
were already under way. (1) Further verification of the
date of construction is a deed of trust three weeks later
on June 16, 1853, from Longden to William Redin, an
attorney, in which construction money is advanced to Richard
Pettit, a builder, who is "about to build" the house. The
same deed also provides for fire insurance.
316
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 3)
Redin, Pettit and Longden were all listed in the Georgetown City
Directory of 1830 as residents. (2) By 1855 Longden had paid
Redin the loan money and was released from his deed of trust.
Pettit was also the builder who constructed part of the Convent
of the Visitation across the street from Longden House; in 1857
he erected the south wing and added a floor to the wing which
was originally built in 1832.
George Longden lived in his house for about ten years accord-
ing to listings in the Washington city directories. (3) During
the Civil War Longden and his business partner, Fayette Darne,
are listed at this address as builders and contractors. (4)
Longden's sister, Mary A. Longden, purchased the house in 1863.
Presumably she rented the house, for she is listed in subsequent
directories
as living on Frederick (now 34th) Street. (5)
1865-1891
George Longden died August 8, 1865 at the age of 65 and was
buried at Holy Rood Cemetery north of Georgetown. (6) His
sister lived until 1891 and was also buried at Holy Rood. (7)
Her Will left Longden House to Mrs. Susannah Darne, widow of
Fayette Darne, her brother's business partner. The Darne
family had a livery stable on Bridge (now M) Street from be-
fore 1854 until 1897. (8) Mary Longden's Will states that she
had reared Mrs. Darne.
The 1887 Hopkins plat of Georgetown shows Longden House with
measurements equal to the present structure without the garage
wing. The plat also shows a structure at the southwest corner
of the property which might have been a stable. (9)
317
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 4)
1891-1897
Mrs. Darne lived in Longden House from 1891 to 1897 when she
sold the dwelling to John D. Sullivan, who in turn sold it
the following day to another Georgetown citizen, J. Barton
Miller.
1897-1911
J. Barton Miller was a justice of the peace and notary public,
as well as Secretary of the First Cooperative Building
Association of Georgetown. Miller lived in this house from
1898 to 1910. (10) During this time Miller subdivided the
south twenty feet of neighboring Lot 181 with Edward Schneider. (11)
This twenty feet had been part of the original plot and of it
Miller reacquired four feet by a release deed. (It is possible
this was done in order to construct the north wing of Longden
House.) Title to the property was given to Miller's wife,
Mary K. Miller, in December 1910. A month later she assigned
it to Martin I. Wilbert.
1911-1928
Wilbert, a chemist, was employed by the Treasury Department
and occupied the house for five years until his death in 1916.
(12) Again the house passed to the widow, Elizabeth Wilbert,
who resided in it another twelve years and in 1928 sold it
to Harriet P. Winslow.
1928-1941
During Miss Winslow's ownership the house was held as a rental
property. L. Corrin Strong, later U.S. Ambassador to Norway,
rented the property as did Thomas Stone, Secretary of the
Canadian Legation, and Nelson Poynter, later publisher of the
Congressional Quarterly. In the depression year of 1935 the
house was vacant. From 1936 to 1941 it was used as a fraternity
house of Georgetown University. (13)
318
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 194 (Page 5)
1941-1969
G. Howland Chase, an attorney, purchased the house in 1941 and
resided there for twelve years. (14) In 1953 the Chases sold
it to Mrs. Marylinn Riviere. She and her husband, Joseph, who
was President of an investment corporation, occupied the
dwelling. (15) Agnes M. Clark (Mrs. E. Harrison Clark) pur-
chased Longden House in 1960. The Clarks, who still occupy the
house, have carefully preserved the ante-bellum character of
the dwelling.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1828
Tench Ringgold, Marshall
Deed December 4, 1828
to
Recorded December 4, 1828
Clement Smith
Liber W.B. 20, folio 644
Pres. of Farmers and
Mechanics Bank of
Georgetown
Recites that Lot 179 and the south 20 feet front by
full depth of Lot 181 were sold for taxes at public
auction for $12, January 19, 1827, under an 1826
court order.
319
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 6)
1839
Clement Smith died, leaving
Will May 30, 1823
Lot 179 to his widow,
Probated March 29, 1839
Margaret, and to his brother,
Will Book 5, page 106
Walter Smith
1840
Margaret Smith
Deed February 12, 1840
to
Recorded February 14, 1840
Walter Smith
Liber W.B. 77, folio 29
Mrs. Smith sells her dower interest in Lot 179
1843
Walter Smith
Deed of Trust April 8, 1843
to
Recorded April 22, 1843
John A. Smith and
Liber W.B. 100, folio 323
William Hunter, Jr.
Recites that Walter Smith gave a guarantee to
creditors for debts owned by him and his de-
ceased brother, Clement Smith.
1847
Walter Smith
Deed August 28, 1847
to
Recorded September 7, 1847
Sophia W. Smith
Liber W.B. 133, folio 402
(Sister of Walter)
320
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 7)
Sophia Smith
Bond of Conveyance
to
October 12, 1847
George W. Longden
Recorded April 3, 1848
Liber W.B. 142, folio 67
1849
Sophia Smith
Deed October 9, 1849
to
Recorded April 1, 1850
George W. Longden
Liber JAS 12, folio 14
1853
George W. Longden
Deed of Trust June 16, 1853
to
Recorded June 16, 1853
William Redin, attorney
Liber JAS 57, folio 446
Redin agreed to advance construction money to Richard
Pettit, a builder, who was "about to build" the house.
Deed also provided for fire insurance.
1863
George W. Longden
Deed November 5, 1863
to
Recorded November 5, 1863
Mary A. Longden
Liber NCT 17, folio 306
(sister of George)
321
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 8)
1891
Mary A. Longden died May 3,
Will September 19, 1889
1891, leaving Lot 179 and
Probated June 13, 1893
house to Mrs. Susannah Darne,
Will Book 34, page 28
widow of Fayette Darne
1897
Susannah Darne
Deed August 16, 1897
to
Recorded August 17, 1897
John D. Sullivan
Liber 2249, folio 150
John D. Sullivan
Deed August 17, 1897
to
Recorded October 23, 1897
J. Barton Miller
Liber 2273, folio 46
1910
J. Barton Miller
Deed December 1, 1910
to
Recorded December 7, 1910
William R. Rodgers
Liber 3376, folio 289
William R. Rodgers
Deed December 1, 1910
to
Recorded December 7, 1910
Mary K. Miller
Liber 3376, folio 314
1911
Mary K. Miller
Deed January 31, 1911
to
Recorded February 23, 1911
Martin I. Wilbert
Liber 3397, folio 314
322
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 9)
1916
Martin Wilbert died
Will April 3, 1916
November 25, 1916, leaving
Probated February 19, 1917
house to his widow, Eliz-
Will Book 92, page 176
abeth
1928
Elizabeth Wilbert
Deed July 10, 1928
to
Recorded July 10, 1928
Harriet P. Winslow
Liber 6178, folio 316
1941
Harriet P. Winslow
Deed February 14, 1941
to
Recorded February 17, 1941
G. Howland Chase
Liber 7580, folio 242
1953
G. Howland Chase
Deed October 5, 1953
to
Recorded October 6, 1953
Marylinn Himes Riviere
Liber 10063, folio 426
1960
Marylinn Himes Riviere
Deed November 29, 1960
to
Recorded December 6, 1960
Agnes M. Clark
Liber 115, folio 56
323
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 194 (Page 10)
REFERENCES
1. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) May 23, 1853.
2. City Directory. 1853, P. 79.
3. Same reference as #2. 1855, (Georgetown Section), p. 7;
1864, p. 279.
4. Same reference as #2. 1864, p. 279; 1866, P. 409.
5. Same reference as #2. 1890, P. 590.
6. Burial Records, Holy Rood Cemetery, 1865.
7. Same reference as #6. 1891.
8. Same reference as #2. 1853, p. 26; 1897, P. 149.
324
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 194 (Page 11)
9. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of Surveys
and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington. Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.
10. Same reference as #2. 1898, p. 699; 1899, P. 728; 1910,
P. 954.
11. Liber so 24, folio 38, D.C. Surveyor's Office, April 13, 1900.
12. Same reference as #2. 1912, P. 1490; 1916, p. 1290; 1928,
P. 2248.
13. Same reference as #2. 1929, p. 2157; 1930, p. 2107; 1931,
P. 2247 and P. 1539; 1932, p. 220; 1934, p. 2204 and p.
1273; 1936, p. 2910; 1937, p. 1702; 1940, p. 2148; 1941,
p. 2302.
14. Same reference as #2. 1948, P. 213; 1954, p. 230.
15. Same reference as #2. 1960, p. 1462.
325
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 12)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: A medium free-standing mid-nineteenth
century residence with brick additions to the sides and the rear.
A type of structure that would be more usual in New England
than in Georgetown. Built in 1853 in a direct and simple clap-
board style by George W. Longden, a carpenter and builder, as his
own house.
Condition of Fabric: Well maintained, furnished, and landscaped.
Remodeled continuously from the 1940's, but main house is in
its original basic form. Used as a single family residence.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall Dimensions: 35' three bays across the street front.
Original house 20.5' deep. Rear wing approximately 38' deep
and 20' wide. North wing 20' deep and 10' wide. Two stories
high plus full exposed basement in front.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall Construction: Original clapboard house is frame and
later additions brick. Rear or east addition walls have
been altered in changing of door and window openings. All
walls in good and plumb condition.
326
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 13)
Chimneys: Four brick chimneys. Two flanking center hall of
house, one on the rear wing and one on the north wing.
Photographic evidence indicates that the north wing chimney
was added after 1941.
Openings:
Doorways and Doors: Main front entry is a six panel
wood door flanked by partial sidelights and topped
with a fan light and surrounded by moulded wooden
arch trim with a simple keystone. The rear wall of
the rear wing has two pairs of enlarged glass doors
opening to the garden and dating from the early
1960's.
Windows and Shutters: Before the 1940 remodeling
the house had one-over-one double-hung wooden sash.
These were replaced throughout most of the house
with a six-over-six light sash. All window trim is
very simple with plain flat heads. Most windows
are equipped with wooden exterior blinds.
Roof:
Shape and Covering: Standing seam metal hip roof
on the main house and the rear addition.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice, Eaves: Simple all wood bracketed cornice.
Dormers: None.
327
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 14)
Technical Description of Interior
Floor Plans: Main house has a center hall, which formerly
had a center stair. Hall is flanked on the right by the
library and on the left by the dining room. This section
of the house is only one main room deep. The rear wing
connects directly to the center hall and consists of one
large living room. The kitchen is in a small north side
addition. A basement is under the main house only. A
garage under the kitchen was originally a room and was
converted and lengthened to fit a standard size automobile.
There is a small center entry hall on grade at the front
of the basement. To the right is a bedroom with bath and
to the left is a den. Part of the center section is
partitioned off for storage. There are also several other
small storage areas, a laundry room, a furnace room and a
stair hall. There is a crawl space under the rear wing. The
original kitchen and dining room were probably located in the
basement. The second floor has a center hall with one
bedroom and a bath on each side. The rear wing has the master
bedroom and bath. Directly over the kitchen is a study.
There is limited attic space over the master bedroom in the
rear wing. This is reached by a pull-down folding ladder.
Stairs: The present main stairway runs from the first floor
to the second floor. The original main stair which, as doc-
umented by photographs, was along the right side of the center
hall, was removed in the 1950's. Photographic evidence also
shows steps in the location of the present stair, which runs
sideways across the house behind the dining room. The U-shaped
stair is wood with simple trim and a delicate curved wooden
railing. At one time a stair from the pantry went up to the
landing. There is scroll work on the exposed ends of the
treads down to the basement.
328
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 15)
Flooring: Random width pine boards ranging from four to
seven inches.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Plastered walls and ceilings.
Doorways and Doors: Most interior doors are five panel
wood and show in the photographs taken in the early 1940's.
There are two vertical panels on the top and the bottom
of the doors and a horizontal panel in the center.
Trim: Most door and window trim is simple wood with bulls
eyes in the upper corners. The main first floor rooms have
enlarged openings from the main hall. The elegant living
room has a carved wooden doorway, from the hall, which came
from an old Virginia house in the 1960's. This has a tongue
and dart surround and a broken pediment. The double doors
going from the living room to the garden have imitation trim
to match. The dining room, library, and garden have simple
cornice mouldings, deep base mouldings and chair rails.
The chair rail extends up the stairway. The living room has
cornice mouldings with dentil work that was installed in the
1960's. The house has five fireplaces intact with mantels.
The mantels on the first floor are of particular note, but
are not original. The dining room has a wooden Adam type
mantel, with a pink marble inner facing. The library has a
late nineteenth-century small scale wood mantel with a shelf
and a vertical rectangular opening. The living room has a
carved wooden mantel which is sixteenth-century French. The
library has built-in shelving with grooved ornamental
miniature pilasters between each book bay. The pilasters
are copies of antique pilasters which were in the house from
another old building from 1941 through the 1960's.
Hardware: Most doors have small brass knobs. The study has
ornate lever knobs. There is some original hardware.
329
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 16)
Lighting: All rooms have electric lighting from various
periods.
Heating: Five fireplaces open. Central oil heat with
radiators.
Plumbing: One bathroom in basement with mid-twentieth
century fixtures. A powder room on the first floor.
Kitchen and pantry have built-in cabinets and fixtures
from the 1960's. Second floor has three bathrooms with
mid-twentieth century fixtures.
Site
General Setting and Orientation: House faces west on 35th Street,
N.W., in a residential neighborhood in Georgetown, D.C. Across
the street are some residential scale buildings belonging to the
Convent of the Visitation. There is no rear or alley access to
the property.
Enclosures: The front yard was enclosed in 1941 by an iron
fence of the typical Washington hoop and picket variety, but it
was later replaced by a brick retaining wall at the front of
the property. The rear and side yards are surrounded by masonry
and board fences.
Porch: The front porch is actually on the second level. This
is a small covered porch with roof supported on wooden columns
and a double curving stairway connecting it to a center walk
below. The stair has simple ornamental trim, and is similar to
the garden entrance at the Gibbs House in Charleston. This
porch was built in the early 1940's to replace a wooden structure
that extended the entire length of the house and had brick
corner piers with a simple iron railing. Its form was unusual
and may have been altered in the early twentieth century.
330
LONGDEN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-194 (Page 17)
Outbuildings: To the south of the house are a greenhouse
and a small tool shed. The greenhouse existed in the 1940's.
There is no evidence of other outbuildings on the site.
Walks: A brick city sidewalk crosses the front of the
property in the normal Georgetown fashion. A brick center
walk goes up several risers to the main entry and a brick
driveway connects the garage in the north addition to the
street. Walks connect the front and rear yards on both
sides of the house. The rear yard has brick paved sitting
areas.
Landscaping: The landscaping was done by Cary Millholland
Parker in two stages --- one in 1941 and the other in the
1960's. This consists of attractive residential planting
and paved areas and a small corner swimming pool. The
front yard which slopes down from the house to the street
has a variety of evergreen plantings.
Prepared by: Donald B. Myer
Commission of Fine Arts
13 July, 1967
331
A
STATE
332
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HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-204
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3412 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 0 Street was Second Street,)
Location:
The house is located on parts of Lots
65 and 66, Square 58 in Beatty and
Hawkins Addition to Georgetown, now
taxed as Lot 815, Square 1228 in
Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
Between 1820 and 1830
Owners in 1969:
Dr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Fair
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
This is an early example of the small
brick houses built for investment pur-
poses in western
Georgetown.
It demonstrates the adaptability of
these structures to twentieth-century
patterns of living.
333
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 204 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1798-1809
In 1798 Lot 66 in Beatty and Hawkins Addition to Georgetown
was sold to Thomas Beatty by John G. Middagh, Charles King
and Mary King. This property was part of a tract of land
called "Knaves Disappointment. " Eleven years later, in
1809, Thomas Beatty sold the lot to John Goszler who already
owned part of the adjacent Lot 65.
1809-1831
Tax records in 1815 and 1818 assess Goszler's property for
ten feet of Lot 65 and all of Lot 66 with a two-story brick
house at $3,000.(1) This high figure would seem to indicate
a rather large house, most likely present 1328 34th Street
on the southeast corner of 34th and 0 Streets (formerly
Frederick and Second Streets).
John Goszler came of an illustrious family who left Germany
in the mid-eighteenth century, possibly because of conditions
that James Truslow Adams, the historian, describes as "
distress of the most appalling sort in
Germany
"(2)
Turbulent political conditions and religious persecution drove
many of these unfortunate Germans to seek other lands. Some
of these refugees settled in Pennsylvania and Maryland. (3)
Others moved to Georgetown, attracted by the opportunities
for work on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and on construction
projects in the nearby capital city. Constance Green notes
the presence of German laborers in Georgetown in 1832 when
rampant disease struck the community:
334
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 3)
"In the summer of 1832 an epidemic of Asiatic
cholera took heavy toll, first among the
workmen on the C & O Canal and the laborers
engaged in laying the water mains for govern-
ment buildings Most of them were from
Germany and Ireland. " (4)
Many of John Goszler's family settled in Pennsylvania. (5)
Others settled in the western part of Georgetown, acquired
considerable property there and participated in community
affairs. Georgetown Tax Records for the period 1800-1808
show four Goszlers--Anthony, Henry, John and George. John
was assessed for:
"1 improved lot on Fayette
$800
1 mare
60
1 COW and calf
20
furniture
60"
and also
"1 house and lot in Threlkeld's Addition
$800
1 house and lot in Threlkeld's Addition
600
1 house and lot belonging to Daniel Easterday
800
2 horses
100
1 cow
12
furniture
100" (6)
In 1818 John Goszler used some of his property as security to
borrow money from the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. By 1823 John,
caught in the financial pinch that had struck Georgetown, was
forced to mortgage part of his property, Lot 65, to meet his
financial obligations. Times were hard. John got a position
as a Liquor Gauger with responsibility for measuring the con-
tents of liquor casks for taxation purposes. (7)
335
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 204 (Page 4)
1831-1843
However, Goszler could not meet his obligations, so in 1831 a
public sale was held to dispose of some of his property, among
which were parts of Lots 65 and 66, with a two story brick
dwelling (now 1328 34th Street) "...and other tenements"
(now 3412 and 3414 O Street).
The Farmers and Mechanics Bank was the highest bidder at the
public sale and so retained the property. It is probable that,
because of the economic slump, no buyer offered enough for the
property, and that rather than take such a loss, the bank pre-
ferred to meet competing bids by paying $1435 and holding on
to the property until the financial picture improved.
Although the property was owned by the bank, John Goszler
continued to live in the two-story brick dwelling on the corner
of Frederick and Second Streets on the south side. Several
other Goszlers lived and ran businesses nearby; and it is
probable that Catherine Goszler, who is listed in the 1830
Georgetown Directory as "spinster, Second street near Frederick"
lived in one of the tenement houses, as well as Mrs. Polly
Goszler, who is shown in the 1834 Directory as "widow, Second
street. " (8)
1843-1865
In 1843, twelve years after the public sale, the Farmers and
Mechanics Bank sold to George A. Meem, for $3300, all of Lot
66 and part of Lot 65, including all of the buildings.
George A. Meem was a prosperous carpenter, who moved into the
large brick house on the corner. He sold the adjoining house,
fronting on Second Street (now 0) to Isaac Barrett, whose son
was married to George's daughter, Ann. The two families re-
mained close, even after Ann was widowed and had remarried,
for in 1858 "Barrett and Meem" was a carpentry firm at 18
Prospect Street. (9)
336
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 5)
It is not known who occupied the other houses (described ear-
lier as "tenements") which Meem bought in the 1843 transaction.
One of these houses is the present 3412 0 Street. Its exact
dimensions are defined in the 1865 deed when George and Martha
Meem sold it to Daniel Brown for $1800.
1865-1930
Daniel Brown ten years earlier in 1855 was a laborer living
at 83 Third (P) Street. (10) In 1858 Brown is listed in the
city directory as a grocer whose business and home were both
at 54 Fayette (35th) Street. (11) In 1865, the year of his
death, he was similarly listed; and the following year his
widow Johanna remained in the Fayette Street home and ran
the grocery store. (12)
Before his death Daniel Brown had amassed considerable proper-
ty in Georgetown. His widow and three children continued
to live at 54 Fayette Street until 1879, when they moved to
84 First Street (now 3400 N). (13) Although they did not live
in the house now known as 3412 O Street, it remained in the
Brown family for almost a hundred years.
1930-1969
In October 1930 Mary Ellen Brown, sole surviving heir-at-law
--all other children and heirs having died intestate and
childless--sold the property to George M. Hostetler and his wife,
Alice W. Mr. Hostetler, being an architect and builder, re-
modeled the run-down house and installed plumbing for the first
time. (14) (15)
The Hostetlers lived in the house only a few years. After Mr.
Hostetler's death, his widow moved and used the house for
rental purposes. During the war years the British Embassy
rented the house and used it for transients.
337
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 204 (Page 6)
In November 1959 the house was purchased by Dr. and Mrs.
Marvin L. Fair, the present owners, who occupied it
through 1968. While undertaking comprehensive repairs on
the house, the Fairs restored many of the original features
of
this early dwelling. At present the house is once
more being rented.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1798
John G. Middagh
Deed April 2, 1798
Charles King
Recorded May 1, 1798
Mary King
Liber C-3, folio 416
to
Thomas Beatty
Lot 66
Describes a compromise with General Davidson
about property due the widow of John Middagh,
father of John G. Middagh.
338
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 204 (Page 7)
1800
John Davidson and
Deed October 16, 1800
wife, Marcia
Recorded November 22, 1800
to
Liber F-6, folio 45
Thomas Beatty
Lot 66
Davidson releases to Beatty for sum of 91
pounds, five shillings, all rights to five
lots in Georgetown, among them Lot 66.
1809
Samuel Moffett
Deed June 3, 1809
(U.S. Marshal)
Recorded December 2, 1809
to
Liber X-23, folio 256
Daniel Renner
Daniel Bussard
Lot 65 sold to Andrew Scott's heirs for taxes.
1810
Thomas Beatty
Deed July 6, 1810
to
Recorded July 21, 1810
John Goszler
Liber X-23, folio 382
Lot 66
1823
John Goszler
Deed of Trust November 29, 1823
to
Recorded April 27, 1824
William King, Jr.
Liber W.B. 8, folio 462
James Calder & Son
Samuel Smoot
Part of Lot 65
339
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 8)
1831
John Goszler and
Deed September 21, 1831
wife, Elizabeth
Recorded March 19, 1832
to
Liber W.B. 40, folio 117
Farmers and Mechanics
Bank of Georgetown
Parts of Lots 65 and 66 "...with a two story
brick dwelling" (now 1328 34th Street) "and
other tenements...' (now 3412 and 3414 O
Street). Goszler owed the bank a large sum
of money on a judgement rendered in 1818.
Judgement was levied on parts of Lots 65
and 66, and at public sale, the property
was purchased by the bank.
1843
Farmers and Mechanics
Deed October 7, 1843
Bank of Georgetown
Recorded May 4, 1847
to
Liber W.B. 134, folio 50
George A. Meem
Lots 65 and 66 for $3300
1865
George A. Meem and
Deed August 29, 1865
wife, Martha
Recorded August 30, 1865
to
Liber NCT 62, folio 289
Daniel Brown
Part of Lots 65 and 66 (present Lot 815) for $1800
340
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 9)
1930
Mary Ellen Brown,
Deed October 13, 1930
sole surviving heir-
Recorded October 25, 1930
at-law of Daniel Brown
Liber 6496, folio 257
and wife, Johanna
to
George M. Hostetler and
wife, Alice W.
1959
Alice W. Hostetler,
Deed November 13, 1959
surviving widow,
Recorded December 8, 1959
tenant by entirety
Liber 11351, folio 403
of her husband,
George M.
to
Marvin L. Fair and
wife, Rachel,
tenants by entirety
REFERENCES
1. Records of the City of Georgetown, D.C. 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 10 (1815); Roll
11 (1818-19).
341
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 10)
2. Adams, James Truslow, The Epic of America. Boston,
Massachusetts: Little Brown and Co., 1933, p. 63.
3. The Sunday Gazette (Washington, D.C.) September 13,
1885.
4. Green, Constance McLaughlin, Washington Village and Capital,
1800-1878. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University
Press, 1962, P. 135.
5. Census Records. Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1790.
6. Same reference as #1. Roll 1 (1800-1808).
7. City Directory. 1830, P. 7.
8. Same reference as #7. 1830, P. 7; 1834, P. 8.
9. Same reference as #7. 1858, P. 431.
10. Same reference as #7. 1855, P. 2.
11. Same reference as #7. 1858, p. 433.
12. Same reference as #7. 1865, p. 376; 1866, P. 406.
13. Same reference as #7. 1879, P. 190.
14. Same reference as #7. 1931, p. 838; 1932, P. 818.
15. Interview with Mrs. George Hostetler, September, 1968.
342
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 11)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural character: A typical small two-story house,
this one appears smaller because of its lower-than-average
ceilings, its low sidewalk-to-first floor relationship,
and its lack of a front yard. Extensive renovation in
1930 reoriented the interior to accommodate twentieth-
century living.
Condition of fabric: Good; fairly well-maintained, except
rear weatherboarding which is badly in need of painting.
Interior condition very good.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 18'-0" by 29'-6". Three
bays across 0 Street facade. Two stories high. Second
floor rear bedroom appears to be an addition: there is a
one-story high cold joint in the masonry on the east side.
As the site drops sharply from north to south, rear elevation
is three stories high.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Brick, painted; rear wall weatherboarded.
Chimneys: Two on west side (one relined).
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Front door is twentieth-century
"Colonial" raised-panel door with glazed round-headed
343
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 12)
panels in the top; door casing is composition
moulding over wood, badly in need of paint.
Windows and shutters: First floor front sash
are nine over six double-hung wood; second
floor front and all rear sash are six over
six double-hung wood. Small casements of
wood and metal in the east wall of the base-
ment are mid-twentieth century additions.
Raised panel shutters on front windows are
also recent replacements, although sash and
glass appear to be old.
Porches: None.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable roof with ridge
running northsouth; metal covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: One projected brick course with
hanging metal gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: Entry hall in northeast corner of first floor;
living room across remainder of front; large sitting room
across rear with stairway at east end, fireplace at west end,
and large opening to living room on north. Bathroom (1930
addition) in northeast corner of second floor; two bedrooms
with closets between on west side. Rear bedroom is one step
lower than remainder of house and has partially sloping ceil-
ing. Basement has sitting room across rear, kitchen in north-
east corner and heating/utility room in northwest corner.
344
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 13)
Stairways: Straight run with winders at foot, both basement.
to first to second floors. Lower run has old rail and newel,
probably from another house; upper run has no rail, but does
have ornamental scrolled brackets of wood or composition
probably from elsewhere.
Flooring: Random width pine on first and second floors,
resilient tile in basement sitting room, carpet in kitchen.
Wall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster, moulded T & G
vertical boarding, same boarding in basement stained.
Doors and doorways: Front entry and hall closet have twentieth-
century mahogany raised panel doors, door to basement stair is
batten type made of same moulded T & G boarding; upstairs are
simple early nineteenth-century four-panel doors, some relocated.
Decorative features and trim: Mantels have been removed and
replaced with simple surround moulding in board-panelled
chimney breasts on first floor, second floor front has early
mantel with moulded surround and shelf support. Shelf itself
is replacement. Door and window trim throughout is simple 1 1/2"
quarter-round with small square fillet. Base in some rooms is
simple beaded board, in others plain board with cap mouldings.
Hardware: Dates from 1930 renovation; plain brass knobs and
escutcheons. Traces of rimlocks on second-floor doors.
Lighting: No notable fixtures.
Heating: Radiators. Two working fireplaces, two not properly
relined.
345
GOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-204 (Page 14)
Site
General setting and orientation: One of several smaller houses
on the south side of 0 Street, this house has no front yard,
but an ample rear yard reached by a three-foot wide alley on
the east side. An informal, unassuming house in a neighbor-
hood of similar residences.
Enclosures: Brick wall across rear of lot; wood paling fence
on sides of rear yard; board gate at 0 Street entrance to
alley.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick, concrete.
Landscaping: Rear yard has perimeter planting around grassed
center.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
October 30, 1968
346
COLD BELR
IC EI
348
the
the
D'
!!!!!!!!!!!! IIIIIIIII
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
Address in 1969:
1331 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 35th Street was Fayette Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
70, Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition to
Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 75 in Square
1228 in Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
1891
Owners in 1969:
Lillian E. Sullivan, Anne Marie Briggs,
and Regina Catalez (or Katalinas)
Occupant in 1969:
Vacant temporarily while estate is in
process of being settled.
Use in 1969:
Not in use at present.
Significance:
This highly ornamented, late nineteenth-
century, multi-purpose, commercial structure
is unusual in that its facade has
remained unaltered since its construction.
349
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1808-1838
In 1808 Anthony Goszler owner Lot 70 according to tax assessment
records. (1) The property is described as "Improved" and valued
at $1200. This, however, referred to another structure on the
lot, at the corner of Second (0) and Fayette (35th) Streets, for
1331 35th Street had not yet been constructed. After Anthony's
death, William Goszler, serving as trustee of the estate,
sold Lot 70 to John Goszler.
John Goszler was a "Liquor Gauger" whose function was to measure
casks of liquor for taxation purposes. (2) He lived at the
corner of Frederick (34th) and Second (0) Streets, but he owned
additional property in Georgetown. (3)
By 1823 he had begun to have financial difficulties. Some of
his Georgetown property was placed in trust to William King in
1824. (4) Seven years later, in 1831, he forfeited other
Georgetown lots by failing to pay his debts to the Farmers
and Mechanics Bank. (5)
1838-1885
After John's death his heirs sold Lot 70 to Ann E. Barrett in
1838. Ann Barrett, born in 1803, was the daughter of George
A. Meem. She was widowed when she was quite young. In 1830 at
the age of 27, she was a dressmaker, living on Gay (N) Street
near Congress (31st) Street. (6) She was very active in church
work and is mentioned by Joseph W. Kirkley in Methodism in
Georgetown. Her experiences in the formation of the Sunday
School contributed to his book, especially that portion
pertaining to the origin and growth of the female department." (7)
350
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 3)
By 1834 Ann Barrett had apparently given up dressmaking, for
she is described in the City Directory merely as a widow. She
was at that time living on the south side of First (N) Street.
(8)
In 1848, ten years after Ann Barrett's purchase of Lot 70, she
and Jenkin Thomas, her future husband, put the property in trust
with her father, George A. Meem. Jenkin Thomas was a well
known Georgetown citizen. He was a saddler and harness maker,
dealing in leather goods at 64 High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)
between Gay (N) and Bridge (M) Streets. His home was nearby at
81 Gay Street, between Congress (31st) and Washington (30th)
Streets. (9) After their marriage Ann and Jenkin Thomas contin-
ued to live in this home just west of the Laird-Dunlap house
at 3014 N Street.
The Barrett family (Ann Thomas' former in-laws) and the Meem
family maintained a close relationship. They were joined in
business association according to the 1858 City Directory
which lists Barrett and Meem as carpenters at 18 Prospect
Street. (11)
The property on Fayette (35th) Street remained in the family
for thirty-seven years. Ann Barrett Thomas died in 1884, at
the age of 81. The entry in Methodism in Georgetown referring
to Mrs. Thomas' death is revealing:
"ANN E. MEEM (afterward Barrett and Thomas). The
oldest living Methodist in Georgetown, wife of
Jenkin Thomas, Esq. She joined the church in 1832."
(12)
1885-1937
In 1885, a year after the death of Ann Barrett Thomas, her
heirs sold the Fayette Street property to Jeremiah Sullivan.
Records for the period show Jeremiah's landholdings in this
neighborhood to be extensive. (13)
351
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 4)
Jeremiah was one of a large clan of Sullivans who emigrated
from Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century. The Sullivans are
a prime example of the numbers of immigrants who, from modest
beginnings, achieved prosperity in western Georgetown.
Through their industry and diligence they rose from simple
artisans to large landholders.
Jeremiah exemplifies this process of upgrading one's standard
of living. He started out as a "cartman but in 1885 he
bought the property on the corner of Fayette (35th) and Second
(0) Streets and opened a grocery store there. (14) Six years
later, in 1891, he built the adjoining structure, the present
1331 35th Street, and expanded his grocery to include a saloon.
Jeremiah's enterprise was cut short by his untimely death in
1895, at the age of fifty-two. At that time he was living in
one of his properties at the corner of 35th and O Streets. (15)
In his Will, written on his death bed, he left all of his
property (which included present Lots 75, 80, and 81 in Square
1228) to his wife, Ellen, unless she remarried, in which case
he willed his property to his children. (16)
After Jeremiah's death his family continued to operate a saloon
and restaurant at 1331 35th Street. (17) Ellen held on to the
building on Lot 75, while living around the corner from it at
3422 O Street. (18) At her death in 1937 Ellen was survived by
four of her seven children and three grandchildren, all of
whom became her heirs.
1937-1969
Each of the children received one-fifth of Ellen's real estate
holdings. The grandchildren received the remainder of the
property. Josephine, a daughter, inherited 1331 35th Street
and occupied the second floor for many years. An elevated
walkway connected the building with the residence at 3422 0
Street where other Sullivans lived. Josephine's brother, James,
who lived on Cathedral Avenue, operated a real estate business
on the ground floor of 1331 35th Street.
352
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC- 202 (Page 5)
In 1962 Josephine died and James received 1331 35th Street as
part of his inheritance from her. He continued the operation
of his business on the premises and maintained the second
floor as living quarters.
James died in February 1969, leaving the property to his sister,
Lillian E. Sullivan, and his two nieces, Anne Marie Briggs
and Regina Catalez (Regina Cox Katalinas), "...all to share
equally "
Original and Subsequent Owners
1808
According to Tax Assessment Records, Georgetown, D.C., 1808,
Anthony Goszler owned Lot 70. At his death, William Goszler,
Tr., sold it to John Goszler.
1838
William J. Goszler, Tr.
Deed December 10, 1838
William J. Goszler
Recorded February 11, 1839
Elizabeth Goszler
Liber W.B. 73, folio 78
James Goszler
Heirs of John Goszler,
deceased
to
Ann E. Barrett
353
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC- 202 (Page 6)
1848
Ann E. Barrett
Deed in Trust June 17, 1848
Jenkin Thomas
Recorded July 3, 1848
to
Liber W.B. 144, folio 34
George A. Meem
Ann E. Barrett married Jenkin Thomas.
1885
William D. Barrett and
Deed January 23, 1885
wife, Janet Mary
Recorded February 2, 1885
William C. Barrett and
Liber 1113, folio 213
wife, Mabel A.
Ella A. Barrett
Sole heirs to estate of
Ann E. Thomas (Barrett)
to
Jeremiah Sullivan
1895
Jeremiah Sullivan died,
Will December 13, 1895
leaving all of his real
Probated December 23, 1895
estate to his wife,
Will Book 39, page 289
Ellen Sullivan
354
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 7)
1937
Ellen Sullivan died intestate; she had seven children:
Josephine
Ellen (died before 1900)
John (died before 1900)
James J.
Jeremiah
Ann Sullivan Cox (died 1915;
survived by her husband and four
children: Robert, Josephine,
Marie and Regina)
Lillian
Ellen Sullivan's property included present Lots 75, 80 and 81
in Square 1228. Each of the surviving children (Josephine,
James, Jeremiah and Lillian) received one-fifth of the hold-
ings. Each of the Cox grandchildren (Robert, Josephine, Marie
and Regina) received one-twentieth of the property.
Lot 75 was inherited by Josephine Sullivan.
1962
Josephine Sullivan died
Will September 6, 1938
January 9, 1962. Her
Filed February 28, 1962
property was divided
Probated October 10, 1968
among her two brothers,
Will Book 5, page 68
James and Jeremiah; her
Administration 2209-68
sister, Lillian; and two
nieces, Anne Marie C.
Briggs and Regina Cox
Katalinas. James J.
received 1331-35th Street.
355
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 8)
1969
James J. Sullivan died
Will January 31, 1968
February 1969.
Filed February 28, 1969.
No administration number
has been assigned yet as the
estate is being settled and
probate has not occurred.
REFERENCES
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 1 (1808).
2. City Directory. 1830, p. 7.
3. Same reference as #1.
4. Land Records. Washington, D. C., Liber W.B. 8, folio 462,
April 27, 1824.
5. Same reference as #4. Liber W.B. 40, folio 117, March 19,
1832.
356
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 9)
6. Same reference as #2. P. 31.
7. Kirkley, Joseph W., compiler, Methodism in Georgetown.
Washington, D.C.: 1884, p. 37.
8. Same reference as #2. 1834, p. 3.
9. Same reference as #2. 1834, p. 19; 1853, p. 99.
10. Same reference as #2. 1865, p. 395.
11. Same reference as #2. 1858, p. 431.
12. Same reference as #7.
13. Same reference as #2. 1885, P. 787; 1892, p. 902.
and
Zevely-Finley, General Assessment of All Real and Personal
Property in Georgetown in the District of Columbia 1893-
94. Washington, D.C.: A.G. Gedney, 1894, PP. 36-38.
14. Same reference as #2. 1872, p. 526; 1890, p. 833.
15. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) December 14, 1895.
16. Register of Wills, Washington, D.C., Will Book 39, page 289.
357
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 10)
17. Same reference as #2. 1892, P. 902; 1893, p. 887; 1894,
p. 938; 1896, P. 872; 1897, p. 859; 1913, p. 1418; 1920,
P. 1401.
18. Same reference as #15. December 17, 1937, p. A-14.
358
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 11)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This is a small highly ornamented
commercial structure of the late nineteenth century. In
addition to the corbelling and moulded shapes of the pressed
brick there is a little carved stone and much stamped metal
ornamentation. The first floor, now vacant, was last used
as a real estate office, while the second floor contained
living space.
Condition of Fabric: Good.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Approximately 18'-0" by 40'-0".
Assymmetrical opening arrangement on the first floor; one
three-window oriel in the center of the second. Two
stories high.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall Construction: Pressed brick facade, common brick side
and rear walls.
Chimneys: One brick chimney at rear of building.
359
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 12)
Openings:
Doors and Doorways: The door into the first floor office
area, which is at the center of the west facade, has one
large pane of glass above two horizontal panels. The
door to the stairway, which is south of the center door,
has three panels and a semi-circular single-light transom.
Windows and Shutters: There is a large plate glass window
north of the center door in the office area; on the second
floor there is a bay or oriel composed of three one-over-one
double-hung windows in a pressed metal ornamental
construction which has a proliferation of egg and dart
mouldings, swags, garlands, fluting, etc.
Porches: None.
Roof:
Shape and Covering: Low pitch down from west to east.
Built-up covering.
Framing: Wood (assumed).
Cornice: There is much corbelled and moulded brick in
addition to the painted pressed metal ornamentation on
the cornice and shaped parapet.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plan: The interior of this building was not accessible at
the time of this writing. The first floor is basically one
space divided with temporary partitions; the second floor
arrangement is not discernible from the street.
360
JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING
HABS No. DC-202 (Page 13)
Site
General Setting and Orientation: This building is one of
several commercial structures clustered around the intersection
of 0 Street and 35th Street, although the area is basically
residential. It faces west and abuts the public sidewalk.
Enclosures: None.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Fronts on the brick public sidewalk.
Landscaping: None.
Prepared by: The Office of Walter G. Peter, Jr.
AIA
Architect
February 7, 1969
361
362
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-203
KELLY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1239 37th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 37th Street was Warren Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
64, Square 53 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld
and
Deakins Addition to Georgetown,
now taxed as Lot 806, Square 1223 in
Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
1879
Owner in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupant in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
This small, late nineteenth-century
frame house has been successfully up-
graded through extensive renovation to
present a much more elegant exterior
and interior appearance than when orig-
inally constructed.
363
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1805-1859
The property, including adjoining lots to the present site of
1239 37th Street, originally belonged to William Deakins, Jr.,
who willed it to Francis Deakins. He in turn willed it to
Paul Hoye and Leonard Deakins. In 1805 Paul Hoye conveyed
the property to John Hoye, under the terms of Francis Deakins'
Will.
It was not until 1850 that Hoye's executors sold the property
to Patrick A. Byrne. The City Directory of 1853 lists only
one "Byrne"-- a P.A. Byrne, a blacksmith who lived in Washing-
ton City on First Street west. (1) It is not known whether
this is the same person who owned the property.
1859-1879
In 1859 Byrne sold the property to Patrick O'Donnoghue. Tax
assessment records of 1865-70 list Patrick as the owner of
the 60 foot by 120 foot lot on the east side of Warren (37th)
Street, valued at $300.(2) In 1873 Ann V. Gross and Sarah
C. Gross bought the property, now valued at $576. (3)
Shortly after this the land was subdivided. Present lot
806 is the southern 25 feet of lot 64, fronting on Warren
Street and extending 120 feet deep.
364
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 3)
1879-1908
A month after the Grosses purchased the property, they sold
the site of the present 1239 37th Street to Mary Kelly.
Five years later, in 1878, the land was still vacant. The
following year tax records describe the property as having
"Improvements of $300, which indicates that the present
house was built by the Kellys in 1879. (4) The Hopkins Map
of 1887 shows a structure on this lot with the exact measure-
ments as the present house. (5)
The house remained in the Kelly family for more than thirty
years, for Mary Kelly had willed it to her two sons, Patrick
and John A. John was a tinner who lived in the house,
according to the City Directory of 1906. (6) Patrick, who had
not married, had conveyed in 1905 his half to his brother
and sister-in-law. At once the property was given in trust
with discretionary powers to sell at public auction and
convey in fee simple
"
Despite efforts by Kelly and his family to save the property,
in 1908 it was sold for default of trust to Frederick A.
Linger who paid $575 for it.
1908-1936
Linger, who lived at 3230 N Street, presumably bought the
property for investment purposes, for a few days later he
sold one-half interest in it to Joseph C. Linkins and six
months later sold the other half interest to him.
Linkins, who ran a feed store, apparently never lived in
the house, but held on to it until 1923 when he sold it to
Patrick O'Toole. (7) O'Toole, a plasterer, lived on New
York Avenue and used the house on 37th Street for rental
purposes. (8)
365
Western Georgetown in the 1890's. Bottom of photograph shows
laborers' cottages along 37th Street, today " upgraded
through extensive renovation to present a much more elegant
exterior and interior appearance than when originally
constructed." (Library of Congress)
366
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 4)
1936-69
Thirteen years later, in 1936, O'Toole, now a widower, sold
the house to M.A. Steele who conveyed it at once to Richard
J. Hewitt. Six months later, in December of the same year,
Hewitt sold the property to Sallie Jeffries, who kept it for
five years before selling it to Doris Brown Shortle, who in
turn sold it a few months later to Martha Dalyrymple and
Joseph B. Phillips.
In 1946 Joseph Phillips, now divorced from Martha Dalyrymple,
conveyed the property to her. In the next five years the
property changed hands five times.
Two sociological factors are interesting to note in regard
to the rapid series of transactions of this property.
First, a number of the owners were of Irish origin, which
is in line with the history of ownership of much of the
property of western Georgetown. A second consideration is
that the swift and frequent transfer of property during
the thirties and forties should be related to the economic
depression that was gripping the country.
It was at this time, too, that the influx of people during
the New Deal began to affect Georgetown housing. Many of
the personnel in the early days of the Roosevelt administration
sought housing near the White House and found Georgetown a
convenient and pleasant place to live. This movement for owner-
ship of Georgetown houses, which gained momentum after World
War II, affected 1239 37th Street, for after years of serving
as a rental property, in 1951 it was purchased by Mr. and
Mrs. James A. Smith, who lived in the house for three years.
(9)
In 1954 it was purchased by William and Sylvia Levi, who
sold it in 1963 to Georgetown University. The house is once
more being rented.
367
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 5)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1798
William Deakins, Jr.
Will March 2, 1798
to
Probated December 24, 1804
Francis Deakins
Will Book 1, page 61
All of Lots 64 and 65
1804
Francis Deakins
Will September 24, 1804
to
Probated November 27, 1804
Paul Hoye and
Will Book 1, page 60
Leonard M. Deakins
1805
Paul Hoye
Deed June 5, 1805
to
Recorded July 2, 1805
John Hoye
Liber N-13, folio 15
(under terms of Will
of Francis Deakins)
All of Lots 64 and 65
368
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 6)
1850
George Smith, Ex. of Will
Deed August 2, 1850
of John Hoye, deceased
Recorded November 2, 1853
to
Liber JAS 66, folio 60
Patrick A. Byrne
All of Lots 64 and 65
1859
Patrick A. Byrne
Deed May 4, 1859
et ux Mary I.
Recorded July 19, 1859
to
Liber JAS 179, folio 63
Patrick O'Donnoghue
All of Lots 64 and 65
1873
Patrick O'Donnoghue
Deed September 30, 1873
to
Recorded October 1, 1873
Ann V. Gross
Liber 727, folio 27
Sarah C. Gross
All of Lots 64 and 65
Subdivision of land was made. The present Lot
806 is the southern 25 feet of Lot 64, with
the following measurements:
"Beginning at the end of 120 ft. on a
line drawn North from the Northeast
corner of Prospect and Warren Streets,
running East 120 ft., North 25 ft., West
120 ft. and South to place of beginning."
369
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 7)
Ann Virginia Gross
Deed October 1, 1873
Sarah Catherine Gross
Recorded August 8, 1874
to
Liber 757, folio 281
Mary Kelly
Mary Kelly died intestate, leaving as only heirs-at-law her
children:
Patrick Kelly
John A. Kelly
1905
Patrick Kelly, unmarried
Deed July 12, 1905
to
Recorded July 18, 1905
John A. Kelly
Liber 2917, folio 309
Conveyed úndivided one-half
interest in property to his
brother.
John A. Kelly and
Deed in Trust July 17, 1905
wife, Nora A.
Recorded July 18, 1905
to
Liber 2917, folio 110
Jesse H. Wilson
Levin S. Frey
Discretionary powers to sell
at public auction and convey
in fee simple.
370
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 8)
1908
Jesse H. Wilson
Deed July 1, 1908
Levin S. Frey
Recorded July 1, 1908
to
Liber 3162, folio 194
Frederick A. Linger
Property sold for default under trust
from John A. Kelly and wife, Nora A.,
at public auction to highest bidder
for $575.
Frederick A. Linger and
Deed July 6, 1908
wife, Elizabeth M.
Recorded July 15, 1908
to
Liber 3167, folio 176
Joseph C. Linkins
One-half interest in property
Frederick A. Linger and
Deed December 15, 1908
wife, Elizabeth M.
Recorded December 17, 1908
to
Liber 3200, folio 244
Joseph C. Linkins
One-half interest in property
1923
Joseph C. Linkins, unmarried Deed February 13, 1923
to
Recorded February 15, 1923
Patrick O'Toole
Liber 4903, folio 112
371
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 9)
1936
Patrick O'Toole, widower
Deed July 24, 1936
to
Recorded July 30, 1936
M.A. Steele (woman)
Liber 7016, folio 585
M.A. Steele
Deed July 29, 1936
to
Recorded July 30, 1936
Richard J. Hewitt
Liber 7016, folio 586
Richard J. Hewitt,
Deed December 29, 1936
unmarried
Recorded January 9, 1937
to
Liber 7067, folio 462
Sallie Jeffries
1941
Sallie Jeffries
Deed March 15, 1941
to
Recorded March 19, 1941
Doris Brown Shortle
Liber 7591, folio 167
Doris Brown Shortle
Deed September 30, 1941
to
Recorded October 11, 1941
Martha Dalrymple
Liber 7677, folio 74
Joseph B. Phillips,
joint tenants
372
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 10)
1946
Joseph B. Phillips and
Deed May 21, 1946
wife, Frances Tracey
Recorded June 5, 1946
to
Liber 8279, folio 256
Martha Dalrymple
(divorced from
Joseph B. Phillips)
1947
Martha Dalrymple
Deed October 31, 1947
to
Recorded November 3, 1947
Elizabeth B. Allen
Liber 8614, folio 462
1949
Elizabeth B. Allen
Deed October 17, 1949
to
Recorded October 20, 1949
Wilby J. Pritchett, Jr.
Liber 9060, folio 584
and wife, Dorothy W.,
tenants by entirety
1950
Wilby J. Pritchett, Jr.
Deed July 7, 1950
and wife, Dorothy W.,
Recorded July 12, 1950
tenants by entirety
Liber 9247, folio 249
to
Arthur Twining Hadley
373
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 11)
1951
Arthur Twining Hadley and
Deed April 16, 1951
wife, Mary Hill
Recorded April 25, 1951
to
Liber 9456, folio 39
James A. Smith and
wife, Margaret M.,
tenants by entirety
1954
James A. Smith and
Deed May 28, 1954
wife, Margaret M.,
Recorded June 1, 1954
tenants by entirety
Liber 10202, folio 583
to
William Levi and
wife, Sylvia,
tenants by entirety
1963
William Levi and
Deed April 3, 1963
wife, Sylvia,
Recorded April 3, 1963
tenants by entirety
Liber 11974, folio 215
to
The President and Directors
of Georgetown College
374
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 12)
References
1. City Directory. 1853, P. 15.
2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
3. Same reference as #2. Roll 14 (1872-73).
4. Same reference as #2. Roll 26 (1879).
5. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of
Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887.
6. Same reference as #1. 1906, p. 690.
7. Same reference as #1. 1909, p. 828.
8. Same reference as #1. 1925, P. 1144, p. 1959.
9. Same reference as #1. 1954, p. 84.
375
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 13)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: Typical of many smaller Georgetown
houses, this late nineteenth-century example has been ren-
ovated and enlarged to give the appearance of an earlier
and more elegant building, yet it retains a pleasant, regular,
informal character.
Condition of fabric: Good, well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Approximately 20'-6" by 32'-4", including
rear addition. Three bays across 37th Street facade. Two
stories high.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame and clapboards with later
stucco covering over all.
Chimneys: One at north end of front portion; smaller brick
flue at south end of rear portion, closed up and cut down below
roof line inside attic.
376
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 14)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The front door has six raised
panels and ovolo sticking, and is surrounded by a
narrow architrave. There are fluted Doric pilasters
at each side supporting an entablature complete with
triglyphs and flat metopes. All of this is wood and
is of mid-twentieth century manufacture.
Windows and shutters: Six over six double hung wood
sash on first and second floors; wood louvered shutters.
Plat wood heads with cyma crown moulding across the
top. Three mid-twentieth French windows open off the
the rear sitting room onto a small iron balcony.
Porches: Very small wrought and cast iron balcony across the
three French windows on the east facade with curving metal
stairs down to rear yard.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable with ridge running north-
south over original west portion, shed pitched to
east over remainder. Metal covering.
Framing: Wood; original roof line is discernable
in the side walls of the attic.
Cornice: Wood, with regularly spaced modillions
across the width and larger scrolled brackets at
the ends.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The first floor has a living room across the west
end with a stair on the scuth; a large sitting room across the
east end; and a bath in the south east corner. The second
floor has a bedroom across the west end; stair and hall on the
377
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 15)
south; a bedroom in the northeast corner; and a bath in the
southeast corner. The basement has the stair hall on the
south; an equipment room in the northwest corner; a kitchen
in the north center; and a large family room across the
east end.
Stairways: The first-to-second floor and basement-to-first
floor stairs are semi-enclosed straight-run with a closed
stringer where not enclosed. The stringers appear to be
original, as do some of the plain square balusters and
some of the beaded-board enclosure in the basement.
Flooring: Wall-to-wall carpeting over wood on the first
floor, resilient tile in the basement, and pine on the
second floor.
Wall and ceiling finish: Generally painted plaster, but
there is some vertical vee-joint panelling of recent
manufacture in the living room.
Doors and doorways: Generally there are mid-twentieth
century six-panel doors throughout, except for one closet
in the southwest corner of the second floor which has an
old batten door. There are also some twentieth-century
five-panel doors.
Decorative features and trim: The interior has been completely
re-trimmed with mid-twentieth century mouldings. There are
papier-mache rosettes at the chandeliers in both living room
and sitting room. The living room mantel, however, is old. It
has Doric columns with impost blocks, and the bed mould is a
deeply quirked cyma reversa, typical of early nineteenth-century
work. The shelf has a simply moulded edge. As this mantel
piece is of an elegance beyond the pretensions of the original
house, it is reasonable to assume that it came from another
building.
378
KELLY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-203 (Page 16)
Hardware: The front door nas an old cast-iron and brass
rimlock, and the previously-mentioned batten door on the
upstairs closet has wrought iron hinges; otherwise, hard-
ware is mid-twentieth century brass.
Lighting: No notable fixtures; all twentieth-century
incandescent.
Heating: Radiators, boiler in basement.
Site
General setting and orientation: Situated between Prospect
Street and N Street, this is one of very few residential
buildings left on the east side of 37th Street, facing the
new library of Georgetown University.
Enclosures: There is a high board fence around the rear
yard with gates at the north side of the house at the
rear alleyway.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick and concrete.
Landscaping: Much of the rear yard is brick paved, surround-
ed with ornamental shrubbery, and there is an Halianate tiered
fountain in the center toward the rear of the terrace. There
are also several magnolia trees in this area. The small front
yard has simple residential foundation planting.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
December 13, 1968
379
-
a
by
M 111.
" III
. NM
III 111
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-211
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
Address in 1969:
1500 35th Street, N. W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 89 Fayette
Street.)
Location:
The Convent occupies old Lots 149-160
in old Square 81 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now known as Lot 800 in
Square 1251 in the City of Washington;
old Lots 137-147 in old Square 82 in
Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now
known as Lot 800 in Square 1252 in Wash-
ington, D. C.; old Lots 1-5, 172, 174,
176, 178, and 180 in old Square 105 in
Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now
known as Lots 800-805 in Square 1275 in
the City of Washington; old Lots 1-5, 182,
184, 186, 188, and 190 in old Square 106
in Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now
known as Lots 800, 802, and 803 in Square
1276 in Washington, D. C.
Date of Erection:
Chapel of the Sacred Heart (earliest extant
building erected by the Convent of the
Visitation on the grounds) - 1821.
Owners in 1969:
Sisters of the Visitation
Occupants in 1969:
Sisters of the Visitation
Use in 1969:
Visitation Convent and Catholic School
for girls
381
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 2)
Significance:
This was the first Visitation Convent
and the first Catholic school for girls
in the United States. Each building of
this educational complex reflects the
prevailing style of its period of con-
struction. Represented are the Federal,
Classic Revival, Italianate Victorian
and twentieth-century contemporary styles.
Although no effect has been made to
stylistically unite the buildings, a
consistency of taste prevails.
Worked by Calharme F One Arademy of the Visitation. Georgelown D.C 17:00
"There was a stream, referred to in early deeds as 'the branch,'
coursing through the yard." Sampler showing the academy
in 1799 (Georgetown Visitation Convent)
382
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 3)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
As is the case with many other structures covered in this
survey, the property on which the Visitation Convent and
School stand, covering 35 acres, originally belonged to
Henry Threlkeld and then his son John.
1793-1816
In 1793 three Sisters of the Order of St. Clare, having fled
from France because of the Revolution, arrived in this
country and settled in Georgetown. (1) They were Marie de
la Marche (Abbess of the Order of St. Clare), Celeste la
Blonde de Rochefaucault, and Marie de St. Luc. (2)
The Poor Clares, as they were known, rented two houses on
the corner of Third (P) Street and Fayette (35th) Street
from John Threlkeld in 1798. There was a stream, referred
to in early deeds as "the branch, coursing through the
yard. Then, with a $300 loan from St. Mary's Seminary in
Baltimore, they bought the property in which they were
living and running a school with great difficulty. (3)
"The Poor Clares attempted to keep a school as a means of
support; but their poverty was so extreme, and their life
so rigorous, that the scholars were mostly frightened away."
(4)
About the same time that the Poor Clares were beginning
their exile from France, Alice Lalor, who later became the
foundress of the Georgetown Visitation Convent, was sailing
from Ireland to this country. Miss Lalor was not a fugitive,
however. She was accompanying her sister and brother-in-law,
an American merchant named Doran, and planned to return to
Ireland after her sister was settled.
383
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 4)
Miss Lalor had strong ties with her native land. She had early
devoted her life toward service to God and to her fellow man
and felt an emotional commitment to return home to Ireland and
continue her work. (5)
However, on the sea journey to America Alice's acquaintance
with two widows (Mrs. McDermott and Mrs. Sharpe) altered her
destiny. The three ladies discovered that they all wanted to
join a cloistered life. Shortly after they landed in Philadel-
phia they met Father Leonard Neale, S. J., who became their
spiritual counsellor and their friend.
The three ladies rented a house in Philadelphia, where they
taught school and lived a religious life. During the yellow
fever epidemic they nursed the victims. Father Neale barely
escaped death from the illness. (6)
In 1799, shortly after Father Neale became President of George-
town College, he sent for the three ladies "...and domiciled
them for a time with the three Poor Clares...who had set up a
little convent near the College (7) The three women boarded
there and taught at the Convent for several months before mov-
ing to a nearby house which Father Neale bought for them. There
the "Pious Ladies, " as they were called, opened their own school
which was hailed with delight by the Catholics of the neigh-
borhood and received solid encouragement from them." (8)
By 1805 the school of the "St. Clares" was no longer operating,
for the Abbess had died and Celeste la Blonde de Rochefaucault,
who had inherited the property, decided to return to France.
She sold the property to Father Neale for $4000 to be paid in
five installments. Records show that the last installment was
made through an agent in Baltimore in 1808. (9)
In 1805 the "Pious Ladies" moved into the house the Poor Clares
had owned and continued their school. Mrs. Sharpe (Sister
Ignatia) had died three years earlier, during the summer of
1802. In 1808 the property was deeded to Miss Alice Lalor and
"two Irish co-workers" by Father Neale. (10)
The property which was conveyed to "Alice Lalor, Maria McDermott
and Mary Neale" consisted of the entire Square of ground
laid off by George Fenwick in a plat called Jn. Threlkeld's
Addition to George Town
all that square or parcel of land
bounded on the north by Fourth Street (now Volta Place) on the
east by Fayette Street (now 35th) on the south by Third Street
(now P) and on the west by Gay Street (now 36th) together with
buildings (11)
384
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 5)
The deed describes Bishop Neale's provision for the use of the
property:
"
whereas the said Neale has established
on the said premises a community of Ladies
whom he stiles Sisters of the Visitation
of the Virgin Mary, devoted by voluntary
engagements to perpetuate a regular education
of their sex particularly of thoses of the
poorer classes the said Leonard Neale for
many reasons, him thereunto moving and partic-
ularly with a view of securing to the
aforesaid Community a suitable and sufficiently
extensive plot of ground to perfect its estab-
lishment and to carry into effect the afore-
said system and plan of education... " (12)
The efforts to sustain the school were hampered by lack of
funds, but the "Pious Ladies," employing stringent economy
and diligence, perservered. When Bishop Neale's term as
President of Georgetown College expired in 1808, he moved
next door to the Convent and continued to supervise and
guide its growth. (13) His support and friendship remained
a continual inspiration to the good Sisters which lightened
their labors.
1816-1861
The Convent was recognized in 1816 by Pope Pius VII as an
Order of the Visitation. Miss Lalor, as Sister Teresa,
became Mother Superior. (14) A year later Father Neale died
and was buried in the crypt beneath the chapel of the
Convent. Father Joseph Pierre Picot de Cloriviere assumed
the spiritual guidance for the Convent.
Father Cloriviere (formerly Josef Pierre Picot de Limoelan)
had trod a colorful path before reaching the United States.
He had been an officer in the Army of Louis XVI and when
Napoleon came to power, was a fervent royalist enmeshed in
a plot to assassinate the "Man of Destiny. The plot failed
and Limoelan was forced to flee for his life.
385
"The small brick building still standing today on the
north-western part of the Convent grounds dates from the
eighteenth century when it was part of 'Burleith,' the Threl-
keld estate; it is now used for recreational purposes."
(Photographed by David Blume)
386
Sir
Washington mar. 26. 07.
I thank you for the kind offer of the has mentioned
m your letter of yesterday. the Peach apriled which you saw at
Hepbern! was lost on the road: but I resieved with it from Noti
the same time a supply of the shones of the same fruit,
with are planted at Monticallo, and from which 9 hope to
raise some trees, the as yet 1 do not know their sump. show
these fail I will avail my rolf of your kind offer the next fall
or spring. the two peach has you propose, with very accip.
tables. , am endeavoring king to make a collection of the choicest
same
kinds of peaches for Monticullo. presuming you are attached
to the culture of frees, I lake the liberty of rending you some
Paccan nuts, which being of the last cream growth received from
new Orleans, will probably grow. they are a very fine nut,
and succed well in this climate. they require rich land. between
the two lober of the with Kernel there is a then pellicle, ex
austers α bitter, which it's necessary to take out before eating
nut. accept my calubations Tassurances of respect.
mr. Thalkets
Hilletferon
"On the grounds there are yet some of the pecan trees which
grew from kernels sent by Thomas Jefferson to his friend
John Threlkeld." (Photographed by David Blume)
387
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 6)
When he first arrived in the United States, in 1801, he settled
in Savannah, George, where his brother-in-law owned land.
There the young expatriate painted miniatures as a pastime. It
is possible that he felt guilty because of the part he played
in the attempt to kill Napoleon, which developed into a fiasco
resulting in the loss of many innocent lives. In any case he
became an ordained priest in 1812 in Baltimore, serving as a
missionary in South Carolina before coming to Georgetown. (15)
Father Cloriviere, as he was now known, was largely responsible
for the expansion of the Convent and the school. He not only
raised standards of the school, but contributed financially to
it from funds received from the sale of his property in France.
(16) This support was a particular boon during the economic
slump in Georgetown during the 1820's.
Gradually the Convent acquired more land from the Threlkeld
estate to provide for its expanding facilities. The small
brick building still standing today on the northwestern part
of the Convent grounds dates from the late 1700's when it
was part of "Burleith," the Threlkeld estate; it is now used
for recreational purposes. (17) On the grounds there are
yet some of the pecan trees which grew from kernels sent by
Thomas Jefferson to his friend John Threlkeld. Jefferson
wrote on March 26, 1807:
"Presuming you are attached to the culture of
trees, I take the liberty of sending you
some Paccan nuts, which being of the last
year's growth received from New Orleans, will
probably grow. They are a very fine nut, and
succeed well in this climate. They require
rich land. Between the lower lobes of the
kernal there is a thin pellicel, excessively
austere & bitter, which it is necessary to
take out before eating the nut." (18)
Under Father Cloriviere's direction considerable construction
was undertaken and the educational activities broadened. Be-
yond the existing elementary and high school program, which
was based on tuition, in 1819 the Sisters organized a free
school known as "The Benevolent School" (or St. Joseph's
School) for needy young children in the neighborhood.
388
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 7 )
That same year a wing was added to the infirmary; in 1821 the
Chapel of the Sacred Heart was dedicated; two years later, in
1823, a building for the boarding school was constructed. (19)
By 1824, however, the Convent was in such financial straits
that it narrowly escaped being forced to close. Relief came
in the form of advance payments for two pupils by their father,
John B. Lasaler, a wealthy merchant from New York. (20)
The school, known as "The Young Ladies Academy of the Visitation
of Georgetown, continued to grow despite financial hardships.
In 1828 Congress granted it a charter, approved by President
John Quincy Adams and certified by the Secretary of State,
Henry Clay. President Adams gave the graduation address that
year and recorded in his diary that at the ceremony he had seen
Wilhelmina (Sister Stanislaus) Jones, daughter of Commodore
John Jacob Jones, hero of the War of 1812. President Adams also
distributed prizes that day to the three daughters of Empress
Ana Maria Huarte de Iturbide, widow of Emperor Agustin de
Iturbide of México. (21)
The 1830 City Directory of Georgetown furnishes a lively
description of the school and its operation:
"He [Rev. Mr. Cloriviere] also reared a building
for the education of young ladies, better adapted
for the purpose that the one in which the Academy
was first undertaken. Soon after, the Rev. Mr.
Wheeler erected an odeum, or Hall of Exercises,
neatly executed in the Ionic style. The sphere
of tuition was enlarged by him, and an extensive
philosophical apparatus was imported and placed
in the odeum. The reputation of the Ladies'
Academy having brought to it more inmates than
could be conveniently accommodated, Mr. Wheeler
also enlarged the Institution, by adding a com-
pact building to the one erected by Mr. Cloriviere.
By this means the Academy is now provided with all
the conveniences and arrangements to be met with in
the best regulated establishments of this kind, at
home or abroad; and may lodge with ease 150 pupils.
389
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 8)
With the apparatus, the Sisters are enabled to
demonstrate the theories of many of the useful
branches of Natural Philosophy--such as Astron-
omy, Pneumatics, Electricity, Galvanism,
Chemistry, Chladni's Acoustic Figures, etc.
They have an increasing collection of minerals
and Hauy's Primitive Forms to assist in the
study of Crystallography. In the course of
studies pursued at the Ladies' Academy, domestic
economy is embraced, and made the object of
attention at the close of the literary career.
At the date of this notice, there are in it
upwards of ninety young ladies, from various
states of the Union. The Sisters never inter-
fere with the creeds of the young ladies who
dissent from them in religious belief. A
benevolent school is attended by the Sisters,
where they educate gratuitously three or four
hundred females annually, clothe sixty or
seventy, and afford a subsistence to thirty
or forty daily.
Parents or Guardians, designing to place their
daughters or wards at the Academy, may obtain
permission to see its accommodations once.
On such occasions they are not to be accompanied
by young gentlemen. Other persons are not to
expect this privilege, except they be personal
acquaintances of the Director, or known friends
of the institution. All visitors are to give
their names. Such visitors are accompanied by
the Director. In his absence, only ladies are
permitted to view the Academy, in the company
of two Sisters.
Mondays and Wednesday, between the hours of
10 and 12 A.M. and in summer between 4 and
6 P.M. also, are the only days allotted to
visits. At the annual examination and exhibition
only
parents and guardians who may wish
to witness the proficiency of their daughters
or wards, and personal acquaintances of the
Director, are admitted by personal tickets.
390
"In 1843 'Lalor House' fronting on Fayette (35th) Street
was purchased for St. Joseph's Benevolent School; it is
now a residence hall and guest house." (Photographed
by J. Alexander)
391
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 9)
The rules do not admit young gentlemen, even
should they be acquaintances of the Director." (22)
Further expansion occurred in 1832 when the east wing of the
monastery was added.
Richard Jackson, author and resident of Georgetown, wrote in
1878 of how the Convent grounds appeared to him when he was
a young man. He described the extensive buildings on an area
covering almost the whole square from Fayette (35th) Street
to Lingan (36th) Street and from Third (P) Street to Fourth
(Volta Place) Street. He told of the gardens and orchards
"...where are cultivated all the vegetables and fruits used
in the institution." He described graphically the lovely
grounds laid out in serpentine walks, around which the
ladies promenade for exercise." (23)
In 1843 "Lalor House" fronting on Fayette (35th) Street was
purchased for St. Joseph's Benevolent School; it is now a
residence hall and guest house. In 1857 a south wing was
added to the monastery. (24)
1861-1899
During the Civil War the Convent of the Visitation, by
practicing rigid economy, survived those difficult days. In
Divided Town Mary Mitchell, historian and author, describes
vividly the status of the Convent during the war:
"There was one institution, however, which
escaped federal confiscation, the Visitation
Convent on 35th and P Streets. General
Winfield Scott, retired Lieutenant General of
the Union Army, had a daughter Virginia who
had been educated there and afterwards became
a nun of the order. On her death she was
buried in a little cemetery within the P
Street brick wall west of the monastery wing.
392
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 10)
When Edwin Staunton, Secretary of War, pro-
posed confiscating the Convent, Scott inter-
vened, calling it 'a place made sacred by
the grave of my child'. The Secretary with-
drew his proposal.
In addition to the day pupils, there were
eighty-three Sisters living in the monastery,
approximately thirty boarding students whose
ages ranged from eleven to seventeen, and
eighteen Irish laborers and slaves.
"
the Sisters had been used to struggling
and scrounging for their support and existence.
This stern tradition. now stood them well.
They had learned to smoke their own meat in
a brick house at the end of the P Street wall.
They set their laborers to farming open pas-
ture. The Convent property included wooded
sections reaching west of a flourishing or-
chard where the Home for Nurses and the
Georgetown Hospital are today. From the woods
they gathered fuel, from the orchard, fruit.
"Roughly half of the Sisters were born in Ire-
land and may not have taken sides. The residue
were evenly divided between the North and the
South. All agreed that whenever a weary,
footsore soldier came to the door for refresh-
ment or water, he should be cared for. So,
according to Convent lore, they worked out
this solution. Southern nuns would feed
Johnny Reb, and northern nuns would take care
of Billy Yank. Whenever all were together,
it was understood they would never discuss
the war.
"Despite their problems and poverty, the
Sisters showed themselves to be tight plan-
ners and wise administrators. They husbanded
their funds derived from tuitions and the slave-
compensations paid out in March of '63, and
pulled themselves out of debt. Mrs. Mary
Boyce, a wealthy widow living at Montrose on
393
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 11)
the Heights, had held a mortgage on the Con-
vent for $5,000 since 1857. Early in the
Spring the Sisters paid it off and secured a
release from her (25)
After the war the Convent prospered and expanded. In 1873
the original school building was replaced by a large
building to be devoted to classrooms and administrative
offices.
In 1891 the building presently known as the "Lodge" was
erected as a laundry; it has since been converted into a
faculty-student lounge. A barn was built in 1895 and has
recently been remodeled to serve as a library.
1899-1969
In 1899 a fire caused considerable damage, necessitating
some major reconstruction. Additional floors were added to
the academy and monastery buildings at this time.
During the twentieth century further expansion and construc-
tion occurred to meet the increasing demands of the school.
A junior college, which was to exist for 25 years, was estab-
lished in 1919. In 1921 Fennessy Hall was built as a com-
bination residence and classroom structure. The gymnasium
was built in 1934. (26) When a tennis court was built five
years later, some clues to the early history of the property
were disclosed:
"While excavating for a tennis court foundation in 1939, work-
men unearthed what are believed to be the ruins of Burleith,
home of Henry Threlkeld, built in 1716
The
original
Burleith was burned shortly after the Revolution and another
house was built." (27)
During the Second World War the property of the Visitation
Convent became a very real part of the war effort. A housing
development was established on the grounds. Anti-aircraft
batteries were installed at the top of "The Farm;" a recrea-
tional lounge was set up and equipped by the alumnae for soldiers
who were on duty on the Convent premises.
394
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 12)
After the war the U. S. Government returned the property to
the Convent. In 1959 another classroom building, St. Joseph
Hall, was constructed to meet the increased enrollment of
students. (28)
Many historic figures have been connected with the Convent
and its academy. Among its students have been such well-
known pupils as: Mary Emily, daughter of Andrew Jackson's
adopted daughter; Pearl, President Tyler's daughter; Mary
Abigail, daughter of President Fillmore; Harriet Lane,
President Buchanan's niece; Mary Saunders, daughter-in-law
of President Harrison. Virginia, daughter of General
Winfield Scott, died as a nun at Visitation. (29) More
recently, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John
Kennedy, took her catechism at the Convent.
Prominent residents of Georgetown, such as Britannia Peter
(Mrs. Becerley Kennon), granddaughter of Martha Custis
Washington, attended school at the Convent of the Visitation,
as did many children of the diplomatic corps. As early as
1840 Albina, daughter of the French Minister, Count de
Montholon, was a student; and in 1852 the daughter of Count
Bodisco, Russian Imperial Minister, was a pupil at the Con-
vent. (30) The list is endless.
Commencement addresses have been delivered by speakers of
national stature, among them Presidents Adams and Grant
and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (31)
The Convent, oldest of the Order of the Visitation in
this country and considered the mother convent of twenty-
one others " has staunch roots in Georgetown. From the
time of its founding, the Sisters have distributed largesse
to the needy. The Convent consistently has been a source
of help to the impoverished of Western Georgetown.
At present, in the school's 170th academic year,
there is an enrollment of 321 students from twenty states,
the District of Columbia, and ten foreigh countries. (32)
395
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 13)
The Convent of the Visitation has played a prominent role
in the history of Georgetown for a hundred and seventy
years. It continues to flourish as an integral part of
Georgetown as well as the larger community.
References
1. Lathrop, George Parsons, and Lathrop, Rose Hawthorne,
A Story of Courage: Annals of the Georgetown Convent of
the Visitation of the Blessed Mary. Boston, Massachusetts:
Houghton Mifflin, 1894, p. 150.
2. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D. C.
from 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: R. 0. Polkinhorn,
Printer, 1878, pp. 226-227.
3. Naughten, Gabriel J., O.F.M., The Poor Clares in George-
town: Second Convent of Women in the U.S. St. Bonavature,
New York: St. Bonavature College, p. 67.
4. Same reference as #1. p. 150.
5. Same reference as #1. p. 146.
6. Alumnae of Georgetown Visitation Convent, The Convent Story.
Washington, D. C.: Georgetown Visitation Convent, 1965,
p. 1.
and
Same reference as #1. p. 149.
396
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 14)
7. Same reference as #1. p. 150.
and
Same reference as #3. p. 68.
8. Same reference as #1. p. 151.
9. Same reference as #3. pp. 69-72.
10. Proctor, John Clagett, ed., Washington Past and Present.
New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc.,
1930, Vol. II, P. 796.
11. Land Records. Washington, D. C.: Recorder of Deeds,
Liber U-20, folio 151.
12. Same reference as #11.
13. Same reference as #1. p. 152.
14. Truett, Randall Bond, ed., Washington, D.C., A Guide to
the Nation's Capital. New revised edition. New York,
New York: Hastings House, 1968, p. 369.
15. Rutledge, Anna Wells, "A French Priest, Painter and
Architect in the United States, " Gazette des Beaux-
Arts. 1948, Vol. XXXIII.
16. Same reference as #6. pp. 1-2.
17. Same reference as #6. p. 3.
397
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 15)
18. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Threlkeld, Washington,
March 26, 1807. Archives, Convent of the Visitation.
19. Same reference as #6. p. 2.
20. Same reference as #2. p. 227.
21. Same reference as #6. PP. 3-4.
22. The Georgetown Directory for the Year 1830. Washington,
D.C.: Benjamin Homans, Publisher, 1830, PP. 22-23.
23. Same reference as #2. p. 228.
24. Same reference as #6. p. 3.
25. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:
Barre Publishers, 1968, PP. 92-94.
26. Same reference as #6. pp. 2-3.
27. Same reference as #14. p. 369.
28. Same reference as #6. p. 3.
and
The Washington Post - Times Herald (Washington, D.C.)
June 1, 1958, p. B-17.
398
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 16)
29. "Sunday Star Magazine," The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.)
June 2, 1957, pp. 16-17.
30. Same reference as #6. pp. 3-4.
31. The Washington Post, (Washington, D. C.) June 4, 1964,
p. E-1.
32. Statement from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.
June, 1969.
399
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 17)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Chapel
General Statement
Architectural Character: This cream colored stucco building
is an unusual but not unpleasant combination of Ionic and
Tudor styles. It has a definite vertical feeling, both inside
and out, which contrasts nicely with the solidity of the
monastery on the south and the academy building on the north.
Condition of fabric: Good, well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 36'-0" by 46'-0". Three
bays across 35th Street facade. The building is three stories
high. There are four Ionic pilasters equally dividing the
facade and supporting the full-width triangular pediment.
Foundations: Brick foundation walls and massive arches in
the crypt.
Wall construction: Brick with white stucco covering.
Chimneys: None.
400
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 18)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The front entrance has a pair
of doors with four pyramidal raised panels and a
Tudor-arched stained glass transom light, surround-
ed with a wide roll moulding with a keystone in the
form of a Sacred Heart, all in stucco. This door
has been closed and is not used as an entrance.
Windows and shutters: Windows in general are fixed
stained-glass except the top windows on the east
facade, which are imitation stained-glass. The
windows have flattened Tudor arches and heavy roll
mouldings of stucco. The lower windows also have
keystones in the form of the Sacred Heart. There
are large pictoral stained glass windows on each
side of the altar bay.
Porches: None.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable; ridge running east-
west.
Framing: Wood (assumed).
Cornice: Wood; full Ionic entablature with bed-
mould, dentils, and cyma recta moulding.
Towers: There is on the south side a belfry, out-
side the original rectangle of the chapel building
but now enclosed within the monastery building.
The square tower extends slightly above the roof of
the monastery building and its upper portions,
originally wood, have been covered with brick pat-
terned stamped metal. There is a very low plain
wood railing and steep, slate-covered, four sided
spire.
401
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 19)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The first floor has the chancel area in the west
end with the altar in a three-sided bay. On the south is
the nun's seating area behind a screen of gothic arches, and
on the north, behind a wall painted to match the arches of
the screen opposite, is a small spiral stair to the gallery
above. This gallery around the north, east, and south sides
of the chapel is supported on four smooth Tuscan columns.
The crypt below has a single central tomb, brick-arched
burial vaults along the north and east walls, and several
graves in the floor.
Stairways: There is one very small curved stair just north
of the chancel area leading up to the gallery. It ascends
in a clockwise direction (east to west) along the curved
south wall of the stairhall to a pair of winders in the
northwest corner, and from there ascends in a straight run
to the gallery.
Flooring: Oak parquet, with white marble in the chancel area.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster. The general color is a
warm gray with white columns and trim, and gold decorations
and highlights.
Doors and doorways: Doors in general have four raised vertical
panels and simple moulded trim.
Decorative features and trim: The white and beige marble altar
is the dominant decorative feature of the chapel. It is an
elaborate Victorian gothic construction with reredos situated
in the center of a three-sided bay in the west end. There are
pictorial stained glass windows on each side, while over the
altar hangs a large painting, "Jesus of Bethany," an 1825 gift
402
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 20)
to the monastery from Charles X of France. A group of four
slender gothic arches forms a screen for the nun's area on
the south of the sanctuary and is repeated at the gallery
level above. The upper group of arches is repeated on the
north, while the lower level is repeated in blind arches
with geometrically painted infilling. The gallery railing
is made of solid panels. The ceiling is a shallow vault
and is also painted with geometric designs in grays and
gold. The plaster Stations of the Cross are early twentieth-
century.
Hardware: Simple late nineteenth-century and twentieth-
century brass.
Lighting: Modern incandescent spot lights shine on the
altar area and próvide general illumination; the hook for
an earlier sanctuary lamp is visible in the ceiling above
the altar.
Heating: Radiators.
Site
General setting and orientation: This building forms the
link between the monastery and the main academy building
along the west side of 35th Street. Its original entrance,
now closed, was in the center of the east side, and its
west end faces on the courtyard of the complex.
Enclosures: A continuation of the ornamental cast-iron
fence of the academy building runs along the sidewalk in
front of the chapel as well. There is no gate at the
chapel entrance.
Outbuildings: None.
403
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 21)
Walks: None.
Landscaping: Low shrubbery in planting area along the
sidewalk.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 19, 1969
404
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 22)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Academy Building
General Statement
Architectural Character: Built in the flamboyant Franco-
Italian style of the 1870's, this building unquestionably
dominates this block of 35th Street. It is a well-planned
rectangular building in which careful attention has been
given to symmetry and consistency of detail. Its even red
brick color and slate roofs contrast with the white trim
of windows, canopy, cornices, and dormers.
Condition of fabric: Very good, well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 110'0" by 85'-0". Four
stories high including top floor within mansard, plus full
basement. There are shallow projecting pavilions in the
centers of the east and north facades. The east elevation
has a great deal of shaped brick ornamentation in the form
of belt courses, water tables, quoins, and label mouldings.
Foundations: Stone under exterior walls, massive brick
arches throughout basement area.
Wall construction: Brick bearing walls, with much shaped
brick ornamentation.
405
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 23)
Chimneys: One, approximately 6'-0" by 6'-0", recently
enlarged.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The main front doors, set within
a deep panelled vestibule, have two glazed panels
above two raised panels, with matching sidelights.
Brick moulds in general are heavy rolled mouldings.
There is an elaborate wood-and-stamped-metal arched
canopy supported on scrolled brackets at the front
entrance.
Windows and shutters: First floor windows have two-
over-two double hung wood sash with segmental heads,
except those on each side of the entrance, which have
semi-circular heads. The central and south windows
on the east facade light the Odeon and are two stories
high. They have for the most part one-over-one sash
with diamond-pane leaded imitation stained glass and
semicircular heads. The windows to the north on the
east facade are connected with spandrel panels to give
the effect of two-story high windows. These tall
windows across the front are grouped three-one-three
and have ornate label mouldings and cresting. The
windows on the remaining sides have two-over-two
double hung sash with segmental heads.
There are no exterior shutters, but several windows
on the top floor retain the inside louvered shutters
original to the entire building.
Porches: Across the west front of the academy building at first
floor level is a covered porch connecting the monastery, the
academy, the dormitories, and the infirmary. This is a wooden,
shed-roofed porch supported on thin 12" diameter brick columns.
406
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 24)
Roof:
Shape and covering: Mansard roof over entire building;
bowed mansard at the central pavilion, slightly higher.
Steep pitch as hexagonal slates, low pitch has rectangu-
lar slates. Sheet metal hips and ridges with cast iron
ornamental cresting.
Framing: Wood trusses and heavy timbers.
Cornice: Wood and stamped metal; a heavy crown mould
with a broad, smooth soffit, supported by four different
kinds of brackets apparently made of stamped metal.
Dormers: Most of the dormers are composed of paired
four-over-four double hung semi-circular headed sash
with wood and stamped metal ornamental surrounds and
cornices, and painted metal roofs. The central dormer
on the east facade has four double hung sash - two
short ones flanking two tall ones - topped with a
central circular sash. The whole framed in elaborate
wood and stamped metal ornamentation.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: The first floor has an entrance vestibule in
the center of the east side, leading into a very broad
transverse corridor. Adjoining the vestibule on the north
is a small office, beyond which are two parlors, each of
which is divided north to south by the remains of enclosure
screens, only recently removed. Adjoining the vestibule on
the south is a similarly divided larger parlor, beyond which
is a room currently used as a vestry for the chapel and as a
display area for various articles associated with the early
days of the Convent. Across the west side of the corridor
are large classrooms, now converted to offices. At the
north end of the corridor is the very broad staircase. The
south two-thirds of the second floor are given over to the
"Odeon," a large two-story assembly room; the north end
contains the stairs, lavatories, and circulation space.
407
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 25)
The north end of the third floor contains the stairs,
circulation space, and two classrooms; the remainder of
this floor is the upper part of the "Odeon." The fourth
floor has, in addition to the broad central corridor, two
narrower parallel corridors. There are classrooms in the
northeast and northwest corners, many music practice rooms
along the outside walls of both small corridors, and a
block of storage rooms between the corridors. The basement
has an equipment room in the northeast corner, a snack bar
and storage rooms across the east side, and wardrobe storage
rooms across the west side.
Stairways: There is one stairway at the north end of the
building. It is very broad and ascends along the west wall
to a landing, then along the north wall to a landing, then
along the east wall to the floor above. The turned balusters
and heavy handrail continue to the top floor. In recent
years the stairs have been reinforced with steel beams and
the soffits replastered, but the later additions are unob-
trusive. There are plaster niches at the landings contain-
ing statuary.
Flooring: The corridors in general have oak parquet in a
basket wave pattern; that on the first floor also has a
new oak strip floor, but the original strip flooring re-
mains in most other rooms. The parlors on the first floor
have every third board stained dark, a pattern which is
repeated in the wainscot. Floors in the basement are
modern resilient tile.
Wall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster walls through out;
a few pressed metal ceilings in the basement and upper class-
rooms, acoustical tile in the Odeon, painted plaster ceilings
in the remaining areas.
Doors and doorways: Doors in general have four panels, the
upper two frequently filled with obscure glass. There are
large sliding pocket doors dividing the offices on the first
floor; there are similar doors with imitation stained-glass
inserts leading into the Odeon.
408
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 26)
Decorative features and trim: Trim throughout the lower three
floors is wide, somewhat flat, with a deeply undercut backband.
The top floor has a one-piece beaded flattened ogee trim. First
floor wainscots have a moulded cap on 3" beaded boards with
every third board stained dark. All trim in the office area
has been painted, but the varnished natural wood remains through-
out most of the building.
In the Odeon there is a very large mural on canvas, the central
figure of which is St. Cecilia. Painted by a Miss Shay in 1916,
this mural is hidden by the curtains of the stage platform area.
Hardware: There is much original brass hardware, distinquished
primarily by its simplicity.
Lighting: The main corridor on the first floor has several gas
chandeliers, probably original, which have been converted to
electricity. The Odeon has a very large (8 to 10 feet in
diameter) chandelier made up of both gas-burning candles in
groups of three on the upper branches and electric light bulbs
pointing downward on the lower branches. Electric lighting
has replaced all other original fixtures.
Heating: There are cast iron radiators throughout.
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the west side of
35th Street between P Street and Volta Place, the academy
building is the principal entrance to the Convent. Except
for the Convent and the Volta Bureau across the street, the
neighborhood is one of private residences, both free standing
and row-type, of varying ages.
409
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 27)
Enclosures: There is a cast-iron fence around the planting
area in front of the building and a high brick wall, which
continues around the entire complex, begins at the north-
east corner of the academy building.
Outbuildings: As there are approximately twenty other
buildings in the complex, it would be difficult to classify
any outbuilding as an adjunct of this particular building;
however, some of the earlier buildings on the site are the
monastery (1832), the chapel (1820), the infirmary west
building (1819), the dormitories (1829 and 1838), and a
small building, sometimes called the "Slave Cabin, " which
was on the site when the Order purchased it.
Walks: Concrete and brick.
Landscaping: There are simple low shrubs in the planting
area enclosed within the iron fence along the 35th Street
facade. Trees and lawns throughout the complex are very
well maintained.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 18, 1969
410
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 28)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
Slave Cabin
General Statement
Architectural character: This small, late eighteenth-century
brick building has been much restored in the present century.
Although it is commonly called "The Slave Cabin," it was
more probably the overseer's office for "Burleith," the
Threlkeld estate which stood nearby. It is now used for
recreation purposes by the students at the Convent.
Condition of fabric: Good, fairly well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 13'-6" by 23'-0". One
story high.
Foundations: None visible; brick assumed.
Wall construction: Simple brick bearing walls with irregular
bond courses, much repaired.
Chimneys: One recent brick replacement 7'-0" by 3'-0" on the
east end; contains an exterior fireplace as well as an interior
one.
411
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 29)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: There are two exterior doors,
one in the center of the south elevation, the
other in the center of the north. Both are made
with two thicknesses of vertical boards sand-
wiching a layer of building felt, all held to-
gether with wrought iron ornamental straps. Both
doors have wrought iron thumblatches and wood
bolts. The north is a single leaf door, while
the south is a Dutch door; both are in a state of
dilapidation.
Windows and shutters: There are two windows in
the south wall and one in the west. All have
six over six double-hung wood sash and flat
brick sills. They are all twentieth-century
replacements.
Porches: None.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable; ridge running east-west.
Modern concrete shingles made to simulate wood
shingles.
Framing: New 4" by 4" rafters at 24" on center, with
very wide sheathing boards. The original 7" by 7"
attic joists are in place, possibly rearranged in the
rehabilitation of the building.
Cornice: There is no cornice other than a plain 6"
board; the same is also used at the rakes of the
gables.
Dormers: None,
412
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. IC-211 (Page 30)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: There is one plain rectangular room with a fire-
place at the east end. The rood framing is visible through
the open beams of the attic level, which is not floored.
There is one door in the center of the south front flanked
by windows, one door in the center of the north wall, and
one window in the center of the west end.
Stairways: None.
Flooring: Brick laid flat in a basket-weave pattern, not
original.
Wall and ceiling finish: Walls are white washed brick; the
roof framing is exposed.
Doors and doorways: None.
Decorative features and trim: None.
Hardware: Both doors have wrought-iron thumblatches, wrought-
iron straps with heart-shaped ends, and wrought-iron HL hinges.
Lighting: None.
Heating: The rebuilt fireplace provides the only heat in the
building. It is a simple brick construction with a plain
board mantel shelf.
Site
General setting and orientation: The building faces south
across the tennis courts at the northwest corner of the
Convent property.
413
GEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT
HABS No. DC-211 (Page 31)
Enclosures: None,
Outbuildings: None,
Walks: There is a brick walk around the building, but no
access walks across the lawn.
Landscaping: Well-tended lawns surround the small house.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 28, 1969
414
EE
-
416
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-200
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3919 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(0 Street was formerly called Second
Street. The early number of this
structure is undetermined.)
Location:
The house is on part of old Lot 113,
Square 78, in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 806
in Square 1248 in Washington, D.C.
Date of Erection:
1860's
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupants in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Use in 1969:
Georgetown University Office for Student
Development
Significance:
The interior of this building has been
remodeled for office use without des-
troying the residential character of its
exterior and at the same time maintain-
ing its place in the street facade of
this block of 0 Street.
417
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-200 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1801-1850
In August, 1801 William Rhodes and his wife, Anne (sometimes
spelled "Ann" in the documents), sold Lot 113 to Edward Sims.
"
being the same lot which Elijah
Fowler purchased of John Threlkeld
and that said lot at the death of
Elijah became legally vested in said
Ann, his widow, during her natural
life and that said Ann hath since
intermarried with said William Rhodes."
In the 1800-1807 Tax Assessment records, Simms is described as
owning "one lot improved on Second Street," and his real prop-
erty was valued at $400. His personal property, valued at
$495, was described as consisting of "One Negro Woman, $150,
One Negro Man $270, Furniture $75." (1)
Dispute arose about the ownership of the property, because some
time before 1801 John Threlkeld had sold all of Lot 113 to
Elisha Fowler, Jr., but the deed had not been recorded within
the time prescribed by law. It was not until 1830, over twenty-
five years later, that Fowler's ownership was established by
decree of the Chancery Court of D.C.
By that time Fowler had died, leaving his estate to his wife,
Ann, during her lifetime and designating that after her death
his estate be equally divided among Rebecca Dogherty (who
married Arthur McCann), Joseph Clarke of Robert, and Francis
Xaverios Simms, son of Joseph Milburn Simms, Francis Simms
sold his third of Lot 113 to Robert Clarke, but this deed was
not recorded within the time prescribed by law, so the 1830
deed concerning Fowler's purchase from Threlkeld cleared the
title completely. This was done by citing John Threlkeld as
selling the property to Rebecca McCann, Joseph Clarke (of
Robert) and Robert Clarke as tenants in common.
418
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 200 (Page 3)
The 1830 deed was ordered by the court in order to clear the
title of the property which Edward Dawes had bought from
Fowler's heirs after Ann Fowler Rhodes died. According to
the Tax Assessment records of 1818-1819, Edward Dawes, who
owned adjoining property, owned a one-story frame house on
Lot 113, valued at $800. (2) However, it is not until 1824
that Dawes's purchase of Lot 113 from Rebecca McCann and the
Clarkes is recorded in a deed. Dawes, along with many George-
town citizens, suffered financial reverses during the business
slump of the 1830's. His Second Street property was placed in
the hands of the Bank of the United States to serve as security
against his debts. In 1843 the bank and Dawes sold all of Lot
113 to James R. Gates for $200.
1850-1905
In June of 1857 James Gates and his wife, Mary Ann, sold all of
Lot 113 to Patrick McCarthy for $700. Seven years later, in
1864, McCarthy and his wife, Julia, sold the easterly 20 feet
of the lot to John Hurley for $300. This is the part of the lot
on which the structure (3619 o Street) now stands. A few months
later John Hurley and his wife, Catherine, took a deed of trust
on the property, probably to borrow money for construction.
John Hurley died intestate leaving as his only heirs Bridget
Reed and three unmarried children, John, Annie, and James. John
and Annie, both unmarried, died intestate. Bridget Reed also
died intestate, leaving a husband, David, and three children,
Frank, Raymond, and Gertrude. James sold his interest in Lot
113 in March 1905 to his brother-in-law, David S. Reed.
1905-1969
In 1923 after David Reed's death, his children conveyed the
property to Dorcas Reed, their stepmother. During the next year
the house changed hands twice and was sold in 1926.
419
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-200 (Page 4)
Three years later, in 1929, the property was bought by Albert
Hamil who held it briefly before selling it to George Miller
and J. Fendall Coughlan. Georgetown University, acquired the
house in 1944, remodeled it, and has since used it as an
office.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1801
William Rhodes and
Deed August 27, 1801
wife, Ann
Recorded August 27, 1801
to
Liber G-7, folio 256
Edward Simms
1830
John Threlkeld
Deed March 18, 1830
to
Recorded August 31, 1830
Rebecca McCann
Liber W.B. 32, folio 81
Joseph Clarke of Robert
Robert Clarke
tenants in common
John Threlkeld made and executed a deed for Lot 113 to Elisha
Fowler, Jr., but it was not recorded in the time prescribed by
law. At Fowler's death, his wife (later married to William
Rhodes) inherited the property for her lifetime.
420
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 200 (Page 5)
At her death, the property would be divided among Rebecca
Dogherty (who married Arthur McCann), Joseph Clarke of
Robert and Francis Xaverios Simms, son of Joseph Milburn
Simms. Francis Simms sold his third of the lot to Robert
Clarke, but this deed was not recorded within the time
prescribed by law. The above deed was executed so the
title would be made good at law in the names of the tenants
in common.
1824
Rebecca McCann
Deed January 25, 1824
Joseph Clarke of Robert
Recorded March 3, 1824
Robert Clarke
Liber W.B. 9, folio 478
to
Edward Dawes
1830
Refer to Deed, March 18, 1830 - Liber W.B. 32, folio 81
1831
Edward Dawes
Deed of Trust February 25,
to
1831
Richard Smith,
Recorded March 10, 1831
cashier Bank
Liber W.B. 35, folio 141
of the United States
421
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 200 (Page 6)
1843
Richard Smith, Jr.
Deed September 22, 1843
Bank of the United States
Recorded September 27, 1843
Edward Dawes et ux Ann
Liber W.B. 102, folio 425
to
James R. Gates
1857
James R. Gates and
Deed June 27, 1857
wife, Mary Jane
Recorded June 29, 1857
to
Liber JAS 136, folio 437
Patrick McCarthy
1864
Patrick McCarthy and
Deed May 11, 1864
wife, Julia
Recorded June 10, 1864
to
Liber NCT 38, folio 53
John Hurley
Easterly 20 feet on Lot 113
1867
John Hurley and wife,
Deed of Trust September 7,
Catherine
1867
to
Recorded September 9, 1867
William D. Cassein
Liber ECE 16, folio 32
F. W. Jones
John Hurley died intestate leaving as his only heirs Bridget
Reed, John Hurley, James Hurley and Annie Hurley.
422
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 200 (Page 7)
1897
Bridget Reed and
Deed of Trust February 13,
husband, David S.
1897
John Hurley
Recorded February 16, 1897
Annie Hurley
Liber 2200, folio 161
James Hurley
all unmarried
to
Jesse H. Wilson
Levin S. Frey
1905
James Hurley unmarried
Deed March 27, 1905
to
Recorded March 27, 1905
David S. Reed
Liber 2907, folio 53
Bridget Reed died intestate, leaving three children, Frank,
Raymond, and Gertrude. John and Annie Hurley died intestate
and unmarried.
1923
Frank Reed and
Deed January 23, 1923
wife, Bessie
Recorded January 24, 1923
Raymond Reed and
Liber 4886, folio 104
wife, Marie C.
Gertrude Reed
unmarried
to
Dorcas M. Reed
(widow of David S.)
423
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC- 200 (Page 8)
1924
Dorcas M. Reed, widow
Deed February 8, 1924
to
Recorded February 8, 1924
May J. Johnston, widow
Liber 5148, folio 381
May J. Johnston, widow
Deed March 25, 1924
to
Recorded March 25, 1924
Rebecca C. Drysdale
Liber 5195, folio 58
1926
Rebecca C. Drysdale
Deed February 15, 1926
to
Recorded February 19, 1926
John B. Breneman
Liber 5711, folio 115
and wife
1929
John B. Breneman
Deed July 15, 1929
and wife
Recorded July 18, 1929
to
Liber 6349, folio 347
Albert W. Hamill
Albert W. Hamill
Deed July 24, 1929
to
Recorded September 6, 1929
George Miller
Liber 6368, folio 223
J. Fendall Coughlan
424
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-200 (Page 9)
1944
George Miller
Deed August 1, 1929
J. Fendall Coughlan
Recorded May 24, 1944
to
Liber 7972, folio 98
The President and Directors
of Georgetown College
References
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79,
Assessment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).
2. Same reference as #1. Roll 11 (1818-1819).
425
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-200 (Page 10)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: Originally a private rowhouse,
this building has been converted to office use in recent
years, completely destroying the interior, yet retain-
ing the exterior character of the two-story row of which
it is a part.
Condition of fabric: Good, well maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 35'-0".
Originally two bays wide across 0 Street facade, second
floor still has two windows, but first floor has door
and a double window.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame with stucco front, clap-
board side; ell at rear of brick.
Chimneys: One on west wall.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Door is mid-twentieth century
six panel "colonial;" casing is simple with a
pediment above, also mid-twentieth century.
Windows and shutters: One over one double-hung
wood sash; wood louvered shutters. All mid-
twentieth century.
426
SIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-200 (Page 11)
Porches: Brick steps with a simple iron rail at front;
two-story wood porch along east side of ell at rear for
its full length.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable; ridge running
eastwest; metal covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Bracketed victorian wood; hanging
metal gutter.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Because the building has been completely renovated several
times, nothing remains of the original plan nor of the
original decorative features.
Site
General setting and orientation: One of several houses of
similar scale forming the north side of 0 Street. No front
yard; ample rear yard.
Enclosures: Rear yard enclosed with wood fence; board gate
access to rear yard from street.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick and concrete.
Landscaping: Simple residential planting.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
December 6, 1968
427
E
428
311
to
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-196
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1311 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was 38 Fayette
Street.)
Location:
The house occupies the north part of Lot
67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 841 in
Square 1228 in the City of Washington.
Date of Erection:
Between 1805 and 1808.
Owners in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy T. Morgan
Occupants in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy T. Morgan
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
One of the earliest of the small frame
free-standing houses in the western
part of Georgetown, this dwelling main-
tains much of its original character
despite alterations to the rear part of
the building and within the house. The
two-story building illustrates the type
of dwelling frequently occupied by
artisans and proprietors of small business
enterprises, structures that were larger
than laborers' cottages, but less grand
than the homes of the Georgetown gentry.
429
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1805-1828
John Threlkeld sold the north half of Lot 67 in Square 58
to Daniel Bussard in 1805. Bussard was a leading citizen
of Georgetown and an entrepreneur in various fields. He
owned considerable property and was active as a land
developer and builder. He also owned and operated a
brewery, a tannery, and a distillery. (1) In the early
1800's with Mr. Renner he advertised in a Georgetown news-
paper, The Olio, "...have for sale at their store, High
Street, George Town: Loaf lump & brown sugar - molasses;
Rum of different kinds; Holland & country gin; Cherry
bounce; Wines - Madeira, Lisbon & Malgo, Port; Brandies -
Cogniac, Peach & Apple, Spanish; Almonds, raisins; Teas -
Imperial, Young Hyson, Hysonikin & Souchong; Coffee, choco-
late; Mould & dipt candles; Madder, soap, sig blue; Scotch
smuff in bottles; Chewing tobacco, Coarse & fine salt;
Shad & Herrings; Superfine Flour; Whiskey & tar by the
barrel; Firkin butter, Bacon." (2)
As a trustee of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church while
the revered Reverend Stephen Bloomer Balch was minister,
Bussard was responsible for collecting the monies for the
pews. (3) Active also in civic affairs, in 1826 he was
named to the committee applying to Congress for a charter
to build a Poor House with funds given by John Barnes.
Later he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the
Poor Farm which was located at the corner of what is now
Calvert Street and Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., where the Guy
Mason home now stands. (4)
Tax records for this period show Bussard assessed for:
"7 horses - $500; 1 old woman negroe - $60; 1 COW - $15;
1 carriage - $200; furniture - $200." (5)
430
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 3)
Bussard built the frame house on Fayette Street (now 35th
Street) between 1805 and 1808. In 1805 he had paid $100
for the north half of Lot 67, a price indicating there
was not a structure on the land at that time. In 1808
Bussard bought the south half of Lot 67 for $300, a bargain
since John French had paid $500 for the same piece of prop-
erty only two years earlier in 1806. The tax assessment
records for the year 1808 assess Daniel Bussard for Lot 67,
valuing the property at $800 and listing it as "improved"
(which indicates that the land was no longer vacant). In
1813 the tax records were more specific, giving Bussard's
Lot 67 a value of $850 and listing "2 single story frames."
(6)
1828-1841
In 1828 the frame houses were sold by the Bussard family
to Peter Hoover. Hoover was a butcher, who probably lived
in one of the houses and used the other as his shop. (7)
In 1840 the houses were sold at public auction by the
Marshal of D. C., as Peter Hoover had gone into debt and
been taken into custody and removed to Baltimore. Andrew
Hoover purchased the property for $1002 but sold it a
few months later to William Noyes, who in turn sold it the
next year to John Clements.
1841-1847
John Clements is listed in city directories as a painter. (8)
In 1847 Clement sold his house on the north part of Lot 67
(now 1311 35th Street) to George Neill and continued to
occupy the house to the south. A second story had been added
to the north house by either Hoover or Clements for the 1847
deed reads upon which stands a two story frame house
including the free use of the well and pump in said Clements
adjoining yard, provided the owner or occupier of the above
granted premises shall contribute one half the expense toward
keeping same in repair."
431
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 4)
1847-1852
George and Sarah Ann Neill held the north house on Lot 67
for three years and then sold it to William Jones. Thomas
Newman bought it from Jones and his wife, Martha, a year
later in 1852.
1852-1910
Thomas A. Newman was a shoemaker who lived at 7 Bank Street
and had a boot and shoe shop at 113 and 115 Bridge Street
(now 3136 and 3138 M Street). City and business directories
list Newman as having a shoe business on Bridge (M) Street
from the early 1850's through 1907. (9) George Battersby,
a confectioner, rented the small frame house at 38 Fayette
Street from Thomas Newman and ran his confectionery there.
(10) When George died, his widow, Ann C. Battersby, con-
tinued the family business at this address. City director-
ies list Ann at 38 Fayette Street through 1863. (11) Again,
in 1866, a confectioner, Mrs. Susanna Darnes, is listed at
this location. (12) Research has not revealed whether the
house was rented and used for running a confectionery business
during the remaining years of Newman ownership. However,
for over half a century it was held by the Newman family.
1910-1944
Celeno V. Jessup Newman, wife of Thomas Newman, survived her
husband. Thomas A. Murray, executor of Celeno Newman's Will,
sold the frame house to Samuel Artz in 1910. Artz was a
plumber who had a business at 3028 M Street and lived on N
Street. (13) He rented his house at 1311 35th Street to
Ernest A. Allen, who was living in the house two years prior
to Artz's purchase. (14) Allen operated the Aqueduct Photo
Shop at 3507 M Street and later worked for the Washington
Gas Company. After renting the little frame house for
432
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 5)
twelve years, Ernest and his wife, Catherine, purchased it
and continued to own it until his death in 1940. (15) His
heirs then sold the house to Lucien and Nayan Warner, who
kept it only two years during the World War II period. (16)
1944-1969
Charles Jesse Child and his wife, Fredericka Boyles Child,
obtained the premises in 1944. Fourteen years later the
present owners, LeRoy T. Morgan and his wife, Carolyn D.
Morgan, bought this early house. In the course of gardening
the Morgans have unearthed a great number of old artifacts.
At one time there was a small structure between the brick
house to the south, 1307 35th Street, and the Bussard-
Newman house. This was built by John McCauley, a cobbler,
soon after he moved in to the brick house in 1883. It
was used as a cobbler's shop and listed in city directories
as 1309 35th Street. (17) Now cleared, this area is part
of present Lot 835.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1805
John Threlkeld et ux
Deed October 9, 1805
Elizabeth
Recorded November 25, 1805
to
Liber 0-14, folio 27
Daniel Bussard
North half Lot 67--Consideration $100
433
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 6)
1828
Daniel Bussard et ux
Deed June 19, 1828
Catherine
Recorded July 1, 1828
David English,
Liber W.B. 23, folio 38
trustee
William Bussard et ux
Catharine
to
Peter Hoover
Conveys whole of Lot 67--Consideration $650
(Bussard purchased the south half of Lot
67 in 1808 for $300.)
Peter Hoover et ux
Trust June 19, 1828
to
Recorded July 1, 1828
David English
Liber W.B. 23, folio 42
Trust to secure purchase money
1840
Alexander Hunter,
Deed March 27, 1840
Marshall of D.C.
Recorded September 4, 1840
Peter Hoover
Liber W.B. 78, folio 450
to
Andrew Hoover
Recites that Andrew Hoover bought the property at auction,
11 January 1840, for $1,002 "...to make damages and
costs aforesaid out of the goods and chattels, lands and
tenements of the said Peter Hoover being found in his
bailiwick...' Refers to Peter Hoover, "late of George
Town in the District of Columbia, but now of Baltimore."
434
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 7)
Andrew Hoover et ux
Deed October 31, 1840
Sarah
Recorded March 18, 1841
to
Liber W.B. 84, folio 445
William Noyes
1841
David English,
Deed March 24, 1841
trustee
Recorded March 25, 1841
to
Liber W.B. 93, folio 187
William Noyes
William Noyes et ux
Deed September 21, 1841
Mary
Recorded April 25, 1842
to
Liber W.B. 93, folio 230
John Clements
1847
John Clements
Deed April 21, 1847
Edward M. Linthicum
Recorded August 30, 1847
Otho M. Linthicum
Liber W.B. 136, folio 262
to
George S. Neill
This and succeeding deeds concern only the northern
part of Lot 67, upon which stands a two story
frame house including the free use of the well
and pump in said Clements adjoining yard, provided
the owner or occupier of the above granted premises
shall contribute one half the expense toward keep-
ing same in repair."
435
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 8)
1851
George S. Neill et ux
Deed April 8, 1851
Sarah Ann
Recorded April 10, 1851
to
Liber JAS 23, folio 218
William S. Jones
1852
William S. Jones et ux
Deed October 4, 1852
Martha
Recorded October 8, 1852
to
Liber JAS 46, folio 163
Thomas A. Newman
1910
Thomas A. Murray,
Deed June 18, 1910
executor of Will of
Recorded June 18, 1910
Celeno V. Newman
Liber 3337, folio 235
to
Samuel Artz
Celeno V. Jessup Newman was the widow of Thomas A. Newman.
1920
Samuel Artz E wife,
Deed July 1, 1920
Emma J.
Recorded August 10, 1920
to
Liber 4417, folio 151
Ernest Allen
Catharine T. Allen
joint tenants
436
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 9)
1940
Ernest Allen died December 20, 1940.
1942
Grafton L. Allen,
Deed July 27, 1942
unmarried
Recorded November 17, 1942
Ernest W. Allen &
Liber 7811, folio 251
wife, Susie
Edwin P. Allen &
wife, Dorothy
Eleanor R. Allen
Helen C. Allen Zimmerman
Catherine L. Allen Mann
Delores M. Allen McMahon
heirs of Ernest Allen
to
Lucien Warner & wife, Nayan
tenants by the entirety
1944
Lucien Warner & wife,
Deed September 13, 1944
Nayan
Recorded October 6, 1944
tenants by the entirety
Liber 8021, folio 326
to
Charles Jesse Child & wife,
Fredericka Boyles
tenants by the entirety
437
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 10)
1958
Charles Jesse Child E
Deed January 23, 1958
wife, Fredericka
Recorded February 7, 1958
Boyles
Liber 10993, folio 499
to
LeRoy T. Morgan & wife,
Carolyn D. M.
tenants by the entirety
References
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 9 (1813-18).
2. The Olio. (Georgetown), 1802-1803, Newspaper Reading Room,
Serial Division, Library of Congress.
3. Journal of the Trustees of Georgetown Presbyterian Church,
1809-1830.
4. Jackson, Cordelia, "John Barnes, A Forgotten Philanthropist
of Georgetown," Records of the Columbia Historical Society.
Washington, D.C.: The Society, Vol. 7, 1904, P. 46.
5. Same reference as #1. Roll 9 (1813-18).
438
BUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 11)
6. Same reference as #1. Roll 8 (1808-12); Roll 9 (1813-18).
7. City Directory. 1834, p. 10.
8. Same reference as #7. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 3.
9. Same reference as #7. 1853, p. 74; 1865, p. 390; 1876,
p. 406; 1906, p. 863; 1907, p. 922.
10. Same reference as #7. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 11.
11. Same reference as #7. 1860, p. 162; 1862, p. 188; 1863,
p. 220.
12. Same reference as #7. 1866, p. 409.
13. Same reference as #7. 1910, p. 228.
14. Same reference as #7. 1910, p. 212.
15. Conversation with Mr. Edwin P. Allen (son of Ernest A.
Allen), 925 North Potomac Street, Arlington, Virginia.
16. Conversation in 1968 with Mrs. Sophie Warner Cousins. She
was born in Georgetown in the 1880's and was a cousin of
John McCauley.
17. Same reference as #7. 1883, p. 573; 1887, p. 578.
439
BUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 12)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural character: This modest wooden frame house with
a three bay flat wood sided front is one of several remaining
units of combination residence - shop on 35th Street.
Condition: The house is in good general condition. It has
been extensively remodeled on the interior and on the east
(rear), but the 35th Street (front) elevation maintains much
of its original character.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: This 2 1/2 story frame with full basement
faces west onto 35th Street between N and 0 Streets and the
South wall of the structure is approximately 125' along 35th
Street from the center line of N Street. The three bay front
of approximately 21' is set back approximately 14' from the
curb and the house is approximately 35' in depth.
Foundations: There is a very slight foundation exposure at
the front, and as the land slopes off there is full basement
exposure at the rear yard (east) elevation. Foundation
materials visible include both brick and stone. A special
feature of note is a hatchway at the west elevation that has
been filled in.
Wall construction: Wall construction is of heavy rough-hewn
wood frame with a stud framing infull. Joints are said, by
the former owner, to have been pegged. Siding is wood ship-
lap with vertical corner boards. This occurs only at the
west elevation while the north and south elevations have new
aluminum horizontal siding full height.
440
BUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 13)
Porches: Roofed wooden porches at the southeast corner of the
house at the first and second levels are now enclosed. There
is no stoop or front porch but there is a plastic roofed
aluminum framed sun porch at the basement level at the rear of
the house.
Chimneys: There is one brick chimney in the middle of the north
wall with fireplaces in the basement (original the kitchen),
first, and second floors.
Openings:
Doorways and doors: The west elevation doorway has
both a wood panelled door and wood Georgian-styled
door frame which appear to be mid-twentieth century
additions.
Windows and shutters: Windows are 6/6 double-hung
wood sash with plain wood trim. Shutters are of
two panelled louvered type but are obviously not
original. The marks of the original pintel hardware
are not visible and the shutter stops for the lower
floor appear to be original.
Roof:
Shape, covering: It is a medium pitched simple gable
with ridge running parallel to the street (north-south).
The roof covering is asphalt shingles.
Framing: It is said by the former owner to be rough
hewn wood rafters.
Cornice, eaves: The cornice is a simple wood pro-
jection with attached metal gutter and downspout.
Cupolas, dormers, and towers: There is one dormer
over the center bay of the west elevation with one 6/6
double-hung wood sash window. The window has a low
arched head and a pedimental cornice with a broken
horizontal cornice band crowning the dormer. There
is a large dormer with access to a rear roof deck as
a mid-twentieth century addition to the east roof
slope.
441
BUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 14)
Description of Interior
Floor plans: The house has a front and rear room with side
hall. The basement is entered from a stair at the southwest
corner of the house and from the rear yard and was originally
used as a kitchen. The first floor originally had a front
parlor and rear dining room. The second floor has a front
and two rear bedrooms with two baths added. The remodeled
attic floor has a front bedroom with dormer, a back bedroom
with large modern dormer and access to the rear roof deck,
and a bath at the southeast corner.
The entire interior has been remodeled extensively by suc-
cessive owners.
Stairways: There is one wooden stairway at the southwest
corner of the house cantilevered from the south wall.
Corner winder stairs occur at the southwest corner of the
second floor and basement runs, while the first floor stair
is a straight run. All the stairs run up from west to east.
The stairway has been remodeled several times as evidenced
by damaged newel posts. Both the newel posts and the
balusters are turned wood, and three different styles of
newel post are present. Additional simple decoration is
provided by quarter-circle-cut stringer angle blocks
supporting each tread.
Flooring: The two upper floors have random width wide
wood flooring, while the first floor has narrow width
wood flooring running in the opposite (east-west) direction.
Floor construction visible for the second floor is single
plank floor boards on 8" joists.
Wall and ceiling finish: Walls and ceilings are plastered.
Doorways and doors: Doors are of the simple wood panel type
with simple wood trim.
442
BUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 15)
Decorative features and trim: A window that might be original
is at the first floor at the south wall between the back room
and the enclosed porch at the southeast.
Walls have a flat wood baseboard but no cornice or chair rail.
The other trim is not noteworthy.
Notable Hardware: There are a variety of early and mid-twentieth
century items.
Lighting: There are a variety of twentieth-century fixtures.
Heating: Central heating with individual room radiator units
was completed about 1920. Fireplace treatment is of mid-
twentieth century date.
Site
General siting and orientation: The house is on the east side
of 35th Street between N and o Streets. The south wall of the
structure is approximately 125' along 35th Street from the
centerline of N Street. It is in a mixed residential-commercial
zone with both small houses and shops nearby.
Enclosures: There is a wooden picket fence painted white approx-
imately 8' from the west facade. The rear yard is fenced by a
wooden enclosure 6' high.
There is an old stable at the east end of the lot which has been
remodeled with additions to be a guest house.
443
BUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE
HABS No. DC-196 (Page 16)
Walks: The house faces on a red brick public sidewalk on the
west which is approximately 8' from the facade. A red brick
walk runs from the sidewalk to the front door.
Landscaping: There is a stone and brick paved yard at the
rear between the main house and the remodeled stable.
Prepared by: William P. Thompson
Architect
Historic American
Buildings Survey
June 1968
444
1406
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-209
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1408 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly known as 59 Fayette Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
110, Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 830,
Square 1247 in Washington, D.C.
Date of Erection:
Rear two-story portion in 1817; front
three-story portion third quarter of
the nineteenth century.
Owner in 1969:
Nan Tucker McEvoy
Occupant in 1969:
Nan Tucker McEvoy
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
The home of a colorful nineteenth-century
political figure, this house demonstrates
the successful integration of an earlier
structure with a later, more imposing
addition. The facade is a good example
of frame construction of its period.
447
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1816-1836
The land on which this house stands was part of John
Threlkeld's extensive holdings. He sold it in 1816
to John Bronaugh, another large landowner.
There was a two-story frame house, valued at $500, on
the lot during 1818-1819. (1) It seems feasible, there-
fore, that Bronaugh constructed a portion of the present
dwelling shortly after purchasing the property.
In 1819 Bronaugh, because of financial difficulties, had
to dispose of much of his property. Lot 110 was assigned
to the Clerk of the Georgetown Corporation. For the next
few years Bronaugh and his family tried, through a number
of trusts and loans, to hold on to their property. In
one of these transactions, in 1825, Lot 110 was used as
collateral for a loan of $720 from the Bank of the United
States.
Bronaugh's efforts, however, were unsuccessful. By the
1830's Georgetown's trade had declined and many property
owners were feeling the economic pinch. In August of 1833
Lot 110, along with some adjoining property of Bronaugh's,
was conveyed at public sale to the Bank of the United
States. Three years later, in 1836, Rebecca Ford bought
from the Bank of the United States all of Lot 110 as well
as some adjoining property.
1836-1869
Rebecca Ford is reputed to have been a schoolmistress. It
is not clear whether or not she occupied the house. In 1854
448
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 3)
she deeded the property to her daughter, Mary Rebecca
Bibb, wife of Judge George M. Bibb. In the following
year's City Directory Bibb is listed at 55 Fayette
Street, a house just south of 59 Fayette Street which
the Bibbs also owned. (2) Presumably the two neighbor-
ing houses were required to take care of the Bibbs'
seventeen children.
Judge Bibb was a well-known, colorful figure. He twice
represented Kentucky in the United States Senate. There
he strongly advocated the necessity for the War of 1812
and upheld President Madison's position in carrying it
on. Bibb also served in the legislature of Kentucky.
He became Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals in
Kentucky and later was Chancellor of the Court of Chancery
in Louisville. Bibb and Henry Clay were appointed in 1822
to plead before the Virginia Legislature for an agreement
to settle land claims. When their efforts failed, they
appeared the following year, 1823, before the U.S. Supreme
Court during a rehearing of the case. However, despite
the close alliance of the two men, Bibb did not support
Henry Clay in his bid for the Presidency, feeling that Clay
had no chance of being elected.
In 1844 President Tyler appointed Bibb Secretary of the
Treasury. Although he went out of office with Tyler on
March 4, 1845, Bibb remained in Washington for the rest
of his life, practicing before District courts and serv-
ing as chief clerk in the Attorney General's Office. He
died at the age of 81.
Judge Bibb is vividly described in The Dictionary of
American Biography: "He was a typical 'gentleman of the
old school', ever refusing to discard knee-breeches for
pantaloons." (3)
449
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 4)
Between 1865 and 1870 Mrs. Bibb owned considerable property
on Fayette (35th) Street and on Second (0) Street. Lot 110,
one of her properties is described as having a 60-foot front-
age on the west side of Fayette and extending back 120 feet
with "Improvements--3-story brick and frame dwelling - $1000."
(4) The third story refers to the front portion of the dwell-
ing added to the two-story structure by the Bibbs, presumably
to house their large family.
1869-1923
In 1869 two brothers, Joseph Libbey and John E. Libbey, bought
the property from Mrs. Bibb. Slightly over two years later,
in 1873, they sold it to Mary Jane McGill and her husband,
John D. He was the proprietor of The Georgetown Courier. (5)
The McGills used the property as security for a trust of $3600.
Trustees were Frederick W. Jones and Frank Libbey, who was a
brother of Joseph and John. On May 14, 1877 the property was
sold for $3350 for default of trust. It was purchased by
Joseph and John Edward Libbey as tenants in common. The Libbey
family maintained ownership of the property until 1923.
The Libbeys were a prominent Georgetown family. Joseph Libbey,
father of Joseph, John E. and Frank (and ten others too!),
started his career as a carpenter. In 1829 he established his
own lumber firm, Joseph Libbey and Son, on Water (K) Street
near Congress (31st) Street, " and thus became a lumber mer-
chant and built up a very large and profitable business." (6)
The Libbey family owned a great deal of property in Georgetown.
The two houses Joseph built on the northeast corner of West
(P) Street and Congress (31st) Street continued to be in his
family for a long time. He also built two houses on Congress
Street for two of his daughters. (7)
450
"The Libbey family owned a great deal of property in
Georgetown." Mrs. John Edward Libbey (Emily Frances
Orme) (Eleanor Cropley family photograph collection)
451
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 5)
Libbey's sons took over the management of the family lumber
yard. John E. Libbey started the Congress Street Methodist
Church in Georgetown. He built many homes, including three
for his children. He also constructed the house at 3053
P Street which President Kennedy's parents rented at the
time of their son's Inauguration. (8)
1923-1969
In 1923 Mary R. Libbey Chapin, Joseph's daughter, sold 1408
35th Street to Francesco Lo Bianco, a contractor, who lived
at 3034 o Street. He rented the house for a few years,
first to a painter and then to a laborer. (9) In 1930 the
house was vacant, but the following year, Lo Bianco and his
wife moved into the house and operated a real estate business
at the same address. They shared the house for some time
with George F. Hanowell, a decorator, who lived there and
operated his business in the building. (10) By 1948 the Lo
Bianco's were the sole inhabitants of the house, continuing
to maintain their real estate business in their home until
1954. (11) At that time the building was purchased by Nan
Tucker McEvoy who continues to reside there.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1816
John Threlkeld
Deed September 19, 1816
to
Recorded October 18, 1816
John W. Bronaugh
Liber AM-37, folio 20
All of Lot 110 (60 ft. by 120 ft. deep)
452
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 6)
1819
John W. Bronaugh
Deed of Trust April 3, 1819
to
Recorded September 25, 1819
John Mountz
Liber AW-47, folio 82
"To indemnify Jeremiah Bronaugh against all loss
because of his becoming surety on bond of John
Bronaugh "
1820
Tench Ringgold
Deed July 18, 1820
(Marshal)
Recorded August 17, 1820
to
Liber AZ-50, folio 77
Jeremiah Bronaugh
Sale of all of Lot 110 under writ of "fiere facias,"
which requires that a sheriff levy and make the
amount of a judgment from the goods and chattels of
the judgment debtor.
1825.
Jeremiah Bronaugh
Deed of Trust December 24, 1825
to
Recorded May 13, 1826
Richard Smith
Liber W.B. 17, folio 46
All of Lot 110 used as collateral to secure loan of
$720 from Bank of U.S.
453
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 7)
1833
Jeremiah Bronaugh
Deed August 17, 1833
Richard Smith, Tr.
Recorded September 20, 1833
Tench Ringgold
Liber W.B. 43, folio 487
(Marshal)
William W. Corcoran
to
Bank of the United States
(Corcoran bond bought when he was agent of Bank of
the United States, at public sale. Involved was
Lot 110 and adjoining Lot 100.)
1836
Bank of the United
Deed September 10, 1836
States
Recorded October 13, 1836
to
Liber W.B. 60, folio 183
Rebecca Ford
1854
Rebecca Ford
Deed December 28, 1854
to
Recorded July 24, 1855
Rebecca Bibb
Liber JAS 101, folio 156
(Later known as Mary
R. Bibb and Mary
Rebecca Bibb)
All of Lot 110 and adjoining Lot 109, also part of
adjoining Lot 100
Note: Later, Rebecca Bibb's title to property was proved
defective and new deed had to be procured from
Rebecca Ford's heirs-at-law to clear title. (See
Liber 705, folio 216, Deed Jan. 3, 1873, Recorded
Feb. 1, 1873.)
454
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 8)
1869
Mary Rebecca Bibb
Deed November 12, 1869
to
Recorded November 15, 1869
Joseph Libbey
Liber 601, folio 307
and
John E. Libbey
North part of Lot 110. Includes sewer privileges.
Arrangements include prohibition of any building
fronting on 35th St. from 22 ft. west of the
building line; also prohibits obstruction of
lights.
1871
John G. Ford
Deed December 14, 1871
Sarah E. Ford
Recorded September 10, 1872
Susan E. Ford
Liber 696, folio 287
Anna M. Ford
Mary R. Moser
Philip S. Moser
Elinor Ford and husband, Athanasius
(All heirs of Mary Ann Ford
under the Will of Rebecca Ford)
to
Mary R. Bibb (alias Rebecca)
To correct Deed in Liber Jas 101, folio 156. Involves
all of Lot 110 and part of Lot 109, adjoining. Rebecca
Bibb devised to Mary Ann Ford and Stephen Ford. Mary
Ann died, leaving as heirs-at-law: John G. Ford, Sarah
E. Ford, Anna M. Ford, Mary R. Moser, Susan E. Ford,
and Athanasius Ford.
455
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 9)
1873
Mary Rebecca Bibb
Deed January 3, 1873
to
Recorded February 1, 1873
Joseph Libbey
Liber 705, folio 216
John Edward Libbey
tenants in common
North 30 feet of Lot 110. Conveys all interest in
same terms as in Liber 601, folio 307. Corrects
error.
Joseph Libbey and
Deed March 26, 1873
wife, Mary R.
Recorded March 28, 1873
John E. Libbey and
Liber 715, folio 15
wife, Emily F.
to
Mary Jane McGill,
wife of John D.
North 30 feet of Lot 110 and part of adjoining Lot 100.
Consideration - $4500. With the right of water course
or sewer in and through north part of Lot 100 into the
arch near said lot. McGill to build sewer, keep in
good order and permit the owner of the other part of
Lot 110 to connect with sewer, paying reasonable
share for repairs, provided: No house or building
shall be erected nearer than 22 feet from Fayette St.
until after November 12, 1889, and that "No obstruction,
stoppage or darking of the lights of the house on the
premises next north of the above premises within that
distance of 22 feet from Fayette St."
456
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 10)
Mary Jane McGill and
Deed of Trust March 27, 1873
husband, John D.
Recorded March 28, 1873
to
Liber 715, folio 24
Frederick W. Jones, Tr.
Frank Libbey, Tr.
North 30 ft. of Lot 110. Trust of $3600, with four
notes of $900 each for one to four years. To Joseph
Libbey and John E. Libbey.
1877
Frederick W. Jones, Tr.
Deed May 28, 1877
Frank Libbey, Tr.
Recorded May 31, 1877
to
Liber 857, folio 157
Joseph Libbey
John Edward Libbey
tenants in common
North 30 ft. of Lot 110. Sale for default under
trust. Sale held May 14, 1877 for $3350.
1886
Joseph Libbey died
Register of Wills
July 20, 1886, with-
Administration 12-2406
out leaving a Will.
His heirs-at-law were
his children:
Robert Libbey
Mary Libbey
adults
Eleanor Libbey
Marcia Libbey
minors
Louisa Libbey
457
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 11)
Request for distribution
November 13, 1886
of all of Joseph Libbey's
Equity Cause 10282
property (including the
north 30 feet of Lot 110)
to be divided among the
children.
1887
Partition of Joseph
January 14, 1887
Libbey estate occurred.
Equity Cause 10368
Vested as tenants in
Docket 26
common with free title
to several pieces of
property, including
north 30 ft. of Lot
110, were:
Robert Libbey
Eleanor Libbey
Mary Libbey
Division of property by the Commissioners gave the north
30 ft. of Lot 110 to Mary R. Libbey Chapin. (The share
of the property that Robert M. Libbey received was
worth $1100 more than that of any other of the children,
so he was ordered to pay $220 to each of his four
sisters.)
Robert M. Libbey
Deed of Trust October 28, 1887
to
Recorded October 28, 1887
John Edward Libbey
Liber 1280, folio 351
Assigns power to his uncle for two years to care for
his estate--personal, real and mixed--to sell, rent,
invest, etc.
458
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 12)
1888
John Edward Libbey
Deed February 15, 1888
to
Recorded February 21, 1888
Robert M. Libbey
Liber 1306, folio 206
Uncle releases and conveys all of Robert's estate
--real and mixed--back to him.
1892
The petition for partial
May 21, 1892
"vacation" of decree dated
August 21, 1887 shows that
trustees have not yet sold
property and that Louisa
Libbey (daughter of Josiah
and one of his heirs-at-law)
died without leaving a Will.
Louisa's heirs-at-law were:
Mary R. L. Chapin
Eleanor H. Griffin, nee Libbey
Robert N. Libbey
Marcia M. Libbey
Heirs requested that real estate be released
from decree.
1895
Order to dismiss cause
July 15, 1895
of 1892 petition was
issued.
459
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 13)
1923
Mary R. L. Chapin
Deed March 10, 1923
to
Recorded March 12, 1923
Francesco Lo Bianco and
Liber 4915, folio 194
wife, Pauline Adams
joint tenants
North 30 ft. of Lot 110, now Lot 830. Pauline Adams
Lo Bianco died. Francesco married again. His second
wife's name was Ruth K. They became tenants by
entirety.
1954
Francesco Lo Bianco and
Deed November 30, 1954
wife, Ruth K.
Recorded December 6, 1954
to
Liber 10325, folio 265
Nan Tucker McEvoy
Lot 830, with water and sewer rights, which were
granted on March 26, 1873, still in force.
References
1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-1879, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 11 (1818-1819).
460
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 14)
2. City Directory. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 2.
3. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929, Vol. II, P. 235.
4. Same reference as #1. Roll 12 (1865-70).
5. Same reference as #2. 1873, p. 605.
6. Libby, Charles T., The Libby Family in America 1602-1881.
Portland, Maine: Privately printed by B. Thurston and
Company, 1882, p. 390. (Microfilm Reading Room, Library
of Congress.)
7. Ecker, Grace Dunlop, A Portrait of Old George Town.
Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, Inc., 1951, p. 218.
8. Interview with Miss Eleanor Cropley (whose mother was a
Libbey).
9. Same reference as #2. 1924, p. 942, p. 1789, p. 1893;
1925, p. 1956, P. 810; 1928, p. 1499, p. 2248.
10. Same reference as #2. 1930, p. 2107; 1931, p. 2247, p. 751;
1932, P. 2200.
11. Same reference as #2. 1948, p. 698; 1954, P. 83, p. 752.
461
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 15)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: Set back from the street more than
the other houses on this side of the street, this is a
pleasant two-story-plus-mansard frame house of the mid-nine-
teenth century. Apparently the rear ell was added to the
front block at an early date. Subsequent remodelings have
kept the house livable while retaining its mid-Victorian
appearance.
Condition of fabric: Good, exterior in need of paint.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 24'-0" by 26'-0" with a
30'-0" by 23'-0" addition on the rear. The front portion
has two stories plus a finished mansard story; the rear
portion has two stories; there is a full basement. The
facade is three bays wide.
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Frame and clapboard construction. The
35th Street facade has chamfered drop siding, while the
south side and rear have plain square edge clapboards.
Chimneys: One on south wall of front portion, one centered
in rear addition.
462
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 16)
Openings:
Doors and doorways: Main entry is heavily moulded.
It has chamfered pilasters, carved scroll consoles,
heavy ogee cornice with carved modillions, very
heavy bead around door and transom. There is a
two-light transom over double doors which have
two flat panels each, simple cyma sticking inside,
and heavy projected moulded sticking outside.
Windows and shutters: Windows in general have two-
over-two double hung wood sash except in rear
addition, where they are six-over-six; however,
these are twentieth-century replacements. First
floor front shutters have three flat unmoulded
panels; second floor front shutters have wood
louvers. All front windows have flat board surrounds
with shaped heads and a flat backband; flat wood
sills have shallow moulded brackets at each side.
Porches: Front entrance has six brick risers with limestone
treads leading up to a limestone landing, all of recent
construction. There are two wood screened porches, one
above the other, in the center of the south side.
Roof:
Shape and covering: The front portion has a mansard
roof with hexagonal slates on the steep pitch and
metal on the low pitch; the rear portion has a
metal shed rood pitched toward the south.
Framing: Wood, with ridge running north-south.
Cornices: Very deep wood with heavy brackets and
modillions, and a very broad overhang.
Dormers: Two over two arched-top wood sash have flat
wood trim with dog-ears, segmental-arched metal roof,
and wood sides. There are three across the front
(east) side and three across the rear of the main
block of the house.
463
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 17)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plans: First floor has entry hall at northeast corner,
living room at southeast, dining room west of both, small
porch to south of dining room, kitchen across west end.
Second floor has bath at northeast corner, bedroom at south-
east, bedroom west of first bedroom with small porch to the
south, another bedroom at west end with a bath at the south-
west corner. The stair hall runs along the north wall from
the front bath to the rear of the house. Third floor has
two bedrooms across the south, bath at the northeast corner,
stair at northwest. Basement is two large areas separated
by 8" brick wall.
Stairways: Main stair ascends east to west along north wall
to landing off which rear addition opens, then from west to
east to second floor of main block. Stair to third floor
repeats this pattern. Rear stair ascends from kitchen to
second floor in west to east direction with winders at
bottom. Basement stair is open wood utility stair under
rear stair.
Flooring: Random width pine, wider in dining room; same
painted black in middle upstairs bedroom; tile in baths;
vinyl in basement rear; concrete in front basement.
Wall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster, pastel generally
except middle bedroom which is dark blue.
Doors and doorways: Doors in general have four flat panels
with quirked cyma sticking, except on third floor where
they have shallow raised panels. There are very few modern
six-panel doors and glazed doors to porches.
Decorative features and trim: Living and dining room mantels
have been replaced with simple wood bull nose mouldings,
black slate hearth and surround. Second floor front bedroom
has an old mantel, possibly original, of simple design, un-
moulded except for a cyma reversa bed mould under the shelf.
464
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 18)
It has a hearth, surround, lining and unshaped jack arch of old
moulded brick. Doors and windows generally have a heavy moulded
mid-nineteenth century casing, a slightly narrower one of the
same period occurs on the third floor, and some newer doors and
windows have twentieth-century trim. There are no cornices or
chair rails.
Hardware: Twentieth-century brass, some lever handles of French
design in principal rooms.
Lighting: Electrified crystal chandeliers in living room and
dining room, not original to house, no notable other fixtures.
Heating: Radiators; boiler in basement.
Site
General setting and orientation: Situated on the west side of
35th Street, just north of 0 Street, this house has a very
deep front yard which sets it apart from most of the other
houses on the street.
Enclosures: A variety of wood fences enclose the rear yard,
while the front yard is enclosed by shrubbery and other
planting.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Front walk is random flagstone; side covered terrace
has basket-weave brick paving.
465
BRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-209 (Page 19)
Landscaping: The front yard is treated as a gravelled parking
court with shrubbery enclosure, while the entire rear yard is
covered with tanbark except for brick-edged planting areas.
A variety of flowering shrubs and fruit trees surround this
informal terrace area.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
November 20, 1968
466
#
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-210
"PROSPECT HOUSE"
LINGAN-TEMPLEMAN-STEELE-MORRIS HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3508 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 115 Prospect Street.)
Location:
The house is located on old Lots 30 and
31 and parts of old Lots 20 and 21, Square
33 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lots
802, 803 and 805, Square 1203 in Washington,
D.C.
Date of erection:
Between 1788 and 1793,
Owner in 1969:
Mrs. Patricia Firestone Chatham
Occupant in 1969:
Mrs. Patricia Firestone Chatham
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
One of the few free-standing, late eight-
eenth-century mansions remaining in the
western part of Georgetown, this Georgian
structure has been meticulouslyrestored.
Pre-dating the establishment of the near-
by Federal City, it has been continuously
occupied from the time of its erection by
families prominent in the service of their
nation.
469
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1788-1793
In November of 1788 the Revolutionary War hero, General James
Maccubbin Lingan, bought the original site of Prospect House
(Lots 30 and 31 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addi-
tion to Georgetown) from William Deakins, Jr. for the sum of
250 pounds "current money." In 1793 the General sold the
property together with all the Houses, improvements,
privileges and advantages thereto and thereon... " to John
Templeman of Boston for 1450 pounds "current money." It would
seem safe to assume, considering the sizable difference in
price (1200 pounds) over a period of only five years, that it
was General Lingan who built Prospect House sometime between
1788 and 1793. It is also interesting to note that nearby
36th Street was once called Lingan Street.
James Maccubbin Lingan was born May 31, 1751 in Frederick
County, Maryland, the second son of Dr. Lingan, and through
his mother, he was related to the famous Carroll family of
Maryland. He arrived in Georgetown as quite a young man and
immediately entered a tobacco warehouse business owned by a
relative.
In 1776 he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Continental
Army. He was wounded by a Hessian bayonet in the Battle of
Long Island, captured by the British at Fort Washington on
November 16, 1776, and taken aboard the Jersey, an infamous
prison ship, commonly called the "Hell" Although friends
and relatives close to the English court urged Lingan, while
he was a prisoner, to give his allegiance to the King, he
retained his intense devotion to the Revolutionary cause. (1)
470
"In November of 1788 the Revolutionary War hero, General
James Maccubbin Lingan bought the original site of
Prospect House
"
General James Maccubbin Lingan
(Smithsonian Institution)
C.
Jimes MAngin She following deedwas wow This S2, ofNovember
This Inden ture This Twenty occondiday of novembound Theyear four
Low one Thousand seven hundred and Eighty eight Between William Quatime Juniovo[s Hontgomery
County and Stateiof mary lond psthing opart and James Машивь Airigan of Throamo
County and there part Minefocth That William Peatrine
in Consideration of The oum of Two fund misty frounds Currentmoney Cohin in hand
By The saw James Maccubem dingon Thermipt whereof hudoth hereby acknowledge imd
acquit and discharge The saw James Maccu singan hath Given Granted Bargamee
frink of Therebith fully oatiofied and paid and Thereof and Therefrom doth hereby exonerato
bow aliched released interfed and conformed and Diphese prevents doth Give Grant Bar.
gam cell alien release. infieff and conform unto hm.Thead fames Manu 6lm Amigan
this hir and afoigno Soccer all Them Two Aotto or portions of Ground situate lying
and Bemg in Chifors Seter Deathy Threthets and Deatino Addition To Georg S Jown m
the Said addition So GeorgedSoun By Numbero Thirty ind Juity one and Bornda
Faomery County and states foresaud known Callu and distinguished on Sheplolo
1788 Deed between William Deakins, Jr. and James Maccubbin Lingan
(Land Records, Montgomery County Courthouse, Rockville, Maryland)
471
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 3)
At the conclusion of the war Lingan, now a general, returned
to Georgetown where he became a prominant merchant and a
most distinguished member of local society. He heavily in-
vested in land in various parts of Georgetown and in what
later became known as the city of Washington. In an offer
to President Washington, dated October 13, 1790, a number of
Georgetown's leading citizens, Lingan among them, agreed
" to sell on such terms as the President may determine to
be reasonable, any of the lands owned by them in the vicinity
of Georgetown. (2) On October 1, 1790 President Washington
appointed Lingan Collector of the Port of Georgetown. He
was also one of Georgetown's aldermen; one of the first in-
corporators of the Bank of Columbia; an incorporator of the
Georgetown Mutual Insurance Company; and a member of the
committee delegated to prepare and present an address of
welcome to President John Adams in 1800. (3) In 1801 President
Adams appointed Lingan a U.S. Marshal. (4)
In later years he moved from Georgetown to the "Federal City, 11
building a house on what is now 19th Street, N.W., between
M and N Streets. He had a handsome wife and children. (Mrs.
Lingan was formerly Janet Henderson, daughter of Richard and
Sarah Henderson of Spring Mill, Montgomery County, Maryland.)
He also had many friends and was prospering in business. (5)
All appeared to be going well for the illustrious veteran un-
til the election year of 1812. The General was a staunch
Federalist; he held a part interest in The Federal Republican,
a newspaper in which strong opposition to President Madison's
war policy was expressed. It was in defense of the newspaper
and the rights of person and property and the liberty of
the press that he met his violent, brutal death. When the
paper carried an anti-war editorial, the day after war with
England was declared (June 19, 1812), an angry mob destroyed
the building in Baltimore where the paper was printed. The
newspaper staff fled to Georgetown where they continued
publication. The next month General Lingan and others, in-
cluding John Howard Payne and General Henry ("Light-Horse
Harry") Lee, returned to Baltimore where publication was
resumed. They were attacked by angry mobs. The embattled
group of old patriots found refuge with civil authorities
who offered them the protection of the jail overnight.
472
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 4)
The building was invaded and General Lingan was stoned to
death in the bloody fracas. The frenzied mob chanted
"Tory! Tory!" as the General defiantly ripped open his
shirt displaying "the scar of the Hessian bayonet" and
shouted, "Does this look as if I was a traitor?" (6)
The General's body was buried secretly, a condition ex-
acted by the ringleaders before surrendering it. Never-
theless, on September 1, 1812, a little more than a month
after his death (July 28, 1812), he was honored by a
stately funeral, which was considered something of an
historical event in Georgetown. Despite an order that
no Army officers were to attend, the funeral cortege
was escorted by Major George Peter's troop of horses and
Captain William Beverley Randolph marched at the head of
his company in procession to Parrott's Woods, now known
as Oak Hill Cemetery. (7) General George Washington's
tent was erected for the benefit of the four clergymen
and other dignitaries, and George Washington Parke
Custis of Arlington delivered the oration. "Light-
Horse Harry" Lee, whose skull had been fractured at
the time General Lingan was killed, was too ill to be
present at the funeral and never fully recovered from
his wounds. (8) From the harbor could be heard the
"booming of the guns from a new ship, owned by Washington
Bowie, a Georgetown merchant [and an occupant of Prospect
House], and named the 'General Lingan."
The General's body was finally interred on the grounds
of his farm, "Harlem" near Foxhall Road. Almost a
century later, on November 5, 1908, his remains were
removed to Arlington National Cemetery where the grave
was giver a D.A.R. marker. (9)
1793-1858
The second owner of Prospect House, John Templeman, was
perhaps not quite so colorful a patriot as General Lingan;
473
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 5)
nevertheless, he was indeed an industrious and eminent
member of the Georgetown community. He was at one time
president of the Bank of Columbia and played an important
role in numerous civic projects, among them the completion
of the George Town bridge over the Potomac. On July 7, 1797
the Georgetown Centinel of Liberty gives credit for its
rapid
completion to the enterprise and perseverance of
that most useful and public-spirited citizen, John Templeman,
who gratuitously engaged in the superintendence of the work
at its commencement
(10)
When the new city of Washington was about to welcome
President John Adams, who would arrive to inspect the
Federal City in June 1800, the first Secretary of the Navy,
Benjamin Stoddert, called on his friend John Templeman to
help pave the way. In a letter written in Philadelphia,
May 29, 1800, Stoddert sent Templeman the following sugges-
tions on how to entertain a President:
"The Pres. will be in Washington by the time you
receive this or a day or two after. He proposes
to stay but a little while. I wish he would re-
main longer. This and other good things will
depend on the manner of employing his time. I
request, therefore, that setting Bashfulness
at defiance, you will urge the Pres, to go to
the balls, to ride with you in your coach, and
to get Mr. Scott at least to go with you. Let
the Pres. be pleased with the attention and
with the country.
I am resp. yrs.,
Ben Stoddert
Barring accidents, I expect to be in Geo. Town
the 14th of June." (11)
It would seem probable that in the course of President
Adams' tour, Templeman encouraged him to visit Prospect
House.
474
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 6)
Tax assessment records at this time assess John Templeman
for:
"Lot with dwelling House where he lives
to the river including the brick ware-
house
$12,000
Lot by the market
160
2 Nigroe men
300
2 Nigroe men
160
2 Nigroe women
200
1 Nigroe boy
80
1 Nigroe girl
50
3 Horses
200
1 Coache and chair
200
1 Cow
12
Furniture
500"
So the Templemans were well equipped to make the President's
Georgetown reception a memorable one.
Along with his other business enterprises, Templeman even
found time to run a store which advertised "Whiskey, Firkin
Butter, Linseed Oil and Flour. (12) Early land records
show that he often used Prospect House as collateral to
secure his various debts. In 1801 his " real property
in George Town" was used " to secure performance of a
certain contract to deliver at the Navy Yard a certain
quantity of Ship Timber " In 1807 a mortgage to
secure a debt to the Bank of Columbia " mentions that
Prospect House was then in the occupation of Wash-
ington Bowie " who was described by the Annapolis Gazette
in
1810 as one of the wealthiest and most public-
spirited citizens of George Town " Bowie was considered
a "merchant prince" among shipping merchants, and his firm
of Bowie and Kurtz was well-known abroad. He was vestry-
man of St. John's Church in Georgetown and a director of
the Bank of Columbia. (13)
475
AID
Prospect House with its raised flat roof before restoration
(Library of Congress)
476
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 7)
1858-1868
Nevertheless, John Templeman's wife and descendants continued
to own Prospect House until 1858 when it was sold for a little
less than $5000 to Thomas T. Mann, who is listed in the City
Directory of that year as a medical doctor living at 115
Prospect Street. This is the first indication of the use of
house numbers for this property. In the 1853 issue of the
Washington and Georgetown Directory, Mrs. Templeman is listed
as living on the "south side Prospect, extreme west, George-
town." (14)
Dr. Mann held the property for only two years before selling
it to William Templeton. A year later, in December of 1861,
William H. Whiton, an employee in the War Department's Office
of Military Railways, bought Prospect House from Templeton.
Three months earlier, in mid-August, Washington's Evening
Star had reported the completion of the elaborate addition
and 'octagonal protuberance', in other words, a gazebo
to the mansion. Other alterations may have been made previous
to this, for Mary Mitchell in Divided Town notes: "In the
Fifties (1850), it was quite the thing to raise rooflines.
That of 3508 Prospect must have been raised about then to the
squarish shape
(Today its roof is again pitched, so
that sometime between the Civil War and today it has been
restored to the lines it had
when built.)
During the Civil War General Whiton shared the house with
General D. C. McCallum, who, like Whiton, was a railway
and bridge engineer in the Union Army. They were also
together in the final year of the war with Sherman on
his march through Atlanta to the sea (15) The property
was sold in 1868 to the Steele family, whose members and
descendants remained in possession of the house until 1942.
1868-1930
Franklin Steele, a local merchant, and his wife, Annie, had
eight children. She was a granddaughter of Commodore Joshua
Barney, an outstanding naval officer in both the American
477
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 8)
revolution and the War of 1812. Their daughter, Mary Chase
Steele, married George Upham Morris, another noted naval officer
who, when only a lieutenant, was left in charge of the ill-fated
Cumberland during its bloody battle with the Confederate iron-
clad Merrimac. "The Merrimac fired on the Cumberland, doing
great damage, while the Cumberland's guns were ineffective
against her steel-plated adversary. Merrimac rammed the Cumber-
land, opening a large hole, and then backed out to fire some
more. In response to a demand for surrender, Lt. Morris
defiantly answered 'Never! I'll sink alongside. Although
the Cumberland had to be abandoned and there were nearly five
hundred casualties, Lt. Morris survived the conflict, returned
to Prospect House and later became a commodore. (16) He died
at Jordan Alum Springs, Virginia on August 15, 1875. His
funeral was held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown
and he was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. (17)
After her husband's death Mary Steele Morris continued to live
at Prospect House, having acquired a seven-eighths interest
in it from her brothers and sisters after her mother died
intestate in 1881. Mrs. Morris was well-known in the neighbor-
hood as an ardent spiritualist and legend has it that "...she
invoked the shades of many departed relatives and friends dur-
ing her lifetime....' Obviously Mrs. Morris' thoughts were
centered more on another world rather than her surroundings;
Rider's Washington: A Guide Book for Travelers, dated 1924,
comments that the ...stately Steele-Morris House was fast
going to decay Mrs. Morris attributed this in part to
the construction activities for the Capital Traction Company's
new building, which were weakening the foundation of her house
and causing it to collapse. (18)
1930-1942
Fortunately, the house was still standing when Mrs. Morris
died in 1930. She had willed her share of the property to
the First Spiritualist Church of Washington, D.C. However,
through Mrs. Morris' nephew, Capt. Edward B. McCauley (the
son of Frances Steele McCauley), Prospect House was soon
restored to the Steele-Morris family.
478
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 9)
Capt. McCauley and his wife gained full ownership in 1934
and immediately started extensive renovation of the house
with the help of architect James W. Adams. It was consid-
ered one of the most historic and most handsome houses to
be shown on the annual Georgetown House Tour of 1935. (19)
Capt. McCauley, who served with the Maritime Commission,
was a prominent figure in Washington society, and he and
his wife entertained often and brillantly at Prospect
House
" They are reported to have regaled their guests
"...with the latest stories of the ghost who walked in
their house. 'The ghost, if there is one, is my aunt, "
Capt. McCauley once observed. 'This was her home for
many years. She has my permission to make a return visit
any time she pleases. (20)
1942-1945
In 1942 the McCauley's moved from Washington and sold the
house to Sidney A. Mitchell, a millionaire New York invest-
ment banker, one of many "dollar-a-year" men who came to
serve with the Federal government during World War II.
1945-1951
In 1945 Mr. Mitchell returned to New York and the house was
purchased by Mrs. Josephine Ogden Forrestal, wife of the
Honorable James E. Forrestal, then Secretary of the Navy
and later the first Secretary of Defense. After his tragic
death on May 12, 1949, the house was leased from Mrs.
Forrestal by the U.S. Government for use by the Department
of State as a "guest house" for foreigh dignitaries, while
President and Mrs. Truman occupied Blair House.
From 1949 to 1951 this great house once again welcomed
distinguished and eminent men, among them the Shah of Iran,
the President of France, M. Vincent Auriol, and several
presidents of South American countries. (21) (22)
479
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 10)
And according to a most unflattering newspaper account,
dated June 11, 1950, the Washington Times-Herald, an
an incessant foe of the Department of State and its
Secretary, Dean Acheson, accused the State Department of
staging "propaganda parties" at Prospect House "at the
taxpayers expense" "to 'soften up' Congress." "For many
weeks," the reporter, Willard Edwards, stated:
"Secretary Acheson and a corps of assistant
secretaries have been inviting groups of
senators and representatives to drink and
make merry in one of the capital's show
places. The public pays the bill for these
entertainments Despite the fact that
scores of congressmen and their secretaries
have attended the weekly parties, they re-
mained a dark secret. The gatherings had
a faint resemblance to stag entertainments
'for men only', featuring liquor and feminine
companionship as well as honeyed words from
back-slapping diplomats. Most Congressmen,
it seemed, were shame-faced about their
attendance."
The reporter continued on harshly that some of the
congressional guests would demand an inquiry into
this use of government money to propagandize Congress "
Nevertheless, Prospect House itself received enormous
praise:
"
[it] occupies one of the most picturesque
sites in Washington. A huge, three-story
structure, it sits on the Georgetown bluffs
overlooking the Potomac. It has great lawns
and gardens, is famous for its flower beds,
has a butler and staff, and is famous for
what the society editors call 'elegant enter-
tainment.' "
480
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 11)
1951-1969
In 1951 Mrs. Forrestal sold Prospect House to the Honorable
Thurmond Chatham, a member of Congress from North Carolina.
He and Mrs. Chatham, the former Patricia Firestone of York
County, Pennsylvania, handsomely and carefully restored the
house and grounds. After Mr. Chatham's death in February 1957
Mrs. Chatham remained at Prospect House. She is its present
owner and occupant.
Discussions are presently underway for the sale of this 22-
room mansion to the U.S. Government for use as a 'think center'
--a place " where top minds in the government retreat for
brainstorming sessions." (23)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1788
William Deakins, Jr.
Deed November 22, 1788
of Montgomery
Recorded November 22, 1788
County and State
Liber D-4, folio 148
of Maryland
Land Records
to
Montgomery County, Maryland
James Maccubbin Lingan,
of the same County and
State of the other part
Lots 30 and 31
Consideration - 250 pounds
481
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 12)
1793
James Maccubbin Lingan,
Deed March 29, 1793
of George Towne
Recorded March 29, 1793
to
Liber A-1, folio 200
John Templeman, Esquire,
of Boston
Lots 30 and 31 "...together with all the Houses,
improvements, privileges and advantages thereto
or thereon."
Consideration - 1450 pounds
1794
William Deakins, Jr.
Deed July 26, 1794
and wife, Jane
Recorded July 27, 1794
to
Liber B-2, folio 64
John Templeman
Lots 20 and 21
Consideration - 372 pounds
1801
John Templeman
Deed in Trust January 1, 1801
to
Recorded January 26, 1801
William Marbury,
Liber F-6, folio 183
Naval Agent of U.S.
"...to secure performance of a certain contract
made by said Templeman and Edward McCarthy."
482
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 13)
1805
William Marbury
Release of Trust January 1, 1801
Naval Agent of U.S.
Recorded April 22, 1805
to
Liber M-12, folio 275
John Templeman
"
to deliver at the Navy Yard a certain
quantity of Ship Timber that the said John
Templeman for the better securing the per-
formance of every part of said Contract and
for the sum of fifteen thousand dollars to
them advanced and paid on account of the said
Contract shall execute a Deed of Conveyance
of the Real Property of the said John Temple-
man in George Town..."
1807
John Templeman and
Deed in Trust March 5, 1807
wife, Mahitable
Recorded November 28, 1807
to
Liber S-18, folio 349
Walter Smith, Tr.,
Cashier, Bank of The United States
Lots 20, 21, 30 and 31. "...to secure debt to
Bank of Columbia.
Upon which said lots is the
dwelling of the said Templeman and now in the
occupation of Washington Bowie."
483
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 14)
1809
John Templeman and
Deed of Trust March 31, 1809
wife, Mahitable
Recorded April 9, 1810
to
Liber Y-24, folio 121
Walter Smith, Tr.,
Cashier, Bank of The United States
Lots 20, 21, 30 and 31. "...to hold in trust and
in default to sell and pay debts."
1825
Walter Smith, Tr.
Trust December 14, 1825
John Threlkeld
Recorded December 30, 1825
Nathaniel Frye, Jr.,
Liber W.B. 14, folio 451
President, Bank of Columbia
to
Richard Smith, Tr.
Cashier of Bank of The United States
Lots 20, 21, 30 and 31. ..fronting 120 feet
on Bridge Street, 244 feet on Fayette Street,
and 120 feet on Prospect Street, with brick
dwelling houses and stable."
1838
Bank of The United States
Deed in Trust January 29, 1838
to
Recorded March 8, 1838
Richard Smith, Tr.
Liber W.B. 67, folio 48
Cashier of Bank of the
United States
"In trust...to sell and convey."
484
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 15)
1845
Richard Smith, Tr.
Deed August 9, 1839
Cashier of Bank of the
Recorded May 13, 1845
United States
Liber W.B. 116, folio 222
William L. Nicholls
to
John Miller, Tr. under
deed from John Templeman,
September 22, 1839
"Together with the two story brick house and other
buildings."
1858
Charles S. Wallach, Tr.
Deed April 15, 1858
to
Recorded April 22, 1858
Thomas T. Mann
Liber JAS 153, folio 140
Charles S. Wallach was appointed trustee
under Decree in Equity (May 26, 1856),
Richard W. Templeman and Annie W. Templeman
vs. John Miller and Mary Templeman et al,
widow and heirs-at-law of George Temple-
man, deceased.
Property sold October 9, 1856 for $4925.
1860
Thomas T. Mann and
Deed September 11, 1860
wife, Henrietta
Recorded September 12, 1860
to
Liber JAS 193, folio 450
William C. Templeton
485
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 16)
1861
William C. Templeton
Deed December 24, 1861
and wife, Eliza
Recorded February 15, 1862
to
Liber JAS 217, folio 6
William H. Whiton
1864
William C. Templeton
Deed July 26, 1864
and wife, Eliza
Recorded October 10, 1864
to
Liber NCT 47, folio 277
William H. Whiton
1868
William H. Whiton
Deed June 10, 1868
and wife, Sarah
Recorded July 14, 1868
to
Liber D-11, folio 320
Annie E. Steele (wife
of Franklin Steele)
1881
Annie E. Steele died intestate January 21, 1881, leaving
eight surviving children:
Mary C. Morris, widow of George U.
Katherine B. Steele
Rosa P. Vincent, wife of Charles
Frances McCauley, wife of Edward
Sarah S. Wiltse, wife of Gilbert C.
Caroline H. Addison, wife of Arthur
Franklin Steele
William E. Steele
486
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 17)
1882
Sarah S. Wiltse et vir
Deed August 16, 1882
Gilbert C.
Recorded April 5, 1883
to
Liber 1033, folio 333
Mary C. Morris
"1/8 interest in the property"
Frances McCauley et vir
Deed December 6, 1882
Edward
Recorded April 5, 1883
to
Liber 1033, folio 334
Mary C. Morris
"1/8 interest in the property"
Franklin Steele et ux
Deed February 19, 1882
Kathleen E.
Recorded April 5, 1883
to
Liber 1033, folio 336
Mary C. Morris
"1/8 interest in the property"
1885
William E. Steele
Deed March 13, 1885
et ux Jessie T.
Recorded April 2, 1886
to
Liber 1178, folio 24
Mary C. Morris
"1/8 interest in the property"
487
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 18)
Rosa P. Vincent
Deed June 3, 1885
to
Recorded April 2, 1886
Mary C. Morris
Liber 1178, folio 26
"1/8 interest in the property"
1886
Katherine B. Steele Appleby
Deed October 7, 1886
et vir George F.
Recorded October 16, 1886
to
Liber 1345, folio 150
Mary C. Morris
"1/8 interest in the property"
Mary C. Morris now has 7/8 interest in the property
and Caroline H. Addison, wife of Arthur D. Addison,
has 1/8 interest.
1930
Mary C. Morris died June
Will July 20, 1926
25, 1930, leaving her
Probated May 21, 1931
share (7/8) of the prop-
Will Book 171, page 98
erty to the First Spirit-
ualist Church of Washington,
D.C.
1931
Trustees of the First
Deed June 10, 1931
Spiritualist
Recorded June 13, 1931
Church of Washington, D.C.
Liber 6566, folio 433
to
Caroline H. Addison
488
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 19)
1934
American Security and Trust
Deed May 16, 1934
Co., Administrator of
Recorded May 18, 1934
Estate of Mary C. Morris
Liber 6797, folio 264
and Caroline H. Addison
to
Edward McCauley, Jr.
et ux Jean Oliver,
joint tenants
Consideration - $27,000
1942
Edward McCauley and
Deed October 30, 1942
wife, Jean Oliver,
Recorded November 4, 1942
tenants by entirety
Liber 7808, folio 17
to
Sidney A. Mitchell
1945
Sidney A. Mitchell and
Deed February 15, 1945
wife, Mary Addison
Recorded February 23, 1945
to
Liber 8073, folio 451
Josephine Ogden Forrestal
1951
Josephine Ogden Forrestal
Deed. July 3, 1951
to
Recorded July 11, 1951
Bladen J. Darneille, Vice
Liber 9509, folio 331
Pres. of Maryland Trust
Co. of Baltimore
489
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 20)
Bladen J. Darneille
Deed July 10, 1951
to
Recorded July 11, 1951
Thurmond Chatham and
Liber 9509, folio 334
wife, Patricia Firestone,
tenants by entirety
1957
Mr. Chatham died in
Will July 9, 1952
February 1957, leaving
Probated April 5, 1957
property to his wife.
Will Book 493, page 310
References
1. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,
D.C.: The Society, Vol. 13, 1910, pp. 1-48.
2. Bryan, Wilhelmus Bogart, History of the National Capital,
1790-1814. New York, New York: Macmillan, 1916, Vol. 1,
p. 109.
3. Same reference as #2. pp. 96-348.
4. Same reference as #1. Vol. 5, p. 260.
490
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 21)
5. Genealogical Papers - James Maccubbin Lingan. Washington,
D.C.: Records of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
6. Ridgely, Helen W., Historic Graves of Maryland and the
District of Columbia. New York, New York: Grafton Press,
1908, pp. 250-251.
7. Records of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland,
Baltimore, Maryland.
8. Same reference as #6. PP. 250-251.
9. Same reference as #2. Vol. 2, PP. 134-135.
10. The Centinel of Liberty and Georgetown Advocate. July
7, 1797.
11. Letter from Benjamin Stoddert, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
to John Templeman, George Town, May 29, 1800. Manuscript
Room, Library of Congress.
12. Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) April 18, 1953.
13. National Intelligencer. March 29, 1809.
14. City Directory. 1953, p. 98; 1958 (Georgetown Section),
p. 454.
15. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts: Barre
Publishers, 1968, P. 36 and p. 54.
491
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 22)
16. Maclay, Edgar S., A History of the United States Navy.
New York, New York: Appleton, 1895, PP. 288 ff.
17. Obituary of George Upham Morris, The Evening Star
(Washington, D.C.) August 19, 1875.
18. Promenade Magazine (New York, New York). April, 1950.
19. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) April 7, 1935.
20. Same reference as #16.
21. The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.) July 4, 1951.
22. Who's Who In America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis
Company, 1950-1951, Vol. 26, p. 1915.
23. The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.) April 6, 1969.
492
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 23)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Prospect House is a late eighteenth-century Georgian mansion
that is both significant for its role in history and its pure
architectural form. It is a brick free-standing town house
with gable roof, shutters, dormers, and excellent details.
The name comes from its location on a hill above the Potomac
River.
Condition of Fabric: The house is in its original form from
the exterior with the addition of a bay window on the first floor
east side and a veranda on the rear east side. The interior is
in its basic original form except for the mechanical conveniences
required for mid-twentieth century living which have been
unobtrusively installed. The house, furnishings and gardens are
meticulously maintained and kept in the spirit of the late
eighteenth century. The house was slightly remodeled in the 1930's
and again in the 1950's.
Technical Description of Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Main house is approximately 35' and three
bays wide and 40' deep. The rear wing is approximately 25' wide
and 50' deep. The west service wing is about 30' wide and 25' deep.
Main house is two and a half stories high with a partially exposed
basement. The rear wing is two stories high with an exposed basement.
The west service wing has three low stories exposed.
493
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 24)
Foundations: The main house has random rubble stone foundations
which are exposed to about 4' above grade. Remaining foundations
are brick.
Wall Construction: All walls are red brick with the rear wing
stuccoed over and the very top few feet of the west service wing
covered in wood. The brickwork on the main house is of a very
fine quality with a belt course between the first and second
floors and a molded brick drip table at the first floor level.
Lintels are shaped brick with flat arches in the best Georgian
tradition. Walls appear to be in original condition except for
the addition of a bay window in the east side of the first floor.
Chimneys: The main house has a pair of twin chimneys on each end
with brick connector walls. Those at the east end of the house
appear to be original and function with the fireplaces in the
main rooms. These are flush with the exterior wall. Those on
the west end protrude beyond the wall and function with internal
mechanical and service circulation and may have been added later.
There is a chimney on the west wall of the rear wing, serving
the fireplaces in the rooms there.
Openings: The house has a variety of openings, but all are trimmed
in wood with brick lintels, stone sills and wood sash and doors.
Doorways and Doors: The main entrance door is on the right hand
bay of the front of the main house. This has a large six panel
wooden door set in a paneled recess with a round arched top and a
semi-circular leaded glass fanlight. The opening is trimmed with
reeded pilasters and a wooden pediment. The sides and rear of the
house have a variety of glazed single and French doors leading to
the garden and veranda. Few of these are original. The service
wing to the west appears to have been built in the 1930's or 1940's,
and has a row of openings in the masonry across the front, two of
which are garage doors and the third matching opening is similar
but blocked. The garage has paneled overhead wood doors.
494
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 25)
Windows and Shutters: Most windows have six-over-six light
double-hung wooden sash and louvered shutters. On the east
side of the main house is a large circular bay window which
was added in the 1930's. This has a curved and painted
standing seam metal roof. The first floor level of the
south wall of the rear wing has semi-circular topped window.
This form is repeated in the front dormers and on the west
side of the main house.
Roof:
Shape, Covering: Gable roof slate shingles.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice, Eaves: Wood cornice molding about 14" deep
with dentil work.
Dormers: Three gable ended dormers on the front of the
main house with arch topped windows and side pilasters.
Windows have delicate wooden tracery. Sides of front
dormers are slate shingled the same as roof. Front of
west service wing has three partial dormers with very
plain pseudo-colonial details. The rear of the main
house has three dormers of a much simpler type but
similar size to those in the front.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plans: The first floor has a main entry-stair hall
on its right (west) side which continues to the rear wing of
the house. The entire remainder of the main house first
floor is a large drawing room. This was once two rooms, but
was made into one probably in the 1930's when the bay
window was added. To the rear of the main house and connecting
onto the main hall is a square hall with a stair to the
basement and entrance to the large dining room which occupies
most of the rear wing.
495
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 26)
The second level of the west service wing connects from the
dining room and the square rear hall. This area contains the
kitchen and other services. The second floor of the main house
contains a master bedroom in the front and a sitting room to
the rear, both along the side stair hall. These have auxiliary
bath, dressing and storage area. The rear wing contains a master
guest suite with a large bedroom, bath, and storage facilities.
The top floor of the service unit is below the main second floor.
This contains five rooms and a bath. The third floor of the main
house has a side stair hall with front and rear bedrooms and a
bath at the head or front of the hall.
The basement of the house contains several formal rooms and is
on grade at the rear and sides of the house. The main circulation
here is from a duplicate of the square hall above which connects
a large library to the rear, an office to the front, and services
to the side. The west service wing has garages on the basement
level.
The library is reputed to have been the original kitchen and is
linked to the dining room above with a dumb-waiter. The present
kitchen is in the west wing which dates from the 1930's.
Stairways: Main stairway runs from the first floor to the third
floor in a U-shape with half way landings. The stair is wood
with a curving wood banister and ornamental turned balusters. There
is scrollwork on the ends of the steps. A stair goes from the
rear square hall on the first floor to its twin below and thence
to the formal rooms on that level. This stair is a simplified
version of the main stair. There is a narrow service stair running
up between the main house and the west service wing.
Floors: The floors are all pine random width ranging from three
to five inches in width and stained dark.
496
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 27)
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Smooth plaster.
Doorways and Doors: Simple elegantly proportioned wood doors
and frames. There is a variety of doors, but most are six
panel and have small brass knobs.
Trim: The house has simple yet strong elegant Georgian trim
throughout. The entry-stair hall has simple small moldings
that are emphasized by the handsome proportions of the space.
The cornice molding is plaster.
The drawing room has elegant trim that is the most ornate in
the house, but still has a simple Georgian dignity. There
is a deep cornice with dentils and a simple base mold. Door
and window moldings are similar to those throughout the house.
The drawing room has a pair of large wood Georgian mantels
with a little applied ornament and reeded pilasters. The
facings and hearths are polished black slate.
The dining room has a large scale wood mantel in a similar
style to those of the drawing room. The dining room has a
simple cornice, base, and chair rail.
The second floor main house bedroom and sitting room have
white carved marble arched Victorian mantels. The second
floor master guest room over the dining room has a wooden
Georgian mantel with side pilasters.
The third floor front bedroom has a white carved marble arched
Victorian mantel. The interiors of the front dormers are
barrel vaulted. The rear bedroom has a wood mantel with reeded
pilasters on the sides and a shelf.
497
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 28)
The library in the basement has simple base and cornice
moldings. Most walls are covered with unornamental book
shelves. The library has a wooden mantel with side pilasters
and a shelf.
Hardware: Most doors equipped with small brass knobs. Front
door equipped with a heavy knocker.
Lighting: A variety of mid-twentieth century electric
fixtures throughout the house. The chandelier in the drawing
room is a nineteenth-century crystal work of art that is
sufficiently large for this room. The chandelier holds
candles and is not electrified.
Heating and Plumbing: A mixture of mid-twentieth century
conveniences.
Site
General Setting and Orientation: The house faces north toward
Prospect Street, and is free-standing. The site slopes down
to the rear toward the Potomac River. The house has primarily
residential neighborhood to its east and the top of the D.C.
Transit Building to the west. Portions of the old Georgetown
University Hospital are across the street.
Enclosures: The house has a variety of wooden fences and
brick walls and retaining walls around it. The main garden
is to the east and south (rear) of the house. These are all
enclosed.
Porches: The front entry porch is of delicate ornamental iron
with nine risers and a wooden floor. The ironwork is delicate
and very graceful.
498
PROSPECT HOUSE
HABS No. DC-210 (Page 29)
To the side of the rear wing and running its length is a
veranda off of the first floor but serving the basement porch.
This veranda was added to the original house, and ornamental
cast iron from New Orleans was used.
Outbuildings: Not too many feet to the rear of the house
is a small two floor octagonal tower. The building is Georgian
with features and trim much similar to the main house. Well
down the hill and at the extreme rear of the property, on M
Street, is a small house that may have been an outbuilding for the
house originally.
Walks: The front entrance to the house is connected directly
to the public sidewalk. The gardens have a series of brick
paved sitting areas and formal walks with retaining walls and
stairs. Much of this was done in the early 1950's. The west
service wing has garages and between these and the street is a
small parking court and drive.
Landscape: The side and rear gardens are for the most part
formal with walks, boxwood, and shade trees. Along the retaining
walls are a variety of fruit trees espalier. There are large
street trees at the front and at the side of the house.
Prepared by: Donald B. Myer
Commission of Fine Arts
July 21, 1967
499
3606
500
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDING SURVEY HABS No. DC-192
FINDLEY HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3606 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(In past years this house was designated
as 113 First Street.)
Location:
The building is located in Square 1223
(old 53), on part of Lot 62 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins' Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 815.
Date of erection:
1866
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
Built originally as a rental structure to
house people performing neighborhood
services, this post-bellum dwelling has
been renovated but its scale and propor-
tions have been maintained, unifying
and preserving the harmonious row of
simple, modest houses so characteristic
of the western part of Georgetown.
501
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1802-1861
Lot 62 in Square 1223 first appears in the Land Title Records
of Washington when Francis Deakins, as executor and devisee
under the Will of William Deakins, Jr., sold the land to
Thomas Corcoran. Corcoran, born in Ireland in 1754, emigrated
to this country at the age of twenty-nine. He married
Hannah Lemmon of Baltimore and settled in Georgetown in 1788.
Thomas Corcoran prospered and became a prominent citizen of
the town. At various times he served as a magistrate, as a
member of the Levy Court, and as Postmaster. (1) Corcoran
leased the land to Joseph Brookes in 1817 for a yearly rent
of sixty dollars. What use Joseph Brookes made of the land
is not known.
In 1827 owner Thomas Corcoran and lessee Joseph Brookes sold
Lot 62 to John Pickrell, and four years later in 1831 Pick-
rell and his wife, Ann, sold the land to Joseph Libbey and
Nathaniel Marden. Libbey and Marden sold the property three
years later to Richard Jones for $500; twenty-two years
later Jones sold it to Charles C. Gates. The next year, in
1857, ownership passed from Gates to Augustus Brown, Robert
L. Martin, and John Collins; and the following year Brown
and Collins sold their shares to Martin. Three years later
Thomas E. Duvall, a millwright working in Georgetown, bought
the property from Robert and Mary Martin. (2)
1862-1907
Thomas Duvall died (or perhaps was killed in the Civil War)
soon after purchasing the property, and the land was inherited
by his wife, Mary E. Fernald Duvall.
502
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 3)
For several years Mary Duvall (later Findley) operated a
variety store on the corner of Lingan (36th) and First (N)
Streets from the house she inherited from Thomas Duvall.
(3)
In 1865 Mary Duvall married John T. Findley, a metropolitan
policeman. A year later she subdivided Lot 62 and built the
frame house, 113 First Street (now 3606 N Street) as an
investment. Tax records for the year 1867 show an improve-
ment of a two-story frame house on the land valued at
$1000. (4)
The first occupant of the house was John J. Dolan, a clerk,
who rented it for three years. (5) The Findleys during this
time lived at 53 Lingan (36th) Street; but from 1872 to
1876 they occupied the little frame house at 113 First them-
selves. (6) In 1877 they rented the house to Henry Mills,
an engineer, and moved to 94 West Street (now 3013 P). Mills
was still listed at this address in 1881. (7) John McDaniel,
shown variously as cook, driver, and porter, occupied the
3606 N Street house from 1896 to 1917. (8)
The house has been rental property for most of its existance,
being home for a succession of working people such as porters,
domestics, cement finishers, and manual laborers. (9)
This group was part of a steady stream of workers who were
drawn to this area by the number of service jobs required
to maintain a university and to meet student-gentlemen de-
mands for services comparable to the amenities of life to
which they were accustomed.
In 1871 the Findleys had placed their property in trust for
Mary. Mary died in December 1899; and John Findley passed
away in December 1907. Mary Findley's Will directed that
"...after the death of my beloved husband, John T. Findley,
to Mrs. E. A. Leonard I give and devise during her life
house and premises 3606 N Street, and after her death to
Bridget A. Coleman, and after her death to Georgetown
College City directories do not list either of these
women as having lived in the house.
503
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 4)
1908-1969
When Mary's husband died, her heirs-at-law and next of kin
(Edward, Golibart, George, and Grace Fernald) deeded the
property, according to her wishes, to Georgetown College.
Georgetown held the property until 1953 when it sold the
house to Emil Audette.
Four years later, Maurine Mulliner, a planning advisor with
the Social Security Board, bought the small frame house
from Audette and lived there until Georgetown University
bought it back in 1961. Since then the house has been used
as an overflow for the University or rented to individuals.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1802
Francis Deakins,
Deed February 13, 1802
executor & devisee
Recorded February 20, 1802
under Will of
Liber H-8, folio 2
William Deakins, Jr.
to
Thomas Corcoran
504
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 5)
1817
Thomas Corcoran
Lease March 31, 1817
to
Recorded April 30, 1817
Joseph Brookes
Liber AN-38, folio 458
"Lot 62 in Peter, Threlkeld, Beatty & Deakins Addition
to Georgetown, Term 99 years, Renewable forever -
yearly rent of $60.00."
1827
Thomas Corcoran
Deed May 7, 1827
Joseph Brookes
Recorded May 12, 1827
to
Liber W.B. 19, folio 372
John Pickrell
Joseph Brookes
Assignment of Lease May 12, 1827
to
Recorded May 12, 1827
John Pickrell
Liber W.B. 19, folio 373
1831
John Pickrell
Deed December 30, 1831
E wife, Ann
Recorded February 1, 1832
to
Liber W.B. 39, folio 405
Joseph Libbey
Nathaniel Marden
505
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 6)
1834
Joseph Libbey
Deed November 19, 1834
& wife, Louisa
Recorded November 29, 1834
Nathaniel Marden
Liber W.B. 51, folio 429
& wife, Mary Ann
to
Richard Jones
Consideration $500
1856
Richard Jones
Deed September 8, 1856
& wife, Mary E.
Recorded September 8, 1856
to
Liber JAS 121, folio 153
Charles L. Gates
1857
Charles L. Gates
Deed May 16, 1857
& wife, Mary E.
Recorded January 18, 1858
to
Liber JAS 148, folio 67
Augustus Brown
Robert L. Martin
John Collins
Consideration $400
506
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 7)
1858
Augustus Brown
Deed January 16, 1858
et ux Elizabeth
Recorded January 18, 1858
John Collins
Liber JAS 148, folio 72
to
Robert Martin
1861
Robert L. Martin
Deed August 7, 1861
et ux Mary E.
Recorded September 6, 1861
to
Liber JAS 211, folio 305
Thomas E. Duvall
Thomas E. Duvall died; his widow, Mary E. Fernald
Duvall, married John T. Findley.
1871
John T. Findley et ux Mary E. Deed in trust January 20, 1871
to
Recorded February 3, 1871
Hugh Caperton, trustee
Liber 634, folio 474
"...to hold in trust for Mary E. Findley during her
life with power to said Mary E. Findley to direct
the sale of said premises
in event of John T.
Findley surviving said Mary E. Findley, then in
trust to convey to said John T. Findley...."
507
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 8)
1899
Mary E. Findley died
Will May 19, 1897
December 7, 1899.
Probated October 20, 1908
Her Will, dated May
Will Book 70, page 11
19, 1897, states:
Administration 9280
"After the death of
my beloved husband, John T. Findley, to Mrs. E. A. Leonard
I give and devise during her life--house and premises
3606 N Street, N.W., and after her death to Bridget A.
Coleman, and after her death to Georgetown University....'
1907
John T. Findley died
Estate petition July 31, 1909
December 31, 1907.
Probated August 31, 1909
Administration Docket Book 40,
page 16215
Administration 16215
1908
Edward C. Fernald,
Deed in Trust January 7, 1908
widower
Recorded March 23, 1908
Golibart D. Fernald &
Liber 3141, folio 244
wife
George W. Fernald,
widower
Grace Fernald
(heirs-at-law and next of
kin of Mary E. Findley)
to
George E. Fleming
508
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 9)
George E. Fleming
Deed in Trust March 7, 1908
to
Recorded March 23, 1908
George W. Fernald
Liber 3141, folio 247
George W. Fernald
Deed in Trust March 2, 1908
trustee under Deed
Recorded October 19, 1908
in Trust from
Liber 3175, folio 344
George E. Fleming
to
President and Directors of
Georgetown College
"...subject however to suffer and permit Elizabeth A. Leonard
to use and occupy and enjoy said premise for sole use and
benefit for and during the term of her natural life, and
further that after the death of said Elizabeth A. Leonard to
permit Bridget A. Coleman to use and occupy premises, and
after termination of said life estates, premises shall be-
come absolute property of second party."
1915
Bridget A. Coleman died,
Will May 18, 1892
July 17, 1915
Probated August 10, 1915
Will Book 87, p. 499
1916
Elizabeth A. Leonard
Will March 16, 1916
died October 16, 1916
Probated November 8, 1916
Will Book 91, p. 237
509
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 10)
1953
President and Directors
Deed January 9, 1953
of Georgetown College
Recorded February 17, 1953
to
Liber 9900, folio 123
Emil A. Audette
1957
Emil A. Audette, un-
Deed August 29, 1957
married
Recorded September 4, 1957
to
Liber 10913, folio 322
Maurine Mulliner
1961
Maurine Mulliner, un-
Deed March 1, 1961
married
Recorded March 6, 1961
to
Liber 11564, folio 86
President and Directors
of Georgetown College
References
1. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1930, Vol. IV, p. 440.
510
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 11)
2. City Directory. 1862, P. 192.
3. Same reference as #1. 1864, P. 298.
4. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property 1800-79, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Records Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
5. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 233; 1868, p. 225; 1870,
p. 450; 1871, p. ix (Georgetown Section).
6. Same reference as #1. 1872, P. 506; 1873, P. 597; 1874, P.
591; 1876, p. 220; 1880, p. 287; 1881, P. 346.
7. Same reference as #1. 1877, P. 481; 1880, p. 481; 1881,
P. 546.
8. Same reference as #1. 1896, P. 629; 1917, p. 790.
9. Same reference as #1. 1924, p. 504; 1928, p. 243; 1936,
P. 1707; 1938, P. 557; 1941, p. 1218; 1942, P. 263; 1948,
P. 190.
511
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 12)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: A post Civil War wood frame row house,
the structure forms part of a group that gives a glimpse of
mid-nineteenth century street character and scale.
Condition of fabric: The exterior is in generally good condition.
The interior is in good condition but has been greatly remodeled.
Description of Exterior
Overall dimensions: This two-story house with a full basement
faces north and has a simple rectangular form with a three bay
front of approximately 10' with a depth of approximately 35'.
Foundation: Brick foundation walls are exposed at both the north
(front) and south elevation. The north elevation exposure is
approximately 3' from grade while at the south the exposure is
3' 6". At both the north and south there are retaining walls
allowing for stairs to the basement level.
Wall Construction: The framing of the house is not visible, but
the siding is wood clapboard with 4" corner boards. Slight pro-
jection of wood window frames and the use of a metal flashing
over the windows suggests the clapboard covers earlier siding.
Framing: Stud walls.
512
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 13)
Porches: At both the north and south elevations brick entry
stoops are used. The north front stoop is 5' 2" wide, extends
6' 2" from house, has four risers from grade and a pair of
metal railings. Both of the stoops appear to be mid-twentieth
century construction.
Chimneys: There is one central three flue brick chimney 3' 5"
x 1' 10" at attic level. It appears to have been rebuilt in
the mid-twentieth century.
Openings:
Doorways and doors: North (front) wood entry door-
way enframement consists of a pair of fluted pil-
asters supporting a Tuscan architrave. The door
is two light six panel. Both appear to be mid-
twentieth century additions.
Windows and shutters: Windows are 6/6 double-
hung wood sash with simple flat trim. The lower
windows have metal flashing at the head, and
the upper story windows have the head covered by
a cornice board. The metal hinged moveable
shutters have metal stops. The south elevation
has aluminum storm sash on all windows.
Roof:
Shape and Covering: The roof is a simple low
pitched gable with ridge running east-west.
Present covering is standing seam metal which
has been over earlier wooden shingles.
Framing: As visible in the attic the framing
consists of 3" x 4" wood rafters. The only
tie is by second floor ceiling joists as there
is no ridge pole.
513
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 14)
Cornice, eaves: North elevation has a simple flat
cornice board with four brackets and drip details
attached. Gutter and downspouts are metal.
Dormers: None.
Description of Interior
Floor plans: The plan is a simple rectangle with central
chimney and major stairway at the southwest corner. The
first floor has a front and a back room; the second floor
has a front and a back bedroom with a bath at the north-
west corner. The basement contains the kitchen, dining
room, a small bedroom and bath.
Stairways: The main stairway begins with corner winder steps
and extends 14 risers from the southwest corner of the house
up to the north to the second level. The stair is supported
both by the north party wall and an east partition below the
the stringers of the main stain. A straight run to the base-
ment of twelve 8 1/2" risers running down from north to south
extends under the main stair. Access to the attic is by
means of a retractable ladder-stair.
Brick exterior stairways to the basement occur at both north
and south elevations. The north stairway is an "L" with
two risers down next to the entry stoop and platform and
then 6 risers down from east to west to the basement doorway
at the northwest corner of the house. The south (rear)
basement access is also by an "L" stair down five risers
from south to north to a platform, then three risers down
from west to east.
Flooring: It is random width pine for the first and second
floors. Basement has vinyl tile.
Wall and Ceiling finish: Walls and ceiling are plaster
throughout.
514
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 15)
Doorways and doors: Doors are simple four panel wood with
simple wood moulding trim. Both appear to be twentieth-
century additions.
Decorative features: There is a simple wood baseboard, a
2" wood cornice moulding but no chair rail or wainscot.
All the trim appears to be mid-twentieth century.
Hardware: There is a variety of early and mid-twentieth
century metal hardware.
Lighting: There is a variety of mid-twentieth century
fixtures.
Heating: Fireplaces in the basement and the first floor have
brick firebacks and 1' 6" slate hearths. The chimney appears
to be reconstructed or refaced within the last several years.
Present heating system is central hot air with metal duct-
work to each room.
Site
General setting and orientation: The house is on the south side
of N Street between 36th and 37th Streets and with its east wall
approximately 85' along N Street from the center line of 36th
Street and set back approximately 12' from the center line of
36th Street. It is one of a group of frame row houses on this
residential street near Georgetown University.
Enclosures: On N Street there is a wooden picket fence around
a small garden fronting on the west half of the elevation.
Wooden fences surround the tree shaded rear yard.
Outbuildings: None,
515
FINDLEY HOUSE
HABS No. DC-192 (Page 16)
Walks: On the north red brick paving extends from the stair
and stoop to the brick public sidewalks.
Landscaping: The tree shaded rear yard has a brick paved
patio extending out from stoop and retaining wall of the
stairwell to the basement.
Prepared by: William P. Thompson
Architect
Historic American
Buildings Survey
516
6
1419
am
518
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-197
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1419 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
(Formerly this address was 58 Lingan
Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of Lot 103
in Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition to
Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 811 in
Square 1247 in the City of Washington.
Date of Erection:
1866
Owner in 1969:
Dr. Marie Wanek
Occupant in 1969:
Dr. Marie Wanek
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
Built just after the Civil War, this modest
brick house was the home of its first
owner for almost a half century. Like other
houses
in this row the floor levels
were altered by the raising of the street
level in the mid 1890's. The entrance,
descending from the street, today presents
a charming approach to the century-old
dwelling.
519
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1816-1853
John Threlkeld first sold the land to John W. Bronaugh, a
Virginia planter who had had a six hundred acre estate on
Post Road about nine miles below Alexandria, Virginia,
which he had advertised for sale in 1810. (1)
In 1816 Bronaugh moved to Georgetown purchasing the south
half of Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition, a large pur-
chase for the time in Georgetown land history. (2) Evident-
ly he invested heavily and partly upon borrowed funds
for Lots 101, 102, and 103, as well as his large brick
house on Fayette (now 35th) Street, were sold in 1820 by
the United States Marshal to pay Bronaugh's many creditors.
Joseph Brookes purchased these three lots as an investment.
Seventeen years later, in 1837, Clement Smith bought the
property from Brookes. Clement Smith died soon after the
purchase, and his brother and trustee under his Will,
Walter Smith, settled his debts by selling these lots to
the Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown of which
Clement had been president.
1853-1866
This bank held the ground for ten years. Then Lewis Car-
berry, a civil engineer who was surveyor of the County
of Washington and president of the Levy Court of the
District of Columbia, purchased it in 1853. (3) When he
died in the late 1850's, these three lots were divided
among his four children--James L. Carberry, Joseph F.
Carberry, Mary S. Ritchie (Mrs. Joshua A.), and Martha R.
Shoemaker (Mrs. Pierce). Joshua Ritchie bought James'
1/4 share in 1861 and the Shoemakers' 1/4 share in 1864;
and in 1866 he and his wife, Mary, sold Lot 103 to
Catherine Kane.
520
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 3)
1866-1914
Soon after purchasing the property the Kanes built a modest
brick house, for Daniel, Catherine's husband, is listed at
this address in the 1866 City Directory. (4) In 1865 Lot
103 was assessed to Joshua Ritchie for $500, and listed as
vacant. Successive tax records disclose assessment to
Daniel Kane for the land valued at $300 and improvements
valued at $400. (5)
Daniel lived in this brick house with members of his family
for forty-two years. A laborer, he was also occasionally
a carter or driver. (6) When his wife, Catherine, died in
1898, Daniel was deeded the inherited shares of this prop-
erty by his son, Dennis, and his daughter, Mary E. Thorn.
Dennis and his family of nine children lived with his
father at 1419 36th Street until 1909 when they all moved
to 3308 o Street. (7) Dennis must have died soon after
moving to the new address, for the next year Daniel is
living with his widowed daughter-in-law at 3535 0 Street. (8)
By January 1911 when Daniel made out his last Will he had
acquired a considerable amount of property--six houses in
western Georgetown, three houses in the thirty-two-
hundred block of Q Street in Georgetown, and two houses
on Myrtle Street, N.W. He died a year and a half
later, outliving both his children. By his Will, however,
he carefully directed that the income from his real estate
be used for the support, maintenance, and education of
his fifteen grandchildren with the exception of one: "I
direct my executors hereinafter named to pay to my grand-
daughter the sum of Five Dollars and expressedly pro-
hibit them or either of them from giving her under any pretence
any other or further sum, her conduct entitling her to
no further consideration.' (9)
521
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 4)
Daniel, having advanced from a laborer to an owner of
extensive real estate, died in May 1912. Two years
later his house on 36th Street was sold to James Wood-
ward, who kept it only a year before selling it to
John O'Kane.
1915-1946
John O'Kane held the property for twenty-one years,
using it for rental purposes. During his ownership the
house was occupied by the Cumberland family, who were
laborers and clerks, followed by Harrison Mason, and
then Lillian Baker, a charwoman. (10)
Ethel S. Russell bought the Daniel Kane house in 1936.
The next year it was vacant, so presumably alterations
were made before it was rented to George E. Chamberlain,
an engineer, and his family. (11) Before the house was
sold in 1945, it was rented to the family of Jacques J.
Reinstein, an assistant division chief at the Depart-
ment of State. (12)
1946-1961
Having purchased 1419 36th Street in 1946 from William and
Jacqueline Morrison who kept it less than a year, William
Koren, Jr., a State Department researcher, and his wife,
Isabelle, were the first owners since Daniel Kane to live
in the brick house. (13) Fifteen years later Mrs. Koren,
who had outlived her husband but had continued to live
in the house, sold it to Janet Felton. (14) Janet married
Richard Cooper soon after acquiring the house; they sold
it a year and four months later.
522
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 5)
1962-1969
Dr. Marie G. Wanek, Professor of History at Hood College,
purchased the century-old house in 1962 and is the present
owner.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1816
John Threlkeld
Deed September 19, 1816
et ux Elizabeth
Recorded October 18, 1816
to
Liber AG-32, folio 20
John W. Bronaugh
1819
Property seized for non-payment of debts.
1820
Tench Ringold,
Deed July 29, 1820
Marshal of the D.C.
Recorded August 16, 1820
to
Liber AZ-50, folio 65
Joseph Brookes
523
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 6)
1837
Joseph Brookes
Deed November 15, 1837
to
Recorded November 20, 1837
Clement Smith
Liber W.B. 64, folio 409
1839
Clement Smith died in
Will May 30, 1823
1839.
Probated March 29, 1839
Will Book 5, page 108
1843
Walter Smith
Deed July 27, 1843
trustee under the Will
Recorded August 10, 1843
of Clement Smith
Liber W.B. 103, folio 90
to
Farmers and Mechanics Bank,
Georgetown
1853
Farmers and Mechanics Bank,
Deed January 20, 1853
Georgetown
Recorded January 21, 1853
to
Liber JAS 50, folio 396
Lewis Carberry
524
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 7)
1860
Lewis Carberry died intes-
Administrative Docket 4,
tate. Estate is divided
page 914
among his four heirs:
James L., Joseph F., Mary
S. Ritchie (Mrs. Joshua
A.), and Martha R. Shoe-
maker (Mrs. Pierce).
1861
James L. Carberry
Deed April 22, 1861
to
Recorded December 28, 1861
Joshua A. Ritchie
Liber JAS 214, folio 21
Deeds his 1/4 share
1864
Pierce Shoemaker
Deed June 30, 1864
et ux Martha R.
Recorded October 31, 1864
to
Liber NCT 48, folio 296
Joshua A. Ritchie
Deed their 1/4 share of Lots 101, 102, 103
1865
Joshua A. Ritchie
Deed November 28, 1865
et ux Mary S.
Recorded January 22, 1866
to
Liber RMH 4, folio 346
Nicholas Crowley
525
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 8)
1866
Nicholas Crowley
Deed July F,, 1866
et ux Joanna
Recorded November 6, 1866
to
Liber RMH 24, folio 100
Joshua A. Ritchie
Joshua A. Ritchie
Deed August 17, 1866
et ux Mary S.
Recorded December 28, 1866
to
Liber RMH 26, folio 171
Catherine Kane
1898
Catherine Kane died
Administration 8519
July 14, 1898, intestate.
Dennis Kane
Deed August 20, 1898
Mary E. Thorn
Recorded August 22, 1898
children & heirs of
Liber 2312, folio 494
Catherine Kane
to
Daniel Kane
1912
Daniel Kane died May 3,
Will January 20, 1911
1912.
Probated June 17, 1912
Will Book 79, page 218
526
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 9)
1914
Harry A. Hegarty
Deed July 21, 1914
Thomas Splaun
Recorded July 21, 1914
trustees under Will
Liber 3716, folio 495
of Daniel Kane
to
James M. Woodward
1915
James M. Woodward
Deed October 7, 1915
E wife, Lillie A.
Recorded October 8, 1915
to
Liber 3829, folio 278
John O'Kane
1936
John O'Kane
Deed September 14, 1936
to
Recorded September 15, 1936
Ethel S. Russell
Liber 7030, folio 376
1945
Ethel S. Russell
Deed September 6, 1945
to
Recorded October 6, 1945
William D. F. Morrison
Liber 8165, folio 381
Jacqueline B. Morrison,
his wife
527
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 10)
1946
William D. F. Morrison
Deed August 26, 1946
& Jacqueline Morrison
Recorded August 26, 1946
to
Liber 8331, folio 304
William Koren, Jr.
Isabelle J., his wife
1961
Isabelle J. Koren,
Deed June 14, 1961
surviving co-tenant of
Recorded June 29, 1961
deceased husband,
Liber 11625, folio 130
William Koren, Jr.
to
Janet G. Felton
1962
Janet G. Felton Cooper
Deed October 12, 1962
& Richard J. Cooper,
Recorded November 27, 1962
her husband
Liber 11908, folio 1149
to
Marie G. Wanek
References
1. Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia). February 26, 1810.
528
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 11)
2. Deed, William Grayson to John W. Bronaugh, September 18,
1816, recorded October 18, 1816, Liber AM-37, folio 17-
19, Recorder of Deeds, Washington, D.C.
3. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,
D. C.: The Society, Vol. 19, 1916, p. 90.
4. City Directory. 1866, p. 415.
5. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assessment
of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605, National Archives
Record
Group 351, Roll 12, (1865-70); Roll 13 (1871).
6. Same reference as #4. 1867, P. 344; 1871, P. xvi; 1873,
P. 602; 1876, p. 315; 1880, p. 401; 1904, P. 581.
7. Same reference as #4. 1908, P. 730; 1909, P. 760.
8. Same reference as #4. 1910, P. 789.
9. Will of Daniel Kane, January 20, 1911, probated June 17,
1912, Will Book 79, page 218, Register of Wills, U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia.
10. Same reference as #4. 1916, P. 1665, P. 356; 1918, P. 1815,
P. 372; 1920, p. 1906; 1930, p. 2111, P. 193.
11. Same reference as #4. 1937, P. 1702; 1939, P. 1861, P. 236.
529
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 12)
12. Same reference as #4. 1943, P. 383, P. 1239.
13. Same reference as #4. 1948, P. 652.
14. Same reference as #4. 1960, p. 987.
530
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 13)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: The Kane House is a good example
of a brick row house of the post-Civil War era.
Condition of Fabric: The house is in good general condition
on both the interior and the exterior, having been well maintained.
Description of Exterior
Overall Dimensions: The house faces west on 36th Street between
o and P Streets and the south wall is approximately 195' along
36th Street from the centerline of 0 Street. The two-story
structure completely fills a row house lot approximately 18'
wide and is approximately 32' deep.
Foundations: The basic foundation is rough laid stone. At
approximately 4' to 5' above the basement floor the brick wall
begins.
Wall Construction: The brick bearing wall of the house which is
now painted white is of common bond with bond courses every eight
courses. The flush mortar joints are rather roughly made.
The house connects to party walls on both the north and south.
531
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 14)
Framing: Not visible.
Porches, Stoops, Bulkheads, etc: In part due to the raising
of the grade of 36th Street, the house is entered by a stairwell.
There is a 4'3" drop from the public sidewalk to the first
floor level and a 6'8" drop from the first floor to the
basement floor. The stairway construction itself is concrete
with brick faced treads. The opening is surrounded by a
black painted iron railing.
Chimneys: There are two brick chimneys 5' by 2' with simple
brick caps at the third points of the south party wall.
Openings:
Doorways and Doors: The wood six panel 2'8" entry door
at the north end of the west elevation is in a simply
trimmed masonry opening with a four light wood trimmed
transom. An aluminum storm door has been added and the
whole ensemble is mid-twentieth century in date. The
other two doorways to the house are at the basement
level at the north end of the west elevation and at the
east elevation from the dining room to the rear yard.
Windows and Shutters: Windows at the 36th Street (west)
elevation all appear to be mid-twentieth century additions and
are six-over-six double-hung wood sash in 3' 10" by 5' 4"
masonry openings. Lintels are flat arched with single sawn-
brick voussoirs and sills are wood.
Two panel fixed louvre shutters at each window have been
nailed to the 36th Street elevation.
The rear (east) elevation has six-over-six double-hung
wood sash of mid-twentieth century. The two second floor
windows have steel lintels rather than flat brick arches.
532
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 15)
Roof:
Shape, Covering: The simple low pitched shed roof
runs down from west to east and is covered by
standing seam metal.
Cornice, Eaves: At the west elevation a simple
wood eave is supported visually by a wide hori-
zontal board, a large bracket at each end of the
elevation, and a series of much smaller scrolling
brackets between. There are no gutters or down
spouts visible.
The east elevation has a simple three course cor-
belled brick cornice and an aluminum gutter and
downspout.
Cupolas, Dormers, Towers: None.
Description of Interior
Floor Plans: At present the house is entered at the first floor
which contains both a front and a rear living room. Descent to
the basement is via a central stair leading out to a front
kitchen and a rear dining room. A special feature (certainly
not original) is a three foot corridor at the north party wall
and running the full depth and ending in a water closet.
Ascent to the second floor is by a stair opposite the front
entry against the north wall. This floor contains a front and
a rear bedroom plus a rear bath. Reflecting the shed roof
system, each floor has two levels. The rear (east) half of
the house is one riser lower than the west half on all three
floors. In addition, the corridor in the basement is one riser
higher than the west floor level.
533
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 16)
Stairways: At present the main stair is at the center of the
north party wall and is a straight run of 12 risers up from
west to east. A second stairway between the two living rooms
descends in'a straight run ten risers from south to north to
the level of the basement corridor.
There is a strong probability that this was not always the
stair arrangement. Marks in the plaster of the living room
(rear) and the floor board replacement at the second floor
suggest that at one time the main stair may have been over
the existing stair to the basement.
Present stair trim includes a twentieth-century railing around
the opening for the stair to the basement. The stair to the
second floor is supported by full height wall at its south side
as well as by the north party wall. The railing for this
stair is simple wood profile and has simple wood balusters.
Flooring: The first and second floor have random width
approximately 5" to 8" wood flooring while the basement has
vinyl tile flooring.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Both walls and ceilings are of plaster.
Doorways and Doors: Simple twentieth-century four panel wood
doors are used throughout the house, Doorway trim is of simple
wood profile.
Decorative Features and Trim: The walls are without trim with
the exception of a simple wood baseboard. There is no chair rail
or wainscot.
534
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 17)
Hardware: There is a variety of twentieth-century hardware.
Lighting: There are a variety of mid-twentieth century
fixtures.
Heating: There are two fireplaces still open; one in the
kitchen on the front chimney and one in the living room at
the rear chimney. The one in the living room has a marble
surround and a brick hearth added in the twentieth century.
The present central heating system has radiator units in
each room.
Site
General Setting and Orientation: It is one of the many brick
row houses on this quiet tree-shaded residential street near
Georgetown University.
Enclosures: A wooden stockade fence approximately 5' high
surrounds. the rear yard.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: The stairwell at the west elevation abuts a concrete
public sidewalk.
535
DANIEL KANE HOUSE
HABS No. DC-197 (Page 18)
Landscaping: The rear yard has a brick patio extending
approximately 15' from the east facade. The remainder
of the yard is lawn and rises approximately 2' to 3' to
the east. There are remains of a large tree at the
northeast corner of the property.
Prepared by: William P. Thompson
Architect
Historic American Building
Survey
536
Jamill mmm УППОТ
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HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-208
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
OF
"THE NINE FRIDAYS"
Address in 1969:
1407 37th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly 37th Street was Warren Street, )
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
114, Square 78, Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 153,
Square 1248 in Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
1916
Owner in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupant in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residence
Significance:
This rhythmic row of nine brick houses
forms an effective transition from the
campus atmosphere of Georgetown Univer-
sity to the residential area surrounding
it. Renovation and careful maintenance
by the owners has added considerably to
the improvement of the west end neighbor-
hood while providing for the continuation
of the tradition of Georgetown row-house
living.
539
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1798-1840
The land on which 1407 37th Street stands has had a success-
ion of illustrious owners, names prominent in the early
history of Maryland and Georgetown. John Threlkeld and his
wife sold it to Patrick Carroll in 1798. Sixteen years
later the Carrolls sold it to Francis Fenwick who held it
only a year before selling it to Rebecca Clements who later
married John Ford.
In 1823 the Fords sold it to Elizabeth Threlkeld, daughter of
John. When she died, her two daughters, Mary Grayson and
John Cox, divided Lot 114 in half, each retaining one half.
After Mary's death in 1837, her son Henry inherited the
east half of the lot. Jane, who was married to John Cox,
onetime mayor of Georgetown, directed that the west half
of the lot be sold in 1840 to George Mahorney.
1840-1875
Each half of Lot 114 went through a number of transactions
separately. In 1841, Thomas 0. N. May bought the west
half, and two years later bought the east half of the lot.
He sold the east half shortly, but it was not until twenty
years after his death, in 1865, that his wife sold the
west half to Richard Crawford. Ten years later Crawford
bought the east half. So Lot 114 was once more a single
unit.
540
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 3)
Between 1843 and 1851 the price for the east half of Lot 114
jumped from $200 to $700, leading to the conjecture that a
structure was built during those years. The 1887 map of
Hopkins indicates a frame structure on the site. (1) In 1855
the east half had climbed to $800 and twenty years later,
when Richard Crawford bought it, the price was $900.
1875-1917
After Crawford's death in 1888 his two children, Laura and
William, held on to all of Lot 114, although in 1915 they
temporarily lost the property for failure to pay taxes.
On the same day that they redeemed the property in 1916
they sold it to Robert Morrison. Two days later, Morrison
sold it to J. Walter Moulden, who a week later sold it to
Guy S. Zepp. In that same year, 1916, Zepp, a contractor,
subdivided Lot 114 into nine lots and built the present
row of houses on the land. (2)
1917-1948
In 1917 Zepp sold 1407 37th Street to Charles Selden, Jr., a
lawyer, who was president of the Washington and Maryland
Railway Company. (3) He obviously bought the property as
an investment, for he sold it six months later to Patrick
Moran, second vice-president of Lincoln National Bank. (4)
The addresses for the nine row houses first appeared in
the 1917 City Directory; however, that year only one of
the nine was occupied. Ethel B. Lewis, the first to
live in the row was living at 1403 and was also running
a tea room there. (5) (6) The next year, in 1918, all but
three of the nine houses were occupied. (7) By 1919
541
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 4)
each house in the row was rented. Tailors, painters, police,
carpenters, and railway conductors were among the tenants of
these new brick houses facing Georgetown University. (8)
When Patrick Moran died in 1923, 1407 37th Street was left
to his wife, Annie, who continued to use it as rental
property. The occupants of the row in 1943, a year before
Annie's death, were all different in name from those twenty-
five years earlier; they were white collar workers instead
of the blue collar workers of former years. (9) Margaret M.
Shugrue inherited the property from her mother in 1944 and
rented it until 1948 when she sold it to Fanny Eaton.
1948-1969
The new owner continued to use the house for investment
purposes. After World War II, however, according to city
directories, there was a shift in the occupations of
tenants toward professional levels. Economists, foreign
service officers, lawyers, and medical interns lived along
this 37th Street block. (10) The many independent govern-
ment agencies that had been created to take care of the
various needs of the peacetime economy drew numerous
young university graduates to Washington. Georgetown was
convenient to their Federal jobs and also economical with
multiple occupancy leases.
After holding the property for seven years Fanny Eaton sold
it to Elise Ellis, a saleswoman who lived nearby on 0
Street. (11) She kept it only a year and then sold it to
Arthur J. Smith, who on the same day conveyed it at the
same price to Georgetown University.
542
"Is it possible that Georgetown University students, plodding
to church on their monthly Fridays, looked at the row of
nine identical houses and called them 'The Nine Fridays'?"
(Photographed by J. Alexander)
543
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 5)
The University continues to use this house for rental pur-
poses as well as the other "Nine Fridays," as the row of
nine houses has been dubbed. The source of this appellation
is
unproved, but the tale is told that the name is
connected with a tradition of the Catholic Church. Part
of the private devotion in the Church includes attendance
at confession and communion on the first Friday of the
month for nine months, thereby receiving special indul-
gences. Is it possible that Georgetown University
students, plodding to church on their monthly Fridays,
looked at the row of nine identical houses and called
them "The Nine Fridays"?
Original and Subsequent Owners
1798
John Threlkeld and
Deed June 1, 1798
wife, Elizabeth
Recorded June 13, 1798
to
Liber C-3, folio 463
Patrick Carroll
All of Lot 114 for $400
544
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 6)
1809
Patrick Carroll
Marriage Contract October 23,
and
1809
Susanna Corcoran
Recorded January 10, 1810
Liber X-23, folio 343
Agreement that all property acquired
during lifetime of either shall go
to survivor to dispose of as he likes.
Includes all of Lot 114.
1814
Patrick Carroll and wife,
Deed November 19, 1814
Susanna
Recorded December 16, 1814
to
Liber AH-33, folio 345
Francis Fenwick
All of Lot 114 for $300
1815
Francis Fenwick
Deed September 18, 1815
to
Recorded December 22, 1815
Rebecca Clements
Liber AK-35, folio 392
All of Lot 114 for $450
545
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 7)
1823
Rebecca Clements Ford
Deed April 4, 1823
and husband, John G.
Recorded June 20, 1823
to
Liber W.B. 10, folio 126
Elizabeth Threlkeld
(daughter of John Threlkeld)
Elizabeth Threlkeld died intestate, leaving
as her only heirs her daughters:
Elizabeth - unmarried. Died intestate.
Jane - married John Cox
Mary - married William Grayson
1831
Lot 114 is divided into two parts, by a straight line drawn
from center of northern line to center of southern line,
150 feet on Warren (37th) Street from corner and 30 feet
on 2nd (0) Street from corner. The east half of Lot 114
went to Mary Grayson and the west part to Jane Cox.
Chain of title is described below in two parts, first
the east half of Lot 114, then the west part of the lot.
In 1865 Richard Crawford bought the west half and in 1875
he bought the east part. After 1875, therefore, the
description of ownership is for all of Lot 114.
East half of Lot 114 follows:
William Grayson and wife,
Deed in trust August 24, 1831
Mary
Recorded October 12, 1831
to
Liber W.B. 38, folio 77
James S. Morsell
If property is not disposed of
in their lifetime, it is to be
held for Henry Grayson, their
son. East half of Lot 114.
546
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 8)
1835
John Cox and wife, Jane
Deed in Trust November 10, 1835
Mary Grayson
Recorded November 12, 1835
to
Liber W.B. 58, folio 63
David English
East half of Lot 114.
Trustee holds for Mary in her
lifetime, subject to her right
to dispose, but if she dies be-
fore disposing of property, it
is to be "...for the only and
behoof of her son Henry T. Gray-
son, his heirs and assignees for-
ever...."
1837
James S. Morsell, Tr.
Deed in Trust November 29, 1837
Mary Grayson, Jane Cox
Recorded November 30, 1837
to
Liber W.B. 64, folio 475
John Cox
John Cox to hold east half
of Lot 114 for Henry Grayson.
James S. Morsell, Tr.
Deed in Trust November 29, 1837
Mary Grayson ("...who
Recorded December 28, 1837
directs this deed...")
Liber W.B. 66, folio 283
to
David English, Tr.
In trust for purposes of deed
of August 24, 1831, Liber W.B.
38, folio 77. East half of Lot
114.
Mary Grayson died and the east half of Lot 114 went to Henry
Grayson.
547
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 9)
1843
David English
Deed April 28, 1843
Henry T. Grayson
Recorded May 15, 1843
to
Liber W.B. 97, folio 487
Thomas O.N. May
East half of Lot 114
Thomas O.N. May and wife,
Deed September 27, 1843
Anne
Recorded December 5, 1843
to
Liber W.B. 105, folio 18
Sarah L. Boarman
East half of Lot 114 for
$200
1851
Sarah L. Boarman
Deed October 1, 1851
to
Recorded October 11, 1851
Sarah Leavy
JAS 31, folio 239
East half of Lot 114 for
$700
1853
Sarah A. Leavy and
Deed February 26, 1853
husband, Lawrence
Recorded February 28, 1853
to
Liber JAS 42, folio 513
Peter O'Donoghue, Jr.
and wife, Rebecca C.F.
joint tenants
East half of Lot 114
548
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 10)
1855
Peter O'Donoghue, Jr.
Deed June 27, 1855
and Rebecca C.F.
Recorded July 5, 1855
to
Liber JAS 99, folio 34
M. Joanna Rice
East half of Lot 114 for
$800
1875
Mary Joanna Rice
Deed July 24, 1875
to
Recorded December 3, 1875
Richard R. Crawford
Liber 804, folio 217
East half of Lot 114 for
$900
Chain of title now returns to
1835 when division of Lot 114
was made. The west half is
described below.
1835
David English
Deed in Trust November 10, 1835
Mary Grayson
Recorded November 24, 1835
("...who directs this deed
Liber W.B. 58, folio 96
and signs and seals...")
Jane Cox
to
John Cox
John holds in trust for wife, Jane,
to sell as she directs in her life-
time. After her death to sell at
her discretion. West half of Lot
114.
549
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 11)
1840
John Cox
Deed in Trust September 2, 1840
Jane Cox (wife of John who
Recorded November 20, 1840
...directs this deed...")
Liber W.B. 83, folio 297
to
George Mahorney
Jane directs John to sell
property to Mahoney "in fee
in evidence." West half of
Lot 114.
1841
George Mahorney and
Deed November 18, 1841
wife, Eleanor
Recorded January 4, 1842
to
Liber W.B. 88, folio 346
Thomas O.N. May
West half of Lot 114 was ex-
changed for Lot 134 in Threlkeld's
Addition to Georgetown
1845
Thomas O.N. May died,
Will April 28, 1845
leaving wife, Ann, with
Recorded January 13, 1845
power and discretion to
Will, Admin. 3-2554,
sell property, whenever
Will Book 5, page 437
she deemed it best for
herself and children.
550
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 12)
1865
Ann May
Deed April 26, 1865
to
Recorded March 5, 1867
R.R. Crawford
Liber R.M.H. 28, folio 327
West half of Lot 118
Description of ownership now resumes
for all of Lot 114, since Richard
Crawford owned both the east and
west halves.
1888
Richard Crawford died
Administration 3273
July 29, 1888, intestate.
His two children were
heirs at law:
Laura J. Crawford
William L. Crawford
1910
Laura J. Crawford
Deed of Trust June 16, 1910
William L. Crawford
Recorded July 2, 1910
to
Liber 3342, folio 187
Washington Loan and Trust Co.
551
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 13)
1915
Laura J. Crawford and William Deed of Trust February 18, 1915
Crawford temporarily lost
Recorded February 15, 1915
property for failure to pay
Liber 3767, folio 248
taxes, twice during this
and
year, on February 12 to
Recorded October 23, 1915
Charles H. Wiltsie and on
Liber 3842, folio 6
October 13, 1915, to M.A.
Wadhams, both representatives
of the D.C. Government.
1916
Laura J. Crawford and
Quit Claim Deed
William Crawford paid
Recorded February 10, 1916
taxes on January 22, 1916
Liber 3865, folio 144
and got property back.
William L. Crawford,
Deed January 22, 1916
single
Recorded February 10, 1916
Laura J. Crawford
Liber 3865, folio 146
to
Robert M. Morrison
Robert M. Morrison,
Deed January 24, 1916
widower
Recorded February 10, 1916
to
Liber 3865, folio 147
J. Walter Moulden
Grants property in fee simple,
unencumbered.
552
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 14)
J. Walter Moulden,
Deed January 29, 1916
unmarried
Recorded February 10, 1916
to
Liber 3865, folio 151
Guy S. Zepp
(Subject to trust of $2,500)
Subdivision of original
February 25, 1916
Lot 114 into Lots 150-
Subdivision Book 55, P. 76
158. Trustees assented.
Surveyor's Office, D.C.
1917
Guy S. Zepp and wife,
Deed April 27, 1917
Pauline
Recorded May 5, 1917
to
Liber 3968, folio 486
Charles Selden, Jr.
Deed subject to seven trusts, one on each
lot (151-155; 157 and 158) at $2,000.
Released November 23, 1917.
Liber 4002, folio 398
Charles Selden, Jr.
Deed November 17, 1917
and wife, Mary Agnes
Recorded November 27, 1917
to
Liber 4022, folio 399
Patrick T. Moran
Lots 151-155; 157 and 158
553
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 15)
1923
Patrick T. Moran died
Will December 17, 1919
February 22, 1923 and
Probated March 19, 1923
left property to wife,
Will Book 112, page 533
Annie T. Moran.
Administration 30367
1944
Annie T. Moran died
Will February 16, 1943
January 31, 1944,
Probated March 14, 1944
leaving property to
Will Book 322, page 330
daughter, Margaret M.
Administration 63207
Shugrue.
1948
Margaret M. Shugrue
Deed July 2, 1948
to
Recorded July 9, 1948
Fannie Eaton (later
Liber 8784, folio 402
corrected to "Fanny")
1955
Fanny Eaton
Deed February 14, 1955
to
Recorded February 15, 1955
Elise D. Ellis
Liber 10368, folio 323
1956
Elise D. Ellis
Deed March 21, 1956
to
Recorded March 23, 1956
Arthur Joseph Smith
Liber 10630, folio 495
554
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 16)
Arthur Joseph Smith,
Deed March 21, 1956
unmarried
Recorded April 3, 1956
to
Liber 10631, folio 539
The President and Directors
of Georgetown College
References
1. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of
Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.
2. City Directory. 1918, p. 1474.
3. Same reference as #2. 1918, P. 1192.
4. Same reference as #2. 1918, P. 960.
5. Same reference as #2. 1917, P. 1655.
6. Same reference as #2. 1917, p. 754.
7. Same reference as #2. 1918, p. 1815.
8. Same reference as #2. 1919, P. 1896.
555
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 17)
9. Same reference as #2. 1943, P. 383.
10. Same reference as #2. 1954, P. 84.
11. Same reference as #2. 1956, P. 401.
556
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 18)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: Plain, flat-fronted brick row houses
typical of the early twentieth century. Broad overhanging
eaves give some variety at the roof lines but do nothing to
alleviate the flatness of the row. This particular house has
been renovated to a great extent, others in the row to a lesser.
Condition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 30'-0". Three bays
across 37th Street facade. Two stories high.
Foundations: Brick and concrete.
Wall construction: Brick, painted.
Chimneys: One small square utility chimney in center of rear
(east) elevation, one from fireplace in living room on south
party wall.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The entrance doorway has a
broad fluted casing with turned corner blocks,
a mid-twentieth century addition as is the six
panel door itself.
557
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 19)
Windows and shutters: Windows are six-over-
six double-hung wood sash, although others
in the row are six-over-six double-hung sash.
No shutters.
Porches: Brick and concrete stoop in front, wood landing
and steps in rear.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Flat metal, pitched to rear.
Shingled covered, bracketed, broad eave across
front.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Broad overhanging bracketed-type "eyebrow"
eave across front.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: Entry and stair hall in northwest corner; kitchen
in northeast; dining room in southeast; living room in south-
west. Partitions between hall and living room and between
living room and dining room have been removed, making one
irregular L-shaped room. Second floor has one bedroom across
front; one in southeast corner; bath in northeast corner;
stair hall in center of north side. Basement is one large
unfinished space.
Stairways: First to second floor is a straight run with winders
at the top. Closed stringer. Original heavy moulded rail with
simple square balusters, small newel. (1401 37th still has
original square moulded heavy oak newel.) Stair to basement
is simple wood utility stair from kitchen.
558
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 20)
Flooring: Modern oak strip.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted.
Doorways and doors: Original doors on second floor have five
horizontal panels. Nearly all doors on first floor removed.
Decorative features and trim: Nothing of notable value.
Flat wood trim. Simple surround at fireplace; no trace of
original mantel.
Hardware: Nothing of notable value.
Lighting: Nothing of notable value.
Heating: Radiators; fireplace in living room.
Site
General Setting and Orientation: Set slightly above and back
from 37th Street, this row faces west toward Georgetown
University. This particular house is approximately in the
center of the row.
Enclosures: Wood fence around rear yard, none in front.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Concrete and brick.
559
ZEPP ROW HOUSE
HABS No. DC-208 (Page 21)
Landscaping: Informal residential planting. Flagstone
terrace in rear.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
October 30, 1968
560
792
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HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-188
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
Address in 1969:
1423 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this was approximately 64 Lingan
Street.)
Location:
The house is located on part of old Lot
104, Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition
to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 813,
Square 1247 in Washington, D.C.
Date of erection:
Probably between 1821 and 1834.
Owner in 1969:
John A. Harrington
Occupant in 1969:
John A. Harrington
Use in 1969:
Private residence
Significance:
Although completely renovated in the 1920's,
the basic form of this two-story laborer's
cottage which dates from the first quarter
of the nineteenth century was preserved,
keeping it in scale with the other buildings
of similar character in the neighborhood.
563
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1821-1834
In 1821 John Threlkeld conveyed to George Mahorney, along
with adjoining property, the west half of Lot 104 on
which the present house, 1423 36th Street, stands. Eight
years later, a year before his death, John Threlkeld and
Jeremiah Bronaugh, who served as a trustee, conveyed the
east half of the lot to George Mahorney.
George Mahorney was a bricklayer by profession, but his
activities extended far beyond his trade. He was an
entrepreneur who dealt in real estate and from time to
time operated small businesses. (1) In the late 1820's,
in partnership with Joseph Brigden, he operated a
storehouse and grocery. At one point he operated a
tavern at the corner of Third (P Street) and High
(Wisconsin Avenue). It is likely that among Mahorney's
real estate ventures was the construction of the dwell-
ing now known as 1423 36th Street.
In the 1820-30 period Mahorney made numerous land pur-
chases, but by 1832 he was, as were many other land
investors, in financial difficulties. It was a decade
of hard times. He lost much of his property in fore-
closure suits.
By the end of the twenties Mahorney had used all of the
money brought to his marriage by his wife, Eleanor, and
therefore put certain properties in trust for her to
secure her dowry rights.
564
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 3)
For a while Eleanor lived at a house which Mahorney owned
on the corner of Third (P Street) and Lingan (36th Street),
a short distance from the present Lot 813, while Mahorney
resided at Third and High Streets where he was running a
tavern. However, in 1830 he was back at the dwelling on
Third and Lingan. (2)
1834-1852
By 1834 Clement Cox held a trust on Lot 104 as well as on
other lots owned by Mahorney. On January 26, 1833 Lot
104 along with other property of Mahorney's was advertised
in the Georgetown Metropolitan as being for sale at public
auction. (3)
Despite his losses, Mahorney continued to live in Georgetown,
to deal in real estate, and to borrow money from many of the
same people. He was also active in civic affairs. At one
time he was a "Messenger and Scavenger" for the Board of
Aldermen of Georgetown, with responsibility for collecting
bad debts and recovering stolen property.
In 1858 he left Georgetown and went to live with his daughter,
Henrietta Herrell, in Washington. Mahorney's Will, written
the following year, contains several interesting features.
The first item provides for his servant man's purchase of his
freedom, so that he will be " thence and forever free from
the service to anyone as a slave Mahorney willed one
of his properties in Georgetown to a daughter, Emma Offutt.
He provided for four of his other children by ordering equal
division of the remainder of his estate. He left five dol-
lars to his daughter, Matilda, a "Sister of Charity. u He
also willed five dollars each to his sons, John and George,
" to be paid if they shall ever come back, as both have
been gone for many years since I have heard from them."
(4)
565
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 4)
It was Alfred Boutcher (or Boucher), a grocer, who bought Lot
104, part of it in 1834 and another portion in 1837. Boucher
owned other property in the neighborhood. His business
establishment was on the corner of Potomac Street and Bridge
Street (M Street). (5)
1852-1866
In 1852 Alfred Boucher and his wife sold the property to
Thomas Hunter, who held it only two years before selling it
to William W. Corcoran. Tax assessment records for 1865-70
show that Corcoran's property, Lot 104, 30 feet fronting
on Lingan Street, extending 120 feet deep, included "Improve-
ments: Two Story Frame Tenement" valued at $300, while the
land was valued at $250. (6)
William W. Corcoran had been active in Georgetown affairs for
many years. He was an officer of the Potomac Fire Insurance
Company in 1831. He was one of the founders in 1840 of the
banking firm, Corcoran and Riggs, from which the present
Riggs National Bank developed. In 1859 he began the construc-
tion of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, his private collection
forming the nucleus of what is now one of the major cultural
institutions in Washington. (7)
1866-1901
Just after the Civil War, in 1866, Corcoran sold the property
to Dennis Harrington, a laborer, who owned and lived in the
former Mahorney house on the nearby corner of Third (P) and
Lingan (36th) Streets. (8) Dennis and his wife, Mary, resided
in part of the house and rented some of their rooms to
fellow laborers--the bricklayers, stone-cutters, and car-
penters who were arriving in great numbers.
566
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 5)
In western Georgetown during the period when many Irish immi-
grants were coming to work on construction in Georgetown and
the nearby Federal City, it was common practice for the first
ones to acquire a home and take in friends and relatives who
came over to join them, until they were able to establish
their own homes. It is likely that the Harringtons bought
the house on Lingan (36th) Street as an investment and rented
it to friends and relatives.
After Dennis Harrington's death in 1867, his widow, Mary, held
on to the property on Lingan Street, as well as the nearby
property where she and her children lived. When Mary died, in
1876, her heirs continued to possess all of this property
until 1901.
1901-1969
On June 24, 1901 Julia Sullivan, a relative, bought the property;
but according to Dennis's descendant John Harrington, also a
cousin of the Sullivans, Julia never lived in the house at
1423 36th Street. Mrs. Sullivan died in 1928 and Katherine,
her only child, inherited the property.
The house was rented to a series of people for many years. In
1933-34, the house was in such disrepair that it either had to
be demolished or repaired. It was at this time that extensive
remodeling was carried out. (9)
Katherine Sullivan lived in the house and in her later years,
until her death in January 1969, shared her home with her
cousin, John A. Harrington, who still occupies the premises.
567
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 6)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1821
John Threlkeld
Deed September 21, 1821
to
Recorded October 9, 1821
George Mahorney
Liber W.B. 2, folio 354
West one-half of Lots 104 and 105
1829
John Threlkeld and
Deed August 19, 1829
Jeremiah W. Bronaugh, Tr.
Recorded August 31, 1829
to
Liber W.B. 26, folio 468
George Mahorney
East one-half of Lots 104 and 105
1834
Clement Cox, Tr.
Deed July 2, 1834
under trust from
Recorded July 2, 1834
George Mahorney
Liber W.B. 51, folio 16
to
Alfred H. Boutcher
(or Boucher)
568
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 7)
1837
John Pickrell, Tr.
Deed July 1, 1837
George Mahorney and
Recorded November 27, 1837
wife, Eleanor
Liber W.B. 64, folio 455
to
Alfred H. Boutcher
Remaining portion of northern half of Lot 104
required to complete present Lot 813,
1852
Alfred H. Boucher and
Deed May 10, 1852
wife, Sarah
Recorded May 17, 1852
to
Liber JAS 40, folio 427
Thomas Hunter
1854
Thomas Hunter and
Deed May 17, 1853
wife, Jane
Recorded May 19, 1853
to
Liber JAS 56, folio 105
William W. Corcoran
1866
William W. Corcoran
Deed August 1, 1866
to
Recorded August 10, 1866
Dennis Harrington
Liber RMH 18, folio 400
569
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 8)
1901
John J. Harrington and
Deed June 24, 1901
wife, Annie E.
Recorded August 7, 1901
Mary E.V. Dugan and
Liber 2558, folio 409
husband, Michael A.
Catherine A. Woody, widow
(all heirs of Dennis Harrington)
to
Julia Sullivan
1928
Julia Sullivan died intestate, March 26,' 1928. Her only heir,
Katherine Sullivan, inherited the property.
1969
Katherine Sullivan died
Will June 22, 1961
in January, 1969, be-
Filed February 28, 1969
queathing Lot 813 in
Administrative number not yet
Square 1247 (1423 36th
assigned as estate is in pro-
St. N.W.) to John A.
cess of being settled and
Harrington, her cousin.
probate has not yet taken place.
570
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 9)
References
1. City Directory. 1830, p. 10; 1834, P. 14; 1853, P. 65.
2. Same reference as #1. 1830, P. 10.
3. Georgetown Metropolitan. January 26, 1833. (Newspaper
Reading Room Serial Division, Library of Congress.)
4. Will, George Mahorney, March 27, 1859, Probated October
26, 1875. Admin. 4108. os, Will Book 15, page 194,
Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.
5. Same reference as #1. 1834, p. 2.
6. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-
ment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,
National Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).
7. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1930, Vol. IV, p. 440.
8. Same reference as #1. 1865, p. 383.
9. Conversation with John Harrington, cousin of Katherine
Sullivan, 1423 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
571
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 10)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This is a simple frame free-standing
house of the early to mid-nineteenth century. The front
entrance has been inexpertly redesigned, but the cornice with
its unusual modillion placement and the window sills with
guttae appear to be early, if not original.
Condition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall dimensions: Approximately 20'-0" by 16'-0". Three
unequal bays across 36th Street facade. Brick addition at
rear approximately 16'-0" by 20'-0".
Foundations: Brick.
Wall construction: Wood frame main block, brick rear addition.
Chimneys: One at rear of main block of house.
Openings:
Doors and doorways: The front door has six raised
panels and is flanked by a pair of fluted column
shafts without caps supporting an entablature made
of currently available stock mouldings.
572
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 11)
Windows and shutters: Windows in general have
six-over-six double-hung wood sash and louvered
wood shutters. The sills are unusual in that
they each have three triangular guttae, one at
each side and one in the center. Shutter-dogs
are of wrought iron design and appear to be
early.
Porches: Recent semi-circular brick stoop has what appears
to be an early wrought-iron boot scraper.
Roof:
Shape and covering: Gable; ridge running
north-south; standing seam metal covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Wood cornice has four scrolled
brackets and eighteen smaller scrolled
modillions. The cornice is unusual in
that the modillions are mounted vertical-
ly like small brackets.
Dormers: None.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor plan: Much remodeled in the 1920's, this house has little
of its original interior detail. Basically, the original house
had one room above another with fireplaces in the rear (east)
wall and stairs along the north wall. In 1928 the basement
was excavated and stairs built to it, a dining room and kitchen
were added to the first floor, and a bedroom and bath added to
the second floor. The living room fireplace was rebuilt in
brick and the second floor fireplace closed up.
573
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 12)
Stairways: The landing just inside the front door is two steps
above the living room floor. From there the closed-string
stair ascends along the north wall to the second floor. The
enclosed attic stair is above this and is reached from the east
bedroom.
Flooring: All flooring is modern oak strip flooring except
the attic floor, which is very wide random pine boards.
Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted or wallpapered;
basement ceilings are pressed metal.
Door and doorways: Doors in general have four panels (late
nineteenth-century) or two panels (early twentieth_century),
but the door to the attic stair is an early batten door
complete with original cast iron thumblatch.
Decorative features and trim: The living room mantel has been
replaced with a brick surround and corbelled mantelpiece.
The door and window trim, according to the present resident,
Mr. John Harrington, was replaced in 1928, but was an earlier
moulding from another source, re-used. It is a wide fluted
casing and occurs throughout.
Hardware: No notable hardware other than cast iron thumblatch
on the attic door and the scrolled wrought-iron shutter dogs.
Lighting: No notable fixtures.
Heating: Radiators throughout.
574
MAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-188 (Page 13)
Site
General setting and orientation: Located on the east side
of 36th Street, this house is one of a neighborhood of
houses of varying ages and styles which, however, have a
uniformity of scale and size. The rear yard is a full
story lower than the front yard.
Enclosures: Rear yard is enclosed with a wood paling fence,
the small front planting area is surrounded with stock wire
fencing.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: Brick,
Landscaping: Informal residential scale planting.
Prepared by The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
March 5, 1969
575
576
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-206
HARNEDY ROW HOUSES
Address in 1969:
3617, 3619 and 3621 Prospect Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.
Location:
The houses occupy Lot 50 in Square 53 in
Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lots
65, 66, 67 in Harnedy's Subdivision in
Square 1223 in the City of Washington.
Date of erection:
1890's
Owners in 1969:
President and Directors of Georgetown
College
Occupants in 1969:
Rental tenants
Use in 1969:
Residences
Significance:
Typical of low-income, inexpensively built
rental row houses of the late nineteenth
century, these houses reflect the mode of
living of artisans of that period. Sub-
sequent renovations have enabled these
buildings to continue as rental property.
577
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1836-1850
In 1836 John A. Smith, who had been appointed trustee to sell
Lot 50 and other property which had belonged to Leonard M.
Deakins, sold the lot in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition to Georgetown on which the present three houses
stand to John Hoye.
Hoye was a wealthy landowner with a prosperous estate near
Cumberland in Allegheny County and considerable other land-
holdings throughout Maryland. His Georgetown property, as
well as much of his land elsewhere, was no doubt held for
investment purposes for he willed his house and estate in
Allegheny County to his wife, stating that if she would not
accept this provision "then she is to take her dower and
legal interest alone which on account of the unproductive
nature of much of my said real estate will not be very
valuable.' (1)
1850-1890
John Hoye died in June 1849. His Will reflects the character
of the man and the spirit of the times: "Being in impaired
Health of body, but of Sound disposing mind, memory and un-
derstanding that I may be the better prepared to leave this
scene of things whenever it shall please the Almighty to call
me hence I commend my Spirit to the Keeping of its merciful
Author and my body I commit to the earth
"
(2)
A year after his death, in 1850, Hoye's executor, George Smith,
sold Lot 50 to Timothy O'Donnoghue. In 1830 Timothy had been a
578
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 3)
grocer with a business at Market Space south of Bridge (now M)
Street. (3) Three years after buying Lot 50 on Prospect Street,
he is listed as having a "candle factory, south side of 1st
(now N Street) near College, Georgetown" and also in 1853 as
operating with Patrick O'Donnoghue a "candle & soap factory,
north side G north between 4th and 5th W" in the City of
Washington. (4) Since Lot 50 adjoined on the south the property
on which Timothy had his candle business on First Street, it
is probable that it was also used for part of the operation.
In 1858, a year before his death, the City Directory shows
Timothy in the same location listed as "Timothy O'Donnoghue
& Son (James), soap & candle manufacturers, 1st (N) corner
Lingan (36th), house 98 First." (5)
Patrick O'Donnoghue, listed as "Tallow Chandler Second (0)
Street near Warren (37th)" as early as 1830 and in partner-
ship in the City of Washington with Timothy in 1853, bought
Lot 50 from Timothy's executors in 1859. (6) The next year
the City Directory shows Patrick as "soapmaker, house 121
2nd Street. (7) Throughout the nineteenth century there
were many O'Donnoghues in the soap and candle business, both
in the western end of Georgetown and, as their business
expanded, in the City of Washington.
1890-1954
Patrick O'Donnoghue held Lot 50 on the north side of Prospect
Street for thirty-one years, presumably using it most of
that period in connection with his candle and soap manufactur-
ing operations. In 1890 Mary E. Harnedy bought the land
and a few years later subdivided Lot 50 into three lots,
65, 66, and 67, on which she and her husband, William, build
three similar houses. (Tax records for 1893-94 show Lot 50
assessed to Mary Harnedy still vacant, so it is probable
that the houses were put up about 1895. (8) These houses
(3617, 3619, and 3621) were evidently built for rental
purposes, for Mary Harnedy never lived at that location.
579
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 4)
In 1889 the Harnedys had a liquor business at 3288 M Street.
They are shown at the M Street address operating consecutive-
ly a liquor store, restaurant, saloon, and barber shop
throughout the 1890's. William Harnedy died about 1901,
for Mary E. Harnedy, "widow William, is found living at
3286 M Street from 1902 to 1907.
In 1908 Mary took as her second husband Nicholas Graef, a
cooper who was living at 509 22nd Street,N.W. That same
year he moved to Mary's house on M Street and is listed
in the following years as both a grocer and a cooper. (9)
Mary E. Harnedy Graef died in December 1913, leaving
everything to her husband, Nicholas, and upon his death to
Frank P. Reeside as trustee. Mary's will stipulated that
the trustee should rent, lease, and collect money from her
real estate and pay the net income to Annie C. Clarke.
It also stated that not more than ten years after Annie's
death the money and real estate should go to the College
and Commissariat of the Holy Land of the U.S.A. (10)
The Harnedy row houses changed occupants often. In 1914
they were occupied by Elias Joseph, a tailor (in 3617),
Theodore Lipscomb, a policeman (in 3619), and George
Shism, a carpenter (in 3621). (11) Fifteen years later,
in 1930, the middle house was vacant but a house painter,
Lawrence Vermillion, rented the western most house while
a tile setter, Charles Gates, rented the eastern most
house. (12) By the middle of the next decade the occupants
had again changed but had the same kinds of occupations
as the earlier tenants. Luther Smallwood, a carpenter,
was living in 3617; Marshall Miller, occupation not men-
tioned, was in 3619; and Calvin Hill, a guard, was
renting 3621. (13)
When Nicholas Graef died in 1953, the estate of Mary E. H.
Graef consisted of eight lots in the western end of George-
town on which stood seven dwellings and a store. Rents
collected at that time for 3617, 3619, and 3621 Prospect
were $19.18, $12.77, and $20.43 per month, respectively.
580
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 5)
1954-1969
The Board of Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings of D.C.
issued a warrant against the holdings of the estate the
next year. Since there were not adequate funds in the
estate for improving the eight buildings, six of the houses
were sold to Georgetown College for $37,500; the two
exceptions were the house and store on M Street. The
proceeds for this transaction went to Annie C. Marmaduke
(who died in 1965) and the Commissariat of the Holy Land
for the U.S.A. (14)
Following extensive renovation the Harnedy row houses were
rented as residences. Georgetown University still uses
the property for rental purposes.
Original and Subsequent Owners
1836
John A. Smith, Tr.
Deed July 16, 1836
to
Recorded July 16, 1836
John Hoye
Liber W.B. 59, folio 5
Recites that by Decree of the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia passed in the case of John
Hoye as Heir at Law of Leonard M. Deakins et al,
April 11, 1829 and January 13, 1830, John A. Smith
was appointed trustee to sell Lot 50 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition as well as
other lots.
581
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 6)
1850
George Smith, Ex.,
Deed August 2, 1850
last Will of
Recorded August 5, 1850
John Hoye
Liber JAS 16, folio 24
to
Timothy O'Donnoghue
1859
Timothy O'Donnoghue
Will March 3, 1859
died.
Probated March 29, 1859
Will Book 8, page 68
Sarah O'Donnoghue (wife)
Deed May 13, 1859
James O'Donnoghue (son)
Recorded August 3, 1859
Peter O'Donnoghue (brother), Liber JAS 180, folio 129
Executors under the Will
of Timothy O'Donnoghue
to
Patrick O'Donnoghue
1890
Patrick O'Donnoghue,
Deed November 8, 1890
widower
Recorded December 5, 1890
to
Liber K-10, folio 31
Mary E. Harnedy
1901
William Harnedy died in 1901.
582
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 7)
1908
Mary E. Harnedy married (for second
time) Nicholas Graef.
1913
Mary E. Harnedy Graef died
Will January 9, 1912
December 23, 1913. Frank
Probated March 2, 1914
P. Reeside was appointed
Will Book 83, page 463
trustee under her Will.
Administration 20452
1953
Nicholas Graef died January 1953.
Frederick Stohlman and
Annie Clarke Marmaduke
Joseph A. Rafferty were
vs.
appointed substitute
Commissariat of the Holy
trustees for Frank P.
Land of the U.S.A. et al.
Reeside, deceased in
Civil Action 1878-53
1926, under civil action
case.
1954
Frederick Stohlman and
Deed December 6, 1954
Joseph A. Rafferty,
Recorded December 8, 1954
trustees
Liber 10327, folio 343
to
President and Directors of
Georgetown College
583
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 8)
References
1. Will of John Hoye, March 2, 1849, probated July 27, 1877,
Will Book A, page 697, Allegheny County, Maryland.
2. Same reference as #1.
3. City Directory. 1830, p. 11.
4. Same reference as #3. 1853, p. 76.
5. Same reference as #3. 1858, P. 459.
6. Same reference as #3. 1830, p. 11; 1853, P. 76.
7. Same reference as #3. 1860, p. 171.
8. Zevely-Finley, General Assessment of All Real Property in
Georgetown in the District of Columbia 1893-94.
Washington, D.C.: A.G. Gedney, 1894.
9. Same reference as #3. 1889, p. 450; 1891, P. 482; 1892,
p. 487; 1894, p. 504; 1902, P. 557; 1906, p. 541; 1907, P.
619; 1908, p. 583; 1910, p. 625; 1914, p. 559.
10. Will of Mary E. Harnedy Graef, January 9, 1912, probated
March 2, 1914, Will Book 83, page 463, Administration
20452.
584
HARNEDY HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 9)
11. Same reference as #3. 1914, p. 1676, p. 734, p. 816,
P. 307.
12. Same reference as #3. 1930, p. 2013, p. 1556, p. 640.
13. Same reference as #3. 1943, P. 214, p. 1379, p. 1038,
p. 698.
14. . Civil Action case #1878-53, Annie C. Marmaduke vs.
Commissariat of the Holy Land for the U.S.A., U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia, 1953.
585
HARNEDY ROW HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 10)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This is one of three similar frame
houses in a row. Built in the last part of the nineteenth
century, the outward appearance of this row has been little
altered over the years. They are simple flat fronted frame
houses with little ornamentation other than their simplified
version of the elaborate Victorian cornices seen earlier in
that period.
Condition of Fabric: Good, reasonably well-maintained.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Approximately 16'-0" by 20'-0" with
a 12'-0" by 12'-0" ell. Two bays across Prospect Street
facade. Two stories high.
Foundations: Stucco on masonry.
Wall Construction: Frame with plain drop siding and flat corner
boards.
Chimneys: One about 16" square at rear of main block.
586
HARNEDY ROW HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 11)
Openings:
Doorways and Doors: The front door has eight raised
panels and a three-light transom. There is a simple
flat wood surround with a small cyTa reversa cap.
The doorway has two red sandstone steps down to the
sidewalk.
Windows and Shutters: Windows in general have six-
over-six double-hung wood sash with a flat wood
surround and a small cyma reversa cap moulding.
The apron is a heavy cyma reversa moulding with
breaks at the ends to form small brackets. The
front windows have louvered wood shutters (modern
replacements).
Porches: None.
Roof:
Shape and Covering: Low shed roof pitched toward rear
(north); metal covering.
Framing: Wood (assumed).
Cornice: Wood; a simple late Victorian cornice with broad
soffit, simple brackets and modillions.
Dormers: None.
587
HARNEDY ROW HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 12)
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plan: The first floor has a living room across the Prospect
Street front, an enclosed stair and a small hallway across the
middle, and a dining room across the rear. At the northwest corner
is an ell containing a kitchen and small pantry. The second floor
has a bedroom across the front, the stair and landing across the
middle, a hallway along the west side, a bedroom on the east, and
a bath in the northwest ell. There is no basement.
Stairways: A simple enclosed stair runs from a small hallway
on the east between the dining and living rooms up to a
landing one riser below the level of the hallway on the second
floor.
Flooring: Pine, 4" to 5" wide, probably original.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Painted plaster.
Doorways and Doors: All doors are mid-twentieth century six-
panel replacements.
Decorative Features and Trim: There is a cornice in both the
dining and living rooms made up of stock mouldings; it is box-
like in form and somewhat naive in design. The doors and windows
have an unmoulded flat trim.
Hardware: All mid-twentieth century replacements.
Lighting: All mid-twentieth century incandescent fixtures, none
of note.
Heating: Small boiler in pantry of kitchen.
588
HARNEDY ROW HOUSES
HABS No. DC-206 (Page 13)
Site
General Setting and Orientation: This is one of a group of
three similar frame houses on the north side of the westernmost
developed block of Prospect Street. While the south side of
the street has several brick houses of a somewhat formal
nature, the north side of the street is made up of very simple
late nineteenth-century frame houses.
Enclosures: Simple board fence around rear yard.
Outbuildings: None.
Walks: The house is built abutting the brick public sidewalk.
Landscaping: No front yard; informal residential planting in the
rear yard surrounding a brick-paved terrace.
Prepared by: The Office of Walter G. Peter, Jr.
AIA
Architect
March 19, 1969
589
06£
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-69
HALCYON HOUSE
Address in 1969:
3400 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
(Formerly this address was known as Prospect,
corner of Frederick Street.)
Location:
The house is located on old Lots 44, 45,
46, 47 and 48 out of old Lot 32, out of
old Lot 17 and parts of 16, 18, and 19,
in old Square 34, Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld
and Deakins Addition to Georgetown, now
taxed as Lot 814, Square 1204 in Washington,
D.C.
Date of erection:
1787
Owners in 1969:
Edmund W. Dreyfuss and Blake Construction
Co.
Occupants in 1969:
Mr. and Mrs. George Roper in original
house and tenants in apartments.
Use in 1969:
Residence and apartments
Significance:
Within the shell of the present structure,
reasonably intact, is a very fine example
of a free-standing Georgian mansion.
Built by Benjamin Stoddert, our first Sec-
retary of the Navy, it was the scene of
frequent informal conferences in connection
with the shaping of national as well as
Georgetown history. Despite its twentieth-
century disfigurement, the early house
retains much of its original detail and
should be considered a prime prospect for
preservation.
591
"Within the shell of the present structure, reasonably intact,
is a very fine example of a free-standing Georgian mansion."
Halcyon House prior to twentieth-century disfigurement
(Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library)
592
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 2)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
1786-1819
Benjamin Stoddert built the house on the corner of Frederick
(34th) Street and Prospect Street, naming it "Halcyon House"
most appropriately, for the calm beauty of the dwelling
epitomized the fabled halcyon, a bird which had the power of
charming winds as it nested on the floating sea.
The erection date of the house is generally credited as 1783;
however, investigation of early land records of Montgomery
County indicates a later date of construction. Stoddert did
not buy the land on which Halcyon House stands until November
26, 1786. The deed, between William Deakins, Junior and
John Threlkeld, both of Montgomery County and State of Mary-
land, of the one part, and Benjamin Stoddert of the County
and State aforesaid. was recorded on April 18, 1787 in
Montgomery County, Maryland.
The deed clearly states that Stoddert bought "...all those
two Lotts or portions of ground in Beatty's, Peter's,
Threlkeld's E Deakins' Addition to George Town known and
distinguished by numbers sixteen and seventeen
"
For
the property Stoddert paid 100 pounds to Deakins and one
shilling to Threlkeld. (The token payment was merely a
protection of his wife's family claim. She was Elizabeth
Ridgely, Deakins's stepdaughter--the child of his wife,
Jane, by her first marriage. Threlkeld's gesture thus
recognized his wife's family relationship, but relinquished
profit from the sale to his father-in-law.) There is no
mention in the deed of any buildings on the land and the
low figure of the purchase corroborates the absence of a
structure on the land. (2)
593
Benjamin Stoddert,
first Secretary
of the Navy
and builder of
Halcyon House
(Peabody Room,
Georgetown
Public Library)
William Drahins Jun. Musumf forms
Carrent money and the vaid Iohn Holdreld Anand inconsidena tion Jonodrilling
these presents the and and The and Whit
to them under tively (1) hano Furw blow the Onmating andelelway A
do, Acknow adge Bangained atiand and
by these presents dб амч grand Bangain all Econfium unto the and Bonyamin
Moddul his luin Papins forwer all. than two Lothin portions offround "
Beathy's Pilus Andhelds 4. Deahim Addition to Progit Down from and
did anquired bynumbers cirtun referred ring had so Mu wath
raid Excluion baging Youn, in, the hands of the commpreoms good "oure
"
investigation of early land records of Montgomery County
indicates a later date of construction."
1786 Deed between William Deakins, Jr. and John Threlkeld
and Benjamin Stoddert (Land Records, Montgomery County
Courthouse, Rockville, Maryland)
594
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 3)
Halcyon House was built on Lot 17 with its gardens extending
into Lot 16. Lot 17 was at the corner of Prospect Street
and Frederick (34th) Street; Lot 16 was at the corner of
Bridge (M) Street and Frederick. The two lots joined, and
together they comprised the eastern half of the square.
It was not until 1795 that Stoddert acquired the western half
of the square. He paid William Deakins 450 pounds for Lots
18 and 19. Lot 18 was on the corner of Fayette (35th) Street
and Bridge Street, and Lot 19 was on the corner of Fayette
and Prospect Streets. The lots adjoined each other, as well
as Lots 16 and 17 which Stoddert already owned. Thus, Benjamin
Stoddert, at the age of 44, owned the entire block in which
he lived.
Benjamin Stoddert was born in 1751 in Charles County, Maryland,
the only son of Sarah and Thomas Stoddert. Benjamin's grand-
father, James Stoddert, "a man of education and a surveyor by
profession, 14 emigrated from Scotland about 1650 and settled in
Maryland. He continued his surveying career in the new
country, but in addition, being a man of means, he invested in
land. (3)
James Stoddert's youngest son, Thomas (Benjamin's father), in-
herited a large tract of land from two of his brothers who
died in their youth. Thomas married Sarah Marshall, daughter
of Thomas Marshall, of Marshall Hall. Benjamin and his sister,
Sarah, grew up in an environment of comfort and ease.
Benjamin Stoddert, in his youth, spent some years in Philadelphia,
whether to attend school or to learn the shipping business is
not clear. However, it was in Philadelphia, early in the Revolu-
tionary War, that he joined Captain Hartley's "Additional
Continental Regiment of Cavalry" with the rank of captain. (4)
He was wounded so severely at Brandywine that he was no longer
fit for military service. In 1779 he resigned his commission,
which was then that of major. He declined a government pension
feeling that he had the means to support himself.
595
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 4)
In that same year, 1779, he was named Secretary to the Revolu-
tionary War Board in Philadelphia. John Adams, the future
President of the United States, was at that time President
of the War Board. For the next two years Stoddert labored
arduously with the complicated problems of carrying on the
Revolutionary War.
In February 1781 he resigned his post and returned to Maryland.
On June 7 of that year a marriage license was issued at
Marlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland, to Benjamin C.
Stoddert and Rebecca Lowndes, daughter of Christopher Lowndes
of Bostock House, Maryland. Christopher Lowndes, a wealthy
shipping merchant, had been one of the founders of Bladens-
burg in 1746. Bladensburg was named for his wife's uncle,
Thomas Bladen, who in 1742 was Governor of Maryland. (5)
In 1783, two years after his marriage, Stoddert began a
mercantile career of his own as a partner in the Georgetown
shipping firm of Forrest, Stoddert and Murdock, which estab-
lished branches in England and France. The firm prospered
and Stoddert's increased income may have been a factor in
his decision in 1785 to buy land in Georgetown and build a
home there.
Stoddert was interested in real estate as well as in trade.
He began to acquire extensive property holdings in Georgetown
and Washington in addition to his holdings in Maryland. (6)
Taking an active role in civic affairs, he developed into
one of the most public-spirited and influential citizens in
the community.
His close associates included not only leaders in Georgetown,
but many of our early patriots--men such as George Washington
and John Adams--men with whom Stoddert worked diligently to
strengthen the young nation. Halcyon House was often the
scene of parties where the Stodderts' friends gathered. In
1796 Mrs. Stoddert wrote to her niece, Eliza:
"Mrs. Mason will dine here on Thursday. I
believe I shall have a pretty large party
again--Mr. Lee's family will make part of
it." (7)
596
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 5)
A newspaper story describing the history of Halcyon House
records the important role Stoddert played in choosing
the site of the Federal government:
"He [Stoddert] played a prominent part in
having the seat of government situated
here. Considerable correspondence still
exists showing that George Washington
leaned heavily upon Stoddert for advice
in selecting the area for the Capital." (8)
William Tindall, in his Standard History of the City of
Washington, quotes much of this correspondence. (9)
Stoddert was one of the nineteen "original proprietors"
who signed the agreement for the ten mile square of land
for the District of Columbia. In 1793, when the Bank of
Columbia was founded to handle the transactions involved
in establishing the new seat of government, Stoddert was
one of the incorporators of the bank and five years later
its president. (10) (11)
During these fruitful years, Stoddert and his growing
family were enjoying the beauty and comfort of living at
Halcyon House. There were times, however, when Stoddert
apparently sought refuge from the turmoil by retreating
to his country home in Maryland. Mrs. Stoddert tells her
niece, Eliza, in a letter dated September 11, 1796, of
a noisy girls' party at Halcyon House and adds that she is
glad her husband is not at home, for his not being
well would make such a partying irksome to him--he went
to the Farm this morning and from there went to Dine
with Dr. Thornton whose farm adjoins ours (12)
In 1798 this pleasant mode of life was interrupted.
President John Adams, who held Stoddert in high esteem
as a result of his close association with him during
the War Board days, appointed him Secretary of the Navy
to direct the newly formed Department of the Navy.
597
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 6)
Those were difficult days, for France and the United States
were perilously close to war. Stoddert must have felt the
tug of conflict as he debated his responsibility to the
nation and his personal desire for a quiet life for himself
and his family. In a letter written to Francis Lowndes,
his wife's brother, on May 26, 1798, he expresses his
dilemma:
"I suppose you have heard of my appointment
to be Secretary of the Navy of the United
States. I have not determined to accept--
and what you will think more extraordinary
--I have not determined to refuse. I hate
office--have no desire for fancied or real
importante and wish to spend my life in
retirement and ease without bustle of any
kind. Yet it seems cowardly at such a time
as this to refuse an important and highly
responsible position (13)
Stoddert did accept, and along with the rest of the Cabinet
moved to Philadelphia, which was the temporary seat of
government pending the completion of facilities in the
new Capital in Washington.
Stoddert preceded his wife and family in Philadelphia. When
they joined him, they lived initially at a boarding house
operated by Mrs. Rosanna White and patronized by many notable
figures; later they took a house of their own. Mrs. Stoddert,
in letters to her cousin, Miss Eliza Gantt, told of break-
fasting daily with George Washington at the boarding house.
The letters give a lively account of the social scene in
Philadelphia, but do not conceal Mrs. Stoddert's longing to
resume life in her lovely home in Georgetown. In April 1799,
she wrote her cousin, "You can scarcely conceive how anxious
I am to return." (14)
598
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 7)
But during their two-year sojourn in Philadelphia Secretary
Stoddert achieved formidable accomplishments in his new
Department. He drafted the bill to organize the U.S.
Marine Corps; he pushed Congress to appropriate money for
six Navy yards; he got Congressional approval for building
more powerful 74-gun naval vessels. (15)
President Adams was laudatory about the quality of the navy
which Stoddert built and its success in the crisis with
France:
"[The Navy] called suddenly into existence
by a great national exigency, has raised us in
our own esteem and by the protection afforded
our oommerce, has effected to the extent of our
expectations the object for which it was created." (16)
When George Washington died in 1799 a memorial service was held
for him in Philadelphia. Stoddert was one of the pall bearers
at the ceremony.
In 1800 before the seat of government was moved to Washington,
President Adams asked Stoddert to take on the additional
duties of Secretary of War after James McHenry resigned that
office. (17) He did so, continuing as Secretary of both the
Navy and War Departments until April 1801. Although Thomas
Jefferson, the new President, asked Stoddert to remain in
office, he did so for only one month before retiring to
private life.
The Stodderts were delighted to return to their beloved home
--or perhaps "mansion" is a more appropriate term in view of
the 1800-1807 tax appraisal of $8,000 for "1 Square with
improvement where he lives." The style of their way of life
is further disclosed by the same tax records which include:
599
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 8)
2 nigroe men
$280
2 nigroe women
200
3 nigroe girls
200
1 nigroe boy
80
2 cows
30
3 horses and
2 carriages
600
Furniture
600 (18)
Stoddert resumed his active efforts to promote the advance-
ment of the new Federal City. He invested heavily in real
estate in Washington, and he became financially involved in
many civic projects such as the erection of The Upper Bridge
across the Eastern Branch. His spirit and imagination, his
hopes for the new Capital, stimulated his activities beyond
his financial resources.
By 1801 Stoddert's finances were so shaky that he was forced
to place a mortgage on his home. He turned to the Bank of
Columbia, which he had helped to establish eight years earlier.
Although he borrowed $50,000, he received only about two-
thirds of that amount because his former debt to the bank was
deducted.
Two years later, in 1803, Stoddert described his own suffering
from his financial decline to General Dayton:
"Do not be offended by anything I shall say. I
have been embarrassed & Disturbed in mind, almost
beyond bearing, ever since my return to private
life by being forced to assume debts to a large
amt. & take for my chances of reimbursement,
City lots.
"The story is too long to tell--E it is unnecessary
to tell it--by continual efforts, I have sold a
good many lots & have pd. a good deal of debt.
But I have still too much of both on my hands for
peace. If I could divest myself of feeling and
reason myself into patience, I could make my City
property produce an ample provision for my children,
after paying My Debts--and preserve a large Estate
I have out of the City." (19)
600
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 9)
Stoddert's misfortunes accumulated, for his wife died shortly
after the turn of the century leaving him with eight children.
(20) One of them, Elizabeth, was married in the house six
years later, in 1807. It was a festive occasion attended by
many people of prominence. Allen Clark, in his Life and Letters
of Dolly Madison, quotes a letter which Dolly Madison wrote to
her sister, Mrs. Cutts, mentioning her attendance at the wed-
ding:
"We are quiet and have but few parties. We
went to the wedding feast of Miss Stoddard
and dined last Saturday with (21)
Elizabeth (or "Betsy" as she was known in the family) married
Thomas Ewell who became an eminent physician and author, as well
as a belowed son-in-law. Stoddert nàmed Dr. Ewell as his exec-
utor, so fully did he trust and respect him.
Dr. and Mrs. Ewell lived in the Stoddert home where she took
charge of the household. Here she cared for her sisters and
brothers and her father until he retired to their country home,
"Beall's Pleasure," near Landover, Maryland, which Stoddert
had built in 1775. The lovely home is still in use, some-
times opened for house and garden tours of the area. A local
newspaper atated:
" 'Beall's Pleasure' would stand on its own merits
as a notable 18th-century structure without the
lustre of famous inhabitants. The house is
Georgian (22)
The Ewells remained in Halcyon House although they did not own
it. It was still in the hands of the Bank of Columbia with
little Prospect of being redeemed, as the Stodderts' fortunes
were at low ebb.
Marie Stoddert Turner describes Major Stoddert's last public
appearance in 1812 at the funeral of his long-time friend,
General Lingan, who had met a violent death at the hands of
a mob in Baltimore:
601
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 10)
"Lingan's mangled body was not allowed to be
given to his family, but the people assembled
in multitudes near Georgetown for funeral
services, at which Colonel Stuart and Major
Stoddert, both old Revolutionary soldiers,
supported on the platform the venerable
Major Musgrave
(23)
Stoddert died, still heavily laden with debt, in 1813, in
Bladensburg, and was buried at Addison's Chapel, Maryland,
beside his wife.
Stoddert's reputation as a patriot continues to endure. One
of his descendants gives a graphic delineation of Stoddert's
character:
"The man who won the confidence of Washington,
the affection of Adams, the esteem of Jefferson,
the intimate friendship of Light-Horse Harry Lee
and Francis Scott Key, the respect of Aaron Burr,
the warm support of Truxton and Decatur, was, as
he said of himself, but a 'poor politician'.
Yet he gave to his country the unstinted service
of his best years and never forfeited his integ-
rity for peace, power or wealth His best
legacy to his children was the record of his
patriotic life, and the motto which inspired it--
DENIQUE DECUS."
Truly Benjamin Stoddert, first owner of Halcyon House,
exemplified in his life the full meaning of the Stoddert
family motto, "Denique Decus" "Honor at last." (24)
1819-1839
The Ewells continued to live in Halcyon House until 1819, six
years after Stoddert's death. After the Ewells' departure,
the house was occupied by the newlywed couple, Mr. and Mrs.
Benjamin Mackall. The story is often told that the bride's
father, William Whann, who was Cashier of the Bank of
Columbia from 1801 to 1822, bought the house as a wedding
gift for Anna Maria, his only daughter. This is probably
602
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 11)
a tale that developed because tax records for 1818 show "B.F.
Mackall, B. Stoddert's heirs" assessed for lots 17 and 19
and a two-story brick house at $7600. However, Mackall was
paying the taxes most likely as a trustee for the Stoddert
estate and actually the Mackalls never owned the property.
(25) Moreover, land records show that the Bank of Columbia
continued to own the property until 1834, when it was assumed
by the Washington branch of the Bank of the United States as
part of the transfer of assets when the Bank of Columbia went
out of existence. (26)
Four years later, in 1838, the Bank of the United States trans-
ferred a number of properties, including Lots 16, 17, 18
and 19 with the large three-Story Brick house situated there-
on
"to Richard Smith as trustee with power to sell for a
group of investors which included names prominent in the early
history of Georgetown--Clement Smith, William S. Nicholls,
John Kurtz, Samuel Swartout, Dudley Seldon, Elisha Riggs,
John Carter, William Jewell, William W. Corcoran, Walter Mead,
John S. Crary, and John Wainright.
1839-1859
The following year, 1839, Smith and William Nicholls, represent-
ing the group of investors, sold all of Square 34, together
with the large three-Story Brick house thereon. to
William M. Worthington of Louisiana for $6500, of which $1000
was paid in cash. He placed a trust with the bank for the
remainder of the purchase price, the property serving as
security.
It seems clear that Worthington was the first private owner
of the property since Benjamin Stoddert. During the inter-
vening years the house presumably was rented or vacant for
part of the time. The address is not listed in the George-
town City Directories of 1830 and 1834.
603
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 12)
Worthington died in 1842, three years after his purchase of the
property. He willed all of his property to his minor son,
William Nicholas Worthington. His wife, Alice, was named exec-
utrix with power to sell the property at her discretion.
Alice Worthington later married William H. Haxall of Richmond,
Virginia. In 1849 the Haxalls sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in
Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, with dwelling
house and other improvements " to Charles W. Pairo and his
wife, Mary Jane, for $3500, of which $500 was paid in cash.
(It is interesting to note that ten years earlier, Worthington
had paid almost twice as much for the same property.)
The remainder of the purchase price was handled through a loan
that Pairo and his wife received, together with Alice Haxall
as guardian for her minor son, from George D. Fisher of Richmond,
Virginia. The terms of the deed permitted Pairo, so long as
he made his payments promptly, to occupy, possess and enjoy
the said property and take the rents and profits thereof.
Charles W. Pairo was a partner in a banking firm with William
Nourse at 462 15th Street in Washington. (27) Pairo and his
family moved into the house and lived there until 1858, just be-
fore the forced sale of the property. (28)
By 1857 Pairo and Nourse were having financial difficulty; much
of their property, including Square 34 (Lots 16-19) and the
buildings, was assigned in trust to Samuel Edes of New York
and "...all creditors of the said Pairo and Nourse, jointly and
severally with Edes serving as trustee, with power to sell
for the benefit of creditors.
1859-1900
In 1859 Samuel Edes sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19, together
with dwelling house and other improvements thereon...' to
John L. Kidwell for $6000 cash. Kidwell was a prosperous
604
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 13)
druggist who, in 1858, owned a business at 65 High Street
(Wisconsin Avenue) and lived at 2 First (N) Street. (29)
Two years later, in 1860, he and J.A.S. Laurence are listed
as druggists with their firm, Kidwell and Laurence, at 296
E Street, north (N.W.) in Washington, although both of them
lived in Georgetown. (30)
Kidwell, his wife, Catharine, and his four children--Emma, John
W., Ida, and Julius moved into Halcyon House in 1860; it
remained in the Kidwell family until the end of the century. (31)
In 1873 John L. Kidwell put all of his property in trust with
Martin F. Morris for his wife, Catharine. Whether he had al-
ready become incapacitated by paralysis or whether he felt the
threat of impending illness is uncertain. But his effort to
protect his wife's security is clearly sèen in the terms of the
deed:
"Witnesseth that for and in consideration of
the natural love and affection of him the
said John L. Kidwell for his wife Catharine
A. Kidwell and of his desire to provide for
her comfort and support and that of his
family
Not only did the deed include property in Washington and Lots
16, 17, 18, and 19 in Georgetown, but also paintings,
pictures, engravings and works of art and all the furniture of
every kind in and upon the said premises. (32)
Emma McCahill, a daughter of the Kidwells, returned to Washington
from New York in 1879 and managed her invalid father's property
for him. Kidwell died in February of 1882. Eight months later
Martin F. Morris, trustee, and Catharine A. Kidwell conveyed
to Emma McCahill, for $20,000, Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition to Georgetown, together
with " the buildings, improvements rents thereof and all
rights and interest, both in dower and otherwise and all paint-
ings, pictures, engravings, and works of art, and all the
furniture in the premises.'
605
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 14)
This deed became part of a lengthy lawsuit (1893-96), for
Catharine Kidwell claimed she did not know the transaction was
"in fee simple," but thought it to be a trust. There were
other bases for the suit which Catharine Kidwell brought
against her children and Charles M. Mathews, surviving trustee,
in a Deed of Trust transaction of 1872 when the property was
security against a loan of $10,000. One of the charges in
the litigation is particularly relevant to the history of
Halcyon House. In 1885 Emma McCahill subdivided Lots 16-19
into Lots 20-38; most of these lots were small, but Lot 32,
on which Halcyon House is located, remained a large lot with
a 176-foot frontage on Prospect Street and 162.50 feet on
Frederick (34th) Street.
In 1896 a decree of the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia ordered that all property which John L. Kidwell had
put in trust for his wife in 1873 be sold. That same year
the property was advertised for sale at public auction, but
no bid was made so the property was withdrawn from sale at
that time.
In order to make the second public sale of the property more
advantageous, Lot 32, on the corner of Prospect and 34th Streets,
was
divided into thirteen lots (lots 39-51 inclusive).
Halcyon House was on Lot 48, with adjoining Lots 40-47
facing Prospect Street and Lots 49-51 facing 35th Street. (33)
In the newspaper advertisement, prior to the second public
sale, on June 7, 1898, Lot 32 is described as being 28,600
square feet, improved by a large commodious dwelling
house containing 18 rooms. 11 (34)
At the public auction in June 1898 Emma McCahill bid for all
of the property at fifty cents a square foot. (For 42,065
square feet this amounted to $21032.50.) Then bids for indi-
vidual lots were made, but they totaled less than the bid
for the entire property. Therefore, Emma McCahill's bid
was the highest and she acquired possession of the property.
606
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 15)
(The sale did not include the lots which she had already sold
in 1885 and 1888--Lot 20 on the corner of 34th and M Streets,
Lots 33, 34, and 35 on 35th Street, Lot 36 on the corner of 35th
and Prospect Streets, and Lots 37 and 38 on Prospect Street
adjoining Lot 36 on the east.)
During all of this period Catharine A. Kidwell and her son,
John W., a chemist, continued to occupy Halcyon House. They
lived there until 1900. (35) The only architectural change in
the house up to this time was the construction of a bay window,
which replaced a rear door, facing Prospect Street.
1900-1942
In 1900 Emma McCahill sold Lots 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48 (present
Lot 814) for $7500 to Albert Adsit Clemons who initiated a
bizarre chapter in the history of the venerable dwelling, Halcyon
House. Clemons, during his entire occupancy of nearly forty
years, "remodeled" Halcyon House, disfiguring it beyond cred-
ibility.
The house, as Stoddert planned it, was set back from the street,
facing the Potomac and the Virginia Shore. Clemons extended the
wings flush with Prospect Street and built a new center front
entrance joining them, thereby enclosing the entire old dwelling
within a shell.
Albert Clemons, with the aid of a carpenter, both of whom are
said to have lived in the cellar of the house, steadily, year
by year, worked on the interior of the house, creating strange
and manifold changes. He divided rooms into smaller ones; he
built halls and stairways. A theatre was built, although no
record has been found of it having ever been used. He
constructed a ballroom where no balls have ever been known to
have occurred. He built a chapel, complete with pulpit. He
seems to have been obsessed with doors, for he used them for
panels in walls and ceilings.
607
12121
"Clemons, during his entire occupancy of nearly forty years,
'remodeled' Halcyon House, disfiguring it beyond credibility."
Halcyon House, extended east wing flush with Prospect Street
(Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library)
608
8
FH
Halcyon House prior to Clemons' ownership (Library of Congress)
609
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 16)
There was no surcease from Clemens' continuous "improvements"
and no abatement in the neighbors' interest in each fresh
onslaught Clemons made on Halcyon House. A newspaper report
in 1966 described one resident's reaction:
"George Williams, a Georgetown resident since
1925, can remember Clemons sitting on a barrel
in front of his house directing the work....
He said that it was believed at the time that
Clemons was 'touched' and that he thought he
wouldn't die as long as he kept on building
something." (36)
Clemons gathered and hoarded an array of what he called "antiques.'
Some were genuine artifacts discarded from notable buildings and
some were odds and ends of every imaginable material--bits of
marble and stone, pieces of wrought iron, an assortment of win-
dow frames. He collected paintings, furniture, rugs, building
ornaments--an amazing array of diverse objects. (The inventory
of his collection, made after his death, consists of seventy-
five pages of legal-size paper!) (37)
Although Clemons furnished the house with many of his treasures,
such as the marble busts which sat in each of the five round
attic windows with their backs to the street, his collection
was so extensive that he needed additional storage space. For
this purpose he bought, in 1915, the John Thomson Mason House
("Quality Hill") at 3425 Prospect Street. (38) He also bought
the house at 3410 Prospect Street for storing the overflow of
objects.
Clemons' eccentricity was manifest. A newspaper account described
Clemons
as customarily appearing in a torn coat, an
ancient creased hat with holes at the peak, unpressed trousers,
and always carrying a cane. (39)
For years the house was padlocked and all were denied admission.
Then he built apartments in the house for rental purposes. A
description of his efforts to entice tenants is reported in a
newspaper at the time of Clemons' death in 1938:
610
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 17)
"Outside the house, up to five years ago, hung
perhaps the sternest sign ever put up by a
hopeful landlord. It read: Apartments for
rent. No children, no dogs, no electricity
permitted. Apartments furnished in beautiful
antiques. " (40)
There were conflicting theories about the source of income
that would support almost forty years of construction, as
well as a continuous collection of objects. A report in the
Washington Daily News at the time of Clemons' death said,
"Clemons and his brother were believed to have made their
money in New England utilities. "(41) A later report in the
Times-Herald said that Clemons " had plenty of money
reportedly provided by his wife on condition that he stay
away from her.' (42)
It is true that Clemons and his wife were separated. She
was Elizabeth White, daughter of Senator White of New Hamp-
shire. (43) Mrs. Clemons never lived in Halcyon House.
One curious aspect of the relationship of the Clemonses is
revealed in his Will, dated March 12, 1938, just five days
before his death. One item in the Will reads:
"To my wife who has ample, independent means,
I leave my grateful love and affection for many
years of kindness and friendly interest and
assistance."
Then the Will states that Elizabeth has released all of her
rights of dower in my estate, evidenced by a document duly
recorded in the District of Columbia and in Lyons, New York. "
But another section of the Will states:
"The contents of two safe deposit boxes at
National Savings and Trust Company are to
be turned over to my wife immediately after
my death, if she survives me, the same being
her personal property."
611
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 18)
According to the executors' report to the Register of Wills,
Elizabeth received two cash items of $800 and $1000, and a
few articles of furniture and jewelry "of no value." The
executors' accounts also show that Clemons had ample means
to exercise his passion for collecting and constructing.
Tax records of 1940, paid by Clemons' executors, showed that
he owned considerable property adjacent to Halcyon House--
three lots south of it on 34th Street, one lot in the center
of the square just south of the three on 34th Street, and
one lot on 35th Street in the middle of the block. The
executors' report of Clemons' finances show that he had almost
$11,000 in liquid assets, of which almost $7000 was kept in
his safe deposit box.
There is a poignancy in Clemons' disposition of his treasured
collection:
"The many articles which I have collected for
years past, consisting of paintings, pictures,
ornaments, furniture, images, bric-a-brac,
building ornaments and miscellaneous material
have long held my personal attention and
interest, and I have cherished hope therefore
that they become the nucleus for a permanent
collection and museum. However, as my hopes
in this respect have not been realized, I
now desire
He then directs his executors to give to museums and established
institutions " any articles that may be acceptable to them "
and to sell the remainder at private or public auction.
Sixteen institutions did accept articles from Clemons' estate.
Among them were the Chicago Historical Society, The Smithsonian
Institution, National Park Service, the Library of Congress,
Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia, the Museum of Fine Arts
at the University of Virginia, Washington Cathedral, the Syracuse
Museum of Fine Arts and the Lincoln House (Ford's Theatre).
All other items were sold, save for a few which went to Constance
Louderbach, daughter of Albert's deceased brother, Dr. Carl
Clemons.
612
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 19)
Clemons directed that all of his real estate be sold within five
years after the furnishings had been removed from the premises
and that the proceeds and assets of his estate should be don
to Harvard University as an endowment to be named for him.
Thus, it is clear that the often repeated tale that Clemons
bequeathed Halcyon House to Harvard University is unfounded.
Many items in Clemons' Will are though-provoking as one reads
the document, but none is more provocative than the first item
with its request for an operation that at one time was common
practice--when the field of medicine was not always trusted--
but which is a rare procedure in the twentieth century. The
item reads:
"I direct that upon my death having been
definitely determined, the attending
physician shall thereafter pierce or punc-
ture my heart for the purpose of absolute
certainty of death in the presence of
George H. Paltridge, one of my executors
there shall not be an autopsy or any
cutting of my body more than necessary for
fulfilling the purpose expressed herein." (44)
Albert Adsit Clemons was an enigma to all, even his neighbors.
What prompted him to enclose an eighteenth-century house within
a shell, and leave the original exterior of the structure in-
tact, is a mystery.
1942-1951
For four years after Clemons' death Halcyon House remained
vacant. (45) Then, in 1942, it was purchased by Mrs. Dorothy
W. Sterling, wife of Honorable Frederick Sterling, former
United States Ambassador to Sweden. The Sterlings moved into
Halcyon House, occupying part of the original, but much alterea,
house. They rented out other apartments in the house.
613
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 20)
A newspaper account of the Sterlings' purchase of the well-
known house described their astonishment at the havoc Clemons
had wrought and their adjustment to the curious house:
"The Sterlings moved in about two months ago and
began exploring the maze of rooms and stairways.
Bit by bit they began to learn the weird geography
of their remarkable home until now they
rarely get lost.
"A few days ago, however, Mr. Sterling was aston-
ished to find an unexpected visitor wandering
vaguely through the theater that runs almost the
length of the house, three stories up, on the
Prospect Avenue side.
"How did you get in here?' he asked.
"The dazed intruder took him down through dark
passageways and galleries and out through a side
door on Thirty-fourth Street that looks to the
casual passerby like nothing more than a couple
of weather-beaten window blinds that have not move
for 20 years.
""I just pulled them and they came open', explained
the stranger, 'and when I looked up those stairs
it seemed to me nobody had been in this place since
1902, so I decided to take a peek. When I got in,
I got lost and couldn't find my way out.
Mrs. Sterling added her discoveries in the house:
"There are dozens of tiny rooms--some of them hardly
large enough for a table or chair. There are stair-
cases that lead nowhere, doors that open on blank
walls and closets that open on other closets." (46)
The Sterlings planned to restore Halcyon House to its original
state, a formidable project but one to which Mrs. Sterling,
gifted artistically, was particularly attuned. A 1957 account
of the remodeling reflects the compelling interest which this
Georgian-Victorian mansion held for the community:
614
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 21)
"All Georgetown watched, fascinated, as she [Mrs.
Sterling] directed the re-opening of rooms, the
installation of electricity, and the furnishing
of the house with lovely antiques collected during
her years in Europe." (47)
The Sterlings restored the garden, frequently entertaining
there in the summer. The restoration of the house, however,
was cut short by Mrs. Sterling's death.
1951-1961
In 1951 Halcyon House was purchased by Susie H. Kondrup and her
daughter, Anne K. Gray, wife of George Gray, who was an official
in the U.S. Department of State. Mrs. Gray's grandfather was
the first Danish minister to the United States. (48)
Mrs. Gray and her mother bought Halcyon House through an error.
They intended to look at Prospect House, 3508 Prospect Street,
but they were given the keys to 3400 Prospect Street by mistake.
They were so captivated by the structure that they bought it. (49)
Mrs. Gray, like her predecessor, was fascinated by the residue
of Clemons' fancy:
"On the floor above the bathroom are bits of stained
glass windows, a pulpit, carved beams on the ceiling--
all of which came from Old St. Matthews Church when
it was torn down
"Elsewhere is a lantern from the Capitol, which was
sold when the Capitol was converted from gas to
electricity. There's also woodwork from the old
Metropole Hotel, marble and bits of wood from the
old Marcia Burns farm where the White House now
stands." (50)
615
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 22)
The family lived in the original part of the house and re-
modeled the apartments. Mrs. Gray told a newspaper of their
efforts:
"It took us two years to do over the house
"After we bought it we found two rooms we didn't
know existed. One was a trap door with steps
going down to another room, the other was at
the end of a corridor so long and winding that
we have never have gotten to the end of it." (51)
1961-1969
In 1961 Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Kondrup sold the house to George-
town University. This was on a Friday. The following Monday
sixty women students in the Foreign Service and Language
Schools moved in. (52) From newspaper accounts it is clear
that the students relished living in the curious building.
The girls placed two desks in the marble floored crypt and
found it a fine setting for study. (53) For the next five
years Halcyon House, within a block of the east gate of the
campus, was used by Georgetown University.
In 1966 the property was sold to Edmund W. Dreyfuss and the
Blake Construction Company with which Dreyfuss is also
affiliated. (54) The structure is at present being used as
an apartment house.
The original part of the house is occupied by Mr. George Roper,
Manager of Investment Property of Georgetown University, and
his wife. Their son, Nick Roper, wrote a graphic account of
his experiences as a resident of Halcyon House. The illustration
of
the author emerging from a concealed hideaway in the
chimneypiece gives credence to the claims of former residents,
Mrs. Sterling and Mrs. Gray, about the architectural whimsies
Mr. Clemons created. (55)
616
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 23)
The future of Halcyon House is uncertain. Its lovely garden
borders on a commercial area, part of which is also owned
by Dreyfuss and the Blake Construction Company.
At one time Halcyon House was considered as a potential per-
manent residence for the Vice-President of the United States.
Mrs. Hubert Humphrey, wife of the Vice-President at the time,
surveyed the house for that purpose. Mrs. Humphrey refused
to render judgement on the suitability of the house, feeling
that an impartial committee should make the decision about
an official residence that would be utilized for many years
by succeeding vice-presidents. (56)
One fears the threat of extinction for this venerable dwelling
which was erected in a period when our Constitution was still
in the process of being ratified by the thirteen states.
Halcyon House had been erected and in use for some years when
the City of Washington in 1790 " was in the form of 17
large farm tracts
covered with woods and streams; the arable
portions were tilled and produced wheat, maize and tobacco
"
(57)
Halcyon House, one of the few remaining Federal mansions in
Georgetown, deserves to be restored. Stripped of its
monstrous "shell" and returned to its eighteenth-century
architectural grace, the historic home would be a cultural
asset to the community. Restored, preserved, and put to
twentieth-century usage, it would be a living memorial to
patriots like Benjamin Stoddert, who contributed so greatly
to the growth of their community and their nation.
617
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 24)
Original and Subsequent Owners
1786
William Deakins, Jr.
Deed November 25, 1786
and
Recorded April 18, 1787
John Threlkeld
Montgomery County
to
Land Records, Rock-
Benjamin Stoddert
ville, Maryland
Liber 3c, folio 502
Lots 16 and 17 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and
Deakins Addition to Georgetown
Purchase price--100 pounds to Deakins and one
shilling to Threlkeld (Threlkeld's wife, Eliza-
beth Ridgely, was Deakins' stepdaughter. The
token payment of a shilling was to protect
Mrs. Threlkeld's interest.)
1795
William Deakins, Jr. of
Deed March 30, 1795
George Town, Montgomery
Recorded July 26, 1795
County and State of Mary-
Liber B-2, folio 264
land
to
Benjamin Stoddert "of the
Town, County and State
aforesaid"
618
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 25)
"...all those two lots or portion of ground in
Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition
to Georgetown known by lots number Eighteen and
Nineteen with all and singular the hereditaments,
rights, members and appurtenances
n
For "450 pounds current money of Maryland" (was
paid in cash).
1801
Benjamin Stoddert
Mortgage May 9, 1801
to
Recorded November 7, 1801
The President, Directors &
Liber G-7, folio 353
Company of the Bank of
Columbia
" the said B. Stoddert for an in consideration
of the sum of fifty thousand dollars to him in
hand paid by the said President, Directors and
Company of the Bank of Columbia. Doth grant
bargain and sell unto the said President, Direc-
tors and Company of the Bank of Columbia of that
land whereupon the said Benjamin Stoddert now re-
sides being in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and
Deakins Addition to Georgetown, being 240 ft.
square, bounded on East by Frederick St., on
South by Falls St., on West by Fayette St. and
on North by the street which runs between the
dwelling house of the said Stoddert and that
of John T. Mason." (This is Prospect Street.)
Benjamin Stoddert and Uriah Forrest jointly owed
the bank $16,490 and Stoddert alone owed $17,400.
The bank loaned $50,000, including existing obli-
gations, so Stoddert only received $33,890. The
agreement stated that if Stoddert failed to pay
the notes, the bank could sell the premises.
This deed was acknowledged before William Thorn-
ton, "one of the Commissioners under the Act for
Establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of
the Government of the United States."
619
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 26)
1834
William W. Corcoran, Tr.
Deed August 13, 1834
to
Recorded August 30, 1834
The President, Directors &
Liber W.B. 51, folio 139
Company of the Bank of
the United States
Apparently the Bank of Columbia had to foreclose
and take over the property; when the bank went
out of existence, the Washington branch of the
Bank of the United States assumed the property.
1838
The President, Directors &
Deed in Trust January 29, 1838
Company of the Bank of
Recorded March 8, 1838
the United States
Liber W.B. 67, folio 48
to
Richard Smith, Tr.
The Bank of the U.S. has agreed to sell to:
Clement Smith
John Carter
William S. Nicholls
William Jewell
John Kurtz
William W. Corcoran
Samuel Swartout
Walter Mead
Dudley Seldon
John S. Crary
Elisha Riggs
John Wainright
as tenants in common, not joint tenants, except
as specified, various listed properties in Wash-
ington and Georgetown, including Lots 16, 17,
18 and 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition, fronting 240 feet on Bridge St., 240
feet on Fayette St., 240 feet on Prospect St.
and 240 feet on Frederick St., "... together
with the large three-story brick house situated
thereon.... A The lots are placed in the hands of
Richard Smith as trustee.
620
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 27)
1839
Richard Smith, Tr.
Deed September 11, 1839
William S. Nicholls
Recorded September 27, 1839
to
Liber W.B. 74, folio 375
William M. Worthington
(of the State of Louisiana)
Smith, representative of the Bank of the U.S.,
and Nicholls, representative of the buyers
noted in previous deed, sold Lots 16, 17, 18
and 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition, with "... large three-story brick
house..." for $6500 ($1000 of it in cash).
Whole block was sold to Worthington with no
encumbrances.
William M. Worthington
Deed of Trust September 25, 1839
to
Recorded September 30, 1839
Richard Smith, Tr.
Liber W.B. 78, folio 252
Same property as above as security for debt
of $5500
1842
William M. Worthington died, February 12, 1842
bequeathing his son,
Proved January 13, 1843
William Nicholas Worthing-
(No Administration number be-
ton, all residue of estate
cause Will was not probated
and appointing his wife,
but was proved by witness.)
Alice, as Executriz and
Will Book 5 (O.S.), page 243
Guardian of son. If son
died before reaching 21
years, the estate would go
to his wife. Provision for
wife to sell property if
she deemed it best.
621
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 28)
1849
William H. Haxall and wife,
Deed October 11, 1849
Alice
Recorded October 18, 1849
(late Alice Worthington,
Liber JAS 8, folio 65
relict of William M.
Worthington), of the
first part
Richard Smith, Tr.
of the second part
to
Charles W. Pairo, third part
The Worthington child is still a minor; debt
of $5500 to Richard Smith, Tr., has been
paid. Alice has married William H. Haxall.
She sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, with
dwelling house and other improvements, to
Charles W. Pairo for $3500 ($500 in cash).
Charles W. Pairo and
Deed of Trust October 15, 1849
wife, Mary Jane
Recorded October 26, 1849
Alice Haxall, guardian of
Liber JAS 8, folio 154
William Nicholas
Worthington
to
George D. Fisher
Pairo owed Alice Haxall $500, payable at
6% in one year and $2500 payable within
ten years, with semi-annual interest pay-
ments (note dated Oct. 11, 1849). Prop-
erty was security for loan, with provision
for Pairo to live in house if payments
were kept up.
622
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 29)
"... until some default shall happen
in the payment of the said single bills
and the principal and interest aforesaid,
to permit the said Charles W. Pairo, his
heirs and assigns, to occupy, possess and
enjoy the said property and take the rents
and profits thereof."
The agreement was that if Pairo should meet
all his commitments punctually, Fisher
would convey the property to Pairo after the
loan was paid. If there were a failure in
payment of a single note or interest on
principal, Fisher would sell the property
at auction, with certain regulations about
advertising the sale, etc.
1857
Charles W. Pairo and
Deed September 14, 1857
William Nourse
Recorded September 25, 1857
to
Liber JAS 42, folio 261
Samuel C. Edes, Tr.
Pairo and Nourse, partners in a banking firm
in Washington, unable to meet their commit-
ments, wanted to sell their property, the
proceeds to be applied to their debts. Pairo
released Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition. Edes
served as trustee, with power to sell for
benefit of creditors.
623
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 30)
1858
Charles W. Pairo and
Deed January 6, 1858
William Nourse
Recorded January 16, 1858
to
Liber Jas 148, folio 27
Samuel C. Edes, Tr.
Same property as above. Deed refers to dwelling
houses and other improvements. First reference
to more than one house. Deed deals with other
property also.
Charles W. Pairo
Release of Dower May 3, 1859
et ux Mary Jane
Recorded May 17, 1859
to
Liber JAS 175, folio 32
Samuel C. Edes, Tr.
Extinguishes dower rights of Mary Jane
Pairo. Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition
and dwelling house.
1859
Samuel C. Edes, Tr.
Deed of Conveyance May 16, 1859
to
Recorded May 17, 1859
John L. Kidwell
Liber JAS 175, folio 37
Edes sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in
Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins
Addition '...together with dwelling
house and other improvements
for $6000 cash, subject to payment
of debt of Pairo to Fisher, Tr. for
Alice Haxall (deed Oct. 15, 1849,
JAS 8, 154).
624
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 31)
1865
George D. Fisher
Deed October 23, 1865
William H. Haxall and
Recorded December 19, 1866
wife, Alice
Liber RMH 24, folio 271
William N. Worthington
to
John L. Kidwell
Vertified that debt had been paid. Worth-
ington, now 21 years, agreed. Kidwell owned
property outright.
1872
John L. Kidwell
Deed October 9, 1872
to
Recorded October 9, 1872
Anthony Hyde, Tr. and
Liber 698, folio 176
Charles M. Mathews, Tr.
Mortgage of $10,000 with Lots 16, 17, 18
and 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and
Deakins Addition as security for loan.
1873
John L. Kidwell
Deed in Trust March 17, 1873
to
Recorded March 21, 1873
Martin F. Morris
Liber 712, folio 258
All of Kidwell's property in Washington and
Georgetown was put in trust for his wife,
Catharine "... to have, hold and use
premises and appurtenances." Included Lots
16, 17, 18 and 19. "Witnesseth that for
and in consideration of the natural love and
affection of him the said John L. Kidwell for
his wife Catharine A. Kidwell and of his
desire to provide for her comfort and support
and that of his family....." =
625
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 32)
Included also in the deed of trust to his
wife, paintings, pictures, engravings
and works of art and all the furniture of
every kind in and upon said premises."
1882
Catherine A. Kidwell,
Deed October 12, 1882
wife of John L. Kidwell,
Recorded October 23, 1882
of the first part
Liber 1024, folio 177
Martin F. Morris, Tr.,
of the second part
to
Emma McCahill (daughter of
John and Catherine Kidwell)
$20,000 paid to Catharine A. Kidwell for
conveyance of Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19, Peter,
Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, to-
gether with the buildings, improvements, ...
rents, thereof and all rights and interest,
both in dower and otherwise, and all paintings,
pictures, engravings, and works of art, and
all the furniture in ... the premises."
This document is later stated to have been
intended as a trust (Law Suit in 1893-98).
1885
John L. Kidwell died February 16, 1885, after a long illness,
during which he was paralyzed and unable to attend to business
for several years prior to his death.
626
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 33)
1893-1898
Catherine A. Kidwell
Suit filed June 28, 1893
vs.
Court order filed August 3, 1898
Emma McCahill
Equity Cause No. 14856
John W. Kidwell
Supreme Court of the
Ida West Hyde
District of Columbia
George A. Hyde
Julius L. Kidwell
Charles M. Mathews,
surviving trustee
Long and complicated litigation--Catharine Kidwell
had not seen Deed of October 12, 1882 (Liber 1024,
folio 177) and had not been told that it conveyed
the property in fee simple.' She also believed
that the $10,000 mortgage had been paid and that the
property should be released from encumbrance.
Emma McCahill had paid no part of the $20,000 to
her mother.
In 1885 Emma McCahill had sub-divided Lots 16-19
into Lots 20-38, of which 74 feet fronted on
Prospect St. at corner of Fayette (35th) St. while
remainder fronted on Fayette from Prospect to
Bridge (M) and on Bridge from Fayette to Frederick
(34th). The large Lot 32, almost a quarter of the
block and including Halcyon House, remained in-
tact.
Emma McCahill had sold some of the lots and applied
to her own use, without accounting, the proceeds.
However, Lot 32 (former Lot 17 and parts of Lots
16, 18 and 19) was not sold.
The Court Decree of May 9, 1896, required a sale
of the property and Lots 21-32 were advertised for
sale at public auction on June 20, 1896. Trustees
attended the sale. There was no bid and property
was withdrawn from sale.
627
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 34)
The trustees believed that the subdivision as
offered was disadvantageous. They agreed to
make a subdivision of the large Lot 32 (on
which Halcyon House is located). The 28,600
square feet of Lot 32 were divided into 13 lots,
numbered 39-51 inclusive. Halcyon House was
on Lot 48, corner of Prospect and 34th Streets.
The second sale at public auction was held on
June 7, 1898. Those lots which Emma had sold
in 1885 and 1888 (on M and 34th, on 35th and
on Prospect near 35th) were not offered for
sale. Emma McCahill was the highest bidder
at the sale and purchased the rest of the
lots at fifty cents a square foot.
1900
Emma McCahill, widow
Deed August 7, 1900
to
Recorded August 28, 1900
Albert Adsit Clemons
Liber 2490, folio 458
Lots 44-48 out of Lot 32 and building for
$7500
1938
Clemons died March 17, 1938. Will March 13, 1938
Probated May 12, 1938
Will Book 252, page 586
Administration 53362
Directed that all of his property (indluding
present Lot 814) be sold, proceeds to be
donated to Harvard University.
628
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 35)
1942
F. Urban Woolpert
Deed November 30, 1942
George H. Paltridge
Recorded December 4, 1942
William E. Huntington,
Liber 7816, folio 309
executors and trustees
under the last Will and
testament of Albert Adsit
Clemons, deceased, acting
herein in exercise of the
power vested in them by
said Will
to
Dorothy Williams Sterling
1951
Frederick A. Sterling,
Deed August 21, 1951
executor of the last
Recorded August 22, 1951
Will and testament of
Liber 9539, folio 560
Dorothy Williams Sterling,
deceased, acting in exer-
cise of the power conferred
upon him by said Will and
pursuant to Order of the
Probate Court of the
District of Columbia,
passed August 16, 1951
in Administration Cause
No. 76276
to
Anne K. Gray
Susie H. Kondrup
629
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 36)
1961
Anne K. Gray
Deed August 24, 1961
Susie H. Kondrup
Recorded August 31, 1961
to
Liber 11660, folio 297
The President and Directors
of the Georgetown College,
a Corporation in the District
of Columbia
1966
The President and Directors
Deed September 22, 1966
of Georgetown College
Recorded September 29, 1966
to
Liber 12674, folio 295
John W. Truver
John W. Truver
Deed September 22, 1966
to
Recorded September 29, 1966
Edmund W. Dreyfuss and
Liber 12674, folio 303
Blake Construction Co.
REFERENCES
1. Land Records. Montgomery County, Maryland, Liber C-3, folio
502, Circuit Court, Rockville, Maryland.
630
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 37)
2. Same reference as #1.
3. Turner, Harriot Stoddert, "Memoirs of Benjamin Stoddert,
First Secretary of the United States Navy, " Records of the
Columbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.: The Society,
Vol. 20, 1917, pp. 141-166.
4. Same reference as #3. pp. 142-143.
5. Same reference as #3. p. 144.
6. Same reference as #1. Liber C-3, folios 161, 606; Liber
D-4, folio 124.
7. Rebecca Lowndes Stoddert Papers. 1766, 1767, 1771, 1776,
1778, 1789, 1796-1800, Washington, D.C.: Ac .4647,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
8. Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) March 14, 1943.
9. Tindall, William, Standard History of the City of Washington.
Knoxville, Tennessee: H. W. Crew and Co., 1914, pp. 63-70.
10. Proctor, John Clagett, Washington Past and Present. New
York, New York: Lewis Historical Society, Vol. I, 1930,
P. 277.
11. The Papers of Benjamin Stoddert 1784-1812. Washington, D.C.:
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, p. 143, P. 20.
12. Same reference as #7. September 11, 1796.
13. Same reference as #3. p. 152.
631
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 38)
14. "Philadelphia a Century Ago" (Letters of Mrs. Benjamin
Stoddert), Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. December 1898,
Vol. 62, PP. 804-817 (on microfilm in Washingtoniana
Room, D. C. Public Library), p. 811.
15. Noderer, E. R., "Mansion Now Undergoing Restoration,"
Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) February 14, 1953.
16. Adams, Charles Francis, Life and Works of John Adams.
Boston, Massachusetts: Little Brown and Co., 1854,
Vol. IX, P. 145.
17. Same reference as #3. PP. 163-164.
18. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assessment
of Real and Personal Property, National Archives Record
Group 351, Roll 1 (1800-1807).
19. Same reference as #11. p. 35.
20. Same reference as #3. p. 164.
21. Clark, Allen c., Life and Letters of Dolly Madison.
Washington, D.C.: W.F. Roberts Co., 1914, P. 88.
22. Wilfong, James c., Jr., "The Stodderts and Their Early
Buildings, " News Leader (Laurel, Maryland). April, 1955.
23. Same reference as #3. PP. 165-166.
632
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 39)
24. Same reference as #3. p. 166
and
Anson, W.S.W., Mottoes and Badges. New York, New York:
E. P. Dutton and Company, 1904, p. 31.
25. Same reference as #18. Roll 11 (1818-1819).
26. Same reference as #10. p. 278.
27. City Directory. 1853, p. 75; 1855, p. 44.
28. Same reference as #27. 1853, p. 77; 1858, p. 459.
29. Same reference as #27. 1858, p. 451.
30. Same reference as #27. 1860, p. 97, p. 101.
31. Same reference as #27. 1860, p. 168; 1865, p. 386; 1882,
P. 456; 1899, p. 622.
32. Land Records, Washington, D. C., Liber 712, folio 258.
33. Emma McCahill's Subdivision of Original Lots 16, 17, 18, 19,
Square 34 (now 1204). Office of the Surveyor, D.C., Liber
ARS, folio 159, November 20, 1885.
34. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) June 6, 1898, p. 10.
35. Same reference as #27, 1887, p. 530; 1899, p. 622; 1900, p.
618.
633
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 40)
36. "Georgetown Mystery Halcyon House, ' Georgetown Spectator.
(Washington, D.C.) December 14, 1966.
37. Will, Administrative Case 53362, Docket No. 115, March 13,
1938, Admitted to Probate May 12, 1938. Register of Wills,
Washington, D.C.
38. Same reference as #32. Liber 3029, folio 15.
39. Bolles, Blair, "Clemons' Will Recalls Tales of Eccentric,"
The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) March 28, 1938.
40. Same reference as #39.
41. The Washington Daily News (Washington, D.C.) March 23, 1938.
42. Same reference as #15.
43. Same reference as #41.
44. Same reference as #36.
45. Same reference as #27. 1939, p. 1709; ;940, p. 1994; 1941,
p. 2146; 1942, p. 2258.
46. Same reference as #8.
47. Frank, Judy Waldrop, "Halcyon House (c. 1783) 3400 Prospect
Street, If The Georgetowner (Washington, D.C.) May 30, 1957.
634
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 41)
48. Roosevelt, Selwa, "Mansions of Washington--Halcyon House
Had All Props for a Sherlock Holmes Mystery," The Even-
ing Star (Washington, D.C.) August 7, 1955.
49. Same reference as #15.
50. Same reference as #48.
51. Same reference as #48.
52. Byrnes, Joseph B., "Halcyon House, Built in 1783, Bought
by GU, 11 The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) August 11,
1961.
53. Donihi, Rosemary, "Old Georgetown is New Look at Georgetown
University; The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
October 1, 1961.
54. Lewis, Robert J., "Halcyon House Bought as Development
Tract," The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.). October 2,
1966.
55. Roper, Nick, "I Live in a Haunted House, 11 Parade, The Wash-
ington Post (Washington, D.C.) April 21, 1963.
56. Conversation with Mrs. George Roper, December 12, 1968.
57. Caemmerer, H. Paul, Washington, The National Capital.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932,
p. 17.
635
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 42)
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION
General Statement
Architectural Character: This symmetrical, refined, late
eighteenth-century house with large main block and flanking
wings was incredibly disfigured in the first half of the
twentieth century by Albert Clemons, an eccentric collector
of, among other things, architectural details from demolish-
ed buildings. The south front and the interior of the main
block are still largely original, while the remainder is
completely obscured by Clemons' amazing assemblage.
Retaining the basic house, the wings were first extended out
toward the north (Prospect Street). The resulting center space
was then filled in, creating an entry hall on the ground (base-
ment) level, a ballroom-theater on the first floor, and a vast
unfinished space on the second floor.
Until the late 1940's the north front of the original house
could still be seen, complete with window blinds, inside the
ballroom, the remainder of which was panelled with heavily
moulded Victorian doors salvaged from local sources. Carved
mouldings and further panelling from an Italian palazzo
were added to this room by the Sterling family during their
occupancy. The large space on the top floor, reached by a
small curving stair from the northeast bedroom, was built
largely of framing timbers and architectural details from
a demolished church. The north front of the original house
remains as the south wall of this room, and the two original
dormers are visible through the upper clerestory windows.
636
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 43)
The foregoing is a sample of the type of work built by this
architectural scavenger. While the craftsmanship of individual
pieces may be high, the quality of the installation is at best
slipshod (and at worst, dangerous).
Condition of Fabric: Poor; many areas of failure have been
simply stabilized, not restored. Other areas continue to
deteriorate.
Technical Description of the Exterior
Overall Dimensions: Approximately 48' by 36' with 16' by 24'
wings. Five bays across garden front (originally there were
five across the Prospect Street facade as well, although these
are now enclosed by later construction). The main block was
two-stories high plus attic and basement; the wings were two
stories high plus attic and basement, though shorter.
Foundations: Stone and brick.
Wall Construction: Brick, Flemish bond in main block, running
bond in wings.
Chimneys: There was one large chimney at each end of the main
block as well as one at the far end of each wing originally.
There are now several more, though not within the original
house area.
Openings:
Doors and Doorways: The front (south) entrance appears
to be largely original. The glazed fifteen light door
itself is of recent manufacture; however, it hangs in
an elegant eighteenth-century doorway with flat fluted
637
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 44)
Tuscan pilasters supporting short lengths of frieze
complete with triglyphs and a full denticular cornice,
repeated in the triangular pediment. The door is set
within a panelled, arched reveal with a simple fan
light and dentilled transom bar. There is a three-part
keyblock and a very free but symmetrical vine carving
in the spandrels.
Windows and Shutters: First floor windows were nine-
over-nine double-hung wood sash, second floor windows
were nine-over-six, dormer windows were six-over-six in
the main block. Windows in the wings were six-over-six.
Shutters throughout were louvered wood, Many of the
original windows remain, though some are now indoors.
The two in the northeast first floor room have been re-
glazed with mirrors; one in the northwest room has been
converted to a door, the other has been replaced with
a mural.
Porches: Nothing original remains. There is a small semi-
circular porch with steps down each side at the south entry;
however, it is very insecure, being built (in part) of brick
supported on plywood.
Roof:
Shape and Covering: Gable; ridge running east-west;
slate covering.
Framing: Wood.
Cornice: Wood; bed moulds, shaped modillions, crown mould.
The one on the south is in position; the one on the north
has been removed and re-used as the horizontal member of
the huge triangular pediment on the twentieth-century
addition to the north. The wings had a simple box cornice
with frieze, bed, and crown moulds.
638
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 45)
Dormers: Two slate-sided wood dormers with gabled roofs
and six-over-six double-hung windows on both north and
south fronts.
Technical Description of the Interior
Floor Plans: The first floor had an entry-stair hall in the
center of the south front, a large room in each corner of
the main block, and a narrow hall in the center of the north
front. There were two-story wings at the north and south
ends of the main block, now almost completely enclosed in
later construction; the north end wall is visible from 34th
Street. The second floor had a bedroom in each corner of
the main block, a stair hall in the center of the north
side which now contains the attic stairs. The southwest
bedroom now has a small bath installed in one corner, the
northwest bedroom also has a small bath and access stairs
to a large space in the Prospect Street addition. The
northeast room has been partitioned into storage and bath
areas serving the southeast bedroom.
Stairways: The main staircase ascends from north to south
along the west wall of the entry hall to a landing above
the front (south) door; from there it ascends south to north
along the east wall to the second floor. There is another
landing above the first, apparently leading nowhere; the
stairs to it date from the present century and are somewhat
ineptly constructed. The balusters, newels, and rail all
appear to be later replacements. There is a small enclosed
utility stair to the basement beneath the main stairway,
as well as the attic stair remodeling an elaborate entry
was added at the ground floor level on the Prospect Street
side; from this a central hallway to the first floor level.
Flooring: Random width pine.
Wall and Ceiling Finish: Plaster, painted.
639
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 46)
Doors and Doorways: There are a number of late eighteenth-
and early-nineteenth century panelled doors, many of which
have been recut to fit different openings; some have even
been split down the center to form pairs of doors. There
are large trimmed openings joining the north and south
rooms on both sides of the first floor.
Decorative Features and Trim: The main block retains much
in the way of original trim, although many coats of paint
have obscured the detail. The mantel in the northeast first
floor room is notable; fluted rectangular pilasters at each
side of the black slate surround support an entablature with
an oval panel in the center and arched vertical panels in
projections above the pilasters. The bedmould under the
shelf, a series of very thin Greek Revival mouldings typical
of the period, breaks out around the projections over the
pilasters, as does the shelf itself. There is a large panelled
overmantel with a dogeared architrave supporting a broken
scrolled pediment. At each side of this chimneypiece are full-
height flat fluted Tuscan pilasters topped with short lengths
of frieze complete with triglyphs supporting a denticular
cornice above the fireplace area. The cornice in the remainder
of the room is similar but without dentils. The other mantel-
pieces are simpler nineteenth-century ones, not original to
the house.
Hardware: There is an extensive variety of early to late
nineteenth-century hardware throughout.
Lighting: There are no original fixtures, but the chandelier
in the northwest first floor dining room, a nineteenth-century
bronze-and-crystal. one ,converted from gas to electricity,
is notable.
Heating: Boiler in the basement, radiators throughout,
several of the original fireplaces are still operative as
well.
640
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 47)
Site
General Setting and Orientation: Situated on a hill over-
looking the Potomac River, this house was once the sole
occupant of its square. Commercial structures along M
Street and residences along Prospect Street now surround
the complex structure. The south was once the principal
entrance; however, the twentieth-century additions shifted
the main entrance to the north.
Enclosures: A variety of brick and stone walls and iron
fencing enclose the south gardens and terraces.
Outbuildings: No original outbuildings remain; however,
just southwest of the house is a small brick building,
sometimes called the chapel, which dates from the early
part of the twentieth century. There are marked similar-
ities in the brickwork here with that in the center portion
of the Prospect Street facade of the main house. This
small building now used as a separate dwelling unit, con-
tains an assortment of salvaged architectural parts. For
example, there is a graceful fan-light in the entry area
similar to the inner one at 3425 Prospect Street, a carved
openwork panel above a doorway in the bedroom, and a small
pulpit-like enclosed landing on the stair up to the kitch-
enette. Joist pockets high on the sidewalls of the main
room, evidence of an earlier upper level, now contain
Christmas-tree lights. There is rumored to be a crypt
below the main room.
Walks: Principally herringbone brick, with some concrete
and some stone.
641
HALCYON HOUSE
HABS No. DC-69 (Page 48)
Landscaping: Great overgrown boxwoods fill what is left of
extensive formal planting on the south side of the main house,
now more informal in character and not particularly well-
groomed. Neatly trimmed shrubbery borders the Prospect Street
sidewalk, and there is much ivy on the building itself.
Prepared by: The Office of
Walter G. Peter, Jr., AIA
Architect
February 7, 1969
642
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
This volume has focused on part of western Georgetown,
emphasizing structures which have not been studied before
in great detail. It is an area where block after block is
filled with small row houses, dating back many years.
These homes have been occupied by generations of successive
residents. Understandably the buildings, which still
retain most of their original features, have been modified
by their owners over the years. The regularity of the
row houses is relieved by the varied architectural forms
which resulted from the differing tastes of the inhabitants
and the changing styles of architecture.
The residents of Georgetown, by their continued use of
these old homes, have made the past part of the present. Their
adaptation of old buildings for modern use illustrates a new
concept of historic preservation which is not, as is sometimes
thought, a means of blocking progress. It is, instead, a
means to save the best of the past and employ it in the
contemporary city.
The involvement of citizens in historical research of their
community is an approach that may be a major contribution of
this report. This volunteer program was in a sense an
experiment, an untried process. It has been a fruitful
endeavor, for the researchers have not only gained know-
ledge about an historic neighborhood, but have also been
aroused to the urgency of maintaining the character of the
area. Here, within the community, is an untapped resource
for research.
Many of the researchers who investigated these homes have
spoken of the impact they felt from the experience of re-
living the lives of the past residents of a particular
house-of how the house often took on the personality of
the occupants. The researchers also mentioned their own
645
heightened awareness of history as a living process as
they traced families through the years and discovered
the efforts they made to maintain their homes through
changing economic and social conditions.
The participants were untiring in their research activities.
Yet they realize that they have not unearthed a totally
comprehensive view of the area. There are some gaps which
they were unable to fill. For example, there probably is
a record of the change of house numbers in Georgetown
when street names were changed around 1880. So far, no such
key has been located. Information which supplements the
content of this volume, or which furnishes additional
data, would be most welcome.
646
"This continued use of old buildings, this fusion of archi-
tecture with a living segment of society, illustrates the
modern concept of historic preservation."
Southwest corner of 36th and 0 Streets. Remodeled buildings
presently used for Georgetown University Alumni Association
(top). The two structures before renovation in 1953 (bottom)
(Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library)
647
References
Zabriskie, George, "Window to the Past," in Albert Rains
and Laurance G. Henderson, With Heritage So Rich. New
York, New York: Random House, 1966, p. 63.
648
ACKN OWLE DGE MENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Miss Nancy W. Black, a member of the Commission of
Fine Arts, researched and assembled most of the material
in this book. She was assisted in this work by a number
of residents in Georgetown who contributed a great deal
of their own free time. The Commission is grateful for
their contribution.
651
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
City Directories
The first city directory of Washington (but including George-
town residents if they worked in Washington) was written in
1822 by Judah Delano and printed by "William Duncan, Twelfth
Street West. " Directories appeared irregularly, were pre-
pared and printed by a variety of people until 1858 when
William Boyd began to issue the directories. After that,
except for one or two years, Boyd's Directory appeared
regularly until 1943, although in 1906 the R. L. Polk Co.
took over the directory but maintained Boyd's name in the
title. In 1948 R. L. Polk & Co. began to publish the city
directory for Washington under its own name. However,
publication has been somewhat irregular since that time.
Below is a list of the city directories of Washington and
Georgetown:
1822 - Washington Directory --- compiled by Judah Delano,
printed by William Duncan.
1827 - The Washington Directory -- prepared and published
by S.A. Elliot.
1830 - The Washington Directory -- prepared and published
by S.A. Elliot.
1830 - Georgetown Directory for the Year 1830 -- prepared
and published by Benjamin Homans.
1834 - For 1834 A Full Directory for Washington City, George-
town and Alexandria -- prepared and published by E.
A. Cohen & Co.
655
1843 - The Washington Directory and Governmental Register for
1843 -- compiled and published by Anthony Reintzel,
printed by John T. Towers.
1846 - The Washington Directory and National Register for 1846 --
compiled and published by Gaither & Addison, printed
by John T. Towers.
1850 - The Washington Directory, and Congressional, and
Executive Register for 1850 -- compiled and published
by Edward Waite, printed by Columbus Alexander.
1853 - The Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled
and published by Alfred Hunter, printed by Kirkwood &
McGill.
1855 - Ten Eyck's Washington and Georgetown Directory --
compiled and published by I. Ten Eyck, printed by Henry
Polkinhorn.
1858 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- published
by William H. Boyd, printed by Henry Polkinhorn.
1860 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled
by William H. Boyd, published by Taylor and Maury.
1862 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled
and published by Thomas Hutchinson.
1863 - Hutchinson's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- pre-
pared and published by Hutchinson & Brother.
1864 -
1871 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled
by Andrew Boyd, published by Hudson Taylor.
1872 -
1905 - Boyd's Directory of the District of Columbia -- compiled
and published by William H. Boyd.
656
1906-
1943 - Boyd's District of Columbia Directory -- published
by R. L. Polk & Co.
1948, 1954,
1956, 1960,
1962, 1964,
1965, 1967,
1969 - Polk's Washington City Directory -- compiled and
published by R. L. Polk E Co.
657
,
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SURVEY AMERICAN SONIOTIONS HISTORIC
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4
Contents of Commission of Fine Arts' Briefing Kit
for Georgetown Research
1. Basic Steps for Georgetown House Research (techniques and
procedures)
2. Map of Georgetown (showing Additions to Georgetown and old
and present street names)
3. Background Reading for Georgetown Research
4. The Peabody Room -- A Source of Information for Local
Historians (description written by Miss Mathilde D.
Williams, Curator, Peabody Room, Georgetown Branch,
D. C. Public Library)
5. Pamphlet Accompanying National Archives Microcopy No. 605,
Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79
6. Historic American Buildings Survey -- Information pamphlet,
Historians Work Sheet, and an example of a building re-
cording
7. Library of Congress Manuscript Division -- basic list of
background materials
8. Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library -- detailed list
of materials related to Georgetown, compiled by Miss
Edith Ray Saul
9. Bibliography compiled by Cornelius W. Heine for National
Park Service Report, "The old Stone House" (itemized
list of original and secondary sources covering George-
town)
659
10. A Beginner's Guide to Historical Research of Georgetown
Structures (prepared by Hannah Lewis Cayton, volunteer
researcher)
11. Public Law 808 - 81st Congress (copy of "The Old
Georgetown Act")
12. Why We Have a Georgetown (a brief history of Georgetown
issued by the Citizens Association of Georgetown)
660
the past shall
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON, D.C.
10
Georgetown Historic District
Districtof Columbia
78 hereby designated a
REGISTERED NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
Under the Provisions of the
cews Udoes
flistoric Sites fctof August 21. 1935.
Secretary of the Interior
This Site Possesses Exceptional Value ill
Commemorating and Illustrating the
flistory of the United States of: (merica.
OF
Presented October 7, 1967
661
U.S. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1970 () 397-456
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"ocrText": "Clemson University\n3 1604 019 773 680\nGeorgetown\nArchitecture\nNORTHWEST\nFUE\n(MADISON\nSEP21 SEP ATIONS 1970 LIBRARY LIBRA MO << HILL RET\nCONVERY\nGEORGETOWN COLLEGE\nMS*\nAve\nWA\nMAP\nPOTOMAC\nKS\nGEORGETOWN D.C.\nSeals 300 A wind\nPublished by\nFAEHTZ & PRATT\n1874.\nSELECTIONS FROM THE HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY NUMBER 6\nGEORGETOWN ARCHITECTURE - NORTHWEST\nNorthwest Washington, District of Columbia\nHistoric American Buildings Survey Selections\nNumber 6\nIssued by\nTHE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS\nRoom 7000, Interior Building\n18th and C Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240\nThe program for the surveys and publications of Georgetown\narchitecture was under the direction of Charles H. Atherton,\nSecretary of the Commission of Fine Arts.\nGeorgetown Commercial Architecture-- M Street (1967)\nGeorgetown Commercial Architecture--Wisconsin Avenue (1967)\nGeorgetown Architecture--The Waterfront (1968)\nGeorgetown Historic Waterfront, Washington, D.C. (1968)\nGeorgetown Residential Architecture--Northeast (1969)\nGeorgetown Architecture--Northwest (1970)\nGeorgetown Architecture (1970)\nA of\nnith\nthe additions.\nFrances Financk\nNoncrable the\nGuorye tenn\nCteak\nGeo Town College\n.\nThe\nPotomac\nR\nRiver\nDury\n1814 Map of Georgetown with the Additions by Francis\nFenwick--portion showing western Georgetown (D.C.\nSurveyor's Office)\niii\n1 John Thomson Mason House\n13 Longden House\nQ\nSTREET\n2 Goszler-Monogue House\ni4 Goszler-Meem-Brown House\n3 Teresa Fenwick House\n15 Jeremiah Sullivan Building\n4 Brown House\n16 Keliy House\n5 Corroll Daly House\n17 Georgetown Visitotion Convent\n13\n6 Williom Monkins House\n18 Simms-Dowes-Hurley House\n7 Mohorney-O'Brien House\nI9 Bussord-Newmon House\n8 Buehler-Suilivon House\n20 Bronough-Bibb-Libbey House\n9 Holy Trinity Porish\n21 Prospect House\nConvent of Mercy\n22 Findley House\nChurch\n23 Doniel Kone House\nRectory\n24 Zepp Row House\nVOLTA PLACE\nIO Simms-Lihoult-Doly House\n25 Mohorney-Horrington House\nII Herron-Moxley House\n26 Hornedy Row Houses\ni2 Mc Corthy-Sullivon House\n27 Holcyon House\nConvent of the\nVisitotion\n17\nII\nP\nSTREET\n7\n3\n25\n23\n20\n6\n24\n4\n2 BO\nO STREET\nL\nD\n14\n15\nGeorgetown\n9\nUniversity\n37th STREET\n36th STREET\n35th STREET\n19\n34th STREET\n5\n2\n0\n0\nN STREET\n22\n16\nSite of librory\nunder construction\n26\nR\nPROSPECT AVENUE\n2\n27\nCANAL ROAD\nM STREET\ncao CANAL\nPOTOMAC RIVER\niv\nCONTENTS\nINTRODUCTION\n1\nI\nTHE SITE\n9\nII THE RESEARCHERS\n33\nIII THE SOURCES\n39\nIV THE STRUCTURES\n55\nJohn Thomson Mason House\n56\n3425 Prospeet Street, N.W.\nGoszler-Manogue House\n94\n1307 35th Street, N.W.\nTeresa Fenwick House\n116\n3512 P Street, N.W.\nBrown House\n136\n1404 35th Street, N.W.\nCarroll Daly House\n160\n1306 36th Street, N.W.\nV\nWilliam Mankins House\n182\n1411 35th Street, N.W.\nMahorney-O'Brien House\n202\n3522 P Street, N.W.\nBuehler-Sullivan House\n218\n3617 0 Street, N.W.\nHoly Trinity Parish\n234\n36th Street between N and O\nStreets, N.W.\nSimms-Lihault-Daly House\n260\n3610 O Street, N.W.\nHerron-Moxley House\n282\n1503 35th Street, N.W.\nMcCarthy-Sullivan House\n302\n3623 O Street, N.W.\nLongden House\n314\n1555 35th Street, N.W.\nGoszler-Meem-Brown House\n332\n3412 O Street, N.W.\nJeremiah Sullivan Building\n348\n1331 35th Street, N.W.\nKelly House\n362\n1239 37th Street, N.W.\nGeorgetown Visitation Convent\n380\n1500 35th Street, N.W.\nvi\nSimms-Dawes-Hurley House\n416\n3619 0 Street, N.W.\nBussard-Newman House\n428\n1311 35th Street, N.W.\nBronaugh-Bibb-Libbey House\n446\n1408 35th Street, N.W.\nProspect House\n468\n3508 Prospect Street, N.W.\nFindley House\n500\n3606 N Street, N.W.\nDaniel Kane House\n518\n1419 36th Street, N.W.\nZepp Row House\n538\n1407 37th Street, N.W.\nMahorney-Harrington House\n562\n1423 36th Street, N.W.\nHarnedy Row Houses\n576\n3617, 3619, 3621 Prospect\nStreet, N.W.\nHalcyon House\n590\n3400 Prospect Street, N.W.\nV\nSUMMARY\n643\nVI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\n649\nVII APPENDIX\n653\nvii\nGEORGETOWN\nHISTORIC DISTRICT\nHAS BEEN DESIGNATED A\nREGISTERED NATIONAL\nHISTORIC LANDMARK\nUNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE\nHISTORIC SITES ACT OF AUGUST 21, 1935\nTHIS SITE POSSESSES EXCEPTIONAL VALUE\nIN COMMEMORATING AND ILLUSTRATING\nTHE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES\nU.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR\nNATIONAL PARK SERVICE\n1967\n\"Today we are not only speaking in terms of preserving streetscapes instead of\nisolated individual homes of the renowned, but we are also speaking of saving\ncityscapes as thriving communities.\"\nPlague presented October 7, 1967 - located at 30th Street and the Canal Toe-\npath in Georgetown (Photographed by David Blume)\nviii\nINTRODUCTION\nINTRODUCTION\nA new concept of historic preservation has developed in recent\nyears. There is today an emphasis on noteworthy buildings as\nplaces for human use, where people have continuously worked\nand played, where houses have steadily been a part of the\nfabric of society, reflecting the economic and sociological\nflux of the country.\nThe importance of focusing the past on our current society is\nstressed in the recent findings of the Special Committee on\nHistoric Preservation sponsored by the United States Conference\nof Mayors:\n\"If the preservation movement is to be success-\nful, it must go beyond saving bricks and\nmortar. It must go beyond saving occasional\nhistoric houses and opening museums. It must\nbe more than a cult of antiquarians. It must\ndo more than review a few national shrines.\nIt must attempt to give a sense of orientation\nto our society, using structures and objects\nof the past to establish values of time\nand place.\n\"This means a reorientation of outlook and\neffort in several ways.\"\nNo longer is historic preservation confined to the restoration of\nbuildings connected with famous figures and events of the past,\nnor of re-creation of areas such as Williamsburg which typify a\nfragment of our past in a museum-like fashion.\nToday we are not only speaking in terms of preserving street-\nscapes instead of isolated individual homes of the renowned, but\n3\nwe are also speaking of saving cityscapes as thriving communities.\nOld buildings can be used in new and imaginative ways while the\narchitectural character is maintained.\nThis modern concept of historic structures is illustrated in\nthis report of some of the houses in the western portion of\nGeorgetown. With a few exceptions these are not mansions.\nThey are the dwellings of people from simple walks of life,\npeople who worked and struggled to maintain their modest homes,\nand in the process contributed to the vitality and growth\nof their community.\nLittle research or organized study has previously been devoted\nto this area of Georgetown. It has been difficult to explore\nbecause of the scarcity of documentary data, of recorded reminis-\ncences, or of validated evidence about the people who lived\nin these houses. Few of the residents of the homes have been\nrecorded in written accounts, but their lives and dwellings\nrepresent an important aspect of our heritage.\nThe Old Georgetown Act of 1950 (P.L. 808) affords some protec-\ntion for preservation of the area, but these controls have\nnot entirely prevented inroads into the essentially residential\ncharacter of the western portion of Georgetown. The possibility of\nfurther encroachments prompted the selection of this part of\nGeorgetown for exploration.\nThis report of the western part of Georgetown was planned by the\nCommission of Fine Arts and the Historic American Buildings Sur-\nvey, but the research is the result of widespread citizen\nparticipation. The volunteer program, described in Chapter II\nof this report, was a departure from customary procedures of\nconducting historic research where professional personnel plan\nand execute the work. It may be the first, perhaps the only,\nprogram in which citizens were organized into a unit, given\nbriefings, and guided in the use of original documents for their\nresearch. A list of the materials containdd in the Briefing Kit\nis included in the Appendix.\nOne aim of this study of structures in western Georgetown is to\nprssent a view of houses that have endured through the years as\nfunctional dwellings, having been altered by one generation\nafter another to adapt them to each family's needs. The houses\n4\nrepresent quite a range in value, from modest homes to elegant\nones.\nThe other purpose of the study is to be of service to future\nresearchers, for there is much yet to be discovered in this\nportion of Georgetown. Analysis needs to be made of the forces\nwhich attracted such a large concentration of laborers to this\narea. Many other influences affecting the settlement of western\nGeorgetown would be rewarding to independent researchers, volun-\nteers in a research program, or to professional scholars.\nIn this report the first chapter contains a brief description\nof the area which was studied. In the second chapter an explana-\ntion is offered of how the volunteer program of research operated.\nChapter III includes a discussion of the sources of information\nwhich contributed to the study and Chapter IV, which comprises\nthe body of the volume, contains individual reports of each of\nthe structures which was studied. These reports are written in\nthe format used by the Historic American Buildings Survey in their\nnationwide record of old buildings.\nDocumentation of facts is indicated by a number in parentheses\nwhich refers to the list of references at the end of each histori-\ncal analysis of a structure. Variations in the spelling of\nproper names in original documents have been faithfully repro-\nduced in each narrative. A chain of title is included as part\nof each study of a dwelling so no additional documentation is\nsupplied about deeds. Since city directories had a variety of\ntitles through the years, it seemed simpler to list them under\na single title, City Directory, in the list of references. A\ncomplete list, with specific titles, is found in the Appendix.\nChapter V contains a summary of the report and some conclusions\nwhich evolved as a result of the study. In the final chapter\nare acknowledgements to the many contributors to the report.\nThe Appendix includes some useful materials which will aid in\ninterpreting the report.\nThis volume represents a keen adventure to the many people who\nworked on it. The research awakened a new awareness of the\nimpact of the past on the present day and a broader compre-\nhension of the continuity of life.\n5\nReferences\n1. Rains, Albert, Chairman, and Henderson, Laurance,\nDirector, A Report of a Special Committee on\nHistoric Preservation, under the auspices of the\nUnited States Conference of Mayors with a grant\nfrom the Ford Foundation. New York, New York:\nRandom House, 1966, p. 207.\n6\n<<<<\nThey\nJUM MINIM\n\"This is a diversified section, comprised of homes both large\nand small, bordering on a major university and on a renowned\nconvent, each of which has exerted influence on the growth\nand development of the area.\" (Sketch by David Sheppard)\n7\nTHE SITE\nTHE SITE\nThe structures described in this report are largely found\non the western fringe of Georgetown, from approximately\n37th Street to 35th Street and Prospect Street to P Street.\nThis is a diversified section, comprised of homes both\nlarge and small, bordering on a major university and on a\nrenowned convent, each of which has exerted influence on\nthe growth and development of the neighborhood.\nIt is an area of homes which has shifted with the economic\ntides of Georgetown--sometimes expanding, sometimes barely\nholding on, sometimes the center of hurried selling or\nbargain buying of property. Its history goes back to the\nbeginning of Georgetown.\nIn 1751 the Assembly of the Province of Maryland appointed\nsix commissioners \" to lay out and erect a town on the\nPatowmack River a town which was to become \"George\nTowne. 11 This was a hundred and thirty years after Henry\nFleete, the first Englishman to visit the future site of\nGeorgetown, had sailed up the Potomac in 1621 and a\nhundred and seventeen years after Leonard Calvert founded\nthe Colony of Maryland in 1634.\nSixty acres of land were to be purchased from George Gordon\nand George Beall, both of whom owned large estates. These\nacres, drawn from the two plantations, were to be laid out\ninto eighty lots. (1)\nSix additions were later made to the original eighty lots;\nthe second of these additions to Georgetown was made in\nNovember 1785 by Robert Peter, Charles Beatty, John\nThrelkeld, and William Deakins, Jr. It consisted of twenty\nacres which were divided into sixty lots in the west end\nof Georgetown. (2)\n11\nDrewn\nSheet\nOF\nH\nCEORGETOMY\nin the\nDISTRICT. COLUMBIA\nWILLIAM BUSSARD\n1530.\n1830 Map of Georgetown by William Bussard (Map Division,\nLibrary of Congress)\n12\nThe land for the addition was laid out in the previous year\nupon part of the following tracts: one acre of \"Frogland\"\nowned by Charles Beatty; two acres of \"Discovery\" owned by\nRobert Peter; thirteen acres of \"Conjurer's Disappointment\"\nowned by William Deakins, Jr.; and three acres of \"Re-\nsurvey on Salop\" owned by John Threlkeld. (3) Most of the\nlots dealt with in this volume are part of the Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition.\nThe additions to Georgetown were necessary because George-\ntown was expanding rapidly as an important seaport and trad-\ning center. The thriving town was fulfilling the prophecy\nof those who selected its strategic location near the head\nof the tidewater on the Maryland shore of the Potomac.\nWith its navigable waters and its productive back country,\nGeorgetown inevitably became an important center of shipping\nand inspection of goods.\nThe surrounding countryside of the Potomac Valley consisted\nof huge plantations owned by aristocratic Maryland and\nVirginia families who brought their tobacco to Georgetown\nto be shipped abroad. The plantation economy was dependent\nupon the imported labor force of slaves and indentured\nservants to cultivate the tobacco. Small tobacco farmers\nbegan to sell their crops to the large planters, for it was\nmore profitable than dealing with the English agents.\nGradually the large planters became traders and grew more\ninvolved with the life of the town.\nAfter the Revolution and during the first quarter of the\nnineteenth century Georgetown, which had become incorporated\nin 1789, was at its peak as a shipping port; factories and\nmills and shops and banks were flourishing. Prosperous men,\nmany from the old plantation families, joined by a substantial\nnumber of New England merchants, built mansions such as the\nJohn Mason House and Prospect House, both included in this\nreport. (4)\nDuring this era of prosperity the west end of Georgetown\ndeveloped rapidly. Georgetown College was founded in 1789,\nthe same year in which Georgetown was incorporated. In\nMorrison's Strangers' Guide to Washington and Its Vicinity,\nMorrison quotes a letter which Archbishop Carroll wrote in\n1790 describing the location of the College: \"Next Spring\nwe will commence our academy on a sight the most lovely the\neye could wish to rest upon.\" Morrison, writing in 1842,\nendorses this viewpoint, praises the appearance of the\nbuildings and grounds and adds one unusual fillip as an asset\n\"\nWhile its peculiar salubrity is attested by the extraor-\ndinary fact that no student has died on the premises since the\n13\nfoundation of the College. (5) In 1815 Congress raised the\nrank of the College to a University, the first time such a\ndistinction had been accorded to an institution of higher\nlearning in the United States. (6)\nHoly Trinity Church was established in 1788. as a parish\nchurch for Catholics in the neighborhood, on land purchased\nfrom John Threlkeld for five shillings--a virtual gift. (7)\nThe Academy of the Visitation, founded in 1799, is also\ncontiguous to the western area of Georgetowr. The Georgetown\nVisitation Convent, part of the Academy, dates back to 1816.\n(8) The school has a long and illustrious history. Morrison's\ndescription in 1842 of the aims of the school reflect the aims\nof the society of its day:\n\"The whole is under the direction of the Sisters\nof the Visitation, the sole object of whose\nunited exertions is the advancement of the young\nladies in piety and virtue, in intellectual and\nexternal cultivation, and in fitting them for\nthe domestic duties of life.\" (9)\nIn 1861 the course of instruction included thirty-five subjects,\namong them \"Orthography\nProse and Poetical Composition,\nSacred and Profane History\nMusic on the Piano\nPainting in\nWater Colors, in Oil, and on Velvet, Plain and Ornamental\nNeedlework, Tapestry, Lace Work, Beadwork, etc.\" (10) These\ninstitutions all exerted a cultural influence in the area.\nWhile Georgetown was thus expanding economically and culturally,\nthe seat of government was being established at nearby\nWashington City. In 1790 Congress had passed an act establish-\ning the Federal seat of government on the Potomac, but specified\nthat Philadelphia should be the Federal capital for ten years\nwhile the Federal city was being built. (11)\nFurthermore the act \"\nempowered the President to choose the\nexact location and to engage commissioners to take charge of\nplanning and building the new capital \"(12) On January 22,\n1791 President George Washington appointed Daniel Carroll and\nThomas Johnson of Maryland and David Stuart of Virginia as\ncommissioners for the new capital. (13) Much of the planning\noccurred in Georgetown at Suters Tavern. (14) The Forrest-\nMarbury House where the final arrangements for the purchase\nof land for the new city were made still stands today at\n3350 M Street in Georgetown. For the next eleven years the\nthree commissioners continued to manage the affairs of the\nfuture capital city. (15)\n14\nDuring the ten years before the government was transferred to\nWashington there was an avalanche of land speculation in the\nFederal city area. Many wealthy gentlemen residing in western\nGeorgetown invested heavily in the new real estate venture,\nthereby diverting capital which formerly had served to\ndevelop Georgetown. The Duc de La Rochefaucault, a French\nnobleman traveling in the United States from 1795 to 1797, de-\nscribed the financial decline in Georgetown: \" the\nspec-\nulation in the lots of the federal city is a powerful cause\nof the decay. They have turned a great part of the capital of\nthe merchants into that channel and consequently diverted\nit from the trade of that place.' (16)\nThese \"merchants\" had hopes that their land would find a ready\nmarket in the influx of people who would be drawn to the capital\nof the nation. John J. Walsh in Early Banks in the District\nof Columbia 1792-1818 says of these gentlemen, \"They were eager\nto see the new city prosper and develop for personal as well as\npatriotic reasons They staked their fortunes on their\nsincere optimism and lost heavily on the collapse of the land-\nprice boom.\" (17)\nClosely allied to this economic fluctuation in Georgetown\nfortunes was the establishment of the Bank of Columbia in 1793\nby a group of prominent Georgetown residents. Two prime movers\nof the enterprise were Benjamin Stoddert and Samuel Blodgett\nwhom Walsh characterizes as \"civic-minded, well-meaning,\nlanded gentlemen.\" (18)\nAdverse criticism of the idea of having a bank in a small com-\nmunity like Georgetown roused Blodgett to a vigorous defense.\nAmong the advantages of banks which he cited, a few particularly\nreflect the concerns of that era:\n\"\nIt reduces usury, wherever there is a\nsufficient number of rival banks, to prevent\na monopoly of its benefits.\n\"\nIt affords well known strong and con-\nvenient places for safe keeping, and this\nprevents even a temptation to robbery.\n\"\nIt saves an incalculable sum in a\nfair estimate of the time saved in count-\ning large notes instead of silver and\nother coins.\n\"\nIt saves the expense of carriage,\nwhich calculated for a long distance, on\nlarge sums, are great, and the post, on\nhalf notes, by mail, is always a safe\nmode of conveyance.\" (19)\n15\nMany of the incorporators of the Bank of Columbia were men who\nheld important official positions and who were leaders in civic\naffairs. A few of them, all residents of western George-\ntown, were: Benjamin Stoddert, a Revolutionary War hero, who\nbuilt and paid for the rough sidewalk between Georgetown and\nWashington City; John Mason who was superintendent of the\nIndian trade in Georgetown; James Maccubin Lingan who was\ncollector of the port of Georgetown; and John Templeman who\nsuperintended the construction of the Potomack River Bridge.\n(20)\nThe charter of the Bank of Columbia was so designed as to be\nof special service to two groups: 1) the commissioners of\nWashington City who were invited to buy up to $2000 worth of\nstock in it, and 2) the directors and stockholders who had\nfirst claim on loan facilities of the bank. Thus the bank\nserved as the city's fiscal agent and also aided the bank's\ndirectors by extending credit for their large real estate\ntransactions. John J. Walsh describes the policy of the\nBank of Columbia and its economic effect on Georgetown:\n\"\nThe bank came along at the right time, the\nCommissioners became stockholders in it and\nwhen they needed land, the bank's directors sold\nthem their private holdings. This explains in\na measure why the demands of the Government and\nreal estate operators took precedence over the\nneeds of commerce and industry in Georgetown.\" (21)\nThree other banks which appeared slightly later in Georgetown\nhad less direct effect on the growth of the community.\nThe Union Bank of Georgetown, incorporated on February 18, 1811,\nincluded among its founders many names prominent in Georgetown's\nhistory--Samuel Davidson, Thomas Corcoran, Francis Dodge,\nRichard Parrott, John Teakle, among others. Walsh reports on\nthe short life of the bank:\n\"The bank survived the business crisis of 1819 for\non April 1 of that year it declared a dividend at\nthe rate of 8 per cent per annum for the half year.\nHowever, the panic of 1837 must have proved too\nmuch for it as the next year Congress granted it\npermission to wind up its affairs and for this\npurpose its charter was extended to July 1, 1842.\nAfter July 1, 1838, the law prohibited it from\nincurring any new obligations or liabilities and\nit could not issue or reissue any bills payable\nto bearer.\" (22)\n16\nCongress extended the charter several times for the settlement\nof the bank's affairs, but in 1849 the charter finally expired.\nAnother bank which had an even shorter life span was the Cen-\ntral Bank of Georgetown and Washington. It was chartered by\nCongress on March 3, 1817, but its career was short, for in\n1821 Congress ordered the bank to liquidate, permitting a\nmaximum of five years for the settlement of its affairs. (23)\nThe Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown, organized in\n1814 and chartered in 1817, the same year of the Central\nBank's charter, had a successful history. William Marbury\nbecame the first President; Clement Smith was chosen cashier\nand in 1821 became President of the bank. (Smith's name\nappears on many deeds of trust involving real estate in the\nwestern part of Georgetown.)\nThe bank prospered, rendering service not only to the com-\nmunity but to the nation. Walsh describes the financial aid\nthe bank supplied to the U.S. Government to meet the costs\nof the War of 1812. In 1872 it became a national bank called\n\"The Farmers and Mechanics National Bank of Georgetown.\" In\n1928 it merged with the Riggs National Bank, continuing as\nthe Farmers and Mechanics Branch. (24)\nWhen the land-boom in Washington City collapsed, most of the\nspeculators, having over-extended themselves and failing to\nmake a quick financial profit, lost the fortunes they had\ninherited or had earned as tobacco magnates. Gentlemen such\nas Benjamin Stoddert and John Templeman went heavily into\ndebt, often leaving debts to be paid off by their survivors\nfor years to come.\nWhile these men were speculating on land in the Federal City,\nJohn Threlkeld, another prominent citizen of Georgetown, was\ndevoting his efforts closer to home. He had been closely\nidentified with Georgetown for some years. Most of the houses\ndescribed in this report were once part of the John Threlkeld\nlandholdings.\nJohn was the only son of Henry Threlkeld, who emigrated from\nCumberland County, England, \"probably about 1730 to 1735,\"\nand Mary Brown Hopkins, daughter of Dr. Gustavus Brown, of\nRich Hill, Maryland, and widow of Matthew Hopkins. (25) The\nThrelkeld family is said to be of Danish origin, although\nthe facts are obscured by time. Reverend Balch says that\nthe family name probably was \"Thorkel\" or \"Turkil\" and that\n17\n\"While these men were speculating on land in the Federal\nCity, John Threlkeld, another prominent citizen of George-\ntown, was devoting his efforts closer to home.\"\nPortrait of John Threlkeld (Smithsonian Institution)\n18\nthe first of the family to settle in England may have been one\nof the three earls who governed England under Canute. (26)\nProctor says that the Threlkelds were descended from a Danish\ngeneral who settled in England in 1550. (27) Mamie Williamson,\nwho compiled Threlkeld Family Data, notes that there is in\nCumberland County, England, a town named Threlkeld which had\na chapel as early as 1341. (28)\nHenry Threlkeld's estate is described by Edgar Russell in his\nA Short History of Berleith as a thousand acres, known\nas Berleith, which bordered on the Potomac River. It ran\nnorth from the Potomac and included the grounds of Georgetown\nUniversity, the Convent and Western High School.\" (29)\nJohn grew up in a family \"of culture and refinement,' as the\nauthor Mary Lockwood describes it. (30) In his Reminiscences\nof Georgetown, D.C., Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch describes\nJohn Threlkeld as a scholar:\n\"My father has often told me that he was the\npreceptor of John Threlkeld, who lived near\nthe Catholic College, and that he was one of\nthe best Latin scholars he had ever known.\nHe was also an admirable geographer and even\ntopographer\nHe was also well acquainted\nwith Boccaccio, though we do not know he could\nread him in the Italian.\" (31)\nIn 1787 John married Elizabeth Ridgely of Maryland. A descend-\nant of Threlkeld says, \"Mrs. Threlkeld was a lady of great\npersonal beauty. Mr. Threlkeld was widely known as a fine\nscholar, and of great benevolence.\" (32)\nReverend Balch throws further light on Threlkeld as an individ-\nual:\n\"He was a man of commanding appearance, and a\nfine equestrian. He rode a handsome sorrel\nhorse, and was rather impetuous in his move-\nments, but at times would rein in his steed,\nuntil he quoted some Latin epigram to any\none liberally educated, and then he would\nwheel suddenly round and be off at a tangent.\" (33)\nWhen Georgetown was incorporated in December 1789, John\nThrelkeld was one of the distinguished group who \"...are here-\nby appointed alderman of the said towne, so long as they shall\nwell behave themselves therein.\" (34)\n19\nProctor describes Threlkeld as one of the wealthiest men of\nhis day, pointing out that in 1790 he owned fifty-one slaves.\n(35) As an only child he inherited his parents' estate;\nthere he engaged in breeding stock on a large scale. He\nextended his property, for like many of his contemporaries\nhe engaged in real estate transactions, selling plots of\nland and building houses for rental purposes.\nThrelkeld and his family continuously played an active part\nin Georgetown affairs. Minutes of the Corporation of George\nTown reveal that in 1793 he was elected its Mayor and also\nappointed President of the Corporation. One of Threlkeld's\ndaughters married John Cox, who was Mayor of Georgetown for\ntwenty-two years and who built Cox's Row, still standing in\nGeorgetown on the north side of the 3300 block of N Street.\nTheir home, \"The Cedars,\" was built on the Threlkeld estate,\nBerleith. (36)\nThrelkeld's fortunes rose and fell with the economic fluctua-\ntionş\nthe community. By the time of his death in 1830,\nat the age of 73, he was heavily indebted and some of his\nland had to be forfeited.\nHe, like John Bronaugh and others, had been seriously affect-\ned by the economic depression of the 1820's and 1830's. Trade\nhad declined, owing to a number of factors. The canal and\nlock system of the Potomac Company had failed; the Baltimore\nand Ohio Railroad offered rapid transit of goods to Baltimore\nand Philadelphia; Washington City constituted serious com-\npetition in goods and services. (37)\nThe financial slump affected all areas of life. The failure\nof the Bank of Columbia was a serious blow:\n\"When the bank failed it created considerable\nexcitement in the community. Those who held\nnotes in the bank, found them worthless. Those\nwho owned stock in the bank and lived upon their\ndividends, found their incomes gone. Those who\nhad money deposited there, discovered it was\nlost.\" (38)\nAs the history of the houses in the western part of Georgetown\nreveals (in Chapter IV), the real estate market during this\nperiod was seriously affected by the business slump. Property\nwas sold at auction in default of trusts. There was a rapid\nturnover in houses. Some people who had small savings bought\nhouses cheaply and moved their families into them.\n20\nChief among this group were the Irish immigrants, many of whom\nhad been brought here by brokers who would \" sell them into\nlimited terms of indentured servitude in payment of the passage\nmoney to America. (39) The Irish immigrants, many of whom\nsettled in the west end of Georgetown, were desperately needed.\nas laborers.\nMrs. Margaret Smith, wife of the proprietor of The Intelligencer,\nwrites in 1832:\n\"Several large public works are going on. The\nCanal, the McAdamizing Pennsylvania Avenue,\nand the opening of the ground for the conveyance\nof water\nIt is a great work, which added\nto others, has drawn to the city at least a\nthousand laborers; in addition to our own, most\nof them Irish.\" (40)\nIt was shortly after this, in 1839, when Georgetown was attacked\nby natural forces--a barrage of ants that for three years infested\nthe area. Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch gives a whimsical account\nof what was intrinsically a serious matter by comparing the in-\nvasion to a military campaign:\n\"\ntheir operations were conducted with much more\neffective skill than Napoleon displayed either in\nRussia or Belgium. They moved on in solid columns,\nand so soon as one was killed another took its place;\nor, rather, a thousand came to bury it with military\nhonors. They devoured evey herb. The gardens per-\nished before them; Property fell down to zero in\nthose parts of the town which they assaulted. They\nattacked the specie in the old Bank of Columbia;\nBen Stoddert's residence, because its former owner\nhad once been Secretary of our Navy; General Mason's\nbecause the General was the commander of our militia;\nand Frank Key's, because he had written the Star\nSpangled Banner.\" (41)\nSo serious was the menace that the Mayor offered a dollar for\nevery pint of slain ants--a measure quickly rescinded as in-\nfeasible in the control of an epidemic of insects. Suddenly,\nthree years later, as mysteriously as the plague had arrived,\nit departed.\nBy the 1850's western Georgetown was sharing in the country's\nimproved economic situation. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal\nhad been completed as far as Cumberland, Maryland. It was in\nthis period that Georgetown began to expand as a city--streets\nwere illuminated with gas; two schools were built; Oak Hill\n21\n\"In the west part of Georgetown houses were increasing. One house,\nProspect Cottage at Prospect and Lingan (36th) Streets, became well\nknown as the home of the popular novelist, Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth.\"\n(Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library)\n22\nCemetery was laid out. In the west part of Georgetown houses\nwere increasing. One house, Prospect Cottage at Prospect\nand Lingan (36th) Streets, became well known as the home of\nthe popular novelist, Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth. (42)\nGeorgetown felt the impact of the Civil War in many ways.\nSituated between the North and the South, the town became a\nstrategic location for both sides. Leading to the capital\nwere highways, including the Georgetown-Alexandria Aqueduct\nwhich was drained to serve as a military road.\nUnion soldiers were quartered at Georgetown University as\nwell as in many private homes. Forrest Hall on High Street\n(now Wisconsin Avenue) became a hospital, as did a number of\nschools, churches, warehouses, and hotels. The Washington\nand Georgetown Street Railway was incorporated in 1862 to\noperate horse cars which conveyed the crowds which swarmed\nto the town.\nAlthough Georgetown did not serve as a battlefield, the Civil\nWar--as do all wars--affected permanently certain aspects of\nlife. There was a great turnover of houses during the 1860-\n65 period, as residents left for the North or the South, de-\npending upon their sympathies.\nLife in Georgetown under war conditions impinged on the econom-\nic status of citizens in widely differing ways. Southern\nbusinessmen suffered because they could not replenish their\nstocks. Inflation caused a sharp disparity in consumer needs\nand purchasing power. Constance Green describes the situation\nin nearby Washington at this time:\n\"Skilled workmen commanded unheard-of wages, some of\nthem as much as $3.50 a day, merchants with stock\nbought cheap could sell at huge markups, and people\nwith real estate to dispose of made killings; but\npetty tradesmen without the credit to purchase goods\nat the right moment, common laborers, and people on\nsalaries suffered. Families whose income had derived\nfrom the South or from the hire of their slaves faced\nreal want\n\"Military priorities and the loss of easy access to\nformer sources of supply heightened inflation.\" (43)\nThe west end of Georgetown was populated heavily by laborers and\nskilled workmen. Perhaps this war-time affluence, coupled with\nthe vacant houses due to the exodus of many people, accounts for\nthe number of houses in west Georgetown that were purchased dur-\ning the war period.\n23\n......\n......\nPUMPLE\n*****\n\"Georgetown felt the impact of the Civil War in many ways. Situated\nbetween the North and the South, the town became a strategic location\nfor both sides. Leading to the capitol were highways including the\nGeorgetown-Alexandria Aqueduct which was drained to serve as a\nmilitary road.\" 1868 view of western Georgetown, showing Georgetown\nCollege, Holy Trinity Church, and the Aqueduct Bridge (Library\nof Congress)\n24\nBy the end of the war investments by northern interests had be-\ngun to overpower local financial figures:\n\"New Yorkers and Philadelphians, having gained control\nof the local banks and the principal street railway,\nnow overshadowed native capitalists like W.W. Corcoran\nand his associates.\" (44)\nThe Civil War left in its wake many problems. The immediate\nshrinkage of business opportunities came just at the time\nwhen soldiers were returning to civilian life in need of jobs.\nThe political and social structure of Georgetown was affected\nby the large numbers of recently freed Negroes, who not only needed\njobs but also the education and skill to execute them.\nHowever, in the decade following the war Georgetown began once\nmore to develop, and at an accelerated pace. Sewers and other\nurban conveniences began to appear. (45) Gradually, house\nconstruction, repair, and remodeling were resumed.\nSocial life in Georgetown became reactivated. In 1871 a\nnewspaper account describes the Georgetown scene:\n\"\nevery afternoon and evening the fashionables are\nin a whirl of excitement and find it difficult, even\nwith the aid of fine equipage and fast horses to make\nthe round of calls between noon and midnight.\" (46)\nHowever, only a few of the residents of western Georgetown were\nsocialites. Most of the inhabitants of the area at this time\nwere more likely to be artisans or to be working in a manual\ncapacity.\nIn February of 1871 Congress revoked the charter of Georgetown\nand it became 'an integral part of Washington, D.C.'\nthough permitted to retain its name and the names of its streets.\"\n(47) But despite official edict, Georgetown continued to grow\nwith an entity of its own.\nIn the last quarter of the nineteenth century eight public\nschools were opened in Georgetown, not counting Linthicum Institute,\n\" a free school 'for boys and youths of more advanced years\nan evening school, to which, after the daily toil is ended they\nmay resort for such practical instruction as will qualify them for\nactive duties and business life\n\"\n(48)\nOn February 11, 1895 Congress decreed that Georgetown, now with\na population of about 15,000, shall no longer be known by\nname and title in law of City of Georgetown and same shall be\nknown as and shall constitute a part of the City of Washington\n\"\n25\n\"Most of the inhabitants of the area at this time were\nmore likely to be artisans or to be working in a\nmanual capacity. \" View of western Georgetown from\nGeorgetown College, 1893 (Library of Congress)\n26\nThe Commissioners of the District of Columbia were directed\nto cause the nomenclature of the streets and avenues of George-\ntown to conform to those of Washington as far as practicable.\nAt the same time all real estate square numbers in Georgetown\nwere altered so that none was a duplicate of a square number\nin Washington. (49)\nBut although Georgetown lost its official identity, its aura\ncontinued to thrive, with occasional setbacks such as the period\nfollowing the First World War. While the mansions maintained\ntheir elegance, many of the small houses had deteriorated, often\nbeing without sanitary facilities. Some parts of the town\nhad become squalid.\nDuring the latter part of the 1930's a metamorphosis began in\nGeorgetown housing. The New Deal brought many young, bright\nnewcomers to Washington. They discovered the convenience and\nquiet charm of a Georgetown residence. Swiftly, houses be-\ncame in demand, restoration became fashionable, and within a\nvery few years much residential improvement occurred.\nWestern Georgetown reflects this growth, in both the\nphysical state of the houses and in increased land values.\nThis westernmost part of Georgeoown has its roots in the early\ndevelopment of the town. There is a harmony of scale and\ntexture in the small row houses and an enduring quality in\ntheir simplicity.\nUnfortunately, the attentive and dedicated effort which has\nresulted in fine restoration and maintenance of this essentially\nresidential area has also tempted an array of commercial\ninterests to seek to capitalize on a sought-after neighborhood, and\nthere is yet the possibility that they may serve to destroy\nit, or at least seriously mar it.\nTo recapitulate, western Georgetown is a diversified\narea, composed of many elements. Famllies living in houses\nfrom one generation to another have adapted their homes to\nnew ways of living, retrenching during hard times and expand-\ning during prosperous decades.\nThese old houses constitute a living museum, one that is not\ndesigned for exhibition, but one that represents a viewpoint\nof cherishing the old while simultaneously embracing more\nconvenient ways of living.\nThis small area of the western part of Georgetown exemplifies the\nmodern concept of preservation. It is a process that does\nnot obstruct progress, but rather channels it for the convenience\nof twentieth-century people living in eighteenth- and nineteenth-\ncentury homes.\n27\nReferences\n1. Evans, Henry Ridgely, Old Georgetown on the Potomac.\nWashington, D.C.: Henry Ridgely Evans, 1933, PP. 9-11.\n2. Mackall, S. Somervell, Early Days of Washington.\nThe Neale Co., 1899, p. 44.\n3. \"An Act for an Addition to Georgetowne in Montgomery County,\"\nActs of the Assembly Since the Revolution. Annapolis,\nMaryland: Frederick Green, printer, 1787, chapter 45.\n4. Same reference as #1. P. 16.\n5. Morrison, William M., Morrison's Strangers' Guide to the City\nof Washington and Its Vicinity. Washington City: William\nM. Morrison, 1842, PP. 76-77.\n6. City Directory. 1822, P. 131.\n7. Kelly, Laurence J., Rev., History of Holy Trinity Parish,\n1795-1945. Baltimore, Maryland: John D. Lucas Printing Co.,\n1945, P. 17.\n8. Alumnai of Georgetown Visitation Convent, The Convent Story.\nWashington, D.C.: Georgetown Visitation Convent, 1965, p. 2.\n9. Same reference as #5. P. 82.\n10. Bohn, Casimir, Bohn's Handbook of Washington. Washington,\nD.C.: Casimir Bohn, 1861, p. 107.\n11. Green, Constance McLaughlin, Washington Village and Capital,\n1800-1878. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University\nPress, 1962, p. 8.\n12. Same reference as #11. P. 12.\n28\n13. Caemmerer, H.P., Washington The National Capital.\nWashington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932,\np. 17.\n14. Caemmerer, H. Paul, A Manual on the Origin and Develop-\nment of Washington. Washington, D.C.: United States\nGovernment Printing Office, 1939, p. 19.\n15. Walsh, John Joseph, Early Banks in the District of Columbia.\nWashington, D.C.: The Catholic University Press, 1940,\np. 68.\n16. De la Rochefaucault-Liancourt, Duc Francois-Alexandre-\nFrederic, Voyage dans les Etats-Unis d'Amerique. Paris,\nFrance: 1799, Vol. III, 1795-1797, p. 653.\n17. Same reference as #15. p. 71.\n18. Same reference as #15. p. 62.\n19. Same reference as #15. PP. 63-64.\n20. Same reference as #15. pp. 68-69.\n21. Same reference as #15. pp. 69-71.\n22. Same reference as #15. pp. 132-134.\n23. Same reference as #15. p. 150.\n24. Same reference as #15. pp. 144-147.\n25. Threlkeld, Hansford Lee, Threlkeld Geneaology. Hansford\nLee Threlkeld, 1932, p. 305, Jefferson Room, Library of\nCongress.\n29\n26. Balch, Reverend Thomas Bloomer, Reminiscences of George-\ntown, D.C., Second Lecture. Washington, D.C.: Henry\nPolkinhorn, Printer, 1859, p. 8, Jefferson Room, Library\nof Congress.\n27. Proctor, John Clagett, Editor-in-Chief, Washington Past and\nPresent. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing\nCo., 1930, p. 431.\n28. Williamson, Mamie, compiler, Threlkeld Family Data. Grant,\nKentucky: p. 2.\n29. Russell, Edgar, A Short History of Burleith. Washington, D.C.:\nThe Author, 1955.\n30. Lockwood, Mary s., Historic Homes in Washington--Its Noted\nMen and Women. New York, New York: Belford Co., 1889,\npp. 277-278.\n31. Same reference as #26. p. 8.\n32. Same reference as #25. p. 32.\n33. Same reference as #26. p. 8.\n34. Same reference as #2. p. 45.\n35. Same reference as #27. PP. 431-432.\n36. Ecker, Grace Dunlap, A Portrait of Old George Town.\nRichmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, Inc., 1951, p. 125.\n37. Young, Rogers W., The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the\nAntebellum Commerce of Old Georgetown. Washington, D.C.:\nNational Capital Region, U.S. National Park Service, 1940,\nPP. 5-6.\n30\n38. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.:\nThe Society, Vol. 33-34, 1932, p. 145.\n39. Same reference as #38. Vol. 44-45, 1944, p. 146.\n40. Smith, Margaret Bayard, The First Forty Years of Washington\nSociety. New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,\n1906, pp. 335-336.\n41. Same reference as #26. PP. 21-22.\n42. Same reference as #38. Vol. 44-45, 1944, p. 94.\n43. Same reference as #11. pp. 264-265.\n44. Same reference as #11. p. 289.\n45. Same reference as #11. p. 345.\n46. Georgetown Courier. January 28, 1871.\n47. Williams, Mathilde D., \"Chronology of Georgetown Events 1621\nto the Present,\" Donald Stetson Davis in collaboration with\nScott Hart, Georgetown 1751 to the Present. Washington, D.C.:\nDonald Stetson Davis, 1965, p. 19.\n48. Same reference as 47. P. 19.\n49. \"An Act Changing the Name of Georgetown in the District of\nColumbia...,\" U.S. Statutes at Large. 53rd Congress, 1893-\n95, Vol. 28, Chapter 79, p. 650.\n31\n43\n78\n75\n7\nSECOND\nGEORGETOWN\nCOLLEGE\n50\n38%\n38\n(A)\n61\nN\n53\n19\nPROSPECT\n33\n35\nM\n12\n30\nAND\n9\nPOTOMAC\nBridge\nS\nso\nAqueduet\nRIVER\nMap of western Georgetown (Hopkin's Atlas, 1887)\n32\nTHE RESEARCHERS\nTHE RESEARCHERS\nThe research for this study was executed by volunteers,\ncitizens who were deeply interested in the preservation\nof historic Georgetown. None of the participants was a\ntrained historian, although many of them were skilled in\nresearch techniques in other fields.\nThe decision to employ volunteer research assistance for\nthis study was based on the success of the 1966 pilot\nproject conducted jointly by the Commission of Fine Arts\nand the Historic American Buildings Survey. At that\ntime six volunteers assisted the professional staff in\ndocumenting selected commercial structures in Georgetown\non High Street (Wasconsin Avenue) and Bridge (M) Street.\nThese volunteers proved to be so outstanding in ability,\ndedication, and enthusiasm that it was recognized that\na previously untapped resource was yielding great returns.\nConsequently, the volunteer program was expanded and\nused for this study of the western part of Georgetown.\nEach researcher was responsible for the historical\ndocumentation of one building. A skeletal chain of title\nfor the structure was provided by a staff member of the\nCommission. The researcher's task was to determine the\ndate of erection of the building, to find out who occupied\nit, and also to discover historical information about the\nstructure and biographical data about the individuals\nconnected with it. They were encouraged to develop\nnew techniques and unearth new sources.\nTo assist in the study the Commission of Fine Arts\nprepared a Briefing Kit directed entirely toward historic\nresearch in Georgetown. The kit includes maps, bibliographies,\nand other source materials. (See Appendix.) Further\n35\nassistance provided by the Commission of Fine Arts\nconsisted of conferences with specialists and small\ngroup meetings of participants where progress was\nevaluated and information shared. Tracking down facts\nin the District of Columbia was particularly tedious\nbecause records have been shifted from place to place as\nthe government has expanded and changed.\n\"A program involving volunteer researchers who deal with\nprimary sources and original documents may well be unique.\"\nMiss Mathilde Williams, curator, and Mrs. Howard Cayton at\nthe Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library (Photographed\nby David Blume)\n36\n\"The research for this study was executed by volunteers, citizens\nwho were deeply interested in the preservation of historic George-\ntown.\"\nMrs. J.K. Mansfield at the Recorder of Deeds, Old Liber Room\n(Photographed by David Blume)\n37\nSOURCES\nSOURCES\nThe nation's capital contains a myriad of sources for historical\nresearch about Georgetown. Some, like the National Archives and\nthe Library of Congress, are well known. Many records are in\nobscure places and it takes a combination of skill and luck to\nlocate them. Information from one source may provide clues for\na pursuit that may disclose a cache of records the existence of\nwhich was not even known to the researcher.\nThis report reflects the variety of sources that were detected.\nThe following listing covers not only places where specific\nmaterial was located for use in this volume, but also places\nwhich were explored and where related records were unearthed.\nThe latter are included in the expectancy that they will be of\nassistance for future Georgetown investigators.\nFederal Institutions\nArlington National Cemetery\nDepartment of Navy\nFort Myer, Virginia\n(Library)\nWashington, D.C\nArmy Corps of Engineers\nHistorical Division\nDepartment of State\nBaltimore, Maryland\n(Library; U.S. National\nCommission for UNESCO)\nWashington, D.C.\nArmy Map Service\nBethesda, Maryland\n41\nBureau of Land Management\nLibrary of Congress\nDivision of Lands and Realty\n(Geography and Map Reading\nDepartment of the Interior\nRoom; Local History and\nGenealogy Reading Room;\nMain Reading Room; Manu-\nBureau of the Census\nscript Reading Room;\n(Library)\nMicrofilm Reading Room;\nDepartment of Commerce\nNewspaper Reading Room;\nSuitland, Maryland\nPrints and Photographs\nReading Room; Rare Book\nReading Room; Thomas\nChief of Engineers Office,\nJefferson Room)\nU.S. Army\nWashington, D.C.\nScientific and Technical\nInformation Section\n(Library)\nMuseum of History and Tech-\nWashington, D.C.\nnology\n(Library; Political History\nDivision; Photography\nCoast and Geodetic Survey\nSection)\nCartography Division\nSmithsonian Institution\nDepartment of Commerce\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nNational Archives and Records\nDepartment of Army\nCenter\n(Library)\n(Audio-visual Branch; Carto-\nWashington, D.C.\ngraphic Branch; Central\nResearch Room; Legislative,\nJudicial, and Diplomatic\nDepartment of Labor\nRecords Division; Microfilm\n(Library)\nReading Room; Old Military\nWashington, D.C.\nRecords Division)\nGeneral Services Administration\nWashington, D.C.\nEngineer Center, U.S. Army\n(Library; Museum)\nFt. Belvoir, Virginia\nNational Collection of Fine Arts\n(Exhibits; Library)\nSmithsonian Institution\nGeological Survey\nWashington, D.C.\nTopographic Division\nMap Information Office\nDepartment of Interior\nNational Gallery of Art\nWashington, D.C.\n(Collection; Library)\nSmithsonian Institution\nWashington, D.C.\n42\nNational Historical Publications\nU.S. Capitol\nCommission\nArt and Reference Library\nNational Archives and Records\nOffice of the Architect of\nCenter\nthe Capitol\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nNational Portrait Gallery\nU.S. House of Representatives\n(Collection; Library)\n(Committee on the District of\nSmithsonian Institution\nColumbia)\nWashington, D.C.\nHouse Office Building\nWashington, D.C.\nOffice of Archaeology and\nHistoric Preservation\nU.S. Senate\nDivision of History\n(Committee on the District of\n(National Landmarks Program)\nColumbia)\nNational Register of Historic\nSenate Office Building\nPlaces\nWashington, D.C.\nDivision of Historic Architecture\n(Historic American Buildings\nSurvey)\nWashington Aqueduct Division\n(Historic Structures Branch)\nArmy Corps of Engineers\nNational Park Service\nWashington, D.C.\nDepartment of the Interior\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington National Records\nCenter\nPost Office Department\nArchives Branch; Reference\n(History Division; Library)\nService Branch\nWashington, D.C.\nSuitland, Maryland\nPublic Buildings Service\nHistorical Studies Office\nGeneral Services Administration\nWashington, D.C.\nDistrict of Columbia Institutions\nAssessment Services Division\nD.C. Central Public Library\nMaps and Titles Section; Records\n(Art and Picture File; General\nand Information Section\nReference Room; Washingtoniana\nMunicipal Center\nRoom)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\n43\nD.C. Register of Wills\nNational Capital Planning\nU.S. District Court\nCommission\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nD.C. Recorder of Deeds\nOffice of the Surveyor\n(General Land Index Room; Lot\nDistrict Building\nand Square Index Office; Liber\nWashington, D.C.\nRoom)\nWashington, D.C.\nProperty Assessment Division\nPersonal Property Assessment\nDistrict of Columbia Government\nSection; Real Estate Assess-\nExecutive Office, Office of the\nment Division\nSecretariat\nMunicipal Center\nDistrict Building\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nUnited States District Court\nDivision of Licenses and Permits\nfor the District of\nBureau of Licenses and Inspection\nColumbia\nDistrict Building\n(Civil Action Docket Room)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nMarriage Bureau\nD.C. Court of General Sessions\nWashington, D.C.\nState and Local Institutions\nAlexandria City Hall\nAlexandria Public Library\nCircuit Court and Corporation\nAlexandria, Virginia\nCourt\n(Land Records Office; Estate\nRecords Office; Marriage\nAmerican Archives Association\nLicense Bureau)\nWashington, D.C.\nAlexandria, Virginia\n44\nAmerican Institute of Architects\nFrederick County Court House\nNational Headquarters\nFrederick, Maryland\n(Library)\nWashington, D.C.\nFrick Museum\n(Art Reference Library)\nAnne Arundel County Court House\nNew York, New York\nAnnapolis, Maryland\nGeorgetown Branch of D.C.\nCapitol Hill Southeast Citizens\nPublic Library\nAssociation\n(Peabody Room)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nCitizens Association of George-\nMaryland Hall of Records\ntown\nAnnapolis, Maryland\nCommittee on Historic Preserva-\ntion\nWashington, D.C.\nMaryland Land Records Office\nMaryland Hall of Records\nAnnapolis, Maryland\nCommittee of 100 on the Federal\nCity\nWashington, D.C.\nMedical Society of the\nDistrict of Columbia\nWashington, D.C.\nCorcoran Gallery of Art\n(Library)\nWashington, D.C.\nMontgomery County Court House\n(Land Records Office; Marriage\nLicense Bureau; County\nDistrict Public Library\nSurveyors Office; Register of\n(Burton Historical Collection)\nWills)\nDetroit, Michigan\nRockville, Maryland\nEnoch Pratt Free Library\nMontgomery County Public Library\nBaltimore, Maryland\nRockville Branch\nRockville, Maryland\nFoundation for the Pre-\nservation of Historic\nMontgomery County Tax\nGeorgetown\nAssessor's Office\nWashington, D.C.\nCounty Office Building\nRockville, Maryland\n45\nNational Geographic Society\nRichmond City Hall\n(Library)\nRichmond, Virginia\nWashington, D.C.\nVirginia State Library\nPeale Museum\nRichmond, Virginia\nBaltimore, Maryland\nWashington Metropolitan\nPrince George's County\nChapter\nLibrary\nAmerican Institute of\n(Maryland Room)\nArchitects\nHyattsville, Maryland\nWashington, D.C.\nHistorical and Patriotic Organizations\nAccokeek Foundation Inc.\nAmerican Historical Society\nAccokeek, Maryland\nWashington, D.C.\nAlexandria Historical and\nAmerican Philosophical\nPreservation Commission\nSociety\nAlexandria, Virginia\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\nAmerican Association for\nAmerican Society for Legal\nState and Local History\nHistory, Inc.\nNashville, Tennessee\nWashington, D.C.\nAmerican Catholic Historical\nArlington Historical Society\nAssociation\nHeadquarters\nCatholic University of America\n(Hume Museum)\nWashington, D.C.\nArlington, Virginia\nAmerican Historical\nCapitol Hill Restoration\nAssociation\nSociety\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\n46\nColonial Dames of the XVII\nMaryland Historical Society\nCentury, National Society\nBaltimore, Maryland\nWashington, D.C.\nMassachusetts Historical\nColonial Williamsburg\nCommission\n(Research Department)\nState House\nWilliamsburg, Virginia\nBoston, Massachusetts\nColumbia Historical Society\nMontgomery County Historical\n(Library)\nSociety\nWashington, D.C.\nRockville, Maryland\nDaughters of the American\nMount Vernon Ladies Association\nColonists, National Society\nof the Union\nWashington, D.C.\n(Library)\nMt. Vernon, Virginia\nDaughters of the American\nRevolution, National Society\nNational Genealogical Society\n(Library; General Registrar's\nWashington, D.C.\nOffice)\nWashington, D.C.\nNational Trust for Historic\nPreservation\nGunston Hall\nWashington, D.C.\n(Archives)\nLorton, Virginia\nNaval Historical Foundation\n(Truxton-Decatur Naval Museum)\nHistoric Alexandria Foundation\nWashington, D.C.\n(Archives and Library)\nAlexandria, Virginia\nPhiladelphia Historical\nCommission\nHistoric Georgetown, Inc.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\nWashington, D.C.\nPotomac Lodge No. 5\nHistorical Society of\nMasonic Fraternity\nDelaware\nWashington, D.C.\nWilmington, Delaware\nScottish Rite\nHistorical Society of Penn-\nHeadquarters, Supreme Council,\nsylvania\nSouthern Jurisdiction\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\n(Archives and Library)\nWashington, D.C.\n47\nSociety of Architectural His-\nSt. Mary's County Historical\ntorians\nSociety\n(National Headquarters)\nLeonardtown, Maryland\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\n(Latrobe Chapter)\nWashington, D.C.\nUnited States Capitol Historical\nSociety\nWashington, D.C.\nSociety of Colonial Dames of\nAmerica\nNational and Local branches\nUnited States Civil War Centennial\n(Library and Historical Division)\nCommission\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nSociety of The Cincinnati\nUnited States Daughters of 1812,\n(National Headquarters and\nNational Society\nMuseum)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nVirginia Historical Society\nSociety of the Oldest\nRichmond, Virginia\nInhabitants\nWashington, D.C.\nWhite House Historical\nAssociation\nSons of the American\nWashington, D.C.\nRevolution\n(National Society; D.C.\nSociety)\nWashington, D.C.\nReligious Institutions\n(Birth, Baptism, Marriage, and Death Records)\nChrist Episcopal Church,\nConvent of the Visitation\nGeorgetown\n(Archives)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\n48\nLV MEMORY\nof\nMy dear Jushand\nTIMOTHY d.SULLIVAN\nDied July 10, ISSS.\naged 36 years\nMarhe ristón peact.\n\"Information from one source may provide clues for a\npursuit that may disclose a cache of records the\nexistence of which was not even knwon to the\nresearcher.\" Holy Rood Cemetary (Photographed by\nDavid Blume)\n49\nFriends Meeting House\nOak Hill Cemetery\nWashington, D.C.\n(Georgetown)\nWashington, D.C.\nGeorgetown Presbyterian\nChurch\nPohick Episcopal Church\nWashington, D.C.\nLorton, Virginia\nGrace Episcopal Church,\nPotomac Stake of the\nGeorgetown\nChurch of Jesus Christ of\nWashington, D.C.\nLatter-Day Saints\n(National Genealogical\nResearch Records)\nHoly Rood Cemetery\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nQuaker Records Center\nHoly Trinity Roman Catholic\nSwarthmore, Pennsylvania\nChurch\n(Georgetown)\nWashington, D.C.\nRock Creek Cemetery\nWashington, D.C.\nMormon Records Center\n(National Genealogical\nSt. John Episcopal Church,\nRecords)\nGeorgetown\nSalt Lake City, Utah\nWashington, D.C.\nEducational Institutions\nAmerican University\nDumbarton.Oaks\nInstitute of Genealogical\nHarvard University-trustees\nResearch (Summer session)\n(Research Library)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\n50\nGeorge Washington University\nUniversity of Maryland\n(Library-Wright Collection)\n(Library-Maryland and\nWashington, D.C.\nRare Book Room)\nCollege Park, Maryland\nGeorgetown University\n(Archives; Library;\nWoodstock College\nDepartment of History)\n(Archives)\nWashington, D.C.\nWoodstock, Maryland\nJohn Hopkins University\n(Library)\nBaltimore, Maryland\nBusiness Institutions\nBoard of Trade-Metropolitan\nDistrict Title Insurance\nWashington\nCo.\n(City Directory Library of R. L.\nWashington, D.C.\nPolk & Co.; Nineteenth Century\nClub)\nWashington, D.C.\nFiremen's Insurance Co. of\nWashington and Georgetown\nWashington, D.C.\nBook Dealers--Used and Rare\nPark Book Shop; W. H.\nLowdermilk & Co.\nGeneral Accident Insurance\n(Old Books, maps, and prints)\nCo.\nWashington, D.C.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\nChesapeake and Potomac\nGeorgetown Pharmacy\nTelephone Co.\n(Old prescriptions)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington, D.C.\nColumbia Real Estate Title\nGuardian Federal Saving\nInsurance Co.\nand Loan Association\nWashington, D.C.\n(Archives and Museum)\nWashington, D.C.\n51\nDruis\nW\nM D\nOffice\nAND\nREMOVE\nhim\ninit\njul\nnt\npxvi\nGEO. B. PharOcial, LOCKHART ST., con\ninstructions\n3612\nF THE 1 I 1334\nCHARLES\n1 is\n& $ mome, I D.C. J D.\n. D, M.D. the\n30\nAND\nTTUS,\nsouph\nRiquinia\nOFFICE no DREBALLE DR. xr.\nARMISTERD PETER. Ar. 6 M.D. M.\nI\n31\nBuff\nmin WILLIO yelps in & met in\n\"Many records are in obscure places and it takes\na combination of skill and luck to locate them.\"\n1883 Prescriptions, Georgetown Pharmacy\n(Photographed by David Blume)\n52\nHarris and Ewing\nMontgomery Mutual Insurance\n(Photographers)\nCo.\nWashington, D.C.\nSandy Spring, Maryland\nInsurance Company of North\nNational Bank of Washington\nAmerica\nWashington, D.C.\nPhiladelphía, Pennsylvania\nPotomac Electric Power Co.\nKiplinger Letters\nWashington, D.C.\n(Washingtoniana Collection)\nWashington, D.C.\nRiggs National Bank\nWashington, D.C.\nLeet - Melbrook, Inc.\n(Photographers)\nRockville, Maryland\nR. L. Polk E Co. (Publishers)\nWashington, D.C.\nLocal Newspapers\n(Reference files including\nRufus S. Lusk e Son, Inc.\nobituaries, photographs,\nWashington, D.C.\netc.)\nWashington, D.C.\nWashington Gas Light Co.\nWashington, D.C.\nMillicent C. Chatel, Wise\nand Gilliat Inc. (Real\nEstate)\nWashington, D.C.\nPeople\nPersons associated with a\nLong-time residents in\nstructure by family, lo-\nGeorgetown (Interviews)\ncation, business or\nother circumstances (In-\nterviews)\nPersons owning private col-\nlections (Business records,\ndiaries, family records,\nletters, photographs)\n53\nTHE STRUCTURES\nI\n56\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-167\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\n(\"Quality Hill\")\nAddress in 1969:\n3425 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 80 Prospect Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house occupies Lot 42 in Square 51\nin Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lot\n835, out of Lot 808, in Square 1221 in\nthe City of Washington.\nDate of erection:\n1797-1798\nOwners in 1969:\nSenator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell\nOccupants in 1969:\nSenator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nThis structure is one of the finest of the\nfew surviving large, free-standing, late\neighteenth-century town houses of George-\ntown. From its first owner, John Mason,\nto its present one, Senator Claiborne Pell,\nit has been continually occupied by\nindividuals prominent in local and national\naffairs.\n57\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1798-1807\nIn August of 1798 John Threlkeld and his wife conveyed\nLots 41 and 42 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition to Georgetown to John Thomson Mason, attorney\nat law. The price paid for those lots which were\nin the tenure and occupation of the said John Thomson\nMason.. was 450 pounds. This sum for the two lots\nwould indicate that the land was not vacant at the\ntime of Mason's purchase, so it is probable that his\nhouse was already standing when he took title to the\nland in the late summer of 1798.\nJohn Thomson Mason may well have been living in the\nhouse when this deed was recorded. A letter written\nby Mason in March 1798 mentioned his residence in\nGeorgetown. (1) The birth of his first child in\nGeorgetown in January 1798 would suggest that the\nMasons had moved to the Prospect Street house by the\nautumn of 1797. Mason may have commissioned the\nhouse soon after his marriage in January 1797, and\nconstruction may have been completed when he took\ntitle in August 1798. As it was assessed after 1800\nas a \"new house,\" it is not likely that it was built\nmuch earlier than 1797-1798.\nTax assessment records for the period 1800-1807 show\ntwo different entries for John T. Mason (one no doubt\nearlier than the other):\n58\nPersons Names Real Propurty\nPersonal\nProputy\nProperty\nM\nDolay\nDolly\nsoyths\ntoy with im\nFurniture 30\nproor ments 4010\n4000\n50\n1050\nMarry William Dost lot ongay\nstreet Doo\n400\n400\nthen\nlot withim.\nproviously one\nhigh theet 1600\nHoo\n1600\n2 lots with im\n1 higrow him 280\nprovencing opposed\nboy 120\nwhat 235k\nm. 3000\n/ \" thoman 100\n2 Cours\n14\n2 Horses 120\nGurnelure soo\n3010\n1144\n4144\n\"As the tax records indicate, Mason was a man of\nmeans when he built his home in Georgetown.\"\nGeorgetown Assessment of Real and Personal\nProperties 1800-1807 (National Archives)\n59\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 3)\n\"John T. Mason\nnew house\n$2356\n2 lots with improvements\nopposite Mr. Stoddert\n3000\n2 Nigroe men\n280\n1 Nigroe boy\n120\n1 Nigroe woman\n100\n2 COWS\n24\n2 horses\n120\nFurniture\n500\nand\n3 Improved lots on Prospect St.\n$6000\n2 lots on Fayette St.\n300\n1 Negroe Man\n150\n3 Negroe Women\n450\n1 horse\n20\n2 cows\n30\nFurniture\n800\" (2)\nAs the tax records indicate, Mason was a man of means when he\nbuilt his home in Georgetown. He came from a family of the\nVirginia landed gentry.\nJohn Thomson Mason was born on March 15, 1765 at Chappawamsic,\nStafford County, Virginia. He was a younger son of Thomson\nMason and Mary Barnes Mason. Mary's father, Colonel Abraham\nBarnes, of Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland, was a\nprosperous tobacco merchant. Since much of his time was spent\nin England, his son-in-law, Thomson Mason, managed the business\nfor him. Mary had two brothers, Richard, who was a prominent\nleader in the Revolutionary party in Maryland, and John, whose\nfirm, Barnes and Ridgate, owned stores in Georgetown and on\nthe shores of the Potomac before the Revolutionary War. Since\nneither of Mary's brothers had children who survived them, her\nson, John Thomson Mason, ultimately inherited property from both\nof his uncles. From Richard he received \"Tudor Hall\" near\nLeonardtown and from John \"Montpelier\" in Washington County,\nMaryland. (3)\n60\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 4)\nWhen John Thomson Mason was very young, his father moved\nto \"Raspberry Plain\" in Loudoun County, Virginia. Thomson\nMason took an active part in the government of Virginia\nduring the Revolution and in the political settlement\nafterward. His \"Letters of a British American\" were\npublished in Rind's Virginia Gazette during 1774. (4)\nThomson Mason died at \"Raspberry Plain\" in 1785, leaving\nhis Loudoun County lands to his eldest son, Stevens\nThomson Mason, United States Senator from Virginia, and\na part of his property in Stafford and Prince William\nCounties to John Thomson Mason. (5)\nJohn Thomson Mason was educated at David Griffith's Academy\nin Loudoun County by the Reverend Robert Buchan of Over-\nwharton Parish and at the College of William and Mary in\nWilliamsburg. (6) He was admitted to the bar in Maryland\nand became an eminent member of his profession.\nWhen John Thomson Mason built his Georgetown residence,\n1797-98, he was thirty-three years old, he had a large\nindependent income from his landholdings in Virginia and\nMaryland, and wanted a house to which he could take his\nyoung bride. In January 1797 he had married seventeen-\nyear-old Elizabeth Beltzhoover, daughter of Melchor\nBeltzhoover of Frederick County, Maryland. (7)\nMason was one of a group of eminent gentlemen, like Ben-\njamin Stoddert, who were drawn from the counties to\nGeorgetown by the activities of the nearby rapidly\ndeveloping Federal City. John Mason sought to establish\nhis law practice in the new center of national affairs.\nHis family connections, including his brother, a Senator\nfrom Virginia, brought John in close contact with the\npolitical scene.\n61\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 5)\nDuring Mason's tenancy of the house on Prospect Street he\nbecame active in public affairs in Georgetown as well as on\na national scale. However, he apparently had no interest\nin public office, for in 1801 he refused President Thomas\nJefferson's offer to become Attorney General of the United\nStates and ten years later refused a similar offer by\nPresident Madison. Nor would he accept the post of Attorney\nGeneral of Maryland. (8)\nThe Prospect Street home in Georgetown was the scene of much\nsocial activity, a place where friends gathered to enjoy\nthe Mason's expansive hospitality. Some of the guests were\nleaders of the nation. According to reminiscences by John\nThomson Mason, Jr., Thomas Jefferson visited the Mason house\nso plainly dressed on one occasion that a servant refused\nto admit him! (9) One speculates about the matters of state\nthat were exposed, discussed, and decided amid the light\nsocial chatter under the Mason's roof!\nIt is not clear how long John Thomson Mason and his family\nlived in the house. Legal documents concerning the settle-\nment of his brother's estate describe him as \"of George\nTown\" in 1804. (10)\nMason's interest, however, drew him more and more away from\nGeorgetown and involved him in the complicated operations\nof plantations in the extremities of southern and western\nMaryland. The estate of his uncle, Colonel Richard Barnes,\nwas finally settled in 1804. It had been involved for a\nlong time in litigation because, by his Will, Richard Barnes\nhad freed over two hundred slaves. The final settlement\nprovided for their manumission over a period of ten years,\nwith John Thomson Mason as the trustee and surety for their\nfreedom. The settlement of the estate of his other uncle,\nJohn Barnes, also provided for the freedom of all of his\nslaves, but they numbered less than fifty. (11)\n62\nJK\nin\n\"The Prospect Street home in Georgetown was the scene of\nmuch social activity, a place where friends gathered to\nenjoy the Mason's expansive hospitality.\" John Thomson\nMason and Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason (Mr. and Mrs.\nRalph Burdick Loudonville, New York)\n63\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 6)\nIn 1806-1807 Mason's flour accounts from \"Montpelier\"\nare noted as paid by him in \"Georgetowne. (12) When\nhe sold the house on Prospect Street in 1807, however,\nthe new owner was already living in it as a tenant.\nMason is described in the deed as \"late of George\nTown, now of Washington County,\" while the deed is\nheaded at St. Mary's County, Maryland. At the time\nMason and his family were living on his estate in\nMaryland. (13) On August 8, 1808 John Thomson Mason\npaid freight charges on a barge-load of furniture\nshipped from Georgetown, which suggests that the\nfamily took the last of their possessions from the\nProspect Street house at this date. (14)\nThe Masons, however, with their many connections,\nmaintained an interest in Georgetown. Letters from\nElizabeth Beltzhoover Mason to her children (now\npreserved at Gunston Hall, Lorton, Virginia) indicate\nthat the children attended school in Georgetown in\nthe 1820's and 1830's as boarding students. (15) John\nThomson Mason's Account Book (now in the Manuscript\nDivision of the Library of Congress) is a farm account\nbook from his \"Montpelier\" plantation in Washington\nCounty, Maryland. There, Mason raised wheat with free\nNegro laborers and tenants, sending his flour to markets\nin Georgetown and Baltimore. The accounts show a\nperceptible shift from hiredlabor to tenancy and afford\nan interesting example of efforts to break away from\na slave-oriented economy. (16) John Thomson Mason sold\nall of his lands in St. Mary's County to Philip Key\nbetween 1811 and 1813, possibly because wheat was better\nsuited to free-labor farming than tobacco. (17)\nThe Masons had eight children. John Thomson Mason, Jr.,\nnamed for an older brother who had died while the family\nwas living in Georgetown, was Judge of the Maryland\nCourt of Appeals. A daughter, Mary Barnes Mason, married\nthe Reverend John Winter of St. Paul's Lutheran Church,\nHagerstown, Maryland. (18)\n64\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 7)\nAnother son, Melchor Beltzhoover Mason, is mentioned in the\ncorrespondence of Governor Stevens Thomson Mason of Michigan\n(a cousin) as active in the development of western lands. (19)\nJohn Thomson Mason, first owner of the house, died at \"Mont-\npelier,\" near Clear Spring, Washington County, Maryland on\nDecember 10, 1824. Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason, his widow,\nalso died at their Maryland estate on June 30, 1836. Both\nare buried in the family burying ground on the \"Montpelier\"\nproperty. (20)\n1807-1810\nThe new owners of the Prospect Street house, John and Elizabeth\nTeakle, had been leasing the house from the Masons before pur-\nchasing it. The deed discloses that John Thomson Mason, \"late\nof George Town, now of Washington County, Maryland,\" and\nElizabeth, his wife, conveyed to John Teakle, \"late of Accomac\nCounty, Virginia, now of George Town,\" for $5000, a tract of\nland comprising Lots 41, 42, 53, 54, and 55 in Peter, Beatty,\nThrelkeld and Deakins Addition to Georgetown including\nthe brick house now occupied by the said Teackle at the\nintersection of Prospect and Fayette Streets\n\"\nThe Teackles were a distinguished family of the Eastern Shore\nof Virginia. The second owner of the Mason Prospect mansion\nwas \"John Teackle of Kegotank,\" Accomac County, Virginia, who\nhad very extensive business and land interests at the time\nof his death in 1835. He was a son of Levin Teackle and married\nElizabeth Dennis, daughter of Littleton and Susanna (Upshur)\nDennis of \"Beverly on Pocomoke.\" (21)\nJohn Teackle was a Federalist and was closely allied by\npolitical views, as well as by personal friendship, with other\nFederalist leaders such as Josiah Quincy and Thomas Sim Lee.\nMrs. Quincy's letters describe their frequent visits to the\nTeackle home. (22)\n65\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 8)\nThe Teackles had three daughters, one of whom, Henrietta, was\nmarried to Elihu Chauncey in the parlor of the Prospect Street\nhouse on October 13, 1810. A week after the wedding the\nTeackles vacated the house, for they had sold it to the eminent\nphysician, Dr. Charles Worthington.\n1810-1856\nDr. Charles Worthington first came to Georgetown in 1783 from\nAnne Arundel County, where the Worthingtons have long been an\nimportant family. He was born at \"Summer Hill\" in Anne\nArundel County on October 8, 1759, and was a younger son of\nColonel Nicholas and Catherine (Griffith) Worthington. His\nfather, Colonel Nicholas Worthington (1734-1793), was a member\nof the Anne Arundel County Committee of Observation and\ncommanded the Severn Battalion of the Maryland militia during\nthe American Revolution. His older brothers served with honor\nin the Maryland Line at the Battle of Long Island and elsewhere.\nThe war years were years of study for Charles Worthington, how-\never. He was granted his M.D. in 1782 by the University of\nPennsylvania. Dr. Worthington volunteered at once for military\nservice, and on July 31, 1782 he was appointed Surgeon in the\nContinental Navy and assigned to the four galleys under the\ncommand of Captain Zachariah Walley. This squadron patrolled\nthe Chesapeake Bay against raids by the Royal Navy. Dr.\nWorthington was honorably discharged on January 31, 1783. (23)\nHe came to Georgetown that same year. Dr. Charles Worthington\npracticed medicine in Georgetown for 55 years. Before moving\nto this house in 1810, he had lived in a house at the southwest\ncorner of Market (now 33rd) and Bridge (now M) Streets.\nOn February 14, 1788 Dr. Charles Worthington had married Miss\nElizabeth Booth of Jamestown, Virginia. Cordelia Jackson in\nher reminiscences of Georgetown gives a clue to the bride's\naffectionate regard for her new community:\n66\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 9)\n\"When preparations were begun for the\nwedding, she [Elizabeth] informed the\nprospective bridegroom, 'she would buy\nher trousseau in Georgetown or there\nwould be no wedding.\nThe Worthingtons had five children. Their eldest son, Dr.\nNicholas W. Worthington, received his M.D. from the University\nof Pennsylvania in 1807. He stayed on in the family homestead\non Bridge Street, later bequeathed to him by his father, and\ndied there in 1849. John Griffith Worthington, the second\nson, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1849. The third son, William\nN. Worthington, died in Washington in 1842, leaving a young\nwidow and a son. The two Worthington daughters, Catherine\nand Elizabeth Ann (Eliza), and the two younger sons lived\nin the Prospect Street house with their parents.\nWhen he moved to Prospect Street in 1810, Dr. Charles Worthing-\nton was well-established in his profession and in the affairs\nof the community. He was an active member of St. John's\nEpiscopal Church in Georgetown and served as a vestryman for\nseveral years, beginning in 1807. He was also the first\npresident of the Medical Society formed in the District of\nColumbia. In politics he was an old-line Federalist.\nPersonally austere, dignified and serious, Dr. Worthington\nkept the old style of hair in queue, knee breeches, and\nshoe buckles until his dying day.\nDuring the War of 1812, Dr. Worthington brought wounded British\nofficers (evidently paroled prisoners) to this house and gave\nthem an opportunity to recuperate there as his guests. After\nthe war they presented him with a gold snuffbox (mentioned in\nhis Will) as a token of their gratitude. (25)\nDr. Worthington clearly opposed \"Mr. Madison's War\" and\nMargaret Bayard Smith, an astute observer of early nineteenth-\ncentury life, described his elation at the American defeat at\nBladensburg and the British advance on Washington in 1814.\n67\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 10)\nIronically, he heard the news while ministering to Anna\nMaria (Murray) Mason, who lay sick in her Georgetown\nhome, while her husband, General John Mason, and President\nMadison attempted to rally the retreating American forces.\n(26)\nOn September 3, 1816 the Reverend John A. Grassi, S. J.,\nPresident of Georgetown College, solemnized the marriage\nof Elizabeth Ann Worthington to Congressman William Gaston\nof North Carolina in the parlor of her father's Prospect\nStreet residence. William Gaston (1778-1844) was the first\nstudent on the rolls of Georgetown University and had a\ndistinguished career as a jurist in his native state, serv-\ning as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court\nfrom 1833 to his death in 1844. The courtship of Elizabeth\nWorthington and Congressman Gaston is preserved in their\nletters, quoted at length by his biographer. (27)\nDr. Charles Worthington lived in the Prospect Street house\nfor more than a quarter of a century. He is said to have\ncalled the house \"Quality Hill,\" a name also used by later\nowners. He died in this house on September 10, 1836, when\nhe was 76 years old. In his Will Dr. Worthington left\nthe house on Prospect Street to his eldest daughter,\nCatherine, the widow of Joseph Pearson, a former Congress-\nman also from North Carolina. In addition he left bequests\nto his grandson, William Gaston Pearson. Dr. Worthington's\neldest son, Dr. Nicholas Worthington, who was a bachelor,\nwas willed the old family home on Bridge Street, Dr.\nWorthington's \"Maple Grove\" farm (within the limits of the\nDistrict of Columbia), his medical library, slaves and\nother bequests. The younger sons and his daughter, Elizabeth,\nJudge Gaston's wife, were generously remembered in their\nfather's Will. (28)\n68\n\"Dr. Charles Worthington lived in the Prospect Street house\nfor more than a quarter of a century. He is said to have\ncalled the house 'Quality Hill,' a name also used by later\nowners. (Library of Congress)\n69\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 11)\n1856-1915\nOn June 20, 1856 Catherine Worthington Pearson conveyed the\nhouse and land, comprising lots 41 and 42, to James Kearney\nfor the purchase price of $6000. Members of the Kearney\nfamily resided in this house from 1856 until 1915, so that\nit might justifiably be called the Kearney House, as it\noften was in the late nineteenth century.\nJames Kearney was born in Ireland. On April 11, 1813 he\nwas commissioned as an Infantry Lieutenant in the United\nStates Army and the following day was transferred to the\nTopographical Engineers. He saw action in northern New York\nState during the War of 1812. Later, as a Captain, he was\nassigned to Washington. During his nearly fifty years of\nactive duty Colonel Kearney rose to be Chief Topographical\nEngineer. His reports of surveys and works undertaken,\nchiefly the improvement of rivers and the harbors on inland\nwaterways, chronicle the work of the Army Engineers from\nthe War of 1812 to the Civil War. He co-authored a report on\nthe Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1832 and one on the potential\ndevelopment of the Tennessee River at Muscle Shoals in 1836.\nHe was engaged in a survey of the Great Lakes harbors over a\nlong period of time. He retired as a Colonel on September 9,\n1861. (29)\nColonel James Kearney and his family lived in the city of\nWashington during most of his active service. For many years\ntheir home was at the corner of 14th and F Streets, N.W. (30)\nIn 1855 Colonel Kearney is listed at 80 Prospect Street, so that\nthe family had evidently moved to their Georgetown house before\nbuying \"Quality Hill\" from Mrs. Pearson in 1856. (31)\nHe died in his Prospect Street house on January 10, 1862. By\nhis Will, Colonel Kearney left all of his property to his wife,\nLouisa Kearney. She continued to live in the house after his death.\n70\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 12)\nHer name last appears in the Washington City Directory for\n1892. (32) The 1866 Directory also lists \"Robert, clk.\nComm. Dept.\" at the same address. (33) Robert S. Kearney,\nson of Colonel James and Louisa Kearney, was an official\nof the War Department for more than forty years. He\nlived at 42 First (N) Street in Georgetown from 1868 to\n1870 and at 73 Fayette (35th) Street from 1871 to 1874,\nthen moved to Alexandria. He returned to the Prospect\nStreet House in 1900 and was living there when the house\nwas sold in 1915. (34) Blanche Kearney, a daughter of\nColonel James and Louisa Kearney, first appears in the\nCity Directory for 1876, residing with her mother. George\nKearney, another son, is listed at different times as\nassistant librarian at the Library of Congress, librarian\nof the Justice Department, and as a lawyer. He edited a\nnumber of official publications, including the State\nDepartment series of documents on foreign relations. He\nis listed as head of the household in 1915, but did not\nreside at the Prospect Street house continuously. (35)\nLouisa Kearney, the widow of Colonel James Kearney, deeded\nthe property to Maria O'Reiley, unmarried, on July 29, 1889.\nHowever, Mrs. Kearney continued to live in the house until\n1892 when she died. (36) Maria O'Reiley, unmarried, con-\nveyed the property to Blanche Kearney, unmarried, on May\n31, 1898.\nBlanche Kearney never married. She died on May 15, 1910,\nand in her Will she left the house to her nephew, Alexander\nKearney, to be held in trust for her two nieces, Louise\nand Estelle Kearney.\nThe estate of Blanche Kearney was settled by a decree\nof the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia,\nMarch 5, 1915, in the case of Louise Kearney vs.\nAlexander Kearney, Estelle Kearney and George Kearney.\n71\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 13)\nAlexander Kearney and A. Leftwich Sinclair were appointed as\ntrustees to administer the estate. All parties agreed on\nMay 7, 1915 to terminate the trusts set up under the Will of\nBlanche Kearney, and Louise Kearney elected to take title\nto the house on Prospect Street as part of her share of the\nestate. On June 10, 1915 a deed was recorded giving title\nto the property to Louise Kearney.\nLess than a month later, on July 5, 1915, Louise Kearney\nmarried Prince Agustin de Iturbide. Agustin was the grandson\nof Emperor Agustin I, Liberator of Mexico, and Empress Ana\nMaria Huarte de Iturbide (who after her husband's death\ncame to Georgetown to live); and he was the son of Prince\nAngel and Alice Green de Iturbide (granddaughter of General\nUriah Forrest). As a child Agustin had been adopted against\nhis family's wishes by Maximilian, the brother of Joseph I\nof Austria, whom Napoleon III of France set up as the puppet\nEmperor of Mexico during the United States's preoccupation\nwith the Civil War. Prince de Iturbide was raised in Mexico\nand the United States, both in Philadelphia and Georgetown.\nAt the time of his wedding he was professor of Spanish and\nFrench at the Georgetown College preparatory school. (37)\nLouise Kearney de Iturbide and her husband sold the Prospect\nStreet house immediately after their marriage and set up their\nhome at Pelham Courts, 2115 P Street N.W. Agustin died in\n1925, but his widow, born at \"Quality Hill,\" outlived him by\nforty-two years and was just a few days short of ninety-five\nwhen she died in 1967. (38)\n1915-1942\nAlbert Adsit Clemons, the next owner of the John Thomson\nMason House, was an eccentric individual who lived nearby\nat Halcyon House (3400 Prospect Street). Among other\npeculiarities, he was a compulsive collector of miscellane-\nous articles, ranging from genuine art objects to the\nresidue of demolished buildings. He never lived in his\n72\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 14)\nhouse at 3425 Prospect Street but used it as storage space for\nhis miscellaneous collections which outgrew the proportions of\nHalcyon House. It was during Clemons' ownership that \"Quality\nHill\" was known in the neighborhood as the \"haunted house. \" (39)\nClemons died in 1938. The proceeds of his estate, including\n3425 Prospect Street, were bequeathed to Harvard University.\nAfter the contents of the John Thomson Mason House were\ndonated to museums throughout the country or sold at auction,\nthe house was conveyed in 1942 to Lady Norma Bowler Lewis. (40)\n1942-1961\nLady Lewis was the wife of the eminent scholar and journalist,\nSir Willmott Lewis. Lord Lewis was born in Cardiff, Wales,'\nand was educated at the University of Heidelberg in Germany\nand at the Sorbonne in Paris. He was widely known as a lin-\nguist, as well as a specialist on the Far East. Lewis was\neditor of the North China Daily News and lived through the\nBoxer Rebellion in China. During the Russo-Japanese War he\nwas a foreigh correspondent for the New York Herald.\nIt was in the Far East that Lord Lewis became friendly with\nGeneral Pershing, under whose command Lewis handled American\npropaganda in France during the Second World War. Following\nthe war he remained in Paris during the peace conference as a\ncorrespondent for the New York Tribune.\nIn 1920 Lord Northcliffe, owner of the The Times (of London),\nengaged Sir Willmott as a foreign correspondent for the news-\npaper because of his familiarity with American journalism\nand methods. In 1931 he was knighted for valuable service\nrendered in connection with the Naval Conference of 1930. (41)\n73\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 15)\nIn 1942 when the Lewises bought 3425 Prospect Street they\nbegan such major restoration of the structure that it was\ntwo years before they could move from their Massachusetts\nAvenue home into \"Quality Hill .\" Electricity and heat\nand plumbing had to be installed. Further modernizing for\nsafety's sake included structural repairs such as shoring\nup walls, sheathing and tiling of the roof. But wherever\nit was possible the original features of the house were\nmaintained. All of the floors and cornices are original.\nAll of the mantels except one are original; so heavily\nencrusted with paint were they that special tools had to\nbe devised to gouge the paint without harming the old\ncarving. Adaptations to twentieth-century life were made\nwith respect for the beauty and dignity of the eighteenth-\ncentury architecture. One door, which Lady Lewis says Mr.\nClemons had salvaged during alterations on the U.S. Capitol,\nwas duplicated to form twin doors for the restored house.\nWhat was once Dr. Worthington's \"medicine room\" was converted\nto a bathroom; what was once the Kearney stable became a\npantry. The arch in the center hall came from the Francis\nScott Key house. The black and white tile floor came from\nan old building on Capitol Hill.\nThese changes, and many others, were the result of Lady Lewis'\nsteady and persistent effort to retain the best of the old\nfeatures of this early structure and blend them harmoniously\nwith the demands of contemporary life. \"I was there with the\nworkmen every day,\" said Lady Lewis. (42) And the results\nreflect this assiduous care!\nIn 1944 the Lewises were able to move into their new home.\nLord Lewis covered the major events of the war period for the\nLondon Times. He retired in 1949 and died the next year.\nLady Lewis remained in the house until 1961 when she sold it\nto Senator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell and moved to a smaller\nhouse nearby.\n74\n\"The Pells have maintained the beauty and dignity of their\neighteenth-century home.\" (Photographed by J. Alexander)\n75\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 16)\n1961-1969\nIt is fitting that Senator Pell, descendant of a distinguished\nfamily with a long heritage of public service, now occupies\nthe historic Mason house. The Pells have maintained the\nbeauty and dignity of their eighteenth-century home. (43)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1798\nJohn Threlkeld and wife\nDeed August 29, 1798\nto\nRecorded August 31, 1798\nJohn Thomson Mason\nLiber D-4, folio 85\nLots 41 and 42\n\" now in the tenure and occupation of the said John\nThomson Mason....\" \"\nConsideration 6 450\n76\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 17)\n1807\nJohn Thomson Mason and wife,\nDeed October 17, 1807\nElizabeth\nRecorded January 21, 1808\nto\nLiber T-19, folio 36\nJohn Teackle\nbeginning at a stone no. 30 being the S.W. corner of\nthe brick house now occupied by the said Teackle and at the\nintersection of Prospect and Fayette Streets...\n\"\nConsideration $5000\n1810\nJohn Teackle and wife,\nDeed October 17, 1810\nElizabeth\nRecorded December 26, 1810\nto\nLiber Z-25, folio 356\nCharles Worthington\n\"All the messuage and tenement in Georgetown whereon\nthe said John Teackle now resides being the same which\nhath been conveyed to the aforesaid John Teackle by John\nMason....\"\n1836\nCharles Worthington dies and Will September 17, 1835\nby his Will devises to his\nProbated September 28, 1836\ndaughter, Catherine Pearson,\nwill Book 4, page 325\nand her heirs the house in\nwhich he resides fronting\non Prospect and Fayette.\n77\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 18)\n1856\nCatherine Pearson\nDeed June 20, 1856\nto\nRecorded September 9, 1859\nJames Kearney\nLiber JAS 121, folio 129\nConsideration $6000\n1862\nJames Kearney dies and\nWill September 19, 1861\nby his Will gives all\nProbated January 25, 1862\nhis estate to his\nWill Book 9, page 25\nwife, Louisa Kearney.\n1889\nLouisa Kearney\nDeed July 29, 1889\nto\nRecorded July 30, 1889\nMaria O'Reiley, un-\nLiber 1410, folio 320\nmarried\n1898\nMaria O'Reiley, un-\nDeed May 31, 1898\nmarried\nRecorded June 4, 1898\nto\nLiber 2331, folio 30\nBlanche Kearney, un-\nmarried\n78\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 19)\n1910\nBlanche Kearney, unmarried\nWill November 28, 1908\ndies May 15, 1910 and de-\nProbated June 9, 1910\nvises said property in\nWill Book 73, page 594\ntrust to her nephew\nAlexander Kearney, executor for her two nieces, Louise Kearney\nand Estelle Kearney, for life or until their marriage, and\nupon the death or marriage of both, then to be divided among\nthe said two nieces, and upon the death or marriage of both,\nthen to be divided among the said two nieces and two nephews,\nAlexander Kearney and George Kearney, and provided that in\nthe event that one or more of said nieces or nephews should\ndie leaving issue, the said issue shall receive the share\nwhich the parent would have received if living.\n1915\nBy Decree of the Supreme Court of D.C. passed March 5, 1915\n(Equity 32401, Docket 70):\nLouise Kearney\nvs.\nAlexander Kearney\nEstelle Kearney\nGeorge Kearney\nAlexander Kearney and A. Leftwich Sinclair were appointed\ntrustees to take charge of and administer all of the prop-\nerty both real and personal formerly belonging to the estate\nof Blanche Kearney.\nIn accordance with a certain stipulation filed in the Equity\n(32401) Cause on May 7, 1915, all parties agreed to terminate\nand end the trusts under the Will of Blanche Kearney and\nLouise Kearney in the exercise of the option given her in\nsaid stipulation has elected to take the hereinbefore described\nproperty as a part of her share in the estate of said Blanche\nKearney\n79\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 20)\nAlexander Kearney\nDeed June 10, 1915\nA. Leftwich Sinclair,\nRecorded June 10, 1915\ntrustees\nLiber 3802, folio 136\nEstelle Kearney\nGeorge Kearney, unmarried\nAlexander Kearney in his own right\net ux Elizabeth Crosby\nto\nLouise Kearney\nLouise Kearney, unmarried\nDeed July 13, 1915\nto\nRecorded July 13, 1915\nA. Leftwich Sinclair\nLiber 3797, folio 394\n\"In Trust to rent, lease, manage and control said ground\nand premises...\"\nA. Leftwich Sinclair,\nDeed August 21, 1915\ntrustee for Louise Kearney,\nRecorded August 23, 1915\nunmarried\nLiber 3829, folio 75\nLouise de Yturbide (nee Kearney)\nand husband, Augustin\nto\nAlbert Adsit Clemons\n80\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 21)\n1938\nAlbert Adsit Clemons dies\nWill March 13, 1938\nMarch 17, 1938, directing\nProbated May 12, 1938\nthat the proceeds and\nWill Book 252, page 586\nassets of his estate be\ntransferred to Harvard University as an endowment to be received\nand known as the Albert Adsit Clemons endowment. At the time\nof his death he was residing at 3400 Prospect Street--Halcyon\nHouse. F. Urban Wolpert, George H. Paltridge, and William E.\nHuntington were appointed trustees.\n1942\nF. Urban Wolpert\nDeed October 13, 1942\nGeorge H. Paltridge\nRecorded October 13, 1942\nWilliam E. Huntington,\nLiber 7801, folio 197\ntrustees\nto\nNorma Bowler Lewis\n1961\nNorma Bowler Lewis\nDeed May 11, 1961\nto\nRecorded May 12, 1961\nClaiborne Pell and wife,\nLiber 11598, folio 173\nNuala Pell\n81\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 167 (Page 22)\nReferences\n1. Letter from John Thomson Mason to Archibald McCall,\nMarch 20, 1798. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:\nHistorical Society of Pennsylvania.\n2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, National Archives\nRecord Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).\n3. Poole, Martha Sprigg, \"Tudor Hall and Those Who Lived There,\"\nMaryland Historical Magazine. Baltimore, Maryland: The\nMaryland Historical Society, Vol. 61, 1951, pp. 257-277.\nand\nJohn Thomson Mason Commonplace Book. Richmond, Virginia:\nVirginia Historical Society, p. 46, p. 78.\n4. Virginia Gazette. Williamsburg, Virginia: July 21--Septem-\nber 8, 1774.\n5. Stafford County Deeds. Stafford, Virginia: Liber s, folios\n309-332. (Microcopy in Virginia State Library, Richmond,\nVirginia.)\n6. David Griffith Account Book. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia\nHistorical Society.\n7. Same reference as #3. p. 118.\n8. Same reference as #3.\n82\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 23)\n9. Same reference as #3.\n10. Stafford County Deeds. Stafford, Virginia: Liber AA, folios\n148-149. (Microcopy in Virginia State Library, Richmond,\nVirginia.)\n11. John Thomson Mason Account Book. Manuscript Division,\nLibrary of Congress, p. 38.\nand\nWashington County Wills. Book B, page 50-57.\n12. Same reference as #11, first part.\n13. St. Mary's County Land Records. Lorton, Virginia: Gunston\nHall Archives.\nand\nWashington County Deeds. Annapolis, Maryland: Maryland Hall\nof Records, Liber s, folio 966.\nand\nLetter from John Thomson Mason to James Madison, July 25,\n1807, Rodney Papers. Wilmington, Delaware: Historical\nSociety of Delaware.\n14. Same reference as #11, first part.\n15. \"Letters of Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason,\" Mason Family Papers\n1821-1835. Lorton, Virginia: Gunston Hall Archives.\n16. Same reference as #11, first part.\n17. Same reference as #13, first part.\n83\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 24)\n18. Same reference as #3.\nand\nRegisters of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Hagerstown,\nMaryland.\n19. John Thomson Mason Papers. Detroit, Michigan: Burton\nHistorical Collection, Detroit Public Library.\n20. Brown, Helen W., compiler, Marriages and Deaths 1830-1837\nRecorded in the Republican Banner. College Park, Maryland:\nThe Author, 1962.\n21. Whitelaw, Ralph T., Virginia's Eastern Shore. Gloucester,\nMassachusetts: Peter Smith, 1967, p. 1024.\n22. Quincy, Eliza S.M., Memoir of the Life of Eliza S.M. Quincy.\nBoston, Massachusetts: J. Wilson and Son, 1861.\n23. Newman, Harry Wright, Anne Arundel Gentry. Baltimore,\nMaryland: Baltimore Press, 1933.\n24. Jackson, Cordelia, \"People and Places in Old Georgetown,\"\nRecords of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.:\nThe Society, 1932, Vol. 33-34, p. 148.\n25. Same reference as #23.\nand\nVestry Minutes. St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown\nParish.\n26. Smith, Margaret Bayard, The First Forty Years of Washington\nSociety. New York, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,\n1906, pp. 105-106.\n84\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 25)\n27. Schauinger, J. Herman, William Gaston, Carolinian.\nMilwaukee, Wisconsin: Bruce Publishing Co., 1948,\npp. 26-32.\nand\nDurkin, Joseph T., Georgetown University. New York,\nNew York: Doubleday & Co., 1964, p. 6.\n28. Same reference as #23.\n29. Abert, John J. and Kearney, James, Report of Col. John J.\nAbert and Col. James Kearney. upon an Examination of the\nChesapeake and Ohio Canal from Washington City to the Point\nof Rocks. Washington, D.C.: Gales and Seaton, 1831.\nand\nPowell, Col. William H., List of Officers of the Army of\nthe United States from 1775 to 1900. New York, New York:\nL. R. Hammersley & Co., 1900.\n30. City Directory. 1822, p. 48; 1827, p. 45; 1834, p. 31;\n1843, p. 45; 1846, p. 53.\n31. Same reference as #30. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 6.\n32. Same reference as #30. 1892, p. 579.\n33. Same reference as #30. 1866, p. 415.\n34. Same reference as #30. 1868, p. 110; 1870, p. 456; 1871,\n(Georgetown Section), p. xvi; 1874, P. 270; 1915, p. 278.\n35. Same reference as #30. 1876, p. 316; 1915, p. 728.\n85\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 26)\n36. Same reference as #30. 1892, p. 579.\n37. Evans, Henry Ridgely, Old Georgetown on the Potomac.\nWashington, D.C.: The Author, 1933, pp. 32-39.\n38. Obituary, Louise Kearney de Yturbide, The Evening Star\n(Washington, D.C.) September 19, 1967, P. B-5.\n39. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) March 28, 1938.\n40. Will of Albert Adsit Clemons, Will Book 252, page 586,\nDistrict of Columbia Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.\n41. Conference with Mr. Ian McDonald, The Times (of London),\nWashington, D.C. office, January 29, 1969.\n42. Conversation on March 10, 1969 and interview on April 7,\n1969, with Lady Norma Bowler Lewis, 3416 Prospect Street,\nN.W., Washington, D.C.\n43. Congressional Directory, Ninetieth Congress. Washington, D.C.:\nU.S. Government Printing Office, March 1967, p. 156.\n86\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 27)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This symmetrical, well proportioned,\nformal free standing two-story brick house lives up to its\nearly name, \"Quality Hill.\" It has been carefully restored\nand cared for, and contains a wealth of late eighteenth and\nearly nineteenth-century detail, unmarred by later Victorian\naccretions.\nCondition of fabric: Very good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 56'-0\" by 42'-0\", with a\n40'-6\" by 18'-0\" two-story brick ell at the north-east corner.\nMain block has five bays across Prospect Street and three\nbays across 35th Street, and is three stories high including\nthe finished attic floor. Exterior painted light gray with\nwhite trim.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Brick, Flemish bond, painted; moulded\nstone water table at first floor line, painted.\nChimneys: Two; one at each gable end.\n87\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 28)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The main entrance has a pair\nof three-panelled doors topped by a graceful fan-\nlight and set into a panelled, arched reveal.\nThere are fluted pilasters each side supporting\na finely moulded triangular pediment. The rear\ncenter door has six flat panels, no transom, and\nis set in a shallow panelled reveal. It has doric\npilasters with pronounced entasis and a rather\nheavy triangular pediment, apparently of early to\nmid-twentieth century date.\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general are\ntwelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash, with\npainted stone sills and lintels, which have\nmoulded key blocks. Shutters on front and sides\nare heavy wood louvered replacements; but those\nin the rear are of raised panel design, having\none small panel above one long panel with mould-\ned sticking.\nPorches: Front steps are Aquia Creek sandstone, in generally\ngood condition, and have mid-twentieth century iron rails\nrepeating the circle motif of the other front fencing.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable with ridge running\neastwest. Slate covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Modillioned wood cornice with fluted\npanels between modillions. Hanging metal ogee\ngutter.\nDormers: Three on south and three on north;\nwood frame with slate sides and six-over-six\nwood double-hung sash with triangular pediments.\n88\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 29)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: First floor has center hall with stair in ell to\nwest rear; living room on west of entry hall; library in\nsoutheast corner; dining room in northeast corner. Second\nfloor has stair hall in northwest corner; master bedroom in\nsouthwest corner; bath in center south; study in southeast\ncorner; bedroom in northeast corner with bath over pantry in\naddition at northeast corner. Addition also has servant's\nsuite accessible only from pantry below. Third floor was\nnot open to the researcher at this time. Basement has two\nlarge rooms in southeast and southwest corners; kitchen\nand stairs in northwest corner; wine cellar under northeast\naddition.\nStairways: Main stair is a straight run from east to west\nalong north wall to a rectangular landing along west wall,\nand from there on up to the second floor. The plan repeats\nto the third floor. The balusters are simple rectangular\npickets and the handrail is simple moulded mahogany, end-\ning in a volute. Occasional balusters are of painted metal\nof the same section as the wood balusters with angle exten-\nsions top and bottom for support. A stained chair rail\nechoes the handrail. Newels are square open box shapes made\napparently from one piece. Landings cross windows on west\nwall.\nFlooring: Wide, random-width pine throughout, except white\nmarble octagons with black squares in vestibule, vinyl in\nupstairs baths, pantry, kitchen, and basement.\nWall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster throughout, gen-\nerally pastel in tone except library, where walls are red.\nDoorways and doors: In general doors have six flat panels\nand wide backbanded trim. Doors on the second floor have\nsimilar mouldings but have panels raised on one side. All\ndoors are painted except the inside front door and the\nlibrary doors which are stained. The doorway from vestibule\nto hall has an elaborate wood-muntined fanlight and simple\nside lights. Parts of this glass wall appear to be mid-\ntwentieth century but the door and fanlight are old.\n89\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 30)\nDecorative features and trim: Cornices in general are painted\nplaster box cornices with crown and bed moulds. In the living\nroom the crown is formed of separate acanthus leaves, the bed\nof egg-and-dart, and there is a frieze filled with rinceau\nscrolls. In the library the mouldings are straight run wood,\nstained. In the dining room the crown is leaf-moulded and\nthere are egg-and-dart and lamb's tongue bed moulds. Upstairs\ncornices are straight-run mouldings similar to those downstairs\nbut are smaller.\nDoor and window trim is generally wide with a moulded backband.\nThe library door trim has been replaced with a similar one\nhaving a leaf carved moulding in the backband; the original\nwindow trim remains.\nThere are two-piece chair rails in the living room, dining room,\nlibrary, upstairs halls and bedrooms; there is a wainscot with\nraised panels, moulded sticking, and leaf-carved cap in the\nmain entry hall-stair hall; there is a flat-panelled wainscot\nwith a simple bull-nose cap in the vestibule.\nMantelpieces, while varied in design from room to room, are of\nsimilar character throughout. There is one exception, a small\nplain white marble mantelpiece in the northeast bedroom, a\nlater replacement as evidenced by traces of a larger hearth\nin the floor and patches in the chair rail. The other mantels\nare as follows:\nLiving room: Reeded pilasters and frieze, vertical\nelliptical rosettes above pilasters, square fan\ncenter, bowed shelf with reeded border and concave\nbreaks over pilasters, painted. Black marble hearth\nand surround.\nLibrary: Reeded half-oval pilasters, reeded frieze,\nflat elliptical panel in center, moulded shelf with\nsquare breaks at pilasters, stained. Black marble\nhearth and surround.\nDining room: Pilasters have pearl-moulded panels.\nreeded imposts and center panel, complex carved\nfan motif each side of center, moulded straight\nshelf, painted. Black marble hearth and surround.\n90\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 31)\nMaster bedroom: Pilasters have pearl-moulded panels.\noval rosettes at imposts, reeded and fan-carved\nfrieze, moulded straight shelf, painted. Black\nmarble hearth and surround.\nStudy: Pilasters have plain panels, frieze has\nthree panels across, dentil moulded straight shelf,\nstripped of paint but not refinished. Black marble\nhearth and surround.\nBedroom: White marble flat pilasters and entablatures,\nturned corner rosettes, gilt bronze maskin center, no\nmouldings except shelf edge. Gray marble hearth and\nsurround.\nHardware: Many doors retain original hardware. Hinges are self-\nclosing wrought iron except inner front door, which has plain\nsilver butts. There are many large iron box rimlocks with silver\nknobs and key escutcheons on the first floor and with brass knobs\nand key escutcheons on the second floor. The southwest bedroom\nhas cast brass rimlocks with brass knobs and escutcheons. Front\ndoor knobs are large silver-plated ribbed balls, somewhat worn.\nLighting: There are a variety of chandeliers in the house, none\nof them original furnishings. The library has a brass circular\nchandelier with eight crystal arms and bobeches. It is not\nelectrified. The dining room has an all-crystal electrified\nchandelier. The master bedroom has a very tall French style\nbronze and crystal electrified chandelier, originally gas.\nSeveral types of electric lantern-style fixtures light the\nhallways. There are two large silver coach lanterns at the\nfront door.\nHeating: Boiler in basement, radiators throughout.\n91\nJOHN THOMSON MASON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-167 (Page 32)\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the northeast\ncorner of 35th and Prospect Streets, the house faces south.\nThe neighborhood is composed of somewhat smaller houses,\nwith the exceptions of Halcyon House (3400 Prospect Street)\nand Prospect House (3508 Prospect Street). The area is a\nwell-maintained residential neighborhood with some educational\nbuildings to the west.\nEnclosures: Wrought and cast iron ornamental fence at both\nsides of entrance door, fence continues down 35th Street to\nthe rear entrance. Rear yard enclosed by brick wall topped\nwith an iron fence.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick.\nLandscaping: Residential scale foundation planting along\nstreet facades, rear yard carefully planted around grass\narea and brick paved terrace. There is a marble wall\nfountain against the west wall of the rear addition, and\na marble statuary group in the northwest corner.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nNovember 18, 1968\n92\n94\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-193\nGOSZLER - MANOGUE HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1307 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 36 Fayette\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house occupies the south part of Lot\n67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 842 in\nSquare 1228 in the City of Washington.\nDate of Erection:\nBetween 1794 and 1798\nOwner in 1969:\nMiss Janet Saxon\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nOne of the oldest houses in Georgetown,\nthis modest, late eighteenth-century\nhouse still remains reasonably intact\nand retains many interior and exterior\ndecorative features.\n95\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1794-1808\nJohn Goszler purchased from John Threlkeld the southern half\nof Lot 67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition to George\nTown in 1794 for 37 pounds, 10 shillings.\nFour years later, in 1798, Goszler sold his property to\nThomas Sanders for 300 pounds. This increase in value of\nthe land indicates that John Goszler built the house between\n1794 and 1798, in which year Thomas Sanders was taxed \"for\n1 House and Lott in George Town\" valued at 120 pounds. (1)\nSanders held the property for eight years. In 1806 John B.\nFrench bought it and two years later sold it to Daniel Bussard,\nwho had purchased the northern half of Lot 67 in 1805.\n1808-1828\nBussard was a prominent citizen of Georgetown having several\nbusinesses there as well as being active in the Presbyterian\nChurch and in civic affairs. (2) He was a land developer and\nbuilder and had numerous holdings in Georgetown in the early\n1800's. In 1808 Lot 67 was assessed to Daniel Bussard, listed\nas \"improved,\" and valued at $800. The 1813 tax records list-\ned \"2 single story frames\" on Lot 67 which were valued at\n$850. This assessment also showed Bussard owning a brewery,\na tannery, and a distillery in Georgetown. (3)\n96\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 3)\nIt is not known what use Bussard made of his frame house on\nthe south part of Lot 67; but the 1834 City Directory lists\nfour tanners on Fayette Street in close proximity to one\nanother, so it may be that a few years earlier Bussard's\ntannery had been located on his Lot 67 on Fayette Street.\nEarly deeds referring to Lot 67 mention \"the branch.\" Since\nthe tanning of hides required a special flow of water, the\nold Georgetown Sewer Line (which the residents in the area\nof 35th and 0 Streets, N.W. say starts near or in Lot 67)\nmay have been laid in an old creek bed, formerly called\n\"the branch,' so vital to the tanner's trade.\n1828-1841\nIn 1828 Peter Hoover bought the house at 36 Fayette Street.\nAt the same time he purchased the house on the northern\nhalf of Lot 67 as well. In the year of his purchase Hoover\ngave a deed of trust to David English to secure the purchase\nmoney for his new properties. By 1840 Hoover, a butcher,\nwas so seriously in debt that he was taken into custody and\nsent to Baltimore. (4) Lot 67 with its structures was sold\nat auction to Andrew Hoover for $1,002. That same year\nWilliam Noyes bought the Lot from Andrew Hoover and resold\nit a year later to John Clements. Some time between 1813\nand 1840 the house on the south part of Lot 67 was faced\nwith brick and a second story added, for the deed to John\nClements reads:\n\" in consideration of the sum of twelve\nhundred dollars current money the whole of Lot number\nSixty seven in Threlkeld's addition to George Town\nto-\ngether with all the brick dwelling house and other build-\nings standing thereon Also, a fire insurance policy\nin the name of Andrew Hoover, dated January 13, 1840, states:\n\"$1200 on his two-story brick house and brick back building\nattached, covered with shingles, unadjoined by any other\nhouse, occupied by Peter Hoover as a dwelling, and situated\n97\nDate\nNumber\nName of Assured\nDescription of Property\n1840\nI an 13.\n221.\nHerrs\nRenewal\n222.\nditto\nRenewal,\n14.\n829\nTwelveAmedred dollars on his two\nstory breakshouse and breck back build.\nused attached, covered with strugles, un.\nadjorned by any other, house, occuped\nby Peter Hoover as or devellerig and\nSebuated on Lobility in Herelheld's\naddition to George\nEaspside of Layette Streetand being\nbetween 2nd Streets in George\nSown aforesaed\n\"Sometime between 1813 and 1840 the house on the south\npart of Lot 67 was faced with brick and a second story\nadded\nFire Insurance Policy (Firemen's Insurance\nCompany of Washington, D.C.)\n98\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 4)\non Lot No. 67 in Threlkeld's addition to George Town, front-\ning on the East side of Fayette Street and being between\nFirst and Second Streets in George Town aforesaid.\" (5)\n1841-1866\nClements, a painter, sold the northern portion of Lot 67 in\n1847 and continued to occupy the house at 36 Fayette on the\nsouthern portion. (6) Seven years later, in 1866, John\nClements and his wife conveyed their house to Hugh Caperton\nin trust for Ann Jackson \"...with full power for her to sell\nand mortgage as she may direct....\" The relationship be-\ntween the Clements' and Ann Jackson is unknown; perhaps she\nwas a married daughter.\n1866-1879\nAnn and her husband, Richard A. Jackson, listed in the city\ndirectory as \"boatman,\" lived at 36 Fayette Street with\ntheir family at least through 1878. (7) During this period\nthe property passed from trustee to trustee until in 1879\nIvory G. Kimball and his wife, Ann, trustees in that year,\ndeeded the property to Joseph F. Collins.\n1879-1888\nCollins held the house for eleven years but used it as rental\nproperty. In 1883 John McCauley, a cobbler, moved from 103\nSecond Street (now 3424 0) to 1307 35th Street and built a\nsmall cobbler's shop adjoining his brick dwelling on the north. (8)\n99\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 5)\nHis cousin, Mrs. Sophie Cousins, born in Georgetown in the\n1880's, said that in addition to making and repairing shoes\nfor the students at Georgetown College he also repaired\ntheir football helmets. The G.M. Hopkins Plat of 1887 shows\nMcCauley's cobbler's shop as a small structure on the south\npart of Lot 67 edging on the north side of 1307 35th Street\nand to the south of the frame house at 1311 35th Street. (9)\nAlso, the 1887 City Directory lists John McCauley, shoemaker,\nat 1309 35th Street. (10) This area, now cleared, is part\nof present Lot 835.\n1888-1962\nIn 1888 James Manogue, a tailor with a business at 149 Bridge\nStreet (now M) on the south side between High (now Wisconsin)\nand Potomac, bought the brick house from Joseph Collins. (11)\nManogue had emigrated from Ireland during the potato famine\nand started a tailoring business in Fordham, New York. He\nwas summoned to Georgetown by Georgetown College to make\ntheir priests' vestments. (12) There is no evidence that\nJames Manogue ever lived in his house at 1307 35th Street\nor what use he made of it and the small structure to the\nnorth. He undoubtedly developed a successful tailoring\nbusiness, for when he died in 1900, in addition to his 35th\nStreet property, he left several pieces of property and\nhouses in Georgetown to his wife, Catherine. (13)\nFifteen years after James' death Catherine Manogue passed\naway, leaving the premises at 1307 35th Street to an only\ndaughter, Mary Josephine Manogue, \" for life, or as long\nas she shall remain unmarried\n\"\nMary J. Manogue died, unmarried, in 1939. Her property by\nWill was to be divided among her nieces and nephews. All\nthree of Mary Manogue's brothers had died before her death,\ntwo of them childless. The children of her brother, William\nH. Manogue, survived their Aunt Mary. In 1949 the Manogue\ndescendents made a legal agreement to divide their lands\ninherited from their grandfather, James Manogue, their uncle,\nGeorge Manogue, and their aunt, Mary J. Manogue. By this\n100\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 6)\nagreement Mae J. Manogue obtained title to the house at\n1307 35th Street.\nIn 1962 Mae J. Manogue, unmarried, sold the property to L.\nRonald Scheman and his wife, Ethel. The Manogue family had\nheld this property for 74 years.\n1962-1969\nScheman, executive secretary of the Pan American Development\nFoundation, and his wife lived at this address until 1966 when\nthey sold the property to Janet Dunham Saxon. Miss Saxon has\nused this early house as rental property.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1794\nJohn Threlkeld et ux\nDeed March 21, 1794\nto\nRecorded May 23, 1794\nJohn Goszler\nLiber B-2, folio 35\nSouth half Lot 67--Consideration 37 pounds,\n10 shillings\n101\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 7)\n1798\nJohn Goszler et ux\nDeed May 28, 1798\nto\nRecorded June 15, 1798\nThomas Sanders\nLiber C-3, folio 468\nSouth half Lot 67--Consideration 300 pounds\n1806\nThomas Sanders et ux\nDeed September 23, 1806\nto\nRecorded September 27, 1806\nJohn B. French\nLiber Q-16, folio 113\nSouth half Lot 67--Consideration $500\n1808\nJohn B. French et ux\nDeed November 7, 1808\nto\nRecorded December 8, 1808\nDaniel Bussard\nLiber V-21, folio 80\nSouth half Lot 67--Consideration $300\n(Bussard purchased the north half of Lot 67 in 1805\nfor $100.)\n102\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 8)\n1828\nDaniel Bussard et ux\nDeed June 19, 1828\nDavid English, trustee\nRecorded July 1, 1828\nWilliam Bussard and\nLiber W.B. 23, folio 38\nCatharine Bussard\nto\nPeter Hoover\nConveys the whole of Lot 67\nConsideration--$650\nPeter Hoover et ux\nTrust June 19, 1828\nto\nRecorded July 1, 1828\nDavid English\nLiber W.B. 23, folio 42\nTrust to secure purchase money\n1840\nAlexander Hunter, Marshal\nDeed March 27, 1840\nof D.C.\nRecorded September 4, 1840\nPeter Hoover\nLiber W.B. 78, folio 450\nto\nAndrew Hoover\nRecites that Andrew Hoover bought the property at auction,\n11 January 1840, for $1002 to make the damages and\ncosts aforesaid out of the goods and chattels, lands and\ntenements of the said Peter Hoover being found in his\nbailiwick....' Refers to Peter Hoover, \"late of George\nTown in the District of Columbia, but now of Baltimore.\"\n103\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 9)\nAndrew Hoover et ux\nDeed October 31, 1840\nSarah\nRecorded March 18, 1841\nto\nLiber W.B. 84, folio 445\nWilliam Noyes\n1841\nDavid English, trustee\nDeed March 24, 1841\nto\nRecorded March 25, 1842\nWilliam Noyes\nLiber W.B. 93, folio 226\nWilliam Noyes et ux\nDeed September 21, 1841\nMary\nRecorded April 25, 1842\nto\nLiber W.B. 93, folio 230\nJohn Clements\n1866\nJohn Clements et ux\nDeed in Trust April 17, 1866\nto\nRecorded July 13, 1866\nHugh Caperton\nLiber RMH 20, folio 81\nConveys south part of Lot 67 in trust for Ann Jackson,\nwith full power to sell and mortgage as she may direct.\nJohn Clements had sold the north part of Lot 67 to\nGeorge S. Neill in 1847 \"on which stands a 2-story\nframe house.\"\n104\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 10)\n1874\nHugh Caperton, trustee\nTrust August 27, 1874\nAnn Jackson\nRecorded September 22, 1874\nto\nLiber 764, folio 23\nR. P. Dodge & I. G. Kimball\n1879\nIvory G. Kimball et ux\nDeed January 25, 1879\nAnna L.\nRecorded January 31, 1879\nto\nLiber 903, folio 495\nJoseph F. Collins\n1888\nJoseph F. Collins et ux\nDeed July 30, 1888\nMary Amelia\nRecorded August 6, 1888\nto\nLiber 1341, folio 17\nJames Manogue\n1900\nJames Manogue died\nWill November 17, 1899\nFebruary 21, 1900,\nProbated April 1, 1901\nleaving all his property\nWill Book 51, page 147\nto his wife, Catharine\nManogue, for life.\n105\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 11)\n1915\nCatharine Manogue died March 19, 1915, leaving all her\nproperty to Mary Josephine Manogue, her daughter, for\nlife or as long as she remained unmarried.\n1939\nMary Josephine Manogue died Will December 31, 1936\nSeptember 15, 1939. Her\nProbated March 4, 1940\nthree brothers, John,\nWill Book 274, page 191\nWilliam, and George predeceased\nher; so the property was left\nto be divided between her\nnephew and nieces, the three\nchildren of William--James J.\nManogue, Blanche C. Wilson\nand Mae J. Manogue.\n1949\nBlanche C. Wilson\nDeed of Partition August 25, 1949\nMae J. Manogue\nRecorded August 25, 1949\nJames J. Manogue\nLiber 9035, folio 184\nHelen W. Manogue, wife of James\nAgreement to make a partition and division of lands\ncoming to them by Wills of their grandfather, James\nManogue, their uncle, George W. Manogue, and their\naunt, Mary J. Manogue. Mae J. Manogue gets 1307\n35th Street, N.W. as well as other property.\n106\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 12)\n1962\nMae J. Manogue,\nDeed August 1, 1962\nunmarried\nRecorded August 8, 1962\nto\nLiber 11847, folio 447\nL. Ronald Scheman et ux\nEthel,\ntenants by the entirety\n1966\nL. Ronald Scheman et ux\nDeed July 7, 1966\nto\nRecorded August 5, 1966\nJanet Dunham Saxon\nLiber 12651, folio 13\nReferences\n1. Land Records. Montgomery County, Maryland, 1798 Tax\nAssessment.\n2. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,\nD.C.: The Society, Vol. 7, 1904, P. 46.\nand\nJournal of the Trustees of Georgetown Presbyterian Church.\n107\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 13)\n3. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807);\nRoll 8 (1808-12); Roll 9 (1813-18).\n4. City Directory. 1834, P. 10.\n5. Blotter Reference No. 829, Firemen's Insurance Company of\nWashington and Georgetown, Washington, D.C., P. 208.\n6. Same reference as #4. 1855 (Georgetown Section), P. 3;\n1858, P. 437; 1862, P. 190; 1864, p. 296; 1865, P. 378;\n1866, P. 408.\n7. Same reference as #4. 1870, p. 455; 1872, P. 512; 1874, P.\n546; 1876, P. 299; 1877, P. 367; 1878, P. 389.\n8. Same reference as #4. 1883, P. 573.\n9. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, Compiler, A Complete Set of\nSurveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.\n10. Same reference as #4. 1887, p. 578.\n11. Same reference as #4. 1888, p. 622.\n12. Conversation with, Mr. James J. Manogue, 3201 P Street,\nN.W. He is a grandson of James Manogue, the tailor.\n13. Will, James Manogue, November 17, 1899, Probated April 1,\n1901. Will Book 51, page 147, Register of Wills,\nWashington, D.C.\n108\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 14)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This brick structure is a well\npreserved and distinguished example of a modest Georgetown\nresidence of the last quarter of the eighteenth century.\nCondition of Fabric: The interior and exterior are both\nin generally good condition. There has been remodeling\nof the interior, especially of the second floor,\nwhile on the exterior the 35th Street (front) elevation\nappears relatively intact. The northeast corner of the\nrear wing has recently been repaired and reinforced at the\nbasement level.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: This two-story brick house with full\nbasement faces west on 35th Street between N and 0 Streets\nand its south wall is approximately 90' along 35th Street\nfrom the centerline of N Street. Its three bay front is 22'\nand its depth is 40'.\nFoundations: The brick wall is continued down as a foundation.\nBecause of the slope of the land the entrance at street level\nis only slightly above grade while at the rear (east) elevation\nthe full height basement wall is exposed.\n109\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 15)\nWall Construction: The construction is brick bearing wall\nwith red face bricks of a dense smooth finish laid in Flemish\nbond at the west elevation and rough texture red bricks laid\nin common bond for east and north elevations. The west\nelevation has beaded mortar joints while the east and north\nhave flush joints. One special item of note in examining\nthe wall construction is a stepped line of a heavy mortar\njoint on the north elevation about three-fifths up the wall.\nThe line steps down from west to east and may mark the roof\nline of a former addition.\nPorches: There is one wood frame porch at the northeast corner\nat the first floor level. It is covered by a wood roof pitching\ndown from south to north. The porch is entered from the end of\nthe stair hall and from the back room. Although the porch now\nextends beyond the north wall of the main block, from marks on\nthe east wall of the main block it appears originally to have\nended at the line of the north wall.\nChimneys: Two separate chimneys are present and usable;\none in the middle of the east wall of the rear wing and one at\nthe middle of the south wall of the front room. The east\nchimney is red brick 6' by 2' with a simple two course brick\ncap, The south chimney is a party chimney with the adjoining\nhouse; it is 4' 8\" by 2', has two flues, and is capped with\nbrick.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and Doors; The main entrance is a simple wood\ntrimmed masonry opening with a mid-twentieth century 3' 4\"\nsix-panel door. The opening has a flat arched lintel of\n15 sawn brick two or three piece voussoirs. There is a\nfour light wood trimmed transom window over the doorway\nand a sandstone sill.\n110\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 16)\nA basement level doorway at the east wall of main block\nopening onto the patio has been bricked closed leaving exit\nto the rear yard from the north wall of the rear wing.\nAdditional doorways on the first floor are one from the\nend of the main stair hall to the porch and one from the\nback room onto the same porch.\nWindows and Shutters: Two lower floor windows of the west\nelevation are nine-over-six light double hung wood sash with\n10\" deep flat sawn-brick arched lintel of 14 two-piece\nvoussoirs. Three upper floor windows are six-over-six\nlight double hung wood sash with 8\" deep flat sawn-brick\narched lintel of 14 single piece voussoirs. Shutters are\nlouvered two panel wood units with \"H\" shape metal hinges.\nMetal shutter stops appear to be mid-twentieth century addition.\nA window opening at west end of north wall of rear wing of\nfirst floor porch has been bricked closed.\nRoof :\nShape, Covering: The main block of the house is covered\nby a simple gable roof with its ridge running north-south,\nwhile the rear block has a shed running up from north\nto south to party wall. Roofing material is standing\nseam metal.\nFraming: Not visible.\nCornice, Eaves: The cornice on the front elevation is a\nthree course brick corbelled sawtooth type painted\nwhite. North wall is brought up beyond the roof\ncovering and this parapet has eared profile due to\ncorbelled end blocks. It is capped by a two course brick\ncap. Gutters and downspouts are metal.\nDormers: None.\n111\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 17)\nTechnical Description of Interior\nFloor Plans: The plan is a simple \"L\" shape with a main\nblock on 35th Street and a rear wing along a party wall with a\nbuilding at south. A porch fits into the angle of the \"L.\"\nThe first floor has a front and a back room with a stair hall\nat north end of the main block. The second floor has two levels:\na higher front level with two bedrooms, and a two step lower\nrear area housing a bedroom and two baths. The bath at the south\nparty wall is skylit. The present basement contains a front\nkitchen-laundry area plus a small bedroom and a rear room with\na door to a patio on the north.\nStairways: The main stairway at the north side of the main\nblock runs from the first floor up 11 risers from west to east\nwith a return from a platform of four risers from east to west\nto second level of main block. Below the stair is enclosed;\nthe rail is rounded wood mould, newel posts are simple turned\nwood; balusters are squared wood; and stringer ends have half-\nrounded wood angle blocks at stair tred ends.\nA second stair is in the rear wing connecting the first floor\nwith the basement. It runs along the east wall of the main\nblock down 11 risers from north to south and from a corner\nplatform down three risers along south wall toward the east\nto the basement floor. The railing and balusters are probably\nmid-twentieth century additions.\nFlooring: Random width pine floors are used on the first and\nsecond floors. Floor construction of the first floor has been\nenclosed by a mid-twentieth century ceiling in the basement. The\nfloor in the rear wing of the basement is of red bricks laid in\na basketweave pattern.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Walls and ceilings are plastered\nthroughout.\n112\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 18)\nDoorways and Doors: Doors are of a simple six wood panel type\nwith simple wood frames.\nTrim: Walls have a baseboard with top moulded edge, but there\nis no chair rail or wainscot. Door trim is a simple mould\nresting on plinth blocks at the wall face.\nHardware: Brass and other metal hardware of early and mid-\ntwentieth century of a simple case are used throughout.\nLighting: There are a variety of twentieth-century fixtures.\nHeating: Several fireplaces and their enframements provide the\nmost distinctive interior features. On the first floor the front\nroom fireplace at the south wall appears to have mid-twentieth\ncentury trim but the rear wing has an east wall fireplace of\nbrick hearth and fireback with an ornamental enframement which is\nprobably original. The opening is bracketed by fluted pilasters\nsupporting a 9 1/2\" deep mantel shelf. Ornamental medallions\nseem to have been removed from blocks supporting the two ends\nof the mantel. The other fireplace of possible original type is\nin the basement at east wall. It has a wood enframement with\ntwo full round 2' by 6\" Tuscan doric columns framing the opening\nand supporting a 12\" wide mantel. These columns are on 6\" wood\nblock bases but do not have echinus ring capitals. Supported\nby the columns and supporting the mantel are blocks with a pointed\narch cut out. Present heating is a central system with radiator\nunits in each room.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: The house is on the east side\nof 35th Street between N and 0 Streets. It is in a mixed\nresidential-commercial neighborhood.\n113\nGOSZLER-MANOGUE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-193 (Page 19)\nEnclosures: There is a white wood picket fence 8' to 10' from\nthe west facade. The rear yard is fenced by a wood fence\n6' to 7' high.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: On the west red brick paving extends from the foundation\nwall to a red brick public sidewalk 8' to 10' away.\nLandscaping: In the rear a brick paved patio under the porch\nextends severàl feet beyond the east elevation of the rear\nwing.\nPrepared by: William P. Thompson\nArchitect\nHistoric American Building Survey\nJune 1968\n114\nIII\nП\n$\ninn\n110\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-83\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3512 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 73 Third\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThis house occupies part of Lot 106 in\nThrelkeld's Addition to Georgetown in\nold Square 77, now taxed as Lot 845 in\nSquare 1247.\nDate of erection:\n1826\nOwners in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. Thomas Parrott\nOccupants in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. Thomas Parrott\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nA fine example of an early nineteenth-\ncentury, free-standing town house, this\ndwelling has been carefully restored to\nregain its original character. The guest\nhouse recently built in the same style\nand the extensive garden serve to create\na setting which enhances the charm of\nthe old house.\n117\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 83 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1823-1826\nIn 1823 John Threlkeld sold the land on which the Teresa Fenwick\nhouse stands to John Pickrell for $150. Two years later Pickrell\nand his wife deeded the property to Henry Waring, the consideration\nbeing $200. On September 1, 1826 Henry Waring and his wife,\nMilicent, and Joseph Brigden conveyed it to Teresa Fenwick, Brigden\nreceiving the sum of $1700 and Waring one dollar. This increase\nin price in just nine months would indicate that the house was\nerected between December 1825 and September 1826. The house was\nalmost certainly built for Teresa Brent Fenwick or purchased by\nher as a new building.\n1826-1839\nTeresa Brent was a daughter of Robert and Anna Maria (Parnham)\nBrent and was born at \"Brentfield,\" Charles County, Maryland in\n1767. She married Colonel James Fenwick of Pomonkey, Charles\nCounty, Maryland, as his second wife. They had one daughter,\nSarah Anne Fenwick, who died as a young girl. Colonel James\nFenwick (1763-1823) was the eldest son of Colonel Ignatius and\nSarah (Taney) Fenwick of \"Cherryfields,\" St. Mary's County,\nMaryland. His father had been a member of the Maryland Provin-\ncial Congress and commanded a regiment during the American\nRevolution. The Right Reverend Edward Dominic Fenwick, broth-\ner of Colonel James Fenwick, was the first Roman Catholic\nBishop of Cincinnati. (1)\nColonel James Fenwick died at Pomonkey on September 3, 1823.\nBy his Will, dated 3 September and probated 14 October 1823,\nhe left his widow, Teresa Brent Fenwick, a life interest in\nall his lands and all of his estate not otherwise devised.\n118\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 3)\nHis lands in St. Mary's County he bequeathed to his grandson,\nWilliam Hamersley Plowden, with the rents payable to his\ndaughter, Henrietta Fenwick Plowden, and her husband, William\nHamersley Plowden, Sr., during their lifetimes. His lands\nin the District of Columbia went to his grandson, Robert James\nBrent, and his stock in the Bank of Columbia to his grand-\ndaughter, Maria Brent. After the death of Teresa Fenwick his\nCharles County lands were to be divided between Edmund James\nPlowden, son of William and Henrietta Fenwick Plowden, and\nRobert James Brent, son of William Leigh and Maria Fenwick\nBrent. (2)\nTeresa Brent Fenwick evidently moved to Georgetown after her\nhusband's death and made her home in the new house purchased\nby her in 1826. The land was vacant in 1818, according to the\nGeorgetown Tax Assessment Records in the National Archives. (3)\nIn 1831 she acquired additional land on the southwest corner\nof Third (now P) and Fayette (now 35th) Streets, with a 120-\nfoot frontage on Third and a 60-foot frontage on Fayette from\nJames Adams and others. (4) The 1830 Directory cites \"Teresa\nFenwick, Widow, Third Street near Fayette\" and the 1834\nDirectory \"Mrs. Fenwick, Widow, Third Street, south side.\" (5)\nIn her Will, dated 23 July and probated 4 December 1839,\nTeresa Fenwick requests \"...to be buried by the side of my late\nhusband in the graveyard on the plantation where I formerly\nresided on Pomonkey Neck, Charles County, Maryland.\" She\nleft to Edmund James Plowden, among other bequests, the\nbed, bedstead, curtains, and other furniture belonging there-\nunto, in the front room on the second story of my present\ndwelling and also all the other furniture which may be in the\nsaid room at the time of my death and one dining set\nof china called Liverpool-ware and the carpet and fender in\nmy drawing room.\" She left to Francis Henry Digges, among\nother bequests, \"...my side board and all the furniture in\nmy front room or parlor and \"one pair of silver salt cellars.\"\n119\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 83 (Page 4)\nSarah Ann Brent, daughter of William Leigh Brent, her nephew\nand a Congressman from Louisiana, received \"one silver coffee\npot, one silver tea pot and cream pot and silver sugar dish.\"\nEdmund James Plowden also inherited her carriage and horses.\nThese bequests give some suggestion of the way Teresa Fenwick's\nrooms in her home in Georgetown were used and furnished. (6)\nThe 1830 Census lists the household of Teresa Fenwick as \"one\nwhite female aged 15-20, one white female aged 50-60, two\nwhite females aged 60-70, one male slave aged 36-55, one female\nslave aged 36-55, and one female slave aged 10-24. \"(7) In her\nWill Teresa left a \"Servant Woman Mary\" to Robert James Brent\nand a \"Servant Man Sam\" to Francis H. Digges, with particular\ninstructions that they be treated kindly. She set free anoth-\ner three young slave boys named Michael, Henry, and James.\nAmong a large number of money bequests, Teresa Fenwick left\n$400 to the Reverend William McSherry, President of Georgetown\nCollege; $100 to Mother Ann Agatha, Superior of the Georgetown\nVisitation Academy; and $100 to \"poor widows with children.\"\nTo make these cash bequests possible she instructed that her\nhouse and the lots attached be sold. (8)\n1839-1845\nHer executors, named in the Will, were Edmund James Plowden, her\nlate husband's grandson, and her nephew, Francis Henry Digges.\nPlowden married Charlotte Coad of St. Mary's County on November\n11, 1839. They resided on a plantation near Leonardtown and\nthere is no indication that they ever occupied the Georgetown\nhouse. (9)\nIn 1845 Edmund James Plowden \"of St. Mary's County\" sold the\nGeorgetown property where Teresa Fenwick had lived for thirteen\nyears to Francis Henry Digges \"of Charles County,\" who had re-\nfused to serve as executor. Research has not revealed who\noccupied the house from 1839 to 1845.\n120\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 5)\n1845-1864\nDuring Digges' ownership, 73 Third Street was used as rental\nproperty. In 1855 Johnson Jones, listed in the City Directory\nas a \"Farmer\" was living in the house and in 1858 Edward S.\nWright, an \"auction and commission merchant\" with a business\nat 174 Bridge (now M) Street, was residing there with his\nfamily. Although the other four houses on this block of\nThird Street were occupied during the Civil War, there was\nno listing in directories during this period for the Teresa\nFenwick house. (10)\n1864-1889\nJust before the War's end, Daniel Brown, a grocer residing\nand having a store at 54 Fayette (now 35th) Street, purchased\nthe property from Francis Digges in 1864. Formerly, in 1855,\nDaniel Brown had been listed as a laborer residing nearby at\n83 Third Street. (11) The 1865 tax assessment record credits\nDaniel Brown with a two-story brick dwelling on Lot 106\n(the Teresa Fenwick House), another at Dumbarton and Montgom-\nery (now 28th) Streets on Lot 131, and a two-story frame\ndwelling on Lot 105 (his home and store at 54 Fayette Street).\n(12)\nDaniel Brown died in 1865, a year after purchasing the house\nat 73 Third Street. His widow and three children, however,\nheld the Teresa Fenwick property for almost a quarter of a\ncentury, while continuing to run the grocery business and\nreside at 54 Fayette Street until 1879 when they moved to 84\nFirst (now 3400 N) Street. (13)\n121\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 83 (Page 6)\n1889-1939\nDavid Cotter, listed in city directories as a policeman and\nlater as having a real estate business, bought the Third Street\nproperty from the Browns in 1889. (14) While he resided at a\nnumber of different addresses in Georgetown, Cotter rented his\ndwelling at 3512 P Street throughout the years to a number of\npersons performing neighborhood services; these included\nlaundresses, laborers, cooks, and drivers. (15) When David\ndied in 1921 his widow, Ella, inherited the property and con-\ntinued to rent the house. From 1933 to 1936 the tenants oper-\nated a shoe repair business on the first floor of the building\nand lived upstairs. (16)\n1939-1951\nElla Cotter died in 1939, bequeathing the property to her\ntenant, Mary W. Calohan, thus terminating fifty years of\nCotter ownership. Five years later the building was bought\nby Margaret Weller who was in the process of restoring other\nhouses in this area.\n1951-1969\nMr. and Mrs. Thomas Alexander Parrott, the present owners and\noccupants, bought this early nineteenth-century house in 1951\nand have meticulously preserved and enhanced its charm.\n122\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 7)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1823\nJohn Threlkeld and wife\nDeed December 3, 1823\nto\nRecorded December 15, 1823\nJohn Pickrell\nLiber W.B. 8, folio 269\nConsideration - $150\n1825\nJohn Pickrell and wife\nDeed December 6, 1825\nto\nRecorded December 8, 1825\nHenry Waring\nLiber W.B. 14, folio 339\nConsideration - $200\n1826\nHenry Waring and wife, Milicent Deed September 1, 1826\nJoseph Brigden\nRecords December 16, 1826\nto\nLiber W.B. 17, folio 276\nTeresa Fenwick\nConsideration-$1700 to Brigden and $1 to Waring\n123\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 83 (Page 8)\n1839\nTeresa Fenwick died\nWill July 23, 1839\nin 1839.\nProbated December 4, 1839\nWill Book 5, page 154\nWill directed the house on Third Street, and lots\nattached, then occupied by her should be sold by\nher executors to permit certain bequests.\n1845\nEdward James Plowden,\nDeed July 5, 1845\nExecutor\nRecorded July 5, 1845\nunder Will of Teresa\nLiber W.B. 118, folio 41\nFenwick\nto\nFrancis H. Digges\nConsideration - $1500\n1864\nFrancis H. Digges and\nDeed October 4, 1864\nwife, Mary Jane\nRecorded October 14, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 47, folio 436\nDaniel Brown\nConsideration - $2500\n1865\nDaniel Brown died intestate, leaving his property to his\nwidow, Johanna, and three children - Annie D. Brown, Maggie\nC. Brown, Mary E. Brown.\n124\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 83 (Page 9)\n1889\nJohanna Brown, widow\nDeed November 16, 1889\nAnnie D. Brown\nRecorded November 18, 1889\nMaggie C. Brown\nLiber 1430, folio 447\nMary E. Brown\nheirs of Daniel Brown\nto\nDavid J. Cotter\nConsideration - $2100\n1911\nDavid J. Cotter and\nDeed June 28, 1911\nwife, Ella F.\nRecorded June 29, 1911\nto\nLiber 3428, folio 382\nHarry A. Calohan\nHarry A. Calohan and\nDeed June 28, 1911\nwife, Mary\nRecorded June 29, 1911\nto\nLiber 3428, folio 384\nDavid J. Cotter\nElla F. Cotter\njoint tenants\n1921\nDavid J. Cotter died July 17, 1921, leaving his wife, Ella F.\nCotter, surviving tenant by entirety.\n125\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 10)\n1939\nElla F. Cotter died in 1939 and by her Will devised Lot 106 in\nSquare 1247 to tenant, Mary W. Calohan, survivor of her husband,\nHarry A. Calohan.\n1943\nMary Calohan\nDeed April 26, 1943\nto\nRecorded June 2, 1943\nEllen E. LaMotte\nLiber 7861, folio 103\n(aka Ellen Newbold LaMotte)\nEllen E. LaMotte\nDeed July 7, 1943\nto\nRecorded July 13, 1943\nMargaret B. Weller\nLiber 7874, folio 152\n1951\nMargaret B. Weller\nDeed May 15, 1951\nto\nRecorded May 17, 1951\nThomas Alexander Parrott\nLiber 9472, folio 44\nand Barbara B., his wife\ntenants by the entirety\n126\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 11)\nREFERENCES\n1. Chronicles of St. Mary's. Leonardtown, Maryland: St.\nMary's County Historical Society, 1953, Vol. I, PP. 20-\n24.\nand\nO'Daniel, Victor F., The Right Reverend Edward Dominic\nFenwick. Washington, D.C.: Dominicana Press, 1920.\nand\nBrent, Chester H., Descendants of Giles Brent. Rutland,\nVermont: Tuttle Publishing Company, 1938.\nand\nWill of Janet Brent. Charles County Wills, Will Book 15,\npage 527, Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland.\n2. Will of Colonel James Fenwick. Charles County Wills, Will\nBook 14, page 283, Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis,\nMaryland.\n3. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assessment\nof Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605, National\nArchives Record Group 351, Roll 11 (1818-1819).\n4. Land Records. Washington, D.C., Liber W.B. 35, folio 173.\n5. City Directory. 1830, p. 7; 1834, P. 7.\n127\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 12)\n6. Will of Teresa Fenwick, Will Book 5, page 154, District\nof Columbia Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.\n7. Population Census, Georgetown, D.C. 1830.\n8. Same reference as #6.\n9. Same reference as #1.\n10. Same reference as #5. 1855, (Georgetown Section), P. 6;\n1858, p. 472; 1860, p. 164, p. 165, p. 167, p. 172; 1865,\nP. 375, P. 378, P. 380, P. 386, P. 388, P. 390.\n11. Same reference as #5. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 2.\n12. Same reference as #3. Roll 12 (1865-1870).\n13. Same reference as #5. 1878, p. 167; 1879, p. 190.\n14. Same reference as #5. 1889, p. 311; 1899, p. 350; 1914,\nP. 355.\n128\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 13)\n15. Same reference as #5. 1914, p. 718; 1924, P. 1499;\n1932, p. 1479; 1935, P. 1356.\n16. Same reference as #5. 1933, p. 1255; 1936, p. 2006.\nABCAECC\nNOPORSTUVWXYZ\nboders\nConfeience sittateful the the may tell\nBut may d'dictates well\nsoever with her lives at Itrife\nLoies there better friend for life\nof\nher\nDating from the eighteenth century, many members\nof the Fenwick family have resided in western\nGeorgetown and been active in the life of its\ninstitutions. Sampler worked by Maria Fenwick at the\nLadies Academy, George Town, in 1802 at age 9\n(Georgetown Visitation Convent)\n129\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 14)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural character: The Teresa Fenwick House is a fine\nexample of a large scale Federal domestic structure of the\nsecond quarter of the nineteenth century. There have been\nmany modifications of the interior and of the side and rear\nwall fenestration, but the front facade and the interior\n(through restoration) remain largely of nineteenth-century\ncast.\nCondition of fabric: The house is in good to excellent\ncondition on both the interior and the exterior. The interior\nwas restored in the 1950's by a competent restoration archi-\ntect.\nDescription of Exterior\nOverall dimensions: The Fenwick House is a distinctive two\nand a half story brick rectangular block facing north on P\nStreet between 35th and 36th Streets and along P Street\napproximately 165 feet from the centerline of 35th Street.\nThe three bay front (north) elevation is approximately 22\nfeet and the depth of the house is approximately 32 feet.\nFoundations: At the north elevation the rubble stone\nfoundation is revealed approximately six inches while due to\nthe slope of the land it is revealed approximately eight feet\nat the south elevation. The foundation wall has received\nan exterior coat of plaster on all elevations.\n130\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 15)\nWall construction: This brick bearing wall structure has\nFlemish bond for the north elevation while the other\nelevations are in common bond with bonding course every\nsix courses.\nFraming: Not visible.\nPorches, stoops, bulkheads, etc.: There is no front porch\nor stoop. At the rear an exterior metal stair and stoop\nto the first floor level is mid-twentieth century in date.\nChimneys: There are two three-flue brick chimneys approxi-\nmately five feet by one foot eight inches at the west wall\nof the structure. They are surmounted by simple two course\nbrick caps.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and doors: The front entry has a mid-\ntwentieth century six panel wood door, a sand-\nstone sill, and a simple wood-trimmed masonry\nopening surmounted by an early nineteenth-\ncentury transom window. This transom has four\nleaded panes and is ornamented by an oval metal\nframework.\n(See HABS DC-83, sheet 10--measured drawing.)\nWindows and shutters: The north elevation\nwindows have 6/6 light double-hung wood sash.\nMasonry openings have painted stone sills and\nsawn brick flat arched lintels. The two-panel\nwood fixed louvered shutters still maintain\nsome original lintel hardware. The second\nfloor western window may have an early nine-\nteenth-century shutter stop.\n131\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 16)\nThe south elevation retains three pairs of\ntwo-panel wood shutters for the first floor\nand floor to ceiling 9/9 light double-hung\nwood sash. Windows which are probably\noriginal to the house are present in the\nfollowing locations: the second floor hall\neast wall; the third floor back room south\nwall; the third floor front room north wall;\nthe second floor back room south wall; and\nthe second floor front room north wall eastern\nwindow.\nRoof:\nShape, covering: The medium pitch gable roof is\ncovered by standing-seam metal.\nCornice, eaves: The north elevation is capped\nby a simple three course brick corbelled cornice.\nGutters and downspouts at both the north and\nsouth elevation are metal.\nCupolas, dormers, towers: The two front and one\nrear dormer have 6/6 light double-hung wood sash.\nThe pedimental wood cornices have a broken\nhorizontal band.\nDescription of Interior\nFloor plans: The simple rectangular plan has an east side\nstair hall with the stairway at the south-east and a front\nand rear room on each floor.\nThe first floor has both front and rear parlors linked by\nan opening approximately six feet wide. Second and third\nfloors have two bedrooms each with two second floor and one\nthird floor bath.\nThe basement at present contains a front kitchen and laundry\nroom and a rear dining room.\n132\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 17)\nStairways: The stair occupies the south half of the east entry\nand stair hall. The stair is of the simple half-turn-with-\nlanding type. From the first floor the stair runs up from north\nto south twelve risers to the landing and then back six risers\nto the second floor. Continuing to the third floor, the stair\nrises north to south eight risers and then from the landing\nback eight more. The stair to the basement under the main stair\noriginally was probably enclosed completely with a stud wall on\nthe west where now there are balusters. The stair ascends twelve\nrisers from north to south.\nThe simple rounded stair rail, square newel post and rectangular\nbalusters appear to be original. The ends of the stringers\nhave simple curved profile angle blocks which visually support\neach riser.\n(See HABS DC-83, sheet 10--measured drawing.)\nFlooring: The pine flooring on the first, second, and third\nstories appears to be twentieth-century.\nDoorways and doors: Wood six-panel doors all appear to be\ntwentieth-century types. Doorway frames are of simple wood sec-\ntion.\n(See HABS DC-83, sheet 9--measured drawing.)\nDecorative features and trim: The apparently original baseboard\ntrim appears in several locations. A five inch baseboard\nwith moulded cap appears in the second floor hall. A simpler\nfour and a half inch baseboard without a cap piece but with a\nsimple groove is used in the third floor bedrooms. There is\nno wainscot, chair rail, or cornice mould.\nNotable hardware: There is a variety of twentieth-century hard-\nware.\nLighting: There is a variety of mid-twentieth-century fixtures.\n133\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 18)\nHeating: There are several distinctive second quarter nine-\nteenth-century fireplaces as the chief decorative features\nof the interior. The two first floor fireplaces both have\nslate hearths and slate facing surrounds. Each is trimmed by\na wood pilastered enframement supporting a mantel shelf and\nlarge mirror. A special feature of the mantel is an under-\nmantel center block with an oval cut-out. The front room\nmantelpiece is the same in detail as that in the rear except\nthat it is one inch wider.\n(See HABS DC-83, sheet 9--measured drawing.)\nAnother fireplace of the second quarter of the nineteenth\ncentury appears in the rear room of the basement. It also\nhas a slate facing and a slate hearth but is trimmed by an\nunusual \"eared\" enframement and detached mantel shelf.\nAbove the fireplace between the top of the opening and the\ntrim mould is a central geometric cut-out feature block.\n(See HABS DC-83, sheet 8--measured drawing.)\nModern central heating has radiator units in each room.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: The structure faces on a\nresidential street near Georgetown University and across the\nstreet from the Convent of the Visitation.\nEnclosures: The rear yard is completely surrounded by a\nwooden fence. On the east at the south elevation there is\nan approximately seven foot retaining wall topped by an\napproximately five foot wooden fence.\nOutbuildings: A modern two-story guest house and garage has\nbeen built at the northwest corner of the lot, and at the\ncenter of the south end of the lot there is a one story modern\nstorage shed.\n134\nTERESA FENWICK HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-83 (Page 19)\nWalks: The house abuts a concrete walk approximately four feet\nfrom the north facade. In the rear yard a flagstone patio has\nbeen built to the south and west. In addition a brick circumfer-\nential walk recently has been built around the rear yard\napproximately twelve feet from the wood fences.\nLandscaping: The rear yard has a lawn inside the brick walk\nand a series of shrubs and large and small trees between the\nwalk and the fence.\nAt the front a large tree stands at the curb at about the middle\nof the elevation.\nPrepared by: William P. Thompson\nArchitect\nHistoric American\nBuildings Survey\n135\nOX\n136\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-191\nBROWN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1404 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 55 Fayette Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on old Lot 99,\nSquare 77 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 847\nin Square 1247 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\n1791\nOwner in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. William Earle Bradley\nOccupant in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. William Earle Bradley\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nThis free-standing town house is one of\nthe earliest in the west end of George-\ntown. It has been carefully restored\nto maintain many of the original details\nwhile unobtrusively providing modern\nconveniences.\n137\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1791-1815\nIn 1791 John Threlkeld sold Lot 99 to his first cousin, Dr.\nWilliam Brown, physician of physic, of Alexandria, Virginia.\n(1) Mary Brown Hopkins Threlkeld, the mother of John, and\nReverend Richard Brown, the father of Dr. William Brown,\nwere brother and sister.\nThe Browns of Virginia came of a distinguished Scottish\nfamily. Dr. William Brown was a grandson of Dr. Gustavus\nBrown, also a physician, who came to Maryland at age nine-\nteen in 1708 as a ships surgeon and remained in the Colony\nto practice medicine and found one of Virginia's first\nfamilies.\nDr. Gustavus Brown had thirteen children. His eldest son,\nthe Reverend Richard Brown, was educated at the University\nof Edinburgh and ordained in the Church of England July 9,\n1750 by the Lord Bishop of London. While in Scotland he\nmarried Helen Bailey, a Scottish lady, the first of his\nthree wives. Their second son was Dr. William Brown.\nThough born in Scotland while his father was a student\nthere, Dr. William Brown's early education was at King\nand Queen parish, St. Mary's County, Maryland. His\nparents then sent him to Scotland where his grandfather\nowned lands. In 1770 he received his M.D. at the\nUniversity of Edinburgh with the thesis \"De Viribus\nAtmosphurae.\" (2) Returning to Virginia he settled in\nAlexandria and married his cousin, Catherine Scott,\nwhose father was the Reverend James Scott, an Episcopal\nRector in Virginia. (3)\n138\nof the Request of William Brown the following Quo was Recorded this 16\" day of\nMay 1791 Jowit This Indenture mass this Signature day of May One Thougato geven\nHaundred and ninety One Beliveen John Threlkets of Montgomery County 4 State' of cleary.\nland of the One' gart 2 William Chonn Physician of Alexytionia and State of Virginia\nof the Wha gant Witneforth Meat the fair John Threlhets for and \" Confideration of the\nfun of five Phillingo to him in Hand quio the Occeipt whereof is hereby acknowloged\nthe fair William Brown discharge from Every eart and parcel thereof Math given\nfill alien unto hun the faid William Brown his Mouro and Morgno lower\ngranted bargaines gots almod 2 banfirmed by there profento doth give grant barg am\nall hio the faid John Thanketoo right tille Internot lann on' Demand to that Soll on'\ngareet of ground in oad Thacketoo Addition to George Soun known Y) Distingmotics\nby Mumber Minety mind reference to the Platt being Piar will more fully appearidageMics\n\"In 1791 John Threlkeld sold Lot 99 to his first cousin, Dr.\nWilliam Brown, physician of physic, of Alexandria, Virginia.\"\nPortion of Threlkeld--Brown Deed of 16 May, 1791 (Land Records,\nMontgomery County Courthouse, Rockville, Maryland)\n139\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 3)\nYoung Dr. Brown courted Catherine at Mount Vernon. She\nwas related to Hannah Bushrod, wife of John Augustine\nWashington, a brother of George. George Washington's\ndiary records that he returned to his Virginia estate to\nfind Dr. Brown a visitor. After William and Catherine's\nmarriage they rented George Washington's house in\nAlexandria, Virginia. Washington's cash accounts record\nan item of sixty pounds for a year's rent paid the\ngeneral by the young doctor.\nDr. Brown was one of the gallant Virginians who support-\ned Washington in the American Revolution. He served\nfrom September to December 1776 as surgeon to the Second\nVirginia Regiment under Colonel Woodford. Congress then\nappointed him on recommendation of Dr. Hugh Mercer to\nsucceed Dr. Benjamin Rush as Surgeon-General to the\nMiddle Department of the Army on May 13, 1777. On\nFebruary 6, 1778 he became Physician and Director-Gen-\neral \" to superintend the practice of physick in the\nArmy Hospitals \" (4)\nDuring this time Dr. Brown wrote in Latin the first\nAmerican pharmacopia, now a rare book. His work was\nbased upon the Scottish pharmacopia and intended for\nuse in the colonial army hospitals where drugs were\nscarce at the time. (5) In 1780 he resigned from the\nArmy because of İll health induced by his military\nexposure.\nNot entitled to the military bounty lands because\nhe had not served the required period, the Virginian\nand his services were held in such esteem that the\ngrant was given in a special resolution. His share\namounted to seven thousand acres of land in the\nwestern country. (6)\nAfter retiring from military service the Virginia doctor\nreturned to Alexandria where he lived and practiced\nmedicine. About 1791 Dr. Brown entered into a partner-\nship with Dr. Gustavus B. Campbell for carrying on\nthe practice of Phisick and the business of selling\ndrugs...\" \" (7) In the spring and summer of the same\n140\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 4)\nyear he purchased the site in Georgetown from his cousin,\nJohn Threlkeld, and built Brown House. The Virginia\nphysician evidently intended to reside, at least part\ntime, in the Federal city to be, but there is no documentary\nevidence that he ever occupied his Georgetown house. The\ndeed for Lot 99 was recorded in May 1791. In that same year\nthe relatively young man wrote: \"In the name of God, Amen.\nI, William Brown, phisician\nafflicted by a disorder of\nuncertain event\ndeclare the above written in my own hand\nto be my last Will.'\nDr. Brown died in Alexandria on January 11, 1792. He was\nburied at \"Preston,\" the estate of his kinsman, Charles\nAlexander, with this inscription on his tomb:\n\"In Memory of\nWILLIAM BROWN M.D.\n(Formerly Physician General\nof the Hospitals of the United States)\nwho died on the 11th of Jan. 1792\nin the 44th Year of his Age\nthis TABLET is inscribed\nby\nhis affectionate & afflicted widow.\nHis zeal and fidelity as a patriot,\nhis patience, diligence & skill as a physician,\nhis benevolence, curtesy & integrity as a Man\nSecured him\nthe applause of his Country,\nhonor & emoluments of his Profession,\nthe respect of the wealthy\nand\nthe veneration of the poor.\nLET\nthe grateful witness of his virtues in domestic Life\nAdd\nthat as a Husband, Father & Master\nhe was tender, instructive E humane,\nthat he lived without guile\nand died without reproach!\"\n141\nIn the of God, Amen.\nJ William Brown of the Soun of Alexandria in Verginia phise\ncan bring of saindjudgment and understanding as in my or\ntenary stite of health but afflicted with a discrder of uncertain event\ndo for the more satisfactory disposition of my worldly affairs make\n\" 'In the name of God, Amen. I William Brown of the\nTown of Alexandria in Virginia phisician being of sound\njudgment and understanding as in my ordinary state of\nhealth, but afflicted with a disorder of uncertain\nevent do for the more satisfactory disposition of\nmy worldly affairs make \" Will of Dr.\nWilliam Brown (Virginia State Library, Richmond,\nVirginia)\nDarsett County. Anayland, also le my sell Gustavus my house and\nJoH in Threthelds addition to Georgeleven 11\" Mi all the appurtenance,\nand whereas have only h. John Shuthela's Pren'o to make me \"\nsufficient Dico for said LoH is Land, 8 do Aesire that said Decd may\nforthwith oblaince accordengly from it's Thicketo, and request him\nto marest to mu ven Gustavus. If after settlement of my fu isonal\n\"\nalso to my son Gustavus my house and Lott in\nThrelkeld's Addition to Georgetown with all the\nappurtenances \" Will of Dr. William Brown\n(Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia)\n142\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 5)\nAbout 1916 when the Pennsylvania Railroad desired the site to\naccommodate increasing traffic and Dr. Brown's grave was re-\nlocated at Pohick Church cemetery in Virginia, it was recorded\nthat Dr. Brown's skeleton remained in perfect condition. He\nhad been interred in his Continental uniform, the buff and the\nblue, the buttons still shining, his white kid gloves (though\nbrown with time) on his hands, a ribbon decoration on his\nbreast, with his sword by his side. (8)\nGustavus, the youngest son, was bequeathed the quarter in\nFairfax County and \"...also to my son Gustavus my house and\nLott in Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown with all the\nappurtenances M (9)\nCatherine Brown, although quite young when her husband died,\nnever remarried and eventually went to live in Fairfax County,\npresumably on the quarter near Ravensworth where she died in\n1813. The tax records for Georgetown show that Catherine\nBrown paid the taxes for the house on Fayette Street in 1808\nalthough her son, Gustavus Alexander Brown, was the legal\nowner. (10)\nWho occupied Brown House during the twenty-three years between\n1792 and 1815 is still an historical mystery. Since housing\nwas in great demand while the Federal city was being constructed,\nit seems not unreasonable to believe the house was a rented\nproperty.\n1815-1819\nGustavus Alexander Brown of Alexandria, Virginia, sold the house\nin 1815 to his second cousin's husband, Dr. William Grayson, Jr.\nof Georgetown, who had married Mary, eldest daughter of John\nThrelkeld. Presumably they occupied the house until their estate\nwas completed. In 1816 Dr. Grayson sold Lot 99 on which is\nerected a two-story brick house with attic...\" and Lot 100 as\nwell to John W. Bronaugh, formerly a Virginia planter.\n143\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 6)\nIn February of 1810 Bronaugh had advertised in the Alexandria\nGazette \"Mount Air,\" his seven-hundred-acre plantation\nlocated nine miles south of Alexandria on the Post Road, and\nhis three-hundred-acre island in the \"Potomack\" twenty miles\nabove Georgetown. (11) John Bronaugh also purchased Lots 101,\n102, 103 and 110 from John Threlkeld, thus acquiring one half\nof the present Square 1247. Heavily in debt to many in George-\ntown, Bronaugh sold Brown House in 1819 at public auction to\nJoseph Jackson, a Georgetown grocer living on Bridge Street\n(now M Street). (12)\n1819-1854\nOwnership of the property passed from Joseph Jackson, after\nhis death in 1831, to his widow Rebecca with an uncon-\ntrolled power of disposing same pa Twenty years later\nWilliam O'Brien, owner of a shoe store at 159 Bridge Street\n(now M Street), purchased the house from Rebecca Jackson. (13)\nResearch has not revealed what use O'Brien made of 55 Fayette\nStreet, for he never resided at this address.\n1854-1881\nIn 1854 Mary Bibb purchased Brown House. Mary Bibb was the\nformer Mrs. Dyer who married Judge George Motier Bibb in\nWashington, D.C. in 1832. George Bibb came from Kentucky,\nwhere he had spent thirteen years as Chief Justice of the\nKentucky Court of Appeals, to serve nine years in the U.S.\nSenate. In 1844 he was Secretary of the Treasury under\nPresident Tyler. After his service in the Federal government\nGeorge Bibb remained in the Capital to practice law. Judge\nBibb was known as a fine scholar and a mathematician. He\nwas a personage of many accomplishments both in his career\nand in his interests. He enjoyed gardening and developed\na variety of lettuce, now popularly known as \"Bibb lettuce.\"\n(14)\n144\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 7)\nGeorge and Mary Bibb had five children; George Bibb had twelve\nchildren by his first marriage. (15) If the whole family had\nlived in Brown House, it would have been full indeed! Perhaps\nthe Bibb family also occupied the house they owned just to\nthe north of Brown House at 59 Fayette Street (now 1408 35th\nStreet).\nAfter Judge Bibb's death in 1859 his wife, Mary, and the family\ncontinued to live at 55 Fayette Street until the Civil War.\nThe next occupants were the Joseph Bartons who rented the house\nuntil 1868. (16) Mr. Barton was an official with the Treasury\nDepartment; it was reported that the marriage of \"his beautiful\nand talented daughter\" to the son of Baron de Bodisco was one\nof the social events of the year 1865, \"attended by Cabinet\nofficers and foreign diplomats.\" (17)\nWilliam T. Herron, a contractor who had built and lived in\nthe mansion on the corner one block north at Third (now P\nStreet) and Fayette (now 35th Street), moved into Brown House\nwith his family in 1869. (18) However, he did not remain\nlong, for the next year he was living on \"2nd near Frederick.\"\nIn 1871, still living on Second (now 0 Street), he opened a\nwholesale and retail grocery business on the southeast corner\nof High (now Wisconsin Avenue) and Bridge (now M Street) as\na successor to William H. Tenney. (19)\nWhen Mary Bibb died in 1875 Brown House passed to her son,\nGeorge Laurence Alexander Dyer. He held the property for six\nyears and in 1881 sold it to Rebecca Martin, a clerk in the\nTreasury Department.\n1881-1940\nRebecca Martin died in 1885. Her Will devised the property to\nher parents, James and Jane Martin, for the duration of their\nlives, and thereafter to her sisters, Lavinnia Patterson, wife\nof John T. Patterson, and Sarah E. Reynolds, wife of Dr. Walter\nReynolds. James and Jane Martin lived at 1404 35th Street for\nfourteen years, from 1882 until 1896. James Martin was a\n145\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 8)\nshoemaker with a shop at various addresses on Bridge Street\n(now M Street) from 1876 until 1886. (20) Occupancy of\nBrown House between 1897 and 1917 has not been determined.\nHowever, Lavinnia Patterson, widow, is listed in the\nWashington City Directory as residing at 1404 35th Street\nfrom 1917 to 1940, the year she died. (21)\n1941-1951\nIn 1941 Susan Jay (Mrs. Peter Jay) purchased Brown House as\nan investment. Mrs. Margaret Weller was commissioned by\nMrs. Jay to restore the house during the summer of 1941.\nMrs. Weller stated that at the time of the Jay purchase the\nhouse had neither plumbing nor heating other than the five\nwood-burning fireplaces. She further added that the present\narchitectural details were those she found in 1941. At the\ntime of Mrs. Weller's initial inspection two very aged ladies\noccupied the house, keeping warm by the open fire on the\nfirst floor (now the dining room).\nThe Jay restoration consisted of installing bathrooms at\nthe ends of the third and fourth floor hallways and installing\na coat closet and powder room at the end of the second floor\nhall in the rear by raising the brick walls above what had\nbeen the \"out-house\" at the first floor back, still in use\nin 1941! (22) During World War II Mrs. Jay's daughter (now\nMrs. Joseph Alsop) lived in the house for about two years.\nThen it was rented to a series of tenants until 1951 when\nit was sold. (23)\n1951-1969\nAt that time Mr. and Mrs. Graham Parsons bought the house and\nheld it for four and a half years. In 1956 they sold it to\nMr. and Mrs. Armand Harkless. Neither the Parsons nor the\nHarklesses lived in the house. Three years later, in 1959,\nthe Harklesses deeded the property to Mrs. Harkless's daughter,\nMarie E. Mongan, who sold it a few months later to Mr. and\nMrs. William Earle Bradley. Careful maintenance in harmony\nwith the eighteenth-century original has been undertaken by\nthe present owners to preserve this early structure.\n146\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 9)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1791\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed May 16, 1791\nto\nRecorded May 16, 1791\nWilliam Brown\nMontgomery County, Md.\nLiber D-4, folio 598\n1792\nWilliam Brown dies\nWill and Codicil November\nJanuary 11, 1792.\n24, 1791\nProbated July 19, 1792\nArlington County\nRecords 1786-1800, Wills\n(Virginia State Library,\nRichmond, Virginia)\n1815\nGustavus A. Brown\nDeed October 30, 1815\nto\nRecorded December 28, 1815\nWilliam Grayson\nLiber AK-35, folio 420\n\"Conveys a certain 2-story brick house and\nlot known as No. 99 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown..\n\"\n147\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 10)\n1816\nWilliam Grayson\nDeed September 18, 1815\nto\nRecorded October 18, 1816\nJohn W. Bronaugh\nLiber AM-37, folio 19\n1819\nJohn W. Bronaugh\nDeed in Trust January 23, 1819\nto\nRecorded June 11, 1819\nThomas G. Muncure\nLiber AV-46, folio 58\nRobert Kerby & William Clagett vs. John Bronaugh\nJames Melvin vs. John Bronaugh\nCharles B. Robertson & Joseph Jackson vs. John\nBronaugh\nLeonard M. Deakins & Thomas Cramplin vs. John\nBronaugh\n\"...to secure payment of all fees and costs due by\ndefendant within 30 days, and if not then paid the\nproperty conveyed in trust which is to be the house\nand lot of defendant on Fayette Street in Georgetown,\nto be then sold after a week's notice by advertise-\nment in the Messenger to the highest bidder for cash\nand the money to be applied as aforesaid, expenses of\nsale and reasonable commission to trustee to be first\ndeducted from purchase money and the balance after\npaying as above to be paid to said Bronaugh.\"\nThomas G. Muncure, Trustee\nDeed June 14, 1819\nto\nRecorded July 3, 1819\nJoseph Jackson\nLiber AV-46, folio 171\n148\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 11)\n1831\nJoseph Jackson dies,\nWill September 22, 1826\ndevises to wife Rachael\nProbated May 30, 1831\nall real and personal\nWill Book 4, page 86\nproperty, with an uncon-\nAdministration 8592\ntrolled power of disposing\nof same.\n1851\nRachael Jackson\nDeed June 26, 1851\nto\nRecorded July 2, 1851\nWilliam O'Brien\nLiber JAS 26, folio 30\n1853\nWilliam O'Brien\nTrust April 7, 1853\nto\nRecorded April 15, 1853\nRichard P. Jackson\nLiber JAS 53, folio 498\nSecures Thomas J. Magruder $1695.80, power\nto sell or default in payment.\n1854\nRichard P. Jackson, 1st\nDeed in Trust June 27, 1854\nparty\nRecorded December 21, 1875\nWilliam O'Brien et ux\nLiber 809, folio 7\nMary, 2nd party\nMary R. Bibb (wife of\nGeorge M.), 3rd party\nto\nLewis Carberry, 4th party\n149\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 12)\nRecites that party of first part has sold property\n(agreeably to directions in deed of April 7, 1853)\nto party of third part in trust for the sole and\nseparate use of said party of the third part and\nto permit her to occupy and enjoy the same and\nreceive the rents and profits thereof free from the\ncontrol or intermeddling of her present or any fu-\nture husband and without being liable for his debts\nor engagements.\n1875\nMary R. Bibb dies, de-\nWill October 8, 1874\nvises property to her\nProbated October 19, 1875\nson, George Laurence\nWill Book 19, page 142\nAlexander Dyer, for\nand during his natural\nlife and then to George\nAlphonsus Dyer, his\npresent child, and any\nother children born to him.\n1881\nRichard P. Jackson,\nDeed September 20, 1881\nTrustee, 1st party\nRecorded October 4, 1881\nGeorge A. Dyer, 2nd\nLiber 985, folio 141\nparty\nto\nRebecca A. Martin, 3rd\nparty\nRecites that by Decree in Equity of the Supreme\nCourt of the District of Columbia #7679 (passed\nSeptember 15, 1881) in which George A. Dyer was\nplaintiff and Shoemaker et al defendants--\nRichard P. Jackson was appointed trustee in place\nof Lewis Carberry, deceased--premises sold to\npart of third part,\n150\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 13)\n1885\nRebecca A. Martin dies\nWill September 30, 1884\nFebruary 21, 1885.\nProbated May 22, 1885\nWill Book 22, page 195\nAdministration 1975\nDevises property to her mother and father\n(James and Jane E. Martin) during their\nnatural lives and upon death of both to\nher sisters, Lavinnia Patterson and Sarah\nE. Reynolds.\n1941\nFrank M. Young and\nDeed May 21, 1941\nwife, Ruth E.\nRecorded June 9, 1941\nJames E. Young,\nLiber 7625, folio 185\nunmarried\n(devisees under Will\nof Lavinnia Patterson)\nMary Elizabeth Reynolds\nElsie V. Reynolds\nWalter Martin Reynolds & wife,\nLillian\nLelia R. Metzger (formerly Lelia\nRebecca Reynolds)\n(sold heirs at law of Sarah\nE. Reynolds)\nto\nSusan Jay\n1951\nSusan Jay\nDeed May 7, 1951\nto\nRecorded June 21, 1951\nJames Graham Parsons\nLiber 9496, folio 56\nand wife, Margaret\nJ., tenants by the\nentirety\n151\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 14)\n1956\nJames Graham Parsons\nDeed January 31, 1956\nand wife, Margaret J.\nRecorded February 29, 1956\nto\nLiber 10611, folio 449\nArmand W. Harkless and\nwife, Lucille E.,\ntenants by the entirety\n1957\nArmand W. Harkless and\nDeed November 5, 1957\nwife, Lucille\nRecorded November 13, 1957\nto\nLiber 10952, folio 293\nLouise M. Redmond\nLouise M. Redmond\nDeed November 5, 1957\nto\nRecorded November 13, 1957\nLucille Harkless\nLiber 10952, folio 295\n1959\nLucille Harkless and\nDeed March 16, 1959\nhusband, Armand W.\nRecorded April 3, 1959\nto\nLiber 11215, folio 579\nMarie E. Mongan\nMarie E. Mongan and\nDeed August 10, 1959\nWilbur Mongan, her\nRecorded August 26, 1959\nhusband\nLiber 11297, folio 89\nto\nWilliam Earle Bradley and\nVirginia Meyer Bradley,\nhis wife\n152\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 15)\nReferences\n1. Land Title Records. Montgomery County, Rockville,\nMaryland, Liber D-4, folio 598.\n2. Hayden, Horace Edwin, Virginia Genealogies. Wilkes-Barre,\nPennsylvania: E. B. Yordy, copyright 1885, printed 1891.\nReprinted, Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company,\n1959.\n3. Meade, Right Reverend William, Old Churches, Ministers and\nFamilies of Virginia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. B.\nLippincott, 1912. 2 volumes.\n4. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:\nCharles Scribner's Sons, 1929, Vol. III, p. 157.\n5. Chapman, Sismunda Mary Frances, Alexander, Brown, Chapman\nand Associated Families. Richmond, Virginia: Privately\nprinted by Dietz Printing Company, 1946.\n6. Journal of the House of Delegates of Virginia. October\nSession, 1782, p. 11 and P. 24.\n7. Arlington County, Complete Records, 1786-1800. \"Wills,\nBonds, Inventories,\" Microfilm 0100, Richmond, Virginia:\nVirginia State Library, pp. 59-71.\n153\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 16)\n8. Same reference as #5.\nand\nJournal of the American Pharmaceutical Association.\nVol. XVI, No. II, November 1927, p. 1091.\n9. Same reference as #7.\n10. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, National Archives\nRecord Group 351, Roll 8 (1808-12).\n11. Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia). February 10, 1810,\nNewspaper Reading Room, Serial Division, Library of Congress.\n12. City Directory. 1830, p. 9; 1834, p. 10.\n13. Same reference as #12. 1853, p. 76.\n14. Whitley, Edna Talbott, Kentucky Ante-Bellum Portraiture.\nParis, Kentucky: The National Society of Colonial Dames\nof America in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1956, PP. 328-\n329.\n15. Same reference as #4. Vol. 2, p. 235.\n16. Same reference as #12. 1864, p. 294; 1868, p. 98.\n17. Georgetown, D.C., Clippings from newspapers and magazines.\nCompiled by Washingtoniana Division, Public Library,\nWashington, D.C., 1936 to present. 5 volumes.\n18. Same reference as #12. 1867, p. 313; 1868, p. 108; 1869,\np. 82.\n154\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 17)\n19. Same reference as #12. 1870, p. 454; 1872, p. 510.\n20. Same reference as #12. 1876, p. 372; 1882, p. 511; 1884,\np. 595, p. 596; 1886, p. 588; 1896, p. 653.\n21. Same reference as #12. 1917, p. 945; 1940, p. 1013.\n22. Conversations with Mrs. Margaret Weller, 4000 Cathedral\nAvenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n23. Conversations with Mrs. Peter Jay, 1611 29th Street, N.W.,\nWashington, D.C.\n155\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 18)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A late eighteenth-century house re-\ntaining many original details despite modernizations by suc-\ncessive owners. The unusually high basement and the proximity\nto the street give the house a towering effect.\nCondition of fabric: Both exterior and interior are in very\ngood condition and are well-maintained. Mid-twentieth\ncentury kitchen and bathrooms have been unobtrusively inte-\ngrated into the existing structure.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 20 by 30 feet. Three bays\nacross 35th Street facade. Two stories high with unusually\nhigh basement and large finished attic story. Small rectan-\ngular two-story addition on rear.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Brick with later stucco covering.\nChimneys: Two on south side; no exterior projections.\n156\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 19)\nOpenings:\nDoorways and doors: Main entry door in north\nbay of east front is six panelled with four-\nlight transom, panelled reveals, smooth pilasters\neach side, and large entablature. Service door\nto basement kitchen is at east end of south wall\n(possibly beneath main entry originally?) One\nfurther door in small rear addition from terrace\nto basement dining room.\nWindows and shutters: With the exception of wood\ncasement windows in attic, windows are generally\ndouble-hung wood sash. The basement has 6 over 6\nsash as do the first and second floors. The attic\nhas two single-leaf casement windows on the south\nside and double-hung wood 6 over 6 sash in east\nand west dormers. Most windows have louvered\nshutters although only one original wrought-iron\nhold-back remains; others are cast iron.\nPorches: Twelve granite steps curve up to a 6'-0\" by 6'-0\"\nlanding at front door, supported by two square columns of the\nsame material. The handrail is of wrought iron in a simple\nornamental design. This entire construction appears to be\nof slightly later date than the original house.\nRoof:\nShape, covering: Gable with ridge running north-\nsouth; standing-seam metal cover.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Simple box cornice with ogee and bed-\nmould returned on itself; hanging metal gutter.\nDormers: Wood, metal roof.\n157\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 20)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plans: First floor has side hall on north, double parlor\non south; stair is in rear (west) of hall separated from entry\narea by an archway; powder room in modern addition at rear of\nhall. Second floor has two bedrooms on south side, bath at\neast end of hall, stair at west end. Attic has two bedrooms on\nsouth side, bath at east end of hall, stair at west end. Base-\nment has kitchen at southeast corner, dining room at southwest,\nstorage room-laundry at northeast corner, and stairs at north-\nwest corner. Door to rear terrace behind stairs in modern\naddition at rear. There is no partition between stair hall and\ndining room.\nStairways: All runs are closed-string construction with painted\nsquare wood balusters and stained moulded wood rail. The general\ncharacter is simple and direct; much appears to be original.\nFlooring: Wide random-width pine flooring throughout, except\nbasement, where kitchen has resilient floor covering and dining\nroom has carpet.\nWall and ceiling finish: Painted smooth plaster, with some wall-\npaper in bedrooms and dining room.\nDoorways and doors: A variety of late eighteenth- and nineteenth-\ncentury paneled wood doors exist, the earliest being on the\nsecond floor, where the trim is also of an early date. Doors\nand trim on the first floor are slightly later in design and\nare probably replacements. The attic doors are of batten\nconstruction and for the most part are mid-twentieth century\nadditions.\nDecorative features and trim: Door and window trim as noted\nabove. Door and window trim on the second floor shows marked\nrelationship to stair mouldings. Moulded wood cornice in the\nliving room is Georgian in style and is probably a twentieth-\ncentury addition, as are the the archway in the hall and the\nbuilt-in book cases in the living room.\n158\nBROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-191 (Page 21)\nHardware: A variety of iron and brass rimlocks and mortise\nlocks are present, but none is outstanding.\nLighting: All twentieth-century electric fixtures.\nHeating: Twentieth-century boiler in screened area off kitchen,\nand fireplaces.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: East front of house faces 35th\nStreet and is set back only slightly from the public sidewalk.\nThe neighborhood is well-maintained and in character with the\nhouse.\nEnclosures: Across the front of the property is an ornamental\nfence of both wrought iron and cast iron. The rear yard is\nenclosed by a wood fence.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick.\nLandscaping: Simple foundation planting in front; rear yard\nbrick paved.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nOctober 30, 1968\n159\n1306\nthe\n160\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-205\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1306 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 36th Street was Lingan Street,)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n93, Square 56 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 815,\nSquare 1226 in the City of Washington.\nDate of erection:\nBetween 1883-1886\nOwner in 1969:\nMrs. Sylvia P. Williams\nOccupant in 1969:\nMrs. Sylvia P. Williams\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nAlthough the interior of this dwelling\nhas been greatly altered to suit the\ntastes and meet the needs of twentieth-\ncentury occupants, the exterior with\nits elaborate brickwork, characteristic\nof the late nineteenth century, has been\nmaintained. The original builder, a\ncontractor, possibly used his own home\nas a showcase for his talents.\n161\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1824-1830\nJohn Threlkeld, who owned considerable property in Georgetown,\nwas feeling the impact of the economic decline which affected\nmany large landholders in the 1820's. In 1824 Threlkeld placed\na trust with John Baker on some of his property, including\nLot 93 (present Lot 815). Baker was a tanner who in 1830\nlived on Warren Street (now 37th). (1) Four years later he was\nestablished on the east side of Lingan Street (now 36th). (2)\n1830-1879\nIn 1828 Lot 93, among other lots of Threlkeld's, was forfeited\nto meet Threlkeld's indebtedness. Two years later, in 1830,\nLot 93 was bought from John Baker by two brothers, Dennis and\nPatrick O'Donnoghue, for $300. For the next 58 years it re-\nmained in one branch or another of the large and interesting\n0' Donnoghue family.\nIn 1830 Patrick and Dennis were \"tallow chandlers\" at Second\n(now 0) Street near Warren (now 37th) Street. (3) Together and\nseparately they gradually bought a substantial amount of\nproperty in Georgetown, including Lot 93 on Lingan, Lot 83\nadjoining on the corner of Lingan and First (N), and Lot 84\nadjoining on the west, fronting on N Street. Their soap\nfactory was on Lot 83, adjacent to present 1306 36th Street.\n(4)\n162\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 3)\nBy 1847 Dennis had died without leaving a Will. His widow,\nSarah, and four minor children (Peter, Mary, Patrick, and\nDennis) inherited the property. (5) Sarah was entitled dur-\ning her lifetime to one-third of the estate, which consisted\nof half of the joint holdings of her late husband and his\nbrother, Patrick. The four children each inherited one-\nfourth of the remaining two-thirds of their father's share\nof the property.\nGradually, as the children grew up, they sold their portion\nof the property to their uncle, Patrick, although Dennis'\nson, Patrick, exchanged his interest for some property his\nuncle owned at Bridge (now M) Street and Green (now 29th)\nStreet. In 1866 Sarah, who later married Laurence Leavy\nand had been widowed again, sold to her brother-in-law,\nPatrick, for $1300 her dower rights to Lots 93, 83, and 84\non Lingan and First Streets as well as three other lots\nin Georgetown.\nThe O'Donnoghue clan occupied homes and ran businesses in\nmuch of the nearby area. Clusters of property belonging\nto the O'Donnoghues are found from Third (now P) Street\nand Lingan (now 36th) to the shores of the Potomac. Some\nof the property held by the O'Donnoghues extended to Beall's\nAddition and Holmead's Addition, both east of present\nWisconsin Avenue. (6)\nThe economic rise of the O'Donnoghue family is one more\nexample of immigrants who settled in Georgetown and by\ntheir own efforts rose from simple beginnings to become\nprosperous citizens and substantial landholders.\nIn fact, the O'Donnoghues expanded their business beyond\nGeorgetown. In 1843 Dennis and Patrick also owned a \"Soap\nand Candle Manufactory\" on the north side of G Street be-\ntween 4th and 5th Streets. Various members of the\n'Donnoghue family worked in the factory until 1862. (7)\nSome of them lived in the same building in which the factory\nwas housed.\n163\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 4)\nTimothy O'Donnoghue, another member of the family, was in\nthe soap and candle manufacturing business also. In 1853\nTimothy's factory was on the south side of First Street and\nin 1858 it was listed as \"Timothy O'Donnoghue & Son (James)\nsoap and candle manufacturers\" at the corner of First and\nLingan Streets. (8) John, another O'Donnoghue, was listed\nas a soap chandler at 105 Second (now 0) Street in 1855. (9)\nIt is interesting to note that the O'Donnoghues generally\nemployed their relatives, a common practice among families\nwho emigrated to Georgetown in the early and middle nineteenth\ncentury.\nAfter the Civil War, some of the O'Donnoghues moved on to\nwhite collar employment as teachers, while others earned\na living as millers, grocers, or butchers. (10) A few\ncontinued to work as laborers, tinners, etc. (11)\n1879-1888\nIn June 1879 Patrick O'Donnoghue, brother of Dennis, deceased,\nsold the southern part of Lot 93, 30 feet fronting on Lingan\nStreet by 120 feet deep (which is the present Lot 815) for\n$450 to Charles McCarthy, a shoemaker at 128 Second Street.\nPatrick had been having financial difficulties and apparently\nthe sale to McCarthy was an effort to realize a profit on\nsome of his property while staving off possible seizure of\nhis property by a U.S. Marshal. Or it is possible that McCarthy,\na neighbor, was obliging Patrick by making a \"straw\" purchase\nthat would then revert to O'Donnoghue.\nIn any event, the ruse was unsuccessful, for the following year\na part of his property, both the site of his former soap factory\nand\nthe southern half of Lot 93 (present Lot 815), earlier\n\"purchased\" by McCarthy, were sold by a U.S. Marshal to Jane\nE. Brooke for $360. She at once conveyed the lots back to\nPatrick O'Donnoghue.\n164\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 5)\nPatrick then became involved in lengthy litigation in an\neffort to hold on to the property; but, in 1883 a court\norder forced him to sell the south half of Lot 93 (the\npresent Lot 815). It was purchased by Carroll Daily\n(later spelled \"Daly\") for $27.50 per front foot, a total\nof $9825. However it was not until five years later, in\n1888, that the final deed was conveyed to Daly.\n1888-1929\nDuring the year 1888 Carroll Daly, a contractor, was living\nat 3610 O Street. He and his wife, Margaret, had three sons,\none of whom, Daniel, is recorded as living with them. John,\nanother son, lived across the street at 3609 o Street. Both\nJohn and Daniel were laborers at that time. (12)\nIn 1879 the tax records show no indication of a structure on\nLot 93 where 1306 36th Street now is located. (13) On the\nHopkins map of 1887 there is a brick house and frame stable,\nwith the same dimensions as the present structures on the\nsite. (14) It is probable that Carroll Daly, a contractor\nwhose sons were skilled in construction work, built the\npresent structure on the land he had bought in 1883. He\nand his family moved into 1306 36th Street and lived there\nfor many years.\nThere is no record in 1888 of where William, the third son,\nlived, although ten years later William is listed as a\nclerk living at 1306 36th Street. (15) William lived in\nthe house with his parents, while his brother John is\nlisted as living at 3610 O Street, although the word \"stable\"\nat his parents' address also appears beside his name. At\nthe time John and his brother Daniel were firemen.\n(16)\nBy the turn of the century Carroll Daly had become a\n\"driver.\" He lived in the house with his wife until his\ndeath in February 1904. (17) At the time of his death he\nowned, besides the house he was living in, a brick house on\nthe southwest corner of 36th and 0 Streets.\n165\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 6)\nCarroll died in 1904 without leaving a Will. He was survived\nby his wife, 70 years old, and his three sons. The real\nestate descended to the children. The two homes were occupied\nby the widow and two of the sons, John and William, who also\nrented out rooms in their homes. Daniel, the third son, re-\nceived no income from the rentals, so brought court action\nagainst his mother and two brothers. Since the two houses\nwere not adjoining, and therefore could not be partitioned,\nDaniel requested that the real estate be sold and the funds\nbe divided among the four Dalys. (18)\nIn 1904 the court ordered sale of the property. Daniel Daly\nbought the south 30 feet of Lot 93, 1306 36th Street, for\n$3100 and \"assigned\" it to his wife, Margaret.\nDaniel Daly and his family later moved into the house. (19)\nIn 1921, Margaret died, leaving no Will. She was survived\nby her husband, Dnniel, and four children, all heirs-at-law.\nDaniel continued to live at 1306 36th Street until 1926 when\nhe and two of his sons moved to 2011 Park Road, N.W. and\nrented the 36th Street house. (20)\n1929-1969\nIn 1929 Daly and his children sold the house to Charles D. Wise,\nan iron worker who later became a bricklayer. (21) Wise and\nhis wife occupied the house. After her death Wise sold the house.\nIn 1941 it was purchased by Jean L. Rehbock, Director of Berlitz\nSchools of Languages, and was occupied by him and Hazel, his\nwife. (22) The Rehbocks remodeled the house estensively during\ntheir tenancy.\nSix and a half years later they sold it to Robert P. Williams,\nJr. and his wife, Sylvia Williams. Mr. Williams, who was with\nthe Rheems Manufacturing Co., died in 1958, leaving the house\nto his wife, who presently occupies it.\n166\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 7)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1824\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed in Trust December\nto\n17, 1824\nJohn Baker\nRecorded June 13, 1825\nLiber W.B. 14, folio 30\nLot 93 and other property\n1828\nTench Ringgold\nDeed December 4, 1828\nU.S. Marshal\nRecorded December 4, 1828\nto\nLiber W.B. 20, folio 644\nClement Smith\nLot 93, among other property of John Threlkeld's,\nwas seized and sold by a Marshall of the Court on\nthe basis of a \"writ of fieri facias\" (a writ of\nexecution commanding the sheriff to levy and make\nthe amount of a judgement from the goods and chat-\ntels of the judgement debtor). Property was bought\nby Clement Cox as agent for Clement Smith.\n167\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 8)\n1830\nJohn Baker\nDeed March 19, 1830\nto\nRecorded April 14, 1830\nDennis O'Donnoghue\nLiber W.B. 29, folio 465\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\ntenants in common\nLot 93 was sold for $300 under Trust from John\nThrelkeld dated December 17, 1824. \"John\nThrelkeld and Edward Davis assent to sale.\"\nThis sale \"...extinguishes above sale of\nDecember 4, 1828.\"\nBetween 1830 and 1847\nDennis O'Donnoghue\nAdministration #3, folio 768\ndied intestate. He\nGuardian Docket 2, folios 730,\nwas survived by his\n750, 751, 752, 753\nwidow, Sarah (later the\nwife of Lawrence Leavy),\nand four children:\nPeter - - age 13\nMary - - age 9 (later married to\nFrancis Harper)\nPatrick - age 7\nDennis - age 4\nThe widow and children were heirs-at-law.\n1852\nPeter O'Donnoghue, Jr. and\nDeed October 22, 1852\nwife, Rebecca C.F.\nRecorded November 30, 1852\nto\nLiber JAS 48, folio 358\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nPeter, son of deceased Dennis, sold all of his\ninterest (one-fourth of one-half of the property)\nto his uncle.\n168\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 9)\n1856\nFrancis Harper and\nDeed May 9, 1856\nwife, Mary (formerly\nRecorded August 3, 1856\nMary O'Donnoghue,\nLiber JAS 160, folio 328\ndaughter of Dennis)\nto\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nThe Harpers sold their interest in the property\nleft by Dennis, which is one-fourth of two-thirds\nof one-half of the property which Dennis (father)\nand Patrick (uncle) owned. Since the mother was\nstill living, she was entitled to one-third of\nher late husband's estate during her lifetime.\nThis deed, therefore, sells any residuary rights\nthat would descend to the daughter, Mary, on\nher mother's death.\n1862\nDennis O'Donnoghue and\nDeed February 20, 1862\nwife, Genevieve\nRecorded November 12, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 49, folio 272\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nDennis (son of Dennis, deceased) sold all his\ninterest (which was one-fourth of one-half) of\nthe property owned by his father and uncle.\nHe included all reversionary right in the widow's\ndower (which would have descended to him on his\nmother's death).\n169\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 10)\n1866\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nDeed of Exchange\n(brother of Dennis,\nSeptember 10, 1866\ndeceased) and wife,\nRecorded January 25, 1867\nAnn E.\nto\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\n(son of Dennis, deceased)\nPatrick and Ann gave to their nephew, Patrick, parts\nof Lots 183 and 185 in Beall's Addition to George-\ntown (at corner of Bridge [M] St. and Green [29th]\nSt.) in exchange for which Patrick, son of Dennis,\ndeceased, gave his uncle and aunt all of his interdst\n(which was one-fourth of one-half) of the property\nhe had inherited from his father (Lots 83, 84, and\n93 in Threlkeld's Addition) including the rights to\nthe property that would descend to him after his\nmother's death.\nSarah Leavy (widow of\nDeed of Dower Rights\nLaurence Leavy and\nAugust 27, 1866\nbefore that widow\nRecorded January 25, 1867\nof Dennis O'Donnoghue)\nLiber RMH 24, folio 22\nto\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\n(brother of Dennis,\ndeceased)\nSarah sold all dower right to\nseveral pieces of property, one\nof which was Lot 93, by convey-\ning all dower right in same.\n170\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 11)\n1879\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nDeed June 6, 1879\nto\nRecorded June 10, 1879\nCharles McCarthy\nLiber 911, folio 484\nPatrick sold part of Lot 93, the\nsouth thirty feet on Lingan (36th)\nSt. by one hundred twenty feet deep\n(present Lot 815) for $450.\n1880\nFrederick Douglass\nDeed August 24, 1880\n(U.S. Marshall, D.C.)\nRecorded December 22, 1880\nto\nLiber 956, folio 377\nJane E. Brooke\nAll title and interest of O'Donnoghue in Lot 85\nand the south half of Lot 93 (present Lot 815)\nin Square 56, Threlkeld's Addition, was seized\nunder \"fieri facias\" writ. Ordered by Supreme\nCourt of D.C. (Equity Cause 7178, July 30, 1880),\nthe lots were sold by the U.S. Marshall to Jane\nE. Brooke for $360. She conveyed the deed to\nO'Donnoghue.\nJane E. Brooke\nDeed December 18, 1880\nto\nRecorded December 22, 1880\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nLiber 956, folio 380\nLots 83, 84, and the south half of Lot 93 in Threlkeld's\nAddition being the same conveyed to the first\nparty by two deeds from the U.S. Marshall on July 6\nand August 24, 1880.\"\n171\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 12)\n1883\nWilliam Lord\nMarch 21, 1883\nW.W. Kirby\nEquity Cause 8429,\nvs.\nDocket 22\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nSupreme Court of D.C.\net al\nThere was a law suit involving several pieces\nof property, including the south half of Lot\n93 (present Lot 815). Part of the court de-\ncision in the lengthy equity case was an order\nto sell the south half of Lot 93 to Carroll\nDaily for $27.50 per front foot--a total of\n$825.\n1888\nL. Cabell Williamson, Tr.\nDeed February 4, 1888\nto\nRecorded February 11, 1888\nCarroll Daily (later\nLiber 1296, folio 497\n\"Daly\")\nSale of property including south half of\nLot 93, order by court decree in Equity\nCause 8429, Docket 22.\n1904\nDaniel Daly (son of\nJune 28, 1904\nCarroll, deceased)\nEquity Cause 24590\nand wife, Margaret\nSupreme Court of D.C.\nvs.\n1. Margaret Daly, widow\n2. John Daly\n3. Josephine, wife of John\n4. William Daly\n172\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 13)\n5. Jesse H. Wilson, Tr.] Liber 2659,\n6. Levin S. Frey, Tr. ] folio 387\n7. Edgar P. Berry, Treas.,\nCitizens Equitable Bldg.\nAssn. of Georgetown\n8. Joseph H. Bradley, Tr.] Liber 2746,\n9. Charles F. Wilson, Tr.] folio 150\n10. Harry W. Blunt, Tr.\n]\nCarroll Daly died February 20, 1904 without leaving a\nWill. Survivors were his wife, 70 years old, and\nthree children: Daniel, John and William. The real\nestate descended to the children. Real estate con-\nsisted of south part of Lot 93 (now Lot 815) and part\nof Lot 90 in same Square, at the southwest corner of\n36th and O Streets. Real estate was \"improved\" by\ntwo brick dwellings, occupied by Margaret, widow, and\nJohn and William, sons, who were collecting rent from\nsome of it, of which Daniel had received none. Since\nthe real estate did not lend itself to partition, re-\nquest was made to sell real estate and divide funds\namong interested parties and that a receiver be appointed\nto manage the estate.\nThe court decreed that the sale be made. Trustees\nwere Michael Colbert and Hugh Taggart. Daniel Daly\nbought the south 30 feet of Lot 93 for $3100. The\ntwo trustees were also paid off.\nMichael J. Colbert, Tr.\nDeed November 18, 1904\nHugh T. Taggart, Tr.\nRecorded November 22, 1904\nDaniel Daly\nLiber 2889, folio 61\nto\nMargaret Daly\nDaniel Daly bought present Lot 815 and\n\"assigned\" it to his wife, Margaret.\n173\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 14)\n1921\nMargaret Daly died August 9, 1921, leaving no Will. Survivors,\nall heirs-at-law, were husband, Daniel, and children:\nCarroll A. Daly\nRaymond A. Donohue\nHelen M. Glock\nMary M. Donohue\n1929\nDaniel Daly, widowed\nDeed March 15, 1929\nCarroll A. Daly, unmarried\nRecorded March 19, 1929\nRaymond A. Donohue, unmarried\nLiber 6299, folio 125\nHelen M. Glock\nMary M. Donohue\nto\nCharles David Wise\nand wife, Susie S.,\ntenants by entirety\n1941\nCharles D. Wise,\nDeed June 16, 1941\nsurviving tenant\nRecorded June 20, 1941\nto\nLiber 7630, folio 168\nJean L. Rehbock\n1948\nJean L. Rehbock and wife\nDeed January 16, 1948\nto\nRecorded January 21, 1948\nRobert P. Williams Jr.\nLiber 8668, folio 321\nand wife\n174\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 15)\n1958\nRobert P. Williams\nWill October 5, 1954\ndied in 1958.\nProbated March 7, 1958\nWill Book 505, page 593\nReferences\n1. City Directory. 1830, p. 2.\n2. Same reference as #1. 1834 (Georgetown Section), p. 3.\n3. Same reference as #1. 1830, p. 11.\n4. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n5. Guardian Docket No. 2, folios 730, 750, 751, 752, 753,\nAdministration #3, folio 768, Register of Wills, Washington,\nD.C.\n6. Same reference as #4, Roll 12 (1865-70); Roll 13 (1871);\nRoll 15 (1874); Roll 16 (1875); Roll 18 (1876); Roll 26\n(1879).\n175\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 16)\n7. Same reference as #1. 1858, P. 233; 1860, p. 120;\n1862, p. 138.\n8. Same reference as #1. 1853, P. 76; 1858, P. 233.\n9. Same reference as #1. 1855, P. 8.\n10. Same reference as #1. 1866, P. 419.\n11. Same reference as #1. 1872, P. 519; 1879, P. 586.\n12. Same reference as #1. 1888, P. 328.\n13. Same reference as #4. Roll 26 (1879).\n14. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of Sur-\nveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: G. M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.\n15. Same reference as #1. 1898, p. 347.\n16. Same reference as #15.\n17. Same reference as #1. 1904, p. 354.\n18. Equity Cause 25490, Supreme Court of the District of\nColumbia, June, 1904.\n19. Same reference as #1. 1921, P. 538; 1923, P. 547; 1925, P.\n506.\n176\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 17)\n20. Same reference as #1. 1926, P. 492, P. 538; 1927, P. 484,\nP. 2069.\n21. Same reference as #1. 1941, P. 1546.\n22. Same reference as #1. 1942, P. 1342.\n23. Same reference as #1. 1956, P. 1405.\n177\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 18)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: One of several late nineteenth-\ncentury houses on the street, this building demonstrates\nthe fondness for decorative brickwork typical of the\nperiod. Though not identical, it shows a marked similar-\nity to the buildings on both sides of it.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 30'-0\" with a\n12'-0\" by 16'-0\" ell at rear. Two stories high. Three\nbays wide across the 36th Street facade.\nFoundations: Brick,\nWall construction: Pressed brick facade, common brick side\nwalls; painted.\nChimneys: Two on south side.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The original front door and\nstoop have been replaced, but see 1304 36th Street\nfor the design of the cast iron stoop and railing.\nThere is an arched moulded brick lintel above the\ndoor opening.\n178\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 19)\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general have\ntwo over two double hung wood sash. There is\na small wood segment with machine carving in\nthe space between the flat window head and the\nshaped brick arch. The shutters are louvered\nwood. Several metal casement windows have\nbeen introduced fairly recently into the side\nand rear walls.\nPorches: Brick stoop at front door, but see 1304 36th Street\nfor probable appearance of the original cast iron stoop and\nrail.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Flat, pitched toward rear (west).\nMetal covering.\nFraming: Wood (assumed).\nCornice: Shaped and corbelled brick machicolations.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The interior of this house has been greatly re-\nmodeled in the past twenty-five years, leaving practically\nno trace of the original disposition of the rooms, At\npresent the first floor has a living room across the east end,\na dining room behind that, leading into a kitchen at the rear.\nThe kitchen was originally in a wood lean-to at the rear, the\nroof line of which may be seen in the party wall to the north.\nThe second floor has a bedroom across the east end, a small\nroom and bath along the south side, and a bedroom across the\nrear. The basement is one large space, undivided except by\nseveral small closets.\n179\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 20)\nStairways: Ascending from west to east along the north wall\nof the dining room is a modern closed-string stair with\nvictorian newels, balusters, and rails. Visible framing in\nthe basement and a skylight on the second floor indicate\nthat the probable location of the original stair was in the\ncenter of the south side.\nFlooring: Modern oak strip flooring.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted; some walls\npapered.\nDoors and doorways: A variety of late Victorian four panel\ndoors are combined with mid-twentieth century batten doors\nand flush doors.\nDecorative features and trim: No trace of the original\nmantel exists, and all the rooms have been re-trimmed with\ntwentieth century stock mouldings. There are wainscots with\npanels of applied mouldings throughout the first floor and\nstairwell.\nHardware: No notable hardware.\nLighting: No notable fixtures.\nHeating: Radiators throughout.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the west side of\n36th Street, this is one of an irregular row of similar houses\nfacing the Holy Trinity Church and School complex.\n180\nCARROLL DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-205 (Page 21)\nEnclosures: Wrought-iron carriage gates across drive. Be-\nlieved to have come from Georgetown Medical School. Wood\nplank fences at sides of rear yard.\nOutbuildings: One, story garage across west end of lot, upper\nfloor removed about 1940.\nWalks: Brick, concrete, and flagstone.\nLandscaping: Semi-formal residential planting in the rear\nyard; large statue in pool originally from a fountain group\nat the St. Charles Hotel, New Orleans. There is no front\nyard.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 5, 1969\n181\n182\nand 33\n4\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-190\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1411 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.\n(Formerly this address was 64 Fayette\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n95, Square 76, in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 852,\nSquare 1246 in Washington, D. C.\nDate of Erection:\nBetween 1834-1843, with later addition.\nOwner in 1969:\nAnne Heard Flythe\nOccupant in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. William Perry Flythe\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nA much remodeled nineteenth-century house,\nthis was the home of both a noted worker\nfor women's rights and a well-known news-\npaper columnist. The lowering of 35th\nStreet in the late nineteenth century\naccounts for the reorientation of the floor\nplan, a problem encountered in many of the\nolder houses within this particular area.\nThis early simple frame house has been\nstuccoed, unifying the facade and giving\nit a more imposing aspect.\n183\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1824-1843\nLot 95 (the northern portion of which is now 1411 35th Street)\nwas part of the large parcel of land which John Threlkeld\nconveyed in trust to John Baker in December of 1824 as collat-\neral for a debt of $722. The city directory of 1830 lists\nBaker as a tanner living on Warren Street (now 37th Street).\n(1)\nBaker came into possession of a share of the property when\nThrelkeld died intestate, his debt to Baker unpaid. Under\nthe insolvent act Jeremiah Bronough was appointed trustee of\nThrelkeld's estate. Jane Cox and Mary Grayson, Threlkeld's\nheirs at law, together with Bronaugh and Baker sold the\nproperty to Joshua Bateman for $200 in March 1834.\nIn the 1830 city directory Bateman is listed as a carpenter\nliving on Fayette Street. (2) However, it is unlikely that\nhe ever lived at 64 Fayette Street (now 1411 35th Street),\nfor city directories list him in 1853 as a grocer at the\ncorner of First (now N Street) and Fayette (now 35th Street),\nin 1855 as a grocer at 31 Fayette Street, and in 1858 as a\ngrocer whose store and home are both at 31 Fayette Street. (3)\nBy the 1830's Georgetown was suffering from a business de-\ncline which also affected real estate transactions. John\nCox, then Mayor of Georgetown, in describing the economic\ndepression in Georgetown for the period 1820-1830, said,\n\"Our merchants and mechanics were industrious and willing\nto work; but business was slack.\" (4)\n184\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 3)\nThe tobacco business had ...continued prosperous until the\ndeath of John Laird, on the 11th of July, 1833, when the\nfirm of Laird & Son was dissolved, and the trade died with\nthem, as there appeared to be no other tobacco merchants\nin the market. '(5) About 1805 river shipping was forced\nto use the eastern channel of the Potomac because the western\nchannel was closed by the building of a stone causeway to\nAnalostan (now Roosevelt Island). A few years after this an\nactive trade developed in the transport of wholesale groceries\nfrom New York to Georgetown. (6) But in 1835, when the\nBaltimore and Ohio Railroad built a railroad line between\nBaltimore and Washington, this business died. (7) (8)\nBateman was fortunate to be able to hold on to his property\nuntil the more prosperous 1840's. In June 1843 he sold the\nnorthern part of Lot 95 (on which 1411 35th Street now stands)\nto William Mankins for $450. This high price (for only part\nof a lot for which he had paid $200 eleven years earlier),\nleads to the inference that Bateman probably had constructed\na house on the site.\n1843-1885\nWilliam Mankins lived in the house for over forty years.\nMankins was a fisherman who later operated an \"oyster saloon\"\non Bridge Street for a time and then moved the establishment\nto Potomac Street. (9) It seems a natural step from prosperous\nfisherman to proprietor of an oyster saloon. Apparently, for\none year, 1866, his restaurant was in his home, for the city\ndirectory of that year lists beside his name, \"restaurant\n64 Fayette Street.' (10)\nThe house itself is described as \"two-story frame brick\" in\nthe tax assessment records of 1865-70. In fact, two such\nhouses are noted as belonging to Mankins. One was valued\nat $600 and the other at $1200, but in the following year\nthey increased in value to $700 and $1500. (11) Tax records\nbeginning in 1872 indicate one sum of $2200 for the value of\nthe improvements without describing the houses. (12)\n185\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 4)\nIn August 1880 Mankins used as collateral \" the northern\nportion of Lot 95 in Threlkeld's Addition together with\nimprovements and easements to borrow $600 from Elizabeth\nShekell. Mankins may have borrowed the money to expand his\nbusiness enterprise for the date coincides with that of the\nopening of his oyster saloon on Bridge Street.\n1885-1908\nFive years later, 1885, Mankins and his wife, Bridget, gave\na deed of trust for $1400 on his property to Lewis C. Kengla,\nfor the sole use and benefit of Mary A. Johnson, her heirs,\nfree from all obligations of her present or any future hus-\nband.\" Mankins moved next door to 1409 35th Street at this\ntime. This house may have been one of the two houses described\nearlier in the 1865-70 tax records as belonging to Mankins.\nMary Johnson and her husband, James, who is described in the\n1887 directory as a \"driver\" held the property only one\nyear, selling it to Mary H. Forrest for $1800. (13) Mary\nForrest was the widow of Bladen Forrest who lived at 3339\nN Street, the Forrest family home.\nBladen Forrest was a prominent Georgetown citizen. It was he\nwho was responsible for building Forrest Hall at the south-\nwest corner of First (N) Street and High Street (Wisconsin\nAvenue), where one corner of the property rests on Boundary\nStone No. 46, one of the original markers when Georgetown\nwas surveyed. At various times during the Civil War the\nbuilding was used as quarters for enlisted men of the Second\nU.S. Infantry, as a hospital for Union soldiers, and as a\nmilitary prison. (14)\nBladen Forrest and his family are described in the 1853 City\nDirectory as living at 78 First Street (now 3339 N Street);\nand this listing continues through 1871, after which his\nwidow and members of the family occupied the house for fifty\nyears or more. (15) Captain French Forrest, the distinguished\nnaval officer who served in both the Mexican and Civil Wars,\ndied in this same house--his brother's home. (16) The house\nwas the first one to be built in \"Cox's Row.\" John Cox,\nonce mayor of Georgetown, had built it and used it as his\nresidence.\n186\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 5)\nIt is clear that Mary H. Forrest continued to live in the\nfamily home; she never lived at 1411 35th Street, but\napparently bought it as a rental investment. Mary died\nintestate October 9, 1898, leaving as her sole heirs-at-\nlaw nine children, two of whom died within ten years of\ntheir mother.\n1908-1940\nBy court order, the Forrest property was partitioned; and\ntwo trustees were appointed in 1908 to sell the property.\n(17) One of the children, Thomas R. Keith Forrest,\nbought the land \" improved by frame dwelling No. 1411\n35th Street for $1800. Thomas Randolph Keith was a\nlawyer with the U.S. Pension Office. (18)\nIt was not until 1927, however, that Forrest and his wife,\nMarie M., moved from the family home on N Street to the\nhouse at 1411 35th Street. (19) After Forrest's death, in\nAugust 1930, the property was inherited by his wife, Mary\nH. M. Forrest (Marie Moore Forrest) who continued to live\nthere until 1940. (20)\nMarie Moore Forrest was a well-known figure in Washington.\nShe was vociferous in her espousing of women's rights and a\nfounder of the National Woman's Party. She was active in\nmany civic organizations. In addition she was an instigator\nin the community drama movement in Washington, directing\ndrama and pageants for the city for almost 25 years. Dur-\ning the first World War she was called to other parts of\nthe country to stage commemorative pageants. In Mrs. For-\nrest's obituary in The Evening Star her contributions to\nlocal drama are vividly described:\n187\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 6)\n\"Mrs. Forrest's pageants were spectaculars.\nThey sometimes included up to 1,000 players.\nIf she planned a battle scene the United\nStates cavalry was pressed into service.\nHer favorite setting was the steps of the\nCapitol.\n\"A large dynamic woman, she never needed a\nmegaphone to direct her productions. She\ncould sit at the bottom of the Capitol steps\nand be heard at the top.\n\"People flocked to see her productions,\nwhich numbered in the hundreds. When Federal\nand District officials wanted to commemorate\nand event, they called on Mrs. Forrest and\nshe did not disappoint them.\" (21)\n1940-1950\nOn September 24, 1940 the house was bought by Mrs. Margaret\nB. Weller who states that the house was in a badly run down\ncondition. (22) After extensive renovations Mrs. Weller\nsold the property to Mr. and Mrs. George Burgess in July\n1943. (23) The Burgesses further improved the house by\nmaking plumbing alterations. (24) Real estate records of\n1948 describe the exterior of the structure as \"Frame-\nPebble Dash.\" (25)\nIt is interesting that in 1948 the assessed value of the\nhouse is exactly triple that of 1935 when Mary H.M. Forrest\nbought it. The increased value may be due not only to the\nimprovements in the house, but to the revewed vitality of\nthe housing market in Georgetown.\n1950-1969\nIn December 1950 the Burgesses sold the property to Rowland\nEvans, Jr. and his wife who lived in it for the next six years.\n188\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 7)\nEvans is an eminent writer, who at the time of his residence\nat 1411 35th Street was a correspondent for the Associated\nPress and later a staff member of the New York Herald Tribune.\nHe is included in the 1966-67 edition of Who's Who in America,\nwhere he is listed as a \"syndicated columnist.\" (26) The\ncolumn, of which he is co-author, is concerned with reporting,\nanalysing and interpreting political events. The \"striking\nsuccess\" of the column, according to Time, is due to the\n\"emphasis on reporting facts,\" or sometimes unearthing facts\nthat have not yet been published. (27)\nIn June 1956 the Evanses sold the property to Far Hills Com-\npany, a firm which was incorporated in Delaware. According\nto Mrs. E. Harrison Clark (then Mrs. Agnes M. Mercer) who\nbought the house two years later, she purchased the house\nfrom Mrs. Armonel Moorhead, through the Far Hills Company.\nBetween 1956 and 1958 the house was rented to two girls. (28)\nAgnes Mercer Clark and her husband sold the house in 1961 to\nAnne Heard Flythe. She and her husband, William Perry Flythe,\nstill reside there.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\nAt the time of the cession of the District of Columbia the\nland was owned by John Threlkeld.\n189\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 8)\n1824\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed of Trust December 17, 1824\nto\nRecorded June 13, 1825\nJohn Baker\nLiber W.B. 14, folio 30\n\"Lots 93 and 95 and those parts of Lots 80-81 not\nsold lying between said Baker and Lawrence's\nFactory and a lot sold to Mrs. Mallen extending\nabout 85 feet on Fayette Street (now 35th).\"\nProperty was conveyed to John Baker to secure\ncertain debt.\nJohn Threlkeld died intestate, with the debt to\nBaker unpaid. Threlkeld's co-heiresses at law\nwere Jane Cox and Mary Grayson. Jeremiah\nBronaugh was trustee under the insolvent act.\n1834\nJohn Baker, Tr.\nDeed March 12, 1834\nJohn Cox and wife,\nRecorded July 7, 1834\nJane\nLiber W.B. 51, folio 2y\nMary Grayson\nJeremiah W. Bronaugh, Tr.\nto\nJoshua Bateman\n1843\nJoshua Bateman and wife,\nDeed June 13, 1843\nJane\nRecorded June 27, 1843\nto\nLiber W.B. 101, folio 362\nWilliam Mankins\n\"Conveys northern part of Lot 95 in Threlkeld's\nAddition to Georgetown... \"\n190\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 9)\n1880\nWilliam Mankins and\nDeed of Trust August 10, 1880\nwife, Bridget\nRecorded August 20, 1880\nto\nLiber 950, folio 61\nEugene A. Shekell\n1885\nRelease of above trust\nRecorded June 28, 1885\nLiber 1120, folio 8\nWilliam Mankins and\nDeed in Trust, March 26, 1885\nwife, Bridget\nRecorded March 28, 1885\nto\nLiber 1120, folio 8\nLewis C. Kengla\n\"In trust for sole use and benefit of Mary A.\nJohnson, her heirs, free from all obligations\nof her present or any future husband.\"\n1886\nLewis C. Kengla, Tr.\nDeed November 1, 1886\nMary A. Johnson and\nRecorded November 11, 1886\nhusband, James\nLiber 1216, folio 363\nto\nMary H. Forrest\n191\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 10)\n1898\nMary H. Forrest died intestate October 9, 1898, leaving as\nher sole heirs-at-law, her nine children:\nJoseph Forrest - died 1903 intestate\nJames K. Forrest - - died 1908 intestate\nMary H. Forrest\nRosalie A. Forrest\nIrene E. D. Forrest\nEdwin Forrest\nThomas R. Keith Forrest\nBladen Forrest\nAlbert Dulaney Forrest\n1908\nBy court order property\nEquity 26248\nwas partitioned and trustees,\nSupreme Court of the\nJustin Morrill Chamberlin\nDistrict of Columbia\nand Oscar Luckett, were\nJanuary 27, 1908\nappointed to sell\nproperty.\n1909\nJustin Morrill Chamberlin,\nDeed July 21, 1909\nTr.\nRecorded July 21, 1909\nOscar Luckett, Tr.\nLiber 3259, folio 117\nto\nThomas R. Keith Forrest\n\"...improved by frame dwelling No. 1411 35th Street\n\"\n192\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 11)\n1930\nThomas R. Keith Forrest\nWill February 14, 1930\ndied August 3, 1930,\nProbated December 3, 1930\nleaving the property\nWill Book 166, page 57\nto his wife, Mary H. M.\nForrest.\n1940\nMarie Moore Forrest\nDeed September 24, 1940\n(aka Mary H. M.\nRecorded September 30, 1940\nForrest and Mary\nLiber 7526, folio 304\nHenderson Moore\nForrest)\nto\nMargaret B. Weller\n1943\nMargaret B. Weller\nDeed July 30, 1943\nto\nRecorded July 30, 1943\nGeorge W. Burgess and\nLiber 7881, folio 415\nwife, Helen L.\ntenants by entirety\n1950\nGeorge W. Burgess and\nDeed December 1, 1950\nwife, Helen L.\nRecorded December 19, 1950\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 9369, folio 263\nto\nRowland Evans, Jr. and\nwife, Katherine W.\ntenants by entirety\n193\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 12)\n1956\nRowland Evans, Jr. and\nDeed June 15, 1956\nwife, Katherine W.\nRecorded June 20, 1956\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 10679, folio 97\nto\nFAR HILLS COMPANY, a body\ncorporate, duly incorporated\nunder laws of the State of\nDelaware\n1958\nFAR HILLS COMPANY\nDeed December 15, 1958\nto\nRecorded December 23, 1958\nAgnes M. Mercer\nLiber 11165, folio 541\n1961\nAgnes M. Clark\nDeed January 23, 1961\n(formerly Agnès M.\nRecorded January 27, 1961\nMercer) and\nLiber 11547, folio 526\nhusband,\nE. Harrison Clark\nto\nAnne Heard Flythe\nReferences\n1. City Directory. 1830, p. 3.\n194\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 13)\n2. Same reference as #1. 1830, p. 3.\n3. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 6; 1855, p. 1; 1858, P. 431.\n4. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D. C.\nfrom 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: Polkenhorn\nPrinter, 1878, p. 39.\n5. Same reference as #4. p. 119.\n6. Same reference as #4. p. 118.\n7. Same reference as #4. p. 124.\n8. Hungerford, Edward, The Story of the Baltimore and Ohio\nRailroad, 1827-1927. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's\nSons, 1928, Vol. I, pp. 169-175.\n9. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 65; 1855, P. 7; 1860, p. 170;\np. 1862, p. 197; 1863, p. 232; 1865, p. 388.\n10. Same reference as #1. 1866, p. 417.\n11. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12, (1865-70).\n12. Same reference as #11. Roll 13 (1871).\n13. Same reference as #1. 1887, p. 505.\n195\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 14)\n14. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:\nBarre Publishers, 1968, P. 5; PP. 27-29; P. 36; p. 87;\npp. 155-156.\n15. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 37; 1871 (Georgetown\nSection) P. x; 1898, p. 427; 1921, p. 670.\n16. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:\nCharles Scribner's Sons, Vol. 6, 1931, p. 531.\n17. Equity Cause 26248, Supreme Court of the District of\nColumbia, January 27, 1908.\n18. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) December 4, 1956.\n19. Same reference as #1. 1890-1926; 1927, p. 618.\n20. Same reference as #1. 1940, p. 2148.\n21. Same reference as #18. December 4, 1956.\n22. Interview with Mrs. Margaret B. Weller, 4000 Cathedral\nAvenue, N. W., Washington, D. C.\n23. D. C. Department of Licenses and Inspection, Building\nPermit Division, Building Permit 232789, November 3, 1940.\n24. Same reference as #23. Building Permit 43420, June 21, 1949.\n25. Lusk's District of Columbia Real Estate Directory.\nWashington, D.C.: Rufus S. Lusk and Son, 1948, p. 1246.\n196\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 15)\n26. Who's Who in America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis\nCo., 1966-67, Vol. 34, P. 640.\n27. Time. New York, New York: Time, Inc., Publisher,\nDecember 2, 1966, PP. 76-77.\n28. Interviews with:\nMrs. Rowland Evans, Jr., 3125 0 Street, N. Wo, Washington,\nD. C.\nMrs. E. Harrison Clark (Agnes Mercer), 1555 35th Street,\nN.W., Washington, D.C.\n197\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 16)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Originally a two-story frame house\nwith a brick basement, the house became three stories high\nwith the lowering of 35th Street. Because of the change in\nmaterials beneath the stucco covering, the upper floors\noverhang the first floor by several inches. It looks very\nmuch the early nineteenth-century house that it is, despite\nthe change in height, in covering, and in entrance.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 21'-0\" by 36'-0\". Three\nbays across 35th Street facade. Three stories high.\nFoundations: Brick and stone.\nWall construction: Brick first floor, frame above, stucco\nover all.\nChimneys: One large brick chimney in the approximate center\nof the house, and one smaller brick flue in the nòrtheast\ncorner of the main block of the house.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The front door has six raised\npanels and is simply trimmed. There are sliding\nalumninum and glass doors from the sitting room to\n198\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 17)\nthe rear deck, and several glazed wood doors from\nvarious service areas to the exterior.\nWindows and shutters: Six over six double-hung\nwood sash on the 35th Street facade; a variety of\ndouble-hung wood sash on the south and east facades.\nWindows on the west front have louvered wood shutters.\nPorches: The front porch has a gabled roof supported by square\nchamfered wood columns, two horizontal flat rails at each side,\nand a brick floor. It is all obviously of mid-twentieth\ncentury construction. There is a large recent redwood deck at\nthe rear forming the roof of the basement laundry room and\ncovering a large areaway as well.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable with ridge running north-\nsouth, shed pitched to east across rear. Painted\nmetal covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: There is no cornice, simply a hung metal\ngutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The first floor, originally the basement, has an\nentry-stair hall in the southwest corner, a library in the\nnorthwest corner, a dining room in the southeast corner, and\na series of small kitchen and service rooms extending to the\nnorthwest. The second floor has a stairhall in the south-\nwest corner, and a sitting room in the northeast corner, with\nan eating area and bar across the east end. The third floor\nhas a bath and stairhall in the southwest corner, and a bed-\nroom in the northwest corner, a bedroom in the southeast corner,\nand a bath in the northeast corner.\n199\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 18)\nStairways: Both stairs are straight run with winders at the\ntop. There are plain round handrails and simple square\npickets.\nFlooring: Random width pine on the third floor, twentieth-\ncentury oak strip and carpet on the second floor, and\nresilient flooring and carpet on the first floor.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted. The dining room\nis panelled with vertical boards.\nDoors and doorways: There are several early doors with six\npanels and no sticking, some early doors with six raised\npanels and ovolo sticking, some batten doors, and some\ntwentieth-century six-raised-panel doors.\nDecorative features and trim: There are several notable\nmantelpieces in the house, more than likely replacements\nrather than original to the house. The one in the first\nfloor library has plain pilasters supporting an entablature\nwhich has two swags in gouge work leading to a composition\nbouquet in the center; there are two composition figures\nof \"Graces\" in the impost blocks, and both the bed moulding\nand shelf edge are formed of coves and beads. The hearth\nand surround are of black stucco. The one in the second\nfloor bedroom has a simple moulded architrave supporting\na reeded panel with flat brackets on each side, a punch-\nand-gouge dentil bed mould, and a cove-moulded shelf.\nThe hearth and surround are of black slate, and there is\na cast-iron fireback. The one in the third floor front\nbedroom has a simple moulded surround, a quirked cyma\nreversa bed mould, and a plain shelf. The hearth is brick\nand the surround is stucco. Some of the trim in the front\nrooms is of an early-to-mid-nineteenth century design, al-\nthough there is much mid-twentieth century trim work\nthroughout.\n200\nWILLIAM MANKINS HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-190 (Page 19)\nHardware: There are a few cast iron box rimlocks with their\noriginal brass knobs and trademark plates. Some doors have\nearly wrought-iron hinges, and the closet doors in the second\nfloor bedroom have hinges with elaborate surface-mounted\nleaves.\nLighting: No notable fixtures; mid-twentieth century\nincandescent.\nHeating: Radiators, boiler on first floor.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the east side of\n35th Street, the house is set back from the sidewalk by a\nsmall front yard, slightly deeper than most of its neighbors.\nThe neighborhood is composed of well-maintained houses of\nsimilar scale and quality.\nEnclosures: Low iron fence encloses the front yard, high\nboard fence encloses the rear.\nOutbuildings: None,\nWalks: Brick, concrete, flagstone.\nLandscaping: The small front yard has simple foundation\nplanting around a brick paved area; the rear yard has\nsomewhat over-scaled planting beyond the redwood deck\nwhich opens off the second floor sitting room.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nDecember 17, 1968\n201\nM\nI\n202\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-198\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3522 P Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 79 Third\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of Lot 105\nin Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition to\nGeorgetown, now taxed as Lot 817 in\nSquare 1247 in the City of Washington.\nDate of erection:\nBetween 1821 and 1832, with additions\nmade in the 1860's.\nOwner in 1969:\nStanhope Chase\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nFor over a hundred years the home of per-\nsons performing manual and domestic\nservices, this early nineteenth-century\nhouse demonstrates effectively twentieth-\ncentury adaptation without loss of\ncharacter of the structure.\n203\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1821-1834\nIn June 1821 John Threlkeld advertised in the Georgetown\nMetropolitan offering for sale at a cheap price eight or\nten lots in northwest Georgetown. (1) Three months later\nhe sold Lots 104 and 105 to George Mahorney, a bricklayer,\nfor $500. In 1818, three years earlier, Lot 105 had been\nassessed to Threlkeld at $400 and listed as vacant. (2) The\nvery low purchase price in 1821 would indicate that the\nland was still vacant at that time.\nIn the first Washington City Directory listing Georgetown\nresidents as such, in 1830, Mahorney is noted as living\nat the corner of Third (now P) and Lingan (now 36th)\nStreets. (3) Since there were no numerical addresses in\nthose early years in Georgetown, it is not definite which\nhouse George Mahorney and his family occupied. However,\nit is probable that being a bricklayer he built the four\nhouses--85, 83, 81 and 79 Third Street--on Lot 105 soon\nafter purchasing the property and used the western-most\nhouse, number 85 Third Street on the corner, as his\nresidence and the other three, including 79 Third Street,\nas rental property.\nIn the decade between 1820 and 1830 Mahorney made numerous\nreal estate purchases in Georgetown and Washington. At\nthe same time, with Joseph Brigden as business partner,\nhe operated a storehouse and grocery business in Washington.\nAnother of his ventures was operating a tavern at the corner\nof Third and High Streets (now P and Wisconsin Avenue) in\nGeorgetown.\n204\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 3)\nBy the end of the decade he was in financial difficulties and\nhad to place properties in trust for his wife, Eleanor, hav-\ning used all the money brought by her to the marriage. At\nthat time George dwelled at his tavern location while his\nwife, Eleanor, lived at the Third and Lingan corner. But\ntwo years later he was living at his Third Street house. (4)\nIn 1832 Mahorney, still in financial straits, lost his prop-\nerty on Third Street in a foreclosure suit. On Saturday,\nJanuary 26, 1833 the Georgetown Metropolitan advertised for\nsale at public auction by the U.S. Marshal: \"Lots 105 and\n134 and the north part of Lot 104 with the improvements\nand appurtenances consisting of several (four) excellent two-\nstory dwelling houses (one brick, the others frame) well\ncalculated for the accomodation of families.' (5) There are\nat the present time on old Lot 105 and part of old Lot 104\nfour two-story dwelling houses--the corner frame building\nis 1431 36th Street (formerly 3528 P Street), the next brick\none is 3526 P,and the next two frame ones are 3524 and\n3522 P Street. (6)\nAlthough losing this property, Mahorney continued to reside\nin Georgetown and deal in real estate until 1858 when he\nwent to Washington to live with a daughter. At his death a\nyear later his children inherited various Georgetown and\nWashington properties. Active in community affairs,\nMahorney had held the office of \"Messenger and Scavenger\"\nfor the Board of Aldermen in Georgetown and also owned\nstock in the Georgetown Corporation. (7)\n1834-1843\nAlfred Boucher, who owned other property in the neighbor-\nhood and who had a grocery business at the corner of\nPotomac and Bridge (now M) Streets, bought Mahorney's\nThird Street property in 1834 for $800. The Bouchers\nheld Lot 105 and part of Lot 104 for nine years, using it\nas rental property. (8) In 1843 the eastern portion\n205\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 4)\non which 79 Third Street stood was sold to William Herron,\nwhile the western part was conveyed to John O'Donoghue\n(sometimes spelled O'Donnoghue or O'Donohue).\n1843-1851\nHerron, a contractor, who later in the mid-1850's built his\nmansion on the nearby northwest corner of Third (now P)\nand Fayette (now 35th), owned and rented this part of Lot\n105 (now Lot 817) until 1851 when John O'Donoghue, living\nat \"Third Street, corner Lingan,\" added it to his western\nportion.\n1851-1859\nJohn O'Donnoghue, owner of the property for the next eight\nyears, was part of a large clan who operated candle and\nsoap factories both in western Georgetown and in Washington\nCity. The early O'Donoghues (or O'Donnoghues) were Irish\nimmigrants who came over to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio\nCanal. The first ones built houses, and as friends and\nrelatives came over to join them, took them in as roomers\nuntil they could manage to build their own houses.\nIn 1834 John, together with Peter O'Donoghue, was operating a\n\"Soap and Candle Factory, near Lingan & First Streets, south side.\"\nThe 1855 City Directory lists him as \"soap chandler, 105 second\"\n(now 0). Three years later in 1858 he is still listed as a\nchandler and now living near his earlier business on First\n(now N Street) near Lingan (now 36th Street). Many other\nO'Donoghues were also living and doing business at these\nsame addresses.\n206\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 5)\nIn 1860, the year after selling his 79 Third Street property\nto John O'Brien, the Georgetown Directory shows John\n0' 'Donoghue living at 19 Lingan Street, near the Georgetown\nfactory. However, that same year the Washington City\nDirectory lists a John O'Donoghue as \"clerk, house 498 G\nnorth\"--the location of the O'Donoghue factory in Washington.\nIt is probable that this listing in the Washington Directory\nrefers to a son or nephew. (9)\n1859-1943\nAlthough he bought the property in 1859, John O'Brien, laborer,\nis not listed as living at 79 Third Street until 1865. In\n1860 he was boarding at 59 Bridge (now M) Street, and in 1863\nand 1864 he was living at 180 High (now Wisconsin Avenue). (10)\nHowever, for twenty-three years, until his death in 1888, John\nO'Brien did work as a laborer and raise his family at 79 Third\n(now 3522 P) Street. Surviving him, when he died (intestate),\nwere his widow, Johanna O'Brien and four children--James and\nJohn O'Brien, Ellen O'Brien Sullivan and Mary O'Brien Sullivan.\n(The last O'Briens to be listed in city directories at this\naddress were noted in 1888 when both John O'Brien and John\nO'Brien, Jr., stonecutter, are listed at 3522 P.) (11)\nJohanna outlived her husband by twenty years. She continued to\nlive in their P Street house across from the Convent for eight\nyears after John's death. Living with her were her daughter\nand son-in-law, Mary and John Sullivan; he was listed in city\ndirectories as a clerk and later as a bartender. (12) In\n1897 Johanna moved in with Ellen O'Brien Sullivan, her other\nmarried daughter, nearby on 0 Street, and rented the P Street\nhouse. (13)\nP Street had been regraded in 1895 to provide tracks for a\ntrolley line. This change placed the first floor of this\nsmall frame house below street level. (14)\n207\nMAHORNEY- BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 6)\nFor over fifty years, until the O'Brien heirs sold the little\nhouse in 1943, it was rented to persons such as \"George\nCoates, helper\" and \"Louise Williams, porter,\" who performed\nmanual and domestic services in the neighborhood. (15) Mary\nO'Brien Sullivan, John O'Brien's last surviving child, stated:\n\"I collected the rents from it, sometimes they paid me and\nsometimes they didn't '(16) During hard times, the good\nSisters of the Convent for the Visitation fed these families\nand their children. There was a small service door with a\nturntable in the Convent wall on P Street just across from\nthis house where workers and tenants on the block lined up\nat meal time and were always fed by the cloistered Sisters.\nThis door was sealed up a few years ago after several\nburglaries occurred. (17)\n1943-1969\nWhen the house was sold to Roxanna Doran in 1943 for $3500,\nit was occupied by Florence Vinston' (wid Daniel), maid,\"\nwho paid a monthly rental of $20.50. (18) After major re-\npairs it was sold in 1948 to Stanhope Chase, who for twenty\nyears has been using it as rental property. One of the\ntenants for a time was the celebrated actress Myrna Loy\n(Mrs. Howland Sargeant). She had been serving as a member\nof the National Commission of UNESCO, United Nations. (19)\nThe house has been vacant at intervals, but in recent years\nhas been occupied, chiefly by tenants who work in govern-\nment and industry. (20).\n208\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 7)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1821\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed September 27, 1821\nto\nRecorded October 9, 1821\nGeorge Mahorney\nLiber W.B. 2, folio 255\n1834\nClement Cox\nDeed July 2, 1834\ntrustee of George\nRecorded July 2, 1834\nMahorney\nLiber W.B. 51, folio 16\nto\nAlfred Boucher\n1843\nAlfred H. Boutcher\nDeed May 26, 1843\net ux Sarah\nRecorded August 15, 1843\nto\nLiber W.B. 103, folio 151\nWilliam T. Herron\n1851\nWilliam T. Herron\nDeed October 13, 1851\net ux Henrietta V.\nRecorded October 15, 1851\nto\nLiber JAS 31, folio 331\nJohn O'Donoghue\n209\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 8)\n1859\nJohn O'Donnoghue\nDeed October 7, 1859\net ux Jane\nRecorded September 7, 1860\nto\nLiber JAS 196, folio 429\nJohn Brien\n(also known as O'Brien)\n1888\nJohn O'Brien died April 14, 1888, intestate, survived by\nhis widow, Johanna O'Brien, and four children--James and\nJohn O'Brien, Ellen O'Brien Sullivan.and Mary O'Brien\nSullivan.\nJohanna O'Brien died July 30, 1908, intestate.\n1943\nPhillip F. Biggins\nDeed February 18, 1943\nWilliam R. Simpson, Jr.\nRecorded March 22, 1943\ntrustees under Decree\nLiber 7842, folio 175\nin Civil Action #10584\n(Mary Sullivan vs. other\nheirs of John and Johanna\nO'Brien)\nto\nRoxanna B. Doran\n1948\nRoxanna B. Doran\nDeed November 5, 1948\nto\nRecorded November 5, 1948\nStanhope Chase\nLiber 8862, folio 429\n210\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 9)\nReferences\n1. Georgetown Metropolitan. June 1821, Newspaper Reading\nRoom, Serial Division, Library of Congress.\n2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 8 (1813-18).\n3. City Directory. 1830, p. 10.\n4. Same reference as #3.\n5. Same reference as #1. January 26, 1833.\n6. Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Washington, D.C.\nHatboro, Pennsylvania: R.H. Baist, 1968, Vol. 3, Plan 2.\n7. Will, George Mahorney, Case os 4108, Will Book 15, page 194.\nMarch 27, 1859. Probated October 26, 1875. Register of\nWills, Washington, D.C.\n8. Same reference as #3. 1834 (Georgetown), p. 2.\n9. Same reference as #3. 1834, p. 6; 1855, p. 458; (George-\ntown Section), p. 8; 1860, p. 171 and p. 120.\n211\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 10)\n10. Same reference as #3. 1860, p. 171; 1863, P. 234; 1864,\nP. 306; 1865, P. 390.\n11. Same reference as #3. 1888, P. 683.\n12. Same reference as #3. 1890, P. 833; 1896, p. 872.\n13. Civil Action Case, Mary Sullivan vs. Other heirs of John\nand Johanna O'Brien, #10,584, U.S. District Court for\nthe District of Columbia.\n14. Georgetown, D.C., clippings from newspapers and magazines,\ncompiled by Washingtoniana Division, Public Library,\nWashington, D.C., 1936 to present, 5 volumes.\n15. Same reference as #3. 1914, p. 1665; 1928, P. 2132.\n16. Same reference as #14.\n17. Same reference as #14.\n18. Same reference as #14.\nand\nSame reference as #3. 1942, p. 1672.\n19. Unemployment Insurance Certificate (for employees).\nPolicy No. OB 2034688, Date of expiration, August 8,\n1952. Affixed to wall, 3522 P Street, N.W.\n212\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 11)\n20. Same reference as #3. 1954, p. 387; 1956, p. 1027; 1960,\np. 452; 1964, p. 405; 1965, P. 424; 1967, p. 395.\n21. Interviews with:\nMrs. Agnes Southey Sullivan, 3701 Connecticut Avenue,\nN.W. (Mrs. Sullivan's husband was the grandson of\nJohn O'Brien.)\nMr. James Sullivan, 1331 P Street, N.W. (Mr. Sullivan\nwas born in Georgetown in the 1880's and as a boy\ndelivered groceries in the area. He died in February,\n1969.)\nMrs. Lillian Kengla Harper, 1248 Wisconsin Avenue,\nN.W. (Mrs. Harper is a granddaughter of Margaret\nO'Donoghue.)\nMr. and Mrs. Patrick Ahearn, 3242 Q Street, N.W. (Mr.\nAhearn was born in Georgetown in the 1880's, carried\npapers in the area as a boy, and for the rest of his\nlife operated a newsstand on M Street in Georgetown.)\n213\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 12)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This small clapboard house, though\nplanned like a row house, is actually free-standing by virtue\nof the narrow paths to rear yards on each side of it. Al-\nthough it is two stories high (three at the rear), it appears\namaller because the street and sidewalk have been raised about\nthree feet. The front appears to have been resurfaced at\nsome time, and the cornice is a mid-nineteenth century replace-\nment.\nCondition of fabric: Fair; needs painting badly.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 20'-0\" with\n16'-0\" by 16'-0\" ell at rear. Two bays across P Street facade.\nTwo stories high.\nFoundations: Rubble stone basement walls with some later brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame; front has 8\" drop siding; sides\nand rear have plain 6\" weatherboarding; there are plain, un-\nbeaded corner boards.\nChimneys: One about 30\" square of brick, located at rear of\nmain block of house.\n214\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 13)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Front door has six raised\npanels, a three-light transom, and a flat,\nbackbanded, dog-eared surround.\nWindows and shutters: There is one window on\nthe first floor, two on the second. All are\nsix-over-six double hung wood sash. There\nis a quirked cyma reversa cap moulding on\notherwise flat trim. Shutters are louvered\nwood. Windows in the rear addition are\nmodern.\nPorches: None,\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable, ridge running east-\nwest on main block, north-south on rear ell;\ncomposition shingles.\nFraming: Wood, with very wide sheathing boards\n(14\" - 16\").\nCornice: Later wood cornice has four scrolled\nbrackets and fifteen smaller modillions.\nGutter is built in behind.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The first floor has one room across the width of\nthe house with a stair along the west wall, to the south of\nwhich was added at an early date another room with a stair\nto the basement along the west wall. The second floor has\na bedroom above the front living room with a modern bath-\nroom in the southwest corner. The basement has a kitchen\nunder the north living room and a dining room under the\nsouth living room, with a small powder room and heating\nequipment area between.\n215\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 14)\nStairways: The stair to the second floor ascends from a one-\nriser landing in the southwest corner of the original house\nalong the west wall to the second floor. The stair to the\nbasement descends from the northwest corner of the rear\naddition along the west wall to the dining room. Both stairs\nare of closed-string construction with modern newels, bal-\nusters, and handrails.\nFlooring: Flooring in general is random width pine; that\nin the dining room is 12\" pine boards; that in the kitchen\nis resilient tile.\nWalls and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted or papered.\nSouth living room has exposed rafters, stained dark;\nkitehen has exposed adzed joists above, dining room has\nexposed sawn heavy joists above. Fireplace wall in north\nliving room is panelled with striated plywood.\nDoors and doorways: There are batten doors, six raised-\npanel doors, and louvered doors, all of mid-twentieth\ncentury manufacture.\nDecorative features and trim: One doorway left of the fire-\nplace in the north living room has an early to mid-nineteenth\ncentury casing. The south living room fireplace has a very\nsimple mantel shelf with beaded edges supported by two narrow\ncyma reversa brackets; the dining room mantel is similar.\nAll three fireplaces have been rebuilt with brick surrounds\nbut still have early hearths. The north living room fireplace\nhas a simple architrave (modern) around the new brickwork,\nalthough there is a very elaborate cast-iron and brass Empire\nstyle grate. Door and window trim throughout is mid-twentieth\ncentury.\nHardware: No notable hardware.\n216\nMAHORNEY-O'BRIEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-198 (Page 15)\nLighting: No notable fixtures.\nHeating: Forced hot air.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the south side of\nP Street, this small free-standing house appears smaller due\nto the raising of the street level in the past century which\ncreated a 3'-0\" deep area-way across the front. The block is\ncomposed of similar sized houses of varying ages and faces the\ngrounds of the Convent of the Visitation.\nEnclosures: Cross-buck fence of 2 X 4's around areaway at\nfront, various wood fences enclose the rear yard.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick and concrete.\nLandscaping: Small-scale residential planting in the fenced\nrear yard; none in the paved areaway in the front.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 3, 1969\n217\n218\nCLUE\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-189\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3617 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(0 Street was formerly called Second\nStreet. The early number of this\nstructure is not clear; however, ac-\ncording to the table of highest and\nlowest street numbers on Second Street\non page 87 of Boyd's 1865 City Direc-\ntory, the house at 3617 was probably\n118 or 120 Second Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is on part of Lot 112, Square\n78 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-\ntown, now taxed as Lot 805, in Square\n1248 in Washington, D. C.\nDate of Erection:\n1842-1850, with remodeling in the 1860's.\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupants in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. James T. Williams\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nThis simple frame dwelling dating from the\nmiddle of the nineteenth century is one of\nthe few such houses in Georgetown which\nremains almost completely intact. The\nwideboard siding of the west elevation is\nparticularly noteworthy.\n219\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1797-1815\nIn August 1797, John Threlkeld sold to Edward Boone for\nsixty pounds all of Lot 112, fronting on Second Street\nfor 60 feet and extending back 150 feet. Two years\nlater, when Boone sold this same property to Ignatius\nMiddleton, he received 375 pounds for it, almost a 600%\nincrease. Middleton's \"improved lot\" on Second Street\nwas assessed at $1300 at some period between 1800 and\n1807; and later, between 1808 and 1812, Lot 112 is de-\nscribed as improved. (1) It is not until the period\nbetween 1813 and 1818 that the record shows a house -\n\"one-story frame\" - on Lot 112.(2) There is no way of\nknowing on which of the three present subdivisions of\nold Lot 112 the one-story frame house stood. It may\nhave been part of the ground floor of the present house.\nMiddleton, his wife, daughter and two slaves lived in\nCharles County, Maryland, so the Second Street structure\nwas\nprobably rented as an investment.\n1815-1842\nIn July of 1815 Edward Dawes bought from Middleton all\nof Lot 112 as well as some adjoining property. This\nwas a period of prosperity in Georgetown. Shipping of\ntobacco and foodstuffs was extensive; warehouses lined\nthe Georgetown waterfront; employment was high and\nconsequently the purchase of land and the construction\nof buildings flourished. (3) So Dawes' investment in\nland at this time seems a natural financial expansion.\nHowever, Dawes ran into monetary difficulties. He may\nhave over-extended himself, or may have been caught up\nin the business slump which Georgetown suffered in the\n1820's and 1830's.\n220\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 3)\nJohn Cox, then Mayor of Georgetown, commented on the languish-\ning\nbusiness of Georgetown at that time, observing\nthat houses ceased to be built; and many of those that\nhad been erected were without tenants. (4) In any event,\nby 1831 Dawes owed $7200 to the Bank of United States and\n$1740 to the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. His Second Street\nlots were used as Security to the Bank of United States to\nmeet his indebtedness.\nDawes was able to salvage some of his property, but on July\n16, 1842 Dawes and the Bank of United States sold all of\nLot 112 and part of the adjoining lots for $550 to John\nBiechler. (Variations of the surname appear in documents\nas: \"Buehler,\" Bietchier,\" \"Beihler,\" and \"Boehler.\"\n1842-1854\nEight years later, in the 1850 Census, Beihler's real estate\nwas valued at $1000, which would indicate that he improved\nhis lot on Second Street soon after purchasing the property.\nJohn Beihler was a carpenter who had been born in Germany\nat the turn of the century, so it is likely that he immigrated\nto America during hard times in his native country, bought up\nland cheaply, and built the present structure for his family\nhimself. (5) In 1853 the city directory lists a \"Mr. Boehler,\ncarpenter, north side of 2nd and Fayette near the College.\"\n(6) Perhaps as his business prospered he added to his prop-\nerty and moved his family of five children to a more commodi-\nous house nearby in the next block.\n1854-1860\nIn June of 1854 Joseph Weaver bought from Buehler all of Lot\n112 and parts of two other lots fronting on Second Street,\n\"\ntogether with buildings, improvements \" for\n$1305.\nWeaver was at this time 27 years old. He was part of a\nlarge family, in the butcher business, living on High Street\n(now Wisconsin Avenue) beyond the northern limits of George-\ntown. Research has not revealed what use Joseph Weaver made\nof his property on Second Street. Certainly he never lived\nthere.\n221\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 4)\nIt is interesting to note that by 1870, ten years after he\ndisposed of the property, Joseph Weaver had in his house-\nhold, besides his wife and children, a 19 year old apprentice\nbutcher and an 18 year old \"domestic servant, born Ireland,\"\nand that his real property was valued at $25,000 and his\npersonal property at $5000. (7) This is the Joseph Weaver\nwhose son, Robert, became a leading citizen of Georgetown.\nRobert was president of Georgetown Gas Light Co., vice-\npresident of Corcoran Life Insurance Co., a director of\nRiggs National Bank, and a director of the D.C. Paper man-\nufacturing Co. Among his many civic activities was his\nposition on the Board of Trustees of the Edes Home in\nGeorgetown. (8) (9)\n1860-1895\nJoseph Weaver sold the Second Street property in 1860 for\nless than he had paid for it. Timothy Sullivan bought it\nfor $1150. The 1861 tax assessment records state: \"Im-\nprovements: Brick and frame tenaments\" on Timothy Sulli-\nvan's property, Lot 112. (10)\nIn August of 1863 Timothy and his wife, Bridget, sold the\nwest part of Lot 112, having a 40 foot front on Second\nStreet, to John Sullivan for $100. Listed as improvements\nin the tax records 1865-1870 are \"two new two-story frame\nhouses,\" with a value of $600 for the land and $2000 for\nthe buildings. (11) These houses are on present Lots 805\n(3617 O Street) and. 804 (3615 0 Street). From the terms\nof the deeds it is clear that the two houses were built at\nthe same time. (It should be recalled that in early records,\nthe term \"New\" is sometimes used to describe remodeled\nproperty.)\n222\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 5)\nIn 1870 John Sullivan and his wife, Ellen, sold the western\n20 feet of Lot 112, fronting on Second Street to Jeremiah\nSullivan for $1300. In 1872 Jeremiah was a \"cartman,\" but\nfrom 1874 until 1893 he is listed in city directories as a\ngrocer. (12) His shop is cited at different addresses on\nSecond Street, one of which in 1881 is noted as 3617 o\nStreet; so perhaps his shop was in his home at one time.\n(In 1893 he is listed as a grocer at 3428 0 Street, where\nthere is a grocery to this day.) (13)\nThe Sullivan clan was a large one, the early members having\nemigrated from Ireland, possibly as part of the wave of\nimmigrants who came to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio\nCanal. Many of the Sullivan men are listed as laborers in\ncity directories and may have been among the large group\nof bricklayers, stonecutters, and carpenters who participated\nin the vast amount of building that was occurring in the\nFederal City as well as in Georgetown. The women stayed\nhome and cared for their families, \"keeping house\" as census\nrecords state. (14) The families lived near each other on\nSecond Street. Even today, in this neighborhood, Sullivan\ndescendants own a number of buildings, some of which they\noccupy and others which they use for rental purposes.\n1895-1944\nOn December 13, 1895 Jeremiah Sullivan, at the age of 52,\ndied of pneumonia. At that time he lived at the corner\nof 35th and o Streets. (15) His Will was dated on the\nsame day of his death so apparently was made on his death-\nbed. He bequeathed to his beloved wife, Ellen, all his\nestate during her natural life or widowhood but should\nmy wife Ellen Sullivan remarry, then I give, devise and\nbequeath all my estate to my children, share and share\nalike \" (16)\n223\nTo ang Minister of the Cospel Authorized to Celebrate Marriages in the District of Columbia,\nGREETING:\nYou are hereby Licensed to solemnize, the Rites of Marriage between\nDennes Hagerty\nof Georgetown, DC\nAND\nBudget Sullivan\nof\ndo\nif you find no lawful. impediment thereto; and having so done, you are com=\nmanded 10 appear in the Clerk's Office of the Supreme Court of said\nDistrict, and certify the same.\nWitness my hand and the seal of said Court this 280 day\nof October\n1870.\n, Clerk.\nI,\n,\nMinister of Catter\nChurch in\nGEO your\n,\nhercby certify that, by authority of a\nLicense of the same tenor as the foregoing, I solemnized the Marriage of the parties afresaid, on\nthe 28 day of Oct\n18 /D,at\nhiniy-ah\nin the District of Cowmbia.\n\"The Sullivan Clan was a large one, the early members having\nemigrated from Ireland, possibly as part of the wave of\nimmigrants who came to work on the Chesapeake and Ohio\nCanal.\" 1870 Marriage license for Rites at Holy Trinity\nChurch, Georgetown (D.C. Marriage License Bureau)\n224\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 6)\nEllen Sullivan did not remarry. She held on to the house\nat 3617 O Street, although she did not live there. The\nhouse continued to serve as rental property with occasional\nperiods of vacancy. The tenants during the first four\ndecades of the twentieth century were chiefly laborers. (17)\nEllen died in December 1937. In her obituary her residence\nis listed at 3422 0 Street. (18)\n1944-1969\nFour of Ellen Sullivan's seven children were living at the\ntime of her death. They and three children of a daughter\nwho had died were heirs to the estate. In 1944 the\nproperty was conveyed to Josephine Elko Williams. She and\nher husband, James T. Williams, who was employed by the\nU.S. Department of Navy, still live there, although in\n1965 they sold it to Georgetown University. (19)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1797\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed August 29, 1797\nto\nRecorded September 9, 1797\nEdward Boone\nLiber C-3, folio 175\n1799\nEdward Boone\nDeed January 3, 1799\nto\nRecorded February 15, 1799\nIgnatius Middleton\nLiber D-4, folio 195\n225\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 7)\n1815\nIgnatius Middleton\nDeed July 20, 1815\nto\nRecorded December 12, 1815\nEdward Dawes\nLiber K-10, folio 394\n1831\nCharles Edward Dawes\nDeed of Trust February 28, 1831\nto\nRecorded March 10, 1831\nRichard Smith, Cashier\nLiber W.B. 35, folio 240\nof the Office of Discount\nand Deposits, Bank of the\nUnited States\n1842\nEdward Dawes and wife,\nDeed July 16, 1842\nAnn\nRecorded August 5, 1842\nRichard Smith\nLiber W.B. 92, folio 432\nto\nJohn Biechler\n(Note: In later documents,\nname is spelled variously\nas \"Buehler,\" \"Bietchler,\"\n\"Butchler,\" and \"Buchler.\")\nConsideration $550\n1854\nJohn Buechler and wife,\nDeed June 20, 1854\nAnn\nRecorded October 9, 1854\nto\nLiber JAS 86, folio 163\nJoseph Weaver\nConsideration $1305\n226\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 8)\n1860\nJoseph Weaver and wife,\nDeed May 19, 1860\nCatherine\nRecorded June 12, 1860\nto\nLiber JAS 199, folio 273\nTimothy Sullivan\nConsideration $1150\n1863\nTimothy Sullivan and wife,\nDeed August 13, 1863\nBridget\nRecorded January 6, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 23, folio 275\nJohn Sullivan\n1870\nJohn Sullivan and wife, Ellen Deed February 18, 1870\nto\nRecorded May 31, 1870\nJeremiah Sullivan\nLiber 614, folio 389\n1895\nJeremiah Sullivan died on\nWill December 21, 1895\nDec. 13, 1895, bequeath-\nProbated December 23, 1895\ned his entire estate\nWill Book 39, page 289\nto his wife, Ellen.\n1937\nEllen Sullivan died (intestate) December 17, 1937, leaving\nher estate to her four children and to three grandchildren.\n227\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 9)\n1944\nJosephine Sullivan\nDeed January 24, 1944\nJames J. and wife, Harriet\nRecorded February 9, 1944\nS. Sullivan\nLiber 7938, folio 375\nJeremiah and wife, Ellen\nA. Sullivan\nLillian E. Sullivan\nRobert A. Cox, unmarried\nAnn Marie Briggs\nRegina Cox Katalinas\nto\nJosephine Elko Williams\n1965\nJosephine Elko Williams\nDeed November 30, 1965\nand husband, James T.\nRecorded May 23, 1966\nWilliams\nLiber 12614, folio 387\nto\nThe President and Directors\nof Georgetown College\nReferences\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807),\nRoll 8 (1808-1812).\n228\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 10)\n2. Same reference as #1. Roll 9 (1813-1818).\n3. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C.\nfrom 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: Polkenhorn, 1878,\nP. 118.\n4. Same reference as #3. p. 39.\n5. Census Records Washington, D.C. National Archives,\nMicrocopy T-6, Roll 47 (1850), p. 332.\n6. City Directory. 1853, p. 9.\n7. Same reference as #5. Microcopy T-8, Roll 32 (1870),\np. 284.\n8. New York Herald Tribune (New York, New York), The Washington\nlost and The Evening Star (Washington, D. C.) September\n30, 1934.\n9. Proctor, John Clagett, ed., Washington Past and Present.\nNew York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co.,\nVol. III, 1930, p. 134.\n10. Same reference as #1. Roll 36 (1862-64).\n11. Same reference as #1. Roll 12 (1865-70).\n12. Same reference as #6. 1872, p. 526; 1874, P. 560; 1875,\np. 618; 1876, p. 512; 1877, p. 658; 1885, p. 787; 1894,\np. 938.\n229\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 11)\n13. Same reference as #6. 1864-73.\n14. Same reference as #5. Microcopy T-8, Roll 32 (1870), P. 35,\nP. 36, p. 43.\n15. The Evening Star (Washington, D. C.) December 14, 1895.\n16. Register of Wills, Washington, D. c., Will Book 39, page 289.\n17. Same reference as #6. 1914, p. 1657, P. 1064; 1920, P. 1812,\nP. 1541; 1925, P. 1848, P. 1535; 1930, p. 1989; 1935, P. 2434,\nP. 499; 1940, P. 1977, p. 275; 1943, P. 194, P. 1220.\n18. Same reference as #15. December 17, 1937, P. A-14.\n19. Same reference as #6. 1948, P. 139, p. 1231.\n230\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 12)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: At one time a twin to 3615 0 Street,\nthis house retains for the most part its earlier plan. Al-\nthough its facade has been resurfaced, the west side still\nhas the original extremely wide weather boarding. It is a\nsimple, unassuming, two-story clapboard house.\nCondition of fabric: Fairly good; some areas in need of paint,\nsome wide weatherboard split and loose. West wall completely\nunpainted.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 35'-0\". Two bays\nacross 0 Street facade. Two stories high.\nFoundation: Brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame.\nChimneys: One large central chimney, one small one at rear\noff kitchen ell.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Door has two small horizontal\npanels at bottom and one large top panel which is\nactually painted glass. There is a small-light\ntransom, and the whole has a wide flat board trim.\n231\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 13)\nWindows and shutters: Six over six double-hung wood\nsash. Shutters on front are louvered wood.\nPorches: Small wood shed roof over back door, brick paving of\nterrace continues under to form floor (not raised). Front stoop\nis semicircular brick, two risers high.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable, ridge running east-west;\nmetal covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Wide wood box cornice with bed mould; hang-\ning metal gutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: First floor has one room across front, one room\nacross rear, and kitchen in small addition off northeast corner.\nSecond floor has one bedroom across front, one in rear, and a\nbathroom. There is a full attic storage room and partial base-\nment under dining room, both with access stairs.\nStairways: Ascends from north to south along east wall of rear\nrooms. Originally enclosed with wide boarding, the first to\nsecond floor run has been opened up and had an old rail from\nelsewhere inserted.\nFlooring: Wide, random width pine.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted.\n232\nBUEHLER-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-189 (Page 14)\nDoors and doorways: Simple mid-nineteenth four-panel doors\nwith flat trim.\nDecorative features and trim: Very heavy early-to-mid-nine-\nteenth century mantel pieces of a simple design; flat wood\ntrim; no cornices.\nHardware: No notable hardware.\nLighting: No notable fixtures.\nHeating: Furnace in modern basement.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: One of several houses of\nsimilar scale forming the north side of 0 Street. No front\nyard; ample rear yard.\nEnclosures: Rear y ard enclosed with wood fence. Board gate\naccess to rear yard from street.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick paved terrace in rear, brick walk on west side\nof house.\nLandscaping: Simple residential planting.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nOctober 30, 1968\n233\nA.:\n234\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-201\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nAddress in 1969: Original Church - 3513 N Street, N.W.,\n(now Convent\nWashington, D.C.\nof Mercy)\n(N Street was formerly\nFirst Street.'\nPresent Church\n- 36th Street between N and\n0 Streets, N.W., Washing-\nton, D.C. (formerly Lingan\nStreet between First and\nSecond Streets).\nRectory\n- 3514 o Street, N.W.,\nWashington, D.C. (0 Street\nwas formerly Second Street.'\nLocation:\nThe Original Church occupies old Lot 72\nin old Square 57 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now known as part of Lot\n803 in Square 1227 in the City of\nWashington.\nThe Present Church stands on old Lot 75\nand part of old Lots 74 and 72 in old\nSquare 57 in Threlkeld's Addition to\nGeorgetown, now known as part of Lot 803\nin Square 1227 in the City of Washington.\nThe Rectory occupies old Lots 78 and 83\nin old Square 57 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now known as Lots 78 and\n808 in Square 1227 in the City of\nWashington.\n235\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 2)\nDate of Erection:\nOriginal Church - 1794\nPresent Church - 1851\nRectory\n- 1869\nOwners in 1969:\nRoman Catholic Church\nOccupants in 1969:\nRoman Catholic Church\nUse in 1969:\nOriginal Church - Living quarters for Nuns\nteaching at nearby Holy\nTrinity Schools\nPresent Church - Holy Trinity Parish\nChurch\nRectory\n- Holy Trinity Church\nRectory\nSignificance:\nThe original church was the first place\nfor public Catholic worship in the Dis-\ntrict; the present church is an ante-\nbellum edifice, and even the rectory is\na century old.\n236\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 3)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1787-1851\nAlthough Maryland was colonized largely by Catholics seeking\nfreedom of religion, they found themselves in difficult\nstraits when Protestants gained political power, for Cathol-\nicism was rigidly repressed. For almost 130 years Catholics\nwere prohibited from having churches, so that Mass had to\nbe held in private chapels of the homes of the well-to-do.\nThese were called \"Mass-houses.\" (1)\nAfter the American Revolution Catholicism was established\nin the new country on a different basis:\n\"...it would have been unpopular for Catholics\nin the States to remain under the spiritual\njurisdiction of English prelates. Consequently\non June 9, 1784, the Holy See appointed Father\nJohn Carroll, a cousin of the celebrated Charles\nCarroll of Carrollton, the signer of the\nDeclaration of Independence, as Prefect Apostolic,\nwith faculties to administer the Sacrament of\nConfirmation.\" (2)\nThe appointment of Father Francis Xavier Neale to establish a\nCatholic Parish in Georgetown was one of Archbishop Carroll's\nfirst deeds. In 1787 the Most Reverend John Carroll bought\nfrom John Threlkeld for five shillings--a virtual gift--a\nplot of land, sixty by one hundred and twenty feet on the\nnorth side of First (N) Street between Fayette (35th) and\nLingan (36th) Streets for the site of a Roman Catholic\nChurch. (3)\n237\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 4)\nAlthough Father Neale began planning and soliciting for\nthe church in 1791, his progress was delayed. It was\nnot customary during that era for people to donate\nmoney for churches, and since many of the residents of\nthe community were poor, the collection of funds proved\nto be a slow process. Consequently, Mr. James Doyle, the\nbuilder, was unable to complete the construction until\n1794. In fact, the church could not afford to pay him\nin cash, but instead provided rental pews as recompense.\nMr. Doyle later willed his rental pews to Georgetown\nCollege in exchange for twelve years of tuition and board\nfor his sons.\nThe little church on First Street was opened for services in\n1794, but \"There were no pews in the center of the Church\nuntil 1832. The open space was occupied by those who did not\nrent pews and by colored people. They sat on stools or\nbenches or chairs which they brought from home.\" (4)\nFrom the beginning, as the Church Register indicates, Holy\nTrinity Church was an active force in the Parish. On January\n1, 1795 the record shows that pews rented for seven shillings\nand sixpence a year and that Mrs. Simms, William Fenwick,\nMargaret Queen, and \"Old\" Mrs. Fenwick had paid their rentals\nin full, while Mr. Johnson paid only half of his and Thomas\nBowling owed fifteen shillings and eleven pence.\nThe first marriage record occurs on January 1, 1794 for \"David\nThomas to Phyllis, a Negro Slave, property of Elizabeth Coyle\nof Georgetown.\" A month later the first baptism is recorded,\n\"William James, son of James and Ann James, living in George-\ntown.' (5)\nHoly Trinity Church also served the community in secular ways.\nReverend Kelly in a history of the Parish describes one way\nin which the church served its neighbor, Georgetown College:\n238\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 5)\n\"For forty years graduation and literary exercises\nwere held in the church, converted temporarily into a\nhall\nIn 1799 on the death of General Washington\na large concourse assembled in the church to pay\na tribute to the memory of the Father of his Country.\n\" the last commencement [of Georgetown College] to\nbe held in the church took place in the month of July,\n1832. Odes were read in Latin, Greek, French and\nSpanish....\" (6)\nDevitt verifies the use of Holy Trinity Church by Georgetown\nCollege:\n\"The solemn academic exercises were held in Trinity\nChurch until the large study-hall in the Mulledy\nbuilding was opened in 1834. A procession was\nformed on the college grounds, and the officials,\nstudents and invited magnates marched to the\nchurch.\" (7)\nThe church soon became too small as Georgetown began to grow.\nMany families, such as the Fenwicks, Digges, Youngs, Neales,\nand Brents, moved into town from the counties.\nFunds were raised to enlarge the church and vigorous efforts\nensued to provide apace for the religious needs of a rapidly\ngrowing congregation:\n\"Attempts were made first to widen it [the church],\nthen to add to the length, but the results were un-\nsatisfactory. Two confessional were build alongside\nthe church which were to be used also as vestries and\nsacristies. Arches were cut in the side walls and\nsheds erected. Finally an addition was built in the\nrear, greater than the original in depth....\" (8)\n239\n240\n)\nS HI I\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 6)\nHowever, it soon became clear that the alterations would not\ntake care of the overcrowding and that a new solution was\nrequired.\nPlans were made to build a new church on land which Father\nNeale and Georgetown College had acquired on the east side\nof Lingan (36th) Street from First (N) Street to Second (0)\nStreet. Father Peter O'Flanagan, whom Kelly calls the church's\n\"Second Founder,\" was instrumental in organizing the drive for\nthe new structure. Ground was broken in 1846 and the corner-\nstone laid in place by Archbishop Eccleston on July 8, 1849,\nso that \"...this second church antedates all others now standing\nin Washington as they were erected after 1850.\" (9)\n1851-1869\nConstruction of the second Holy Trinity Church took more than\ntwo years. So it was not dedicated until June 15, 1851.\n(The old church on N Street became a parochial school. Much\nlater, in 1918, it became the Convent of Mercy and was converted\nto its present use as living quarters for the nuns who teach\nat the Trinity Grade School on the corner of 36th and N Streets\nand Trinity High School at 1325 36th Street on the corner of O\nStreet.) The first marriage in the new church occurred on\nMay 13, 1852 between Dennis O'Donnoghue and Theresa Jamieson.\n(10)\nHoly Trinity Church was one of the seven buildings in George-\ntown that were converted into hospitals during the Civil War. (11)\nMilitary guards, under the command of Captain Strong of Penn-\nsylvania (a brother of Father George I. Strong, S.J.) were put\nin charge of the entire church property. Temporary flooring\nwas built over the pews and sanctuary. (During the Army\noccupation the old church on First (N) Street was used for\nworshipers.)\n241\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 7)\nAfter Holy Trinity had been restored as a place of worship,\nGeneral Whipple's funeral service was held there. Kelly\ndescribes President Lincoln's attendance:\n\"The sexton was told to keep the main aisle clear\nfor the President. But not recognizing him the\nsexton under orders tried to stop his passage up\nthe aisle. The President humorously remarked:\n'Would that my officials were as exact in the\nperformance of their duty as your good sexton.'\" (12)\nAfter the war Holy Trinity received compensation from the U.S.\ngovernment for the use of the church and for repairs.\n1869-1969\nAt the end of the decade and twenty years after the corner-\nstone was laid for the \"new\" Holy Trinity Church, a permanent\nresidence was erected for its pastors and their assistants.\nPrior to that Father Neale and his staff had roomed and boarded\nat the College. During this period a small house on the south\nside of First (N) Street, which the College owned and used as\na boys' school, was also the pastors' center for tending their\nparochial duties. In 1823 this house was converted into a\nresidence for the priests when the boys vacated the building\nupon completion of Trinity School. Ten years later the\n\"Residence of the Pastor and Assistants of Holy Trinity Church\"\nwas set up in the O'Donnoghue house nearby on First (N) Street\nnear the center of the block. This building, often dubbed\n\"The White House\" by the Fathers because of its color, remained\nthe official pastoral residence until 1869, when the present\nstructure was erected on the southeast corner of Lingan (36th)\nand Second (0) Streets. Designed by architect Francis Stanton,\nthis imposing brick building with its mansard roof stood next\nto Holy Trinity Church for some fifty years. In 1917 the\n242\nnel\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 8)\nrectory was propped on supports and hauled around the corner\nto its present location on 0 Street. This was done to make\nway for the new Trinity Schools to be built on both sides\nof the church. (13)\nHoly Trinity continued to prosper and to serve an increasing\nparish. During the influenza epidemic of 1918 the church was\nclosed when the U.S. government prohibited public gatherings.\nAt that time services were held outdoors on the athletic field\nof Georgetown University. (14)\nThe church, a local landmark, still carries on its functions,\nas it has done almost from the beginning of Georgetown. It\nhas been attended through the years by notables such as\nPresident and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, as well as by less famous\nparishioners, the working people who comprised the core of\nwestern Georgetown.\nReferences\n1. Kelly, Lawrence J., History of Holy Trinity Parish.\nBaltimore, Maryland: John D. Lucas Printing Co.,\n1945, p. 17.\n2. Same reference as #1. p. 9.\n3. Same reference as #1. p. 15.\n244\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 9)\n4. Same reference as #1. p. 18.\n5. Proctor, John Clagett, ed. Washington, Past and Present.\nNew York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1930,\nVol. II, P. 791.\n6. Same reference as #1. PP. 77-78.\n7. Devitt, Rev. Edward I., S.J., \"Georgetown College in Early\nDays,\" Records of the Columbia Historical Society.\nWashington, D. C.: The Columbia Historical Society, 1909,\nVol. 12, p. 35.\n8. Same reference as #1. p. 19.\n9. Same reference as #1. p. 23.\n10. Papers of Clara O'Donnoghue Ennis 1799-1903. Washington, D.C.:\nPrivate Collection, 1903.\n11. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:\nBarre Publishing Co., 1968, P. 87, P. 100.\n12. Same reference as #1. p. 27.\n13. Same reference as #1. PP. 75-76.\n14. Same reference as #1. p. 27.\n245\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 10)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nConvent of Mercy\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural character: Originally Holy Trinity Church, this\nlate eighteenth-century building, now used by the Convent of\nMercy, has been altered considerably. The regular spacing\nof windows on the sides has been interrupted by the introduction\nof similar additional windows and the removal of several others,\nyet the general appearance of the architecture is orderly and\nunified due to the overall painting and the regular rhythms of\nthe cornice.\nCondition of fabric: Good; reasonably well-maintained, al-\nthough the paint on brickwork has weathered badly.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 36'-0\" by 110'-0\", with a\n12'-0\" tower at the center of the south front. Two stories\nhigh. Three bays wide by eight bays long.\nFoundations: Brick to grade.\nWall construction: Brick, painted; shaped brick water table\nand corbelled brick caps on the stepped roof parapets.\nChimneys: None visible.\n246\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 11)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The front entrance has a pair\nof three-panelled doors with a semicircular transom\nlight above, made up of two circular panes and\nvarious irregular wedge-shaped panes. Panelled\npilasters on each side support an arched cornice\nand a sign bearing the name of the convent, sur-\nmounted by a cross. A rear entrance at the north-\nwest corner has a pair of doors with six vertical\npanels and a two-light transom. Chamfered pilasters\nand scrolled console brackets support a flat\nmodillioned entablature.\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general have six-\nover-six double hung wood sash, stone sills, and\nbrick jack arches. One window above the main\nentrance has a semicircular head. At the attic\nlevel in the tower are boarded-up circular openings\non the east, south, and west sides.\nPorches: On the north end of the east side is a two-story\nmodern wood utility porch and stair, partially roofed over,\nserving as an auxiliary means of egress from the second floor.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Low gable with stepped parapet\nends; ridge running north to south; painted standing\nseam metal covering.\nFraming: Wood (assumed).\nCornice: The wood cornice is made up of a large cyma\nrecta above a broad soffit support on regularly spaced\ncarved scrolled brackets with smaller carved modillions\nbetween, all mounted on a broad wood entablature.\n247\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 12)\nTower: The twelve-foot-square masonry tower extends\njust above the ridge line, at which point there is a\nbracketed and modillioned cornice similar to that on\nthe main building. A very low pitched metal roof\nprovides a transition to an octagonal wood clapboard\nbelfry divided into two sections by a belt moulding;\nthe lower section has horizontal rectangular louvers\nin each of the eight sides and the upper section has\nvertical rectangular louvers with gabled pediments\nin each of the eight sides. There is a smaller\nmodillioned cornice above this and a low pitched\nmetal roof with a large metal ball at the peak, sur-\nmounted by a cross.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nThe interior of this building was not accessible to this\nresearcher.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Situated high above N Street,\nthis former church building occupies the southwest corner of\nthe Holy Trinity-Convent of Mercy educational complex. Its\nentrance front faces south toward N Street; and although it is\nlocated in a prominent position, it is overshadowed by the\nlarge red brick educational buildings across the street and\nadjacent on the west.\nEnclosures: There is a wrought and cast iron fence along top\nof the massive stone retaining wall along N Street; on the\neast is a high, plain board fence; on the west is a brick\nwall enclosing the paved area between the school and the\nconvent.\nOutbuildings: None.\n248\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 13)\nWalks: Herringbone brick paving in front of the building,\nconcrete and asphalt paving on west and rear. Steps up\nfrom the sidewalk are red sandstone.\nLandscaping: Irregular low shrubbery is planted on the\nsteep embankment from the top of the retaining wall to\nthe lighter level of the brick-paved terrace, which has\na few planting pockets in it.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 10, 1969\n249\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 14)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nHoly Trinity Church\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This straightforward, symmetrical\nbuilding is a good example of the adaptation of the Greco-\nRoman temple form for use as a place of Christian worship.\nThe simplicity of the exterior gives little indication of\nthe elaborate decoration of the interior, yet is in harmony\nwith it. Its light color and graceful proportions set it\noff from the darker utilitarian school buildings that flank\nit.\nCondition of fabric: Very good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 64'-0\" by 109'-0\", two\nstories high. The 36th Street facade is divided into five\nbays by rectangular pilasters; the outer two bays are blank,\nthe next two have circular stained-glass windows at the\nsecond floor level, and the center one has the main entrance\ndoorway. The center three bays form the back of a full\nheight Ionic portico with a gabled pediment. The south side\nis divided into seven bays; the outer bays project 10\" from\nthe others to form small pavilions, the west bay has a door-\nway, the remaining bays have tall, semi-circular headed\nstained-glass windows. The north side is similar to the\nsouth, but reversed. The east end is divided into three bays\nwith blind arches in them. There is a door low in the center.\n250\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 15)\nFoundations: Stucco covers the masonry foundation walls to\ngrade.\nWall construction: Ashlar-coursed stucco over masonry bear-\ning walls.\nChimneys: One, on the southeast corner.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Main entry has double three\npanel doors surmounted by a pediment supported\non carved consoles, all in wood. There is a\nsemi-circular stained glass transom light. The\nnorth and south entries have double three-\npanel doors with five-light transoms over wood\narchitraves, and wood console-supported\nentablatures. Door sills are granite.\nWindows and shutters: Windows are generally\ntall, semi-circular leaded stained glass windows\nwith wood and metal frames. There are two\ncircular stained glass windows in the west\nfacade. There are no shutters. All flat-bot-\ntomed windows have granite sills.\nPorches: The front portico has four Ionic columns of stucco\nover masonry with limestone bases and capitals supporting a\ntriangular pediment with a modillioned cornice, and large\ncarved and gold-leafed \"IHS\" in the tympanum. The floor of\nthe porch, which is concrete, is nine granite steps above\nthe sidewalk.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable; metal standing seam\nroof; ridge running east-west.\n251\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 16)\nFraming: Wood trusses (assumed).\nCornice: Classical wood cornice with modillions on\nboth main building and pedimental portico. Concealed\ngutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: Although the church is basically one large space,\nthere are confessionals across the west wall on both sides of\nthe entrance door, and there are small stair halls just inside\nboth side doors. There are sacristies on each side of the\naltar area at the east end.\nAt the west end is a large balcony two bays deep, supported on\ntwo rows of ornamented cast iron columns. There is seating\non both sides of the balcony, while the center is occupied by\nthe organ, its console, and the choir area.\nThe basement was not accessible at the time of this writing.\nStairways: The two stairways giving access to the balcony in\nthe northwest and southwest corners of the building. They\nbegin with a series of winders at the outer corners, ascend\nalong the west wall, and then turn again with a series of\nwinders toward the east.\nFlooring: Resilient tile under pews, carpet in aisles, white\nmarble in the chancel area.\nWall and ceiling finish: The general color of the interior is\na warm gray, picked out in gold leaf. In the balcony the\nwainscot area is sponge-stippled with a slightly darker gray.\nThe ceiling is coved, and the field area is coffered.\n252\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 17)\nDoors and doorways: The interior vestibule doors are similar\nto those on the exterior except that they have obscure glass\nin the upper panels.\nDecorative features and trim: The center and side altars,\npulpit, chancel rail, and floor are of white marble. Above\nthe side altars are large niches, painted blue inside,\ncontaining statues. However, the dominating decorative\nelement is the full-height Ionic order with full entabla-\nture complete with rinceau moulding in the frieze. Many\nof the mouldings are picked out in gilt, as are the fluting\nand capitals of the pilasters and the rinceau in the frieze.\nHardware: Modern brushed aluminum and bronze; panic hard-\nware on exit doors.\nLighting: Modern electric hanging fixtures and recessed\nlights.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Situated in the middle of\nthe block somewhat above the street, though not set back very\nfar from it, the church dominates the east side of its block\nof 36th Street. It is surrounded by a variety of affiliated\neducational buildings.\nEnclosures: There is a wrought-iron fence atop a stone re-\ntaining wall at each side of the main steps along the 36th\nStreet facade. This fence continues to the corner of 0\nStreet, enclosing the adjacent school building.\nOutbuildings: None.\n253\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 18)\nWalks: Concrete paving surrounds the building.\nLandscaping: Low shrubbery in front, paving on sides and\nrear; well-kept.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 7, 1969\n254\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 19)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nHoly Trinity Rectory\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A large, square, free-standing building,\nthis house forms an ideal transition from the residential-\nscale buildings along 0 Street to the school and church build-\nings adjoining it. The bold cornice, entryway, and roof\nstructures are an effective counterpoint to the stolid massive-\nness of the brick body of the building.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Main block is approximately 40'-0\" by 38'\n-0\", two-stories high with a mansard story. There is a 12'-\n0\", two-story high brick addition across the rear of the main\nblock, and a 10'-0\" by 30'-0\" enclosed sleeping porch across\nthe rear of the addition at the second floor level. Main\nblock has three bays across 0 Street facade and is four bays\ndeep.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall Construction: Brick, except sleeping porch, which is\nstucco on frame.\n255\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 20)\nChimneys: Two on each side of main block.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Front doors are a pair of heavy,\ntwo-panel leaves with deep mouldings opening into a\nvestibule, from which a pair of similar doors with\nobscure glass in the arched top panels opens into\nthe stair hall. There is an elaborate canopy above\nthe segmental arched transom, supported by overscaled\nwood scrolls on each side. The woodwork in the\nvestibule has painted graining in some parts.\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general are two\nover two double-hung wood sash with plain painted\nstone or wood sills and straight, painted stone\nor wood lintels with a leaf-carved crown moulding\nacross the top. There are no shutters, but traces\nof them remain. Dormer windows are two over two,\ndouble-hung wood sash.\nPorches: Painted stone steps lead up to entry door.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Steep mansard with hexagonal\nslates; top deck is probably painted metal, but\nwas inaccessible for verification.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Elaborate Victorian wood cornice with\nboth brackets and modillions.\nDormers: Three across the front, one double one\nbetween the chimneys on each side; wood with metal\nroofing.\n256\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 21)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plan: There is a center stair hall originally having two\nlarge rooms on each side. The northwest and southeast rooms\nremain as separate rooms; the northeast has been divided by a\nwood and glass partition to form two smaller rooms, while the\nsouthwest has been completely partitioned to form a bath and a\nchapel. The brick addition across the rear contains a kitchen\non the east and a dining room on the west. The basement echoes\nthe center hall plan, with various storage rooms opening off\neach side. The upper floors were inaccessible to the researcher\nat the time of his visit.\nStairways: The stair has a straight run from north to south\nalong the west wall to a landing the width of the hall, thence\na shorter run from south to north to the second floor. This\nplan continues for the full height of the building. The newel\nand balusters are heavy turned wood, the handrail is heavy\nmoulded wood, and each tread has an ornamental jigsawed scrolled\nbracket on the stringer. The basement stair is enclosed with\nnarrow beaded boards, and is a simple wood open riser stair.\nFlooring: Oak parquet for the most part; center hall and dining\nroom carpeted; southeast office has linoleum covering.\nWall and ceiling finish: Walls are painted plaster; ceilings\nin rooms are painted pressed metal, ceiling in stair hall,\ndining room, and kitchen are painted plaster.\nDoors and doorways: Doors in general have four panels, with\nobscure glass replacing the upper two vertical panels. There\nare also several other nineteenth-century panelled doors in\nsmaller openings.\nDecorative features and trim: All mantelpieces have been re-\nmoved and the fireplaces closed. Door and window trim is\nelaborately moulded and is about seven inches wide. The outer\nedge is undercut, giving a strong shadow line around the open-\nings. Cornices, where they exist, are of pressed metal.\n257\nHOLY TRINITY PARISH\nHABS No. DC-201 (Page 22)\nHardware: Some modern mortise locks, a few old cast iron\nrimlocks, white china knobs.\nLighting: All mid-twentieth century electric fixtures.\nHeating: Boiler in center front of basement; radiators\nthroughout.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the south side\nof o Street, the house is set off by driveways on each side.\nWhile the neighborhood is essentially residential, this\nbuilding is part of a large school, church, and convent\ncomplex otherwise oriented toward 36th Street.\nEnclosures: Chain-link and board fences around rear yard;\nwrought iron gates on the west between this building and\nthe school building; wrought iron fences around planting\nareas at each side of front door.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Concrete.\nLandscaping: Large foundation planting in areas each side of\nthe front door, paving around remainder of house.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nNovember 20, 1968\n258\n260\nКИ\nH\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-207\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3610 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 107 Second Street.)\nLocation:\nThis double house (the western portion\nbeing 3612 0 Street) occupies part of\nLot 90 in Square 56 in Threlkeld's\nAddition to Georgetown, now taxed as\nLot 804 in Square 1226 in the City of\nWashington.\nDate of erection:\nEarly nineteenth-century with a series\nof later additions.\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nTwo private residences (one on the first\nfloor and one on the second floor).\nSignificance:\nThis is a very early example of the double\nhouse found in varying architectural styles\nthroughout Georgetown in all its periods\nof development. The use of the house to-\nday maintains its original dual nature.\n261\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1794-1818\nOn March 21, 1794 John Threlkeld and his wife, Elizabeth,\nconveyed this property to Joseph Milbourn Simms. The land\nwas then vacant.\nJoseph Milbourn Simms was a son of Joseph and Catherine\n(Culver) Simms, who were married on May 28, 1753; she was\na descendant of Marmaduke Semmes, one of the early settlers\nof Maryland. Joseph Simms, Sr. inherited \"Culver's Choice\"\nin Frederick (later Montgomery) County from his wife's father.\nThe \"Culver's Choice\" property was evidently the dwelling-\nplantation of Joseph Milbourn Simms before he acquired the\nproperty in Georgetown.\nHe was enrolled as a very young man in the Montgomery County\nmilitia during the American Revolution, belonging to the\nlower battalion of the County--an indication that \"Culver's\nChoice\" was located not too far from Georgetown. He married\nElizabeth Mudd on February 2, 1790; the Simms family appear\non the census record for Montgomery County that same year.\nIf \"Culver's Choice\" were not too remote from Georgetown,\nCatherine Culver Simms may be the \"Mrs. Sims\" who owned a\npew in Holy Trinity Church in 1795, or it may have been her\ndaughter-in-law, Elizabeth Mudd Simms.\nJoseph Milbourn Simms died intestate sometime before 1804;\nin his father's Will, probated that year, there is a refer-\nence to Joseph Milbourn as deceased. He was survived by\nhis wife Elizabeth and two sons, Joseph and Francis.\n262\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 3)\nElizabeth Simms married a second time. The date, place, and\neven the Christian name of her second husband, a Mr. Thompson,\nare uncertain. On May 19, 1807 Charles Thompson was assessed\nfor a house and lot \"near the Roman Church\" in Georgetown,\nvalued at $400; two Negro men, one Negro boy, and furniture\nwere valued at $900. (2) It is quite probable that Elizabeth\n(Mudd) Simms married Charles Thompson and that they, together\nwith her two sons, were living on the former Joseph Milbourn\nSimms property.\nWithout straining the evidence, one might reasonably assume\nthat Joseph Milbourn Simms built a frame house on the property\nnow known as 3610-3612 0 Street about the year 1795, that he\nmay have died shortly thereafter, and that his young widow\nsubsequently married Charles Thompson and made her home with\nher second husband and children at the same address. (3) Charles\nThompson died between 1807 and 1809, leaving Elizabeth Thompson\nagain a widow.\nOn May 10, 1809 Elizabeth Thompson was assessed for Lot 90 with\nimprovements, valued at $800, and other property totaling\n$1475. Three years later, on July 1, 1812, she was assessed\nfor a one-story frame house, located at Second (now 0) and Gay\n(now 36th) Streets, on Lot 90 of Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and\nDeakins Addition, again valued at $800. (4)\nOn July 29, 1813 Joseph M. Simms, Francis Simms, and Elizabeth\nThompson were assessed for one-third each of a one-story frame\nhouse located on Lot 90 at Second (0) and Gay (36th) Streets. (5)\nTwo years later, in 1815, Elizabeth Thompson was assessed for\none-third of a one-story frame house at Second and Gay Streets\non Lot 90, valued at $534. (6) The assessment roll for 1818\nlisted Elizabeth Thompson as owner of a one-story frame house\non Lot 90, located on Second near Gay Street, valued at $1400.\n(7)\n263\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 4)\nIn 1813 one of Elizabeth Simms Thompson's sons, Francis,\nexchanged properties with his brother, Joseph, relinquish-\ning Lot 90 to Joseph in return for one hundred acres at\n\"Culver's Choice\" in Maryland. That same year Joseph\nmarried Tabitha Richards at Holy Trinity Church. The\nfollowing year, 1814, Francis married Verlinda Hagan,\ndescendant of one of the earliest families to settle in\nMaryland. (8) It is possible that Joseph and Tabitha lived\nin one dwelling of the double house on Second (0) Street\nwhile Elizabeth Thompson lived in the other.\nIn 1818 Joseph, his wife and his mother (who had dower rights)\nsold the property to Louis (or Lewis) Joseph Lihault and his\ntwo sisters, Marie Francoise and Marie Magdelaine for $1000.\nIn this deed all three of the grantors are described as of\nScott County, Kentucky, which would indicate that they had\nchanged their residence from Georgetown to Kentucky.\n1818-1833\nThe high sale price of $1000 (far above the cost of a one-\nstory frame house) and the increased assessment from $534\nin 1815 to $1400 in 1818 suggest that the original house\nhad been considerably altered or even replaced on the\nsame foundation before the family sold the property in\n1818. (9) The structure with its double living quarters lent\nitself to separate occupancy by Louis Lihault and his children\nand\nby his two unmarried sisters.\nIn a deed dated November 10, 1819 Louis Lihault conveyed the\nproperty in Lot 90 that began \"...at the Northwest corner\nof a two-story brick house supposed to stand at the Western\nextremety of said Lot 90....\" This was given to his sisters\nin exchange for part of a tract of land called \"Fox,\" being\npart of Lot 8 and Lot 201 in Hawkins and Beatty's Addition\nto Georgetown.\n264\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 5)\nThe Will of Lewis J. Lihault, dated February 1, 1823, men-\ntioned his sister, Mary (Marie) F. Lihault, a certain\nElizabeth Lihault, widow, and her children, Louisa M. Li-\nhault and Augustus Joseph Lihault. It is probable that\nElizabeth was the widow of Joseph A. Lihault, who was very\nlikely Lewis's brother. Marie Magdelaine Lihault died in\n1821. Her Will, dated January 28, 1820, left all of her\nproperty to her sister, Marie Francoise. (10) Unfortunately,\nneither of these Wills gives any clue to the kind of life\nlived by the Lihaults. The witnesses to Lewis Lihault's\nWill included A. H. Boutcher, a later owner of the house.\n1833-1842\nBy her brother's deed of sale in 1819 and her sister's Will,\nMary Frances (or Marie Francoise) Lihault became sole owner\nof the property. On November 21, 1833 she conveyed the\nproperty to Alfred H. Boutcher for $670. This 1833 deed\nnoted a frontage of 46 feet on Second Street comprised of\n42 feet at the westerly end of Lot 90 and 4 feet at the\neasterly end of Lot 89.\nAlfred H. Boucher (or Boutcher) and his family lived in the\nhouse on Second Street according to the extant Georgetown\ndirectories and kept a grocery store on Bridge (now M)\nStreet. (11) Boucher appeared in the 1830 census as a\nresident of Georgetown with a household composed of \"\ntwo male children under five and one aged between five\nand ten years, one white male aged between 30 and 40 years,\none aged between 80 and 90, one female child aged between\nfive and ten, one white female aged between 30 and 40\nyears, one free colored male and one free colored female\nadult and one free colored child under five years.\" (12)\nBoucher divided the property in 1842 when he sold it.\nThe more easterly portion, with a 24 foot frontage on\nSecond Street, was conveyed to Mary Manyett in a deed\ndated October 13, 1842. The Manyetts owned an iron\n265\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 6)\nfoundry on Maine Avenue in 1846 and are listed as residing\nat that time in downtown Washington. (13)\n1842-1862\nFor most of the twenty years that the Manyetts owned the\nproperty, it was occupied by members of the family. One\nof the Manyett daughters, Mary Magdalina, lived with her\nhusband, John P. Freeman, in the house for many years.\nFreeman was a tailor, whose shop was on High Street (Wis-\nconsin Avenue) between Prospect Street and First (N)\nStreet. (14) (15) Then the property was rented in 1858 to\nThomas Duvall, a machinist, and later in 1860 to Leonard\nHohstein, a tanner. (16)\n1862-1904\nCarroll Daly, a laborer and later a contractor, bought the\nhouse in 1862; he and his family lived there until 1888\nwhen they moved to 1306 36th Street. Daly retained owner-\nship of the O Street house. One of his sons, John, who\nwas a fireman, continued to live in the house for about\nten years and then moved across the street.\nIn the 1865 tax assessment of Georgetown, Carroll Dailey\n(Daly) is recorded as the owner of a small brick tenement\non Lot 90, with a frontage of 19 1/2 feet on Second Street\nand a 60 foot depth to his property. The total assessed\nvalue was $500. (18) The same description and valuation\nare listed in the 1872, 1874 and 1875 assessments. (19)\nThis would seem to indicate that no substantial changes\nhad been made to the building between 1819 and 1875. It\nwas still only a two-room, two-story brick house. Be-\ntween 1875 and 1887 certain wooden additions would appear\nto have been made to the house, most probably by Daly, a\ncontractor whose son was also skilled in construction work.\n266\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 7)\nThe house was extended in the rear, with the addition of\nanother small room. These changes are shown on the\nHopkins map of 1887. (20)\nCarroll Daly died February 20, 1904 without leaving a\nWill. Survivors were his wife, Margaret, age 70, and\nthree sons, John, William and Daniel. The real estate,\nconsisting of two properties--one on 36th Street and\none on O Street--descended to the children. Margaret,\nCarroll's widow, and two of her sons, John and William,\noccupied the dwellings, renting some of the rooms in\ntheir homes. Daniel, the third son, receiving no pro-\nceeds of the rentals, sued to have the properties sold\nand the funds divided. The court decreed that the sale\nbe made and appointed Michael Colbert and Hugh T.\nTaggart as trustees. (21)\n1904-1942\nIn September of 1904 the O Street property was sold to Nathan\nSickle who was a tobacconist and lived on Eye Street, N.W.\n(22) Sickle held the property for two years and in 1906\nsold it to Aloysius J. Correll, a coach painter, who used\nit as his residence for the next six years. (23)\nIn 1913 the property was purchased by John T. Scrivener, a\ngrocer, whose business and home were on Prospect Street. (24)\nHe used the O Street property for rental purposes. In 1919,\nafter Scrivener's death, it was conveyed through a lawyer,\nLeRoy Humphrey, who served as a \"straw,\" to James E. Scrivener,\npresumably a son of John. James was an inspector for a meat\npacking company. He and his wife lived in \"Foggy Bottom\"\non G Street, N.W. (25)\nFrom 1920 to 1929 John F. Carmody, an engineer, rented the\nhouse on 0 Street. (26) In 1923 William H. Lewis had bought\nthe house, but Carmody continued to rent it until 1929 when\nit was sold through Joseph Dillon, a lawyer, to James J. Sullivan.\n267\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 8)\nJames held the property for only two weeks before selling it\nto Mrs. Nellie W. Brenizer, whose husband, Gilmer, was\nemployed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Department. (27)\nThese transactions occurred only a month before the Wall\nStreet crash, when economic values dipped sharply. It\nis interesting to note that 3610 o Street was continuously\nrented during the thirteen years of ownership by the\nBrenizers. The tenants were largely professional people--\neditors, journalists, writers, and high-level government\nemployees. (28)\n1842-1969\nIn 1942 the property was purchased by Dr. Thomas A. Poole,\na physician, and his wife. They moved from their home\nin McLean, Virginia, into their Georgetown dwelling.\nAfter Dr. Poole's death his widow remained in the house\nuntil 1948 when she sold the house to Durham G. Rodgers. (29)\nRodgers kept the property a little more than two years,\nalthough he did not live there. In 1950 Eugene Carland\nand his wife bought it, but two years later, in 1952,\nsold it to Georgetown University, the present owners.\nThe house has been rented since then. City Directories\nof recent years list the tenants as economists, instructors,\nand research workers--people engaged in a variety of\nprofessional careers. (30)\n268\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 9)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1794\nJohn Threlkeld et ux\nDeed March 21, 1794\nElizabeth\nRecorded April 2, 1794\nto\nLiber B-2, folio 3\nJoseph Milbourn Simms\n1813\nFrancis Xavarius Simms\nDeed December 1, 1813\nto\nRecorded March 16, 1814\nJoseph Milbourn Simms, Jr.\nLiber AG-32, folio 221\n1818\nJoseph M. Simms, Jr. and\nDeed July 31, 1818\nElizabeth Thompson\nRecorded September 22, 1818\n(Simms)\nLiber AS-43, folio 253\nto\nLouis Joseph Lihault\nMarie Magdalene Lihault\nMarie Francoise Lihault,\ntenants in common\n269\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 10)\n1819\nLouis (or Lewis) Joseph\nDeed November 10, 1819\nLihault\nRecorded December 6, 1819\nto\nLiber AW-47, folio 377\nMarie Magdelene (or\nMagdelaine)\nLihault\nMarie Francoise Lihauft\n1821\nMary Magdelene\nWill January 8, 1820\n(or Magdelaine)\nProved November 20, 1821\nto\nWill Book 3, page 163\nMary Francoise Lihault\n1833\nMary Frances (or Marie\nDeed November 21, 1833\nFrancoise) Lihault\nRecorded November 28, 1833\nto\nLiber W.B. 48, folio 159\nAlfred H. Boutcher\n1842\nAlfred H. Boutcher\nDeed October 13, 1842\nto\nRecorded October 25, 1842\nMary Manyett\nLiber W.B. 93, folio 493\n270\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 11)\n1862\nJoseph Manyett and wife,\nDeed July 10, 1862\nCatherine\nRecorded October 25, 1862\nJohn Casper and wife,\nLiber JAS 223, folios 371-5\nMary Madgalina (Manyett)\nto\nCarroll Dayley (or Daly)\n1904\nMichael J. Colbert\nDeed September 20, 1904\nHugh T. Taggart\nRecorded September 21, 1904\ntrustees for estate\nLiber 2805, folio 423\nof Carroll Daly, deceased\nto\nNathan Sickle\n1906\nNathan Sickle, unmarried\nDeed September 12, 1906\nto\nRecorded September 12, 1906\nAloysius J. Correll\nLiber 3020, folio 422\n1913\nAloysius J. Correll\nDeed April 18, 1913\nto\nRecorded April 22, 1913\nJohn T. Scrivener\nLiber 3626, folio 34\n271\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 12)\n1919\nMargaret H. Blackman and\nDeed September 11, 1919\nhusband, Andrew A.\nRecorded September 13, 1919\nBlackman\nLiber 4232, folio 482\nJames E. Scrivener and wife,\nMary B. Scrivener\nMary C. Simpson and husband,\nEllsworth T. Simpson\nas heirs of John T. Scrivener,\ndeceased\nto\nLeRoy Pumphrey\nLeRoy Pumphrey\nDeed September 12, 1919\nto\nRecorded September 13, 1919\nJames E. Scrivener\nLiber 4232, folio 487\n1923\nJames E. Scrivener et ux\nDeed March 7, 1923\nto\nRecorded March 8, 1923\nWilliam H. Lewis\nLiber 4904, folio 40\n1929\nWilliam H. Lewis\nDeed September 3, 1929\nto\nRecorded September 18, 1929\nJoseph Dillon\nLiber 6373, folio 235\nJoseph Dillon\nDeed September 11, 1929\nto\nRecorded September 18, 1929\nJames J. Sullivan\nLiber 6373, folio 236\n272\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 13)\nJames J. Sullivan\nDeed September 26, 1929\nto\nRecorded September 30, 1929\nNellie W. Brenizer\nLiber 6377, folio 267\n1942\nNellie W. Brenizer\nDeed October 16, 1942\nto\nRecorded October 20, 1942\nThomas A. Poole and wife,\nLiber 7803, folio 331\nMargaret E. Poole, joint tenants\n1948\nMargaret E. Poole,\nDeed May 14, 1948\nsurviving tenant\nRecorded May 18, 1948\nto\nLiber 8747, folio 101\nDurham G. Rodgers\n1950\nDurham G. Rodgers\nDeed August 22, 1950\nto\nRecorded August 25, 1950\nEugene Carland and wife\nLiber 9282, folio 61\n1952\nEugene Carland and wife\nDeed May 19, 1952\nto\nRecorded May 20, 1952\nPresident E Directors of\nGeorgetown College\n273\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 14)\nReferences\n1. Newman, Harry Wright, Maryland Semmes and Kindred Families.\nBaltimore, Maryland: Maryland Historical Society, 1956.\n2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).\n3. Records of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Washington,\nD.C., 1795.\n4. Same reference as #2. Roll 8 (1808-1812).\n5. Same reference as #2. Roll 9 (1813-18).\n6. Same reference as #2. Roll 10 (1815).\n7. Same reference as #2. Roll 11 (1818-19).\n8. Marriage Register, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.\nWashington, D.C., 1813.\n9. Same reference as #2. Roll 11 (1818-19).\n10. Will, Mary Magdelaine Lihault, January 28, 1820. Will\nBook 3, page 163 Register of Wills, Washington, D.C.\n274\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 15)\n11. City Directory. 1830, p. 4.\n12. Population Census Georgetown, D.C., 1830.\n13. Same reference as #11. 1846, p. 60.\n14. Same reference as #11. 1853, P. 38.\n15. Same reference as #11. 1855 (Georgetown Section), P. 4.\n16. Same reference as #11. 1858, P. 441; 1860, P. 167.\n17. Same reference as #11. 1862, p. 191; 1888, P. 328; 1898,\nP. 347.\n18. Same reference as #2. Roll 12 (1865-70).\n19. Same reference as #2. Roll 14 (1872-73); Roll 15 (1874);\nRoll 17 (1875).\n20. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler. A Complete Set of\nSurveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: G. M. Hopkins, 1887, Plate\n39.\n21. Equity Cause 24590, Supreme Court of the District of\nColumbia, June, 1904.\n275\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY - HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 16)\n22. Same reference as #11. 1905, p. 857; 1906, P. 1019.\n23. Same reference as #11. 1907, P. 413; 1913, P. 475.\n24. Same reference as #11. 1913, p. 1320.\n25. Same reference as #11. 1919, p. 1290.\n26. Same reference as #11. 1920, p. 406; 1929, p. 2033.\n27. Same reference as #11. 1930, p. 285.\n28. Same reference as #11. 1929, p. 2033; 1935, p. 1503; 1938,\nP. 1141; 1940, p. 1197; 1942, p. 1469.\n29. Same reference as #11. 1942, P. 1296; 1943, P. 1194;\n1948, p. 910.\n30. Same reference as #11. 1954, P. 736; 1956, p. 823; 1960,\np. 183.\n276\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 17)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This two-story brick double house,\nalthough it has been much altered, retains the appearance\nof an early nineteenth-century building in its brickwork,\nchimneys, and parapeted gable ends. The eastern half, 3610,\nhas been divided into two apartments, while 3612 remains\na single dwelling. There is no indication that the two\nwere ever joined into a single dwelling.\nCondition of fabric: Good, fairly well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 32'-3\" by 26'-3\", with\nfour bays across 0 Street facade. The original two-story\nportion was 17'-0\" deep, however. There has been an\naddition about 24 feet long to the rear of 3610 and one\nabout 20 feet long to the rear of 3612. The front 33 feet\nof 3610 is two stories high, the rear only one story,\nwhile all of 3612 is two stories high.\nFoundations: Brick. There is a small, fairly recent cellar\nunder 3610, reached by a trapdoor in the living room floor.\nWall construction: Brick; some areas covered with stucco,\nparticularly on 3612. Rear addition to 3612 is of concrete\nblock.\n277\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 18)\nChimneys: One at each gable end of original building, one\nat party wall in first addition to 3610, and one at rear\ncenter of 3612.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Traces of the locations of\noriginal doors remain at the center two windows\nof the first floor. Entrance to 3610 is now a\npair of glazed french doors in the center of the\neast side, entrance to 3612 is a single six panel\ndoor in the center of the west side.\nWindows and shutters: Windows on front have 9 over\n6 wood sash; side windows on 3610 are a variety of\ncasements, fixed sash, and double-hung units, all\nmid-twentieth century; side windows on 3612 have\n6 over 6 double-hung wood sash; rear windows on\n3610 and 3612 have 6 over 6 wood sash. Front win-\ndows have modern replacement wood louvered shutters;\nthe westernmost first floor window has early\nwrought iron shutter dogs.\nPorches: The roof of the one-story addition to 3610 is used\nas a deck and entrance porch for the second floor apartment.\nIt has a painted metal deck a simple rail built of 2 X 4's,\nand simple wood utility stairs from the ground.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable on original house with\na ridge running east-west, sheds pitched to the\nsouth on rear additions to 3610, shed pitched to\nthe west on 3612; all standing-seam metal covered\nexcept front of 3612 which has corrugated metal.\nFraming: Wood.\n278\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 19)\nCornice: Three projected brick courses with a\nmetal hanging gutter across the front; no\ncornices elsewhere, just the gutter alone.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: Apparently each half of this building originally\nconsisted of two rooms, one above the other, with probably a\none-story room across the back, as indicated by the continuity\nand\ndiscontinuity of the brick coursing on the east side\nand similarity of plan on both sides up to this point. The\ncurrent disposition of rooms is as follows:\n3610: Across the north is a bedroom; just south of that a\nliving room with stairs on the east wall; then the entry\narea, which is only partly screened off from the living\nroom; then the dining area (east) and the bathroom (west);\nand across the south end is the kitchen. The second floor\nhas a bed-sitting room across the north end; a kitchen-\ndining room in the center; a bath on the south east; entry\nhall in south center; and a closet area in the south west.\n3612: The first floor has a dining room across the north;\na kitchen at the party wall and entry hall with stairs on\nthe west center; a living room across the south end with a\npowder room in its northwest corner. The second floor has\na study across the north; a bedroom across the south; and\na bath, closets and stair well in between.\nStairways: Both are straight run; 3610 has an open rail\nwith plain balusters and a turned newel, and is closed up\nat the ceiling; 3612 has a closed stair with remnants of\na beaded-board enclosure at the second floor level.\n279\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 20)\nFlooring: The front rooms in both houses have wide pine floor\nboards, while the other rooms have narrower pine flooring.\nKitchens and baths have resilient tile flooring.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted. The living\nroom in 3610 has partially exposed ceiling joists stained\ndark.\nDoors and doorways: Doors in general are modern six-panel\nreplacements; however, the openings from front rooms to the\nremainders of the houses appear to be in their original lo-\ncations.\nDecorative features and trim: All mantels have been removed;\nnone of the replacements are of note. They are all mid-\ntwentieth century with the exception of the second floor\nfront of 3610, which has a heavy simple, late nineteenth-\ncentury mantel. All trim is of mid-twentieth century man-\nufacture with the exception of the south side of the door-\nway from bedroom to living room in 3610, which has an early\nnineteenth-century casing, much damaged and heavily painted.\nHardware: Nothing of note; all mid-twentieth century.\nLighting: No notable fixtures; all mid-twentieth century\nelectric.\nHeating: Boiler in small cellar under 3610; boiler in small\nmasonry addition to the southeast corner of 3612; several\nwoodburning fireplaces.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: The house is situated on\nthe south side of 0 Street between 36th and 37th Streets,\nin a neighborhood of small scale residential buildings\nbordering the main gate of Georgetown University. There is\nopen space on both sides, however, giving it the appearance\nof a larger free-standing house in contrast to the smaller\nrow houses across the street.\n280\nSIMMS-LIHAULT-DALY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-207 (Page 21)\nEnclosures: Wood paling fences enclose both rear yards and\nthe east side of 3610; there is a brick wall along the west\nside of 3612. Both have wood gates to the sidewalk.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Both houses have brick walks along their sides to the\nentrance doors and brick terraces at the rear; however, 3610\nhas mixed in with the brick many parts of broken white marble\nnineteenth-century tombstones in the rear terrace.\nLandscaping: Simple residential planting; 3610 has an arbor\nframe of pipe at the entry area for vines, not much else\nbecause the entire area is paved; 3612 has a bit more planting\nand a slightly larger rear yard with some grass. There is no\nfront yard.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nNovember 20, 1968\n281\n282\nTITTTE\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-195\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1503 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 76 Fayette\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house occupies parts of Lots 132 and\n133 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-\ntown in Square 1253, now taxed as Lot\n146 out of Lots 825 and 826.\nDate of Erection:\n1853-1854\nOwners in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. Charles G. Fenwick\nOccupants in 1969: Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Fenwick\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nBuilt in the mid-nineteenth century by a\nwell-to-do contractor, this free-standing\nbrick mansion retains many outstanding\nVictorian and Greek Revival interior de-\ntails. The elaborate trim, elegant mantels\nand ornate lighting fixtures which\ncharacterize a period of splendor, have\nbeen maintained and used throughout the\nyears.\n283\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1785-1852\nWhen Georgetown was ceded to the District of Columbia Lots\n132 and 133 were owned by John Threlkeld who, by an Agree-\nment made September 7, 1785, agreed to sell them to Charles\nBeatty who died before the deed was executed. In 1810 his\nson, John Beatty, sold them to Mrs. Mary Mitchell, widow\nof John Mitchell.\nMrs. Mitchell held these lots for ten years, and at her\ndeath the trustee of her estate, Charles Glover, sold them\nto Jeremiah W. Bronaugh. Bronaugh sold them to John Cox\nwho was Mayor of Georgetown for many years. Cox's second\nwife was Jane Threlkeld, daughter of the original owner\nof the land.\nFor more than half a century Lots 132 and 133 were held\nas investments and sometimes put in trust as security for\nloans. This practice was typical during this period as many\nchains of title show. Among the owners after the Coxes were\nWilliam and Jeremiah Hoffman, William Jewell, and Eliza M.\nMosher.\n1852-1868\nIn 1852 William T. Herron, a contractor, purchased the lots\nand built there a large brick house well set upon the site\nfor his own family use. This construction took place be-\ntween 1852, when he purchased the property for $775, and\n1855, when this address, 76 Fayette Street, first appeared\nin a city directory. (1)\n284\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 3)\nThe other structures which Herron built on the lot---an\nice house, a carriage house and stables---reflect his mode\nof living. (2) The Herron family enjoyed their mansion\nfor about fifteen years. William T. Herron had his construc-\ntion business (Rittenhouse, Fowler & Co.) just across\nthe street at 77 Fayette. A son, William A., also worked\nas a clerk in the office and boarded at 76 Fayette. (3)\nIn 1868 the Herrons sold their large house to Erastus B.\nBarrett and his wife, Mary Julia, for $20,000, and moved\nsouth on Fayette Street to number 55 (now 1404 35th\nStreet). The Herrons lived there only a year before\nmoving their residence to Second (now 0) Street near\nFrederick (now 34th) Street. At this time Herron opened\na grocery business on the southeast corner of High (now\nWisconsin Avenue) and Bridge (now M) Streets. (4)\n1868-1870\nIn 1867 Barrett was listed as a ship chandler and Justice\nof the Peace, boarding at 17 Congress (now 31st Street)\nand owning a business nearby at 23 Congress. (5) By 1869\nhe and his son, H. W. Barrett, had formed a partnership\nwith Joseph F. Collins known as \"Barrett, Collins E Co.,\nbrick manufacturers.\" Although they maintained their\nfactory at 23 Congress, the Barretts transferred their\ndomicile to the mansion at the corner of Third (now P\nStreet) and Fayette (now 35th Street). (6) Erastus, how-\never, died within a year after moving to the large house,\nand his wife rented the mansion to Senator John Scott\nof Pennsylvania before selling it in 1870 to Colonel\nBenjamin Moxley. (7)\n1870-1933\nColonel Moxley owned a tobacco and cigar store on the\nnorthwest corner of Bridge (M) and Washington (30th) Streets.\n285\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 4)\nHe moved from his home at 57 Bridge (M) Street to the\nspacious dwelling on Fayette (35th) Street. However,\nhe enjoyed its comforts only briefly as he died with-\nin the year. (8) His widow, Emily, remained in the\nhouse for the next sixty years, until 1916. Part of\nthe time she shared her home with members of her\nfamily. Among them were James A. Moxley and George\nC. Moxley, partners in a feed business called Moxley\nand Brothers. (9)\nAlthough ownership passed from the family in 1897 when\nit was sold for unpaid taxes to Malcolm Hufty, Moxleys\ncontinued to reside there as tenants. Prominent in\nWashington society, Mrs. Emily Moxley and Mr. Eugene\nMoxley were noted in The Washington Elite List in 1893.\n(10) Eugene, once secretary to Alexander Graham Bell,\ndied in the house in 1933. Once members of Washington's\nmost exclusive clubs, this old family was said to have\nsuffered financial reverses in the \"coffee panic. 10 (11)\n1933-1943\nFor about twenty-five years the aging mansion was the\nsubject of various trusts and liens until Fred L.\nWagar purchased it in 1918, again for unpaid taxes.\nFour years later Mrs. Nellie Waddell Brenizer bought\nit. Mr. Brenizer and her husband, Dr. Gilmer Brenizer,\ncame to Washington from North Carolina in 1899. She\nwas an artist who had at one time worked for the United\nStates Department of Agriculture. For many years she\nplayed an active role in societies which were concerned\nwith genealogical and historic work. She died in the\nmansion in 1943. (12)\n286\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 5)\n1944-1964\nCommander and Mrs. Edward Alsted Bacon purchased the big\nhouse in 1944 and resided there twenty years. Commander\nBacon was a banker and later a government official. His\ncareer included service as Assistant to the Secretary of\nthe Army for Canal Zone Affairs; Deputy Assistant Secretary\nof the Army; Chairman of the Executive Council Air Coordina-\nting Committee, Army and Navy Munitions Board; and\nU.S. Chairman of the Internation Joint Commission, U.S.\nand Canada. (13)\n1964-1969\nWhen the Bacons moved to Florida they sold their house\nto Wesley Irving Steele and Paul Judson Rohrich who\nlived next door in the converted carriage house of the\nmansion, which had been sold by the Bacons to Bernice\nT. Morris in 1945 and in turn to Steele and Rohrich in\n1951. Steele and Rohrich kept the land they wanted for\ntheir elaborate garden and sold the big house in 1966\nto Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Graham, who, with their five\nchildren, lived in the house for the next three years.\nIn May 1969 the house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Charles\nG.\nFenwick who presently reside there. It is\ninteresting that the new owners have moved to the area\nwhere so many members of the Fenwick family lived in\nthe early days of Georgetown, along 35th Street and P\nStreet.\n287\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 6)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1785\nJohn Threlkeld\nAgreement September 7, 1785\nto\nLiber N-13, folio 302\nCharles Beatty\n1810\nJohn M. Beatty (son of\nDeed January 20, 1810\nCharles)\nRecorded March 3, 1810\nto\nLiber Y-24, folio 54\nMrs. Mary Mitchell, widow\nof John Mitchell\n1818\nCharles Glover,\nDeed February 13, 1818\nTrustee\nRecorded May 6, 1818\nto\nLiber AR-42, folio 48\nJeremiah W. Bronaugh\n1820\nJeremiah W. Bronaugh\nDeed January 7, 1820\nto\nRecorded February 16, 1820\nJohn Cox\nLiber AX-48, folio 230\n288\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 7)\n1822\nJohn Cox\nTrust June 8, 1822\nto\nRecorded June 28, 1822\nWalter Smith\nLiber W.B. 6, folio 129\n(Being payment of debt due William and Jeremiah Hoffman.)\n1824\nWalter Smith\nDeed July 12, 1824\nto\nRecorded February 3, 1829\nWilliam Hoffman and\nLiber W.B. 11, folio 112\nJeremiah Hoffman\n(tenants in common)\n1828\nJeremiah Hoffman\nDeed December 19, 1828\nto\nRecorded February 3, 1829\nWilliam Jewell\nLiber W.B. 24, folio 301\n1834\nWilliam Jewell\nDeea April 18, 1834\nto\nRecorded April 22, 1834\nEliza M. Mosher\nLiber W.B. 49, folio 367\n1852\nEliza M. Mosher\nDeed September 3, 1852\nto\nRecorded September 20, 1852\nWilliam T. Herron\nLiber JAS 39, folio 495\n(Consideration $775)\n289\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 8)\n1868\nWilliam T. Herron and\nDeed November 5, 1868\nwife, Henrietta V.\nRecorded November 7, 1868\nto\nLiber D-2, folio 414\nErastus B. Barrett\n\"Lots 132 and 133 in Threlkeld's Addition to George-\ntown fronting about 120 feet on Fayette Street and\nsame distance on Third (now P) Street.\" \"\n\"...Being ground and premise now and for a long\ntime occupied by the said William T. Herron as a\nplace of residence together with the brick mansion\nand all other buildings...\n(Consideration $20,000)\n1870\nMary Julia Barrett, widow of Deed April 21, 1870\nErastus B. Barrett\nRecorded May 21, 1870\nto\nLiber 617, folio 285\nBenjamin F. Moxley\nBenjamin F. Moxley died\nWill November 16, 1870\nNovember 26, 1870,\nProbated December 20, 1870\nleaving his wife, Emily,\nWill Book 11, page 402\nand eight children - Mary\nT. Dent, George C. Moxley,\nJames A. Moxley, Emily A.\nTurner, John R. Moxley,\nFlorence R. Patterson,\nEugene C. Moxley, Wilfred\nL. Moxley\n290\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 9)\n1899\nCommissioners of D.C.\nDeed May 22, 1899\nto\nRecorded August 15, 1899\nMalcolm Hufty\nLiber 2423, folio 272\n(Sold April 7, 1897 for unpaid taxes)\n1905\nCommissioners of D.C.\nDeed July 17, 1903\nto\nRecorded May 26, 1905\nEmily W. Wiltsie\nLiber 2919, folio 172\n(Sold for unpaid taxes)\n1918\nCharles H. Wiltsie\nQuit Claim Deed March 6, 1918\net ux et al\nRecorded March 6, 1918\nto\nLiber 4041, folio 241\nHamilton, Monogue, and\nGertman,\ntrustees under equity case\nnamilton, Monogue and\nDeed May 8, 1918\nGertman,\nRecorded July 20, 1918\ntrustees\nLiber 4108, folio 82\nto\nFred L. Wagar\n291\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 10)\n1922\nFred L. Wagar and\nDeed June 3, 1922\nwife, Elizabeth H.\nRecorded June 21, 1922\nto\nLiber 4720, folio 498\nNellie W. Brenizer\n1944\nAlbert M. Noble,\nDeed May 24, 1944\nsole acting Executor\nRecorded May 24, 1944\nunder Will of Nellie W.\nLiber 7981, folio 449\nBrenizer\nto\nLorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.\n1945\nLorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.\nDeed February 5, 1945\nto\nRecorded February 5, 1945\nBernice T. Morris\nLiber 8066, folio 311\n(Sale of stable and carriage house,)\n1951\nBernice T. Morris\nDeed July 27, 1951\nto\nRecorded July 27, 1951\nWesley I. Steele\nLiber 9521, folio 401\n(Stable and carriage house property.)\n292\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 11)\n1964\nLorraine Graham Bacon, Sr.\nDeed June 30, 1964\net vir\nRecorded June 30, 1964\nto\nLiber 12234, folio 434\nWesley Irving Steele, et al,\njoint tenants\n1966\nWesley Irving Steele\nDeed May 5, 1966\net al\nRecorded May 5, 1966\njoint tenants\nLiber 12606, folio 85\nto\nRichard A. Graham et ux\ntenants in common\n1969\nRichard A. Graham and\nDeed May 5, 1969\nwife, Nancy A. Graham\nRecorded May 8, 1969\nto\nLiber 12991, folio 518\nCharles G. Fenwick and\nwife, Marie Jose Fenwick\nReferences\n1. City Directory. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 5.\n293\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 12)\n2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n3. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 313; 1868, p. 108.\n4. Same reference as #1. 1869, p. 82; 1870, p. 454; 1872,\np. 510.\n5. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 103.\n6. Same reference as #1. 1869, p. 72.\n7. Same reference as #1. 1870, p. 339.\n8. Same reference as #1. 1853, p. 73; 1855 (Georgetown\nSection), P. 7; 1860, P. 171; 1870, p. 460; 1871,\np. xxi.\n9. Same reference as #1. 1872, p. 518; 1880, p. 490; 1890,\np. 659; 1897, p. 678; 1898, p. 719; 1901, P. 786; 1910,\np. 982; 1915, p. 927; 1916, p. 890.\n10. The Washington Elite List. Washington, D.C.: The Elite\nPublishing Company, 1893, p. 135.\n11. Obituary of Eugene C. Moxley, The Washington Daily News.\nApril 4, 1933.\n294\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 13)\n12. Obituary of Mrs. Nellie Waddell Brenizer, The Evening Star\n(Washington, D.C.) April 13, 1943.\n13. Who's Who in America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis\nCompany, 1950-51, Vol. 26, P. 111.\n295\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 14)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A large, imposing, formal, symmetrical,\nfree-standing square brick mansion built in the mid-ninteenth\ncentury. The house has typical, but large scale Victorian\nand Greek Revival details.\nCondition of Fabric: Exterior and interior are intact and well\nmaintained. Mid-twentieth century kitchen, bathroom and heating\nfeatures are a minimum intrusion. The basement of the house is\nmade into a large apartment and the upper floors are used as a\nfamily residence.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Approximately 45' square. Three bays\nacross the 35th Street facade. Two stories in height with a\npartially exposed basement. No additions or wings.\nFoundations: Brick. Continuous stone areaway on sides and rear.\nWall Construction: Brick. The west or front of the house has a\nsmooth red face brick and the sides and rear have a rough face\nbrick. The walls appear to be in original condition with no\nalterations to the openings.\nChimneys; Four brick chimneys. Symmetrical arrangement with two\nchimneys on each side of the house.\n296\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 15)\nOpenings:\nDoorways and Doors: Main entry door is in the center\nbay of front or west facade and has wood pilasters on\neach side and a pediment above. Louvered shutters in\nthis opening form a vestibule behind which is a pair\nof glazed doors with sidelights and transom which\nhave ornamental etched glass. Doors have some Greek\nRevival and some Victorian characteristics. Lesser\ndoorways are placed symmetrically on all sides of the\nhouse. French doors go from bedrooms to rear second\nfloor porch.\nWindows and Shutters: Variety of window sizes from\nface to face of the building. All windows are double\nhung wood. The basement has eight-over-eight light\nsash front and rear and six-over-six light on the\nsides. Above most main sash have six-over-nine lights.\nTo the rear of the first floor are eight-over-twelve light\nsash of which the bottom section slides into a ceiling\nslot to permit entrance to the porch. Windows have\nsimple stone lintels and sills. Most windows are\nequipped with shutters that have louvers on the top\nhalf and panels on the bottom half.\nPorches: The house has porches on all four sides. The\nfront porch is the only one not covered. This has a\nseries of 14 stone steps up from the sidewalk and a\ngraceful ornamental iron railing. Similar ornamental\niron is used for the fence around the yard, around the\nside and rear areaway and over lower portions of first\nfloor windows. Two similar side porches have round Doric\ncolumns, bracketed cornice trim, and flat roof decks.\nRailings with open ornamental woodwork of diminishing\nsquares are on the upper and lower levels. These porches\nare one floor high. The rear porch runs the entire\nlength of the house and has two covered floors. This\nporch is wooden, has square columns and bracketed\ncornicework. The railings for the porch have a panel\nmotif on the lower half and square balusters on the\nupper half. The center stair at the rear of the rear\nporch is of ornamental iron.\n297\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 16)\nRoof:\nShape, Covering: Standing seam, metal, flat-hip roof\nwith a center stub that may be a cupola stub. Porch\nroofs are flat.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice, Eaves: Wood bracketed.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of Interiors\nFloor Plans: First floor has a center entry hall which is\nflanked on the right (north) by a kitchen and to the left\n(south) by the library. There is a center hall and stair\nhall from the right or south center of the house connecting\nthe side porch. These two halls meet each other and form\nan L-shaped circulation pattern. Across the rear of the\nhouse are to the left (north) the dining room and to the\nright (south) the living room. All rooms are large.\nSecond floor has an L-shaped hall. Two bedrooms are on the\nfront and two on the rear of the house. Bathrooms are located\nbetween the rooms on the front and on the rear centers.\nBasement is presently divided as an independent apartment,\nbut most partitions are original to the house. Entry is from\nthe center of the south side of the house under the porch.\nThere is a hall running from there to the center of the\nbasement which is also a stair hall to the first floor.\n298\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 17)\nAcross the front of the house are two bedrooms in the\ncorners with a pair of bathrooms between. On the right\n(south) rear of the basement is the living room and to the\nrear left (north) are a kitchen and dining area. There\nare other small storage areas and access to the outside\nthrough the kitchen and a furnace room located on the center\nof the north side of the house.\nThe plan of the house and arrangement of all rooms is formal.\nLocation of the kitchen on the first floor is probably not\noriginal. Baths and storage areas have been added for the\nconvenience of family living.\nStairs: Main stairway is open on one side and runs from the\nfirst to the second floor in a U-shaped pattern. It is wood\nwith a heavy newel post and a curving wooden rail with simple\nbalusters. There is scrollwork on the stair ends, and a\nheavy chair rail running up the stair. The landing of the\nstair is lighted by a window in the center of the south\nside of the house. The stair from the basement to the first\nfloor is simple, wood and utilitarian.\nFloors: Random width pine painted a dark brown, throughout\nfirst and second floors. Front of basement has wood random\nwidth boards in south (right) room and narrow hardwood in\nnorth (left) room.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Smooth plaster.\nDoorways and Doors: Large and wood throughout the house.\nMain doorways on the first floor are very high and have\nlarge scale Greek Revival pilasters and pediments and are\nsimilar to trim on windows. Doors are heavy four panels and\nhave simple molded trim. Second floor doors are similar but\nsmaller in scale. Basement has some four and some five panel\nDoors.\n299\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 18)\nTrim: Base mouldings are very deep, especially on the first\nfloor, there are also heavy chair rails and moulded cornice\ntrim, on the first and second floors. The basement has only\nsimple and utilitarian trim. Door and window trim as noted\nabove. There are nine fireplaces open. These have a variety\nof mantels. The library has a white, Victorian, rectangular,\ncarved marble mantel. The kitchen has a brick faced fire-\nplace with simple wood trim. The dining room has a white\nmarble, Victorian, arched carved mantel. The living room has\na black, Victorian, arched and carved marble fireplace with\na coal grate intact. The right (south) rear second-floor\nbedroom has a white arched Victorian carved marble mantel.\nBoth front bedrooms on the second floor have simple wood\nGreek Revival mantels. The front right (south) bedroom of\nthe basement has a wooden mantel with free-standing Corinthian\ncolumns and a shelf. The rear right (south) room or living\nroof of the basement has a simple wooden Greek Revival mantel.\nHardware: A variety of brass hardware - nothing outstanding\nnoted.\nLighting: A variety of electric fixtures in most rooms. The\ndining room and library equipped with ornamental brass and\nbronze gas chandeliers. These are mounted from ornamental\nplaster ceiling medallions.\nHeating: Radiators and nine fireplaces.\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: The house is on a raised\nmound several feet above the grade of the street and public\nwalks that are on the west and the south of the property.\n300\nHERRON-MOXLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-195 (Page 19)\nThe house is in a residential section of Georgetown that\nis in character with this house. The main front of the\nhouse faces 35th Street or west, the right side (south)\nP Street.\nEnclosures: The house 1S surrounded by a decorative iron\nfence that is on top of a brick coping and has brick\ncorner posts.\nOutbuildings: At present a building to the east of the house\nand facing on P Street is reputed to have been the stable or\ncarriage house. It has been much altered and is a separate\nresidence now.\nWalks: Simple brick walks surround the house. A center walk\nconnects the main entry porch to the sidewalk with a series\nof stone steps.\nLandscaping: A variety of residential landscaping surrounds\nthe base of the building. The planting is not highly formal,\nnor the site elaborately developed. The rear yard is grass.\nThe house has a number of large trees around it.\nPrepared by: Donald B. Myer\nCommission of Fine Arts\nJuly 20, 1967\n301\ni\n302\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC- 199\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3623 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\nLocation:\nThe house is on part of old Lot 113,\nSquare 78 in Threlkeld's Addition to\nGeorgetown, now taxed as lot 830 in\nSquare 1248 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of Erection:\nEarly 1860's\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege.\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nThis hundred-year-old simple frame house\nforms part of the picturesque streetscape\nof the north side of o Street. Although\naltered for twentieth-century living, its\nearly exterior character has been maintained.\n303\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 199 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1823-1865\nThe early history of this property is identical with that\ndescribed in the record of 3619 0 Street, N.W., for Lot 113\nwas not divided until Patrick McCarthy did so in 1864, when\nhe sold the eastern 20 feet of the lot (now 3619 O St., N.W.)\nto John Hurley.\n1865-1883\nThe following year, 1865, McCarthy sold the rest of lot 113,\nconsisting of a 40 foot frontage on Second Street and extend-\ning back 150 feet, to Timothy Sullivan. The 1865-70 tax\nassessment records value McCarthy's property at $600 and\nvalue the \"Improvements: Frame Tenement back, at $400. \"(1)\nSullivan already owned adjoining lot 112 and part of lots\n111 and 121.\nIn 1866, Timothy and his wife, Bridget, sold one half of\nthe western 40 feet of lot 113, with a 20 foot frontage on\nSecond Street, to John Sullivan. (Timothy had already sold\nto John some adjoining lots. So together they owned a\nconsiderable portion of the north side of Second Street.)\nIn 1867 John and his wife, Ellen, sold this same property\nto Timothy Sullivan, presumably their father. (2)\n304\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 199 (Page 3)\n1883-1969\nAfter Timothy's death the property was inherited by his\nchildren-John Sullivan, Mary Sullivan McCarthy, and Elizabeth\nSullivan. They, in 1883, sold it to Jeremiah Sullivan, in-\ncreasing his holdings since he owned adjacent property.\nJeremiah died in 1895, leaving his estate to his wife, Ellen,\nfor her lifetime, and then to his children. The house was\nrented during Ellen's ownership to a series of tenants, chiefly\ncarpenters and other manual laborers. (3) Ellen Sullivan died\nin 1937 and four years later, in 1944, the property was sold by\nher children to Abraham Aljan and his wife. They held it for\nthree years and then sold it to Lorine M. Delsnider. In 1951\nGeorgetown University bought it and has since used the house for\nrental purposes. Occupants in recent years have consisted\nmostly of government executives. (4)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1823\nRebecca McCann\nDeed August 25, 1823\nJoseph Clarke of Robert\nRecorded March 3, 1824\nRobert Clarke\nLiber W.B. 9, folio 478\nto\nEdward Dawes\n305\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-199 (Page 4)\n1830\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed March 18, 1830\nto\nRecorded August 31, 1830\nRebecca McCann\nLiber W.B. 32, folio 81\nJoseph Clarke of Robert\nRobert Clarke\ntenants in common\nHeirs of Elisha Fowler, Jr. purchased the lot from\nThrelkeld but deed was not recorded in the time pre-\nscribed by law. A decree of the Chancery Court of D.C.\nordered the conveyance above to clear the title for the\n1823 sale.\n1843\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nDeed September 22, 1843\nBank of the United States\nRecorded September 27, 1843\nEdward Dawes and wife, Ann\nLiber W.B. 102, folio 425\nto\nJames R. Gates\n1857\nJames R. Gates and\nDeed June 27, 1857\nwife, Mary Jane\nRecorded June 29, 1857\nto\nLiber JAS 136, folio 437\nPatrick McCarthy\n306\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 199 (Page 5)\n1865\nPatrick McCarthy and\nDeed June 7, 1865\nwife, Julia\nRecorded April 21, 1866\nto\nLiber RMH 14, folio 322\nTimothy Sullivan\n(Western 40 feet of Lot 113)\n1866\nTimothy Sullivan\nDeed April 19, 1866\nand wife, Bridget\nRecorded April 21, 1866\nto\nLiber RMH 14, folio 320\nJohn Sullivan\n(20 feet of Lot 113)\n1867\nJohn Sullivan and\nDeed May 6, 1867\nwife, Ellen\nRecorded September 14, 1867\nto\nLiber ECE 15, folio 279\nTimothy Sullivan\n(20 feet of Lot 113)\n307\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 199 (Page 6)\n1883\nRichard R. Crawford, Ex.\nDeed July 5, 1883\nof Will of Timothy\nRecorded September 10, 1883\nSullivan\nLiber 1049, folio 368\nJohn Sullivan\nMary McCarthy\n(formerly Sullivan)\nElizabeth Sullivan\nto\nJeremiah Sullivan\n1944\nJosephine Sullivan\nDeed August 19, 1944\nJames J. Sullivan and\nRecorded March 21, 1945\nwife, Mary\nLiber 8083, folio 271\nJeremiah Sullivan and\nwife, Ellen A.\nLillian E. Sullivan\nDeed August 19, 1944\nRobert A. Cox, unmarried\nRecorded March 21, 1945\nAnn Marie Briggs\nLiber 8083, folio 271\nRegina Cox Katalinas\nto\nAbraham Aljan and\nwife, Sarah E.,\ntenants by entirety\n1947\nAbraham Aljan and\nDeed February 24, 1947\nwife, Sarah E.,\nRecorded February 25, 1947\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 8431, folio 247\nto\nLorine M. Delsnider\n308\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-199 (Page 7)\n1951\nLorine M. Delsnider\nDeed June 8, 1951\nto\nRecorded June 11, 1951\nPresident and Directors\nLiber 9487, folio 830\nof Georgetown College\nREFERENCES\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n2. Census Records. Washington, D.C., National Archives, 1870,\np. 36.\n3. City Directory. 1914, p. 1657, p. 1410; 1920, p. 1812, p. 680;\n1925, p. 1848, p. 688; 1930, p. 1989, p. 552; 1935, p. 2434,\np. 467; 1940, p. 1977, p. 258; 1943, P. 194, P. 1100.\n4. Same reference as #3. 1954, p. 229, p. 182; 1960, p. 440,\nP. 1196; 1967, p. 385, P. 749.\n309\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-199 (Page 8)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A simple, regular, informal house,\nlast of its row. This house has been remodeled and added\nto many times, giving the side and rear elevations a\nhaphazard quality out of keeping with the regularity of its\nfacade.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 17'-6\" by 17'-6\". Two bays\nacross o Street facade. Two stories high. Two-story concrete\naddition across entire rear and one-story concrete block ell\nat northeast corner.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame, concrete block ell at rear.\nChimneys: One small chimney off ell at rear.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Mid-twentieth century six panel\ndoor with glass in top two panels; simple flat trim.\n310\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-199 (Page 9)\nWindows and shutters: Eight over eight double-\nhung wood sash on first floor, six over six\ndouble-hung wood sash on second floor.\nPorches: Four foot by eight foot wood porch at rear of\nsecond floor. Brick stoop with iron rail at front door.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable, ridge running\neast-west; asphalt shingle covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Simple wood box cornice with\nhanging metal gutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nBecause of many additions and renovations, nothing notable\nremains of the original plan nor of the original decorative\nfeatures.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Westernmost of several\nhouses of similar scale forming the north side of 0 Street.\nNo front yard; ample yard in rear.\nEnclosures: Rear yard enclosed with wood fence.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick, concrete.\n311\nMcCARTHY-SULLIVAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-199 (Page 10)\nLandscaping: Rear yard terraced with stone retaining\nwalls, although planting is at a minimum.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nDecember 4, 1968\n312\n314\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-194\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1555 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(In past years this house has had the\nfollowing addresses:\n100 Fayette Street to 1895\n1623 35th Street 1896-1898\n1621 35th Street 1899-1931.)\nLocation:\nThe house occupies Lot 179 and part of Lot\n181 in Square 104 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 802 in\nSquare 1274 in the city of Washington.\nDate of erection:\n1853\nOwner in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. E. Harrison Clark\nOccupants in 1969: Mr. and Mrs. E. Harrison Clark\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nAlthough originally a modest dwelling,\nthis free-standing, frame ante-bellum\nhouse has been embellished throughout\nthe years by various owners so that to-\nday, with its carefully landscaped set-\nting, it presents a much more elegant\nappearance than its modest beginning.\n315\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1826-1850\nIn 1826 much of John Threlkeld's property was sold for taxes\nby court order. This Lot 179 and part of 181 were included\nin the lands put up for sale. Clement Smith, President of\nthe Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown, paid twelve\ndollars for the ground at the auction sale on January 19,\n1827. In his Will Smith left this ground together with\nother property to his widow and brother, Margaret and Walter\nSmith, respectively. The widow sold her dower interest in the lot\nfor cash to her brother-in-law, Walter Smith. This occurred\nin 1840. Because of debts owed by Walter Smith and his\ndeceased brother, the lot was placed in a deed of trust to\ncreditors in April 1843. Four years later in settlement\nof a small claim, Sophia W. Smith, the sister of Walter\nSmith and the deceased Clement Smith, accepted the lot\nby deed, but immediately gave a bond of conveyance to George\nW. Longden, which was finalized by a deed the next year.\n1850-1865\nGeorge W. Longden, a Georgetown carpenter and later a builder,\nconstructed the house for his own use as a residence in 1853.\nThe Washington Star of that year reported in its \"Georgetown\nAffairs\" column of May 23: \"George Longden erecting fine\ndwelling opposite Convent.\" This would indicate that plans\nwere already under way. (1) Further verification of the\ndate of construction is a deed of trust three weeks later\non June 16, 1853, from Longden to William Redin, an\nattorney, in which construction money is advanced to Richard\nPettit, a builder, who is \"about to build\" the house. The\nsame deed also provides for fire insurance.\n316\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 3)\nRedin, Pettit and Longden were all listed in the Georgetown City\nDirectory of 1830 as residents. (2) By 1855 Longden had paid\nRedin the loan money and was released from his deed of trust.\nPettit was also the builder who constructed part of the Convent\nof the Visitation across the street from Longden House; in 1857\nhe erected the south wing and added a floor to the wing which\nwas originally built in 1832.\nGeorge Longden lived in his house for about ten years accord-\ning to listings in the Washington city directories. (3) During\nthe Civil War Longden and his business partner, Fayette Darne,\nare listed at this address as builders and contractors. (4)\nLongden's sister, Mary A. Longden, purchased the house in 1863.\nPresumably she rented the house, for she is listed in subsequent\ndirectories\nas living on Frederick (now 34th) Street. (5)\n1865-1891\nGeorge Longden died August 8, 1865 at the age of 65 and was\nburied at Holy Rood Cemetery north of Georgetown. (6) His\nsister lived until 1891 and was also buried at Holy Rood. (7)\nHer Will left Longden House to Mrs. Susannah Darne, widow of\nFayette Darne, her brother's business partner. The Darne\nfamily had a livery stable on Bridge (now M) Street from be-\nfore 1854 until 1897. (8) Mary Longden's Will states that she\nhad reared Mrs. Darne.\nThe 1887 Hopkins plat of Georgetown shows Longden House with\nmeasurements equal to the present structure without the garage\nwing. The plat also shows a structure at the southwest corner\nof the property which might have been a stable. (9)\n317\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 4)\n1891-1897\nMrs. Darne lived in Longden House from 1891 to 1897 when she\nsold the dwelling to John D. Sullivan, who in turn sold it\nthe following day to another Georgetown citizen, J. Barton\nMiller.\n1897-1911\nJ. Barton Miller was a justice of the peace and notary public,\nas well as Secretary of the First Cooperative Building\nAssociation of Georgetown. Miller lived in this house from\n1898 to 1910. (10) During this time Miller subdivided the\nsouth twenty feet of neighboring Lot 181 with Edward Schneider. (11)\nThis twenty feet had been part of the original plot and of it\nMiller reacquired four feet by a release deed. (It is possible\nthis was done in order to construct the north wing of Longden\nHouse.) Title to the property was given to Miller's wife,\nMary K. Miller, in December 1910. A month later she assigned\nit to Martin I. Wilbert.\n1911-1928\nWilbert, a chemist, was employed by the Treasury Department\nand occupied the house for five years until his death in 1916.\n(12) Again the house passed to the widow, Elizabeth Wilbert,\nwho resided in it another twelve years and in 1928 sold it\nto Harriet P. Winslow.\n1928-1941\nDuring Miss Winslow's ownership the house was held as a rental\nproperty. L. Corrin Strong, later U.S. Ambassador to Norway,\nrented the property as did Thomas Stone, Secretary of the\nCanadian Legation, and Nelson Poynter, later publisher of the\nCongressional Quarterly. In the depression year of 1935 the\nhouse was vacant. From 1936 to 1941 it was used as a fraternity\nhouse of Georgetown University. (13)\n318\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 194 (Page 5)\n1941-1969\nG. Howland Chase, an attorney, purchased the house in 1941 and\nresided there for twelve years. (14) In 1953 the Chases sold\nit to Mrs. Marylinn Riviere. She and her husband, Joseph, who\nwas President of an investment corporation, occupied the\ndwelling. (15) Agnes M. Clark (Mrs. E. Harrison Clark) pur-\nchased Longden House in 1960. The Clarks, who still occupy the\nhouse, have carefully preserved the ante-bellum character of\nthe dwelling.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1828\nTench Ringgold, Marshall\nDeed December 4, 1828\nto\nRecorded December 4, 1828\nClement Smith\nLiber W.B. 20, folio 644\nPres. of Farmers and\nMechanics Bank of\nGeorgetown\nRecites that Lot 179 and the south 20 feet front by\nfull depth of Lot 181 were sold for taxes at public\nauction for $12, January 19, 1827, under an 1826\ncourt order.\n319\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 6)\n1839\nClement Smith died, leaving\nWill May 30, 1823\nLot 179 to his widow,\nProbated March 29, 1839\nMargaret, and to his brother,\nWill Book 5, page 106\nWalter Smith\n1840\nMargaret Smith\nDeed February 12, 1840\nto\nRecorded February 14, 1840\nWalter Smith\nLiber W.B. 77, folio 29\nMrs. Smith sells her dower interest in Lot 179\n1843\nWalter Smith\nDeed of Trust April 8, 1843\nto\nRecorded April 22, 1843\nJohn A. Smith and\nLiber W.B. 100, folio 323\nWilliam Hunter, Jr.\nRecites that Walter Smith gave a guarantee to\ncreditors for debts owned by him and his de-\nceased brother, Clement Smith.\n1847\nWalter Smith\nDeed August 28, 1847\nto\nRecorded September 7, 1847\nSophia W. Smith\nLiber W.B. 133, folio 402\n(Sister of Walter)\n320\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 7)\nSophia Smith\nBond of Conveyance\nto\nOctober 12, 1847\nGeorge W. Longden\nRecorded April 3, 1848\nLiber W.B. 142, folio 67\n1849\nSophia Smith\nDeed October 9, 1849\nto\nRecorded April 1, 1850\nGeorge W. Longden\nLiber JAS 12, folio 14\n1853\nGeorge W. Longden\nDeed of Trust June 16, 1853\nto\nRecorded June 16, 1853\nWilliam Redin, attorney\nLiber JAS 57, folio 446\nRedin agreed to advance construction money to Richard\nPettit, a builder, who was \"about to build\" the house.\nDeed also provided for fire insurance.\n1863\nGeorge W. Longden\nDeed November 5, 1863\nto\nRecorded November 5, 1863\nMary A. Longden\nLiber NCT 17, folio 306\n(sister of George)\n321\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 8)\n1891\nMary A. Longden died May 3,\nWill September 19, 1889\n1891, leaving Lot 179 and\nProbated June 13, 1893\nhouse to Mrs. Susannah Darne,\nWill Book 34, page 28\nwidow of Fayette Darne\n1897\nSusannah Darne\nDeed August 16, 1897\nto\nRecorded August 17, 1897\nJohn D. Sullivan\nLiber 2249, folio 150\nJohn D. Sullivan\nDeed August 17, 1897\nto\nRecorded October 23, 1897\nJ. Barton Miller\nLiber 2273, folio 46\n1910\nJ. Barton Miller\nDeed December 1, 1910\nto\nRecorded December 7, 1910\nWilliam R. Rodgers\nLiber 3376, folio 289\nWilliam R. Rodgers\nDeed December 1, 1910\nto\nRecorded December 7, 1910\nMary K. Miller\nLiber 3376, folio 314\n1911\nMary K. Miller\nDeed January 31, 1911\nto\nRecorded February 23, 1911\nMartin I. Wilbert\nLiber 3397, folio 314\n322\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 9)\n1916\nMartin Wilbert died\nWill April 3, 1916\nNovember 25, 1916, leaving\nProbated February 19, 1917\nhouse to his widow, Eliz-\nWill Book 92, page 176\nabeth\n1928\nElizabeth Wilbert\nDeed July 10, 1928\nto\nRecorded July 10, 1928\nHarriet P. Winslow\nLiber 6178, folio 316\n1941\nHarriet P. Winslow\nDeed February 14, 1941\nto\nRecorded February 17, 1941\nG. Howland Chase\nLiber 7580, folio 242\n1953\nG. Howland Chase\nDeed October 5, 1953\nto\nRecorded October 6, 1953\nMarylinn Himes Riviere\nLiber 10063, folio 426\n1960\nMarylinn Himes Riviere\nDeed November 29, 1960\nto\nRecorded December 6, 1960\nAgnes M. Clark\nLiber 115, folio 56\n323\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 194 (Page 10)\nREFERENCES\n1. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) May 23, 1853.\n2. City Directory. 1853, P. 79.\n3. Same reference as #2. 1855, (Georgetown Section), p. 7;\n1864, p. 279.\n4. Same reference as #2. 1864, p. 279; 1866, P. 409.\n5. Same reference as #2. 1890, P. 590.\n6. Burial Records, Holy Rood Cemetery, 1865.\n7. Same reference as #6. 1891.\n8. Same reference as #2. 1853, p. 26; 1897, P. 149.\n324\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 194 (Page 11)\n9. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of Surveys\nand Plats of Properties in the City of Washington. Philadel-\nphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.\n10. Same reference as #2. 1898, p. 699; 1899, P. 728; 1910,\nP. 954.\n11. Liber so 24, folio 38, D.C. Surveyor's Office, April 13, 1900.\n12. Same reference as #2. 1912, P. 1490; 1916, p. 1290; 1928,\nP. 2248.\n13. Same reference as #2. 1929, p. 2157; 1930, p. 2107; 1931,\nP. 2247 and P. 1539; 1932, p. 220; 1934, p. 2204 and p.\n1273; 1936, p. 2910; 1937, p. 1702; 1940, p. 2148; 1941,\np. 2302.\n14. Same reference as #2. 1948, P. 213; 1954, p. 230.\n15. Same reference as #2. 1960, p. 1462.\n325\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 12)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A medium free-standing mid-nineteenth\ncentury residence with brick additions to the sides and the rear.\nA type of structure that would be more usual in New England\nthan in Georgetown. Built in 1853 in a direct and simple clap-\nboard style by George W. Longden, a carpenter and builder, as his\nown house.\nCondition of Fabric: Well maintained, furnished, and landscaped.\nRemodeled continuously from the 1940's, but main house is in\nits original basic form. Used as a single family residence.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: 35' three bays across the street front.\nOriginal house 20.5' deep. Rear wing approximately 38' deep\nand 20' wide. North wing 20' deep and 10' wide. Two stories\nhigh plus full exposed basement in front.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall Construction: Original clapboard house is frame and\nlater additions brick. Rear or east addition walls have\nbeen altered in changing of door and window openings. All\nwalls in good and plumb condition.\n326\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 13)\nChimneys: Four brick chimneys. Two flanking center hall of\nhouse, one on the rear wing and one on the north wing.\nPhotographic evidence indicates that the north wing chimney\nwas added after 1941.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and Doors: Main front entry is a six panel\nwood door flanked by partial sidelights and topped\nwith a fan light and surrounded by moulded wooden\narch trim with a simple keystone. The rear wall of\nthe rear wing has two pairs of enlarged glass doors\nopening to the garden and dating from the early\n1960's.\nWindows and Shutters: Before the 1940 remodeling\nthe house had one-over-one double-hung wooden sash.\nThese were replaced throughout most of the house\nwith a six-over-six light sash. All window trim is\nvery simple with plain flat heads. Most windows\nare equipped with wooden exterior blinds.\nRoof:\nShape and Covering: Standing seam metal hip roof\non the main house and the rear addition.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice, Eaves: Simple all wood bracketed cornice.\nDormers: None.\n327\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 14)\nTechnical Description of Interior\nFloor Plans: Main house has a center hall, which formerly\nhad a center stair. Hall is flanked on the right by the\nlibrary and on the left by the dining room. This section\nof the house is only one main room deep. The rear wing\nconnects directly to the center hall and consists of one\nlarge living room. The kitchen is in a small north side\naddition. A basement is under the main house only. A\ngarage under the kitchen was originally a room and was\nconverted and lengthened to fit a standard size automobile.\nThere is a small center entry hall on grade at the front\nof the basement. To the right is a bedroom with bath and\nto the left is a den. Part of the center section is\npartitioned off for storage. There are also several other\nsmall storage areas, a laundry room, a furnace room and a\nstair hall. There is a crawl space under the rear wing. The\noriginal kitchen and dining room were probably located in the\nbasement. The second floor has a center hall with one\nbedroom and a bath on each side. The rear wing has the master\nbedroom and bath. Directly over the kitchen is a study.\nThere is limited attic space over the master bedroom in the\nrear wing. This is reached by a pull-down folding ladder.\nStairs: The present main stairway runs from the first floor\nto the second floor. The original main stair which, as doc-\numented by photographs, was along the right side of the center\nhall, was removed in the 1950's. Photographic evidence also\nshows steps in the location of the present stair, which runs\nsideways across the house behind the dining room. The U-shaped\nstair is wood with simple trim and a delicate curved wooden\nrailing. At one time a stair from the pantry went up to the\nlanding. There is scroll work on the exposed ends of the\ntreads down to the basement.\n328\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 15)\nFlooring: Random width pine boards ranging from four to\nseven inches.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Plastered walls and ceilings.\nDoorways and Doors: Most interior doors are five panel\nwood and show in the photographs taken in the early 1940's.\nThere are two vertical panels on the top and the bottom\nof the doors and a horizontal panel in the center.\nTrim: Most door and window trim is simple wood with bulls\neyes in the upper corners. The main first floor rooms have\nenlarged openings from the main hall. The elegant living\nroom has a carved wooden doorway, from the hall, which came\nfrom an old Virginia house in the 1960's. This has a tongue\nand dart surround and a broken pediment. The double doors\ngoing from the living room to the garden have imitation trim\nto match. The dining room, library, and garden have simple\ncornice mouldings, deep base mouldings and chair rails.\nThe chair rail extends up the stairway. The living room has\ncornice mouldings with dentil work that was installed in the\n1960's. The house has five fireplaces intact with mantels.\nThe mantels on the first floor are of particular note, but\nare not original. The dining room has a wooden Adam type\nmantel, with a pink marble inner facing. The library has a\nlate nineteenth-century small scale wood mantel with a shelf\nand a vertical rectangular opening. The living room has a\ncarved wooden mantel which is sixteenth-century French. The\nlibrary has built-in shelving with grooved ornamental\nminiature pilasters between each book bay. The pilasters\nare copies of antique pilasters which were in the house from\nanother old building from 1941 through the 1960's.\nHardware: Most doors have small brass knobs. The study has\nornate lever knobs. There is some original hardware.\n329\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 16)\nLighting: All rooms have electric lighting from various\nperiods.\nHeating: Five fireplaces open. Central oil heat with\nradiators.\nPlumbing: One bathroom in basement with mid-twentieth\ncentury fixtures. A powder room on the first floor.\nKitchen and pantry have built-in cabinets and fixtures\nfrom the 1960's. Second floor has three bathrooms with\nmid-twentieth century fixtures.\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: House faces west on 35th Street,\nN.W., in a residential neighborhood in Georgetown, D.C. Across\nthe street are some residential scale buildings belonging to the\nConvent of the Visitation. There is no rear or alley access to\nthe property.\nEnclosures: The front yard was enclosed in 1941 by an iron\nfence of the typical Washington hoop and picket variety, but it\nwas later replaced by a brick retaining wall at the front of\nthe property. The rear and side yards are surrounded by masonry\nand board fences.\nPorch: The front porch is actually on the second level. This\nis a small covered porch with roof supported on wooden columns\nand a double curving stairway connecting it to a center walk\nbelow. The stair has simple ornamental trim, and is similar to\nthe garden entrance at the Gibbs House in Charleston. This\nporch was built in the early 1940's to replace a wooden structure\nthat extended the entire length of the house and had brick\ncorner piers with a simple iron railing. Its form was unusual\nand may have been altered in the early twentieth century.\n330\nLONGDEN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-194 (Page 17)\nOutbuildings: To the south of the house are a greenhouse\nand a small tool shed. The greenhouse existed in the 1940's.\nThere is no evidence of other outbuildings on the site.\nWalks: A brick city sidewalk crosses the front of the\nproperty in the normal Georgetown fashion. A brick center\nwalk goes up several risers to the main entry and a brick\ndriveway connects the garage in the north addition to the\nstreet. Walks connect the front and rear yards on both\nsides of the house. The rear yard has brick paved sitting\nareas.\nLandscaping: The landscaping was done by Cary Millholland\nParker in two stages --- one in 1941 and the other in the\n1960's. This consists of attractive residential planting\nand paved areas and a small corner swimming pool. The\nfront yard which slopes down from the house to the street\nhas a variety of evergreen plantings.\nPrepared by: Donald B. Myer\nCommission of Fine Arts\n13 July, 1967\n331\nA\nSTATE\n332\n@\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-204\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3412 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 0 Street was Second Street,)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on parts of Lots\n65 and 66, Square 58 in Beatty and\nHawkins Addition to Georgetown, now\ntaxed as Lot 815, Square 1228 in\nWashington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\nBetween 1820 and 1830\nOwners in 1969:\nDr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Fair\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nThis is an early example of the small\nbrick houses built for investment pur-\nposes in western\nGeorgetown.\nIt demonstrates the adaptability of\nthese structures to twentieth-century\npatterns of living.\n333\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 204 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1798-1809\nIn 1798 Lot 66 in Beatty and Hawkins Addition to Georgetown\nwas sold to Thomas Beatty by John G. Middagh, Charles King\nand Mary King. This property was part of a tract of land\ncalled \"Knaves Disappointment. \" Eleven years later, in\n1809, Thomas Beatty sold the lot to John Goszler who already\nowned part of the adjacent Lot 65.\n1809-1831\nTax records in 1815 and 1818 assess Goszler's property for\nten feet of Lot 65 and all of Lot 66 with a two-story brick\nhouse at $3,000.(1) This high figure would seem to indicate\na rather large house, most likely present 1328 34th Street\non the southeast corner of 34th and 0 Streets (formerly\nFrederick and Second Streets).\nJohn Goszler came of an illustrious family who left Germany\nin the mid-eighteenth century, possibly because of conditions\nthat James Truslow Adams, the historian, describes as \"\ndistress of the most appalling sort in\nGermany\n\"(2)\nTurbulent political conditions and religious persecution drove\nmany of these unfortunate Germans to seek other lands. Some\nof these refugees settled in Pennsylvania and Maryland. (3)\nOthers moved to Georgetown, attracted by the opportunities\nfor work on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and on construction\nprojects in the nearby capital city. Constance Green notes\nthe presence of German laborers in Georgetown in 1832 when\nrampant disease struck the community:\n334\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 3)\n\"In the summer of 1832 an epidemic of Asiatic\ncholera took heavy toll, first among the\nworkmen on the C & O Canal and the laborers\nengaged in laying the water mains for govern-\nment buildings Most of them were from\nGermany and Ireland. \" (4)\nMany of John Goszler's family settled in Pennsylvania. (5)\nOthers settled in the western part of Georgetown, acquired\nconsiderable property there and participated in community\naffairs. Georgetown Tax Records for the period 1800-1808\nshow four Goszlers--Anthony, Henry, John and George. John\nwas assessed for:\n\"1 improved lot on Fayette\n$800\n1 mare\n60\n1 COW and calf\n20\nfurniture\n60\"\nand also\n\"1 house and lot in Threlkeld's Addition\n$800\n1 house and lot in Threlkeld's Addition\n600\n1 house and lot belonging to Daniel Easterday\n800\n2 horses\n100\n1 cow\n12\nfurniture\n100\" (6)\nIn 1818 John Goszler used some of his property as security to\nborrow money from the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. By 1823 John,\ncaught in the financial pinch that had struck Georgetown, was\nforced to mortgage part of his property, Lot 65, to meet his\nfinancial obligations. Times were hard. John got a position\nas a Liquor Gauger with responsibility for measuring the con-\ntents of liquor casks for taxation purposes. (7)\n335\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 204 (Page 4)\n1831-1843\nHowever, Goszler could not meet his obligations, so in 1831 a\npublic sale was held to dispose of some of his property, among\nwhich were parts of Lots 65 and 66, with a two story brick\ndwelling (now 1328 34th Street) \"...and other tenements\"\n(now 3412 and 3414 O Street).\nThe Farmers and Mechanics Bank was the highest bidder at the\npublic sale and so retained the property. It is probable that,\nbecause of the economic slump, no buyer offered enough for the\nproperty, and that rather than take such a loss, the bank pre-\nferred to meet competing bids by paying $1435 and holding on\nto the property until the financial picture improved.\nAlthough the property was owned by the bank, John Goszler\ncontinued to live in the two-story brick dwelling on the corner\nof Frederick and Second Streets on the south side. Several\nother Goszlers lived and ran businesses nearby; and it is\nprobable that Catherine Goszler, who is listed in the 1830\nGeorgetown Directory as \"spinster, Second street near Frederick\"\nlived in one of the tenement houses, as well as Mrs. Polly\nGoszler, who is shown in the 1834 Directory as \"widow, Second\nstreet. \" (8)\n1843-1865\nIn 1843, twelve years after the public sale, the Farmers and\nMechanics Bank sold to George A. Meem, for $3300, all of Lot\n66 and part of Lot 65, including all of the buildings.\nGeorge A. Meem was a prosperous carpenter, who moved into the\nlarge brick house on the corner. He sold the adjoining house,\nfronting on Second Street (now 0) to Isaac Barrett, whose son\nwas married to George's daughter, Ann. The two families re-\nmained close, even after Ann was widowed and had remarried,\nfor in 1858 \"Barrett and Meem\" was a carpentry firm at 18\nProspect Street. (9)\n336\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 5)\nIt is not known who occupied the other houses (described ear-\nlier as \"tenements\") which Meem bought in the 1843 transaction.\nOne of these houses is the present 3412 0 Street. Its exact\ndimensions are defined in the 1865 deed when George and Martha\nMeem sold it to Daniel Brown for $1800.\n1865-1930\nDaniel Brown ten years earlier in 1855 was a laborer living\nat 83 Third (P) Street. (10) In 1858 Brown is listed in the\ncity directory as a grocer whose business and home were both\nat 54 Fayette (35th) Street. (11) In 1865, the year of his\ndeath, he was similarly listed; and the following year his\nwidow Johanna remained in the Fayette Street home and ran\nthe grocery store. (12)\nBefore his death Daniel Brown had amassed considerable proper-\nty in Georgetown. His widow and three children continued\nto live at 54 Fayette Street until 1879, when they moved to\n84 First Street (now 3400 N). (13) Although they did not live\nin the house now known as 3412 O Street, it remained in the\nBrown family for almost a hundred years.\n1930-1969\nIn October 1930 Mary Ellen Brown, sole surviving heir-at-law\n--all other children and heirs having died intestate and\nchildless--sold the property to George M. Hostetler and his wife,\nAlice W. Mr. Hostetler, being an architect and builder, re-\nmodeled the run-down house and installed plumbing for the first\ntime. (14) (15)\nThe Hostetlers lived in the house only a few years. After Mr.\nHostetler's death, his widow moved and used the house for\nrental purposes. During the war years the British Embassy\nrented the house and used it for transients.\n337\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 204 (Page 6)\nIn November 1959 the house was purchased by Dr. and Mrs.\nMarvin L. Fair, the present owners, who occupied it\nthrough 1968. While undertaking comprehensive repairs on\nthe house, the Fairs restored many of the original features\nof\nthis early dwelling. At present the house is once\nmore being rented.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1798\nJohn G. Middagh\nDeed April 2, 1798\nCharles King\nRecorded May 1, 1798\nMary King\nLiber C-3, folio 416\nto\nThomas Beatty\nLot 66\nDescribes a compromise with General Davidson\nabout property due the widow of John Middagh,\nfather of John G. Middagh.\n338\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 204 (Page 7)\n1800\nJohn Davidson and\nDeed October 16, 1800\nwife, Marcia\nRecorded November 22, 1800\nto\nLiber F-6, folio 45\nThomas Beatty\nLot 66\nDavidson releases to Beatty for sum of 91\npounds, five shillings, all rights to five\nlots in Georgetown, among them Lot 66.\n1809\nSamuel Moffett\nDeed June 3, 1809\n(U.S. Marshal)\nRecorded December 2, 1809\nto\nLiber X-23, folio 256\nDaniel Renner\nDaniel Bussard\nLot 65 sold to Andrew Scott's heirs for taxes.\n1810\nThomas Beatty\nDeed July 6, 1810\nto\nRecorded July 21, 1810\nJohn Goszler\nLiber X-23, folio 382\nLot 66\n1823\nJohn Goszler\nDeed of Trust November 29, 1823\nto\nRecorded April 27, 1824\nWilliam King, Jr.\nLiber W.B. 8, folio 462\nJames Calder & Son\nSamuel Smoot\nPart of Lot 65\n339\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 8)\n1831\nJohn Goszler and\nDeed September 21, 1831\nwife, Elizabeth\nRecorded March 19, 1832\nto\nLiber W.B. 40, folio 117\nFarmers and Mechanics\nBank of Georgetown\nParts of Lots 65 and 66 \"...with a two story\nbrick dwelling\" (now 1328 34th Street) \"and\nother tenements...' (now 3412 and 3414 O\nStreet). Goszler owed the bank a large sum\nof money on a judgement rendered in 1818.\nJudgement was levied on parts of Lots 65\nand 66, and at public sale, the property\nwas purchased by the bank.\n1843\nFarmers and Mechanics\nDeed October 7, 1843\nBank of Georgetown\nRecorded May 4, 1847\nto\nLiber W.B. 134, folio 50\nGeorge A. Meem\nLots 65 and 66 for $3300\n1865\nGeorge A. Meem and\nDeed August 29, 1865\nwife, Martha\nRecorded August 30, 1865\nto\nLiber NCT 62, folio 289\nDaniel Brown\nPart of Lots 65 and 66 (present Lot 815) for $1800\n340\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 9)\n1930\nMary Ellen Brown,\nDeed October 13, 1930\nsole surviving heir-\nRecorded October 25, 1930\nat-law of Daniel Brown\nLiber 6496, folio 257\nand wife, Johanna\nto\nGeorge M. Hostetler and\nwife, Alice W.\n1959\nAlice W. Hostetler,\nDeed November 13, 1959\nsurviving widow,\nRecorded December 8, 1959\ntenant by entirety\nLiber 11351, folio 403\nof her husband,\nGeorge M.\nto\nMarvin L. Fair and\nwife, Rachel,\ntenants by entirety\nREFERENCES\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown, D.C. 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 10 (1815); Roll\n11 (1818-19).\n341\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 10)\n2. Adams, James Truslow, The Epic of America. Boston,\nMassachusetts: Little Brown and Co., 1933, p. 63.\n3. The Sunday Gazette (Washington, D.C.) September 13,\n1885.\n4. Green, Constance McLaughlin, Washington Village and Capital,\n1800-1878. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University\nPress, 1962, P. 135.\n5. Census Records. Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1790.\n6. Same reference as #1. Roll 1 (1800-1808).\n7. City Directory. 1830, P. 7.\n8. Same reference as #7. 1830, P. 7; 1834, P. 8.\n9. Same reference as #7. 1858, P. 431.\n10. Same reference as #7. 1855, P. 2.\n11. Same reference as #7. 1858, p. 433.\n12. Same reference as #7. 1865, p. 376; 1866, P. 406.\n13. Same reference as #7. 1879, P. 190.\n14. Same reference as #7. 1931, p. 838; 1932, P. 818.\n15. Interview with Mrs. George Hostetler, September, 1968.\n342\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 11)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural character: A typical small two-story house,\nthis one appears smaller because of its lower-than-average\nceilings, its low sidewalk-to-first floor relationship,\nand its lack of a front yard. Extensive renovation in\n1930 reoriented the interior to accommodate twentieth-\ncentury living.\nCondition of fabric: Good; fairly well-maintained, except\nrear weatherboarding which is badly in need of painting.\nInterior condition very good.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 18'-0\" by 29'-6\". Three\nbays across 0 Street facade. Two stories high. Second\nfloor rear bedroom appears to be an addition: there is a\none-story high cold joint in the masonry on the east side.\nAs the site drops sharply from north to south, rear elevation\nis three stories high.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Brick, painted; rear wall weatherboarded.\nChimneys: Two on west side (one relined).\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Front door is twentieth-century\n\"Colonial\" raised-panel door with glazed round-headed\n343\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 12)\npanels in the top; door casing is composition\nmoulding over wood, badly in need of paint.\nWindows and shutters: First floor front sash\nare nine over six double-hung wood; second\nfloor front and all rear sash are six over\nsix double-hung wood. Small casements of\nwood and metal in the east wall of the base-\nment are mid-twentieth century additions.\nRaised panel shutters on front windows are\nalso recent replacements, although sash and\nglass appear to be old.\nPorches: None.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable roof with ridge\nrunning northsouth; metal covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: One projected brick course with\nhanging metal gutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: Entry hall in northeast corner of first floor;\nliving room across remainder of front; large sitting room\nacross rear with stairway at east end, fireplace at west end,\nand large opening to living room on north. Bathroom (1930\naddition) in northeast corner of second floor; two bedrooms\nwith closets between on west side. Rear bedroom is one step\nlower than remainder of house and has partially sloping ceil-\ning. Basement has sitting room across rear, kitchen in north-\neast corner and heating/utility room in northwest corner.\n344\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 13)\nStairways: Straight run with winders at foot, both basement.\nto first to second floors. Lower run has old rail and newel,\nprobably from another house; upper run has no rail, but does\nhave ornamental scrolled brackets of wood or composition\nprobably from elsewhere.\nFlooring: Random width pine on first and second floors,\nresilient tile in basement sitting room, carpet in kitchen.\nWall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster, moulded T & G\nvertical boarding, same boarding in basement stained.\nDoors and doorways: Front entry and hall closet have twentieth-\ncentury mahogany raised panel doors, door to basement stair is\nbatten type made of same moulded T & G boarding; upstairs are\nsimple early nineteenth-century four-panel doors, some relocated.\nDecorative features and trim: Mantels have been removed and\nreplaced with simple surround moulding in board-panelled\nchimney breasts on first floor, second floor front has early\nmantel with moulded surround and shelf support. Shelf itself\nis replacement. Door and window trim throughout is simple 1 1/2\"\nquarter-round with small square fillet. Base in some rooms is\nsimple beaded board, in others plain board with cap mouldings.\nHardware: Dates from 1930 renovation; plain brass knobs and\nescutcheons. Traces of rimlocks on second-floor doors.\nLighting: No notable fixtures.\nHeating: Radiators. Two working fireplaces, two not properly\nrelined.\n345\nGOSZLER-MEEM-BROWN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-204 (Page 14)\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: One of several smaller houses\non the south side of 0 Street, this house has no front yard,\nbut an ample rear yard reached by a three-foot wide alley on\nthe east side. An informal, unassuming house in a neighbor-\nhood of similar residences.\nEnclosures: Brick wall across rear of lot; wood paling fence\non sides of rear yard; board gate at 0 Street entrance to\nalley.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick, concrete.\nLandscaping: Rear yard has perimeter planting around grassed\ncenter.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nOctober 30, 1968\n346\nCOLD BELR\nIC EI\n348\nthe\nthe\nD'\n!!!!!!!!!!!! IIIIIIIII\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nAddress in 1969:\n1331 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 35th Street was Fayette Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n70, Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition to\nGeorgetown, now taxed as Lot 75 in Square\n1228 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\n1891\nOwners in 1969:\nLillian E. Sullivan, Anne Marie Briggs,\nand Regina Catalez (or Katalinas)\nOccupant in 1969:\nVacant temporarily while estate is in\nprocess of being settled.\nUse in 1969:\nNot in use at present.\nSignificance:\nThis highly ornamented, late nineteenth-\ncentury, multi-purpose, commercial structure\nis unusual in that its facade has\nremained unaltered since its construction.\n349\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1808-1838\nIn 1808 Anthony Goszler owner Lot 70 according to tax assessment\nrecords. (1) The property is described as \"Improved\" and valued\nat $1200. This, however, referred to another structure on the\nlot, at the corner of Second (0) and Fayette (35th) Streets, for\n1331 35th Street had not yet been constructed. After Anthony's\ndeath, William Goszler, serving as trustee of the estate,\nsold Lot 70 to John Goszler.\nJohn Goszler was a \"Liquor Gauger\" whose function was to measure\ncasks of liquor for taxation purposes. (2) He lived at the\ncorner of Frederick (34th) and Second (0) Streets, but he owned\nadditional property in Georgetown. (3)\nBy 1823 he had begun to have financial difficulties. Some of\nhis Georgetown property was placed in trust to William King in\n1824. (4) Seven years later, in 1831, he forfeited other\nGeorgetown lots by failing to pay his debts to the Farmers\nand Mechanics Bank. (5)\n1838-1885\nAfter John's death his heirs sold Lot 70 to Ann E. Barrett in\n1838. Ann Barrett, born in 1803, was the daughter of George\nA. Meem. She was widowed when she was quite young. In 1830 at\nthe age of 27, she was a dressmaker, living on Gay (N) Street\nnear Congress (31st) Street. (6) She was very active in church\nwork and is mentioned by Joseph W. Kirkley in Methodism in\nGeorgetown. Her experiences in the formation of the Sunday\nSchool contributed to his book, especially that portion\npertaining to the origin and growth of the female department.\" (7)\n350\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 3)\nBy 1834 Ann Barrett had apparently given up dressmaking, for\nshe is described in the City Directory merely as a widow. She\nwas at that time living on the south side of First (N) Street.\n(8)\nIn 1848, ten years after Ann Barrett's purchase of Lot 70, she\nand Jenkin Thomas, her future husband, put the property in trust\nwith her father, George A. Meem. Jenkin Thomas was a well\nknown Georgetown citizen. He was a saddler and harness maker,\ndealing in leather goods at 64 High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)\nbetween Gay (N) and Bridge (M) Streets. His home was nearby at\n81 Gay Street, between Congress (31st) and Washington (30th)\nStreets. (9) After their marriage Ann and Jenkin Thomas contin-\nued to live in this home just west of the Laird-Dunlap house\nat 3014 N Street.\nThe Barrett family (Ann Thomas' former in-laws) and the Meem\nfamily maintained a close relationship. They were joined in\nbusiness association according to the 1858 City Directory\nwhich lists Barrett and Meem as carpenters at 18 Prospect\nStreet. (11)\nThe property on Fayette (35th) Street remained in the family\nfor thirty-seven years. Ann Barrett Thomas died in 1884, at\nthe age of 81. The entry in Methodism in Georgetown referring\nto Mrs. Thomas' death is revealing:\n\"ANN E. MEEM (afterward Barrett and Thomas). The\noldest living Methodist in Georgetown, wife of\nJenkin Thomas, Esq. She joined the church in 1832.\"\n(12)\n1885-1937\nIn 1885, a year after the death of Ann Barrett Thomas, her\nheirs sold the Fayette Street property to Jeremiah Sullivan.\nRecords for the period show Jeremiah's landholdings in this\nneighborhood to be extensive. (13)\n351\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 4)\nJeremiah was one of a large clan of Sullivans who emigrated\nfrom Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century. The Sullivans are\na prime example of the numbers of immigrants who, from modest\nbeginnings, achieved prosperity in western Georgetown.\nThrough their industry and diligence they rose from simple\nartisans to large landholders.\nJeremiah exemplifies this process of upgrading one's standard\nof living. He started out as a \"cartman but in 1885 he\nbought the property on the corner of Fayette (35th) and Second\n(0) Streets and opened a grocery store there. (14) Six years\nlater, in 1891, he built the adjoining structure, the present\n1331 35th Street, and expanded his grocery to include a saloon.\nJeremiah's enterprise was cut short by his untimely death in\n1895, at the age of fifty-two. At that time he was living in\none of his properties at the corner of 35th and O Streets. (15)\nIn his Will, written on his death bed, he left all of his\nproperty (which included present Lots 75, 80, and 81 in Square\n1228) to his wife, Ellen, unless she remarried, in which case\nhe willed his property to his children. (16)\nAfter Jeremiah's death his family continued to operate a saloon\nand restaurant at 1331 35th Street. (17) Ellen held on to the\nbuilding on Lot 75, while living around the corner from it at\n3422 O Street. (18) At her death in 1937 Ellen was survived by\nfour of her seven children and three grandchildren, all of\nwhom became her heirs.\n1937-1969\nEach of the children received one-fifth of Ellen's real estate\nholdings. The grandchildren received the remainder of the\nproperty. Josephine, a daughter, inherited 1331 35th Street\nand occupied the second floor for many years. An elevated\nwalkway connected the building with the residence at 3422 0\nStreet where other Sullivans lived. Josephine's brother, James,\nwho lived on Cathedral Avenue, operated a real estate business\non the ground floor of 1331 35th Street.\n352\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC- 202 (Page 5)\nIn 1962 Josephine died and James received 1331 35th Street as\npart of his inheritance from her. He continued the operation\nof his business on the premises and maintained the second\nfloor as living quarters.\nJames died in February 1969, leaving the property to his sister,\nLillian E. Sullivan, and his two nieces, Anne Marie Briggs\nand Regina Catalez (Regina Cox Katalinas), \"...all to share\nequally \"\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1808\nAccording to Tax Assessment Records, Georgetown, D.C., 1808,\nAnthony Goszler owned Lot 70. At his death, William Goszler,\nTr., sold it to John Goszler.\n1838\nWilliam J. Goszler, Tr.\nDeed December 10, 1838\nWilliam J. Goszler\nRecorded February 11, 1839\nElizabeth Goszler\nLiber W.B. 73, folio 78\nJames Goszler\nHeirs of John Goszler,\ndeceased\nto\nAnn E. Barrett\n353\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC- 202 (Page 6)\n1848\nAnn E. Barrett\nDeed in Trust June 17, 1848\nJenkin Thomas\nRecorded July 3, 1848\nto\nLiber W.B. 144, folio 34\nGeorge A. Meem\nAnn E. Barrett married Jenkin Thomas.\n1885\nWilliam D. Barrett and\nDeed January 23, 1885\nwife, Janet Mary\nRecorded February 2, 1885\nWilliam C. Barrett and\nLiber 1113, folio 213\nwife, Mabel A.\nElla A. Barrett\nSole heirs to estate of\nAnn E. Thomas (Barrett)\nto\nJeremiah Sullivan\n1895\nJeremiah Sullivan died,\nWill December 13, 1895\nleaving all of his real\nProbated December 23, 1895\nestate to his wife,\nWill Book 39, page 289\nEllen Sullivan\n354\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 7)\n1937\nEllen Sullivan died intestate; she had seven children:\nJosephine\nEllen (died before 1900)\nJohn (died before 1900)\nJames J.\nJeremiah\nAnn Sullivan Cox (died 1915;\nsurvived by her husband and four\nchildren: Robert, Josephine,\nMarie and Regina)\nLillian\nEllen Sullivan's property included present Lots 75, 80 and 81\nin Square 1228. Each of the surviving children (Josephine,\nJames, Jeremiah and Lillian) received one-fifth of the hold-\nings. Each of the Cox grandchildren (Robert, Josephine, Marie\nand Regina) received one-twentieth of the property.\nLot 75 was inherited by Josephine Sullivan.\n1962\nJosephine Sullivan died\nWill September 6, 1938\nJanuary 9, 1962. Her\nFiled February 28, 1962\nproperty was divided\nProbated October 10, 1968\namong her two brothers,\nWill Book 5, page 68\nJames and Jeremiah; her\nAdministration 2209-68\nsister, Lillian; and two\nnieces, Anne Marie C.\nBriggs and Regina Cox\nKatalinas. James J.\nreceived 1331-35th Street.\n355\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 8)\n1969\nJames J. Sullivan died\nWill January 31, 1968\nFebruary 1969.\nFiled February 28, 1969.\nNo administration number\nhas been assigned yet as the\nestate is being settled and\nprobate has not occurred.\nREFERENCES\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 1 (1808).\n2. City Directory. 1830, p. 7.\n3. Same reference as #1.\n4. Land Records. Washington, D. C., Liber W.B. 8, folio 462,\nApril 27, 1824.\n5. Same reference as #4. Liber W.B. 40, folio 117, March 19,\n1832.\n356\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 9)\n6. Same reference as #2. P. 31.\n7. Kirkley, Joseph W., compiler, Methodism in Georgetown.\nWashington, D.C.: 1884, p. 37.\n8. Same reference as #2. 1834, p. 3.\n9. Same reference as #2. 1834, p. 19; 1853, p. 99.\n10. Same reference as #2. 1865, p. 395.\n11. Same reference as #2. 1858, p. 431.\n12. Same reference as #7.\n13. Same reference as #2. 1885, P. 787; 1892, p. 902.\nand\nZevely-Finley, General Assessment of All Real and Personal\nProperty in Georgetown in the District of Columbia 1893-\n94. Washington, D.C.: A.G. Gedney, 1894, PP. 36-38.\n14. Same reference as #2. 1872, p. 526; 1890, p. 833.\n15. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) December 14, 1895.\n16. Register of Wills, Washington, D.C., Will Book 39, page 289.\n357\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 10)\n17. Same reference as #2. 1892, P. 902; 1893, p. 887; 1894,\np. 938; 1896, P. 872; 1897, p. 859; 1913, p. 1418; 1920,\nP. 1401.\n18. Same reference as #15. December 17, 1937, p. A-14.\n358\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 11)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This is a small highly ornamented\ncommercial structure of the late nineteenth century. In\naddition to the corbelling and moulded shapes of the pressed\nbrick there is a little carved stone and much stamped metal\nornamentation. The first floor, now vacant, was last used\nas a real estate office, while the second floor contained\nliving space.\nCondition of Fabric: Good.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Approximately 18'-0\" by 40'-0\".\nAssymmetrical opening arrangement on the first floor; one\nthree-window oriel in the center of the second. Two\nstories high.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall Construction: Pressed brick facade, common brick side\nand rear walls.\nChimneys: One brick chimney at rear of building.\n359\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 12)\nOpenings:\nDoors and Doorways: The door into the first floor office\narea, which is at the center of the west facade, has one\nlarge pane of glass above two horizontal panels. The\ndoor to the stairway, which is south of the center door,\nhas three panels and a semi-circular single-light transom.\nWindows and Shutters: There is a large plate glass window\nnorth of the center door in the office area; on the second\nfloor there is a bay or oriel composed of three one-over-one\ndouble-hung windows in a pressed metal ornamental\nconstruction which has a proliferation of egg and dart\nmouldings, swags, garlands, fluting, etc.\nPorches: None.\nRoof:\nShape and Covering: Low pitch down from west to east.\nBuilt-up covering.\nFraming: Wood (assumed).\nCornice: There is much corbelled and moulded brick in\naddition to the painted pressed metal ornamentation on\nthe cornice and shaped parapet.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plan: The interior of this building was not accessible at\nthe time of this writing. The first floor is basically one\nspace divided with temporary partitions; the second floor\narrangement is not discernible from the street.\n360\nJEREMIAH SULLIVAN BUILDING\nHABS No. DC-202 (Page 13)\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: This building is one of\nseveral commercial structures clustered around the intersection\nof 0 Street and 35th Street, although the area is basically\nresidential. It faces west and abuts the public sidewalk.\nEnclosures: None.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Fronts on the brick public sidewalk.\nLandscaping: None.\nPrepared by: The Office of Walter G. Peter, Jr.\nAIA\nArchitect\nFebruary 7, 1969\n361\n362\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-203\nKELLY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1239 37th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 37th Street was Warren Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n64, Square 53 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld\nand\nDeakins Addition to Georgetown,\nnow taxed as Lot 806, Square 1223 in\nWashington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\n1879\nOwner in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupant in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nThis small, late nineteenth-century\nframe house has been successfully up-\ngraded through extensive renovation to\npresent a much more elegant exterior\nand interior appearance than when orig-\ninally constructed.\n363\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1805-1859\nThe property, including adjoining lots to the present site of\n1239 37th Street, originally belonged to William Deakins, Jr.,\nwho willed it to Francis Deakins. He in turn willed it to\nPaul Hoye and Leonard Deakins. In 1805 Paul Hoye conveyed\nthe property to John Hoye, under the terms of Francis Deakins'\nWill.\nIt was not until 1850 that Hoye's executors sold the property\nto Patrick A. Byrne. The City Directory of 1853 lists only\none \"Byrne\"-- a P.A. Byrne, a blacksmith who lived in Washing-\nton City on First Street west. (1) It is not known whether\nthis is the same person who owned the property.\n1859-1879\nIn 1859 Byrne sold the property to Patrick O'Donnoghue. Tax\nassessment records of 1865-70 list Patrick as the owner of\nthe 60 foot by 120 foot lot on the east side of Warren (37th)\nStreet, valued at $300.(2) In 1873 Ann V. Gross and Sarah\nC. Gross bought the property, now valued at $576. (3)\nShortly after this the land was subdivided. Present lot\n806 is the southern 25 feet of lot 64, fronting on Warren\nStreet and extending 120 feet deep.\n364\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 3)\n1879-1908\nA month after the Grosses purchased the property, they sold\nthe site of the present 1239 37th Street to Mary Kelly.\nFive years later, in 1878, the land was still vacant. The\nfollowing year tax records describe the property as having\n\"Improvements of $300, which indicates that the present\nhouse was built by the Kellys in 1879. (4) The Hopkins Map\nof 1887 shows a structure on this lot with the exact measure-\nments as the present house. (5)\nThe house remained in the Kelly family for more than thirty\nyears, for Mary Kelly had willed it to her two sons, Patrick\nand John A. John was a tinner who lived in the house,\naccording to the City Directory of 1906. (6) Patrick, who had\nnot married, had conveyed in 1905 his half to his brother\nand sister-in-law. At once the property was given in trust\nwith discretionary powers to sell at public auction and\nconvey in fee simple\n\"\nDespite efforts by Kelly and his family to save the property,\nin 1908 it was sold for default of trust to Frederick A.\nLinger who paid $575 for it.\n1908-1936\nLinger, who lived at 3230 N Street, presumably bought the\nproperty for investment purposes, for a few days later he\nsold one-half interest in it to Joseph C. Linkins and six\nmonths later sold the other half interest to him.\nLinkins, who ran a feed store, apparently never lived in\nthe house, but held on to it until 1923 when he sold it to\nPatrick O'Toole. (7) O'Toole, a plasterer, lived on New\nYork Avenue and used the house on 37th Street for rental\npurposes. (8)\n365\nWestern Georgetown in the 1890's. Bottom of photograph shows\nlaborers' cottages along 37th Street, today \" upgraded\nthrough extensive renovation to present a much more elegant\nexterior and interior appearance than when originally\nconstructed.\" (Library of Congress)\n366\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 4)\n1936-69\nThirteen years later, in 1936, O'Toole, now a widower, sold\nthe house to M.A. Steele who conveyed it at once to Richard\nJ. Hewitt. Six months later, in December of the same year,\nHewitt sold the property to Sallie Jeffries, who kept it for\nfive years before selling it to Doris Brown Shortle, who in\nturn sold it a few months later to Martha Dalyrymple and\nJoseph B. Phillips.\nIn 1946 Joseph Phillips, now divorced from Martha Dalyrymple,\nconveyed the property to her. In the next five years the\nproperty changed hands five times.\nTwo sociological factors are interesting to note in regard\nto the rapid series of transactions of this property.\nFirst, a number of the owners were of Irish origin, which\nis in line with the history of ownership of much of the\nproperty of western Georgetown. A second consideration is\nthat the swift and frequent transfer of property during\nthe thirties and forties should be related to the economic\ndepression that was gripping the country.\nIt was at this time, too, that the influx of people during\nthe New Deal began to affect Georgetown housing. Many of\nthe personnel in the early days of the Roosevelt administration\nsought housing near the White House and found Georgetown a\nconvenient and pleasant place to live. This movement for owner-\nship of Georgetown houses, which gained momentum after World\nWar II, affected 1239 37th Street, for after years of serving\nas a rental property, in 1951 it was purchased by Mr. and\nMrs. James A. Smith, who lived in the house for three years.\n(9)\nIn 1954 it was purchased by William and Sylvia Levi, who\nsold it in 1963 to Georgetown University. The house is once\nmore being rented.\n367\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 5)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1798\nWilliam Deakins, Jr.\nWill March 2, 1798\nto\nProbated December 24, 1804\nFrancis Deakins\nWill Book 1, page 61\nAll of Lots 64 and 65\n1804\nFrancis Deakins\nWill September 24, 1804\nto\nProbated November 27, 1804\nPaul Hoye and\nWill Book 1, page 60\nLeonard M. Deakins\n1805\nPaul Hoye\nDeed June 5, 1805\nto\nRecorded July 2, 1805\nJohn Hoye\nLiber N-13, folio 15\n(under terms of Will\nof Francis Deakins)\nAll of Lots 64 and 65\n368\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 6)\n1850\nGeorge Smith, Ex. of Will\nDeed August 2, 1850\nof John Hoye, deceased\nRecorded November 2, 1853\nto\nLiber JAS 66, folio 60\nPatrick A. Byrne\nAll of Lots 64 and 65\n1859\nPatrick A. Byrne\nDeed May 4, 1859\net ux Mary I.\nRecorded July 19, 1859\nto\nLiber JAS 179, folio 63\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nAll of Lots 64 and 65\n1873\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\nDeed September 30, 1873\nto\nRecorded October 1, 1873\nAnn V. Gross\nLiber 727, folio 27\nSarah C. Gross\nAll of Lots 64 and 65\nSubdivision of land was made. The present Lot\n806 is the southern 25 feet of Lot 64, with\nthe following measurements:\n\"Beginning at the end of 120 ft. on a\nline drawn North from the Northeast\ncorner of Prospect and Warren Streets,\nrunning East 120 ft., North 25 ft., West\n120 ft. and South to place of beginning.\"\n369\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 7)\nAnn Virginia Gross\nDeed October 1, 1873\nSarah Catherine Gross\nRecorded August 8, 1874\nto\nLiber 757, folio 281\nMary Kelly\nMary Kelly died intestate, leaving as only heirs-at-law her\nchildren:\nPatrick Kelly\nJohn A. Kelly\n1905\nPatrick Kelly, unmarried\nDeed July 12, 1905\nto\nRecorded July 18, 1905\nJohn A. Kelly\nLiber 2917, folio 309\nConveyed úndivided one-half\ninterest in property to his\nbrother.\nJohn A. Kelly and\nDeed in Trust July 17, 1905\nwife, Nora A.\nRecorded July 18, 1905\nto\nLiber 2917, folio 110\nJesse H. Wilson\nLevin S. Frey\nDiscretionary powers to sell\nat public auction and convey\nin fee simple.\n370\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 8)\n1908\nJesse H. Wilson\nDeed July 1, 1908\nLevin S. Frey\nRecorded July 1, 1908\nto\nLiber 3162, folio 194\nFrederick A. Linger\nProperty sold for default under trust\nfrom John A. Kelly and wife, Nora A.,\nat public auction to highest bidder\nfor $575.\nFrederick A. Linger and\nDeed July 6, 1908\nwife, Elizabeth M.\nRecorded July 15, 1908\nto\nLiber 3167, folio 176\nJoseph C. Linkins\nOne-half interest in property\nFrederick A. Linger and\nDeed December 15, 1908\nwife, Elizabeth M.\nRecorded December 17, 1908\nto\nLiber 3200, folio 244\nJoseph C. Linkins\nOne-half interest in property\n1923\nJoseph C. Linkins, unmarried Deed February 13, 1923\nto\nRecorded February 15, 1923\nPatrick O'Toole\nLiber 4903, folio 112\n371\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 9)\n1936\nPatrick O'Toole, widower\nDeed July 24, 1936\nto\nRecorded July 30, 1936\nM.A. Steele (woman)\nLiber 7016, folio 585\nM.A. Steele\nDeed July 29, 1936\nto\nRecorded July 30, 1936\nRichard J. Hewitt\nLiber 7016, folio 586\nRichard J. Hewitt,\nDeed December 29, 1936\nunmarried\nRecorded January 9, 1937\nto\nLiber 7067, folio 462\nSallie Jeffries\n1941\nSallie Jeffries\nDeed March 15, 1941\nto\nRecorded March 19, 1941\nDoris Brown Shortle\nLiber 7591, folio 167\nDoris Brown Shortle\nDeed September 30, 1941\nto\nRecorded October 11, 1941\nMartha Dalrymple\nLiber 7677, folio 74\nJoseph B. Phillips,\njoint tenants\n372\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 10)\n1946\nJoseph B. Phillips and\nDeed May 21, 1946\nwife, Frances Tracey\nRecorded June 5, 1946\nto\nLiber 8279, folio 256\nMartha Dalrymple\n(divorced from\nJoseph B. Phillips)\n1947\nMartha Dalrymple\nDeed October 31, 1947\nto\nRecorded November 3, 1947\nElizabeth B. Allen\nLiber 8614, folio 462\n1949\nElizabeth B. Allen\nDeed October 17, 1949\nto\nRecorded October 20, 1949\nWilby J. Pritchett, Jr.\nLiber 9060, folio 584\nand wife, Dorothy W.,\ntenants by entirety\n1950\nWilby J. Pritchett, Jr.\nDeed July 7, 1950\nand wife, Dorothy W.,\nRecorded July 12, 1950\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 9247, folio 249\nto\nArthur Twining Hadley\n373\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 11)\n1951\nArthur Twining Hadley and\nDeed April 16, 1951\nwife, Mary Hill\nRecorded April 25, 1951\nto\nLiber 9456, folio 39\nJames A. Smith and\nwife, Margaret M.,\ntenants by entirety\n1954\nJames A. Smith and\nDeed May 28, 1954\nwife, Margaret M.,\nRecorded June 1, 1954\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 10202, folio 583\nto\nWilliam Levi and\nwife, Sylvia,\ntenants by entirety\n1963\nWilliam Levi and\nDeed April 3, 1963\nwife, Sylvia,\nRecorded April 3, 1963\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 11974, folio 215\nto\nThe President and Directors\nof Georgetown College\n374\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 12)\nReferences\n1. City Directory. 1853, P. 15.\n2. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n3. Same reference as #2. Roll 14 (1872-73).\n4. Same reference as #2. Roll 26 (1879).\n5. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of\nSurveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887.\n6. Same reference as #1. 1906, p. 690.\n7. Same reference as #1. 1909, p. 828.\n8. Same reference as #1. 1925, P. 1144, p. 1959.\n9. Same reference as #1. 1954, p. 84.\n375\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 13)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Typical of many smaller Georgetown\nhouses, this late nineteenth-century example has been ren-\novated and enlarged to give the appearance of an earlier\nand more elegant building, yet it retains a pleasant, regular,\ninformal character.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Approximately 20'-6\" by 32'-4\", including\nrear addition. Three bays across 37th Street facade. Two\nstories high.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame and clapboards with later\nstucco covering over all.\nChimneys: One at north end of front portion; smaller brick\nflue at south end of rear portion, closed up and cut down below\nroof line inside attic.\n376\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 14)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The front door has six raised\npanels and ovolo sticking, and is surrounded by a\nnarrow architrave. There are fluted Doric pilasters\nat each side supporting an entablature complete with\ntriglyphs and flat metopes. All of this is wood and\nis of mid-twentieth century manufacture.\nWindows and shutters: Six over six double hung wood\nsash on first and second floors; wood louvered shutters.\nPlat wood heads with cyma crown moulding across the\ntop. Three mid-twentieth French windows open off the\nthe rear sitting room onto a small iron balcony.\nPorches: Very small wrought and cast iron balcony across the\nthree French windows on the east facade with curving metal\nstairs down to rear yard.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable with ridge running north-\nsouth over original west portion, shed pitched to\neast over remainder. Metal covering.\nFraming: Wood; original roof line is discernable\nin the side walls of the attic.\nCornice: Wood, with regularly spaced modillions\nacross the width and larger scrolled brackets at\nthe ends.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The first floor has a living room across the west\nend with a stair on the scuth; a large sitting room across the\neast end; and a bath in the south east corner. The second\nfloor has a bedroom across the west end; stair and hall on the\n377\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 15)\nsouth; a bedroom in the northeast corner; and a bath in the\nsoutheast corner. The basement has the stair hall on the\nsouth; an equipment room in the northwest corner; a kitchen\nin the north center; and a large family room across the\neast end.\nStairways: The first-to-second floor and basement-to-first\nfloor stairs are semi-enclosed straight-run with a closed\nstringer where not enclosed. The stringers appear to be\noriginal, as do some of the plain square balusters and\nsome of the beaded-board enclosure in the basement.\nFlooring: Wall-to-wall carpeting over wood on the first\nfloor, resilient tile in the basement, and pine on the\nsecond floor.\nWall and ceiling finish: Generally painted plaster, but\nthere is some vertical vee-joint panelling of recent\nmanufacture in the living room.\nDoors and doorways: Generally there are mid-twentieth\ncentury six-panel doors throughout, except for one closet\nin the southwest corner of the second floor which has an\nold batten door. There are also some twentieth-century\nfive-panel doors.\nDecorative features and trim: The interior has been completely\nre-trimmed with mid-twentieth century mouldings. There are\npapier-mache rosettes at the chandeliers in both living room\nand sitting room. The living room mantel, however, is old. It\nhas Doric columns with impost blocks, and the bed mould is a\ndeeply quirked cyma reversa, typical of early nineteenth-century\nwork. The shelf has a simply moulded edge. As this mantel\npiece is of an elegance beyond the pretensions of the original\nhouse, it is reasonable to assume that it came from another\nbuilding.\n378\nKELLY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-203 (Page 16)\nHardware: The front door nas an old cast-iron and brass\nrimlock, and the previously-mentioned batten door on the\nupstairs closet has wrought iron hinges; otherwise, hard-\nware is mid-twentieth century brass.\nLighting: No notable fixtures; all twentieth-century\nincandescent.\nHeating: Radiators, boiler in basement.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Situated between Prospect\nStreet and N Street, this is one of very few residential\nbuildings left on the east side of 37th Street, facing the\nnew library of Georgetown University.\nEnclosures: There is a high board fence around the rear\nyard with gates at the north side of the house at the\nrear alleyway.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick and concrete.\nLandscaping: Much of the rear yard is brick paved, surround-\ned with ornamental shrubbery, and there is an Halianate tiered\nfountain in the center toward the rear of the terrace. There\nare also several magnolia trees in this area. The small front\nyard has simple residential foundation planting.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nDecember 13, 1968\n379\n-\na\nby\nM 111.\n\" III\n. NM\nIII 111\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-211\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nAddress in 1969:\n1500 35th Street, N. W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 89 Fayette\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe Convent occupies old Lots 149-160\nin old Square 81 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now known as Lot 800 in\nSquare 1251 in the City of Washington;\nold Lots 137-147 in old Square 82 in\nThrelkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now\nknown as Lot 800 in Square 1252 in Wash-\nington, D. C.; old Lots 1-5, 172, 174,\n176, 178, and 180 in old Square 105 in\nThrelkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now\nknown as Lots 800-805 in Square 1275 in\nthe City of Washington; old Lots 1-5, 182,\n184, 186, 188, and 190 in old Square 106\nin Threlkeld's Addition to Georgetown, now\nknown as Lots 800, 802, and 803 in Square\n1276 in Washington, D. C.\nDate of Erection:\nChapel of the Sacred Heart (earliest extant\nbuilding erected by the Convent of the\nVisitation on the grounds) - 1821.\nOwners in 1969:\nSisters of the Visitation\nOccupants in 1969:\nSisters of the Visitation\nUse in 1969:\nVisitation Convent and Catholic School\nfor girls\n381\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 2)\nSignificance:\nThis was the first Visitation Convent\nand the first Catholic school for girls\nin the United States. Each building of\nthis educational complex reflects the\nprevailing style of its period of con-\nstruction. Represented are the Federal,\nClassic Revival, Italianate Victorian\nand twentieth-century contemporary styles.\nAlthough no effect has been made to\nstylistically unite the buildings, a\nconsistency of taste prevails.\nWorked by Calharme F One Arademy of the Visitation. Georgelown D.C 17:00\n\"There was a stream, referred to in early deeds as 'the branch,'\ncoursing through the yard.\" Sampler showing the academy\nin 1799 (Georgetown Visitation Convent)\n382\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 3)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\nAs is the case with many other structures covered in this\nsurvey, the property on which the Visitation Convent and\nSchool stand, covering 35 acres, originally belonged to\nHenry Threlkeld and then his son John.\n1793-1816\nIn 1793 three Sisters of the Order of St. Clare, having fled\nfrom France because of the Revolution, arrived in this\ncountry and settled in Georgetown. (1) They were Marie de\nla Marche (Abbess of the Order of St. Clare), Celeste la\nBlonde de Rochefaucault, and Marie de St. Luc. (2)\nThe Poor Clares, as they were known, rented two houses on\nthe corner of Third (P) Street and Fayette (35th) Street\nfrom John Threlkeld in 1798. There was a stream, referred\nto in early deeds as \"the branch, coursing through the\nyard. Then, with a $300 loan from St. Mary's Seminary in\nBaltimore, they bought the property in which they were\nliving and running a school with great difficulty. (3)\n\"The Poor Clares attempted to keep a school as a means of\nsupport; but their poverty was so extreme, and their life\nso rigorous, that the scholars were mostly frightened away.\"\n(4)\nAbout the same time that the Poor Clares were beginning\ntheir exile from France, Alice Lalor, who later became the\nfoundress of the Georgetown Visitation Convent, was sailing\nfrom Ireland to this country. Miss Lalor was not a fugitive,\nhowever. She was accompanying her sister and brother-in-law,\nan American merchant named Doran, and planned to return to\nIreland after her sister was settled.\n383\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 4)\nMiss Lalor had strong ties with her native land. She had early\ndevoted her life toward service to God and to her fellow man\nand felt an emotional commitment to return home to Ireland and\ncontinue her work. (5)\nHowever, on the sea journey to America Alice's acquaintance\nwith two widows (Mrs. McDermott and Mrs. Sharpe) altered her\ndestiny. The three ladies discovered that they all wanted to\njoin a cloistered life. Shortly after they landed in Philadel-\nphia they met Father Leonard Neale, S. J., who became their\nspiritual counsellor and their friend.\nThe three ladies rented a house in Philadelphia, where they\ntaught school and lived a religious life. During the yellow\nfever epidemic they nursed the victims. Father Neale barely\nescaped death from the illness. (6)\nIn 1799, shortly after Father Neale became President of George-\ntown College, he sent for the three ladies \"...and domiciled\nthem for a time with the three Poor Clares...who had set up a\nlittle convent near the College (7) The three women boarded\nthere and taught at the Convent for several months before mov-\ning to a nearby house which Father Neale bought for them. There\nthe \"Pious Ladies, \" as they were called, opened their own school\nwhich was hailed with delight by the Catholics of the neigh-\nborhood and received solid encouragement from them.\" (8)\nBy 1805 the school of the \"St. Clares\" was no longer operating,\nfor the Abbess had died and Celeste la Blonde de Rochefaucault,\nwho had inherited the property, decided to return to France.\nShe sold the property to Father Neale for $4000 to be paid in\nfive installments. Records show that the last installment was\nmade through an agent in Baltimore in 1808. (9)\nIn 1805 the \"Pious Ladies\" moved into the house the Poor Clares\nhad owned and continued their school. Mrs. Sharpe (Sister\nIgnatia) had died three years earlier, during the summer of\n1802. In 1808 the property was deeded to Miss Alice Lalor and\n\"two Irish co-workers\" by Father Neale. (10)\nThe property which was conveyed to \"Alice Lalor, Maria McDermott\nand Mary Neale\" consisted of the entire Square of ground\nlaid off by George Fenwick in a plat called Jn. Threlkeld's\nAddition to George Town\nall that square or parcel of land\nbounded on the north by Fourth Street (now Volta Place) on the\neast by Fayette Street (now 35th) on the south by Third Street\n(now P) and on the west by Gay Street (now 36th) together with\nbuildings (11)\n384\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 5)\nThe deed describes Bishop Neale's provision for the use of the\nproperty:\n\"\nwhereas the said Neale has established\non the said premises a community of Ladies\nwhom he stiles Sisters of the Visitation\nof the Virgin Mary, devoted by voluntary\nengagements to perpetuate a regular education\nof their sex particularly of thoses of the\npoorer classes the said Leonard Neale for\nmany reasons, him thereunto moving and partic-\nularly with a view of securing to the\naforesaid Community a suitable and sufficiently\nextensive plot of ground to perfect its estab-\nlishment and to carry into effect the afore-\nsaid system and plan of education... \" (12)\nThe efforts to sustain the school were hampered by lack of\nfunds, but the \"Pious Ladies,\" employing stringent economy\nand diligence, perservered. When Bishop Neale's term as\nPresident of Georgetown College expired in 1808, he moved\nnext door to the Convent and continued to supervise and\nguide its growth. (13) His support and friendship remained\na continual inspiration to the good Sisters which lightened\ntheir labors.\n1816-1861\nThe Convent was recognized in 1816 by Pope Pius VII as an\nOrder of the Visitation. Miss Lalor, as Sister Teresa,\nbecame Mother Superior. (14) A year later Father Neale died\nand was buried in the crypt beneath the chapel of the\nConvent. Father Joseph Pierre Picot de Cloriviere assumed\nthe spiritual guidance for the Convent.\nFather Cloriviere (formerly Josef Pierre Picot de Limoelan)\nhad trod a colorful path before reaching the United States.\nHe had been an officer in the Army of Louis XVI and when\nNapoleon came to power, was a fervent royalist enmeshed in\na plot to assassinate the \"Man of Destiny. The plot failed\nand Limoelan was forced to flee for his life.\n385\n\"The small brick building still standing today on the\nnorth-western part of the Convent grounds dates from the\neighteenth century when it was part of 'Burleith,' the Threl-\nkeld estate; it is now used for recreational purposes.\"\n(Photographed by David Blume)\n386\nSir\nWashington mar. 26. 07.\nI thank you for the kind offer of the has mentioned\nm your letter of yesterday. the Peach apriled which you saw at\nHepbern! was lost on the road: but I resieved with it from Noti\nthe same time a supply of the shones of the same fruit,\nwith are planted at Monticallo, and from which 9 hope to\nraise some trees, the as yet 1 do not know their sump. show\nthese fail I will avail my rolf of your kind offer the next fall\nor spring. the two peach has you propose, with very accip.\ntables. , am endeavoring king to make a collection of the choicest\nsame\nkinds of peaches for Monticullo. presuming you are attached\nto the culture of frees, I lake the liberty of rending you some\nPaccan nuts, which being of the last cream growth received from\nnew Orleans, will probably grow. they are a very fine nut,\nand succed well in this climate. they require rich land. between\nthe two lober of the with Kernel there is a then pellicle, ex\nausters α bitter, which it's necessary to take out before eating\nnut. accept my calubations Tassurances of respect.\nmr. Thalkets\nHilletferon\n\"On the grounds there are yet some of the pecan trees which\ngrew from kernels sent by Thomas Jefferson to his friend\nJohn Threlkeld.\" (Photographed by David Blume)\n387\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 6)\nWhen he first arrived in the United States, in 1801, he settled\nin Savannah, George, where his brother-in-law owned land.\nThere the young expatriate painted miniatures as a pastime. It\nis possible that he felt guilty because of the part he played\nin the attempt to kill Napoleon, which developed into a fiasco\nresulting in the loss of many innocent lives. In any case he\nbecame an ordained priest in 1812 in Baltimore, serving as a\nmissionary in South Carolina before coming to Georgetown. (15)\nFather Cloriviere, as he was now known, was largely responsible\nfor the expansion of the Convent and the school. He not only\nraised standards of the school, but contributed financially to\nit from funds received from the sale of his property in France.\n(16) This support was a particular boon during the economic\nslump in Georgetown during the 1820's.\nGradually the Convent acquired more land from the Threlkeld\nestate to provide for its expanding facilities. The small\nbrick building still standing today on the northwestern part\nof the Convent grounds dates from the late 1700's when it\nwas part of \"Burleith,\" the Threlkeld estate; it is now used\nfor recreational purposes. (17) On the grounds there are\nyet some of the pecan trees which grew from kernels sent by\nThomas Jefferson to his friend John Threlkeld. Jefferson\nwrote on March 26, 1807:\n\"Presuming you are attached to the culture of\ntrees, I take the liberty of sending you\nsome Paccan nuts, which being of the last\nyear's growth received from New Orleans, will\nprobably grow. They are a very fine nut, and\nsucceed well in this climate. They require\nrich land. Between the lower lobes of the\nkernal there is a thin pellicel, excessively\naustere & bitter, which it is necessary to\ntake out before eating the nut.\" (18)\nUnder Father Cloriviere's direction considerable construction\nwas undertaken and the educational activities broadened. Be-\nyond the existing elementary and high school program, which\nwas based on tuition, in 1819 the Sisters organized a free\nschool known as \"The Benevolent School\" (or St. Joseph's\nSchool) for needy young children in the neighborhood.\n388\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 7 )\nThat same year a wing was added to the infirmary; in 1821 the\nChapel of the Sacred Heart was dedicated; two years later, in\n1823, a building for the boarding school was constructed. (19)\nBy 1824, however, the Convent was in such financial straits\nthat it narrowly escaped being forced to close. Relief came\nin the form of advance payments for two pupils by their father,\nJohn B. Lasaler, a wealthy merchant from New York. (20)\nThe school, known as \"The Young Ladies Academy of the Visitation\nof Georgetown, continued to grow despite financial hardships.\nIn 1828 Congress granted it a charter, approved by President\nJohn Quincy Adams and certified by the Secretary of State,\nHenry Clay. President Adams gave the graduation address that\nyear and recorded in his diary that at the ceremony he had seen\nWilhelmina (Sister Stanislaus) Jones, daughter of Commodore\nJohn Jacob Jones, hero of the War of 1812. President Adams also\ndistributed prizes that day to the three daughters of Empress\nAna Maria Huarte de Iturbide, widow of Emperor Agustin de\nIturbide of México. (21)\nThe 1830 City Directory of Georgetown furnishes a lively\ndescription of the school and its operation:\n\"He [Rev. Mr. Cloriviere] also reared a building\nfor the education of young ladies, better adapted\nfor the purpose that the one in which the Academy\nwas first undertaken. Soon after, the Rev. Mr.\nWheeler erected an odeum, or Hall of Exercises,\nneatly executed in the Ionic style. The sphere\nof tuition was enlarged by him, and an extensive\nphilosophical apparatus was imported and placed\nin the odeum. The reputation of the Ladies'\nAcademy having brought to it more inmates than\ncould be conveniently accommodated, Mr. Wheeler\nalso enlarged the Institution, by adding a com-\npact building to the one erected by Mr. Cloriviere.\nBy this means the Academy is now provided with all\nthe conveniences and arrangements to be met with in\nthe best regulated establishments of this kind, at\nhome or abroad; and may lodge with ease 150 pupils.\n389\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 8)\nWith the apparatus, the Sisters are enabled to\ndemonstrate the theories of many of the useful\nbranches of Natural Philosophy--such as Astron-\nomy, Pneumatics, Electricity, Galvanism,\nChemistry, Chladni's Acoustic Figures, etc.\nThey have an increasing collection of minerals\nand Hauy's Primitive Forms to assist in the\nstudy of Crystallography. In the course of\nstudies pursued at the Ladies' Academy, domestic\neconomy is embraced, and made the object of\nattention at the close of the literary career.\nAt the date of this notice, there are in it\nupwards of ninety young ladies, from various\nstates of the Union. The Sisters never inter-\nfere with the creeds of the young ladies who\ndissent from them in religious belief. A\nbenevolent school is attended by the Sisters,\nwhere they educate gratuitously three or four\nhundred females annually, clothe sixty or\nseventy, and afford a subsistence to thirty\nor forty daily.\nParents or Guardians, designing to place their\ndaughters or wards at the Academy, may obtain\npermission to see its accommodations once.\nOn such occasions they are not to be accompanied\nby young gentlemen. Other persons are not to\nexpect this privilege, except they be personal\nacquaintances of the Director, or known friends\nof the institution. All visitors are to give\ntheir names. Such visitors are accompanied by\nthe Director. In his absence, only ladies are\npermitted to view the Academy, in the company\nof two Sisters.\nMondays and Wednesday, between the hours of\n10 and 12 A.M. and in summer between 4 and\n6 P.M. also, are the only days allotted to\nvisits. At the annual examination and exhibition\nonly\nparents and guardians who may wish\nto witness the proficiency of their daughters\nor wards, and personal acquaintances of the\nDirector, are admitted by personal tickets.\n390\n\"In 1843 'Lalor House' fronting on Fayette (35th) Street\nwas purchased for St. Joseph's Benevolent School; it is\nnow a residence hall and guest house.\" (Photographed\nby J. Alexander)\n391\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 9)\nThe rules do not admit young gentlemen, even\nshould they be acquaintances of the Director.\" (22)\nFurther expansion occurred in 1832 when the east wing of the\nmonastery was added.\nRichard Jackson, author and resident of Georgetown, wrote in\n1878 of how the Convent grounds appeared to him when he was\na young man. He described the extensive buildings on an area\ncovering almost the whole square from Fayette (35th) Street\nto Lingan (36th) Street and from Third (P) Street to Fourth\n(Volta Place) Street. He told of the gardens and orchards\n\"...where are cultivated all the vegetables and fruits used\nin the institution.\" He described graphically the lovely\ngrounds laid out in serpentine walks, around which the\nladies promenade for exercise.\" (23)\nIn 1843 \"Lalor House\" fronting on Fayette (35th) Street was\npurchased for St. Joseph's Benevolent School; it is now a\nresidence hall and guest house. In 1857 a south wing was\nadded to the monastery. (24)\n1861-1899\nDuring the Civil War the Convent of the Visitation, by\npracticing rigid economy, survived those difficult days. In\nDivided Town Mary Mitchell, historian and author, describes\nvividly the status of the Convent during the war:\n\"There was one institution, however, which\nescaped federal confiscation, the Visitation\nConvent on 35th and P Streets. General\nWinfield Scott, retired Lieutenant General of\nthe Union Army, had a daughter Virginia who\nhad been educated there and afterwards became\na nun of the order. On her death she was\nburied in a little cemetery within the P\nStreet brick wall west of the monastery wing.\n392\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 10)\nWhen Edwin Staunton, Secretary of War, pro-\nposed confiscating the Convent, Scott inter-\nvened, calling it 'a place made sacred by\nthe grave of my child'. The Secretary with-\ndrew his proposal.\nIn addition to the day pupils, there were\neighty-three Sisters living in the monastery,\napproximately thirty boarding students whose\nages ranged from eleven to seventeen, and\neighteen Irish laborers and slaves.\n\"\nthe Sisters had been used to struggling\nand scrounging for their support and existence.\nThis stern tradition. now stood them well.\nThey had learned to smoke their own meat in\na brick house at the end of the P Street wall.\nThey set their laborers to farming open pas-\nture. The Convent property included wooded\nsections reaching west of a flourishing or-\nchard where the Home for Nurses and the\nGeorgetown Hospital are today. From the woods\nthey gathered fuel, from the orchard, fruit.\n\"Roughly half of the Sisters were born in Ire-\nland and may not have taken sides. The residue\nwere evenly divided between the North and the\nSouth. All agreed that whenever a weary,\nfootsore soldier came to the door for refresh-\nment or water, he should be cared for. So,\naccording to Convent lore, they worked out\nthis solution. Southern nuns would feed\nJohnny Reb, and northern nuns would take care\nof Billy Yank. Whenever all were together,\nit was understood they would never discuss\nthe war.\n\"Despite their problems and poverty, the\nSisters showed themselves to be tight plan-\nners and wise administrators. They husbanded\ntheir funds derived from tuitions and the slave-\ncompensations paid out in March of '63, and\npulled themselves out of debt. Mrs. Mary\nBoyce, a wealthy widow living at Montrose on\n393\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 11)\nthe Heights, had held a mortgage on the Con-\nvent for $5,000 since 1857. Early in the\nSpring the Sisters paid it off and secured a\nrelease from her (25)\nAfter the war the Convent prospered and expanded. In 1873\nthe original school building was replaced by a large\nbuilding to be devoted to classrooms and administrative\noffices.\nIn 1891 the building presently known as the \"Lodge\" was\nerected as a laundry; it has since been converted into a\nfaculty-student lounge. A barn was built in 1895 and has\nrecently been remodeled to serve as a library.\n1899-1969\nIn 1899 a fire caused considerable damage, necessitating\nsome major reconstruction. Additional floors were added to\nthe academy and monastery buildings at this time.\nDuring the twentieth century further expansion and construc-\ntion occurred to meet the increasing demands of the school.\nA junior college, which was to exist for 25 years, was estab-\nlished in 1919. In 1921 Fennessy Hall was built as a com-\nbination residence and classroom structure. The gymnasium\nwas built in 1934. (26) When a tennis court was built five\nyears later, some clues to the early history of the property\nwere disclosed:\n\"While excavating for a tennis court foundation in 1939, work-\nmen unearthed what are believed to be the ruins of Burleith,\nhome of Henry Threlkeld, built in 1716\nThe\noriginal\nBurleith was burned shortly after the Revolution and another\nhouse was built.\" (27)\nDuring the Second World War the property of the Visitation\nConvent became a very real part of the war effort. A housing\ndevelopment was established on the grounds. Anti-aircraft\nbatteries were installed at the top of \"The Farm;\" a recrea-\ntional lounge was set up and equipped by the alumnae for soldiers\nwho were on duty on the Convent premises.\n394\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 12)\nAfter the war the U. S. Government returned the property to\nthe Convent. In 1959 another classroom building, St. Joseph\nHall, was constructed to meet the increased enrollment of\nstudents. (28)\nMany historic figures have been connected with the Convent\nand its academy. Among its students have been such well-\nknown pupils as: Mary Emily, daughter of Andrew Jackson's\nadopted daughter; Pearl, President Tyler's daughter; Mary\nAbigail, daughter of President Fillmore; Harriet Lane,\nPresident Buchanan's niece; Mary Saunders, daughter-in-law\nof President Harrison. Virginia, daughter of General\nWinfield Scott, died as a nun at Visitation. (29) More\nrecently, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John\nKennedy, took her catechism at the Convent.\nProminent residents of Georgetown, such as Britannia Peter\n(Mrs. Becerley Kennon), granddaughter of Martha Custis\nWashington, attended school at the Convent of the Visitation,\nas did many children of the diplomatic corps. As early as\n1840 Albina, daughter of the French Minister, Count de\nMontholon, was a student; and in 1852 the daughter of Count\nBodisco, Russian Imperial Minister, was a pupil at the Con-\nvent. (30) The list is endless.\nCommencement addresses have been delivered by speakers of\nnational stature, among them Presidents Adams and Grant\nand Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (31)\nThe Convent, oldest of the Order of the Visitation in\nthis country and considered the mother convent of twenty-\none others \" has staunch roots in Georgetown. From the\ntime of its founding, the Sisters have distributed largesse\nto the needy. The Convent consistently has been a source\nof help to the impoverished of Western Georgetown.\nAt present, in the school's 170th academic year,\nthere is an enrollment of 321 students from twenty states,\nthe District of Columbia, and ten foreigh countries. (32)\n395\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 13)\nThe Convent of the Visitation has played a prominent role\nin the history of Georgetown for a hundred and seventy\nyears. It continues to flourish as an integral part of\nGeorgetown as well as the larger community.\nReferences\n1. Lathrop, George Parsons, and Lathrop, Rose Hawthorne,\nA Story of Courage: Annals of the Georgetown Convent of\nthe Visitation of the Blessed Mary. Boston, Massachusetts:\nHoughton Mifflin, 1894, p. 150.\n2. Jackson, Richard P., The Chronicles of Georgetown, D. C.\nfrom 1751 to 1878. Washington, D. C.: R. 0. Polkinhorn,\nPrinter, 1878, pp. 226-227.\n3. Naughten, Gabriel J., O.F.M., The Poor Clares in George-\ntown: Second Convent of Women in the U.S. St. Bonavature,\nNew York: St. Bonavature College, p. 67.\n4. Same reference as #1. p. 150.\n5. Same reference as #1. p. 146.\n6. Alumnae of Georgetown Visitation Convent, The Convent Story.\nWashington, D. C.: Georgetown Visitation Convent, 1965,\np. 1.\nand\nSame reference as #1. p. 149.\n396\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 14)\n7. Same reference as #1. p. 150.\nand\nSame reference as #3. p. 68.\n8. Same reference as #1. p. 151.\n9. Same reference as #3. pp. 69-72.\n10. Proctor, John Clagett, ed., Washington Past and Present.\nNew York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc.,\n1930, Vol. II, P. 796.\n11. Land Records. Washington, D. C.: Recorder of Deeds,\nLiber U-20, folio 151.\n12. Same reference as #11.\n13. Same reference as #1. p. 152.\n14. Truett, Randall Bond, ed., Washington, D.C., A Guide to\nthe Nation's Capital. New revised edition. New York,\nNew York: Hastings House, 1968, p. 369.\n15. Rutledge, Anna Wells, \"A French Priest, Painter and\nArchitect in the United States, \" Gazette des Beaux-\nArts. 1948, Vol. XXXIII.\n16. Same reference as #6. pp. 1-2.\n17. Same reference as #6. p. 3.\n397\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 15)\n18. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Threlkeld, Washington,\nMarch 26, 1807. Archives, Convent of the Visitation.\n19. Same reference as #6. p. 2.\n20. Same reference as #2. p. 227.\n21. Same reference as #6. PP. 3-4.\n22. The Georgetown Directory for the Year 1830. Washington,\nD.C.: Benjamin Homans, Publisher, 1830, PP. 22-23.\n23. Same reference as #2. p. 228.\n24. Same reference as #6. p. 3.\n25. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts:\nBarre Publishers, 1968, PP. 92-94.\n26. Same reference as #6. pp. 2-3.\n27. Same reference as #14. p. 369.\n28. Same reference as #6. p. 3.\nand\nThe Washington Post - Times Herald (Washington, D.C.)\nJune 1, 1958, p. B-17.\n398\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 16)\n29. \"Sunday Star Magazine,\" The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.)\nJune 2, 1957, pp. 16-17.\n30. Same reference as #6. pp. 3-4.\n31. The Washington Post, (Washington, D. C.) June 4, 1964,\np. E-1.\n32. Statement from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.\nJune, 1969.\n399\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 17)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nChapel\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This cream colored stucco building\nis an unusual but not unpleasant combination of Ionic and\nTudor styles. It has a definite vertical feeling, both inside\nand out, which contrasts nicely with the solidity of the\nmonastery on the south and the academy building on the north.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 36'-0\" by 46'-0\". Three\nbays across 35th Street facade. The building is three stories\nhigh. There are four Ionic pilasters equally dividing the\nfacade and supporting the full-width triangular pediment.\nFoundations: Brick foundation walls and massive arches in\nthe crypt.\nWall construction: Brick with white stucco covering.\nChimneys: None.\n400\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 18)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The front entrance has a pair\nof doors with four pyramidal raised panels and a\nTudor-arched stained glass transom light, surround-\ned with a wide roll moulding with a keystone in the\nform of a Sacred Heart, all in stucco. This door\nhas been closed and is not used as an entrance.\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general are fixed\nstained-glass except the top windows on the east\nfacade, which are imitation stained-glass. The\nwindows have flattened Tudor arches and heavy roll\nmouldings of stucco. The lower windows also have\nkeystones in the form of the Sacred Heart. There\nare large pictoral stained glass windows on each\nside of the altar bay.\nPorches: None.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable; ridge running east-\nwest.\nFraming: Wood (assumed).\nCornice: Wood; full Ionic entablature with bed-\nmould, dentils, and cyma recta moulding.\nTowers: There is on the south side a belfry, out-\nside the original rectangle of the chapel building\nbut now enclosed within the monastery building.\nThe square tower extends slightly above the roof of\nthe monastery building and its upper portions,\noriginally wood, have been covered with brick pat-\nterned stamped metal. There is a very low plain\nwood railing and steep, slate-covered, four sided\nspire.\n401\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 19)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The first floor has the chancel area in the west\nend with the altar in a three-sided bay. On the south is\nthe nun's seating area behind a screen of gothic arches, and\non the north, behind a wall painted to match the arches of\nthe screen opposite, is a small spiral stair to the gallery\nabove. This gallery around the north, east, and south sides\nof the chapel is supported on four smooth Tuscan columns.\nThe crypt below has a single central tomb, brick-arched\nburial vaults along the north and east walls, and several\ngraves in the floor.\nStairways: There is one very small curved stair just north\nof the chancel area leading up to the gallery. It ascends\nin a clockwise direction (east to west) along the curved\nsouth wall of the stairhall to a pair of winders in the\nnorthwest corner, and from there ascends in a straight run\nto the gallery.\nFlooring: Oak parquet, with white marble in the chancel area.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster. The general color is a\nwarm gray with white columns and trim, and gold decorations\nand highlights.\nDoors and doorways: Doors in general have four raised vertical\npanels and simple moulded trim.\nDecorative features and trim: The white and beige marble altar\nis the dominant decorative feature of the chapel. It is an\nelaborate Victorian gothic construction with reredos situated\nin the center of a three-sided bay in the west end. There are\npictorial stained glass windows on each side, while over the\naltar hangs a large painting, \"Jesus of Bethany,\" an 1825 gift\n402\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 20)\nto the monastery from Charles X of France. A group of four\nslender gothic arches forms a screen for the nun's area on\nthe south of the sanctuary and is repeated at the gallery\nlevel above. The upper group of arches is repeated on the\nnorth, while the lower level is repeated in blind arches\nwith geometrically painted infilling. The gallery railing\nis made of solid panels. The ceiling is a shallow vault\nand is also painted with geometric designs in grays and\ngold. The plaster Stations of the Cross are early twentieth-\ncentury.\nHardware: Simple late nineteenth-century and twentieth-\ncentury brass.\nLighting: Modern incandescent spot lights shine on the\naltar area and próvide general illumination; the hook for\nan earlier sanctuary lamp is visible in the ceiling above\nthe altar.\nHeating: Radiators.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: This building forms the\nlink between the monastery and the main academy building\nalong the west side of 35th Street. Its original entrance,\nnow closed, was in the center of the east side, and its\nwest end faces on the courtyard of the complex.\nEnclosures: A continuation of the ornamental cast-iron\nfence of the academy building runs along the sidewalk in\nfront of the chapel as well. There is no gate at the\nchapel entrance.\nOutbuildings: None.\n403\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 21)\nWalks: None.\nLandscaping: Low shrubbery in planting area along the\nsidewalk.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 19, 1969\n404\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 22)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nAcademy Building\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Built in the flamboyant Franco-\nItalian style of the 1870's, this building unquestionably\ndominates this block of 35th Street. It is a well-planned\nrectangular building in which careful attention has been\ngiven to symmetry and consistency of detail. Its even red\nbrick color and slate roofs contrast with the white trim\nof windows, canopy, cornices, and dormers.\nCondition of fabric: Very good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 110'0\" by 85'-0\". Four\nstories high including top floor within mansard, plus full\nbasement. There are shallow projecting pavilions in the\ncenters of the east and north facades. The east elevation\nhas a great deal of shaped brick ornamentation in the form\nof belt courses, water tables, quoins, and label mouldings.\nFoundations: Stone under exterior walls, massive brick\narches throughout basement area.\nWall construction: Brick bearing walls, with much shaped\nbrick ornamentation.\n405\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 23)\nChimneys: One, approximately 6'-0\" by 6'-0\", recently\nenlarged.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The main front doors, set within\na deep panelled vestibule, have two glazed panels\nabove two raised panels, with matching sidelights.\nBrick moulds in general are heavy rolled mouldings.\nThere is an elaborate wood-and-stamped-metal arched\ncanopy supported on scrolled brackets at the front\nentrance.\nWindows and shutters: First floor windows have two-\nover-two double hung wood sash with segmental heads,\nexcept those on each side of the entrance, which have\nsemi-circular heads. The central and south windows\non the east facade light the Odeon and are two stories\nhigh. They have for the most part one-over-one sash\nwith diamond-pane leaded imitation stained glass and\nsemicircular heads. The windows to the north on the\neast facade are connected with spandrel panels to give\nthe effect of two-story high windows. These tall\nwindows across the front are grouped three-one-three\nand have ornate label mouldings and cresting. The\nwindows on the remaining sides have two-over-two\ndouble hung sash with segmental heads.\nThere are no exterior shutters, but several windows\non the top floor retain the inside louvered shutters\noriginal to the entire building.\nPorches: Across the west front of the academy building at first\nfloor level is a covered porch connecting the monastery, the\nacademy, the dormitories, and the infirmary. This is a wooden,\nshed-roofed porch supported on thin 12\" diameter brick columns.\n406\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 24)\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Mansard roof over entire building;\nbowed mansard at the central pavilion, slightly higher.\nSteep pitch as hexagonal slates, low pitch has rectangu-\nlar slates. Sheet metal hips and ridges with cast iron\nornamental cresting.\nFraming: Wood trusses and heavy timbers.\nCornice: Wood and stamped metal; a heavy crown mould\nwith a broad, smooth soffit, supported by four different\nkinds of brackets apparently made of stamped metal.\nDormers: Most of the dormers are composed of paired\nfour-over-four double hung semi-circular headed sash\nwith wood and stamped metal ornamental surrounds and\ncornices, and painted metal roofs. The central dormer\non the east facade has four double hung sash - two\nshort ones flanking two tall ones - topped with a\ncentral circular sash. The whole framed in elaborate\nwood and stamped metal ornamentation.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: The first floor has an entrance vestibule in\nthe center of the east side, leading into a very broad\ntransverse corridor. Adjoining the vestibule on the north\nis a small office, beyond which are two parlors, each of\nwhich is divided north to south by the remains of enclosure\nscreens, only recently removed. Adjoining the vestibule on\nthe south is a similarly divided larger parlor, beyond which\nis a room currently used as a vestry for the chapel and as a\ndisplay area for various articles associated with the early\ndays of the Convent. Across the west side of the corridor\nare large classrooms, now converted to offices. At the\nnorth end of the corridor is the very broad staircase. The\nsouth two-thirds of the second floor are given over to the\n\"Odeon,\" a large two-story assembly room; the north end\ncontains the stairs, lavatories, and circulation space.\n407\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 25)\nThe north end of the third floor contains the stairs,\ncirculation space, and two classrooms; the remainder of\nthis floor is the upper part of the \"Odeon.\" The fourth\nfloor has, in addition to the broad central corridor, two\nnarrower parallel corridors. There are classrooms in the\nnortheast and northwest corners, many music practice rooms\nalong the outside walls of both small corridors, and a\nblock of storage rooms between the corridors. The basement\nhas an equipment room in the northeast corner, a snack bar\nand storage rooms across the east side, and wardrobe storage\nrooms across the west side.\nStairways: There is one stairway at the north end of the\nbuilding. It is very broad and ascends along the west wall\nto a landing, then along the north wall to a landing, then\nalong the east wall to the floor above. The turned balusters\nand heavy handrail continue to the top floor. In recent\nyears the stairs have been reinforced with steel beams and\nthe soffits replastered, but the later additions are unob-\ntrusive. There are plaster niches at the landings contain-\ning statuary.\nFlooring: The corridors in general have oak parquet in a\nbasket wave pattern; that on the first floor also has a\nnew oak strip floor, but the original strip flooring re-\nmains in most other rooms. The parlors on the first floor\nhave every third board stained dark, a pattern which is\nrepeated in the wainscot. Floors in the basement are\nmodern resilient tile.\nWall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster walls through out;\na few pressed metal ceilings in the basement and upper class-\nrooms, acoustical tile in the Odeon, painted plaster ceilings\nin the remaining areas.\nDoors and doorways: Doors in general have four panels, the\nupper two frequently filled with obscure glass. There are\nlarge sliding pocket doors dividing the offices on the first\nfloor; there are similar doors with imitation stained-glass\ninserts leading into the Odeon.\n408\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 26)\nDecorative features and trim: Trim throughout the lower three\nfloors is wide, somewhat flat, with a deeply undercut backband.\nThe top floor has a one-piece beaded flattened ogee trim. First\nfloor wainscots have a moulded cap on 3\" beaded boards with\nevery third board stained dark. All trim in the office area\nhas been painted, but the varnished natural wood remains through-\nout most of the building.\nIn the Odeon there is a very large mural on canvas, the central\nfigure of which is St. Cecilia. Painted by a Miss Shay in 1916,\nthis mural is hidden by the curtains of the stage platform area.\nHardware: There is much original brass hardware, distinquished\nprimarily by its simplicity.\nLighting: The main corridor on the first floor has several gas\nchandeliers, probably original, which have been converted to\nelectricity. The Odeon has a very large (8 to 10 feet in\ndiameter) chandelier made up of both gas-burning candles in\ngroups of three on the upper branches and electric light bulbs\npointing downward on the lower branches. Electric lighting\nhas replaced all other original fixtures.\nHeating: There are cast iron radiators throughout.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the west side of\n35th Street between P Street and Volta Place, the academy\nbuilding is the principal entrance to the Convent. Except\nfor the Convent and the Volta Bureau across the street, the\nneighborhood is one of private residences, both free standing\nand row-type, of varying ages.\n409\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 27)\nEnclosures: There is a cast-iron fence around the planting\narea in front of the building and a high brick wall, which\ncontinues around the entire complex, begins at the north-\neast corner of the academy building.\nOutbuildings: As there are approximately twenty other\nbuildings in the complex, it would be difficult to classify\nany outbuilding as an adjunct of this particular building;\nhowever, some of the earlier buildings on the site are the\nmonastery (1832), the chapel (1820), the infirmary west\nbuilding (1819), the dormitories (1829 and 1838), and a\nsmall building, sometimes called the \"Slave Cabin, \" which\nwas on the site when the Order purchased it.\nWalks: Concrete and brick.\nLandscaping: There are simple low shrubs in the planting\narea enclosed within the iron fence along the 35th Street\nfacade. Trees and lawns throughout the complex are very\nwell maintained.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 18, 1969\n410\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 28)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nSlave Cabin\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural character: This small, late eighteenth-century\nbrick building has been much restored in the present century.\nAlthough it is commonly called \"The Slave Cabin,\" it was\nmore probably the overseer's office for \"Burleith,\" the\nThrelkeld estate which stood nearby. It is now used for\nrecreation purposes by the students at the Convent.\nCondition of fabric: Good, fairly well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 13'-6\" by 23'-0\". One\nstory high.\nFoundations: None visible; brick assumed.\nWall construction: Simple brick bearing walls with irregular\nbond courses, much repaired.\nChimneys: One recent brick replacement 7'-0\" by 3'-0\" on the\neast end; contains an exterior fireplace as well as an interior\none.\n411\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 29)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: There are two exterior doors,\none in the center of the south elevation, the\nother in the center of the north. Both are made\nwith two thicknesses of vertical boards sand-\nwiching a layer of building felt, all held to-\ngether with wrought iron ornamental straps. Both\ndoors have wrought iron thumblatches and wood\nbolts. The north is a single leaf door, while\nthe south is a Dutch door; both are in a state of\ndilapidation.\nWindows and shutters: There are two windows in\nthe south wall and one in the west. All have\nsix over six double-hung wood sash and flat\nbrick sills. They are all twentieth-century\nreplacements.\nPorches: None.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable; ridge running east-west.\nModern concrete shingles made to simulate wood\nshingles.\nFraming: New 4\" by 4\" rafters at 24\" on center, with\nvery wide sheathing boards. The original 7\" by 7\"\nattic joists are in place, possibly rearranged in the\nrehabilitation of the building.\nCornice: There is no cornice other than a plain 6\"\nboard; the same is also used at the rakes of the\ngables.\nDormers: None,\n412\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. IC-211 (Page 30)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: There is one plain rectangular room with a fire-\nplace at the east end. The rood framing is visible through\nthe open beams of the attic level, which is not floored.\nThere is one door in the center of the south front flanked\nby windows, one door in the center of the north wall, and\none window in the center of the west end.\nStairways: None.\nFlooring: Brick laid flat in a basket-weave pattern, not\noriginal.\nWall and ceiling finish: Walls are white washed brick; the\nroof framing is exposed.\nDoors and doorways: None.\nDecorative features and trim: None.\nHardware: Both doors have wrought-iron thumblatches, wrought-\niron straps with heart-shaped ends, and wrought-iron HL hinges.\nLighting: None.\nHeating: The rebuilt fireplace provides the only heat in the\nbuilding. It is a simple brick construction with a plain\nboard mantel shelf.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: The building faces south\nacross the tennis courts at the northwest corner of the\nConvent property.\n413\nGEORGETOWN VISITATION CONVENT\nHABS No. DC-211 (Page 31)\nEnclosures: None,\nOutbuildings: None,\nWalks: There is a brick walk around the building, but no\naccess walks across the lawn.\nLandscaping: Well-tended lawns surround the small house.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 28, 1969\n414\nEE\n-\n416\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-200\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3919 0 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(0 Street was formerly called Second\nStreet. The early number of this\nstructure is undetermined.)\nLocation:\nThe house is on part of old Lot 113,\nSquare 78, in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 806\nin Square 1248 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of Erection:\n1860's\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupants in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nUse in 1969:\nGeorgetown University Office for Student\nDevelopment\nSignificance:\nThe interior of this building has been\nremodeled for office use without des-\ntroying the residential character of its\nexterior and at the same time maintain-\ning its place in the street facade of\nthis block of 0 Street.\n417\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-200 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL BACKGROUND\n1801-1850\nIn August, 1801 William Rhodes and his wife, Anne (sometimes\nspelled \"Ann\" in the documents), sold Lot 113 to Edward Sims.\n\"\nbeing the same lot which Elijah\nFowler purchased of John Threlkeld\nand that said lot at the death of\nElijah became legally vested in said\nAnn, his widow, during her natural\nlife and that said Ann hath since\nintermarried with said William Rhodes.\"\nIn the 1800-1807 Tax Assessment records, Simms is described as\nowning \"one lot improved on Second Street,\" and his real prop-\nerty was valued at $400. His personal property, valued at\n$495, was described as consisting of \"One Negro Woman, $150,\nOne Negro Man $270, Furniture $75.\" (1)\nDispute arose about the ownership of the property, because some\ntime before 1801 John Threlkeld had sold all of Lot 113 to\nElisha Fowler, Jr., but the deed had not been recorded within\nthe time prescribed by law. It was not until 1830, over twenty-\nfive years later, that Fowler's ownership was established by\ndecree of the Chancery Court of D.C.\nBy that time Fowler had died, leaving his estate to his wife,\nAnn, during her lifetime and designating that after her death\nhis estate be equally divided among Rebecca Dogherty (who\nmarried Arthur McCann), Joseph Clarke of Robert, and Francis\nXaverios Simms, son of Joseph Milburn Simms, Francis Simms\nsold his third of Lot 113 to Robert Clarke, but this deed was\nnot recorded within the time prescribed by law, so the 1830\ndeed concerning Fowler's purchase from Threlkeld cleared the\ntitle completely. This was done by citing John Threlkeld as\nselling the property to Rebecca McCann, Joseph Clarke (of\nRobert) and Robert Clarke as tenants in common.\n418\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 200 (Page 3)\nThe 1830 deed was ordered by the court in order to clear the\ntitle of the property which Edward Dawes had bought from\nFowler's heirs after Ann Fowler Rhodes died. According to\nthe Tax Assessment records of 1818-1819, Edward Dawes, who\nowned adjoining property, owned a one-story frame house on\nLot 113, valued at $800. (2) However, it is not until 1824\nthat Dawes's purchase of Lot 113 from Rebecca McCann and the\nClarkes is recorded in a deed. Dawes, along with many George-\ntown citizens, suffered financial reverses during the business\nslump of the 1830's. His Second Street property was placed in\nthe hands of the Bank of the United States to serve as security\nagainst his debts. In 1843 the bank and Dawes sold all of Lot\n113 to James R. Gates for $200.\n1850-1905\nIn June of 1857 James Gates and his wife, Mary Ann, sold all of\nLot 113 to Patrick McCarthy for $700. Seven years later, in\n1864, McCarthy and his wife, Julia, sold the easterly 20 feet\nof the lot to John Hurley for $300. This is the part of the lot\non which the structure (3619 o Street) now stands. A few months\nlater John Hurley and his wife, Catherine, took a deed of trust\non the property, probably to borrow money for construction.\nJohn Hurley died intestate leaving as his only heirs Bridget\nReed and three unmarried children, John, Annie, and James. John\nand Annie, both unmarried, died intestate. Bridget Reed also\ndied intestate, leaving a husband, David, and three children,\nFrank, Raymond, and Gertrude. James sold his interest in Lot\n113 in March 1905 to his brother-in-law, David S. Reed.\n1905-1969\nIn 1923 after David Reed's death, his children conveyed the\nproperty to Dorcas Reed, their stepmother. During the next year\nthe house changed hands twice and was sold in 1926.\n419\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-200 (Page 4)\nThree years later, in 1929, the property was bought by Albert\nHamil who held it briefly before selling it to George Miller\nand J. Fendall Coughlan. Georgetown University, acquired the\nhouse in 1944, remodeled it, and has since used it as an\noffice.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1801\nWilliam Rhodes and\nDeed August 27, 1801\nwife, Ann\nRecorded August 27, 1801\nto\nLiber G-7, folio 256\nEdward Simms\n1830\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed March 18, 1830\nto\nRecorded August 31, 1830\nRebecca McCann\nLiber W.B. 32, folio 81\nJoseph Clarke of Robert\nRobert Clarke\ntenants in common\nJohn Threlkeld made and executed a deed for Lot 113 to Elisha\nFowler, Jr., but it was not recorded in the time prescribed by\nlaw. At Fowler's death, his wife (later married to William\nRhodes) inherited the property for her lifetime.\n420\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 200 (Page 5)\nAt her death, the property would be divided among Rebecca\nDogherty (who married Arthur McCann), Joseph Clarke of\nRobert and Francis Xaverios Simms, son of Joseph Milburn\nSimms. Francis Simms sold his third of the lot to Robert\nClarke, but this deed was not recorded within the time\nprescribed by law. The above deed was executed so the\ntitle would be made good at law in the names of the tenants\nin common.\n1824\nRebecca McCann\nDeed January 25, 1824\nJoseph Clarke of Robert\nRecorded March 3, 1824\nRobert Clarke\nLiber W.B. 9, folio 478\nto\nEdward Dawes\n1830\nRefer to Deed, March 18, 1830 - Liber W.B. 32, folio 81\n1831\nEdward Dawes\nDeed of Trust February 25,\nto\n1831\nRichard Smith,\nRecorded March 10, 1831\ncashier Bank\nLiber W.B. 35, folio 141\nof the United States\n421\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 200 (Page 6)\n1843\nRichard Smith, Jr.\nDeed September 22, 1843\nBank of the United States\nRecorded September 27, 1843\nEdward Dawes et ux Ann\nLiber W.B. 102, folio 425\nto\nJames R. Gates\n1857\nJames R. Gates and\nDeed June 27, 1857\nwife, Mary Jane\nRecorded June 29, 1857\nto\nLiber JAS 136, folio 437\nPatrick McCarthy\n1864\nPatrick McCarthy and\nDeed May 11, 1864\nwife, Julia\nRecorded June 10, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 38, folio 53\nJohn Hurley\nEasterly 20 feet on Lot 113\n1867\nJohn Hurley and wife,\nDeed of Trust September 7,\nCatherine\n1867\nto\nRecorded September 9, 1867\nWilliam D. Cassein\nLiber ECE 16, folio 32\nF. W. Jones\nJohn Hurley died intestate leaving as his only heirs Bridget\nReed, John Hurley, James Hurley and Annie Hurley.\n422\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 200 (Page 7)\n1897\nBridget Reed and\nDeed of Trust February 13,\nhusband, David S.\n1897\nJohn Hurley\nRecorded February 16, 1897\nAnnie Hurley\nLiber 2200, folio 161\nJames Hurley\nall unmarried\nto\nJesse H. Wilson\nLevin S. Frey\n1905\nJames Hurley unmarried\nDeed March 27, 1905\nto\nRecorded March 27, 1905\nDavid S. Reed\nLiber 2907, folio 53\nBridget Reed died intestate, leaving three children, Frank,\nRaymond, and Gertrude. John and Annie Hurley died intestate\nand unmarried.\n1923\nFrank Reed and\nDeed January 23, 1923\nwife, Bessie\nRecorded January 24, 1923\nRaymond Reed and\nLiber 4886, folio 104\nwife, Marie C.\nGertrude Reed\nunmarried\nto\nDorcas M. Reed\n(widow of David S.)\n423\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC- 200 (Page 8)\n1924\nDorcas M. Reed, widow\nDeed February 8, 1924\nto\nRecorded February 8, 1924\nMay J. Johnston, widow\nLiber 5148, folio 381\nMay J. Johnston, widow\nDeed March 25, 1924\nto\nRecorded March 25, 1924\nRebecca C. Drysdale\nLiber 5195, folio 58\n1926\nRebecca C. Drysdale\nDeed February 15, 1926\nto\nRecorded February 19, 1926\nJohn B. Breneman\nLiber 5711, folio 115\nand wife\n1929\nJohn B. Breneman\nDeed July 15, 1929\nand wife\nRecorded July 18, 1929\nto\nLiber 6349, folio 347\nAlbert W. Hamill\nAlbert W. Hamill\nDeed July 24, 1929\nto\nRecorded September 6, 1929\nGeorge Miller\nLiber 6368, folio 223\nJ. Fendall Coughlan\n424\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-200 (Page 9)\n1944\nGeorge Miller\nDeed August 1, 1929\nJ. Fendall Coughlan\nRecorded May 24, 1944\nto\nLiber 7972, folio 98\nThe President and Directors\nof Georgetown College\nReferences\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79,\nAssessment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 7 (1800-1807).\n2. Same reference as #1. Roll 11 (1818-1819).\n425\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-200 (Page 10)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Originally a private rowhouse,\nthis building has been converted to office use in recent\nyears, completely destroying the interior, yet retain-\ning the exterior character of the two-story row of which\nit is a part.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 35'-0\".\nOriginally two bays wide across 0 Street facade, second\nfloor still has two windows, but first floor has door\nand a double window.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame with stucco front, clap-\nboard side; ell at rear of brick.\nChimneys: One on west wall.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Door is mid-twentieth century\nsix panel \"colonial;\" casing is simple with a\npediment above, also mid-twentieth century.\nWindows and shutters: One over one double-hung\nwood sash; wood louvered shutters. All mid-\ntwentieth century.\n426\nSIMMS-DAWES-HURLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-200 (Page 11)\nPorches: Brick steps with a simple iron rail at front;\ntwo-story wood porch along east side of ell at rear for\nits full length.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable; ridge running\neastwest; metal covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Bracketed victorian wood; hanging\nmetal gutter.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nBecause the building has been completely renovated several\ntimes, nothing remains of the original plan nor of the\noriginal decorative features.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: One of several houses of\nsimilar scale forming the north side of 0 Street. No front\nyard; ample rear yard.\nEnclosures: Rear yard enclosed with wood fence; board gate\naccess to rear yard from street.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick and concrete.\nLandscaping: Simple residential planting.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nDecember 6, 1968\n427\nE\n428\n311\nto\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-196\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1311 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was 38 Fayette\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house occupies the north part of Lot\n67 in Square 58 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 841 in\nSquare 1228 in the City of Washington.\nDate of Erection:\nBetween 1805 and 1808.\nOwners in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. LeRoy T. Morgan\nOccupants in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. LeRoy T. Morgan\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nOne of the earliest of the small frame\nfree-standing houses in the western\npart of Georgetown, this dwelling main-\ntains much of its original character\ndespite alterations to the rear part of\nthe building and within the house. The\ntwo-story building illustrates the type\nof dwelling frequently occupied by\nartisans and proprietors of small business\nenterprises, structures that were larger\nthan laborers' cottages, but less grand\nthan the homes of the Georgetown gentry.\n429\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1805-1828\nJohn Threlkeld sold the north half of Lot 67 in Square 58\nto Daniel Bussard in 1805. Bussard was a leading citizen\nof Georgetown and an entrepreneur in various fields. He\nowned considerable property and was active as a land\ndeveloper and builder. He also owned and operated a\nbrewery, a tannery, and a distillery. (1) In the early\n1800's with Mr. Renner he advertised in a Georgetown news-\npaper, The Olio, \"...have for sale at their store, High\nStreet, George Town: Loaf lump & brown sugar - molasses;\nRum of different kinds; Holland & country gin; Cherry\nbounce; Wines - Madeira, Lisbon & Malgo, Port; Brandies -\nCogniac, Peach & Apple, Spanish; Almonds, raisins; Teas -\nImperial, Young Hyson, Hysonikin & Souchong; Coffee, choco-\nlate; Mould & dipt candles; Madder, soap, sig blue; Scotch\nsmuff in bottles; Chewing tobacco, Coarse & fine salt;\nShad & Herrings; Superfine Flour; Whiskey & tar by the\nbarrel; Firkin butter, Bacon.\" (2)\nAs a trustee of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church while\nthe revered Reverend Stephen Bloomer Balch was minister,\nBussard was responsible for collecting the monies for the\npews. (3) Active also in civic affairs, in 1826 he was\nnamed to the committee applying to Congress for a charter\nto build a Poor House with funds given by John Barnes.\nLater he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the\nPoor Farm which was located at the corner of what is now\nCalvert Street and Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., where the Guy\nMason home now stands. (4)\nTax records for this period show Bussard assessed for:\n\"7 horses - $500; 1 old woman negroe - $60; 1 COW - $15;\n1 carriage - $200; furniture - $200.\" (5)\n430\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 3)\nBussard built the frame house on Fayette Street (now 35th\nStreet) between 1805 and 1808. In 1805 he had paid $100\nfor the north half of Lot 67, a price indicating there\nwas not a structure on the land at that time. In 1808\nBussard bought the south half of Lot 67 for $300, a bargain\nsince John French had paid $500 for the same piece of prop-\nerty only two years earlier in 1806. The tax assessment\nrecords for the year 1808 assess Daniel Bussard for Lot 67,\nvaluing the property at $800 and listing it as \"improved\"\n(which indicates that the land was no longer vacant). In\n1813 the tax records were more specific, giving Bussard's\nLot 67 a value of $850 and listing \"2 single story frames.\"\n(6)\n1828-1841\nIn 1828 the frame houses were sold by the Bussard family\nto Peter Hoover. Hoover was a butcher, who probably lived\nin one of the houses and used the other as his shop. (7)\nIn 1840 the houses were sold at public auction by the\nMarshal of D. C., as Peter Hoover had gone into debt and\nbeen taken into custody and removed to Baltimore. Andrew\nHoover purchased the property for $1002 but sold it a\nfew months later to William Noyes, who in turn sold it the\nnext year to John Clements.\n1841-1847\nJohn Clements is listed in city directories as a painter. (8)\nIn 1847 Clement sold his house on the north part of Lot 67\n(now 1311 35th Street) to George Neill and continued to\noccupy the house to the south. A second story had been added\nto the north house by either Hoover or Clements for the 1847\ndeed reads upon which stands a two story frame house\nincluding the free use of the well and pump in said Clements\nadjoining yard, provided the owner or occupier of the above\ngranted premises shall contribute one half the expense toward\nkeeping same in repair.\"\n431\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 4)\n1847-1852\nGeorge and Sarah Ann Neill held the north house on Lot 67\nfor three years and then sold it to William Jones. Thomas\nNewman bought it from Jones and his wife, Martha, a year\nlater in 1852.\n1852-1910\nThomas A. Newman was a shoemaker who lived at 7 Bank Street\nand had a boot and shoe shop at 113 and 115 Bridge Street\n(now 3136 and 3138 M Street). City and business directories\nlist Newman as having a shoe business on Bridge (M) Street\nfrom the early 1850's through 1907. (9) George Battersby,\na confectioner, rented the small frame house at 38 Fayette\nStreet from Thomas Newman and ran his confectionery there.\n(10) When George died, his widow, Ann C. Battersby, con-\ntinued the family business at this address. City director-\nies list Ann at 38 Fayette Street through 1863. (11) Again,\nin 1866, a confectioner, Mrs. Susanna Darnes, is listed at\nthis location. (12) Research has not revealed whether the\nhouse was rented and used for running a confectionery business\nduring the remaining years of Newman ownership. However,\nfor over half a century it was held by the Newman family.\n1910-1944\nCeleno V. Jessup Newman, wife of Thomas Newman, survived her\nhusband. Thomas A. Murray, executor of Celeno Newman's Will,\nsold the frame house to Samuel Artz in 1910. Artz was a\nplumber who had a business at 3028 M Street and lived on N\nStreet. (13) He rented his house at 1311 35th Street to\nErnest A. Allen, who was living in the house two years prior\nto Artz's purchase. (14) Allen operated the Aqueduct Photo\nShop at 3507 M Street and later worked for the Washington\nGas Company. After renting the little frame house for\n432\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 5)\ntwelve years, Ernest and his wife, Catherine, purchased it\nand continued to own it until his death in 1940. (15) His\nheirs then sold the house to Lucien and Nayan Warner, who\nkept it only two years during the World War II period. (16)\n1944-1969\nCharles Jesse Child and his wife, Fredericka Boyles Child,\nobtained the premises in 1944. Fourteen years later the\npresent owners, LeRoy T. Morgan and his wife, Carolyn D.\nMorgan, bought this early house. In the course of gardening\nthe Morgans have unearthed a great number of old artifacts.\nAt one time there was a small structure between the brick\nhouse to the south, 1307 35th Street, and the Bussard-\nNewman house. This was built by John McCauley, a cobbler,\nsoon after he moved in to the brick house in 1883. It\nwas used as a cobbler's shop and listed in city directories\nas 1309 35th Street. (17) Now cleared, this area is part\nof present Lot 835.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1805\nJohn Threlkeld et ux\nDeed October 9, 1805\nElizabeth\nRecorded November 25, 1805\nto\nLiber 0-14, folio 27\nDaniel Bussard\nNorth half Lot 67--Consideration $100\n433\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 6)\n1828\nDaniel Bussard et ux\nDeed June 19, 1828\nCatherine\nRecorded July 1, 1828\nDavid English,\nLiber W.B. 23, folio 38\ntrustee\nWilliam Bussard et ux\nCatharine\nto\nPeter Hoover\nConveys whole of Lot 67--Consideration $650\n(Bussard purchased the south half of Lot\n67 in 1808 for $300.)\nPeter Hoover et ux\nTrust June 19, 1828\nto\nRecorded July 1, 1828\nDavid English\nLiber W.B. 23, folio 42\nTrust to secure purchase money\n1840\nAlexander Hunter,\nDeed March 27, 1840\nMarshall of D.C.\nRecorded September 4, 1840\nPeter Hoover\nLiber W.B. 78, folio 450\nto\nAndrew Hoover\nRecites that Andrew Hoover bought the property at auction,\n11 January 1840, for $1,002 \"...to make damages and\ncosts aforesaid out of the goods and chattels, lands and\ntenements of the said Peter Hoover being found in his\nbailiwick...' Refers to Peter Hoover, \"late of George\nTown in the District of Columbia, but now of Baltimore.\"\n434\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 7)\nAndrew Hoover et ux\nDeed October 31, 1840\nSarah\nRecorded March 18, 1841\nto\nLiber W.B. 84, folio 445\nWilliam Noyes\n1841\nDavid English,\nDeed March 24, 1841\ntrustee\nRecorded March 25, 1841\nto\nLiber W.B. 93, folio 187\nWilliam Noyes\nWilliam Noyes et ux\nDeed September 21, 1841\nMary\nRecorded April 25, 1842\nto\nLiber W.B. 93, folio 230\nJohn Clements\n1847\nJohn Clements\nDeed April 21, 1847\nEdward M. Linthicum\nRecorded August 30, 1847\nOtho M. Linthicum\nLiber W.B. 136, folio 262\nto\nGeorge S. Neill\nThis and succeeding deeds concern only the northern\npart of Lot 67, upon which stands a two story\nframe house including the free use of the well\nand pump in said Clements adjoining yard, provided\nthe owner or occupier of the above granted premises\nshall contribute one half the expense toward keep-\ning same in repair.\"\n435\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 8)\n1851\nGeorge S. Neill et ux\nDeed April 8, 1851\nSarah Ann\nRecorded April 10, 1851\nto\nLiber JAS 23, folio 218\nWilliam S. Jones\n1852\nWilliam S. Jones et ux\nDeed October 4, 1852\nMartha\nRecorded October 8, 1852\nto\nLiber JAS 46, folio 163\nThomas A. Newman\n1910\nThomas A. Murray,\nDeed June 18, 1910\nexecutor of Will of\nRecorded June 18, 1910\nCeleno V. Newman\nLiber 3337, folio 235\nto\nSamuel Artz\nCeleno V. Jessup Newman was the widow of Thomas A. Newman.\n1920\nSamuel Artz E wife,\nDeed July 1, 1920\nEmma J.\nRecorded August 10, 1920\nto\nLiber 4417, folio 151\nErnest Allen\nCatharine T. Allen\njoint tenants\n436\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 9)\n1940\nErnest Allen died December 20, 1940.\n1942\nGrafton L. Allen,\nDeed July 27, 1942\nunmarried\nRecorded November 17, 1942\nErnest W. Allen &\nLiber 7811, folio 251\nwife, Susie\nEdwin P. Allen &\nwife, Dorothy\nEleanor R. Allen\nHelen C. Allen Zimmerman\nCatherine L. Allen Mann\nDelores M. Allen McMahon\nheirs of Ernest Allen\nto\nLucien Warner & wife, Nayan\ntenants by the entirety\n1944\nLucien Warner & wife,\nDeed September 13, 1944\nNayan\nRecorded October 6, 1944\ntenants by the entirety\nLiber 8021, folio 326\nto\nCharles Jesse Child & wife,\nFredericka Boyles\ntenants by the entirety\n437\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 10)\n1958\nCharles Jesse Child E\nDeed January 23, 1958\nwife, Fredericka\nRecorded February 7, 1958\nBoyles\nLiber 10993, folio 499\nto\nLeRoy T. Morgan & wife,\nCarolyn D. M.\ntenants by the entirety\nReferences\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 9 (1813-18).\n2. The Olio. (Georgetown), 1802-1803, Newspaper Reading Room,\nSerial Division, Library of Congress.\n3. Journal of the Trustees of Georgetown Presbyterian Church,\n1809-1830.\n4. Jackson, Cordelia, \"John Barnes, A Forgotten Philanthropist\nof Georgetown,\" Records of the Columbia Historical Society.\nWashington, D.C.: The Society, Vol. 7, 1904, P. 46.\n5. Same reference as #1. Roll 9 (1813-18).\n438\nBUSSARD-NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 11)\n6. Same reference as #1. Roll 8 (1808-12); Roll 9 (1813-18).\n7. City Directory. 1834, p. 10.\n8. Same reference as #7. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 3.\n9. Same reference as #7. 1853, p. 74; 1865, p. 390; 1876,\np. 406; 1906, p. 863; 1907, p. 922.\n10. Same reference as #7. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 11.\n11. Same reference as #7. 1860, p. 162; 1862, p. 188; 1863,\np. 220.\n12. Same reference as #7. 1866, p. 409.\n13. Same reference as #7. 1910, p. 228.\n14. Same reference as #7. 1910, p. 212.\n15. Conversation with Mr. Edwin P. Allen (son of Ernest A.\nAllen), 925 North Potomac Street, Arlington, Virginia.\n16. Conversation in 1968 with Mrs. Sophie Warner Cousins. She\nwas born in Georgetown in the 1880's and was a cousin of\nJohn McCauley.\n17. Same reference as #7. 1883, p. 573; 1887, p. 578.\n439\nBUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 12)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural character: This modest wooden frame house with\na three bay flat wood sided front is one of several remaining\nunits of combination residence - shop on 35th Street.\nCondition: The house is in good general condition. It has\nbeen extensively remodeled on the interior and on the east\n(rear), but the 35th Street (front) elevation maintains much\nof its original character.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: This 2 1/2 story frame with full basement\nfaces west onto 35th Street between N and 0 Streets and the\nSouth wall of the structure is approximately 125' along 35th\nStreet from the center line of N Street. The three bay front\nof approximately 21' is set back approximately 14' from the\ncurb and the house is approximately 35' in depth.\nFoundations: There is a very slight foundation exposure at\nthe front, and as the land slopes off there is full basement\nexposure at the rear yard (east) elevation. Foundation\nmaterials visible include both brick and stone. A special\nfeature of note is a hatchway at the west elevation that has\nbeen filled in.\nWall construction: Wall construction is of heavy rough-hewn\nwood frame with a stud framing infull. Joints are said, by\nthe former owner, to have been pegged. Siding is wood ship-\nlap with vertical corner boards. This occurs only at the\nwest elevation while the north and south elevations have new\naluminum horizontal siding full height.\n440\nBUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 13)\nPorches: Roofed wooden porches at the southeast corner of the\nhouse at the first and second levels are now enclosed. There\nis no stoop or front porch but there is a plastic roofed\naluminum framed sun porch at the basement level at the rear of\nthe house.\nChimneys: There is one brick chimney in the middle of the north\nwall with fireplaces in the basement (original the kitchen),\nfirst, and second floors.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and doors: The west elevation doorway has\nboth a wood panelled door and wood Georgian-styled\ndoor frame which appear to be mid-twentieth century\nadditions.\nWindows and shutters: Windows are 6/6 double-hung\nwood sash with plain wood trim. Shutters are of\ntwo panelled louvered type but are obviously not\noriginal. The marks of the original pintel hardware\nare not visible and the shutter stops for the lower\nfloor appear to be original.\nRoof:\nShape, covering: It is a medium pitched simple gable\nwith ridge running parallel to the street (north-south).\nThe roof covering is asphalt shingles.\nFraming: It is said by the former owner to be rough\nhewn wood rafters.\nCornice, eaves: The cornice is a simple wood pro-\njection with attached metal gutter and downspout.\nCupolas, dormers, and towers: There is one dormer\nover the center bay of the west elevation with one 6/6\ndouble-hung wood sash window. The window has a low\narched head and a pedimental cornice with a broken\nhorizontal cornice band crowning the dormer. There\nis a large dormer with access to a rear roof deck as\na mid-twentieth century addition to the east roof\nslope.\n441\nBUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 14)\nDescription of Interior\nFloor plans: The house has a front and rear room with side\nhall. The basement is entered from a stair at the southwest\ncorner of the house and from the rear yard and was originally\nused as a kitchen. The first floor originally had a front\nparlor and rear dining room. The second floor has a front\nand two rear bedrooms with two baths added. The remodeled\nattic floor has a front bedroom with dormer, a back bedroom\nwith large modern dormer and access to the rear roof deck,\nand a bath at the southeast corner.\nThe entire interior has been remodeled extensively by suc-\ncessive owners.\nStairways: There is one wooden stairway at the southwest\ncorner of the house cantilevered from the south wall.\nCorner winder stairs occur at the southwest corner of the\nsecond floor and basement runs, while the first floor stair\nis a straight run. All the stairs run up from west to east.\nThe stairway has been remodeled several times as evidenced\nby damaged newel posts. Both the newel posts and the\nbalusters are turned wood, and three different styles of\nnewel post are present. Additional simple decoration is\nprovided by quarter-circle-cut stringer angle blocks\nsupporting each tread.\nFlooring: The two upper floors have random width wide\nwood flooring, while the first floor has narrow width\nwood flooring running in the opposite (east-west) direction.\nFloor construction visible for the second floor is single\nplank floor boards on 8\" joists.\nWall and ceiling finish: Walls and ceilings are plastered.\nDoorways and doors: Doors are of the simple wood panel type\nwith simple wood trim.\n442\nBUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 15)\nDecorative features and trim: A window that might be original\nis at the first floor at the south wall between the back room\nand the enclosed porch at the southeast.\nWalls have a flat wood baseboard but no cornice or chair rail.\nThe other trim is not noteworthy.\nNotable Hardware: There are a variety of early and mid-twentieth\ncentury items.\nLighting: There are a variety of twentieth-century fixtures.\nHeating: Central heating with individual room radiator units\nwas completed about 1920. Fireplace treatment is of mid-\ntwentieth century date.\nSite\nGeneral siting and orientation: The house is on the east side\nof 35th Street between N and o Streets. The south wall of the\nstructure is approximately 125' along 35th Street from the\ncenterline of N Street. It is in a mixed residential-commercial\nzone with both small houses and shops nearby.\nEnclosures: There is a wooden picket fence painted white approx-\nimately 8' from the west facade. The rear yard is fenced by a\nwooden enclosure 6' high.\nThere is an old stable at the east end of the lot which has been\nremodeled with additions to be a guest house.\n443\nBUSSARD NEWMAN HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-196 (Page 16)\nWalks: The house faces on a red brick public sidewalk on the\nwest which is approximately 8' from the facade. A red brick\nwalk runs from the sidewalk to the front door.\nLandscaping: There is a stone and brick paved yard at the\nrear between the main house and the remodeled stable.\nPrepared by: William P. Thompson\nArchitect\nHistoric American\nBuildings Survey\nJune 1968\n444\n1406\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-209\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1408 35th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly known as 59 Fayette Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n110, Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 830,\nSquare 1247 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of Erection:\nRear two-story portion in 1817; front\nthree-story portion third quarter of\nthe nineteenth century.\nOwner in 1969:\nNan Tucker McEvoy\nOccupant in 1969:\nNan Tucker McEvoy\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nThe home of a colorful nineteenth-century\npolitical figure, this house demonstrates\nthe successful integration of an earlier\nstructure with a later, more imposing\naddition. The facade is a good example\nof frame construction of its period.\n447\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1816-1836\nThe land on which this house stands was part of John\nThrelkeld's extensive holdings. He sold it in 1816\nto John Bronaugh, another large landowner.\nThere was a two-story frame house, valued at $500, on\nthe lot during 1818-1819. (1) It seems feasible, there-\nfore, that Bronaugh constructed a portion of the present\ndwelling shortly after purchasing the property.\nIn 1819 Bronaugh, because of financial difficulties, had\nto dispose of much of his property. Lot 110 was assigned\nto the Clerk of the Georgetown Corporation. For the next\nfew years Bronaugh and his family tried, through a number\nof trusts and loans, to hold on to their property. In\none of these transactions, in 1825, Lot 110 was used as\ncollateral for a loan of $720 from the Bank of the United\nStates.\nBronaugh's efforts, however, were unsuccessful. By the\n1830's Georgetown's trade had declined and many property\nowners were feeling the economic pinch. In August of 1833\nLot 110, along with some adjoining property of Bronaugh's,\nwas conveyed at public sale to the Bank of the United\nStates. Three years later, in 1836, Rebecca Ford bought\nfrom the Bank of the United States all of Lot 110 as well\nas some adjoining property.\n1836-1869\nRebecca Ford is reputed to have been a schoolmistress. It\nis not clear whether or not she occupied the house. In 1854\n448\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 3)\nshe deeded the property to her daughter, Mary Rebecca\nBibb, wife of Judge George M. Bibb. In the following\nyear's City Directory Bibb is listed at 55 Fayette\nStreet, a house just south of 59 Fayette Street which\nthe Bibbs also owned. (2) Presumably the two neighbor-\ning houses were required to take care of the Bibbs'\nseventeen children.\nJudge Bibb was a well-known, colorful figure. He twice\nrepresented Kentucky in the United States Senate. There\nhe strongly advocated the necessity for the War of 1812\nand upheld President Madison's position in carrying it\non. Bibb also served in the legislature of Kentucky.\nHe became Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals in\nKentucky and later was Chancellor of the Court of Chancery\nin Louisville. Bibb and Henry Clay were appointed in 1822\nto plead before the Virginia Legislature for an agreement\nto settle land claims. When their efforts failed, they\nappeared the following year, 1823, before the U.S. Supreme\nCourt during a rehearing of the case. However, despite\nthe close alliance of the two men, Bibb did not support\nHenry Clay in his bid for the Presidency, feeling that Clay\nhad no chance of being elected.\nIn 1844 President Tyler appointed Bibb Secretary of the\nTreasury. Although he went out of office with Tyler on\nMarch 4, 1845, Bibb remained in Washington for the rest\nof his life, practicing before District courts and serv-\ning as chief clerk in the Attorney General's Office. He\ndied at the age of 81.\nJudge Bibb is vividly described in The Dictionary of\nAmerican Biography: \"He was a typical 'gentleman of the\nold school', ever refusing to discard knee-breeches for\npantaloons.\" (3)\n449\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 4)\nBetween 1865 and 1870 Mrs. Bibb owned considerable property\non Fayette (35th) Street and on Second (0) Street. Lot 110,\none of her properties is described as having a 60-foot front-\nage on the west side of Fayette and extending back 120 feet\nwith \"Improvements--3-story brick and frame dwelling - $1000.\"\n(4) The third story refers to the front portion of the dwell-\ning added to the two-story structure by the Bibbs, presumably\nto house their large family.\n1869-1923\nIn 1869 two brothers, Joseph Libbey and John E. Libbey, bought\nthe property from Mrs. Bibb. Slightly over two years later,\nin 1873, they sold it to Mary Jane McGill and her husband,\nJohn D. He was the proprietor of The Georgetown Courier. (5)\nThe McGills used the property as security for a trust of $3600.\nTrustees were Frederick W. Jones and Frank Libbey, who was a\nbrother of Joseph and John. On May 14, 1877 the property was\nsold for $3350 for default of trust. It was purchased by\nJoseph and John Edward Libbey as tenants in common. The Libbey\nfamily maintained ownership of the property until 1923.\nThe Libbeys were a prominent Georgetown family. Joseph Libbey,\nfather of Joseph, John E. and Frank (and ten others too!),\nstarted his career as a carpenter. In 1829 he established his\nown lumber firm, Joseph Libbey and Son, on Water (K) Street\nnear Congress (31st) Street, \" and thus became a lumber mer-\nchant and built up a very large and profitable business.\" (6)\nThe Libbey family owned a great deal of property in Georgetown.\nThe two houses Joseph built on the northeast corner of West\n(P) Street and Congress (31st) Street continued to be in his\nfamily for a long time. He also built two houses on Congress\nStreet for two of his daughters. (7)\n450\n\"The Libbey family owned a great deal of property in\nGeorgetown.\" Mrs. John Edward Libbey (Emily Frances\nOrme) (Eleanor Cropley family photograph collection)\n451\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 5)\nLibbey's sons took over the management of the family lumber\nyard. John E. Libbey started the Congress Street Methodist\nChurch in Georgetown. He built many homes, including three\nfor his children. He also constructed the house at 3053\nP Street which President Kennedy's parents rented at the\ntime of their son's Inauguration. (8)\n1923-1969\nIn 1923 Mary R. Libbey Chapin, Joseph's daughter, sold 1408\n35th Street to Francesco Lo Bianco, a contractor, who lived\nat 3034 o Street. He rented the house for a few years,\nfirst to a painter and then to a laborer. (9) In 1930 the\nhouse was vacant, but the following year, Lo Bianco and his\nwife moved into the house and operated a real estate business\nat the same address. They shared the house for some time\nwith George F. Hanowell, a decorator, who lived there and\noperated his business in the building. (10) By 1948 the Lo\nBianco's were the sole inhabitants of the house, continuing\nto maintain their real estate business in their home until\n1954. (11) At that time the building was purchased by Nan\nTucker McEvoy who continues to reside there.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1816\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed September 19, 1816\nto\nRecorded October 18, 1816\nJohn W. Bronaugh\nLiber AM-37, folio 20\nAll of Lot 110 (60 ft. by 120 ft. deep)\n452\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 6)\n1819\nJohn W. Bronaugh\nDeed of Trust April 3, 1819\nto\nRecorded September 25, 1819\nJohn Mountz\nLiber AW-47, folio 82\n\"To indemnify Jeremiah Bronaugh against all loss\nbecause of his becoming surety on bond of John\nBronaugh \"\n1820\nTench Ringgold\nDeed July 18, 1820\n(Marshal)\nRecorded August 17, 1820\nto\nLiber AZ-50, folio 77\nJeremiah Bronaugh\nSale of all of Lot 110 under writ of \"fiere facias,\"\nwhich requires that a sheriff levy and make the\namount of a judgment from the goods and chattels of\nthe judgment debtor.\n1825.\nJeremiah Bronaugh\nDeed of Trust December 24, 1825\nto\nRecorded May 13, 1826\nRichard Smith\nLiber W.B. 17, folio 46\nAll of Lot 110 used as collateral to secure loan of\n$720 from Bank of U.S.\n453\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 7)\n1833\nJeremiah Bronaugh\nDeed August 17, 1833\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nRecorded September 20, 1833\nTench Ringgold\nLiber W.B. 43, folio 487\n(Marshal)\nWilliam W. Corcoran\nto\nBank of the United States\n(Corcoran bond bought when he was agent of Bank of\nthe United States, at public sale. Involved was\nLot 110 and adjoining Lot 100.)\n1836\nBank of the United\nDeed September 10, 1836\nStates\nRecorded October 13, 1836\nto\nLiber W.B. 60, folio 183\nRebecca Ford\n1854\nRebecca Ford\nDeed December 28, 1854\nto\nRecorded July 24, 1855\nRebecca Bibb\nLiber JAS 101, folio 156\n(Later known as Mary\nR. Bibb and Mary\nRebecca Bibb)\nAll of Lot 110 and adjoining Lot 109, also part of\nadjoining Lot 100\nNote: Later, Rebecca Bibb's title to property was proved\ndefective and new deed had to be procured from\nRebecca Ford's heirs-at-law to clear title. (See\nLiber 705, folio 216, Deed Jan. 3, 1873, Recorded\nFeb. 1, 1873.)\n454\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 8)\n1869\nMary Rebecca Bibb\nDeed November 12, 1869\nto\nRecorded November 15, 1869\nJoseph Libbey\nLiber 601, folio 307\nand\nJohn E. Libbey\nNorth part of Lot 110. Includes sewer privileges.\nArrangements include prohibition of any building\nfronting on 35th St. from 22 ft. west of the\nbuilding line; also prohibits obstruction of\nlights.\n1871\nJohn G. Ford\nDeed December 14, 1871\nSarah E. Ford\nRecorded September 10, 1872\nSusan E. Ford\nLiber 696, folio 287\nAnna M. Ford\nMary R. Moser\nPhilip S. Moser\nElinor Ford and husband, Athanasius\n(All heirs of Mary Ann Ford\nunder the Will of Rebecca Ford)\nto\nMary R. Bibb (alias Rebecca)\nTo correct Deed in Liber Jas 101, folio 156. Involves\nall of Lot 110 and part of Lot 109, adjoining. Rebecca\nBibb devised to Mary Ann Ford and Stephen Ford. Mary\nAnn died, leaving as heirs-at-law: John G. Ford, Sarah\nE. Ford, Anna M. Ford, Mary R. Moser, Susan E. Ford,\nand Athanasius Ford.\n455\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 9)\n1873\nMary Rebecca Bibb\nDeed January 3, 1873\nto\nRecorded February 1, 1873\nJoseph Libbey\nLiber 705, folio 216\nJohn Edward Libbey\ntenants in common\nNorth 30 feet of Lot 110. Conveys all interest in\nsame terms as in Liber 601, folio 307. Corrects\nerror.\nJoseph Libbey and\nDeed March 26, 1873\nwife, Mary R.\nRecorded March 28, 1873\nJohn E. Libbey and\nLiber 715, folio 15\nwife, Emily F.\nto\nMary Jane McGill,\nwife of John D.\nNorth 30 feet of Lot 110 and part of adjoining Lot 100.\nConsideration - $4500. With the right of water course\nor sewer in and through north part of Lot 100 into the\narch near said lot. McGill to build sewer, keep in\ngood order and permit the owner of the other part of\nLot 110 to connect with sewer, paying reasonable\nshare for repairs, provided: No house or building\nshall be erected nearer than 22 feet from Fayette St.\nuntil after November 12, 1889, and that \"No obstruction,\nstoppage or darking of the lights of the house on the\npremises next north of the above premises within that\ndistance of 22 feet from Fayette St.\"\n456\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 10)\nMary Jane McGill and\nDeed of Trust March 27, 1873\nhusband, John D.\nRecorded March 28, 1873\nto\nLiber 715, folio 24\nFrederick W. Jones, Tr.\nFrank Libbey, Tr.\nNorth 30 ft. of Lot 110. Trust of $3600, with four\nnotes of $900 each for one to four years. To Joseph\nLibbey and John E. Libbey.\n1877\nFrederick W. Jones, Tr.\nDeed May 28, 1877\nFrank Libbey, Tr.\nRecorded May 31, 1877\nto\nLiber 857, folio 157\nJoseph Libbey\nJohn Edward Libbey\ntenants in common\nNorth 30 ft. of Lot 110. Sale for default under\ntrust. Sale held May 14, 1877 for $3350.\n1886\nJoseph Libbey died\nRegister of Wills\nJuly 20, 1886, with-\nAdministration 12-2406\nout leaving a Will.\nHis heirs-at-law were\nhis children:\nRobert Libbey\nMary Libbey\nadults\nEleanor Libbey\nMarcia Libbey\nminors\nLouisa Libbey\n457\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 11)\nRequest for distribution\nNovember 13, 1886\nof all of Joseph Libbey's\nEquity Cause 10282\nproperty (including the\nnorth 30 feet of Lot 110)\nto be divided among the\nchildren.\n1887\nPartition of Joseph\nJanuary 14, 1887\nLibbey estate occurred.\nEquity Cause 10368\nVested as tenants in\nDocket 26\ncommon with free title\nto several pieces of\nproperty, including\nnorth 30 ft. of Lot\n110, were:\nRobert Libbey\nEleanor Libbey\nMary Libbey\nDivision of property by the Commissioners gave the north\n30 ft. of Lot 110 to Mary R. Libbey Chapin. (The share\nof the property that Robert M. Libbey received was\nworth $1100 more than that of any other of the children,\nso he was ordered to pay $220 to each of his four\nsisters.)\nRobert M. Libbey\nDeed of Trust October 28, 1887\nto\nRecorded October 28, 1887\nJohn Edward Libbey\nLiber 1280, folio 351\nAssigns power to his uncle for two years to care for\nhis estate--personal, real and mixed--to sell, rent,\ninvest, etc.\n458\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 12)\n1888\nJohn Edward Libbey\nDeed February 15, 1888\nto\nRecorded February 21, 1888\nRobert M. Libbey\nLiber 1306, folio 206\nUncle releases and conveys all of Robert's estate\n--real and mixed--back to him.\n1892\nThe petition for partial\nMay 21, 1892\n\"vacation\" of decree dated\nAugust 21, 1887 shows that\ntrustees have not yet sold\nproperty and that Louisa\nLibbey (daughter of Josiah\nand one of his heirs-at-law)\ndied without leaving a Will.\nLouisa's heirs-at-law were:\nMary R. L. Chapin\nEleanor H. Griffin, nee Libbey\nRobert N. Libbey\nMarcia M. Libbey\nHeirs requested that real estate be released\nfrom decree.\n1895\nOrder to dismiss cause\nJuly 15, 1895\nof 1892 petition was\nissued.\n459\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 13)\n1923\nMary R. L. Chapin\nDeed March 10, 1923\nto\nRecorded March 12, 1923\nFrancesco Lo Bianco and\nLiber 4915, folio 194\nwife, Pauline Adams\njoint tenants\nNorth 30 ft. of Lot 110, now Lot 830. Pauline Adams\nLo Bianco died. Francesco married again. His second\nwife's name was Ruth K. They became tenants by\nentirety.\n1954\nFrancesco Lo Bianco and\nDeed November 30, 1954\nwife, Ruth K.\nRecorded December 6, 1954\nto\nLiber 10325, folio 265\nNan Tucker McEvoy\nLot 830, with water and sewer rights, which were\ngranted on March 26, 1873, still in force.\nReferences\n1. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-1879, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 11 (1818-1819).\n460\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 14)\n2. City Directory. 1855 (Georgetown Section), p. 2.\n3. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:\nCharles Scribner's Sons, 1929, Vol. II, P. 235.\n4. Same reference as #1. Roll 12 (1865-70).\n5. Same reference as #2. 1873, p. 605.\n6. Libby, Charles T., The Libby Family in America 1602-1881.\nPortland, Maine: Privately printed by B. Thurston and\nCompany, 1882, p. 390. (Microfilm Reading Room, Library\nof Congress.)\n7. Ecker, Grace Dunlop, A Portrait of Old George Town.\nRichmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, Inc., 1951, p. 218.\n8. Interview with Miss Eleanor Cropley (whose mother was a\nLibbey).\n9. Same reference as #2. 1924, p. 942, p. 1789, p. 1893;\n1925, p. 1956, P. 810; 1928, p. 1499, p. 2248.\n10. Same reference as #2. 1930, p. 2107; 1931, p. 2247, p. 751;\n1932, P. 2200.\n11. Same reference as #2. 1948, p. 698; 1954, P. 83, p. 752.\n461\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 15)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Set back from the street more than\nthe other houses on this side of the street, this is a\npleasant two-story-plus-mansard frame house of the mid-nine-\nteenth century. Apparently the rear ell was added to the\nfront block at an early date. Subsequent remodelings have\nkept the house livable while retaining its mid-Victorian\nappearance.\nCondition of fabric: Good, exterior in need of paint.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 24'-0\" by 26'-0\" with a\n30'-0\" by 23'-0\" addition on the rear. The front portion\nhas two stories plus a finished mansard story; the rear\nportion has two stories; there is a full basement. The\nfacade is three bays wide.\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Frame and clapboard construction. The\n35th Street facade has chamfered drop siding, while the\nsouth side and rear have plain square edge clapboards.\nChimneys: One on south wall of front portion, one centered\nin rear addition.\n462\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 16)\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: Main entry is heavily moulded.\nIt has chamfered pilasters, carved scroll consoles,\nheavy ogee cornice with carved modillions, very\nheavy bead around door and transom. There is a\ntwo-light transom over double doors which have\ntwo flat panels each, simple cyma sticking inside,\nand heavy projected moulded sticking outside.\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general have two-\nover-two double hung wood sash except in rear\naddition, where they are six-over-six; however,\nthese are twentieth-century replacements. First\nfloor front shutters have three flat unmoulded\npanels; second floor front shutters have wood\nlouvers. All front windows have flat board surrounds\nwith shaped heads and a flat backband; flat wood\nsills have shallow moulded brackets at each side.\nPorches: Front entrance has six brick risers with limestone\ntreads leading up to a limestone landing, all of recent\nconstruction. There are two wood screened porches, one\nabove the other, in the center of the south side.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: The front portion has a mansard\nroof with hexagonal slates on the steep pitch and\nmetal on the low pitch; the rear portion has a\nmetal shed rood pitched toward the south.\nFraming: Wood, with ridge running north-south.\nCornices: Very deep wood with heavy brackets and\nmodillions, and a very broad overhang.\nDormers: Two over two arched-top wood sash have flat\nwood trim with dog-ears, segmental-arched metal roof,\nand wood sides. There are three across the front\n(east) side and three across the rear of the main\nblock of the house.\n463\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 17)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plans: First floor has entry hall at northeast corner,\nliving room at southeast, dining room west of both, small\nporch to south of dining room, kitchen across west end.\nSecond floor has bath at northeast corner, bedroom at south-\neast, bedroom west of first bedroom with small porch to the\nsouth, another bedroom at west end with a bath at the south-\nwest corner. The stair hall runs along the north wall from\nthe front bath to the rear of the house. Third floor has\ntwo bedrooms across the south, bath at the northeast corner,\nstair at northwest. Basement is two large areas separated\nby 8\" brick wall.\nStairways: Main stair ascends east to west along north wall\nto landing off which rear addition opens, then from west to\neast to second floor of main block. Stair to third floor\nrepeats this pattern. Rear stair ascends from kitchen to\nsecond floor in west to east direction with winders at\nbottom. Basement stair is open wood utility stair under\nrear stair.\nFlooring: Random width pine, wider in dining room; same\npainted black in middle upstairs bedroom; tile in baths;\nvinyl in basement rear; concrete in front basement.\nWall and ceiling finish: Painted plaster, pastel generally\nexcept middle bedroom which is dark blue.\nDoors and doorways: Doors in general have four flat panels\nwith quirked cyma sticking, except on third floor where\nthey have shallow raised panels. There are very few modern\nsix-panel doors and glazed doors to porches.\nDecorative features and trim: Living and dining room mantels\nhave been replaced with simple wood bull nose mouldings,\nblack slate hearth and surround. Second floor front bedroom\nhas an old mantel, possibly original, of simple design, un-\nmoulded except for a cyma reversa bed mould under the shelf.\n464\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 18)\nIt has a hearth, surround, lining and unshaped jack arch of old\nmoulded brick. Doors and windows generally have a heavy moulded\nmid-nineteenth century casing, a slightly narrower one of the\nsame period occurs on the third floor, and some newer doors and\nwindows have twentieth-century trim. There are no cornices or\nchair rails.\nHardware: Twentieth-century brass, some lever handles of French\ndesign in principal rooms.\nLighting: Electrified crystal chandeliers in living room and\ndining room, not original to house, no notable other fixtures.\nHeating: Radiators; boiler in basement.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Situated on the west side of\n35th Street, just north of 0 Street, this house has a very\ndeep front yard which sets it apart from most of the other\nhouses on the street.\nEnclosures: A variety of wood fences enclose the rear yard,\nwhile the front yard is enclosed by shrubbery and other\nplanting.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Front walk is random flagstone; side covered terrace\nhas basket-weave brick paving.\n465\nBRONAUGH-BIBB-LIBBEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-209 (Page 19)\nLandscaping: The front yard is treated as a gravelled parking\ncourt with shrubbery enclosure, while the entire rear yard is\ncovered with tanbark except for brick-edged planting areas.\nA variety of flowering shrubs and fruit trees surround this\ninformal terrace area.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nNovember 20, 1968\n466\n#\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-210\n\"PROSPECT HOUSE\"\nLINGAN-TEMPLEMAN-STEELE-MORRIS HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3508 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 115 Prospect Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on old Lots 30 and\n31 and parts of old Lots 20 and 21, Square\n33 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lots\n802, 803 and 805, Square 1203 in Washington,\nD.C.\nDate of erection:\nBetween 1788 and 1793,\nOwner in 1969:\nMrs. Patricia Firestone Chatham\nOccupant in 1969:\nMrs. Patricia Firestone Chatham\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nOne of the few free-standing, late eight-\neenth-century mansions remaining in the\nwestern part of Georgetown, this Georgian\nstructure has been meticulouslyrestored.\nPre-dating the establishment of the near-\nby Federal City, it has been continuously\noccupied from the time of its erection by\nfamilies prominent in the service of their\nnation.\n469\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1788-1793\nIn November of 1788 the Revolutionary War hero, General James\nMaccubbin Lingan, bought the original site of Prospect House\n(Lots 30 and 31 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addi-\ntion to Georgetown) from William Deakins, Jr. for the sum of\n250 pounds \"current money.\" In 1793 the General sold the\nproperty together with all the Houses, improvements,\nprivileges and advantages thereto and thereon... \" to John\nTempleman of Boston for 1450 pounds \"current money.\" It would\nseem safe to assume, considering the sizable difference in\nprice (1200 pounds) over a period of only five years, that it\nwas General Lingan who built Prospect House sometime between\n1788 and 1793. It is also interesting to note that nearby\n36th Street was once called Lingan Street.\nJames Maccubbin Lingan was born May 31, 1751 in Frederick\nCounty, Maryland, the second son of Dr. Lingan, and through\nhis mother, he was related to the famous Carroll family of\nMaryland. He arrived in Georgetown as quite a young man and\nimmediately entered a tobacco warehouse business owned by a\nrelative.\nIn 1776 he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Continental\nArmy. He was wounded by a Hessian bayonet in the Battle of\nLong Island, captured by the British at Fort Washington on\nNovember 16, 1776, and taken aboard the Jersey, an infamous\nprison ship, commonly called the \"Hell\" Although friends\nand relatives close to the English court urged Lingan, while\nhe was a prisoner, to give his allegiance to the King, he\nretained his intense devotion to the Revolutionary cause. (1)\n470\n\"In November of 1788 the Revolutionary War hero, General\nJames Maccubbin Lingan bought the original site of\nProspect House\n\"\nGeneral James Maccubbin Lingan\n(Smithsonian Institution)\nC.\nJimes MAngin She following deedwas wow This S2, ofNovember\nThis Inden ture This Twenty occondiday of novembound Theyear four\nLow one Thousand seven hundred and Eighty eight Between William Quatime Juniovo[s Hontgomery\nCounty and Stateiof mary lond psthing opart and James Машивь Airigan of Throamo\nCounty and there part Minefocth That William Peatrine\nin Consideration of The oum of Two fund misty frounds Currentmoney Cohin in hand\nBy The saw James Maccubem dingon Thermipt whereof hudoth hereby acknowledge imd\nacquit and discharge The saw James Maccu singan hath Given Granted Bargamee\nfrink of Therebith fully oatiofied and paid and Thereof and Therefrom doth hereby exonerato\nbow aliched released interfed and conformed and Diphese prevents doth Give Grant Bar.\ngam cell alien release. infieff and conform unto hm.Thead fames Manu 6lm Amigan\nthis hir and afoigno Soccer all Them Two Aotto or portions of Ground situate lying\nand Bemg in Chifors Seter Deathy Threthets and Deatino Addition To Georg S Jown m\nthe Said addition So GeorgedSoun By Numbero Thirty ind Juity one and Bornda\nFaomery County and states foresaud known Callu and distinguished on Sheplolo\n1788 Deed between William Deakins, Jr. and James Maccubbin Lingan\n(Land Records, Montgomery County Courthouse, Rockville, Maryland)\n471\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 3)\nAt the conclusion of the war Lingan, now a general, returned\nto Georgetown where he became a prominant merchant and a\nmost distinguished member of local society. He heavily in-\nvested in land in various parts of Georgetown and in what\nlater became known as the city of Washington. In an offer\nto President Washington, dated October 13, 1790, a number of\nGeorgetown's leading citizens, Lingan among them, agreed\n\" to sell on such terms as the President may determine to\nbe reasonable, any of the lands owned by them in the vicinity\nof Georgetown. (2) On October 1, 1790 President Washington\nappointed Lingan Collector of the Port of Georgetown. He\nwas also one of Georgetown's aldermen; one of the first in-\ncorporators of the Bank of Columbia; an incorporator of the\nGeorgetown Mutual Insurance Company; and a member of the\ncommittee delegated to prepare and present an address of\nwelcome to President John Adams in 1800. (3) In 1801 President\nAdams appointed Lingan a U.S. Marshal. (4)\nIn later years he moved from Georgetown to the \"Federal City, 11\nbuilding a house on what is now 19th Street, N.W., between\nM and N Streets. He had a handsome wife and children. (Mrs.\nLingan was formerly Janet Henderson, daughter of Richard and\nSarah Henderson of Spring Mill, Montgomery County, Maryland.)\nHe also had many friends and was prospering in business. (5)\nAll appeared to be going well for the illustrious veteran un-\ntil the election year of 1812. The General was a staunch\nFederalist; he held a part interest in The Federal Republican,\na newspaper in which strong opposition to President Madison's\nwar policy was expressed. It was in defense of the newspaper\nand the rights of person and property and the liberty of\nthe press that he met his violent, brutal death. When the\npaper carried an anti-war editorial, the day after war with\nEngland was declared (June 19, 1812), an angry mob destroyed\nthe building in Baltimore where the paper was printed. The\nnewspaper staff fled to Georgetown where they continued\npublication. The next month General Lingan and others, in-\ncluding John Howard Payne and General Henry (\"Light-Horse\nHarry\") Lee, returned to Baltimore where publication was\nresumed. They were attacked by angry mobs. The embattled\ngroup of old patriots found refuge with civil authorities\nwho offered them the protection of the jail overnight.\n472\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 4)\nThe building was invaded and General Lingan was stoned to\ndeath in the bloody fracas. The frenzied mob chanted\n\"Tory! Tory!\" as the General defiantly ripped open his\nshirt displaying \"the scar of the Hessian bayonet\" and\nshouted, \"Does this look as if I was a traitor?\" (6)\nThe General's body was buried secretly, a condition ex-\nacted by the ringleaders before surrendering it. Never-\ntheless, on September 1, 1812, a little more than a month\nafter his death (July 28, 1812), he was honored by a\nstately funeral, which was considered something of an\nhistorical event in Georgetown. Despite an order that\nno Army officers were to attend, the funeral cortege\nwas escorted by Major George Peter's troop of horses and\nCaptain William Beverley Randolph marched at the head of\nhis company in procession to Parrott's Woods, now known\nas Oak Hill Cemetery. (7) General George Washington's\ntent was erected for the benefit of the four clergymen\nand other dignitaries, and George Washington Parke\nCustis of Arlington delivered the oration. \"Light-\nHorse Harry\" Lee, whose skull had been fractured at\nthe time General Lingan was killed, was too ill to be\npresent at the funeral and never fully recovered from\nhis wounds. (8) From the harbor could be heard the\n\"booming of the guns from a new ship, owned by Washington\nBowie, a Georgetown merchant [and an occupant of Prospect\nHouse], and named the 'General Lingan.\"\nThe General's body was finally interred on the grounds\nof his farm, \"Harlem\" near Foxhall Road. Almost a\ncentury later, on November 5, 1908, his remains were\nremoved to Arlington National Cemetery where the grave\nwas giver a D.A.R. marker. (9)\n1793-1858\nThe second owner of Prospect House, John Templeman, was\nperhaps not quite so colorful a patriot as General Lingan;\n473\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 5)\nnevertheless, he was indeed an industrious and eminent\nmember of the Georgetown community. He was at one time\npresident of the Bank of Columbia and played an important\nrole in numerous civic projects, among them the completion\nof the George Town bridge over the Potomac. On July 7, 1797\nthe Georgetown Centinel of Liberty gives credit for its\nrapid\ncompletion to the enterprise and perseverance of\nthat most useful and public-spirited citizen, John Templeman,\nwho gratuitously engaged in the superintendence of the work\nat its commencement\n(10)\nWhen the new city of Washington was about to welcome\nPresident John Adams, who would arrive to inspect the\nFederal City in June 1800, the first Secretary of the Navy,\nBenjamin Stoddert, called on his friend John Templeman to\nhelp pave the way. In a letter written in Philadelphia,\nMay 29, 1800, Stoddert sent Templeman the following sugges-\ntions on how to entertain a President:\n\"The Pres. will be in Washington by the time you\nreceive this or a day or two after. He proposes\nto stay but a little while. I wish he would re-\nmain longer. This and other good things will\ndepend on the manner of employing his time. I\nrequest, therefore, that setting Bashfulness\nat defiance, you will urge the Pres, to go to\nthe balls, to ride with you in your coach, and\nto get Mr. Scott at least to go with you. Let\nthe Pres. be pleased with the attention and\nwith the country.\nI am resp. yrs.,\nBen Stoddert\nBarring accidents, I expect to be in Geo. Town\nthe 14th of June.\" (11)\nIt would seem probable that in the course of President\nAdams' tour, Templeman encouraged him to visit Prospect\nHouse.\n474\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 6)\nTax assessment records at this time assess John Templeman\nfor:\n\"Lot with dwelling House where he lives\nto the river including the brick ware-\nhouse\n$12,000\nLot by the market\n160\n2 Nigroe men\n300\n2 Nigroe men\n160\n2 Nigroe women\n200\n1 Nigroe boy\n80\n1 Nigroe girl\n50\n3 Horses\n200\n1 Coache and chair\n200\n1 Cow\n12\nFurniture\n500\"\nSo the Templemans were well equipped to make the President's\nGeorgetown reception a memorable one.\nAlong with his other business enterprises, Templeman even\nfound time to run a store which advertised \"Whiskey, Firkin\nButter, Linseed Oil and Flour. (12) Early land records\nshow that he often used Prospect House as collateral to\nsecure his various debts. In 1801 his \" real property\nin George Town\" was used \" to secure performance of a\ncertain contract to deliver at the Navy Yard a certain\nquantity of Ship Timber \" In 1807 a mortgage to\nsecure a debt to the Bank of Columbia \" mentions that\nProspect House was then in the occupation of Wash-\nington Bowie \" who was described by the Annapolis Gazette\nin\n1810 as one of the wealthiest and most public-\nspirited citizens of George Town \" Bowie was considered\na \"merchant prince\" among shipping merchants, and his firm\nof Bowie and Kurtz was well-known abroad. He was vestry-\nman of St. John's Church in Georgetown and a director of\nthe Bank of Columbia. (13)\n475\nAID\nProspect House with its raised flat roof before restoration\n(Library of Congress)\n476\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 7)\n1858-1868\nNevertheless, John Templeman's wife and descendants continued\nto own Prospect House until 1858 when it was sold for a little\nless than $5000 to Thomas T. Mann, who is listed in the City\nDirectory of that year as a medical doctor living at 115\nProspect Street. This is the first indication of the use of\nhouse numbers for this property. In the 1853 issue of the\nWashington and Georgetown Directory, Mrs. Templeman is listed\nas living on the \"south side Prospect, extreme west, George-\ntown.\" (14)\nDr. Mann held the property for only two years before selling\nit to William Templeton. A year later, in December of 1861,\nWilliam H. Whiton, an employee in the War Department's Office\nof Military Railways, bought Prospect House from Templeton.\nThree months earlier, in mid-August, Washington's Evening\nStar had reported the completion of the elaborate addition\nand 'octagonal protuberance', in other words, a gazebo\nto the mansion. Other alterations may have been made previous\nto this, for Mary Mitchell in Divided Town notes: \"In the\nFifties (1850), it was quite the thing to raise rooflines.\nThat of 3508 Prospect must have been raised about then to the\nsquarish shape\n(Today its roof is again pitched, so\nthat sometime between the Civil War and today it has been\nrestored to the lines it had\nwhen built.)\nDuring the Civil War General Whiton shared the house with\nGeneral D. C. McCallum, who, like Whiton, was a railway\nand bridge engineer in the Union Army. They were also\ntogether in the final year of the war with Sherman on\nhis march through Atlanta to the sea (15) The property\nwas sold in 1868 to the Steele family, whose members and\ndescendants remained in possession of the house until 1942.\n1868-1930\nFranklin Steele, a local merchant, and his wife, Annie, had\neight children. She was a granddaughter of Commodore Joshua\nBarney, an outstanding naval officer in both the American\n477\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 8)\nrevolution and the War of 1812. Their daughter, Mary Chase\nSteele, married George Upham Morris, another noted naval officer\nwho, when only a lieutenant, was left in charge of the ill-fated\nCumberland during its bloody battle with the Confederate iron-\nclad Merrimac. \"The Merrimac fired on the Cumberland, doing\ngreat damage, while the Cumberland's guns were ineffective\nagainst her steel-plated adversary. Merrimac rammed the Cumber-\nland, opening a large hole, and then backed out to fire some\nmore. In response to a demand for surrender, Lt. Morris\ndefiantly answered 'Never! I'll sink alongside. Although\nthe Cumberland had to be abandoned and there were nearly five\nhundred casualties, Lt. Morris survived the conflict, returned\nto Prospect House and later became a commodore. (16) He died\nat Jordan Alum Springs, Virginia on August 15, 1875. His\nfuneral was held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown\nand he was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. (17)\nAfter her husband's death Mary Steele Morris continued to live\nat Prospect House, having acquired a seven-eighths interest\nin it from her brothers and sisters after her mother died\nintestate in 1881. Mrs. Morris was well-known in the neighbor-\nhood as an ardent spiritualist and legend has it that \"...she\ninvoked the shades of many departed relatives and friends dur-\ning her lifetime....' Obviously Mrs. Morris' thoughts were\ncentered more on another world rather than her surroundings;\nRider's Washington: A Guide Book for Travelers, dated 1924,\ncomments that the ...stately Steele-Morris House was fast\ngoing to decay Mrs. Morris attributed this in part to\nthe construction activities for the Capital Traction Company's\nnew building, which were weakening the foundation of her house\nand causing it to collapse. (18)\n1930-1942\nFortunately, the house was still standing when Mrs. Morris\ndied in 1930. She had willed her share of the property to\nthe First Spiritualist Church of Washington, D.C. However,\nthrough Mrs. Morris' nephew, Capt. Edward B. McCauley (the\nson of Frances Steele McCauley), Prospect House was soon\nrestored to the Steele-Morris family.\n478\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 9)\nCapt. McCauley and his wife gained full ownership in 1934\nand immediately started extensive renovation of the house\nwith the help of architect James W. Adams. It was consid-\nered one of the most historic and most handsome houses to\nbe shown on the annual Georgetown House Tour of 1935. (19)\nCapt. McCauley, who served with the Maritime Commission,\nwas a prominent figure in Washington society, and he and\nhis wife entertained often and brillantly at Prospect\nHouse\n\" They are reported to have regaled their guests\n\"...with the latest stories of the ghost who walked in\ntheir house. 'The ghost, if there is one, is my aunt, \"\nCapt. McCauley once observed. 'This was her home for\nmany years. She has my permission to make a return visit\nany time she pleases. (20)\n1942-1945\nIn 1942 the McCauley's moved from Washington and sold the\nhouse to Sidney A. Mitchell, a millionaire New York invest-\nment banker, one of many \"dollar-a-year\" men who came to\nserve with the Federal government during World War II.\n1945-1951\nIn 1945 Mr. Mitchell returned to New York and the house was\npurchased by Mrs. Josephine Ogden Forrestal, wife of the\nHonorable James E. Forrestal, then Secretary of the Navy\nand later the first Secretary of Defense. After his tragic\ndeath on May 12, 1949, the house was leased from Mrs.\nForrestal by the U.S. Government for use by the Department\nof State as a \"guest house\" for foreigh dignitaries, while\nPresident and Mrs. Truman occupied Blair House.\nFrom 1949 to 1951 this great house once again welcomed\ndistinguished and eminent men, among them the Shah of Iran,\nthe President of France, M. Vincent Auriol, and several\npresidents of South American countries. (21) (22)\n479\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 10)\nAnd according to a most unflattering newspaper account,\ndated June 11, 1950, the Washington Times-Herald, an\nan incessant foe of the Department of State and its\nSecretary, Dean Acheson, accused the State Department of\nstaging \"propaganda parties\" at Prospect House \"at the\ntaxpayers expense\" \"to 'soften up' Congress.\" \"For many\nweeks,\" the reporter, Willard Edwards, stated:\n\"Secretary Acheson and a corps of assistant\nsecretaries have been inviting groups of\nsenators and representatives to drink and\nmake merry in one of the capital's show\nplaces. The public pays the bill for these\nentertainments Despite the fact that\nscores of congressmen and their secretaries\nhave attended the weekly parties, they re-\nmained a dark secret. The gatherings had\na faint resemblance to stag entertainments\n'for men only', featuring liquor and feminine\ncompanionship as well as honeyed words from\nback-slapping diplomats. Most Congressmen,\nit seemed, were shame-faced about their\nattendance.\"\nThe reporter continued on harshly that some of the\ncongressional guests would demand an inquiry into\nthis use of government money to propagandize Congress \"\nNevertheless, Prospect House itself received enormous\npraise:\n\"\n[it] occupies one of the most picturesque\nsites in Washington. A huge, three-story\nstructure, it sits on the Georgetown bluffs\noverlooking the Potomac. It has great lawns\nand gardens, is famous for its flower beds,\nhas a butler and staff, and is famous for\nwhat the society editors call 'elegant enter-\ntainment.' \"\n480\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 11)\n1951-1969\nIn 1951 Mrs. Forrestal sold Prospect House to the Honorable\nThurmond Chatham, a member of Congress from North Carolina.\nHe and Mrs. Chatham, the former Patricia Firestone of York\nCounty, Pennsylvania, handsomely and carefully restored the\nhouse and grounds. After Mr. Chatham's death in February 1957\nMrs. Chatham remained at Prospect House. She is its present\nowner and occupant.\nDiscussions are presently underway for the sale of this 22-\nroom mansion to the U.S. Government for use as a 'think center'\n--a place \" where top minds in the government retreat for\nbrainstorming sessions.\" (23)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1788\nWilliam Deakins, Jr.\nDeed November 22, 1788\nof Montgomery\nRecorded November 22, 1788\nCounty and State\nLiber D-4, folio 148\nof Maryland\nLand Records\nto\nMontgomery County, Maryland\nJames Maccubbin Lingan,\nof the same County and\nState of the other part\nLots 30 and 31\nConsideration - 250 pounds\n481\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 12)\n1793\nJames Maccubbin Lingan,\nDeed March 29, 1793\nof George Towne\nRecorded March 29, 1793\nto\nLiber A-1, folio 200\nJohn Templeman, Esquire,\nof Boston\nLots 30 and 31 \"...together with all the Houses,\nimprovements, privileges and advantages thereto\nor thereon.\"\nConsideration - 1450 pounds\n1794\nWilliam Deakins, Jr.\nDeed July 26, 1794\nand wife, Jane\nRecorded July 27, 1794\nto\nLiber B-2, folio 64\nJohn Templeman\nLots 20 and 21\nConsideration - 372 pounds\n1801\nJohn Templeman\nDeed in Trust January 1, 1801\nto\nRecorded January 26, 1801\nWilliam Marbury,\nLiber F-6, folio 183\nNaval Agent of U.S.\n\"...to secure performance of a certain contract\nmade by said Templeman and Edward McCarthy.\"\n482\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 13)\n1805\nWilliam Marbury\nRelease of Trust January 1, 1801\nNaval Agent of U.S.\nRecorded April 22, 1805\nto\nLiber M-12, folio 275\nJohn Templeman\n\"\nto deliver at the Navy Yard a certain\nquantity of Ship Timber that the said John\nTempleman for the better securing the per-\nformance of every part of said Contract and\nfor the sum of fifteen thousand dollars to\nthem advanced and paid on account of the said\nContract shall execute a Deed of Conveyance\nof the Real Property of the said John Temple-\nman in George Town...\"\n1807\nJohn Templeman and\nDeed in Trust March 5, 1807\nwife, Mahitable\nRecorded November 28, 1807\nto\nLiber S-18, folio 349\nWalter Smith, Tr.,\nCashier, Bank of The United States\nLots 20, 21, 30 and 31. \"...to secure debt to\nBank of Columbia.\nUpon which said lots is the\ndwelling of the said Templeman and now in the\noccupation of Washington Bowie.\"\n483\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 14)\n1809\nJohn Templeman and\nDeed of Trust March 31, 1809\nwife, Mahitable\nRecorded April 9, 1810\nto\nLiber Y-24, folio 121\nWalter Smith, Tr.,\nCashier, Bank of The United States\nLots 20, 21, 30 and 31. \"...to hold in trust and\nin default to sell and pay debts.\"\n1825\nWalter Smith, Tr.\nTrust December 14, 1825\nJohn Threlkeld\nRecorded December 30, 1825\nNathaniel Frye, Jr.,\nLiber W.B. 14, folio 451\nPresident, Bank of Columbia\nto\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nCashier of Bank of The United States\nLots 20, 21, 30 and 31. ..fronting 120 feet\non Bridge Street, 244 feet on Fayette Street,\nand 120 feet on Prospect Street, with brick\ndwelling houses and stable.\"\n1838\nBank of The United States\nDeed in Trust January 29, 1838\nto\nRecorded March 8, 1838\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nLiber W.B. 67, folio 48\nCashier of Bank of the\nUnited States\n\"In trust...to sell and convey.\"\n484\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 15)\n1845\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nDeed August 9, 1839\nCashier of Bank of the\nRecorded May 13, 1845\nUnited States\nLiber W.B. 116, folio 222\nWilliam L. Nicholls\nto\nJohn Miller, Tr. under\ndeed from John Templeman,\nSeptember 22, 1839\n\"Together with the two story brick house and other\nbuildings.\"\n1858\nCharles S. Wallach, Tr.\nDeed April 15, 1858\nto\nRecorded April 22, 1858\nThomas T. Mann\nLiber JAS 153, folio 140\nCharles S. Wallach was appointed trustee\nunder Decree in Equity (May 26, 1856),\nRichard W. Templeman and Annie W. Templeman\nvs. John Miller and Mary Templeman et al,\nwidow and heirs-at-law of George Temple-\nman, deceased.\nProperty sold October 9, 1856 for $4925.\n1860\nThomas T. Mann and\nDeed September 11, 1860\nwife, Henrietta\nRecorded September 12, 1860\nto\nLiber JAS 193, folio 450\nWilliam C. Templeton\n485\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 16)\n1861\nWilliam C. Templeton\nDeed December 24, 1861\nand wife, Eliza\nRecorded February 15, 1862\nto\nLiber JAS 217, folio 6\nWilliam H. Whiton\n1864\nWilliam C. Templeton\nDeed July 26, 1864\nand wife, Eliza\nRecorded October 10, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 47, folio 277\nWilliam H. Whiton\n1868\nWilliam H. Whiton\nDeed June 10, 1868\nand wife, Sarah\nRecorded July 14, 1868\nto\nLiber D-11, folio 320\nAnnie E. Steele (wife\nof Franklin Steele)\n1881\nAnnie E. Steele died intestate January 21, 1881, leaving\neight surviving children:\nMary C. Morris, widow of George U.\nKatherine B. Steele\nRosa P. Vincent, wife of Charles\nFrances McCauley, wife of Edward\nSarah S. Wiltse, wife of Gilbert C.\nCaroline H. Addison, wife of Arthur\nFranklin Steele\nWilliam E. Steele\n486\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 17)\n1882\nSarah S. Wiltse et vir\nDeed August 16, 1882\nGilbert C.\nRecorded April 5, 1883\nto\nLiber 1033, folio 333\nMary C. Morris\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\nFrances McCauley et vir\nDeed December 6, 1882\nEdward\nRecorded April 5, 1883\nto\nLiber 1033, folio 334\nMary C. Morris\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\nFranklin Steele et ux\nDeed February 19, 1882\nKathleen E.\nRecorded April 5, 1883\nto\nLiber 1033, folio 336\nMary C. Morris\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\n1885\nWilliam E. Steele\nDeed March 13, 1885\net ux Jessie T.\nRecorded April 2, 1886\nto\nLiber 1178, folio 24\nMary C. Morris\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\n487\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 18)\nRosa P. Vincent\nDeed June 3, 1885\nto\nRecorded April 2, 1886\nMary C. Morris\nLiber 1178, folio 26\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\n1886\nKatherine B. Steele Appleby\nDeed October 7, 1886\net vir George F.\nRecorded October 16, 1886\nto\nLiber 1345, folio 150\nMary C. Morris\n\"1/8 interest in the property\"\nMary C. Morris now has 7/8 interest in the property\nand Caroline H. Addison, wife of Arthur D. Addison,\nhas 1/8 interest.\n1930\nMary C. Morris died June\nWill July 20, 1926\n25, 1930, leaving her\nProbated May 21, 1931\nshare (7/8) of the prop-\nWill Book 171, page 98\nerty to the First Spirit-\nualist Church of Washington,\nD.C.\n1931\nTrustees of the First\nDeed June 10, 1931\nSpiritualist\nRecorded June 13, 1931\nChurch of Washington, D.C.\nLiber 6566, folio 433\nto\nCaroline H. Addison\n488\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 19)\n1934\nAmerican Security and Trust\nDeed May 16, 1934\nCo., Administrator of\nRecorded May 18, 1934\nEstate of Mary C. Morris\nLiber 6797, folio 264\nand Caroline H. Addison\nto\nEdward McCauley, Jr.\net ux Jean Oliver,\njoint tenants\nConsideration - $27,000\n1942\nEdward McCauley and\nDeed October 30, 1942\nwife, Jean Oliver,\nRecorded November 4, 1942\ntenants by entirety\nLiber 7808, folio 17\nto\nSidney A. Mitchell\n1945\nSidney A. Mitchell and\nDeed February 15, 1945\nwife, Mary Addison\nRecorded February 23, 1945\nto\nLiber 8073, folio 451\nJosephine Ogden Forrestal\n1951\nJosephine Ogden Forrestal\nDeed. July 3, 1951\nto\nRecorded July 11, 1951\nBladen J. Darneille, Vice\nLiber 9509, folio 331\nPres. of Maryland Trust\nCo. of Baltimore\n489\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 20)\nBladen J. Darneille\nDeed July 10, 1951\nto\nRecorded July 11, 1951\nThurmond Chatham and\nLiber 9509, folio 334\nwife, Patricia Firestone,\ntenants by entirety\n1957\nMr. Chatham died in\nWill July 9, 1952\nFebruary 1957, leaving\nProbated April 5, 1957\nproperty to his wife.\nWill Book 493, page 310\nReferences\n1. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,\nD.C.: The Society, Vol. 13, 1910, pp. 1-48.\n2. Bryan, Wilhelmus Bogart, History of the National Capital,\n1790-1814. New York, New York: Macmillan, 1916, Vol. 1,\np. 109.\n3. Same reference as #2. pp. 96-348.\n4. Same reference as #1. Vol. 5, p. 260.\n490\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 21)\n5. Genealogical Papers - James Maccubbin Lingan. Washington,\nD.C.: Records of the Daughters of the American Revolution.\n6. Ridgely, Helen W., Historic Graves of Maryland and the\nDistrict of Columbia. New York, New York: Grafton Press,\n1908, pp. 250-251.\n7. Records of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland,\nBaltimore, Maryland.\n8. Same reference as #6. PP. 250-251.\n9. Same reference as #2. Vol. 2, PP. 134-135.\n10. The Centinel of Liberty and Georgetown Advocate. July\n7, 1797.\n11. Letter from Benjamin Stoddert, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,\nto John Templeman, George Town, May 29, 1800. Manuscript\nRoom, Library of Congress.\n12. Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) April 18, 1953.\n13. National Intelligencer. March 29, 1809.\n14. City Directory. 1953, p. 98; 1958 (Georgetown Section),\np. 454.\n15. Mitchell, Mary, Divided Town. Barre, Massachusetts: Barre\nPublishers, 1968, P. 36 and p. 54.\n491\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 22)\n16. Maclay, Edgar S., A History of the United States Navy.\nNew York, New York: Appleton, 1895, PP. 288 ff.\n17. Obituary of George Upham Morris, The Evening Star\n(Washington, D.C.) August 19, 1875.\n18. Promenade Magazine (New York, New York). April, 1950.\n19. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) April 7, 1935.\n20. Same reference as #16.\n21. The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.) July 4, 1951.\n22. Who's Who In America. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis\nCompany, 1950-1951, Vol. 26, p. 1915.\n23. The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.) April 6, 1969.\n492\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 23)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nProspect House is a late eighteenth-century Georgian mansion\nthat is both significant for its role in history and its pure\narchitectural form. It is a brick free-standing town house\nwith gable roof, shutters, dormers, and excellent details.\nThe name comes from its location on a hill above the Potomac\nRiver.\nCondition of Fabric: The house is in its original form from\nthe exterior with the addition of a bay window on the first floor\neast side and a veranda on the rear east side. The interior is\nin its basic original form except for the mechanical conveniences\nrequired for mid-twentieth century living which have been\nunobtrusively installed. The house, furnishings and gardens are\nmeticulously maintained and kept in the spirit of the late\neighteenth century. The house was slightly remodeled in the 1930's\nand again in the 1950's.\nTechnical Description of Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Main house is approximately 35' and three\nbays wide and 40' deep. The rear wing is approximately 25' wide\nand 50' deep. The west service wing is about 30' wide and 25' deep.\nMain house is two and a half stories high with a partially exposed\nbasement. The rear wing is two stories high with an exposed basement.\nThe west service wing has three low stories exposed.\n493\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 24)\nFoundations: The main house has random rubble stone foundations\nwhich are exposed to about 4' above grade. Remaining foundations\nare brick.\nWall Construction: All walls are red brick with the rear wing\nstuccoed over and the very top few feet of the west service wing\ncovered in wood. The brickwork on the main house is of a very\nfine quality with a belt course between the first and second\nfloors and a molded brick drip table at the first floor level.\nLintels are shaped brick with flat arches in the best Georgian\ntradition. Walls appear to be in original condition except for\nthe addition of a bay window in the east side of the first floor.\nChimneys: The main house has a pair of twin chimneys on each end\nwith brick connector walls. Those at the east end of the house\nappear to be original and function with the fireplaces in the\nmain rooms. These are flush with the exterior wall. Those on\nthe west end protrude beyond the wall and function with internal\nmechanical and service circulation and may have been added later.\nThere is a chimney on the west wall of the rear wing, serving\nthe fireplaces in the rooms there.\nOpenings: The house has a variety of openings, but all are trimmed\nin wood with brick lintels, stone sills and wood sash and doors.\nDoorways and Doors: The main entrance door is on the right hand\nbay of the front of the main house. This has a large six panel\nwooden door set in a paneled recess with a round arched top and a\nsemi-circular leaded glass fanlight. The opening is trimmed with\nreeded pilasters and a wooden pediment. The sides and rear of the\nhouse have a variety of glazed single and French doors leading to\nthe garden and veranda. Few of these are original. The service\nwing to the west appears to have been built in the 1930's or 1940's,\nand has a row of openings in the masonry across the front, two of\nwhich are garage doors and the third matching opening is similar\nbut blocked. The garage has paneled overhead wood doors.\n494\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 25)\nWindows and Shutters: Most windows have six-over-six light\ndouble-hung wooden sash and louvered shutters. On the east\nside of the main house is a large circular bay window which\nwas added in the 1930's. This has a curved and painted\nstanding seam metal roof. The first floor level of the\nsouth wall of the rear wing has semi-circular topped window.\nThis form is repeated in the front dormers and on the west\nside of the main house.\nRoof:\nShape, Covering: Gable roof slate shingles.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice, Eaves: Wood cornice molding about 14\" deep\nwith dentil work.\nDormers: Three gable ended dormers on the front of the\nmain house with arch topped windows and side pilasters.\nWindows have delicate wooden tracery. Sides of front\ndormers are slate shingled the same as roof. Front of\nwest service wing has three partial dormers with very\nplain pseudo-colonial details. The rear of the main\nhouse has three dormers of a much simpler type but\nsimilar size to those in the front.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plans: The first floor has a main entry-stair hall\non its right (west) side which continues to the rear wing of\nthe house. The entire remainder of the main house first\nfloor is a large drawing room. This was once two rooms, but\nwas made into one probably in the 1930's when the bay\nwindow was added. To the rear of the main house and connecting\nonto the main hall is a square hall with a stair to the\nbasement and entrance to the large dining room which occupies\nmost of the rear wing.\n495\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 26)\nThe second level of the west service wing connects from the\ndining room and the square rear hall. This area contains the\nkitchen and other services. The second floor of the main house\ncontains a master bedroom in the front and a sitting room to\nthe rear, both along the side stair hall. These have auxiliary\nbath, dressing and storage area. The rear wing contains a master\nguest suite with a large bedroom, bath, and storage facilities.\nThe top floor of the service unit is below the main second floor.\nThis contains five rooms and a bath. The third floor of the main\nhouse has a side stair hall with front and rear bedrooms and a\nbath at the head or front of the hall.\nThe basement of the house contains several formal rooms and is\non grade at the rear and sides of the house. The main circulation\nhere is from a duplicate of the square hall above which connects\na large library to the rear, an office to the front, and services\nto the side. The west service wing has garages on the basement\nlevel.\nThe library is reputed to have been the original kitchen and is\nlinked to the dining room above with a dumb-waiter. The present\nkitchen is in the west wing which dates from the 1930's.\nStairways: Main stairway runs from the first floor to the third\nfloor in a U-shape with half way landings. The stair is wood\nwith a curving wood banister and ornamental turned balusters. There\nis scrollwork on the ends of the steps. A stair goes from the\nrear square hall on the first floor to its twin below and thence\nto the formal rooms on that level. This stair is a simplified\nversion of the main stair. There is a narrow service stair running\nup between the main house and the west service wing.\nFloors: The floors are all pine random width ranging from three\nto five inches in width and stained dark.\n496\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 27)\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Smooth plaster.\nDoorways and Doors: Simple elegantly proportioned wood doors\nand frames. There is a variety of doors, but most are six\npanel and have small brass knobs.\nTrim: The house has simple yet strong elegant Georgian trim\nthroughout. The entry-stair hall has simple small moldings\nthat are emphasized by the handsome proportions of the space.\nThe cornice molding is plaster.\nThe drawing room has elegant trim that is the most ornate in\nthe house, but still has a simple Georgian dignity. There\nis a deep cornice with dentils and a simple base mold. Door\nand window moldings are similar to those throughout the house.\nThe drawing room has a pair of large wood Georgian mantels\nwith a little applied ornament and reeded pilasters. The\nfacings and hearths are polished black slate.\nThe dining room has a large scale wood mantel in a similar\nstyle to those of the drawing room. The dining room has a\nsimple cornice, base, and chair rail.\nThe second floor main house bedroom and sitting room have\nwhite carved marble arched Victorian mantels. The second\nfloor master guest room over the dining room has a wooden\nGeorgian mantel with side pilasters.\nThe third floor front bedroom has a white carved marble arched\nVictorian mantel. The interiors of the front dormers are\nbarrel vaulted. The rear bedroom has a wood mantel with reeded\npilasters on the sides and a shelf.\n497\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 28)\nThe library in the basement has simple base and cornice\nmoldings. Most walls are covered with unornamental book\nshelves. The library has a wooden mantel with side pilasters\nand a shelf.\nHardware: Most doors equipped with small brass knobs. Front\ndoor equipped with a heavy knocker.\nLighting: A variety of mid-twentieth century electric\nfixtures throughout the house. The chandelier in the drawing\nroom is a nineteenth-century crystal work of art that is\nsufficiently large for this room. The chandelier holds\ncandles and is not electrified.\nHeating and Plumbing: A mixture of mid-twentieth century\nconveniences.\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: The house faces north toward\nProspect Street, and is free-standing. The site slopes down\nto the rear toward the Potomac River. The house has primarily\nresidential neighborhood to its east and the top of the D.C.\nTransit Building to the west. Portions of the old Georgetown\nUniversity Hospital are across the street.\nEnclosures: The house has a variety of wooden fences and\nbrick walls and retaining walls around it. The main garden\nis to the east and south (rear) of the house. These are all\nenclosed.\nPorches: The front entry porch is of delicate ornamental iron\nwith nine risers and a wooden floor. The ironwork is delicate\nand very graceful.\n498\nPROSPECT HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-210 (Page 29)\nTo the side of the rear wing and running its length is a\nveranda off of the first floor but serving the basement porch.\nThis veranda was added to the original house, and ornamental\ncast iron from New Orleans was used.\nOutbuildings: Not too many feet to the rear of the house\nis a small two floor octagonal tower. The building is Georgian\nwith features and trim much similar to the main house. Well\ndown the hill and at the extreme rear of the property, on M\nStreet, is a small house that may have been an outbuilding for the\nhouse originally.\nWalks: The front entrance to the house is connected directly\nto the public sidewalk. The gardens have a series of brick\npaved sitting areas and formal walks with retaining walls and\nstairs. Much of this was done in the early 1950's. The west\nservice wing has garages and between these and the street is a\nsmall parking court and drive.\nLandscape: The side and rear gardens are for the most part\nformal with walks, boxwood, and shade trees. Along the retaining\nwalls are a variety of fruit trees espalier. There are large\nstreet trees at the front and at the side of the house.\nPrepared by: Donald B. Myer\nCommission of Fine Arts\nJuly 21, 1967\n499\n3606\n500\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDING SURVEY HABS No. DC-192\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3606 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(In past years this house was designated\nas 113 First Street.)\nLocation:\nThe building is located in Square 1223\n(old 53), on part of Lot 62 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins' Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 815.\nDate of erection:\n1866\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nBuilt originally as a rental structure to\nhouse people performing neighborhood\nservices, this post-bellum dwelling has\nbeen renovated but its scale and propor-\ntions have been maintained, unifying\nand preserving the harmonious row of\nsimple, modest houses so characteristic\nof the western part of Georgetown.\n501\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1802-1861\nLot 62 in Square 1223 first appears in the Land Title Records\nof Washington when Francis Deakins, as executor and devisee\nunder the Will of William Deakins, Jr., sold the land to\nThomas Corcoran. Corcoran, born in Ireland in 1754, emigrated\nto this country at the age of twenty-nine. He married\nHannah Lemmon of Baltimore and settled in Georgetown in 1788.\nThomas Corcoran prospered and became a prominent citizen of\nthe town. At various times he served as a magistrate, as a\nmember of the Levy Court, and as Postmaster. (1) Corcoran\nleased the land to Joseph Brookes in 1817 for a yearly rent\nof sixty dollars. What use Joseph Brookes made of the land\nis not known.\nIn 1827 owner Thomas Corcoran and lessee Joseph Brookes sold\nLot 62 to John Pickrell, and four years later in 1831 Pick-\nrell and his wife, Ann, sold the land to Joseph Libbey and\nNathaniel Marden. Libbey and Marden sold the property three\nyears later to Richard Jones for $500; twenty-two years\nlater Jones sold it to Charles C. Gates. The next year, in\n1857, ownership passed from Gates to Augustus Brown, Robert\nL. Martin, and John Collins; and the following year Brown\nand Collins sold their shares to Martin. Three years later\nThomas E. Duvall, a millwright working in Georgetown, bought\nthe property from Robert and Mary Martin. (2)\n1862-1907\nThomas Duvall died (or perhaps was killed in the Civil War)\nsoon after purchasing the property, and the land was inherited\nby his wife, Mary E. Fernald Duvall.\n502\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 3)\nFor several years Mary Duvall (later Findley) operated a\nvariety store on the corner of Lingan (36th) and First (N)\nStreets from the house she inherited from Thomas Duvall.\n(3)\nIn 1865 Mary Duvall married John T. Findley, a metropolitan\npoliceman. A year later she subdivided Lot 62 and built the\nframe house, 113 First Street (now 3606 N Street) as an\ninvestment. Tax records for the year 1867 show an improve-\nment of a two-story frame house on the land valued at\n$1000. (4)\nThe first occupant of the house was John J. Dolan, a clerk,\nwho rented it for three years. (5) The Findleys during this\ntime lived at 53 Lingan (36th) Street; but from 1872 to\n1876 they occupied the little frame house at 113 First them-\nselves. (6) In 1877 they rented the house to Henry Mills,\nan engineer, and moved to 94 West Street (now 3013 P). Mills\nwas still listed at this address in 1881. (7) John McDaniel,\nshown variously as cook, driver, and porter, occupied the\n3606 N Street house from 1896 to 1917. (8)\nThe house has been rental property for most of its existance,\nbeing home for a succession of working people such as porters,\ndomestics, cement finishers, and manual laborers. (9)\nThis group was part of a steady stream of workers who were\ndrawn to this area by the number of service jobs required\nto maintain a university and to meet student-gentlemen de-\nmands for services comparable to the amenities of life to\nwhich they were accustomed.\nIn 1871 the Findleys had placed their property in trust for\nMary. Mary died in December 1899; and John Findley passed\naway in December 1907. Mary Findley's Will directed that\n\"...after the death of my beloved husband, John T. Findley,\nto Mrs. E. A. Leonard I give and devise during her life\nhouse and premises 3606 N Street, and after her death to\nBridget A. Coleman, and after her death to Georgetown\nCollege City directories do not list either of these\nwomen as having lived in the house.\n503\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 4)\n1908-1969\nWhen Mary's husband died, her heirs-at-law and next of kin\n(Edward, Golibart, George, and Grace Fernald) deeded the\nproperty, according to her wishes, to Georgetown College.\nGeorgetown held the property until 1953 when it sold the\nhouse to Emil Audette.\nFour years later, Maurine Mulliner, a planning advisor with\nthe Social Security Board, bought the small frame house\nfrom Audette and lived there until Georgetown University\nbought it back in 1961. Since then the house has been used\nas an overflow for the University or rented to individuals.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1802\nFrancis Deakins,\nDeed February 13, 1802\nexecutor & devisee\nRecorded February 20, 1802\nunder Will of\nLiber H-8, folio 2\nWilliam Deakins, Jr.\nto\nThomas Corcoran\n504\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 5)\n1817\nThomas Corcoran\nLease March 31, 1817\nto\nRecorded April 30, 1817\nJoseph Brookes\nLiber AN-38, folio 458\n\"Lot 62 in Peter, Threlkeld, Beatty & Deakins Addition\nto Georgetown, Term 99 years, Renewable forever -\nyearly rent of $60.00.\"\n1827\nThomas Corcoran\nDeed May 7, 1827\nJoseph Brookes\nRecorded May 12, 1827\nto\nLiber W.B. 19, folio 372\nJohn Pickrell\nJoseph Brookes\nAssignment of Lease May 12, 1827\nto\nRecorded May 12, 1827\nJohn Pickrell\nLiber W.B. 19, folio 373\n1831\nJohn Pickrell\nDeed December 30, 1831\nE wife, Ann\nRecorded February 1, 1832\nto\nLiber W.B. 39, folio 405\nJoseph Libbey\nNathaniel Marden\n505\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 6)\n1834\nJoseph Libbey\nDeed November 19, 1834\n& wife, Louisa\nRecorded November 29, 1834\nNathaniel Marden\nLiber W.B. 51, folio 429\n& wife, Mary Ann\nto\nRichard Jones\nConsideration $500\n1856\nRichard Jones\nDeed September 8, 1856\n& wife, Mary E.\nRecorded September 8, 1856\nto\nLiber JAS 121, folio 153\nCharles L. Gates\n1857\nCharles L. Gates\nDeed May 16, 1857\n& wife, Mary E.\nRecorded January 18, 1858\nto\nLiber JAS 148, folio 67\nAugustus Brown\nRobert L. Martin\nJohn Collins\nConsideration $400\n506\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 7)\n1858\nAugustus Brown\nDeed January 16, 1858\net ux Elizabeth\nRecorded January 18, 1858\nJohn Collins\nLiber JAS 148, folio 72\nto\nRobert Martin\n1861\nRobert L. Martin\nDeed August 7, 1861\net ux Mary E.\nRecorded September 6, 1861\nto\nLiber JAS 211, folio 305\nThomas E. Duvall\nThomas E. Duvall died; his widow, Mary E. Fernald\nDuvall, married John T. Findley.\n1871\nJohn T. Findley et ux Mary E. Deed in trust January 20, 1871\nto\nRecorded February 3, 1871\nHugh Caperton, trustee\nLiber 634, folio 474\n\"...to hold in trust for Mary E. Findley during her\nlife with power to said Mary E. Findley to direct\nthe sale of said premises\nin event of John T.\nFindley surviving said Mary E. Findley, then in\ntrust to convey to said John T. Findley....\"\n507\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 8)\n1899\nMary E. Findley died\nWill May 19, 1897\nDecember 7, 1899.\nProbated October 20, 1908\nHer Will, dated May\nWill Book 70, page 11\n19, 1897, states:\nAdministration 9280\n\"After the death of\nmy beloved husband, John T. Findley, to Mrs. E. A. Leonard\nI give and devise during her life--house and premises\n3606 N Street, N.W., and after her death to Bridget A.\nColeman, and after her death to Georgetown University....'\n1907\nJohn T. Findley died\nEstate petition July 31, 1909\nDecember 31, 1907.\nProbated August 31, 1909\nAdministration Docket Book 40,\npage 16215\nAdministration 16215\n1908\nEdward C. Fernald,\nDeed in Trust January 7, 1908\nwidower\nRecorded March 23, 1908\nGolibart D. Fernald &\nLiber 3141, folio 244\nwife\nGeorge W. Fernald,\nwidower\nGrace Fernald\n(heirs-at-law and next of\nkin of Mary E. Findley)\nto\nGeorge E. Fleming\n508\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 9)\nGeorge E. Fleming\nDeed in Trust March 7, 1908\nto\nRecorded March 23, 1908\nGeorge W. Fernald\nLiber 3141, folio 247\nGeorge W. Fernald\nDeed in Trust March 2, 1908\ntrustee under Deed\nRecorded October 19, 1908\nin Trust from\nLiber 3175, folio 344\nGeorge E. Fleming\nto\nPresident and Directors of\nGeorgetown College\n\"...subject however to suffer and permit Elizabeth A. Leonard\nto use and occupy and enjoy said premise for sole use and\nbenefit for and during the term of her natural life, and\nfurther that after the death of said Elizabeth A. Leonard to\npermit Bridget A. Coleman to use and occupy premises, and\nafter termination of said life estates, premises shall be-\ncome absolute property of second party.\"\n1915\nBridget A. Coleman died,\nWill May 18, 1892\nJuly 17, 1915\nProbated August 10, 1915\nWill Book 87, p. 499\n1916\nElizabeth A. Leonard\nWill March 16, 1916\ndied October 16, 1916\nProbated November 8, 1916\nWill Book 91, p. 237\n509\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 10)\n1953\nPresident and Directors\nDeed January 9, 1953\nof Georgetown College\nRecorded February 17, 1953\nto\nLiber 9900, folio 123\nEmil A. Audette\n1957\nEmil A. Audette, un-\nDeed August 29, 1957\nmarried\nRecorded September 4, 1957\nto\nLiber 10913, folio 322\nMaurine Mulliner\n1961\nMaurine Mulliner, un-\nDeed March 1, 1961\nmarried\nRecorded March 6, 1961\nto\nLiber 11564, folio 86\nPresident and Directors\nof Georgetown College\nReferences\n1. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:\nCharles Scribner's Sons, 1930, Vol. IV, p. 440.\n510\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 11)\n2. City Directory. 1862, P. 192.\n3. Same reference as #1. 1864, P. 298.\n4. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property 1800-79, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Records Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n5. Same reference as #1. 1867, p. 233; 1868, p. 225; 1870,\np. 450; 1871, p. ix (Georgetown Section).\n6. Same reference as #1. 1872, P. 506; 1873, P. 597; 1874, P.\n591; 1876, p. 220; 1880, p. 287; 1881, P. 346.\n7. Same reference as #1. 1877, P. 481; 1880, p. 481; 1881,\nP. 546.\n8. Same reference as #1. 1896, P. 629; 1917, p. 790.\n9. Same reference as #1. 1924, p. 504; 1928, p. 243; 1936,\nP. 1707; 1938, P. 557; 1941, p. 1218; 1942, P. 263; 1948,\nP. 190.\n511\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 12)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: A post Civil War wood frame row house,\nthe structure forms part of a group that gives a glimpse of\nmid-nineteenth century street character and scale.\nCondition of fabric: The exterior is in generally good condition.\nThe interior is in good condition but has been greatly remodeled.\nDescription of Exterior\nOverall dimensions: This two-story house with a full basement\nfaces north and has a simple rectangular form with a three bay\nfront of approximately 10' with a depth of approximately 35'.\nFoundation: Brick foundation walls are exposed at both the north\n(front) and south elevation. The north elevation exposure is\napproximately 3' from grade while at the south the exposure is\n3' 6\". At both the north and south there are retaining walls\nallowing for stairs to the basement level.\nWall Construction: The framing of the house is not visible, but\nthe siding is wood clapboard with 4\" corner boards. Slight pro-\njection of wood window frames and the use of a metal flashing\nover the windows suggests the clapboard covers earlier siding.\nFraming: Stud walls.\n512\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 13)\nPorches: At both the north and south elevations brick entry\nstoops are used. The north front stoop is 5' 2\" wide, extends\n6' 2\" from house, has four risers from grade and a pair of\nmetal railings. Both of the stoops appear to be mid-twentieth\ncentury construction.\nChimneys: There is one central three flue brick chimney 3' 5\"\nx 1' 10\" at attic level. It appears to have been rebuilt in\nthe mid-twentieth century.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and doors: North (front) wood entry door-\nway enframement consists of a pair of fluted pil-\nasters supporting a Tuscan architrave. The door\nis two light six panel. Both appear to be mid-\ntwentieth century additions.\nWindows and shutters: Windows are 6/6 double-\nhung wood sash with simple flat trim. The lower\nwindows have metal flashing at the head, and\nthe upper story windows have the head covered by\na cornice board. The metal hinged moveable\nshutters have metal stops. The south elevation\nhas aluminum storm sash on all windows.\nRoof:\nShape and Covering: The roof is a simple low\npitched gable with ridge running east-west.\nPresent covering is standing seam metal which\nhas been over earlier wooden shingles.\nFraming: As visible in the attic the framing\nconsists of 3\" x 4\" wood rafters. The only\ntie is by second floor ceiling joists as there\nis no ridge pole.\n513\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 14)\nCornice, eaves: North elevation has a simple flat\ncornice board with four brackets and drip details\nattached. Gutter and downspouts are metal.\nDormers: None.\nDescription of Interior\nFloor plans: The plan is a simple rectangle with central\nchimney and major stairway at the southwest corner. The\nfirst floor has a front and a back room; the second floor\nhas a front and a back bedroom with a bath at the north-\nwest corner. The basement contains the kitchen, dining\nroom, a small bedroom and bath.\nStairways: The main stairway begins with corner winder steps\nand extends 14 risers from the southwest corner of the house\nup to the north to the second level. The stair is supported\nboth by the north party wall and an east partition below the\nthe stringers of the main stain. A straight run to the base-\nment of twelve 8 1/2\" risers running down from north to south\nextends under the main stair. Access to the attic is by\nmeans of a retractable ladder-stair.\nBrick exterior stairways to the basement occur at both north\nand south elevations. The north stairway is an \"L\" with\ntwo risers down next to the entry stoop and platform and\nthen 6 risers down from east to west to the basement doorway\nat the northwest corner of the house. The south (rear)\nbasement access is also by an \"L\" stair down five risers\nfrom south to north to a platform, then three risers down\nfrom west to east.\nFlooring: It is random width pine for the first and second\nfloors. Basement has vinyl tile.\nWall and Ceiling finish: Walls and ceiling are plaster\nthroughout.\n514\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 15)\nDoorways and doors: Doors are simple four panel wood with\nsimple wood moulding trim. Both appear to be twentieth-\ncentury additions.\nDecorative features: There is a simple wood baseboard, a\n2\" wood cornice moulding but no chair rail or wainscot.\nAll the trim appears to be mid-twentieth century.\nHardware: There is a variety of early and mid-twentieth\ncentury metal hardware.\nLighting: There is a variety of mid-twentieth century\nfixtures.\nHeating: Fireplaces in the basement and the first floor have\nbrick firebacks and 1' 6\" slate hearths. The chimney appears\nto be reconstructed or refaced within the last several years.\nPresent heating system is central hot air with metal duct-\nwork to each room.\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: The house is on the south side\nof N Street between 36th and 37th Streets and with its east wall\napproximately 85' along N Street from the center line of 36th\nStreet and set back approximately 12' from the center line of\n36th Street. It is one of a group of frame row houses on this\nresidential street near Georgetown University.\nEnclosures: On N Street there is a wooden picket fence around\na small garden fronting on the west half of the elevation.\nWooden fences surround the tree shaded rear yard.\nOutbuildings: None,\n515\nFINDLEY HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-192 (Page 16)\nWalks: On the north red brick paving extends from the stair\nand stoop to the brick public sidewalks.\nLandscaping: The tree shaded rear yard has a brick paved\npatio extending out from stoop and retaining wall of the\nstairwell to the basement.\nPrepared by: William P. Thompson\nArchitect\nHistoric American\nBuildings Survey\n516\n6\n1419\nam\n518\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-197\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1419 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.\n(Formerly this address was 58 Lingan\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of Lot 103\nin Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition to\nGeorgetown, now taxed as Lot 811 in\nSquare 1247 in the City of Washington.\nDate of Erection:\n1866\nOwner in 1969:\nDr. Marie Wanek\nOccupant in 1969:\nDr. Marie Wanek\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nBuilt just after the Civil War, this modest\nbrick house was the home of its first\nowner for almost a half century. Like other\nhouses\nin this row the floor levels\nwere altered by the raising of the street\nlevel in the mid 1890's. The entrance,\ndescending from the street, today presents\na charming approach to the century-old\ndwelling.\n519\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1816-1853\nJohn Threlkeld first sold the land to John W. Bronaugh, a\nVirginia planter who had had a six hundred acre estate on\nPost Road about nine miles below Alexandria, Virginia,\nwhich he had advertised for sale in 1810. (1)\nIn 1816 Bronaugh moved to Georgetown purchasing the south\nhalf of Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition, a large pur-\nchase for the time in Georgetown land history. (2) Evident-\nly he invested heavily and partly upon borrowed funds\nfor Lots 101, 102, and 103, as well as his large brick\nhouse on Fayette (now 35th) Street, were sold in 1820 by\nthe United States Marshal to pay Bronaugh's many creditors.\nJoseph Brookes purchased these three lots as an investment.\nSeventeen years later, in 1837, Clement Smith bought the\nproperty from Brookes. Clement Smith died soon after the\npurchase, and his brother and trustee under his Will,\nWalter Smith, settled his debts by selling these lots to\nthe Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown of which\nClement had been president.\n1853-1866\nThis bank held the ground for ten years. Then Lewis Car-\nberry, a civil engineer who was surveyor of the County\nof Washington and president of the Levy Court of the\nDistrict of Columbia, purchased it in 1853. (3) When he\ndied in the late 1850's, these three lots were divided\namong his four children--James L. Carberry, Joseph F.\nCarberry, Mary S. Ritchie (Mrs. Joshua A.), and Martha R.\nShoemaker (Mrs. Pierce). Joshua Ritchie bought James'\n1/4 share in 1861 and the Shoemakers' 1/4 share in 1864;\nand in 1866 he and his wife, Mary, sold Lot 103 to\nCatherine Kane.\n520\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 3)\n1866-1914\nSoon after purchasing the property the Kanes built a modest\nbrick house, for Daniel, Catherine's husband, is listed at\nthis address in the 1866 City Directory. (4) In 1865 Lot\n103 was assessed to Joshua Ritchie for $500, and listed as\nvacant. Successive tax records disclose assessment to\nDaniel Kane for the land valued at $300 and improvements\nvalued at $400. (5)\nDaniel lived in this brick house with members of his family\nfor forty-two years. A laborer, he was also occasionally\na carter or driver. (6) When his wife, Catherine, died in\n1898, Daniel was deeded the inherited shares of this prop-\nerty by his son, Dennis, and his daughter, Mary E. Thorn.\nDennis and his family of nine children lived with his\nfather at 1419 36th Street until 1909 when they all moved\nto 3308 o Street. (7) Dennis must have died soon after\nmoving to the new address, for the next year Daniel is\nliving with his widowed daughter-in-law at 3535 0 Street. (8)\nBy January 1911 when Daniel made out his last Will he had\nacquired a considerable amount of property--six houses in\nwestern Georgetown, three houses in the thirty-two-\nhundred block of Q Street in Georgetown, and two houses\non Myrtle Street, N.W. He died a year and a half\nlater, outliving both his children. By his Will, however,\nhe carefully directed that the income from his real estate\nbe used for the support, maintenance, and education of\nhis fifteen grandchildren with the exception of one: \"I\ndirect my executors hereinafter named to pay to my grand-\ndaughter the sum of Five Dollars and expressedly pro-\nhibit them or either of them from giving her under any pretence\nany other or further sum, her conduct entitling her to\nno further consideration.' (9)\n521\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 4)\nDaniel, having advanced from a laborer to an owner of\nextensive real estate, died in May 1912. Two years\nlater his house on 36th Street was sold to James Wood-\nward, who kept it only a year before selling it to\nJohn O'Kane.\n1915-1946\nJohn O'Kane held the property for twenty-one years,\nusing it for rental purposes. During his ownership the\nhouse was occupied by the Cumberland family, who were\nlaborers and clerks, followed by Harrison Mason, and\nthen Lillian Baker, a charwoman. (10)\nEthel S. Russell bought the Daniel Kane house in 1936.\nThe next year it was vacant, so presumably alterations\nwere made before it was rented to George E. Chamberlain,\nan engineer, and his family. (11) Before the house was\nsold in 1945, it was rented to the family of Jacques J.\nReinstein, an assistant division chief at the Depart-\nment of State. (12)\n1946-1961\nHaving purchased 1419 36th Street in 1946 from William and\nJacqueline Morrison who kept it less than a year, William\nKoren, Jr., a State Department researcher, and his wife,\nIsabelle, were the first owners since Daniel Kane to live\nin the brick house. (13) Fifteen years later Mrs. Koren,\nwho had outlived her husband but had continued to live\nin the house, sold it to Janet Felton. (14) Janet married\nRichard Cooper soon after acquiring the house; they sold\nit a year and four months later.\n522\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 5)\n1962-1969\nDr. Marie G. Wanek, Professor of History at Hood College,\npurchased the century-old house in 1962 and is the present\nowner.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1816\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed September 19, 1816\net ux Elizabeth\nRecorded October 18, 1816\nto\nLiber AG-32, folio 20\nJohn W. Bronaugh\n1819\nProperty seized for non-payment of debts.\n1820\nTench Ringold,\nDeed July 29, 1820\nMarshal of the D.C.\nRecorded August 16, 1820\nto\nLiber AZ-50, folio 65\nJoseph Brookes\n523\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 6)\n1837\nJoseph Brookes\nDeed November 15, 1837\nto\nRecorded November 20, 1837\nClement Smith\nLiber W.B. 64, folio 409\n1839\nClement Smith died in\nWill May 30, 1823\n1839.\nProbated March 29, 1839\nWill Book 5, page 108\n1843\nWalter Smith\nDeed July 27, 1843\ntrustee under the Will\nRecorded August 10, 1843\nof Clement Smith\nLiber W.B. 103, folio 90\nto\nFarmers and Mechanics Bank,\nGeorgetown\n1853\nFarmers and Mechanics Bank,\nDeed January 20, 1853\nGeorgetown\nRecorded January 21, 1853\nto\nLiber JAS 50, folio 396\nLewis Carberry\n524\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 7)\n1860\nLewis Carberry died intes-\nAdministrative Docket 4,\ntate. Estate is divided\npage 914\namong his four heirs:\nJames L., Joseph F., Mary\nS. Ritchie (Mrs. Joshua\nA.), and Martha R. Shoe-\nmaker (Mrs. Pierce).\n1861\nJames L. Carberry\nDeed April 22, 1861\nto\nRecorded December 28, 1861\nJoshua A. Ritchie\nLiber JAS 214, folio 21\nDeeds his 1/4 share\n1864\nPierce Shoemaker\nDeed June 30, 1864\net ux Martha R.\nRecorded October 31, 1864\nto\nLiber NCT 48, folio 296\nJoshua A. Ritchie\nDeed their 1/4 share of Lots 101, 102, 103\n1865\nJoshua A. Ritchie\nDeed November 28, 1865\net ux Mary S.\nRecorded January 22, 1866\nto\nLiber RMH 4, folio 346\nNicholas Crowley\n525\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 8)\n1866\nNicholas Crowley\nDeed July F,, 1866\net ux Joanna\nRecorded November 6, 1866\nto\nLiber RMH 24, folio 100\nJoshua A. Ritchie\nJoshua A. Ritchie\nDeed August 17, 1866\net ux Mary S.\nRecorded December 28, 1866\nto\nLiber RMH 26, folio 171\nCatherine Kane\n1898\nCatherine Kane died\nAdministration 8519\nJuly 14, 1898, intestate.\nDennis Kane\nDeed August 20, 1898\nMary E. Thorn\nRecorded August 22, 1898\nchildren & heirs of\nLiber 2312, folio 494\nCatherine Kane\nto\nDaniel Kane\n1912\nDaniel Kane died May 3,\nWill January 20, 1911\n1912.\nProbated June 17, 1912\nWill Book 79, page 218\n526\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 9)\n1914\nHarry A. Hegarty\nDeed July 21, 1914\nThomas Splaun\nRecorded July 21, 1914\ntrustees under Will\nLiber 3716, folio 495\nof Daniel Kane\nto\nJames M. Woodward\n1915\nJames M. Woodward\nDeed October 7, 1915\nE wife, Lillie A.\nRecorded October 8, 1915\nto\nLiber 3829, folio 278\nJohn O'Kane\n1936\nJohn O'Kane\nDeed September 14, 1936\nto\nRecorded September 15, 1936\nEthel S. Russell\nLiber 7030, folio 376\n1945\nEthel S. Russell\nDeed September 6, 1945\nto\nRecorded October 6, 1945\nWilliam D. F. Morrison\nLiber 8165, folio 381\nJacqueline B. Morrison,\nhis wife\n527\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 10)\n1946\nWilliam D. F. Morrison\nDeed August 26, 1946\n& Jacqueline Morrison\nRecorded August 26, 1946\nto\nLiber 8331, folio 304\nWilliam Koren, Jr.\nIsabelle J., his wife\n1961\nIsabelle J. Koren,\nDeed June 14, 1961\nsurviving co-tenant of\nRecorded June 29, 1961\ndeceased husband,\nLiber 11625, folio 130\nWilliam Koren, Jr.\nto\nJanet G. Felton\n1962\nJanet G. Felton Cooper\nDeed October 12, 1962\n& Richard J. Cooper,\nRecorded November 27, 1962\nher husband\nLiber 11908, folio 1149\nto\nMarie G. Wanek\nReferences\n1. Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia). February 26, 1810.\n528\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 11)\n2. Deed, William Grayson to John W. Bronaugh, September 18,\n1816, recorded October 18, 1816, Liber AM-37, folio 17-\n19, Recorder of Deeds, Washington, D.C.\n3. Records of the Columbia Historical Society. Washington,\nD. C.: The Society, Vol. 19, 1916, p. 90.\n4. City Directory. 1866, p. 415.\n5. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79, Assessment\nof Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605, National Archives\nRecord\nGroup 351, Roll 12, (1865-70); Roll 13 (1871).\n6. Same reference as #4. 1867, P. 344; 1871, P. xvi; 1873,\nP. 602; 1876, p. 315; 1880, p. 401; 1904, P. 581.\n7. Same reference as #4. 1908, P. 730; 1909, P. 760.\n8. Same reference as #4. 1910, P. 789.\n9. Will of Daniel Kane, January 20, 1911, probated June 17,\n1912, Will Book 79, page 218, Register of Wills, U.S.\nDistrict Court for the District of Columbia.\n10. Same reference as #4. 1916, P. 1665, P. 356; 1918, P. 1815,\nP. 372; 1920, p. 1906; 1930, p. 2111, P. 193.\n11. Same reference as #4. 1937, P. 1702; 1939, P. 1861, P. 236.\n529\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 12)\n12. Same reference as #4. 1943, P. 383, P. 1239.\n13. Same reference as #4. 1948, P. 652.\n14. Same reference as #4. 1960, p. 987.\n530\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 13)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: The Kane House is a good example\nof a brick row house of the post-Civil War era.\nCondition of Fabric: The house is in good general condition\non both the interior and the exterior, having been well maintained.\nDescription of Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: The house faces west on 36th Street between\no and P Streets and the south wall is approximately 195' along\n36th Street from the centerline of 0 Street. The two-story\nstructure completely fills a row house lot approximately 18'\nwide and is approximately 32' deep.\nFoundations: The basic foundation is rough laid stone. At\napproximately 4' to 5' above the basement floor the brick wall\nbegins.\nWall Construction: The brick bearing wall of the house which is\nnow painted white is of common bond with bond courses every eight\ncourses. The flush mortar joints are rather roughly made.\nThe house connects to party walls on both the north and south.\n531\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 14)\nFraming: Not visible.\nPorches, Stoops, Bulkheads, etc: In part due to the raising\nof the grade of 36th Street, the house is entered by a stairwell.\nThere is a 4'3\" drop from the public sidewalk to the first\nfloor level and a 6'8\" drop from the first floor to the\nbasement floor. The stairway construction itself is concrete\nwith brick faced treads. The opening is surrounded by a\nblack painted iron railing.\nChimneys: There are two brick chimneys 5' by 2' with simple\nbrick caps at the third points of the south party wall.\nOpenings:\nDoorways and Doors: The wood six panel 2'8\" entry door\nat the north end of the west elevation is in a simply\ntrimmed masonry opening with a four light wood trimmed\ntransom. An aluminum storm door has been added and the\nwhole ensemble is mid-twentieth century in date. The\nother two doorways to the house are at the basement\nlevel at the north end of the west elevation and at the\neast elevation from the dining room to the rear yard.\nWindows and Shutters: Windows at the 36th Street (west)\nelevation all appear to be mid-twentieth century additions and\nare six-over-six double-hung wood sash in 3' 10\" by 5' 4\"\nmasonry openings. Lintels are flat arched with single sawn-\nbrick voussoirs and sills are wood.\nTwo panel fixed louvre shutters at each window have been\nnailed to the 36th Street elevation.\nThe rear (east) elevation has six-over-six double-hung\nwood sash of mid-twentieth century. The two second floor\nwindows have steel lintels rather than flat brick arches.\n532\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 15)\nRoof:\nShape, Covering: The simple low pitched shed roof\nruns down from west to east and is covered by\nstanding seam metal.\nCornice, Eaves: At the west elevation a simple\nwood eave is supported visually by a wide hori-\nzontal board, a large bracket at each end of the\nelevation, and a series of much smaller scrolling\nbrackets between. There are no gutters or down\nspouts visible.\nThe east elevation has a simple three course cor-\nbelled brick cornice and an aluminum gutter and\ndownspout.\nCupolas, Dormers, Towers: None.\nDescription of Interior\nFloor Plans: At present the house is entered at the first floor\nwhich contains both a front and a rear living room. Descent to\nthe basement is via a central stair leading out to a front\nkitchen and a rear dining room. A special feature (certainly\nnot original) is a three foot corridor at the north party wall\nand running the full depth and ending in a water closet.\nAscent to the second floor is by a stair opposite the front\nentry against the north wall. This floor contains a front and\na rear bedroom plus a rear bath. Reflecting the shed roof\nsystem, each floor has two levels. The rear (east) half of\nthe house is one riser lower than the west half on all three\nfloors. In addition, the corridor in the basement is one riser\nhigher than the west floor level.\n533\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 16)\nStairways: At present the main stair is at the center of the\nnorth party wall and is a straight run of 12 risers up from\nwest to east. A second stairway between the two living rooms\ndescends in'a straight run ten risers from south to north to\nthe level of the basement corridor.\nThere is a strong probability that this was not always the\nstair arrangement. Marks in the plaster of the living room\n(rear) and the floor board replacement at the second floor\nsuggest that at one time the main stair may have been over\nthe existing stair to the basement.\nPresent stair trim includes a twentieth-century railing around\nthe opening for the stair to the basement. The stair to the\nsecond floor is supported by full height wall at its south side\nas well as by the north party wall. The railing for this\nstair is simple wood profile and has simple wood balusters.\nFlooring: The first and second floor have random width\napproximately 5\" to 8\" wood flooring while the basement has\nvinyl tile flooring.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Both walls and ceilings are of plaster.\nDoorways and Doors: Simple twentieth-century four panel wood\ndoors are used throughout the house, Doorway trim is of simple\nwood profile.\nDecorative Features and Trim: The walls are without trim with\nthe exception of a simple wood baseboard. There is no chair rail\nor wainscot.\n534\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 17)\nHardware: There is a variety of twentieth-century hardware.\nLighting: There are a variety of mid-twentieth century\nfixtures.\nHeating: There are two fireplaces still open; one in the\nkitchen on the front chimney and one in the living room at\nthe rear chimney. The one in the living room has a marble\nsurround and a brick hearth added in the twentieth century.\nThe present central heating system has radiator units in\neach room.\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: It is one of the many brick\nrow houses on this quiet tree-shaded residential street near\nGeorgetown University.\nEnclosures: A wooden stockade fence approximately 5' high\nsurrounds. the rear yard.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: The stairwell at the west elevation abuts a concrete\npublic sidewalk.\n535\nDANIEL KANE HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-197 (Page 18)\nLandscaping: The rear yard has a brick patio extending\napproximately 15' from the east facade. The remainder\nof the yard is lawn and rises approximately 2' to 3' to\nthe east. There are remains of a large tree at the\nnortheast corner of the property.\nPrepared by: William P. Thompson\nArchitect\nHistoric American Building\nSurvey\n536\nJamill mmm УППОТ\n((o)\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-208\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nOF\n\"THE NINE FRIDAYS\"\nAddress in 1969:\n1407 37th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly 37th Street was Warren Street, )\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n114, Square 78, Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 153,\nSquare 1248 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\n1916\nOwner in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupant in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidence\nSignificance:\nThis rhythmic row of nine brick houses\nforms an effective transition from the\ncampus atmosphere of Georgetown Univer-\nsity to the residential area surrounding\nit. Renovation and careful maintenance\nby the owners has added considerably to\nthe improvement of the west end neighbor-\nhood while providing for the continuation\nof the tradition of Georgetown row-house\nliving.\n539\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1798-1840\nThe land on which 1407 37th Street stands has had a success-\nion of illustrious owners, names prominent in the early\nhistory of Maryland and Georgetown. John Threlkeld and his\nwife sold it to Patrick Carroll in 1798. Sixteen years\nlater the Carrolls sold it to Francis Fenwick who held it\nonly a year before selling it to Rebecca Clements who later\nmarried John Ford.\nIn 1823 the Fords sold it to Elizabeth Threlkeld, daughter of\nJohn. When she died, her two daughters, Mary Grayson and\nJohn Cox, divided Lot 114 in half, each retaining one half.\nAfter Mary's death in 1837, her son Henry inherited the\neast half of the lot. Jane, who was married to John Cox,\nonetime mayor of Georgetown, directed that the west half\nof the lot be sold in 1840 to George Mahorney.\n1840-1875\nEach half of Lot 114 went through a number of transactions\nseparately. In 1841, Thomas 0. N. May bought the west\nhalf, and two years later bought the east half of the lot.\nHe sold the east half shortly, but it was not until twenty\nyears after his death, in 1865, that his wife sold the\nwest half to Richard Crawford. Ten years later Crawford\nbought the east half. So Lot 114 was once more a single\nunit.\n540\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 3)\nBetween 1843 and 1851 the price for the east half of Lot 114\njumped from $200 to $700, leading to the conjecture that a\nstructure was built during those years. The 1887 map of\nHopkins indicates a frame structure on the site. (1) In 1855\nthe east half had climbed to $800 and twenty years later,\nwhen Richard Crawford bought it, the price was $900.\n1875-1917\nAfter Crawford's death in 1888 his two children, Laura and\nWilliam, held on to all of Lot 114, although in 1915 they\ntemporarily lost the property for failure to pay taxes.\nOn the same day that they redeemed the property in 1916\nthey sold it to Robert Morrison. Two days later, Morrison\nsold it to J. Walter Moulden, who a week later sold it to\nGuy S. Zepp. In that same year, 1916, Zepp, a contractor,\nsubdivided Lot 114 into nine lots and built the present\nrow of houses on the land. (2)\n1917-1948\nIn 1917 Zepp sold 1407 37th Street to Charles Selden, Jr., a\nlawyer, who was president of the Washington and Maryland\nRailway Company. (3) He obviously bought the property as\nan investment, for he sold it six months later to Patrick\nMoran, second vice-president of Lincoln National Bank. (4)\nThe addresses for the nine row houses first appeared in\nthe 1917 City Directory; however, that year only one of\nthe nine was occupied. Ethel B. Lewis, the first to\nlive in the row was living at 1403 and was also running\na tea room there. (5) (6) The next year, in 1918, all but\nthree of the nine houses were occupied. (7) By 1919\n541\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 4)\neach house in the row was rented. Tailors, painters, police,\ncarpenters, and railway conductors were among the tenants of\nthese new brick houses facing Georgetown University. (8)\nWhen Patrick Moran died in 1923, 1407 37th Street was left\nto his wife, Annie, who continued to use it as rental\nproperty. The occupants of the row in 1943, a year before\nAnnie's death, were all different in name from those twenty-\nfive years earlier; they were white collar workers instead\nof the blue collar workers of former years. (9) Margaret M.\nShugrue inherited the property from her mother in 1944 and\nrented it until 1948 when she sold it to Fanny Eaton.\n1948-1969\nThe new owner continued to use the house for investment\npurposes. After World War II, however, according to city\ndirectories, there was a shift in the occupations of\ntenants toward professional levels. Economists, foreign\nservice officers, lawyers, and medical interns lived along\nthis 37th Street block. (10) The many independent govern-\nment agencies that had been created to take care of the\nvarious needs of the peacetime economy drew numerous\nyoung university graduates to Washington. Georgetown was\nconvenient to their Federal jobs and also economical with\nmultiple occupancy leases.\nAfter holding the property for seven years Fanny Eaton sold\nit to Elise Ellis, a saleswoman who lived nearby on 0\nStreet. (11) She kept it only a year and then sold it to\nArthur J. Smith, who on the same day conveyed it at the\nsame price to Georgetown University.\n542\n\"Is it possible that Georgetown University students, plodding\nto church on their monthly Fridays, looked at the row of\nnine identical houses and called them 'The Nine Fridays'?\"\n(Photographed by J. Alexander)\n543\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 5)\nThe University continues to use this house for rental pur-\nposes as well as the other \"Nine Fridays,\" as the row of\nnine houses has been dubbed. The source of this appellation\nis\nunproved, but the tale is told that the name is\nconnected with a tradition of the Catholic Church. Part\nof the private devotion in the Church includes attendance\nat confession and communion on the first Friday of the\nmonth for nine months, thereby receiving special indul-\ngences. Is it possible that Georgetown University\nstudents, plodding to church on their monthly Fridays,\nlooked at the row of nine identical houses and called\nthem \"The Nine Fridays\"?\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1798\nJohn Threlkeld and\nDeed June 1, 1798\nwife, Elizabeth\nRecorded June 13, 1798\nto\nLiber C-3, folio 463\nPatrick Carroll\nAll of Lot 114 for $400\n544\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 6)\n1809\nPatrick Carroll\nMarriage Contract October 23,\nand\n1809\nSusanna Corcoran\nRecorded January 10, 1810\nLiber X-23, folio 343\nAgreement that all property acquired\nduring lifetime of either shall go\nto survivor to dispose of as he likes.\nIncludes all of Lot 114.\n1814\nPatrick Carroll and wife,\nDeed November 19, 1814\nSusanna\nRecorded December 16, 1814\nto\nLiber AH-33, folio 345\nFrancis Fenwick\nAll of Lot 114 for $300\n1815\nFrancis Fenwick\nDeed September 18, 1815\nto\nRecorded December 22, 1815\nRebecca Clements\nLiber AK-35, folio 392\nAll of Lot 114 for $450\n545\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 7)\n1823\nRebecca Clements Ford\nDeed April 4, 1823\nand husband, John G.\nRecorded June 20, 1823\nto\nLiber W.B. 10, folio 126\nElizabeth Threlkeld\n(daughter of John Threlkeld)\nElizabeth Threlkeld died intestate, leaving\nas her only heirs her daughters:\nElizabeth - unmarried. Died intestate.\nJane - married John Cox\nMary - married William Grayson\n1831\nLot 114 is divided into two parts, by a straight line drawn\nfrom center of northern line to center of southern line,\n150 feet on Warren (37th) Street from corner and 30 feet\non 2nd (0) Street from corner. The east half of Lot 114\nwent to Mary Grayson and the west part to Jane Cox.\nChain of title is described below in two parts, first\nthe east half of Lot 114, then the west part of the lot.\nIn 1865 Richard Crawford bought the west half and in 1875\nhe bought the east part. After 1875, therefore, the\ndescription of ownership is for all of Lot 114.\nEast half of Lot 114 follows:\nWilliam Grayson and wife,\nDeed in trust August 24, 1831\nMary\nRecorded October 12, 1831\nto\nLiber W.B. 38, folio 77\nJames S. Morsell\nIf property is not disposed of\nin their lifetime, it is to be\nheld for Henry Grayson, their\nson. East half of Lot 114.\n546\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 8)\n1835\nJohn Cox and wife, Jane\nDeed in Trust November 10, 1835\nMary Grayson\nRecorded November 12, 1835\nto\nLiber W.B. 58, folio 63\nDavid English\nEast half of Lot 114.\nTrustee holds for Mary in her\nlifetime, subject to her right\nto dispose, but if she dies be-\nfore disposing of property, it\nis to be \"...for the only and\nbehoof of her son Henry T. Gray-\nson, his heirs and assignees for-\never....\"\n1837\nJames S. Morsell, Tr.\nDeed in Trust November 29, 1837\nMary Grayson, Jane Cox\nRecorded November 30, 1837\nto\nLiber W.B. 64, folio 475\nJohn Cox\nJohn Cox to hold east half\nof Lot 114 for Henry Grayson.\nJames S. Morsell, Tr.\nDeed in Trust November 29, 1837\nMary Grayson (\"...who\nRecorded December 28, 1837\ndirects this deed...\")\nLiber W.B. 66, folio 283\nto\nDavid English, Tr.\nIn trust for purposes of deed\nof August 24, 1831, Liber W.B.\n38, folio 77. East half of Lot\n114.\nMary Grayson died and the east half of Lot 114 went to Henry\nGrayson.\n547\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 9)\n1843\nDavid English\nDeed April 28, 1843\nHenry T. Grayson\nRecorded May 15, 1843\nto\nLiber W.B. 97, folio 487\nThomas O.N. May\nEast half of Lot 114\nThomas O.N. May and wife,\nDeed September 27, 1843\nAnne\nRecorded December 5, 1843\nto\nLiber W.B. 105, folio 18\nSarah L. Boarman\nEast half of Lot 114 for\n$200\n1851\nSarah L. Boarman\nDeed October 1, 1851\nto\nRecorded October 11, 1851\nSarah Leavy\nJAS 31, folio 239\nEast half of Lot 114 for\n$700\n1853\nSarah A. Leavy and\nDeed February 26, 1853\nhusband, Lawrence\nRecorded February 28, 1853\nto\nLiber JAS 42, folio 513\nPeter O'Donoghue, Jr.\nand wife, Rebecca C.F.\njoint tenants\nEast half of Lot 114\n548\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 10)\n1855\nPeter O'Donoghue, Jr.\nDeed June 27, 1855\nand Rebecca C.F.\nRecorded July 5, 1855\nto\nLiber JAS 99, folio 34\nM. Joanna Rice\nEast half of Lot 114 for\n$800\n1875\nMary Joanna Rice\nDeed July 24, 1875\nto\nRecorded December 3, 1875\nRichard R. Crawford\nLiber 804, folio 217\nEast half of Lot 114 for\n$900\nChain of title now returns to\n1835 when division of Lot 114\nwas made. The west half is\ndescribed below.\n1835\nDavid English\nDeed in Trust November 10, 1835\nMary Grayson\nRecorded November 24, 1835\n(\"...who directs this deed\nLiber W.B. 58, folio 96\nand signs and seals...\")\nJane Cox\nto\nJohn Cox\nJohn holds in trust for wife, Jane,\nto sell as she directs in her life-\ntime. After her death to sell at\nher discretion. West half of Lot\n114.\n549\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 11)\n1840\nJohn Cox\nDeed in Trust September 2, 1840\nJane Cox (wife of John who\nRecorded November 20, 1840\n...directs this deed...\")\nLiber W.B. 83, folio 297\nto\nGeorge Mahorney\nJane directs John to sell\nproperty to Mahoney \"in fee\nin evidence.\" West half of\nLot 114.\n1841\nGeorge Mahorney and\nDeed November 18, 1841\nwife, Eleanor\nRecorded January 4, 1842\nto\nLiber W.B. 88, folio 346\nThomas O.N. May\nWest half of Lot 114 was ex-\nchanged for Lot 134 in Threlkeld's\nAddition to Georgetown\n1845\nThomas O.N. May died,\nWill April 28, 1845\nleaving wife, Ann, with\nRecorded January 13, 1845\npower and discretion to\nWill, Admin. 3-2554,\nsell property, whenever\nWill Book 5, page 437\nshe deemed it best for\nherself and children.\n550\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 12)\n1865\nAnn May\nDeed April 26, 1865\nto\nRecorded March 5, 1867\nR.R. Crawford\nLiber R.M.H. 28, folio 327\nWest half of Lot 118\nDescription of ownership now resumes\nfor all of Lot 114, since Richard\nCrawford owned both the east and\nwest halves.\n1888\nRichard Crawford died\nAdministration 3273\nJuly 29, 1888, intestate.\nHis two children were\nheirs at law:\nLaura J. Crawford\nWilliam L. Crawford\n1910\nLaura J. Crawford\nDeed of Trust June 16, 1910\nWilliam L. Crawford\nRecorded July 2, 1910\nto\nLiber 3342, folio 187\nWashington Loan and Trust Co.\n551\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 13)\n1915\nLaura J. Crawford and William Deed of Trust February 18, 1915\nCrawford temporarily lost\nRecorded February 15, 1915\nproperty for failure to pay\nLiber 3767, folio 248\ntaxes, twice during this\nand\nyear, on February 12 to\nRecorded October 23, 1915\nCharles H. Wiltsie and on\nLiber 3842, folio 6\nOctober 13, 1915, to M.A.\nWadhams, both representatives\nof the D.C. Government.\n1916\nLaura J. Crawford and\nQuit Claim Deed\nWilliam Crawford paid\nRecorded February 10, 1916\ntaxes on January 22, 1916\nLiber 3865, folio 144\nand got property back.\nWilliam L. Crawford,\nDeed January 22, 1916\nsingle\nRecorded February 10, 1916\nLaura J. Crawford\nLiber 3865, folio 146\nto\nRobert M. Morrison\nRobert M. Morrison,\nDeed January 24, 1916\nwidower\nRecorded February 10, 1916\nto\nLiber 3865, folio 147\nJ. Walter Moulden\nGrants property in fee simple,\nunencumbered.\n552\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 14)\nJ. Walter Moulden,\nDeed January 29, 1916\nunmarried\nRecorded February 10, 1916\nto\nLiber 3865, folio 151\nGuy S. Zepp\n(Subject to trust of $2,500)\nSubdivision of original\nFebruary 25, 1916\nLot 114 into Lots 150-\nSubdivision Book 55, P. 76\n158. Trustees assented.\nSurveyor's Office, D.C.\n1917\nGuy S. Zepp and wife,\nDeed April 27, 1917\nPauline\nRecorded May 5, 1917\nto\nLiber 3968, folio 486\nCharles Selden, Jr.\nDeed subject to seven trusts, one on each\nlot (151-155; 157 and 158) at $2,000.\nReleased November 23, 1917.\nLiber 4002, folio 398\nCharles Selden, Jr.\nDeed November 17, 1917\nand wife, Mary Agnes\nRecorded November 27, 1917\nto\nLiber 4022, folio 399\nPatrick T. Moran\nLots 151-155; 157 and 158\n553\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 15)\n1923\nPatrick T. Moran died\nWill December 17, 1919\nFebruary 22, 1923 and\nProbated March 19, 1923\nleft property to wife,\nWill Book 112, page 533\nAnnie T. Moran.\nAdministration 30367\n1944\nAnnie T. Moran died\nWill February 16, 1943\nJanuary 31, 1944,\nProbated March 14, 1944\nleaving property to\nWill Book 322, page 330\ndaughter, Margaret M.\nAdministration 63207\nShugrue.\n1948\nMargaret M. Shugrue\nDeed July 2, 1948\nto\nRecorded July 9, 1948\nFannie Eaton (later\nLiber 8784, folio 402\ncorrected to \"Fanny\")\n1955\nFanny Eaton\nDeed February 14, 1955\nto\nRecorded February 15, 1955\nElise D. Ellis\nLiber 10368, folio 323\n1956\nElise D. Ellis\nDeed March 21, 1956\nto\nRecorded March 23, 1956\nArthur Joseph Smith\nLiber 10630, folio 495\n554\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 16)\nArthur Joseph Smith,\nDeed March 21, 1956\nunmarried\nRecorded April 3, 1956\nto\nLiber 10631, folio 539\nThe President and Directors\nof Georgetown College\nReferences\n1. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan, compiler, A Complete Set of\nSurveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Washington.\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1887, plate 39.\n2. City Directory. 1918, p. 1474.\n3. Same reference as #2. 1918, P. 1192.\n4. Same reference as #2. 1918, P. 960.\n5. Same reference as #2. 1917, P. 1655.\n6. Same reference as #2. 1917, p. 754.\n7. Same reference as #2. 1918, p. 1815.\n8. Same reference as #2. 1919, P. 1896.\n555\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 17)\n9. Same reference as #2. 1943, P. 383.\n10. Same reference as #2. 1954, P. 84.\n11. Same reference as #2. 1956, P. 401.\n556\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 18)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: Plain, flat-fronted brick row houses\ntypical of the early twentieth century. Broad overhanging\neaves give some variety at the roof lines but do nothing to\nalleviate the flatness of the row. This particular house has\nbeen renovated to a great extent, others in the row to a lesser.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 30'-0\". Three bays\nacross 37th Street facade. Two stories high.\nFoundations: Brick and concrete.\nWall construction: Brick, painted.\nChimneys: One small square utility chimney in center of rear\n(east) elevation, one from fireplace in living room on south\nparty wall.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The entrance doorway has a\nbroad fluted casing with turned corner blocks,\na mid-twentieth century addition as is the six\npanel door itself.\n557\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 19)\nWindows and shutters: Windows are six-over-\nsix double-hung wood sash, although others\nin the row are six-over-six double-hung sash.\nNo shutters.\nPorches: Brick and concrete stoop in front, wood landing\nand steps in rear.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Flat metal, pitched to rear.\nShingled covered, bracketed, broad eave across\nfront.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Broad overhanging bracketed-type \"eyebrow\"\neave across front.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: Entry and stair hall in northwest corner; kitchen\nin northeast; dining room in southeast; living room in south-\nwest. Partitions between hall and living room and between\nliving room and dining room have been removed, making one\nirregular L-shaped room. Second floor has one bedroom across\nfront; one in southeast corner; bath in northeast corner;\nstair hall in center of north side. Basement is one large\nunfinished space.\nStairways: First to second floor is a straight run with winders\nat the top. Closed stringer. Original heavy moulded rail with\nsimple square balusters, small newel. (1401 37th still has\noriginal square moulded heavy oak newel.) Stair to basement\nis simple wood utility stair from kitchen.\n558\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 20)\nFlooring: Modern oak strip.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted.\nDoorways and doors: Original doors on second floor have five\nhorizontal panels. Nearly all doors on first floor removed.\nDecorative features and trim: Nothing of notable value.\nFlat wood trim. Simple surround at fireplace; no trace of\noriginal mantel.\nHardware: Nothing of notable value.\nLighting: Nothing of notable value.\nHeating: Radiators; fireplace in living room.\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: Set slightly above and back\nfrom 37th Street, this row faces west toward Georgetown\nUniversity. This particular house is approximately in the\ncenter of the row.\nEnclosures: Wood fence around rear yard, none in front.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Concrete and brick.\n559\nZEPP ROW HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-208 (Page 21)\nLandscaping: Informal residential planting. Flagstone\nterrace in rear.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nOctober 30, 1968\n560\n792\n@\nSe\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-188\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n1423 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this was approximately 64 Lingan\nStreet.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on part of old Lot\n104, Square 77 in Threlkeld's Addition\nto Georgetown, now taxed as Lot 813,\nSquare 1247 in Washington, D.C.\nDate of erection:\nProbably between 1821 and 1834.\nOwner in 1969:\nJohn A. Harrington\nOccupant in 1969:\nJohn A. Harrington\nUse in 1969:\nPrivate residence\nSignificance:\nAlthough completely renovated in the 1920's,\nthe basic form of this two-story laborer's\ncottage which dates from the first quarter\nof the nineteenth century was preserved,\nkeeping it in scale with the other buildings\nof similar character in the neighborhood.\n563\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1821-1834\nIn 1821 John Threlkeld conveyed to George Mahorney, along\nwith adjoining property, the west half of Lot 104 on\nwhich the present house, 1423 36th Street, stands. Eight\nyears later, a year before his death, John Threlkeld and\nJeremiah Bronaugh, who served as a trustee, conveyed the\neast half of the lot to George Mahorney.\nGeorge Mahorney was a bricklayer by profession, but his\nactivities extended far beyond his trade. He was an\nentrepreneur who dealt in real estate and from time to\ntime operated small businesses. (1) In the late 1820's,\nin partnership with Joseph Brigden, he operated a\nstorehouse and grocery. At one point he operated a\ntavern at the corner of Third (P Street) and High\n(Wisconsin Avenue). It is likely that among Mahorney's\nreal estate ventures was the construction of the dwell-\ning now known as 1423 36th Street.\nIn the 1820-30 period Mahorney made numerous land pur-\nchases, but by 1832 he was, as were many other land\ninvestors, in financial difficulties. It was a decade\nof hard times. He lost much of his property in fore-\nclosure suits.\nBy the end of the twenties Mahorney had used all of the\nmoney brought to his marriage by his wife, Eleanor, and\ntherefore put certain properties in trust for her to\nsecure her dowry rights.\n564\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 3)\nFor a while Eleanor lived at a house which Mahorney owned\non the corner of Third (P Street) and Lingan (36th Street),\na short distance from the present Lot 813, while Mahorney\nresided at Third and High Streets where he was running a\ntavern. However, in 1830 he was back at the dwelling on\nThird and Lingan. (2)\n1834-1852\nBy 1834 Clement Cox held a trust on Lot 104 as well as on\nother lots owned by Mahorney. On January 26, 1833 Lot\n104 along with other property of Mahorney's was advertised\nin the Georgetown Metropolitan as being for sale at public\nauction. (3)\nDespite his losses, Mahorney continued to live in Georgetown,\nto deal in real estate, and to borrow money from many of the\nsame people. He was also active in civic affairs. At one\ntime he was a \"Messenger and Scavenger\" for the Board of\nAldermen of Georgetown, with responsibility for collecting\nbad debts and recovering stolen property.\nIn 1858 he left Georgetown and went to live with his daughter,\nHenrietta Herrell, in Washington. Mahorney's Will, written\nthe following year, contains several interesting features.\nThe first item provides for his servant man's purchase of his\nfreedom, so that he will be \" thence and forever free from\nthe service to anyone as a slave Mahorney willed one\nof his properties in Georgetown to a daughter, Emma Offutt.\nHe provided for four of his other children by ordering equal\ndivision of the remainder of his estate. He left five dol-\nlars to his daughter, Matilda, a \"Sister of Charity. u He\nalso willed five dollars each to his sons, John and George,\n\" to be paid if they shall ever come back, as both have\nbeen gone for many years since I have heard from them.\"\n(4)\n565\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 4)\nIt was Alfred Boutcher (or Boucher), a grocer, who bought Lot\n104, part of it in 1834 and another portion in 1837. Boucher\nowned other property in the neighborhood. His business\nestablishment was on the corner of Potomac Street and Bridge\nStreet (M Street). (5)\n1852-1866\nIn 1852 Alfred Boucher and his wife sold the property to\nThomas Hunter, who held it only two years before selling it\nto William W. Corcoran. Tax assessment records for 1865-70\nshow that Corcoran's property, Lot 104, 30 feet fronting\non Lingan Street, extending 120 feet deep, included \"Improve-\nments: Two Story Frame Tenement\" valued at $300, while the\nland was valued at $250. (6)\nWilliam W. Corcoran had been active in Georgetown affairs for\nmany years. He was an officer of the Potomac Fire Insurance\nCompany in 1831. He was one of the founders in 1840 of the\nbanking firm, Corcoran and Riggs, from which the present\nRiggs National Bank developed. In 1859 he began the construc-\ntion of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, his private collection\nforming the nucleus of what is now one of the major cultural\ninstitutions in Washington. (7)\n1866-1901\nJust after the Civil War, in 1866, Corcoran sold the property\nto Dennis Harrington, a laborer, who owned and lived in the\nformer Mahorney house on the nearby corner of Third (P) and\nLingan (36th) Streets. (8) Dennis and his wife, Mary, resided\nin part of the house and rented some of their rooms to\nfellow laborers--the bricklayers, stone-cutters, and car-\npenters who were arriving in great numbers.\n566\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 5)\nIn western Georgetown during the period when many Irish immi-\ngrants were coming to work on construction in Georgetown and\nthe nearby Federal City, it was common practice for the first\nones to acquire a home and take in friends and relatives who\ncame over to join them, until they were able to establish\ntheir own homes. It is likely that the Harringtons bought\nthe house on Lingan (36th) Street as an investment and rented\nit to friends and relatives.\nAfter Dennis Harrington's death in 1867, his widow, Mary, held\non to the property on Lingan Street, as well as the nearby\nproperty where she and her children lived. When Mary died, in\n1876, her heirs continued to possess all of this property\nuntil 1901.\n1901-1969\nOn June 24, 1901 Julia Sullivan, a relative, bought the property;\nbut according to Dennis's descendant John Harrington, also a\ncousin of the Sullivans, Julia never lived in the house at\n1423 36th Street. Mrs. Sullivan died in 1928 and Katherine,\nher only child, inherited the property.\nThe house was rented to a series of people for many years. In\n1933-34, the house was in such disrepair that it either had to\nbe demolished or repaired. It was at this time that extensive\nremodeling was carried out. (9)\nKatherine Sullivan lived in the house and in her later years,\nuntil her death in January 1969, shared her home with her\ncousin, John A. Harrington, who still occupies the premises.\n567\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 6)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1821\nJohn Threlkeld\nDeed September 21, 1821\nto\nRecorded October 9, 1821\nGeorge Mahorney\nLiber W.B. 2, folio 354\nWest one-half of Lots 104 and 105\n1829\nJohn Threlkeld and\nDeed August 19, 1829\nJeremiah W. Bronaugh, Tr.\nRecorded August 31, 1829\nto\nLiber W.B. 26, folio 468\nGeorge Mahorney\nEast one-half of Lots 104 and 105\n1834\nClement Cox, Tr.\nDeed July 2, 1834\nunder trust from\nRecorded July 2, 1834\nGeorge Mahorney\nLiber W.B. 51, folio 16\nto\nAlfred H. Boutcher\n(or Boucher)\n568\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 7)\n1837\nJohn Pickrell, Tr.\nDeed July 1, 1837\nGeorge Mahorney and\nRecorded November 27, 1837\nwife, Eleanor\nLiber W.B. 64, folio 455\nto\nAlfred H. Boutcher\nRemaining portion of northern half of Lot 104\nrequired to complete present Lot 813,\n1852\nAlfred H. Boucher and\nDeed May 10, 1852\nwife, Sarah\nRecorded May 17, 1852\nto\nLiber JAS 40, folio 427\nThomas Hunter\n1854\nThomas Hunter and\nDeed May 17, 1853\nwife, Jane\nRecorded May 19, 1853\nto\nLiber JAS 56, folio 105\nWilliam W. Corcoran\n1866\nWilliam W. Corcoran\nDeed August 1, 1866\nto\nRecorded August 10, 1866\nDennis Harrington\nLiber RMH 18, folio 400\n569\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 8)\n1901\nJohn J. Harrington and\nDeed June 24, 1901\nwife, Annie E.\nRecorded August 7, 1901\nMary E.V. Dugan and\nLiber 2558, folio 409\nhusband, Michael A.\nCatherine A. Woody, widow\n(all heirs of Dennis Harrington)\nto\nJulia Sullivan\n1928\nJulia Sullivan died intestate, March 26,' 1928. Her only heir,\nKatherine Sullivan, inherited the property.\n1969\nKatherine Sullivan died\nWill June 22, 1961\nin January, 1969, be-\nFiled February 28, 1969\nqueathing Lot 813 in\nAdministrative number not yet\nSquare 1247 (1423 36th\nassigned as estate is in pro-\nSt. N.W.) to John A.\ncess of being settled and\nHarrington, her cousin.\nprobate has not yet taken place.\n570\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 9)\nReferences\n1. City Directory. 1830, p. 10; 1834, P. 14; 1853, P. 65.\n2. Same reference as #1. 1830, P. 10.\n3. Georgetown Metropolitan. January 26, 1833. (Newspaper\nReading Room Serial Division, Library of Congress.)\n4. Will, George Mahorney, March 27, 1859, Probated October\n26, 1875. Admin. 4108. os, Will Book 15, page 194,\nRegister of Wills, Washington, D.C.\n5. Same reference as #1. 1834, p. 2.\n6. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assess-\nment of Real and Personal Property, Microcopy 605,\nNational Archives Record Group 351, Roll 12 (1865-70).\n7. Dictionary of American Biography. New York, New York:\nCharles Scribner's Sons, 1930, Vol. IV, p. 440.\n8. Same reference as #1. 1865, p. 383.\n9. Conversation with John Harrington, cousin of Katherine\nSullivan, 1423 36th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n571\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 10)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This is a simple frame free-standing\nhouse of the early to mid-nineteenth century. The front\nentrance has been inexpertly redesigned, but the cornice with\nits unusual modillion placement and the window sills with\nguttae appear to be early, if not original.\nCondition of fabric: Good, well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall dimensions: Approximately 20'-0\" by 16'-0\". Three\nunequal bays across 36th Street facade. Brick addition at\nrear approximately 16'-0\" by 20'-0\".\nFoundations: Brick.\nWall construction: Wood frame main block, brick rear addition.\nChimneys: One at rear of main block of house.\nOpenings:\nDoors and doorways: The front door has six raised\npanels and is flanked by a pair of fluted column\nshafts without caps supporting an entablature made\nof currently available stock mouldings.\n572\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 11)\nWindows and shutters: Windows in general have\nsix-over-six double-hung wood sash and louvered\nwood shutters. The sills are unusual in that\nthey each have three triangular guttae, one at\neach side and one in the center. Shutter-dogs\nare of wrought iron design and appear to be\nearly.\nPorches: Recent semi-circular brick stoop has what appears\nto be an early wrought-iron boot scraper.\nRoof:\nShape and covering: Gable; ridge running\nnorth-south; standing seam metal covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Wood cornice has four scrolled\nbrackets and eighteen smaller scrolled\nmodillions. The cornice is unusual in\nthat the modillions are mounted vertical-\nly like small brackets.\nDormers: None.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor plan: Much remodeled in the 1920's, this house has little\nof its original interior detail. Basically, the original house\nhad one room above another with fireplaces in the rear (east)\nwall and stairs along the north wall. In 1928 the basement\nwas excavated and stairs built to it, a dining room and kitchen\nwere added to the first floor, and a bedroom and bath added to\nthe second floor. The living room fireplace was rebuilt in\nbrick and the second floor fireplace closed up.\n573\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 12)\nStairways: The landing just inside the front door is two steps\nabove the living room floor. From there the closed-string\nstair ascends along the north wall to the second floor. The\nenclosed attic stair is above this and is reached from the east\nbedroom.\nFlooring: All flooring is modern oak strip flooring except\nthe attic floor, which is very wide random pine boards.\nWall and ceiling finish: Plaster, painted or wallpapered;\nbasement ceilings are pressed metal.\nDoor and doorways: Doors in general have four panels (late\nnineteenth-century) or two panels (early twentieth_century),\nbut the door to the attic stair is an early batten door\ncomplete with original cast iron thumblatch.\nDecorative features and trim: The living room mantel has been\nreplaced with a brick surround and corbelled mantelpiece.\nThe door and window trim, according to the present resident,\nMr. John Harrington, was replaced in 1928, but was an earlier\nmoulding from another source, re-used. It is a wide fluted\ncasing and occurs throughout.\nHardware: No notable hardware other than cast iron thumblatch\non the attic door and the scrolled wrought-iron shutter dogs.\nLighting: No notable fixtures.\nHeating: Radiators throughout.\n574\nMAHORNEY-HARRINGTON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-188 (Page 13)\nSite\nGeneral setting and orientation: Located on the east side\nof 36th Street, this house is one of a neighborhood of\nhouses of varying ages and styles which, however, have a\nuniformity of scale and size. The rear yard is a full\nstory lower than the front yard.\nEnclosures: Rear yard is enclosed with a wood paling fence,\nthe small front planting area is surrounded with stock wire\nfencing.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: Brick,\nLandscaping: Informal residential scale planting.\nPrepared by The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nMarch 5, 1969\n575\n576\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-206\nHARNEDY ROW HOUSES\nAddress in 1969:\n3617, 3619 and 3621 Prospect Street, N.W.,\nWashington, D.C.\nLocation:\nThe houses occupy Lot 50 in Square 53 in\nPeter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition to Georgetown, now taxed as Lots\n65, 66, 67 in Harnedy's Subdivision in\nSquare 1223 in the City of Washington.\nDate of erection:\n1890's\nOwners in 1969:\nPresident and Directors of Georgetown\nCollege\nOccupants in 1969:\nRental tenants\nUse in 1969:\nResidences\nSignificance:\nTypical of low-income, inexpensively built\nrental row houses of the late nineteenth\ncentury, these houses reflect the mode of\nliving of artisans of that period. Sub-\nsequent renovations have enabled these\nbuildings to continue as rental property.\n577\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1836-1850\nIn 1836 John A. Smith, who had been appointed trustee to sell\nLot 50 and other property which had belonged to Leonard M.\nDeakins, sold the lot in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition to Georgetown on which the present three houses\nstand to John Hoye.\nHoye was a wealthy landowner with a prosperous estate near\nCumberland in Allegheny County and considerable other land-\nholdings throughout Maryland. His Georgetown property, as\nwell as much of his land elsewhere, was no doubt held for\ninvestment purposes for he willed his house and estate in\nAllegheny County to his wife, stating that if she would not\naccept this provision \"then she is to take her dower and\nlegal interest alone which on account of the unproductive\nnature of much of my said real estate will not be very\nvaluable.' (1)\n1850-1890\nJohn Hoye died in June 1849. His Will reflects the character\nof the man and the spirit of the times: \"Being in impaired\nHealth of body, but of Sound disposing mind, memory and un-\nderstanding that I may be the better prepared to leave this\nscene of things whenever it shall please the Almighty to call\nme hence I commend my Spirit to the Keeping of its merciful\nAuthor and my body I commit to the earth\n\"\n(2)\nA year after his death, in 1850, Hoye's executor, George Smith,\nsold Lot 50 to Timothy O'Donnoghue. In 1830 Timothy had been a\n578\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 3)\ngrocer with a business at Market Space south of Bridge (now M)\nStreet. (3) Three years after buying Lot 50 on Prospect Street,\nhe is listed as having a \"candle factory, south side of 1st\n(now N Street) near College, Georgetown\" and also in 1853 as\noperating with Patrick O'Donnoghue a \"candle & soap factory,\nnorth side G north between 4th and 5th W\" in the City of\nWashington. (4) Since Lot 50 adjoined on the south the property\non which Timothy had his candle business on First Street, it\nis probable that it was also used for part of the operation.\nIn 1858, a year before his death, the City Directory shows\nTimothy in the same location listed as \"Timothy O'Donnoghue\n& Son (James), soap & candle manufacturers, 1st (N) corner\nLingan (36th), house 98 First.\" (5)\nPatrick O'Donnoghue, listed as \"Tallow Chandler Second (0)\nStreet near Warren (37th)\" as early as 1830 and in partner-\nship in the City of Washington with Timothy in 1853, bought\nLot 50 from Timothy's executors in 1859. (6) The next year\nthe City Directory shows Patrick as \"soapmaker, house 121\n2nd Street. (7) Throughout the nineteenth century there\nwere many O'Donnoghues in the soap and candle business, both\nin the western end of Georgetown and, as their business\nexpanded, in the City of Washington.\n1890-1954\nPatrick O'Donnoghue held Lot 50 on the north side of Prospect\nStreet for thirty-one years, presumably using it most of\nthat period in connection with his candle and soap manufactur-\ning operations. In 1890 Mary E. Harnedy bought the land\nand a few years later subdivided Lot 50 into three lots,\n65, 66, and 67, on which she and her husband, William, build\nthree similar houses. (Tax records for 1893-94 show Lot 50\nassessed to Mary Harnedy still vacant, so it is probable\nthat the houses were put up about 1895. (8) These houses\n(3617, 3619, and 3621) were evidently built for rental\npurposes, for Mary Harnedy never lived at that location.\n579\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 4)\nIn 1889 the Harnedys had a liquor business at 3288 M Street.\nThey are shown at the M Street address operating consecutive-\nly a liquor store, restaurant, saloon, and barber shop\nthroughout the 1890's. William Harnedy died about 1901,\nfor Mary E. Harnedy, \"widow William, is found living at\n3286 M Street from 1902 to 1907.\nIn 1908 Mary took as her second husband Nicholas Graef, a\ncooper who was living at 509 22nd Street,N.W. That same\nyear he moved to Mary's house on M Street and is listed\nin the following years as both a grocer and a cooper. (9)\nMary E. Harnedy Graef died in December 1913, leaving\neverything to her husband, Nicholas, and upon his death to\nFrank P. Reeside as trustee. Mary's will stipulated that\nthe trustee should rent, lease, and collect money from her\nreal estate and pay the net income to Annie C. Clarke.\nIt also stated that not more than ten years after Annie's\ndeath the money and real estate should go to the College\nand Commissariat of the Holy Land of the U.S.A. (10)\nThe Harnedy row houses changed occupants often. In 1914\nthey were occupied by Elias Joseph, a tailor (in 3617),\nTheodore Lipscomb, a policeman (in 3619), and George\nShism, a carpenter (in 3621). (11) Fifteen years later,\nin 1930, the middle house was vacant but a house painter,\nLawrence Vermillion, rented the western most house while\na tile setter, Charles Gates, rented the eastern most\nhouse. (12) By the middle of the next decade the occupants\nhad again changed but had the same kinds of occupations\nas the earlier tenants. Luther Smallwood, a carpenter,\nwas living in 3617; Marshall Miller, occupation not men-\ntioned, was in 3619; and Calvin Hill, a guard, was\nrenting 3621. (13)\nWhen Nicholas Graef died in 1953, the estate of Mary E. H.\nGraef consisted of eight lots in the western end of George-\ntown on which stood seven dwellings and a store. Rents\ncollected at that time for 3617, 3619, and 3621 Prospect\nwere $19.18, $12.77, and $20.43 per month, respectively.\n580\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 5)\n1954-1969\nThe Board of Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings of D.C.\nissued a warrant against the holdings of the estate the\nnext year. Since there were not adequate funds in the\nestate for improving the eight buildings, six of the houses\nwere sold to Georgetown College for $37,500; the two\nexceptions were the house and store on M Street. The\nproceeds for this transaction went to Annie C. Marmaduke\n(who died in 1965) and the Commissariat of the Holy Land\nfor the U.S.A. (14)\nFollowing extensive renovation the Harnedy row houses were\nrented as residences. Georgetown University still uses\nthe property for rental purposes.\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1836\nJohn A. Smith, Tr.\nDeed July 16, 1836\nto\nRecorded July 16, 1836\nJohn Hoye\nLiber W.B. 59, folio 5\nRecites that by Decree of the Supreme Court of the\nDistrict of Columbia passed in the case of John\nHoye as Heir at Law of Leonard M. Deakins et al,\nApril 11, 1829 and January 13, 1830, John A. Smith\nwas appointed trustee to sell Lot 50 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition as well as\nother lots.\n581\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 6)\n1850\nGeorge Smith, Ex.,\nDeed August 2, 1850\nlast Will of\nRecorded August 5, 1850\nJohn Hoye\nLiber JAS 16, folio 24\nto\nTimothy O'Donnoghue\n1859\nTimothy O'Donnoghue\nWill March 3, 1859\ndied.\nProbated March 29, 1859\nWill Book 8, page 68\nSarah O'Donnoghue (wife)\nDeed May 13, 1859\nJames O'Donnoghue (son)\nRecorded August 3, 1859\nPeter O'Donnoghue (brother), Liber JAS 180, folio 129\nExecutors under the Will\nof Timothy O'Donnoghue\nto\nPatrick O'Donnoghue\n1890\nPatrick O'Donnoghue,\nDeed November 8, 1890\nwidower\nRecorded December 5, 1890\nto\nLiber K-10, folio 31\nMary E. Harnedy\n1901\nWilliam Harnedy died in 1901.\n582\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 7)\n1908\nMary E. Harnedy married (for second\ntime) Nicholas Graef.\n1913\nMary E. Harnedy Graef died\nWill January 9, 1912\nDecember 23, 1913. Frank\nProbated March 2, 1914\nP. Reeside was appointed\nWill Book 83, page 463\ntrustee under her Will.\nAdministration 20452\n1953\nNicholas Graef died January 1953.\nFrederick Stohlman and\nAnnie Clarke Marmaduke\nJoseph A. Rafferty were\nvs.\nappointed substitute\nCommissariat of the Holy\ntrustees for Frank P.\nLand of the U.S.A. et al.\nReeside, deceased in\nCivil Action 1878-53\n1926, under civil action\ncase.\n1954\nFrederick Stohlman and\nDeed December 6, 1954\nJoseph A. Rafferty,\nRecorded December 8, 1954\ntrustees\nLiber 10327, folio 343\nto\nPresident and Directors of\nGeorgetown College\n583\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 8)\nReferences\n1. Will of John Hoye, March 2, 1849, probated July 27, 1877,\nWill Book A, page 697, Allegheny County, Maryland.\n2. Same reference as #1.\n3. City Directory. 1830, p. 11.\n4. Same reference as #3. 1853, p. 76.\n5. Same reference as #3. 1858, P. 459.\n6. Same reference as #3. 1830, p. 11; 1853, P. 76.\n7. Same reference as #3. 1860, p. 171.\n8. Zevely-Finley, General Assessment of All Real Property in\nGeorgetown in the District of Columbia 1893-94.\nWashington, D.C.: A.G. Gedney, 1894.\n9. Same reference as #3. 1889, p. 450; 1891, P. 482; 1892,\np. 487; 1894, p. 504; 1902, P. 557; 1906, p. 541; 1907, P.\n619; 1908, p. 583; 1910, p. 625; 1914, p. 559.\n10. Will of Mary E. Harnedy Graef, January 9, 1912, probated\nMarch 2, 1914, Will Book 83, page 463, Administration\n20452.\n584\nHARNEDY HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 9)\n11. Same reference as #3. 1914, p. 1676, p. 734, p. 816,\nP. 307.\n12. Same reference as #3. 1930, p. 2013, p. 1556, p. 640.\n13. Same reference as #3. 1943, P. 214, p. 1379, p. 1038,\np. 698.\n14. . Civil Action case #1878-53, Annie C. Marmaduke vs.\nCommissariat of the Holy Land for the U.S.A., U.S.\nDistrict Court for the District of Columbia, 1953.\n585\nHARNEDY ROW HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 10)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This is one of three similar frame\nhouses in a row. Built in the last part of the nineteenth\ncentury, the outward appearance of this row has been little\naltered over the years. They are simple flat fronted frame\nhouses with little ornamentation other than their simplified\nversion of the elaborate Victorian cornices seen earlier in\nthat period.\nCondition of Fabric: Good, reasonably well-maintained.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Approximately 16'-0\" by 20'-0\" with\na 12'-0\" by 12'-0\" ell. Two bays across Prospect Street\nfacade. Two stories high.\nFoundations: Stucco on masonry.\nWall Construction: Frame with plain drop siding and flat corner\nboards.\nChimneys: One about 16\" square at rear of main block.\n586\nHARNEDY ROW HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 11)\nOpenings:\nDoorways and Doors: The front door has eight raised\npanels and a three-light transom. There is a simple\nflat wood surround with a small cyTa reversa cap.\nThe doorway has two red sandstone steps down to the\nsidewalk.\nWindows and Shutters: Windows in general have six-\nover-six double-hung wood sash with a flat wood\nsurround and a small cyma reversa cap moulding.\nThe apron is a heavy cyma reversa moulding with\nbreaks at the ends to form small brackets. The\nfront windows have louvered wood shutters (modern\nreplacements).\nPorches: None.\nRoof:\nShape and Covering: Low shed roof pitched toward rear\n(north); metal covering.\nFraming: Wood (assumed).\nCornice: Wood; a simple late Victorian cornice with broad\nsoffit, simple brackets and modillions.\nDormers: None.\n587\nHARNEDY ROW HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 12)\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plan: The first floor has a living room across the Prospect\nStreet front, an enclosed stair and a small hallway across the\nmiddle, and a dining room across the rear. At the northwest corner\nis an ell containing a kitchen and small pantry. The second floor\nhas a bedroom across the front, the stair and landing across the\nmiddle, a hallway along the west side, a bedroom on the east, and\na bath in the northwest ell. There is no basement.\nStairways: A simple enclosed stair runs from a small hallway\non the east between the dining and living rooms up to a\nlanding one riser below the level of the hallway on the second\nfloor.\nFlooring: Pine, 4\" to 5\" wide, probably original.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Painted plaster.\nDoorways and Doors: All doors are mid-twentieth century six-\npanel replacements.\nDecorative Features and Trim: There is a cornice in both the\ndining and living rooms made up of stock mouldings; it is box-\nlike in form and somewhat naive in design. The doors and windows\nhave an unmoulded flat trim.\nHardware: All mid-twentieth century replacements.\nLighting: All mid-twentieth century incandescent fixtures, none\nof note.\nHeating: Small boiler in pantry of kitchen.\n588\nHARNEDY ROW HOUSES\nHABS No. DC-206 (Page 13)\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: This is one of a group of\nthree similar frame houses on the north side of the westernmost\ndeveloped block of Prospect Street. While the south side of\nthe street has several brick houses of a somewhat formal\nnature, the north side of the street is made up of very simple\nlate nineteenth-century frame houses.\nEnclosures: Simple board fence around rear yard.\nOutbuildings: None.\nWalks: The house is built abutting the brick public sidewalk.\nLandscaping: No front yard; informal residential planting in the\nrear yard surrounding a brick-paved terrace.\nPrepared by: The Office of Walter G. Peter, Jr.\nAIA\nArchitect\nMarch 19, 1969\n589\n06£\nHISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. DC-69\nHALCYON HOUSE\nAddress in 1969:\n3400 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.\n(Formerly this address was known as Prospect,\ncorner of Frederick Street.)\nLocation:\nThe house is located on old Lots 44, 45,\n46, 47 and 48 out of old Lot 32, out of\nold Lot 17 and parts of 16, 18, and 19,\nin old Square 34, Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld\nand Deakins Addition to Georgetown, now\ntaxed as Lot 814, Square 1204 in Washington,\nD.C.\nDate of erection:\n1787\nOwners in 1969:\nEdmund W. Dreyfuss and Blake Construction\nCo.\nOccupants in 1969:\nMr. and Mrs. George Roper in original\nhouse and tenants in apartments.\nUse in 1969:\nResidence and apartments\nSignificance:\nWithin the shell of the present structure,\nreasonably intact, is a very fine example\nof a free-standing Georgian mansion.\nBuilt by Benjamin Stoddert, our first Sec-\nretary of the Navy, it was the scene of\nfrequent informal conferences in connection\nwith the shaping of national as well as\nGeorgetown history. Despite its twentieth-\ncentury disfigurement, the early house\nretains much of its original detail and\nshould be considered a prime prospect for\npreservation.\n591\n\"Within the shell of the present structure, reasonably intact,\nis a very fine example of a free-standing Georgian mansion.\"\nHalcyon House prior to twentieth-century disfigurement\n(Peabody Room, Georgetown Public Library)\n592\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 2)\nHISTORICAL INFORMATION\n1786-1819\nBenjamin Stoddert built the house on the corner of Frederick\n(34th) Street and Prospect Street, naming it \"Halcyon House\"\nmost appropriately, for the calm beauty of the dwelling\nepitomized the fabled halcyon, a bird which had the power of\ncharming winds as it nested on the floating sea.\nThe erection date of the house is generally credited as 1783;\nhowever, investigation of early land records of Montgomery\nCounty indicates a later date of construction. Stoddert did\nnot buy the land on which Halcyon House stands until November\n26, 1786. The deed, between William Deakins, Junior and\nJohn Threlkeld, both of Montgomery County and State of Mary-\nland, of the one part, and Benjamin Stoddert of the County\nand State aforesaid. was recorded on April 18, 1787 in\nMontgomery County, Maryland.\nThe deed clearly states that Stoddert bought \"...all those\ntwo Lotts or portions of ground in Beatty's, Peter's,\nThrelkeld's E Deakins' Addition to George Town known and\ndistinguished by numbers sixteen and seventeen\n\"\nFor\nthe property Stoddert paid 100 pounds to Deakins and one\nshilling to Threlkeld. (The token payment was merely a\nprotection of his wife's family claim. She was Elizabeth\nRidgely, Deakins's stepdaughter--the child of his wife,\nJane, by her first marriage. Threlkeld's gesture thus\nrecognized his wife's family relationship, but relinquished\nprofit from the sale to his father-in-law.) There is no\nmention in the deed of any buildings on the land and the\nlow figure of the purchase corroborates the absence of a\nstructure on the land. (2)\n593\nBenjamin Stoddert,\nfirst Secretary\nof the Navy\nand builder of\nHalcyon House\n(Peabody Room,\nGeorgetown\nPublic Library)\nWilliam Drahins Jun. Musumf forms\nCarrent money and the vaid Iohn Holdreld Anand inconsidena tion Jonodrilling\nthese presents the and and The and Whit\nto them under tively (1) hano Furw blow the Onmating andelelway A\ndo, Acknow adge Bangained atiand and\nby these presents dб амч grand Bangain all Econfium unto the and Bonyamin\nModdul his luin Papins forwer all. than two Lothin portions offround \"\nBeathy's Pilus Andhelds 4. Deahim Addition to Progit Down from and\ndid anquired bynumbers cirtun referred ring had so Mu wath\nraid Excluion baging Youn, in, the hands of the commpreoms good \"oure\n\"\ninvestigation of early land records of Montgomery County\nindicates a later date of construction.\"\n1786 Deed between William Deakins, Jr. and John Threlkeld\nand Benjamin Stoddert (Land Records, Montgomery County\nCourthouse, Rockville, Maryland)\n594\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 3)\nHalcyon House was built on Lot 17 with its gardens extending\ninto Lot 16. Lot 17 was at the corner of Prospect Street\nand Frederick (34th) Street; Lot 16 was at the corner of\nBridge (M) Street and Frederick. The two lots joined, and\ntogether they comprised the eastern half of the square.\nIt was not until 1795 that Stoddert acquired the western half\nof the square. He paid William Deakins 450 pounds for Lots\n18 and 19. Lot 18 was on the corner of Fayette (35th) Street\nand Bridge Street, and Lot 19 was on the corner of Fayette\nand Prospect Streets. The lots adjoined each other, as well\nas Lots 16 and 17 which Stoddert already owned. Thus, Benjamin\nStoddert, at the age of 44, owned the entire block in which\nhe lived.\nBenjamin Stoddert was born in 1751 in Charles County, Maryland,\nthe only son of Sarah and Thomas Stoddert. Benjamin's grand-\nfather, James Stoddert, \"a man of education and a surveyor by\nprofession, 14 emigrated from Scotland about 1650 and settled in\nMaryland. He continued his surveying career in the new\ncountry, but in addition, being a man of means, he invested in\nland. (3)\nJames Stoddert's youngest son, Thomas (Benjamin's father), in-\nherited a large tract of land from two of his brothers who\ndied in their youth. Thomas married Sarah Marshall, daughter\nof Thomas Marshall, of Marshall Hall. Benjamin and his sister,\nSarah, grew up in an environment of comfort and ease.\nBenjamin Stoddert, in his youth, spent some years in Philadelphia,\nwhether to attend school or to learn the shipping business is\nnot clear. However, it was in Philadelphia, early in the Revolu-\ntionary War, that he joined Captain Hartley's \"Additional\nContinental Regiment of Cavalry\" with the rank of captain. (4)\nHe was wounded so severely at Brandywine that he was no longer\nfit for military service. In 1779 he resigned his commission,\nwhich was then that of major. He declined a government pension\nfeeling that he had the means to support himself.\n595\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 4)\nIn that same year, 1779, he was named Secretary to the Revolu-\ntionary War Board in Philadelphia. John Adams, the future\nPresident of the United States, was at that time President\nof the War Board. For the next two years Stoddert labored\narduously with the complicated problems of carrying on the\nRevolutionary War.\nIn February 1781 he resigned his post and returned to Maryland.\nOn June 7 of that year a marriage license was issued at\nMarlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland, to Benjamin C.\nStoddert and Rebecca Lowndes, daughter of Christopher Lowndes\nof Bostock House, Maryland. Christopher Lowndes, a wealthy\nshipping merchant, had been one of the founders of Bladens-\nburg in 1746. Bladensburg was named for his wife's uncle,\nThomas Bladen, who in 1742 was Governor of Maryland. (5)\nIn 1783, two years after his marriage, Stoddert began a\nmercantile career of his own as a partner in the Georgetown\nshipping firm of Forrest, Stoddert and Murdock, which estab-\nlished branches in England and France. The firm prospered\nand Stoddert's increased income may have been a factor in\nhis decision in 1785 to buy land in Georgetown and build a\nhome there.\nStoddert was interested in real estate as well as in trade.\nHe began to acquire extensive property holdings in Georgetown\nand Washington in addition to his holdings in Maryland. (6)\nTaking an active role in civic affairs, he developed into\none of the most public-spirited and influential citizens in\nthe community.\nHis close associates included not only leaders in Georgetown,\nbut many of our early patriots--men such as George Washington\nand John Adams--men with whom Stoddert worked diligently to\nstrengthen the young nation. Halcyon House was often the\nscene of parties where the Stodderts' friends gathered. In\n1796 Mrs. Stoddert wrote to her niece, Eliza:\n\"Mrs. Mason will dine here on Thursday. I\nbelieve I shall have a pretty large party\nagain--Mr. Lee's family will make part of\nit.\" (7)\n596\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 5)\nA newspaper story describing the history of Halcyon House\nrecords the important role Stoddert played in choosing\nthe site of the Federal government:\n\"He [Stoddert] played a prominent part in\nhaving the seat of government situated\nhere. Considerable correspondence still\nexists showing that George Washington\nleaned heavily upon Stoddert for advice\nin selecting the area for the Capital.\" (8)\nWilliam Tindall, in his Standard History of the City of\nWashington, quotes much of this correspondence. (9)\nStoddert was one of the nineteen \"original proprietors\"\nwho signed the agreement for the ten mile square of land\nfor the District of Columbia. In 1793, when the Bank of\nColumbia was founded to handle the transactions involved\nin establishing the new seat of government, Stoddert was\none of the incorporators of the bank and five years later\nits president. (10) (11)\nDuring these fruitful years, Stoddert and his growing\nfamily were enjoying the beauty and comfort of living at\nHalcyon House. There were times, however, when Stoddert\napparently sought refuge from the turmoil by retreating\nto his country home in Maryland. Mrs. Stoddert tells her\nniece, Eliza, in a letter dated September 11, 1796, of\na noisy girls' party at Halcyon House and adds that she is\nglad her husband is not at home, for his not being\nwell would make such a partying irksome to him--he went\nto the Farm this morning and from there went to Dine\nwith Dr. Thornton whose farm adjoins ours (12)\nIn 1798 this pleasant mode of life was interrupted.\nPresident John Adams, who held Stoddert in high esteem\nas a result of his close association with him during\nthe War Board days, appointed him Secretary of the Navy\nto direct the newly formed Department of the Navy.\n597\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 6)\nThose were difficult days, for France and the United States\nwere perilously close to war. Stoddert must have felt the\ntug of conflict as he debated his responsibility to the\nnation and his personal desire for a quiet life for himself\nand his family. In a letter written to Francis Lowndes,\nhis wife's brother, on May 26, 1798, he expresses his\ndilemma:\n\"I suppose you have heard of my appointment\nto be Secretary of the Navy of the United\nStates. I have not determined to accept--\nand what you will think more extraordinary\n--I have not determined to refuse. I hate\noffice--have no desire for fancied or real\nimportante and wish to spend my life in\nretirement and ease without bustle of any\nkind. Yet it seems cowardly at such a time\nas this to refuse an important and highly\nresponsible position (13)\nStoddert did accept, and along with the rest of the Cabinet\nmoved to Philadelphia, which was the temporary seat of\ngovernment pending the completion of facilities in the\nnew Capital in Washington.\nStoddert preceded his wife and family in Philadelphia. When\nthey joined him, they lived initially at a boarding house\noperated by Mrs. Rosanna White and patronized by many notable\nfigures; later they took a house of their own. Mrs. Stoddert,\nin letters to her cousin, Miss Eliza Gantt, told of break-\nfasting daily with George Washington at the boarding house.\nThe letters give a lively account of the social scene in\nPhiladelphia, but do not conceal Mrs. Stoddert's longing to\nresume life in her lovely home in Georgetown. In April 1799,\nshe wrote her cousin, \"You can scarcely conceive how anxious\nI am to return.\" (14)\n598\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 7)\nBut during their two-year sojourn in Philadelphia Secretary\nStoddert achieved formidable accomplishments in his new\nDepartment. He drafted the bill to organize the U.S.\nMarine Corps; he pushed Congress to appropriate money for\nsix Navy yards; he got Congressional approval for building\nmore powerful 74-gun naval vessels. (15)\nPresident Adams was laudatory about the quality of the navy\nwhich Stoddert built and its success in the crisis with\nFrance:\n\"[The Navy] called suddenly into existence\nby a great national exigency, has raised us in\nour own esteem and by the protection afforded\nour oommerce, has effected to the extent of our\nexpectations the object for which it was created.\" (16)\nWhen George Washington died in 1799 a memorial service was held\nfor him in Philadelphia. Stoddert was one of the pall bearers\nat the ceremony.\nIn 1800 before the seat of government was moved to Washington,\nPresident Adams asked Stoddert to take on the additional\nduties of Secretary of War after James McHenry resigned that\noffice. (17) He did so, continuing as Secretary of both the\nNavy and War Departments until April 1801. Although Thomas\nJefferson, the new President, asked Stoddert to remain in\noffice, he did so for only one month before retiring to\nprivate life.\nThe Stodderts were delighted to return to their beloved home\n--or perhaps \"mansion\" is a more appropriate term in view of\nthe 1800-1807 tax appraisal of $8,000 for \"1 Square with\nimprovement where he lives.\" The style of their way of life\nis further disclosed by the same tax records which include:\n599\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 8)\n2 nigroe men\n$280\n2 nigroe women\n200\n3 nigroe girls\n200\n1 nigroe boy\n80\n2 cows\n30\n3 horses and\n2 carriages\n600\nFurniture\n600 (18)\nStoddert resumed his active efforts to promote the advance-\nment of the new Federal City. He invested heavily in real\nestate in Washington, and he became financially involved in\nmany civic projects such as the erection of The Upper Bridge\nacross the Eastern Branch. His spirit and imagination, his\nhopes for the new Capital, stimulated his activities beyond\nhis financial resources.\nBy 1801 Stoddert's finances were so shaky that he was forced\nto place a mortgage on his home. He turned to the Bank of\nColumbia, which he had helped to establish eight years earlier.\nAlthough he borrowed $50,000, he received only about two-\nthirds of that amount because his former debt to the bank was\ndeducted.\nTwo years later, in 1803, Stoddert described his own suffering\nfrom his financial decline to General Dayton:\n\"Do not be offended by anything I shall say. I\nhave been embarrassed & Disturbed in mind, almost\nbeyond bearing, ever since my return to private\nlife by being forced to assume debts to a large\namt. & take for my chances of reimbursement,\nCity lots.\n\"The story is too long to tell--E it is unnecessary\nto tell it--by continual efforts, I have sold a\ngood many lots & have pd. a good deal of debt.\nBut I have still too much of both on my hands for\npeace. If I could divest myself of feeling and\nreason myself into patience, I could make my City\nproperty produce an ample provision for my children,\nafter paying My Debts--and preserve a large Estate\nI have out of the City.\" (19)\n600\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 9)\nStoddert's misfortunes accumulated, for his wife died shortly\nafter the turn of the century leaving him with eight children.\n(20) One of them, Elizabeth, was married in the house six\nyears later, in 1807. It was a festive occasion attended by\nmany people of prominence. Allen Clark, in his Life and Letters\nof Dolly Madison, quotes a letter which Dolly Madison wrote to\nher sister, Mrs. Cutts, mentioning her attendance at the wed-\nding:\n\"We are quiet and have but few parties. We\nwent to the wedding feast of Miss Stoddard\nand dined last Saturday with (21)\nElizabeth (or \"Betsy\" as she was known in the family) married\nThomas Ewell who became an eminent physician and author, as well\nas a belowed son-in-law. Stoddert nàmed Dr. Ewell as his exec-\nutor, so fully did he trust and respect him.\nDr. and Mrs. Ewell lived in the Stoddert home where she took\ncharge of the household. Here she cared for her sisters and\nbrothers and her father until he retired to their country home,\n\"Beall's Pleasure,\" near Landover, Maryland, which Stoddert\nhad built in 1775. The lovely home is still in use, some-\ntimes opened for house and garden tours of the area. A local\nnewspaper atated:\n\" 'Beall's Pleasure' would stand on its own merits\nas a notable 18th-century structure without the\nlustre of famous inhabitants. The house is\nGeorgian (22)\nThe Ewells remained in Halcyon House although they did not own\nit. It was still in the hands of the Bank of Columbia with\nlittle Prospect of being redeemed, as the Stodderts' fortunes\nwere at low ebb.\nMarie Stoddert Turner describes Major Stoddert's last public\nappearance in 1812 at the funeral of his long-time friend,\nGeneral Lingan, who had met a violent death at the hands of\na mob in Baltimore:\n601\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 10)\n\"Lingan's mangled body was not allowed to be\ngiven to his family, but the people assembled\nin multitudes near Georgetown for funeral\nservices, at which Colonel Stuart and Major\nStoddert, both old Revolutionary soldiers,\nsupported on the platform the venerable\nMajor Musgrave\n(23)\nStoddert died, still heavily laden with debt, in 1813, in\nBladensburg, and was buried at Addison's Chapel, Maryland,\nbeside his wife.\nStoddert's reputation as a patriot continues to endure. One\nof his descendants gives a graphic delineation of Stoddert's\ncharacter:\n\"The man who won the confidence of Washington,\nthe affection of Adams, the esteem of Jefferson,\nthe intimate friendship of Light-Horse Harry Lee\nand Francis Scott Key, the respect of Aaron Burr,\nthe warm support of Truxton and Decatur, was, as\nhe said of himself, but a 'poor politician'.\nYet he gave to his country the unstinted service\nof his best years and never forfeited his integ-\nrity for peace, power or wealth His best\nlegacy to his children was the record of his\npatriotic life, and the motto which inspired it--\nDENIQUE DECUS.\"\nTruly Benjamin Stoddert, first owner of Halcyon House,\nexemplified in his life the full meaning of the Stoddert\nfamily motto, \"Denique Decus\" \"Honor at last.\" (24)\n1819-1839\nThe Ewells continued to live in Halcyon House until 1819, six\nyears after Stoddert's death. After the Ewells' departure,\nthe house was occupied by the newlywed couple, Mr. and Mrs.\nBenjamin Mackall. The story is often told that the bride's\nfather, William Whann, who was Cashier of the Bank of\nColumbia from 1801 to 1822, bought the house as a wedding\ngift for Anna Maria, his only daughter. This is probably\n602\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 11)\na tale that developed because tax records for 1818 show \"B.F.\nMackall, B. Stoddert's heirs\" assessed for lots 17 and 19\nand a two-story brick house at $7600. However, Mackall was\npaying the taxes most likely as a trustee for the Stoddert\nestate and actually the Mackalls never owned the property.\n(25) Moreover, land records show that the Bank of Columbia\ncontinued to own the property until 1834, when it was assumed\nby the Washington branch of the Bank of the United States as\npart of the transfer of assets when the Bank of Columbia went\nout of existence. (26)\nFour years later, in 1838, the Bank of the United States trans-\nferred a number of properties, including Lots 16, 17, 18\nand 19 with the large three-Story Brick house situated there-\non\n\"to Richard Smith as trustee with power to sell for a\ngroup of investors which included names prominent in the early\nhistory of Georgetown--Clement Smith, William S. Nicholls,\nJohn Kurtz, Samuel Swartout, Dudley Seldon, Elisha Riggs,\nJohn Carter, William Jewell, William W. Corcoran, Walter Mead,\nJohn S. Crary, and John Wainright.\n1839-1859\nThe following year, 1839, Smith and William Nicholls, represent-\ning the group of investors, sold all of Square 34, together\nwith the large three-Story Brick house thereon. to\nWilliam M. Worthington of Louisiana for $6500, of which $1000\nwas paid in cash. He placed a trust with the bank for the\nremainder of the purchase price, the property serving as\nsecurity.\nIt seems clear that Worthington was the first private owner\nof the property since Benjamin Stoddert. During the inter-\nvening years the house presumably was rented or vacant for\npart of the time. The address is not listed in the George-\ntown City Directories of 1830 and 1834.\n603\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 12)\nWorthington died in 1842, three years after his purchase of the\nproperty. He willed all of his property to his minor son,\nWilliam Nicholas Worthington. His wife, Alice, was named exec-\nutrix with power to sell the property at her discretion.\nAlice Worthington later married William H. Haxall of Richmond,\nVirginia. In 1849 the Haxalls sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in\nPeter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, with dwelling\nhouse and other improvements \" to Charles W. Pairo and his\nwife, Mary Jane, for $3500, of which $500 was paid in cash.\n(It is interesting to note that ten years earlier, Worthington\nhad paid almost twice as much for the same property.)\nThe remainder of the purchase price was handled through a loan\nthat Pairo and his wife received, together with Alice Haxall\nas guardian for her minor son, from George D. Fisher of Richmond,\nVirginia. The terms of the deed permitted Pairo, so long as\nhe made his payments promptly, to occupy, possess and enjoy\nthe said property and take the rents and profits thereof.\nCharles W. Pairo was a partner in a banking firm with William\nNourse at 462 15th Street in Washington. (27) Pairo and his\nfamily moved into the house and lived there until 1858, just be-\nfore the forced sale of the property. (28)\nBy 1857 Pairo and Nourse were having financial difficulty; much\nof their property, including Square 34 (Lots 16-19) and the\nbuildings, was assigned in trust to Samuel Edes of New York\nand \"...all creditors of the said Pairo and Nourse, jointly and\nseverally with Edes serving as trustee, with power to sell\nfor the benefit of creditors.\n1859-1900\nIn 1859 Samuel Edes sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19, together\nwith dwelling house and other improvements thereon...' to\nJohn L. Kidwell for $6000 cash. Kidwell was a prosperous\n604\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 13)\ndruggist who, in 1858, owned a business at 65 High Street\n(Wisconsin Avenue) and lived at 2 First (N) Street. (29)\nTwo years later, in 1860, he and J.A.S. Laurence are listed\nas druggists with their firm, Kidwell and Laurence, at 296\nE Street, north (N.W.) in Washington, although both of them\nlived in Georgetown. (30)\nKidwell, his wife, Catharine, and his four children--Emma, John\nW., Ida, and Julius moved into Halcyon House in 1860; it\nremained in the Kidwell family until the end of the century. (31)\nIn 1873 John L. Kidwell put all of his property in trust with\nMartin F. Morris for his wife, Catharine. Whether he had al-\nready become incapacitated by paralysis or whether he felt the\nthreat of impending illness is uncertain. But his effort to\nprotect his wife's security is clearly sèen in the terms of the\ndeed:\n\"Witnesseth that for and in consideration of\nthe natural love and affection of him the\nsaid John L. Kidwell for his wife Catharine\nA. Kidwell and of his desire to provide for\nher comfort and support and that of his\nfamily\nNot only did the deed include property in Washington and Lots\n16, 17, 18, and 19 in Georgetown, but also paintings,\npictures, engravings and works of art and all the furniture of\nevery kind in and upon the said premises. (32)\nEmma McCahill, a daughter of the Kidwells, returned to Washington\nfrom New York in 1879 and managed her invalid father's property\nfor him. Kidwell died in February of 1882. Eight months later\nMartin F. Morris, trustee, and Catharine A. Kidwell conveyed\nto Emma McCahill, for $20,000, Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition to Georgetown, together\nwith \" the buildings, improvements rents thereof and all\nrights and interest, both in dower and otherwise and all paint-\nings, pictures, engravings, and works of art, and all the\nfurniture in the premises.'\n605\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 14)\nThis deed became part of a lengthy lawsuit (1893-96), for\nCatharine Kidwell claimed she did not know the transaction was\n\"in fee simple,\" but thought it to be a trust. There were\nother bases for the suit which Catharine Kidwell brought\nagainst her children and Charles M. Mathews, surviving trustee,\nin a Deed of Trust transaction of 1872 when the property was\nsecurity against a loan of $10,000. One of the charges in\nthe litigation is particularly relevant to the history of\nHalcyon House. In 1885 Emma McCahill subdivided Lots 16-19\ninto Lots 20-38; most of these lots were small, but Lot 32,\non which Halcyon House is located, remained a large lot with\na 176-foot frontage on Prospect Street and 162.50 feet on\nFrederick (34th) Street.\nIn 1896 a decree of the Supreme Court of the District of\nColumbia ordered that all property which John L. Kidwell had\nput in trust for his wife in 1873 be sold. That same year\nthe property was advertised for sale at public auction, but\nno bid was made so the property was withdrawn from sale at\nthat time.\nIn order to make the second public sale of the property more\nadvantageous, Lot 32, on the corner of Prospect and 34th Streets,\nwas\ndivided into thirteen lots (lots 39-51 inclusive).\nHalcyon House was on Lot 48, with adjoining Lots 40-47\nfacing Prospect Street and Lots 49-51 facing 35th Street. (33)\nIn the newspaper advertisement, prior to the second public\nsale, on June 7, 1898, Lot 32 is described as being 28,600\nsquare feet, improved by a large commodious dwelling\nhouse containing 18 rooms. 11 (34)\nAt the public auction in June 1898 Emma McCahill bid for all\nof the property at fifty cents a square foot. (For 42,065\nsquare feet this amounted to $21032.50.) Then bids for indi-\nvidual lots were made, but they totaled less than the bid\nfor the entire property. Therefore, Emma McCahill's bid\nwas the highest and she acquired possession of the property.\n606\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 15)\n(The sale did not include the lots which she had already sold\nin 1885 and 1888--Lot 20 on the corner of 34th and M Streets,\nLots 33, 34, and 35 on 35th Street, Lot 36 on the corner of 35th\nand Prospect Streets, and Lots 37 and 38 on Prospect Street\nadjoining Lot 36 on the east.)\nDuring all of this period Catharine A. Kidwell and her son,\nJohn W., a chemist, continued to occupy Halcyon House. They\nlived there until 1900. (35) The only architectural change in\nthe house up to this time was the construction of a bay window,\nwhich replaced a rear door, facing Prospect Street.\n1900-1942\nIn 1900 Emma McCahill sold Lots 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48 (present\nLot 814) for $7500 to Albert Adsit Clemons who initiated a\nbizarre chapter in the history of the venerable dwelling, Halcyon\nHouse. Clemons, during his entire occupancy of nearly forty\nyears, \"remodeled\" Halcyon House, disfiguring it beyond cred-\nibility.\nThe house, as Stoddert planned it, was set back from the street,\nfacing the Potomac and the Virginia Shore. Clemons extended the\nwings flush with Prospect Street and built a new center front\nentrance joining them, thereby enclosing the entire old dwelling\nwithin a shell.\nAlbert Clemons, with the aid of a carpenter, both of whom are\nsaid to have lived in the cellar of the house, steadily, year\nby year, worked on the interior of the house, creating strange\nand manifold changes. He divided rooms into smaller ones; he\nbuilt halls and stairways. A theatre was built, although no\nrecord has been found of it having ever been used. He\nconstructed a ballroom where no balls have ever been known to\nhave occurred. He built a chapel, complete with pulpit. He\nseems to have been obsessed with doors, for he used them for\npanels in walls and ceilings.\n607\n12121\n\"Clemons, during his entire occupancy of nearly forty years,\n'remodeled' Halcyon House, disfiguring it beyond credibility.\"\nHalcyon House, extended east wing flush with Prospect Street\n(Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library)\n608\n8\nFH\nHalcyon House prior to Clemons' ownership (Library of Congress)\n609\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 16)\nThere was no surcease from Clemens' continuous \"improvements\"\nand no abatement in the neighbors' interest in each fresh\nonslaught Clemons made on Halcyon House. A newspaper report\nin 1966 described one resident's reaction:\n\"George Williams, a Georgetown resident since\n1925, can remember Clemons sitting on a barrel\nin front of his house directing the work....\nHe said that it was believed at the time that\nClemons was 'touched' and that he thought he\nwouldn't die as long as he kept on building\nsomething.\" (36)\nClemons gathered and hoarded an array of what he called \"antiques.'\nSome were genuine artifacts discarded from notable buildings and\nsome were odds and ends of every imaginable material--bits of\nmarble and stone, pieces of wrought iron, an assortment of win-\ndow frames. He collected paintings, furniture, rugs, building\nornaments--an amazing array of diverse objects. (The inventory\nof his collection, made after his death, consists of seventy-\nfive pages of legal-size paper!) (37)\nAlthough Clemons furnished the house with many of his treasures,\nsuch as the marble busts which sat in each of the five round\nattic windows with their backs to the street, his collection\nwas so extensive that he needed additional storage space. For\nthis purpose he bought, in 1915, the John Thomson Mason House\n(\"Quality Hill\") at 3425 Prospect Street. (38) He also bought\nthe house at 3410 Prospect Street for storing the overflow of\nobjects.\nClemons' eccentricity was manifest. A newspaper account described\nClemons\nas customarily appearing in a torn coat, an\nancient creased hat with holes at the peak, unpressed trousers,\nand always carrying a cane. (39)\nFor years the house was padlocked and all were denied admission.\nThen he built apartments in the house for rental purposes. A\ndescription of his efforts to entice tenants is reported in a\nnewspaper at the time of Clemons' death in 1938:\n610\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 17)\n\"Outside the house, up to five years ago, hung\nperhaps the sternest sign ever put up by a\nhopeful landlord. It read: Apartments for\nrent. No children, no dogs, no electricity\npermitted. Apartments furnished in beautiful\nantiques. \" (40)\nThere were conflicting theories about the source of income\nthat would support almost forty years of construction, as\nwell as a continuous collection of objects. A report in the\nWashington Daily News at the time of Clemons' death said,\n\"Clemons and his brother were believed to have made their\nmoney in New England utilities. \"(41) A later report in the\nTimes-Herald said that Clemons \" had plenty of money\nreportedly provided by his wife on condition that he stay\naway from her.' (42)\nIt is true that Clemons and his wife were separated. She\nwas Elizabeth White, daughter of Senator White of New Hamp-\nshire. (43) Mrs. Clemons never lived in Halcyon House.\nOne curious aspect of the relationship of the Clemonses is\nrevealed in his Will, dated March 12, 1938, just five days\nbefore his death. One item in the Will reads:\n\"To my wife who has ample, independent means,\nI leave my grateful love and affection for many\nyears of kindness and friendly interest and\nassistance.\"\nThen the Will states that Elizabeth has released all of her\nrights of dower in my estate, evidenced by a document duly\nrecorded in the District of Columbia and in Lyons, New York. \"\nBut another section of the Will states:\n\"The contents of two safe deposit boxes at\nNational Savings and Trust Company are to\nbe turned over to my wife immediately after\nmy death, if she survives me, the same being\nher personal property.\"\n611\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 18)\nAccording to the executors' report to the Register of Wills,\nElizabeth received two cash items of $800 and $1000, and a\nfew articles of furniture and jewelry \"of no value.\" The\nexecutors' accounts also show that Clemons had ample means\nto exercise his passion for collecting and constructing.\nTax records of 1940, paid by Clemons' executors, showed that\nhe owned considerable property adjacent to Halcyon House--\nthree lots south of it on 34th Street, one lot in the center\nof the square just south of the three on 34th Street, and\none lot on 35th Street in the middle of the block. The\nexecutors' report of Clemons' finances show that he had almost\n$11,000 in liquid assets, of which almost $7000 was kept in\nhis safe deposit box.\nThere is a poignancy in Clemons' disposition of his treasured\ncollection:\n\"The many articles which I have collected for\nyears past, consisting of paintings, pictures,\nornaments, furniture, images, bric-a-brac,\nbuilding ornaments and miscellaneous material\nhave long held my personal attention and\ninterest, and I have cherished hope therefore\nthat they become the nucleus for a permanent\ncollection and museum. However, as my hopes\nin this respect have not been realized, I\nnow desire\nHe then directs his executors to give to museums and established\ninstitutions \" any articles that may be acceptable to them \"\nand to sell the remainder at private or public auction.\nSixteen institutions did accept articles from Clemons' estate.\nAmong them were the Chicago Historical Society, The Smithsonian\nInstitution, National Park Service, the Library of Congress,\nGadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia, the Museum of Fine Arts\nat the University of Virginia, Washington Cathedral, the Syracuse\nMuseum of Fine Arts and the Lincoln House (Ford's Theatre).\nAll other items were sold, save for a few which went to Constance\nLouderbach, daughter of Albert's deceased brother, Dr. Carl\nClemons.\n612\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 19)\nClemons directed that all of his real estate be sold within five\nyears after the furnishings had been removed from the premises\nand that the proceeds and assets of his estate should be don\nto Harvard University as an endowment to be named for him.\nThus, it is clear that the often repeated tale that Clemons\nbequeathed Halcyon House to Harvard University is unfounded.\nMany items in Clemons' Will are though-provoking as one reads\nthe document, but none is more provocative than the first item\nwith its request for an operation that at one time was common\npractice--when the field of medicine was not always trusted--\nbut which is a rare procedure in the twentieth century. The\nitem reads:\n\"I direct that upon my death having been\ndefinitely determined, the attending\nphysician shall thereafter pierce or punc-\nture my heart for the purpose of absolute\ncertainty of death in the presence of\nGeorge H. Paltridge, one of my executors\nthere shall not be an autopsy or any\ncutting of my body more than necessary for\nfulfilling the purpose expressed herein.\" (44)\nAlbert Adsit Clemons was an enigma to all, even his neighbors.\nWhat prompted him to enclose an eighteenth-century house within\na shell, and leave the original exterior of the structure in-\ntact, is a mystery.\n1942-1951\nFor four years after Clemons' death Halcyon House remained\nvacant. (45) Then, in 1942, it was purchased by Mrs. Dorothy\nW. Sterling, wife of Honorable Frederick Sterling, former\nUnited States Ambassador to Sweden. The Sterlings moved into\nHalcyon House, occupying part of the original, but much alterea,\nhouse. They rented out other apartments in the house.\n613\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 20)\nA newspaper account of the Sterlings' purchase of the well-\nknown house described their astonishment at the havoc Clemons\nhad wrought and their adjustment to the curious house:\n\"The Sterlings moved in about two months ago and\nbegan exploring the maze of rooms and stairways.\nBit by bit they began to learn the weird geography\nof their remarkable home until now they\nrarely get lost.\n\"A few days ago, however, Mr. Sterling was aston-\nished to find an unexpected visitor wandering\nvaguely through the theater that runs almost the\nlength of the house, three stories up, on the\nProspect Avenue side.\n\"How did you get in here?' he asked.\n\"The dazed intruder took him down through dark\npassageways and galleries and out through a side\ndoor on Thirty-fourth Street that looks to the\ncasual passerby like nothing more than a couple\nof weather-beaten window blinds that have not move\nfor 20 years.\n\"\"I just pulled them and they came open', explained\nthe stranger, 'and when I looked up those stairs\nit seemed to me nobody had been in this place since\n1902, so I decided to take a peek. When I got in,\nI got lost and couldn't find my way out.\nMrs. Sterling added her discoveries in the house:\n\"There are dozens of tiny rooms--some of them hardly\nlarge enough for a table or chair. There are stair-\ncases that lead nowhere, doors that open on blank\nwalls and closets that open on other closets.\" (46)\nThe Sterlings planned to restore Halcyon House to its original\nstate, a formidable project but one to which Mrs. Sterling,\ngifted artistically, was particularly attuned. A 1957 account\nof the remodeling reflects the compelling interest which this\nGeorgian-Victorian mansion held for the community:\n614\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 21)\n\"All Georgetown watched, fascinated, as she [Mrs.\nSterling] directed the re-opening of rooms, the\ninstallation of electricity, and the furnishing\nof the house with lovely antiques collected during\nher years in Europe.\" (47)\nThe Sterlings restored the garden, frequently entertaining\nthere in the summer. The restoration of the house, however,\nwas cut short by Mrs. Sterling's death.\n1951-1961\nIn 1951 Halcyon House was purchased by Susie H. Kondrup and her\ndaughter, Anne K. Gray, wife of George Gray, who was an official\nin the U.S. Department of State. Mrs. Gray's grandfather was\nthe first Danish minister to the United States. (48)\nMrs. Gray and her mother bought Halcyon House through an error.\nThey intended to look at Prospect House, 3508 Prospect Street,\nbut they were given the keys to 3400 Prospect Street by mistake.\nThey were so captivated by the structure that they bought it. (49)\nMrs. Gray, like her predecessor, was fascinated by the residue\nof Clemons' fancy:\n\"On the floor above the bathroom are bits of stained\nglass windows, a pulpit, carved beams on the ceiling--\nall of which came from Old St. Matthews Church when\nit was torn down\n\"Elsewhere is a lantern from the Capitol, which was\nsold when the Capitol was converted from gas to\nelectricity. There's also woodwork from the old\nMetropole Hotel, marble and bits of wood from the\nold Marcia Burns farm where the White House now\nstands.\" (50)\n615\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 22)\nThe family lived in the original part of the house and re-\nmodeled the apartments. Mrs. Gray told a newspaper of their\nefforts:\n\"It took us two years to do over the house\n\"After we bought it we found two rooms we didn't\nknow existed. One was a trap door with steps\ngoing down to another room, the other was at\nthe end of a corridor so long and winding that\nwe have never have gotten to the end of it.\" (51)\n1961-1969\nIn 1961 Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Kondrup sold the house to George-\ntown University. This was on a Friday. The following Monday\nsixty women students in the Foreign Service and Language\nSchools moved in. (52) From newspaper accounts it is clear\nthat the students relished living in the curious building.\nThe girls placed two desks in the marble floored crypt and\nfound it a fine setting for study. (53) For the next five\nyears Halcyon House, within a block of the east gate of the\ncampus, was used by Georgetown University.\nIn 1966 the property was sold to Edmund W. Dreyfuss and the\nBlake Construction Company with which Dreyfuss is also\naffiliated. (54) The structure is at present being used as\nan apartment house.\nThe original part of the house is occupied by Mr. George Roper,\nManager of Investment Property of Georgetown University, and\nhis wife. Their son, Nick Roper, wrote a graphic account of\nhis experiences as a resident of Halcyon House. The illustration\nof\nthe author emerging from a concealed hideaway in the\nchimneypiece gives credence to the claims of former residents,\nMrs. Sterling and Mrs. Gray, about the architectural whimsies\nMr. Clemons created. (55)\n616\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 23)\nThe future of Halcyon House is uncertain. Its lovely garden\nborders on a commercial area, part of which is also owned\nby Dreyfuss and the Blake Construction Company.\nAt one time Halcyon House was considered as a potential per-\nmanent residence for the Vice-President of the United States.\nMrs. Hubert Humphrey, wife of the Vice-President at the time,\nsurveyed the house for that purpose. Mrs. Humphrey refused\nto render judgement on the suitability of the house, feeling\nthat an impartial committee should make the decision about\nan official residence that would be utilized for many years\nby succeeding vice-presidents. (56)\nOne fears the threat of extinction for this venerable dwelling\nwhich was erected in a period when our Constitution was still\nin the process of being ratified by the thirteen states.\nHalcyon House had been erected and in use for some years when\nthe City of Washington in 1790 \" was in the form of 17\nlarge farm tracts\ncovered with woods and streams; the arable\nportions were tilled and produced wheat, maize and tobacco\n\"\n(57)\nHalcyon House, one of the few remaining Federal mansions in\nGeorgetown, deserves to be restored. Stripped of its\nmonstrous \"shell\" and returned to its eighteenth-century\narchitectural grace, the historic home would be a cultural\nasset to the community. Restored, preserved, and put to\ntwentieth-century usage, it would be a living memorial to\npatriots like Benjamin Stoddert, who contributed so greatly\nto the growth of their community and their nation.\n617\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 24)\nOriginal and Subsequent Owners\n1786\nWilliam Deakins, Jr.\nDeed November 25, 1786\nand\nRecorded April 18, 1787\nJohn Threlkeld\nMontgomery County\nto\nLand Records, Rock-\nBenjamin Stoddert\nville, Maryland\nLiber 3c, folio 502\nLots 16 and 17 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and\nDeakins Addition to Georgetown\nPurchase price--100 pounds to Deakins and one\nshilling to Threlkeld (Threlkeld's wife, Eliza-\nbeth Ridgely, was Deakins' stepdaughter. The\ntoken payment of a shilling was to protect\nMrs. Threlkeld's interest.)\n1795\nWilliam Deakins, Jr. of\nDeed March 30, 1795\nGeorge Town, Montgomery\nRecorded July 26, 1795\nCounty and State of Mary-\nLiber B-2, folio 264\nland\nto\nBenjamin Stoddert \"of the\nTown, County and State\naforesaid\"\n618\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 25)\n\"...all those two lots or portion of ground in\nPeter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition\nto Georgetown known by lots number Eighteen and\nNineteen with all and singular the hereditaments,\nrights, members and appurtenances\nn\nFor \"450 pounds current money of Maryland\" (was\npaid in cash).\n1801\nBenjamin Stoddert\nMortgage May 9, 1801\nto\nRecorded November 7, 1801\nThe President, Directors &\nLiber G-7, folio 353\nCompany of the Bank of\nColumbia\n\" the said B. Stoddert for an in consideration\nof the sum of fifty thousand dollars to him in\nhand paid by the said President, Directors and\nCompany of the Bank of Columbia. Doth grant\nbargain and sell unto the said President, Direc-\ntors and Company of the Bank of Columbia of that\nland whereupon the said Benjamin Stoddert now re-\nsides being in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and\nDeakins Addition to Georgetown, being 240 ft.\nsquare, bounded on East by Frederick St., on\nSouth by Falls St., on West by Fayette St. and\non North by the street which runs between the\ndwelling house of the said Stoddert and that\nof John T. Mason.\" (This is Prospect Street.)\nBenjamin Stoddert and Uriah Forrest jointly owed\nthe bank $16,490 and Stoddert alone owed $17,400.\nThe bank loaned $50,000, including existing obli-\ngations, so Stoddert only received $33,890. The\nagreement stated that if Stoddert failed to pay\nthe notes, the bank could sell the premises.\nThis deed was acknowledged before William Thorn-\nton, \"one of the Commissioners under the Act for\nEstablishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of\nthe Government of the United States.\"\n619\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 26)\n1834\nWilliam W. Corcoran, Tr.\nDeed August 13, 1834\nto\nRecorded August 30, 1834\nThe President, Directors &\nLiber W.B. 51, folio 139\nCompany of the Bank of\nthe United States\nApparently the Bank of Columbia had to foreclose\nand take over the property; when the bank went\nout of existence, the Washington branch of the\nBank of the United States assumed the property.\n1838\nThe President, Directors &\nDeed in Trust January 29, 1838\nCompany of the Bank of\nRecorded March 8, 1838\nthe United States\nLiber W.B. 67, folio 48\nto\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nThe Bank of the U.S. has agreed to sell to:\nClement Smith\nJohn Carter\nWilliam S. Nicholls\nWilliam Jewell\nJohn Kurtz\nWilliam W. Corcoran\nSamuel Swartout\nWalter Mead\nDudley Seldon\nJohn S. Crary\nElisha Riggs\nJohn Wainright\nas tenants in common, not joint tenants, except\nas specified, various listed properties in Wash-\nington and Georgetown, including Lots 16, 17,\n18 and 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition, fronting 240 feet on Bridge St., 240\nfeet on Fayette St., 240 feet on Prospect St.\nand 240 feet on Frederick St., \"... together\nwith the large three-story brick house situated\nthereon.... A The lots are placed in the hands of\nRichard Smith as trustee.\n620\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 27)\n1839\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nDeed September 11, 1839\nWilliam S. Nicholls\nRecorded September 27, 1839\nto\nLiber W.B. 74, folio 375\nWilliam M. Worthington\n(of the State of Louisiana)\nSmith, representative of the Bank of the U.S.,\nand Nicholls, representative of the buyers\nnoted in previous deed, sold Lots 16, 17, 18\nand 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition, with \"... large three-story brick\nhouse...\" for $6500 ($1000 of it in cash).\nWhole block was sold to Worthington with no\nencumbrances.\nWilliam M. Worthington\nDeed of Trust September 25, 1839\nto\nRecorded September 30, 1839\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nLiber W.B. 78, folio 252\nSame property as above as security for debt\nof $5500\n1842\nWilliam M. Worthington died, February 12, 1842\nbequeathing his son,\nProved January 13, 1843\nWilliam Nicholas Worthing-\n(No Administration number be-\nton, all residue of estate\ncause Will was not probated\nand appointing his wife,\nbut was proved by witness.)\nAlice, as Executriz and\nWill Book 5 (O.S.), page 243\nGuardian of son. If son\ndied before reaching 21\nyears, the estate would go\nto his wife. Provision for\nwife to sell property if\nshe deemed it best.\n621\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 28)\n1849\nWilliam H. Haxall and wife,\nDeed October 11, 1849\nAlice\nRecorded October 18, 1849\n(late Alice Worthington,\nLiber JAS 8, folio 65\nrelict of William M.\nWorthington), of the\nfirst part\nRichard Smith, Tr.\nof the second part\nto\nCharles W. Pairo, third part\nThe Worthington child is still a minor; debt\nof $5500 to Richard Smith, Tr., has been\npaid. Alice has married William H. Haxall.\nShe sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, with\ndwelling house and other improvements, to\nCharles W. Pairo for $3500 ($500 in cash).\nCharles W. Pairo and\nDeed of Trust October 15, 1849\nwife, Mary Jane\nRecorded October 26, 1849\nAlice Haxall, guardian of\nLiber JAS 8, folio 154\nWilliam Nicholas\nWorthington\nto\nGeorge D. Fisher\nPairo owed Alice Haxall $500, payable at\n6% in one year and $2500 payable within\nten years, with semi-annual interest pay-\nments (note dated Oct. 11, 1849). Prop-\nerty was security for loan, with provision\nfor Pairo to live in house if payments\nwere kept up.\n622\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 29)\n\"... until some default shall happen\nin the payment of the said single bills\nand the principal and interest aforesaid,\nto permit the said Charles W. Pairo, his\nheirs and assigns, to occupy, possess and\nenjoy the said property and take the rents\nand profits thereof.\"\nThe agreement was that if Pairo should meet\nall his commitments punctually, Fisher\nwould convey the property to Pairo after the\nloan was paid. If there were a failure in\npayment of a single note or interest on\nprincipal, Fisher would sell the property\nat auction, with certain regulations about\nadvertising the sale, etc.\n1857\nCharles W. Pairo and\nDeed September 14, 1857\nWilliam Nourse\nRecorded September 25, 1857\nto\nLiber JAS 42, folio 261\nSamuel C. Edes, Tr.\nPairo and Nourse, partners in a banking firm\nin Washington, unable to meet their commit-\nments, wanted to sell their property, the\nproceeds to be applied to their debts. Pairo\nreleased Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition. Edes\nserved as trustee, with power to sell for\nbenefit of creditors.\n623\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 30)\n1858\nCharles W. Pairo and\nDeed January 6, 1858\nWilliam Nourse\nRecorded January 16, 1858\nto\nLiber Jas 148, folio 27\nSamuel C. Edes, Tr.\nSame property as above. Deed refers to dwelling\nhouses and other improvements. First reference\nto more than one house. Deed deals with other\nproperty also.\nCharles W. Pairo\nRelease of Dower May 3, 1859\net ux Mary Jane\nRecorded May 17, 1859\nto\nLiber JAS 175, folio 32\nSamuel C. Edes, Tr.\nExtinguishes dower rights of Mary Jane\nPairo. Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition\nand dwelling house.\n1859\nSamuel C. Edes, Tr.\nDeed of Conveyance May 16, 1859\nto\nRecorded May 17, 1859\nJohn L. Kidwell\nLiber JAS 175, folio 37\nEdes sold Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19 in\nPeter, Beatty, Threlkeld and Deakins\nAddition '...together with dwelling\nhouse and other improvements\nfor $6000 cash, subject to payment\nof debt of Pairo to Fisher, Tr. for\nAlice Haxall (deed Oct. 15, 1849,\nJAS 8, 154).\n624\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 31)\n1865\nGeorge D. Fisher\nDeed October 23, 1865\nWilliam H. Haxall and\nRecorded December 19, 1866\nwife, Alice\nLiber RMH 24, folio 271\nWilliam N. Worthington\nto\nJohn L. Kidwell\nVertified that debt had been paid. Worth-\nington, now 21 years, agreed. Kidwell owned\nproperty outright.\n1872\nJohn L. Kidwell\nDeed October 9, 1872\nto\nRecorded October 9, 1872\nAnthony Hyde, Tr. and\nLiber 698, folio 176\nCharles M. Mathews, Tr.\nMortgage of $10,000 with Lots 16, 17, 18\nand 19 in Peter, Beatty, Threlkeld and\nDeakins Addition as security for loan.\n1873\nJohn L. Kidwell\nDeed in Trust March 17, 1873\nto\nRecorded March 21, 1873\nMartin F. Morris\nLiber 712, folio 258\nAll of Kidwell's property in Washington and\nGeorgetown was put in trust for his wife,\nCatharine \"... to have, hold and use\npremises and appurtenances.\" Included Lots\n16, 17, 18 and 19. \"Witnesseth that for\nand in consideration of the natural love and\naffection of him the said John L. Kidwell for\nhis wife Catharine A. Kidwell and of his\ndesire to provide for her comfort and support\nand that of his family.....\" =\n625\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 32)\nIncluded also in the deed of trust to his\nwife, paintings, pictures, engravings\nand works of art and all the furniture of\nevery kind in and upon said premises.\"\n1882\nCatherine A. Kidwell,\nDeed October 12, 1882\nwife of John L. Kidwell,\nRecorded October 23, 1882\nof the first part\nLiber 1024, folio 177\nMartin F. Morris, Tr.,\nof the second part\nto\nEmma McCahill (daughter of\nJohn and Catherine Kidwell)\n$20,000 paid to Catharine A. Kidwell for\nconveyance of Lots 16, 17, 18 and 19, Peter,\nBeatty, Threlkeld and Deakins Addition, to-\ngether with the buildings, improvements, ...\nrents, thereof and all rights and interest,\nboth in dower and otherwise, and all paintings,\npictures, engravings, and works of art, and\nall the furniture in ... the premises.\"\nThis document is later stated to have been\nintended as a trust (Law Suit in 1893-98).\n1885\nJohn L. Kidwell died February 16, 1885, after a long illness,\nduring which he was paralyzed and unable to attend to business\nfor several years prior to his death.\n626\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 33)\n1893-1898\nCatherine A. Kidwell\nSuit filed June 28, 1893\nvs.\nCourt order filed August 3, 1898\nEmma McCahill\nEquity Cause No. 14856\nJohn W. Kidwell\nSupreme Court of the\nIda West Hyde\nDistrict of Columbia\nGeorge A. Hyde\nJulius L. Kidwell\nCharles M. Mathews,\nsurviving trustee\nLong and complicated litigation--Catharine Kidwell\nhad not seen Deed of October 12, 1882 (Liber 1024,\nfolio 177) and had not been told that it conveyed\nthe property in fee simple.' She also believed\nthat the $10,000 mortgage had been paid and that the\nproperty should be released from encumbrance.\nEmma McCahill had paid no part of the $20,000 to\nher mother.\nIn 1885 Emma McCahill had sub-divided Lots 16-19\ninto Lots 20-38, of which 74 feet fronted on\nProspect St. at corner of Fayette (35th) St. while\nremainder fronted on Fayette from Prospect to\nBridge (M) and on Bridge from Fayette to Frederick\n(34th). The large Lot 32, almost a quarter of the\nblock and including Halcyon House, remained in-\ntact.\nEmma McCahill had sold some of the lots and applied\nto her own use, without accounting, the proceeds.\nHowever, Lot 32 (former Lot 17 and parts of Lots\n16, 18 and 19) was not sold.\nThe Court Decree of May 9, 1896, required a sale\nof the property and Lots 21-32 were advertised for\nsale at public auction on June 20, 1896. Trustees\nattended the sale. There was no bid and property\nwas withdrawn from sale.\n627\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 34)\nThe trustees believed that the subdivision as\noffered was disadvantageous. They agreed to\nmake a subdivision of the large Lot 32 (on\nwhich Halcyon House is located). The 28,600\nsquare feet of Lot 32 were divided into 13 lots,\nnumbered 39-51 inclusive. Halcyon House was\non Lot 48, corner of Prospect and 34th Streets.\nThe second sale at public auction was held on\nJune 7, 1898. Those lots which Emma had sold\nin 1885 and 1888 (on M and 34th, on 35th and\non Prospect near 35th) were not offered for\nsale. Emma McCahill was the highest bidder\nat the sale and purchased the rest of the\nlots at fifty cents a square foot.\n1900\nEmma McCahill, widow\nDeed August 7, 1900\nto\nRecorded August 28, 1900\nAlbert Adsit Clemons\nLiber 2490, folio 458\nLots 44-48 out of Lot 32 and building for\n$7500\n1938\nClemons died March 17, 1938. Will March 13, 1938\nProbated May 12, 1938\nWill Book 252, page 586\nAdministration 53362\nDirected that all of his property (indluding\npresent Lot 814) be sold, proceeds to be\ndonated to Harvard University.\n628\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 35)\n1942\nF. Urban Woolpert\nDeed November 30, 1942\nGeorge H. Paltridge\nRecorded December 4, 1942\nWilliam E. Huntington,\nLiber 7816, folio 309\nexecutors and trustees\nunder the last Will and\ntestament of Albert Adsit\nClemons, deceased, acting\nherein in exercise of the\npower vested in them by\nsaid Will\nto\nDorothy Williams Sterling\n1951\nFrederick A. Sterling,\nDeed August 21, 1951\nexecutor of the last\nRecorded August 22, 1951\nWill and testament of\nLiber 9539, folio 560\nDorothy Williams Sterling,\ndeceased, acting in exer-\ncise of the power conferred\nupon him by said Will and\npursuant to Order of the\nProbate Court of the\nDistrict of Columbia,\npassed August 16, 1951\nin Administration Cause\nNo. 76276\nto\nAnne K. Gray\nSusie H. Kondrup\n629\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 36)\n1961\nAnne K. Gray\nDeed August 24, 1961\nSusie H. Kondrup\nRecorded August 31, 1961\nto\nLiber 11660, folio 297\nThe President and Directors\nof the Georgetown College,\na Corporation in the District\nof Columbia\n1966\nThe President and Directors\nDeed September 22, 1966\nof Georgetown College\nRecorded September 29, 1966\nto\nLiber 12674, folio 295\nJohn W. Truver\nJohn W. Truver\nDeed September 22, 1966\nto\nRecorded September 29, 1966\nEdmund W. Dreyfuss and\nLiber 12674, folio 303\nBlake Construction Co.\nREFERENCES\n1. Land Records. Montgomery County, Maryland, Liber C-3, folio\n502, Circuit Court, Rockville, Maryland.\n630\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 37)\n2. Same reference as #1.\n3. Turner, Harriot Stoddert, \"Memoirs of Benjamin Stoddert,\nFirst Secretary of the United States Navy, \" Records of the\nColumbia Historical Society. Washington, D.C.: The Society,\nVol. 20, 1917, pp. 141-166.\n4. Same reference as #3. pp. 142-143.\n5. Same reference as #3. p. 144.\n6. Same reference as #1. Liber C-3, folios 161, 606; Liber\nD-4, folio 124.\n7. Rebecca Lowndes Stoddert Papers. 1766, 1767, 1771, 1776,\n1778, 1789, 1796-1800, Washington, D.C.: Ac .4647,\nManuscript Division, Library of Congress.\n8. Times-Herald (Washington, D.C.) March 14, 1943.\n9. Tindall, William, Standard History of the City of Washington.\nKnoxville, Tennessee: H. W. Crew and Co., 1914, pp. 63-70.\n10. Proctor, John Clagett, Washington Past and Present. New\nYork, New York: Lewis Historical Society, Vol. I, 1930,\nP. 277.\n11. The Papers of Benjamin Stoddert 1784-1812. Washington, D.C.:\nManuscript Division, Library of Congress, p. 143, P. 20.\n12. Same reference as #7. September 11, 1796.\n13. Same reference as #3. p. 152.\n631\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 38)\n14. \"Philadelphia a Century Ago\" (Letters of Mrs. Benjamin\nStoddert), Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. December 1898,\nVol. 62, PP. 804-817 (on microfilm in Washingtoniana\nRoom, D. C. Public Library), p. 811.\n15. Noderer, E. R., \"Mansion Now Undergoing Restoration,\"\nTimes-Herald (Washington, D.C.) February 14, 1953.\n16. Adams, Charles Francis, Life and Works of John Adams.\nBoston, Massachusetts: Little Brown and Co., 1854,\nVol. IX, P. 145.\n17. Same reference as #3. PP. 163-164.\n18. Records of the City of Georgetown (D.C.) 1800-79, Assessment\nof Real and Personal Property, National Archives Record\nGroup 351, Roll 1 (1800-1807).\n19. Same reference as #11. p. 35.\n20. Same reference as #3. p. 164.\n21. Clark, Allen c., Life and Letters of Dolly Madison.\nWashington, D.C.: W.F. Roberts Co., 1914, P. 88.\n22. Wilfong, James c., Jr., \"The Stodderts and Their Early\nBuildings, \" News Leader (Laurel, Maryland). April, 1955.\n23. Same reference as #3. PP. 165-166.\n632\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 39)\n24. Same reference as #3. p. 166\nand\nAnson, W.S.W., Mottoes and Badges. New York, New York:\nE. P. Dutton and Company, 1904, p. 31.\n25. Same reference as #18. Roll 11 (1818-1819).\n26. Same reference as #10. p. 278.\n27. City Directory. 1853, p. 75; 1855, p. 44.\n28. Same reference as #27. 1853, p. 77; 1858, p. 459.\n29. Same reference as #27. 1858, p. 451.\n30. Same reference as #27. 1860, p. 97, p. 101.\n31. Same reference as #27. 1860, p. 168; 1865, p. 386; 1882,\nP. 456; 1899, p. 622.\n32. Land Records, Washington, D. C., Liber 712, folio 258.\n33. Emma McCahill's Subdivision of Original Lots 16, 17, 18, 19,\nSquare 34 (now 1204). Office of the Surveyor, D.C., Liber\nARS, folio 159, November 20, 1885.\n34. The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) June 6, 1898, p. 10.\n35. Same reference as #27, 1887, p. 530; 1899, p. 622; 1900, p.\n618.\n633\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 40)\n36. \"Georgetown Mystery Halcyon House, ' Georgetown Spectator.\n(Washington, D.C.) December 14, 1966.\n37. Will, Administrative Case 53362, Docket No. 115, March 13,\n1938, Admitted to Probate May 12, 1938. Register of Wills,\nWashington, D.C.\n38. Same reference as #32. Liber 3029, folio 15.\n39. Bolles, Blair, \"Clemons' Will Recalls Tales of Eccentric,\"\nThe Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) March 28, 1938.\n40. Same reference as #39.\n41. The Washington Daily News (Washington, D.C.) March 23, 1938.\n42. Same reference as #15.\n43. Same reference as #41.\n44. Same reference as #36.\n45. Same reference as #27. 1939, p. 1709; ;940, p. 1994; 1941,\np. 2146; 1942, p. 2258.\n46. Same reference as #8.\n47. Frank, Judy Waldrop, \"Halcyon House (c. 1783) 3400 Prospect\nStreet, If The Georgetowner (Washington, D.C.) May 30, 1957.\n634\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 41)\n48. Roosevelt, Selwa, \"Mansions of Washington--Halcyon House\nHad All Props for a Sherlock Holmes Mystery,\" The Even-\ning Star (Washington, D.C.) August 7, 1955.\n49. Same reference as #15.\n50. Same reference as #48.\n51. Same reference as #48.\n52. Byrnes, Joseph B., \"Halcyon House, Built in 1783, Bought\nby GU, 11 The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) August 11,\n1961.\n53. Donihi, Rosemary, \"Old Georgetown is New Look at Georgetown\nUniversity; The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)\nOctober 1, 1961.\n54. Lewis, Robert J., \"Halcyon House Bought as Development\nTract,\" The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.). October 2,\n1966.\n55. Roper, Nick, \"I Live in a Haunted House, 11 Parade, The Wash-\nington Post (Washington, D.C.) April 21, 1963.\n56. Conversation with Mrs. George Roper, December 12, 1968.\n57. Caemmerer, H. Paul, Washington, The National Capital.\nWashington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932,\np. 17.\n635\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 42)\nARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION\nGeneral Statement\nArchitectural Character: This symmetrical, refined, late\neighteenth-century house with large main block and flanking\nwings was incredibly disfigured in the first half of the\ntwentieth century by Albert Clemons, an eccentric collector\nof, among other things, architectural details from demolish-\ned buildings. The south front and the interior of the main\nblock are still largely original, while the remainder is\ncompletely obscured by Clemons' amazing assemblage.\nRetaining the basic house, the wings were first extended out\ntoward the north (Prospect Street). The resulting center space\nwas then filled in, creating an entry hall on the ground (base-\nment) level, a ballroom-theater on the first floor, and a vast\nunfinished space on the second floor.\nUntil the late 1940's the north front of the original house\ncould still be seen, complete with window blinds, inside the\nballroom, the remainder of which was panelled with heavily\nmoulded Victorian doors salvaged from local sources. Carved\nmouldings and further panelling from an Italian palazzo\nwere added to this room by the Sterling family during their\noccupancy. The large space on the top floor, reached by a\nsmall curving stair from the northeast bedroom, was built\nlargely of framing timbers and architectural details from\na demolished church. The north front of the original house\nremains as the south wall of this room, and the two original\ndormers are visible through the upper clerestory windows.\n636\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 43)\nThe foregoing is a sample of the type of work built by this\narchitectural scavenger. While the craftsmanship of individual\npieces may be high, the quality of the installation is at best\nslipshod (and at worst, dangerous).\nCondition of Fabric: Poor; many areas of failure have been\nsimply stabilized, not restored. Other areas continue to\ndeteriorate.\nTechnical Description of the Exterior\nOverall Dimensions: Approximately 48' by 36' with 16' by 24'\nwings. Five bays across garden front (originally there were\nfive across the Prospect Street facade as well, although these\nare now enclosed by later construction). The main block was\ntwo-stories high plus attic and basement; the wings were two\nstories high plus attic and basement, though shorter.\nFoundations: Stone and brick.\nWall Construction: Brick, Flemish bond in main block, running\nbond in wings.\nChimneys: There was one large chimney at each end of the main\nblock as well as one at the far end of each wing originally.\nThere are now several more, though not within the original\nhouse area.\nOpenings:\nDoors and Doorways: The front (south) entrance appears\nto be largely original. The glazed fifteen light door\nitself is of recent manufacture; however, it hangs in\nan elegant eighteenth-century doorway with flat fluted\n637\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 44)\nTuscan pilasters supporting short lengths of frieze\ncomplete with triglyphs and a full denticular cornice,\nrepeated in the triangular pediment. The door is set\nwithin a panelled, arched reveal with a simple fan\nlight and dentilled transom bar. There is a three-part\nkeyblock and a very free but symmetrical vine carving\nin the spandrels.\nWindows and Shutters: First floor windows were nine-\nover-nine double-hung wood sash, second floor windows\nwere nine-over-six, dormer windows were six-over-six in\nthe main block. Windows in the wings were six-over-six.\nShutters throughout were louvered wood, Many of the\noriginal windows remain, though some are now indoors.\nThe two in the northeast first floor room have been re-\nglazed with mirrors; one in the northwest room has been\nconverted to a door, the other has been replaced with\na mural.\nPorches: Nothing original remains. There is a small semi-\ncircular porch with steps down each side at the south entry;\nhowever, it is very insecure, being built (in part) of brick\nsupported on plywood.\nRoof:\nShape and Covering: Gable; ridge running east-west;\nslate covering.\nFraming: Wood.\nCornice: Wood; bed moulds, shaped modillions, crown mould.\nThe one on the south is in position; the one on the north\nhas been removed and re-used as the horizontal member of\nthe huge triangular pediment on the twentieth-century\naddition to the north. The wings had a simple box cornice\nwith frieze, bed, and crown moulds.\n638\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 45)\nDormers: Two slate-sided wood dormers with gabled roofs\nand six-over-six double-hung windows on both north and\nsouth fronts.\nTechnical Description of the Interior\nFloor Plans: The first floor had an entry-stair hall in the\ncenter of the south front, a large room in each corner of\nthe main block, and a narrow hall in the center of the north\nfront. There were two-story wings at the north and south\nends of the main block, now almost completely enclosed in\nlater construction; the north end wall is visible from 34th\nStreet. The second floor had a bedroom in each corner of\nthe main block, a stair hall in the center of the north\nside which now contains the attic stairs. The southwest\nbedroom now has a small bath installed in one corner, the\nnorthwest bedroom also has a small bath and access stairs\nto a large space in the Prospect Street addition. The\nnortheast room has been partitioned into storage and bath\nareas serving the southeast bedroom.\nStairways: The main staircase ascends from north to south\nalong the west wall of the entry hall to a landing above\nthe front (south) door; from there it ascends south to north\nalong the east wall to the second floor. There is another\nlanding above the first, apparently leading nowhere; the\nstairs to it date from the present century and are somewhat\nineptly constructed. The balusters, newels, and rail all\nappear to be later replacements. There is a small enclosed\nutility stair to the basement beneath the main stairway,\nas well as the attic stair remodeling an elaborate entry\nwas added at the ground floor level on the Prospect Street\nside; from this a central hallway to the first floor level.\nFlooring: Random width pine.\nWall and Ceiling Finish: Plaster, painted.\n639\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 46)\nDoors and Doorways: There are a number of late eighteenth-\nand early-nineteenth century panelled doors, many of which\nhave been recut to fit different openings; some have even\nbeen split down the center to form pairs of doors. There\nare large trimmed openings joining the north and south\nrooms on both sides of the first floor.\nDecorative Features and Trim: The main block retains much\nin the way of original trim, although many coats of paint\nhave obscured the detail. The mantel in the northeast first\nfloor room is notable; fluted rectangular pilasters at each\nside of the black slate surround support an entablature with\nan oval panel in the center and arched vertical panels in\nprojections above the pilasters. The bedmould under the\nshelf, a series of very thin Greek Revival mouldings typical\nof the period, breaks out around the projections over the\npilasters, as does the shelf itself. There is a large panelled\novermantel with a dogeared architrave supporting a broken\nscrolled pediment. At each side of this chimneypiece are full-\nheight flat fluted Tuscan pilasters topped with short lengths\nof frieze complete with triglyphs supporting a denticular\ncornice above the fireplace area. The cornice in the remainder\nof the room is similar but without dentils. The other mantel-\npieces are simpler nineteenth-century ones, not original to\nthe house.\nHardware: There is an extensive variety of early to late\nnineteenth-century hardware throughout.\nLighting: There are no original fixtures, but the chandelier\nin the northwest first floor dining room, a nineteenth-century\nbronze-and-crystal. one ,converted from gas to electricity,\nis notable.\nHeating: Boiler in the basement, radiators throughout,\nseveral of the original fireplaces are still operative as\nwell.\n640\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 47)\nSite\nGeneral Setting and Orientation: Situated on a hill over-\nlooking the Potomac River, this house was once the sole\noccupant of its square. Commercial structures along M\nStreet and residences along Prospect Street now surround\nthe complex structure. The south was once the principal\nentrance; however, the twentieth-century additions shifted\nthe main entrance to the north.\nEnclosures: A variety of brick and stone walls and iron\nfencing enclose the south gardens and terraces.\nOutbuildings: No original outbuildings remain; however,\njust southwest of the house is a small brick building,\nsometimes called the chapel, which dates from the early\npart of the twentieth century. There are marked similar-\nities in the brickwork here with that in the center portion\nof the Prospect Street facade of the main house. This\nsmall building now used as a separate dwelling unit, con-\ntains an assortment of salvaged architectural parts. For\nexample, there is a graceful fan-light in the entry area\nsimilar to the inner one at 3425 Prospect Street, a carved\nopenwork panel above a doorway in the bedroom, and a small\npulpit-like enclosed landing on the stair up to the kitch-\nenette. Joist pockets high on the sidewalls of the main\nroom, evidence of an earlier upper level, now contain\nChristmas-tree lights. There is rumored to be a crypt\nbelow the main room.\nWalks: Principally herringbone brick, with some concrete\nand some stone.\n641\nHALCYON HOUSE\nHABS No. DC-69 (Page 48)\nLandscaping: Great overgrown boxwoods fill what is left of\nextensive formal planting on the south side of the main house,\nnow more informal in character and not particularly well-\ngroomed. Neatly trimmed shrubbery borders the Prospect Street\nsidewalk, and there is much ivy on the building itself.\nPrepared by: The Office of\nWalter G. Peter, Jr., AIA\nArchitect\nFebruary 7, 1969\n642\nSUMMARY\nSUMMARY\nThis volume has focused on part of western Georgetown,\nemphasizing structures which have not been studied before\nin great detail. It is an area where block after block is\nfilled with small row houses, dating back many years.\nThese homes have been occupied by generations of successive\nresidents. Understandably the buildings, which still\nretain most of their original features, have been modified\nby their owners over the years. The regularity of the\nrow houses is relieved by the varied architectural forms\nwhich resulted from the differing tastes of the inhabitants\nand the changing styles of architecture.\nThe residents of Georgetown, by their continued use of\nthese old homes, have made the past part of the present. Their\nadaptation of old buildings for modern use illustrates a new\nconcept of historic preservation which is not, as is sometimes\nthought, a means of blocking progress. It is, instead, a\nmeans to save the best of the past and employ it in the\ncontemporary city.\nThe involvement of citizens in historical research of their\ncommunity is an approach that may be a major contribution of\nthis report. This volunteer program was in a sense an\nexperiment, an untried process. It has been a fruitful\nendeavor, for the researchers have not only gained know-\nledge about an historic neighborhood, but have also been\naroused to the urgency of maintaining the character of the\narea. Here, within the community, is an untapped resource\nfor research.\nMany of the researchers who investigated these homes have\nspoken of the impact they felt from the experience of re-\nliving the lives of the past residents of a particular\nhouse-of how the house often took on the personality of\nthe occupants. The researchers also mentioned their own\n645\nheightened awareness of history as a living process as\nthey traced families through the years and discovered\nthe efforts they made to maintain their homes through\nchanging economic and social conditions.\nThe participants were untiring in their research activities.\nYet they realize that they have not unearthed a totally\ncomprehensive view of the area. There are some gaps which\nthey were unable to fill. For example, there probably is\na record of the change of house numbers in Georgetown\nwhen street names were changed around 1880. So far, no such\nkey has been located. Information which supplements the\ncontent of this volume, or which furnishes additional\ndata, would be most welcome.\n646\n\"This continued use of old buildings, this fusion of archi-\ntecture with a living segment of society, illustrates the\nmodern concept of historic preservation.\"\nSouthwest corner of 36th and 0 Streets. Remodeled buildings\npresently used for Georgetown University Alumni Association\n(top). The two structures before renovation in 1953 (bottom)\n(Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library)\n647\nReferences\nZabriskie, George, \"Window to the Past,\" in Albert Rains\nand Laurance G. Henderson, With Heritage So Rich. New\nYork, New York: Random House, 1966, p. 63.\n648\nACKN OWLE DGE MENTS\nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\nMiss Nancy W. Black, a member of the Commission of\nFine Arts, researched and assembled most of the material\nin this book. She was assisted in this work by a number\nof residents in Georgetown who contributed a great deal\nof their own free time. The Commission is grateful for\ntheir contribution.\n651\nAPPENDIX\nAPPENDIX\nCity Directories\nThe first city directory of Washington (but including George-\ntown residents if they worked in Washington) was written in\n1822 by Judah Delano and printed by \"William Duncan, Twelfth\nStreet West. \" Directories appeared irregularly, were pre-\npared and printed by a variety of people until 1858 when\nWilliam Boyd began to issue the directories. After that,\nexcept for one or two years, Boyd's Directory appeared\nregularly until 1943, although in 1906 the R. L. Polk Co.\ntook over the directory but maintained Boyd's name in the\ntitle. In 1948 R. L. Polk & Co. began to publish the city\ndirectory for Washington under its own name. However,\npublication has been somewhat irregular since that time.\nBelow is a list of the city directories of Washington and\nGeorgetown:\n1822 - Washington Directory --- compiled by Judah Delano,\nprinted by William Duncan.\n1827 - The Washington Directory -- prepared and published\nby S.A. Elliot.\n1830 - The Washington Directory -- prepared and published\nby S.A. Elliot.\n1830 - Georgetown Directory for the Year 1830 -- prepared\nand published by Benjamin Homans.\n1834 - For 1834 A Full Directory for Washington City, George-\ntown and Alexandria -- prepared and published by E.\nA. Cohen & Co.\n655\n1843 - The Washington Directory and Governmental Register for\n1843 -- compiled and published by Anthony Reintzel,\nprinted by John T. Towers.\n1846 - The Washington Directory and National Register for 1846 --\ncompiled and published by Gaither & Addison, printed\nby John T. Towers.\n1850 - The Washington Directory, and Congressional, and\nExecutive Register for 1850 -- compiled and published\nby Edward Waite, printed by Columbus Alexander.\n1853 - The Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled\nand published by Alfred Hunter, printed by Kirkwood &\nMcGill.\n1855 - Ten Eyck's Washington and Georgetown Directory --\ncompiled and published by I. Ten Eyck, printed by Henry\nPolkinhorn.\n1858 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- published\nby William H. Boyd, printed by Henry Polkinhorn.\n1860 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled\nby William H. Boyd, published by Taylor and Maury.\n1862 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled\nand published by Thomas Hutchinson.\n1863 - Hutchinson's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- pre-\npared and published by Hutchinson & Brother.\n1864 -\n1871 - Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory -- compiled\nby Andrew Boyd, published by Hudson Taylor.\n1872 -\n1905 - Boyd's Directory of the District of Columbia -- compiled\nand published by William H. Boyd.\n656\n1906-\n1943 - Boyd's District of Columbia Directory -- published\nby R. L. Polk & Co.\n1948, 1954,\n1956, 1960,\n1962, 1964,\n1965, 1967,\n1969 - Polk's Washington City Directory -- compiled and\npublished by R. L. Polk E Co.\n657\n,\n/\n/\n1\n!\n/\nTHE LIBRARY or my\nNOCM hnots from\n\"'TSIGN\nPine Are\nGeorgetown Vol. (1) Journale 1820.23 1751-180 0°\n1630\nGeorget Voi no.\nOri / // Source / , 4 / is < / , / & in / / /// i ; , The ti if Room F / / / / / / , / ///\ni\nInsuranced FLOOR TRUSTH\n8/4 / I\nStructure,\n\"\n-\nasuress\nRECORDS No. OF eas THE is CITY OF CITY 1800.79 OF\n0\n1752\nisnue\n1\nOccupent\n-10 Cent\n3\nHISTORY (ID\nand\n's THE\nbuside\nSURVEY AMERICAN SONIOTIONS HISTORIC\nI\n4\nContents of Commission of Fine Arts' Briefing Kit\nfor Georgetown Research\n1. Basic Steps for Georgetown House Research (techniques and\nprocedures)\n2. Map of Georgetown (showing Additions to Georgetown and old\nand present street names)\n3. Background Reading for Georgetown Research\n4. The Peabody Room -- A Source of Information for Local\nHistorians (description written by Miss Mathilde D.\nWilliams, Curator, Peabody Room, Georgetown Branch,\nD. C. Public Library)\n5. Pamphlet Accompanying National Archives Microcopy No. 605,\nRecords of the City of Georgetown (D.C.), 1800-79\n6. Historic American Buildings Survey -- Information pamphlet,\nHistorians Work Sheet, and an example of a building re-\ncording\n7. Library of Congress Manuscript Division -- basic list of\nbackground materials\n8. Washingtoniana Room, D.C. Public Library -- detailed list\nof materials related to Georgetown, compiled by Miss\nEdith Ray Saul\n9. Bibliography compiled by Cornelius W. Heine for National\nPark Service Report, \"The old Stone House\" (itemized\nlist of original and secondary sources covering George-\ntown)\n659\n10. A Beginner's Guide to Historical Research of Georgetown\nStructures (prepared by Hannah Lewis Cayton, volunteer\nresearcher)\n11. Public Law 808 - 81st Congress (copy of \"The Old\nGeorgetown Act\")\n12. Why We Have a Georgetown (a brief history of Georgetown\nissued by the Citizens Association of Georgetown)\n660\nthe past shall\nUNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR\nWASHINGTON, D.C.\n10\nGeorgetown Historic District\nDistrictof Columbia\n78 hereby designated a\nREGISTERED NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK\nUnder the Provisions of the\ncews Udoes\nflistoric Sites fctof August 21. 1935.\nSecretary of the Interior\nThis Site Possesses Exceptional Value ill\nCommemorating and Illustrating the\nflistory of the United States of: (merica.\nOF\nPresented October 7, 1967\n661\nU.S. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1970 () 397-456"
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