A Portrait of Old George Town Part 15

Not long ago I was being shown photographs of belles and beaux of the eighties and nineties in Georgetown. Among them were several pictures of the crews of the Columbia Boat Club, and one of the "four" was young Dr.

Snyder, whose home this was.

There were two boat clubs in those days which were great rivals. The Columbia was at the foot of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) and the Potomac was at the foot of Congress (31st) Street. I have more recollections of the latter, especially the dances held there on summer evenings, and the porch overhanging the river, with the moonlight on the water.

[Ill.u.s.tration: OLD DR. RILEY'S HOUSE]

We used to have tug parties, starting from there, going several miles down the Potomac and back, eating our supper on board and singing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," and "On the Road to Mandalay," which at that time was quite new.

Across the street, at number 3038, is the house that I have always heard called "old Dr. Riley's." It was sold on the 24th of March, 1812, by James S. Marshall to William S. Nicholls and Romulus Riggs. Mr. Riggs owned the house until 1835. He was born near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland. He was married in 1810. Somewhere between 1812 and 1835 he went to live in Philadelphia where he was a prosperous merchant and influential citizen. I think it probable he lived in this house during some of that time and sold it to Dr. Joshua Riley.

Dr. Riley had several students of medicine whom he taught. Among them was Dr. Armistead Peter, Alec Williams, "the handsomest man in town,"

and the two nephews of Baron Bodisco, who also spent much time here. His office, a quaint little one-story brick building, on part of his lot, was torn down a few years ago, to the great sorrow of us old-timers, for Georgetown had lost one of its most distinctive antiques.

Dr. Riley practiced medicine for 51 years and died beloved in the community at large as well as by his patients. He had a good word and pleasant salutation for everybody. He was a man of marked personal appearance, tall, slim, gaunt, awkward in manner, with a quick emphatic style of speech.

Dr. Riley had married a daughter of Colonel Fowler, who lived on West (P) Street, and on the 10th of June, 1851, his wife's niece, Juliet Murray was married in this dear old house to John Marbury, Jr. Dr.

Riley's daughter, Miss Marianna, and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Riley, occupied this house for many years until her death, when it was sold for almost "a song." Since then it has been resold several times.

Across the street, at number 3043, now the home of Vice-Admiral Laurence Du Bose, was the home of another well-known admiral, Theodore Wilkinson, when he returned from the Pacific. He and his wife started off on a motor trip. At Norfolk, Virginia, as they were landing from a ferry, his car got out of control; he signaled to his wife to jump and her life was saved, but he and the car ran off into deep water and he was drowned.

The cream-colored brick house with wings out on each side, now number 3033 N Street, is one of the very oldest houses in Georgetown. It was the home of Colonel George Beall, son of Ninian Beall, and bequeathed by him at his death in 1780 to his daughters, Elizabeth and Ann, the same Elizabeth who became the wife of Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch shortly after her father's death.

Adjoining the house on the east was the garden. All the land between this house and the one at 3017, built by George Beall's son, Thomas Beall of George, as he always styled himself, was made his two "Additions to Georgetown," was part of this estate. Many years afterwards, the little summer house and the fruit trees were still there. And, as was the custom in those long-ago days, here was the family burying-ground. I know people who remember it. Among the gravestones removed to the old Presbyterian burying-ground were two which bore these inscriptions: "Here lieth Colonel George Beall, who departed this life March 15, 1780, aged 85." And the other, "Here lieth the body of Elizabeth Beall, who departed this life October 2, 1748, aged about 49 years." She was Elizabeth Brooke, daughter of Colonel Thomas Brooke and Barbara Dent.

In 1809 these two sisters sold this house to John Peter, and the next year he sold it to Mrs. Robert Peter, who was then a widow. She came here to live with her younger daughter, Margaret, who had become the wife of Thomas d.i.c.k, of Bladensburg. Here Mrs. Peter lived until her death in 1821, at the age of seventy-eight. Mrs. d.i.c.k's husband had died while on a trip to the West Indies and had been buried at sea. She lived on here the rest of her life with her only child, Robert, and he lived there many years and died there--an old bachelor. He was buried in Oak Hill on Christmas Eve, 1870. During these years there was a much-beloved old cook, Aunt Hannah, who was famous for her gingerbread and cookies. I have seen her photograph "all dressed up to have her picture took."

Robert d.i.c.k had a big black dog who always came to the gate to greet the newsboy and took the paper in his mouth to his master.

After Robert d.i.c.k's death, Thomas c.o.x bought the place and it was the home of his family for a good many years. The eastern wing was put on at that time and used as a conservatory. Since then the house has changed hands many, many times, and the western wing been added.

The two houses at numbers 3025 and 3027 were built in the seventies by Oscar Stevens for his family and that of his brother-in-law, Dr. John S.

Billings. Their wives were sisters, and very dependent upon each other.

Dr. Billings was a pioneer in the introduction of indirect heating in buildings, and became an authority on that subject, and on ventilation.

His textbooks on the subject were used in the Ma.s.sachusetts Inst.i.tute of Technology, and when Johns Hopkins Hospital was built, he was consulted.

Because he had made such a fine record in creating the Army Medical Library, he was asked to come to New York and create the new Public Library there from the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations, which were consolidated.

Across the street, at number 3032, where now is a large, modern brick house, there used to be, before I can remember, a quaint, frame structure. It was supposed to be one of the first houses built on the grant of the Rock of Dumbarton, and was intended for the "overlooker" of that part of the grant. It was a very plain but comfortable house, and was the home in the early part of the century of Hezekiah Miller who, like many of the gentry in those days, was in charge of government work.

His department dealt with the Indians, and he had the distribution of money and supplies to certain tribes to whom he went from time to time, and also looked after them when they came to Was.h.i.+ngton. They always called him "Father Miller." Mr. Miller's wife was Miss Middleton, from Brooke Court Manor, in Maryland. Hezekiah Miller was a devout member of Christ Church. His daughter became the wife of the Reverend George Leakin, an Episcopal clergyman of Baltimore. She was to have been a bridesmaid at the wedding of Harriet Williams and Baron Bodisco, but was prevented by the sudden death of her brother by drowning. He was one of twins, born just at the time of General Lafayette's arrival on his visit in 1824, who were named Was.h.i.+ngton and Lafayette at the request of the townspeople. It was the latter young man who drowned, at the age of twenty-five.

Number 3028 was the home, for a long, long time of the Reads, three sisters. One married Dr. Post, who was a missionary to Syria, but Miss Jane and Miss Isabella lived here many years after. The house next door still has its old-time doorway, but, unfortunately, one owner in the eighties spoiled its quaintness by adding a corner tower. It was here, I think, that Dr. William Barton Rogers, first President of the Ma.s.sachusetts Inst.i.tute of Technology, lived at one time.

The two big houses, numbers 3014 and 3017, standing opposite each other on this block are very closely connected in their history. The early part is all tied up together. Although number 3017 has been somewhat changed in appearance, it is still, I imagine, a good deal like it was when Thomas Beall built it in 1794. Of course, the street has been cut down and left it higher up than it originally was, and also the old bricks have been covered with paint, and now a modern addition has hidden its lovely little wing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 3017 N STREET. THE HOUSE THAT THOMAS BEALL BUILT]

The building of this house was evidently quite an event in those days, for in old advertis.e.m.e.nts of the sale of houses, many of them are "Between the Union Tavern and Thomas Beall's house on Gay Street." John Laird had a frame house on the lot, immediately across the street, now number 3014, but he was becoming exceedingly prosperous and wanted a handsome house. He married first, Lucinda d.i.c.k, sister of Thomas d.i.c.k, of Bladensburg, and, after her death, her elder sister, Mary. While he was building his brick house at number 3014, he rented and occupied Thomas Beall's house. No reason is given as to why Mr. Beall was not occupying it himself.

About 1800 Mr. Laird moved into his own new mansion. At that time only the central part of the large building was there. Several wings have been added and the little portico at the front door. John Laird's eldest daughter, Barbara, married James Dunlop, Junior, the eldest son of James Dunlop; and his only son, William Laird, married two of James Dunlop's daughters at Hayes, first Helen, by whom he had three children, William Laird, Jr., James Dunlop Laird, who went to California in 1848 and never married, and Helen Laird, who also never married. After the death of his first wife, William Laird, Sr., married his sister-in-law, Arianna French Dunlop. She was very lame, and the marriage took place only a short time before her death.

The miniatures reproduced of John Laird and James Dunlop represent them both in scarlet coats, with lace ruffles and powdered hair.

John Laird was always very much interested in the Presbyterian Church and its affairs, and his descendants have remained so.

He came to this country at the age of seventeen and was active in Georgetown from its early days, and it is a pity that none of his children had a son to carry on his name.

[Ill.u.s.tration: JOHN LAIRD]

[Ill.u.s.tration: JAMES DUNLOP, SENIOR]

His son, William Laird, Jr., who had children, but no grandchildren, was clerk of the town for a great many years, longer than any other man. He is said to have had no superior as an accountant in this country.

After John Laird's death in 1833, his house became the property of his daughter, Margaret. She never married, and lived there for a great many years with her aunt, Miss Elizabeth d.i.c.k. They were always known as "Miss Peggy" Laird and "Miss Betsy" d.i.c.k. My mother, as a little girl, remembered them. They used to sit by the front windows a great deal, and the turban which Miss Betsy wore on her head was, of course, very intriguing to a young girl in 1850. They were both almost always dressed in Scotch gingham of such fine quality that it seemed like silk. They were both ardent supporters of the Presbyterian Church and workers for the Orphan Asylum. Miss Betsy d.i.c.k died first, of course. Thomas Bloomer Balch dedicated to her one of the lectures he gave in Georgetown in the fifties called "Reminiscences of George Town."

When Miss Peggy Laird died, she left the house to her sister, Barbara, Mrs. James Dunlop. They had been living on the southeast corner of Gay (N) and Greene (29th) Streets. From that time on, number 3014 was always known as the Dunlop house.

Judge Dunlop was always very prominent. As a young man he was secretary of the Corporation of Georgetown, which fact is recorded on the keystone of the little bridge on High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) over the ca.n.a.l.

He was for some time a law partner of Francis Scott Key, and later was appointed Chief Justice of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia. He was holding this office at the outbreak of the Civil War and, being a Southerner in his sympathies, was, very naturally, removed from office by President Lincoln. An interesting thing is that about 1915 this place was bought from the heirs of Judge Dunlop's son by Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Lincoln.

An anecdote is told of a dinner party long ago where Judge Dunlop was a guest, when one of the other guests was making puns on the names of all those present. Judge Dunlop said, "You will not be able to make one on my name." Quick as a flash came back the rejoinder, "Just lop off the last syllable and it is dun."

Judge Dunlop and all of his brothers, except one, were graduates of Princeton College, he being valedictorian of his cla.s.s. A portrait of him hangs in the courthouse in Was.h.i.+ngton. His son, William Laird Dunlop, lived for many years as a bachelor in the old house before his marriage to his cousin, Miss Sallie Peter, in Rockville. An interesting story is told of their neighbor, Dr. Tyler, coming home one evening and saying to his wife, "I'll have to go over and see what is the matter at Mr. Dunlop's; the house is lit up from top to bottom." When he returned, he was laughing heartily. "It's only that Mr. Dunlop is going to be married and is inspecting the house thoroughly." The bride he brought there was a very lovely person and very much beloved.

William Laird Dunlop always kept up his custom of keeping his own cow and killing his own hogs in the fall. The little square, brick building covered with vines between the house and the stable was the meat house.

It is in the garden of this house that the only remaining stone marker used in laying off the original George Town stands, protruding about eighteen inches from the ground.

Now to return to number 3017 across the street. In 1811 this house was bought from Thomas Beall by Major George Peter. He was the youngest son of Robert Peter. He was born in George Town on the 28th of September, 1779. When only fifteen years old he joined the Maryland troops against the Whisky Insurrectionists (1794), but his parents sent a messenger to camp and General Was.h.i.+ngton, hearing of the matter, ordered him home.

His youthful ardor was gratified five years later in July, 1799, by his appointment as second lieutenant of the Ninth Infantry, United States Army, by President Adams, and he enjoyed the distinction of receiving his commission from the hands of General Was.h.i.+ngton at Mount Vernon.

While in command at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, during the administration of President Jefferson, he organized the first light-horse battery formed in the United States service, and he always referred to his "Flying Artillery" with a special pride, in that he was specially selected by President Jefferson for that purpose.

In April, 1805, Lieutenant Peter accompanied General Wilkinson to the West and took part in the organization of the Territorial Government of Missouri. Arriving at St. Louis on the Fourth of July, he established the first cantonment on the banks of the Missouri at Bellefontaine and fired the first salute on the return of Lewis and Clarke from their expedition to the Pacific. He also served under General Wilkinson during Governor Claiborne's administration before Louisiana was admitted to the Union and he was present as a witness at the trial of Aaron Burr.

At the beginning of the War of 1812, President Madison tendered him a brigadier-generals.h.i.+p, which the condition of private affairs compelled him to decline, but in 1813 he volunteered his services and commanded a battalion of "Flying Artillery."

Among the privates in this battalion were George Peabody and Francis Scott Key, besides others who afterwards became distinguished citizens.

In writing of this battalion, W. W. Corcoran says the list of its members.h.i.+p represented the wealth, worth, and talent of the town at that time.

In 1815, he was elected to Congress from the Sixth District of Maryland, but his seat was contested on the ground that he was not a resident of the Congressional District. At that time he was a resident of Georgetown and a member of the Town Council, but had large farms in Maryland. The House of Representatives, however, decided in his favor, and admitted him to take his seat. He was the first Democrat ever elected to Congress from the Sixth District of Maryland and was re-elected in 1817, and again in 1828. He served several terms in the State Legislature and in 1855 was elected by the Democratic Party a Commissioner of Public Works for the State of Maryland.

He was a man six feet in height, straight as an arrow, and of splendid physique.

He was married three times. His first wife was Ann Plater, daughter of Governor Plater of Maryland; his second, Agnes Freeland, and his third, Sarah Norfleet Freeland of Petersburg, Virginia.

Major Peter was one of the largest landowners and farmers in Montgomery County and carried on those farms up to the date of his death, which occurred at Montanvert, near Darnestown, June 22, 1861. He was nearly eighty-two.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MAJOR GEORGE PETER]

[Ill.u.s.tration: JUDGE JAMES DUNLOP]

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILLIAM REDIN]