_Along Bridge (M) Street_
The bridge over Rock Creek at Bridge (M) Street, was built in 1788, and
one night when a storm of wind and rain was raging, gave way while a
stage-coach was passing over it. The coach was precipitated into the
water but only the driver and the horses were drowned. Ever afterwards
it was said that on stormy nights the ghost of the driver haunted the
spot.
Peter Casanave had a stone house near the bridge and close by was the
house of the French's. Mrs. French had been Arianna Scott, sister of
Mrs. Robert Peter. The house, which is still remembered by many old
residents, was a fine, large brick mansion of the prevailing type at
that time.
It was surrounded by trees--some of them being cherries--and a garden.
One large room was hung with very unusual paper representing scenes of
Indian life. It is still remembered by a gentleman who lived there when
he was quite young, who says he remembers passing when the house was
being demolished and again admired the very handsome and remarkable
paper. At that time the place was entered by a gate from the
Pennsylvania Avenue side, and then there was a flight of steps to reach
M Street on the other side.
Mrs. French evidently owned several houses nearby, for she advertised:
For sale or rent:
The house opposite the Bank of Columbia lately occupied by Mrs.
Suter, and the house lately occupied by John M. Gantt, Esqur.,
adjoining Dr. Weem's house are for sale or rent. The house opposite
the bank is very eligibly situated for a commercial character having
an excellent storeroom and counting room with every convenient
compartment for a private family. The house adjoining Dr. Weems' can
accomodate very comfortably a small family and from its situation
will soon be very valuable. The terms of sale or rent may be known
on application to Dr. Weems.
9th January 1799 A. FRENCH.
Also, Mrs. Pick had a millinery store just about here.
On the corner of Bridge (M) and Greene (29th) Streets, was where David
Reintzel lived, who was mayor several times.
A block or two further west, on the north side of the street, stood the
very modest home of Jacob Schoofield, the Quaker with whom William Wirt
was put to board when he was sent in 1779 to George Town to attend
school. He speaks of how Mrs. Schoofield comforted him the first night
he was there, a home-sick little boy, by telling him the story, from the
Bible, of Joseph being sold by his brother and carried off into Egypt.
He said "I remember, also, to have seen a gentleman, Mr. Peter, I think,
going out gunning for canvas-backs, then called white-backs, which I
have seen whitening the Potomac and which, when they arose, as they
sometimes did for half a mile together, produced a sound like thunder."
Just a few doors from this house was the famous Union Tavern, of which I
have already said so much. The building was standing until a few years
ago when it was replaced by a filling station. When it became
Crawford's Hotel after John Suter, Jr., gave it up, again William Wirt
comes into the picture:
Here I am at Crawford's. I am surrounded by a vast crowd of
legislators and gentlemen assembled for the races, which are to
commence tomorrow. The races amidst the ruins and desolation of
Washington.
These gentlemen used to ride to and from the capitol in a large
stage-coach with seats on top called the "Royal George."
Among the other notable guests of the old hostelry were Louis Philippe,
Jerome Bonaparte, Talleyrand, ex-Bishop of Autun when he was driven from
France, John Adams, when as President in the early summer of 1800, he
came down to look over his new field; Anthony Merry, Minister from
England to the United States; Washington Irving, Count Volney, Humbolt,
the geographer; Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; Lorenzo
Dow, the eccentric preacher; several young naval officers from the
Tripolitan War; and John Randolph of Roanoke. I wonder if it was from
this old tavern that that brilliant but erratic statesman went out
across the Chain Bridge to fight his duel with Henry Clay? It is
recorded by a marker, just at the end of the bridge on the Virginia
side, and reads thus: "Near here Henry Clay and John Randolph of Roanoke
fought a duel April 8, 1826. Randolph had called Clay a 'Blackleg' in a
speech. Both men were unhurt, but Randolph's coat was pierced by a
bullet."
John Randolph spent the night before the duel in quoting poetry and
playing whist while his will was being amended.
John Randolph must have liked George Town, for years afterwards when he
lay very ill in his boarding place on Capitol Hill, he insisted on his
body servant, Juba, getting him some water from George Town, no other
would do. He called it "The water of Chios."
Joseph Crawford, the proprietor of this hotel, was the principal manager
in the unloading of the records and furniture belonging to the
government when the ships bringing it from Philadelphia docked at Lear's
Wharf. Abraham Bradley, who, as Assistant Postmaster General, had charge
of the removal of that department, and Joseph Nourse, who was Registrar
of the Treasury, may also have stopped at Crawford's until settled in
their homes.
Just opposite on the southeast corner of Bridge (M) and Washington
(30th) Streets stood, until 1878, the Presbyterian Church, whose
founder, Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch, was its pastor for fifty-two years.
When it was first built in 1782, it was only about thirty feet square.
In 1793 it was enlarged by extending the north front. In 1801-'02, it
was further enlarged by extending it on the west side. For this purpose
Thomas Jefferson helped by subscribing $75.00. In 1806 the trustees of
the congregation were incorporated by Congress. They were: Stephen B.
Balch, William Whann, James Melvin, John Maffitt, John Peter, Joshua
Dawson, James Calder, George Thompson, Richard Elliott, David Wiley, and
Andrew Ross. The first and only elder for some time was James Orme, son
of Reverend John Orme, of Upper Marlborough. In 1821 a new building was
erected. When Dr. Balch died in 1833, he was buried there, but when the
congregation moved in 1878 and the church was torn down, his remains
were taken to Oak Hill, where, with the original gravestone, they lie
not far from the chapel and just north of the grave of John Howard
Payne.
[Illustration: OLD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH]
On the northwest corner of Bridge (M) and Washington (30th) Streets
lived a Mr. Lee; probably Thomas Sim Lee, whose home was the gathering
place for the Federalists. Just beyond here, still on the north side
where the two lovely old carved doorways remain unchanged, are the
houses once owned by Henry Addison, who served as mayor of the Town from
1845 to 1857 and again from 1861 to 1867. He was a hardware merchant,
and in 1827 it was for him that the first steam fire engine was named.
Mr. Hill lived in one of these houses and next door on the east lived
Mr. Vanderwerken. He owned the line of omnibuses that ran along Bridge
(M) Street and over to the city before there were street cars. The
omnibuses bore the names of prominent people.
There was a pump in the back yard on the line between these two houses.
On each side of the fence was a handle on the pump so that it could be
worked by both families. The water flowed smoothly until something
caused a fuss between the two men, and one day, when Mr. Hill, who was a
very large man, protruded over the fence, Mr. Vanderwerken got out his
shotgun and peppered his shoulder!
Across the street at number 3012 lived John Abbott, who came from
Philadelphia with the transfer of the government in 1800.
At number 3016 lived John Mountz who was Clerk of the Corporation for
sixty-seven years, from the time of its beginning in 1789 up to 1856.
Across the street again is the quaint little Stone House which has
caused so much discussion. For many years tradition had said it was
there that Major L'Enfant had his headquarters while he was mapping the
new capital city. Then, someone said it had never been proved. So now we
are waiting for proof. From its looks it was most certainly standing in
those early days. If only it could speak and tell its own history!
We do know it was bought as lot 3 in June, 1762, by John Boone for one
pound, ten shillings. Two years later, as he had not improved it, it was
bought by Christopher Leyhman for the same amount, and presumably, a
house was built about that time. Apparently, by inheritance, it came to
Rachel Furvey (formerly Rachel Leyhman), and in June, 1767, by deed, it
became the property of Cassandra Chew, who made it over to her two
daughters, Harriot, who married Richard Bruce, and Mary, who first
married Richard Smith, and later, Mr. Bromley. Mary's daughter, Barbara
Smith, married John Suter, Jr., and they lived in this house. This is
supposed to have something to do with the claim that has been made that
this building on lot 3 was Suter's Tavern.
Almost next door on the west Mr. Claggett had a house. Again, across the
street, on the southeast corner, is the building which, until recent
years, housed the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. It was founded in 1814.
When the Mexican War came, this bank enabled the government to pay the
war debt. It has now been absorbed by the Riggs National Bank and moved
further up the street. Before the building of the bank, John Peter, a
nephew of Robert Peter, had a house on that corner. His house was a
simple frame one, and back of it he had rabbit warrens and pigeon
houses. He used to go often in the evenings the short distance to his
uncle Robert's house for a game of whist, of which the old gentleman was
very fond.
Just above Bridge (M) Street on Congress (31st) Street stands the
Georgetown post office, an imposing granite building. It is also the
custom house of the District of Columbia.
Near the corner of Congress (31st) Street lived W. King, and at number
3119 was the house Thomas Corcoran built. He had come from Limerick,
Ireland, to Baltimore in 1783 and entered business with his uncle,
William Wilson, there. Soon after his marriage to Hannah Lemon, of
Baltimore County, he came to George Town, intending to go on to
Richmond, but being so impressed with the thriving little town, he
decided to settle here. He first rented a house on Congress (31st)
Street below Bridge (M) from Robert Peter, and started a business in
leather. In 1791 he built this three-story house and there lived for
many years. He was mayor five different terms from 1805, and also
magistrate and postmaster for fifteen years until his death in 1830. It
was in this house that a meeting was held in 1817 to found Christ
Church.
The Union Bank was on the north side of this block.
On the southwest corner of Bridge (M) and High Street (Wisconsin Avenue)
is the site of Gordon's Inspection House, and just west of here in 1791
were three large tobacco sheds covering three acres. Here was the
"Warehouse Lot," used by circuses when they came to town.
Close by was the big warehouse of John Laird. It was after his death in
1833 that the trade in tobacco began to decline.
[Illustration: GENERAL JAMES MACCUBBIN LINGAN]
[Illustration: BENJAMIN STODDERT]
[Illustration: URIAH FORREST]
From 1792 to 1795, number 3221 was the home of Dr. William Thornton, the
architect of the Capitol; the Octagon House, built by John Tayloe; of
Tudor Place, and also of Woodlawn. He was later the first Superintendent
of Patents from 1802 until 1807.
The old market stands where there always has been a market. Its upper
stories used to be where the meetings of the Corporation of George Town
were held.
At number 3300 was the home of Paymaster David Whann.
Midway between Market (33rd) and Frederick (34th) Streets, on the north
side of Bridge (M) Street, General James Maccubbin Lingan had a large
piece of property. I wonder if this advertisement inserted in a
newspaper on April 22, 1801, describes this very place:
The subscriber offers for sale the houses and lots where he now
resides. The improvements are a commodious dwelling house, office,
kitchen, wash house, meat house, carriage house, a stable for five
horses, likewise a large and well cultivated garden and clover lot.
He will also sell the upper wharf and warehouses, all of which have
been lately built and well situated for receiving produce that may
come down the river.
J. M. LINGAN.
General Lingan was of noted Scotch ancestry, the second child of Dr.
Lingan. He was born in 1751, in Frederick County, Maryland. On his
mother's side he was related to the Maccubbins, and to the Carrolls of
Maryland. He came to George Town as quite a young man and went directly
into the tobacco warehouse of a relative. In 1776 he was commissioned a
lieutenant in the army. After the victory of the Battle of Long Island,
he was captured at Fort Washington on November 16, 1776, his breast
being pierced by a bayonet at that time. He was sent as a prisoner
aboard the _Jersey_--the "Hell," as she was called. The conditions on
board were terrific, and many of the prisoners died. When the coffin was
brought for the body of one of his friends, it was found to be too
short--the guards started to decapitate the body to make it fit. Young
Lingan stood over the body and said he would kill them with his bare
hands. So they brought a larger coffin.
While he was still a prisoner there, his cousin, Admiral Sir Samuel
Hood, of His "Satanic" Majesty's Navy, as Lingan called it, visited him
and offered him L2,000 (pounds) and high rank in the British Army if he
would return to his former allegiance. Lingan's answer was, "I'll rot
here first!" And he almost did! He was cooped up in a space so short
that he could not lie full length, so low that he could not stand erect.
It was many months after his release before his cramped and agonized
muscles allowed him to sleep except in an armchair.
The reasons for wishing to obtain his defection were, first, the pride,
and perhaps, affection of his connections in England. Lord North,
himself, was one of these, and his cousin, Zachariah Hood was _persona
gratia_ at the Court of St. James. Also, the affiliations and
connections of his family in Maryland made his defection greatly to be
desired. One of his sisters had married Thomas Plater, the son of
Governor George Plater of Sotterley, and he was also related to the
prominent Carroll family.
At the conclusion of the war, General Lingan returned to George Town and
farmed two estates he owned, both named after battles in which he had
participated--Harlem and Middlebrook. He also was appointed collector
of the port by General Washington himself. He was one of the original
members of the Order of the Cincinnati.
In later years he moved over to the city, his house then being in the
neighborhood of Nineteenth, M and N Streets. He had a wife and children,
many friends, and all was going well with him until the election year of
1812. General Lingan was a Federalist in politics. The party organ was
_The Federal Republican_, published in Baltimore and edited by Alexander
Contee Hanson, whose wife was a near relative of Nicholas Lingan, the
brother of James.
War with England was declared on Friday, the 19th of June, 1812, and
next day an editorial appeared in _The Federal Republican_, which was
like a match set to a powder train. On Sunday, public meetings were held
advocating the suppression of the paper, and on Monday, three or four
hundred men and boys assembled at the office of the paper at Gay and
Second Streets, in Baltimore, and destroyed the furniture and the house.
The staff then removed to Georgetown where, although it was threatened
from both Baltimore and Washington, it continued to publish the paper
until July 26th, when Mr. Hanson went back to Baltimore to a small house
on South Charles Street, accompanied by General Lingan, John Howard
Payne, General Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee, and others. On the
following day the paper was issued from that office, though it had been
printed in Georgetown. It contained an attack on the State authorities
for the outrage of June 22nd. This time the mob that gathered brought
arms and ammunition. The twenty-seven gentlemen assembled in the office
were also armed, "to defend the rights of person, and property, and the
liberty of the press." At first only stones were used by the assailants,
answered by volleys of blank cartridges. After scenes almost fantastic
in fury, the gentlemen were finally overcome and marched to gaol for
safety. But after dark another mob gathered round the gaol, and
overcoming the guard, broke in. Mr. Gwynn pushed his way through a group
of fifty men to General Lingan who was being knocked down by clubs, then
jerked up to be knocked down again, while the outside ring of men
bellowed, "Tory! Tory!" The only word General Lingan spoke to the mob
was, when tearing open his shirt, he displayed the mark of the Hessian
bayonet, still purple, and exclaimed, "Does this look as if I was a
traitor?" Just then a stone struck the scar and he fell. As the last
breath left his body, he murmured to a friend near by, "I am a dying
man--save yourself."
On this side of Bridge (M) Street, adjoining what was then Bank Street
stood the Bank of Columbia, when it moved from a few blocks east. From
old pictures, it looks much more like a stately home than a bank, and
part of it was used as his home by William Whann, the cashier. Set far
back on the hill, with columns on its facade and a Greek pediment, it
was very handsome. Its first president was Samuel Blodgett; its second,
General John Mason of Analostan Island. Across the street he had his
town house.
To this bank one day late in 1814, while he was Secretary of State, came
James Monroe, on horseback, and asking for William Whann, told him that
the government was entirely out of funds, and wanted a loan with which
to dispatch General Andrew Jackson to New Orleans. Mr. Monroe pledged
his own private fortune that the debt would be paid, and the money was
turned over to him. The government at that time was not strong enough
to levy heavier taxes for the conduct of the war with England, which was
very unpopular in the New England States.
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815--two weeks after
peace had come--for a Treaty of Peace had been signed on Christmas Eve,
and the great loss of life on the English side might have been avoided.
Just beyond here on the corner, Mr. Thompson had a residence, and still
a little further lived Mr. Warren. Just opposite, at number 3350, is one
of the oldest houses in Georgetown and one of the most notable, for here
Colonel Uriah Forrest was living in 1791 when on March 29th he gave that
memorable dinner, referred to by General Washington, when the
arrangements were made for the purchase of land on which to build the
new City of Washington.
What a scene that must have been! One can imagine the turtle soup, the
fish and terrapin caught fresh from the river, wild ducks and ham with
shoulders of mutton and all the vegetables and hot breads and other
delectable foods for which Maryland is famous--for Uriah Forrest,
himself a Marylander, had a Maryland wife, Rebecca Plater, the daughter
of Governor Plater, whose home was Sotterley, in Saint Mary's County.
In 1792 Colonel Forrest was mayor of George Town. Not long after this,
Colonel Forrest purchased a large tract of land lying north of the town
and there he built a country home which he called Rosedale, and to which
he eventually retired for his permanent home. His descendants, the
Greens, lived on at Rosedale until not so very many years ago. One of
them, Mr. George Green, sold to President Cleveland, in his first
administration, a stone cottage on the Rosedale estate which the
President remodeled and made his summer home. It was called Red Top,
from its turreted red roof, but its real name was Oak View. From it, the
suburb, Cleveland Park, derives its name.
[Illustration: WILLIAM MARBURY]
Mr. Cleveland, in his second administration, used Woodley for his summer
home. It had been a part of the Rosedale tract, and the house was built
by Philip Barton Key, a brother-in-law of Colonel Forrest, for he also
had married a Miss Plater.
Mr. Key moved out of town and resided at Woodley, where he dispensed
lavish hospitality until his death in 1817. Thomas Plater also had moved
out from George Town and lived near by. He was the executor for Philip
Barton Key. After Mr. Key's death, his widow went back into town and
took up her residence on the corner of Gay (N) and Congress (31st)
Streets.
After Colonel Forrest left the house on Bridge (M) Street, it was bought
by William Marbury, who had come to Georgetown from Annapolis. He was a
justice of the peace, a very responsible and honorable office in those
days. It was in connection with his reappointment to the office that the
controversy arose which resulted in the famous law case of MARBURY
_versus_ MADISON, as James Madison, in his capacity as Secretary of
State to Thomas Jefferson, was the Madison involved. The prominence of
the case was because it was the first of those great opinions handed
down by Chief Justice John Marshall in which he decided that the Supreme
Court has the power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional.
[Illustration: PHILIP BARTON KEY]
[Illustration: MRS. PHILIP BARTON KEY (ELIZABETH PLATER)]
In 1814 Mr. Marbury became the first president of the Farmers and
Mechanics Bank when it was organized; its cashier being Clement Smith,
who, after the presidency of Thomas B. Beall, from 1817-1821, became the
third president, and the only one in the history of that institution to
be promoted to that office. Not many years ago, Mr. Marbury's picture,
in his old-fashioned costume, was printed on the bank checks to impress
the public with the antiquity of the institution.
He was a very imposing looking gentleman, as was his son, John Marbury,
who was eight years old when the family moved to Georgetown. Some years
ago, one of his great-grandsons heard the family talking about
"Grandfather's Bourbon nose." A little later he was found standing,
gazing intently at the portrait of the old gentleman, and when asked,
"Why such sudden interest?" he replied, "Where is the 'burb' on his
nose?"
John Marbury married and lived for some years on Gay (N) Street, near
Market (33rd) Street. After his father's death, he moved to the old
house on Bridge (M) Street in order to keep his mother company. He had a
very large family, seven sons and six daughters. All of the daughters
attended Miss English's Seminary, walking to and from school all winter
wearing low-necked and short-sleeved dresses, covered only by a little
cape. Not a case of poverty, I assure you, but of fashion! I was told
this not long ago by a descendant, and of how they used to have to melt
their gum shoes to get them on in cold weather. I think the names of a
trio of their friends very amusing--Jerry Berry, Hetty Getty, and Jimmy
Finney.
The house had a large garden in the rear and spacious rooms where they
entertained a great deal. Not long ago, I saw a fascinating drawing of
a party in Georgetown in the fifties. It represented four musicians
intent upon playing a bass viol, a cello, a violin, and a flute; a few
of the company standing near by with curls and puffed coiffures, and
among them a tiny man, side-whiskered, so short that he barely reached
the shoulders of the ladies. He must, of course, have been Prince
Iturbide. There was never anyone quite like him. He was a Mexican, here
in the diplomatic service, and had married Miss Alice Green, a
granddaughter of Uriah Forrest.
At a party one evening at the Marbury's, a dispute arose between him and
Baron Bodisco, the Russian Minister, who was also a resident of
Georgetown. It ended in the prince calling the baron a liar, whereby the
baron immediately knocked Prince Iturbide down. The little prince sprang
onto a sofa and bounced up and down, shouting over and over again, "He
knocked an Iturbide down; he knocked an Iturbide down!" as if he
expected Mr. Marbury to straightway haul the baron off to be beheaded,
at least. It was the last party given at the old house for many a day,
as Mr. Marbury considered that they had been disgraced by their guests.
Years after, when Madame Iturbide was left a widow in Mexico, the
Emperor Maximilian wished to adopt her son, to which she gave her
consent, but finding later that it meant complete separation from him,
she kidnapped him and escaped to America.
For two whole days after the Battle of Bull Run, the "Damn Yankees," as
the Marburys called them, poured over the nearby bridge from Virginia at
a dog-trot and dropped from exhaustion on the steps of this house and
the pavement. Mr. Marbury ordered all of the shutters to be kept tightly
closed during that dreadful time.
A little granddaughter of his, living there, went one day with a friend
of hers to place flowers on the grave of a child of Jefferson Davis in
Oak Hill Cemetery. They were arrested, and when it was discovered who
she was, soldiers were sent to search the house. Mrs. Marbury had some
letters from her nephews in the Confederate Army, and she hurriedly
sewed them up in a chair, for she said the boys might be killed and she
hated to destroy their letters. Many, many years after, on a summer day
in the garret of an old house, not far from Leesburg, Virginia, three of
Mrs. Marbury's great-grandchildren ripped them out of their long hiding
place.
Just a few doors west of this interesting old house stood another,
somewhat smaller, which, until a few years ago, was in its original
state of preservation. Now it has gone! It was the home of the author of
our National Anthem. Here Francis Scott Key lived for twenty years. Here
his eleven children were born, while he served three terms as District
Attorney and engaged in the private practice of law.
Everyone knows the story of how, hearing of the arrest of a friend, Dr.
William Beanes, by the British, in the War of 1812, Mr. Key made the
trip to Baltimore to see what he could do to help the old gentleman, who
had done some very rash talking down in Prince Georges County. Mr. Key
was a connection of Mrs. Beanes', who was a member of the Plater family.
Mr. Key went on board the British man-of-war, under the command of
Admiral Cockburn, called _The Red Devil of the Chesapeake_, lying
opposite Fort McHenry, but was told by the captain that he would have to
spend the night on board as a bombardment was about to take place.
Imagine his sensations all through the night--no wonder that he burst
forth into such a poem of love for his flag when he came on deck in the
early morning and saw it "still there!"
[Illustration: HOME OF FRANCIS SCOTT KEY]
Poetry was only a side issue with Mr. Key. I have often thought how
interesting it is that a man may work all the days of his life at his
profession or vocation, and some avocation, like verse-making, may carry
his name down to posterity; like Izaak Walton, who had an insurance
business in London, but is remembered now only as a fisherman.
Don't you imagine Mr. Key would have been amazed if he could have had a
vision of the years to come, when on parade grounds all over this great
land at sunset, every day, troops stand immovable at attention while the
emblem of their country is being lowered for the night, and the strains
of the music of his poem thrill all who hear it? "The Star-Spangled
Banner" was first read by Mr. Key at a meeting of the George Town Glee
Club.
[Illustration: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY]
Francis Scott Key was a nephew of Philip Barton Key, and a vestryman,
like his uncle, of Saint John's Church. He was a fine, humanitarian
gentleman. In a recent book, called _Father Takes Us to Washington_, he
is accused of having treated his dozen slaves in a terrible manner. His
great-grandson has just come out with a refutation of such treatment and
said that Mr. Key freed all of his slaves before his death in 1843 and
that he was one of the founders of the American Colonization Society,
which had for its purpose the freedom of the Negroes and their
colonization on the West Coast of Africa. Of course, it was in James
Monroe's administration that Liberia was founded and its capital named
Monrovia.
In later life, Francis Scott Key moved to Frederick, Maryland, where he
lies buried. The beautiful new bridge, only a stone's throw from his
home, bears his name. It replaces the aqueduct bridge which was built
about 1880, and before that, there was a bridge which carried the canal
across the river to continue on its way to Alexandria. I cannot remember
it, but I have been told that, looking across from the Virginia side, it
was a very picturesque sight with its long arches reaching above the
bridge, carrying its dripping load beneath, and standing against the
western sky, the towers of Georgetown College.