Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington (Volume 5) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1902. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... WASHINGTON AS I FIRST KNEW IT. 1852-1855. By BYRON SUNDERLAND, D.D. (Read before the Society, May 6, 1901.) The beginnings of our city are no Eastern fable. The official documents relating to it are well preserved and abundant. Many writers have contributed to its history, and whoever has carefully read the volumes of our late, lamented Dr. Busey--going over the whole ground with such painstaking research, will be likely to regard the recollections of any subsequent narrator simply as an " oft-told tale." T have been asked, however, to describe the city as I first knew it--say from 1852 to 1855 for then my acquaintance with it began. At that time it seemed like an overgrown, tattered village which some late hurricane had scattered along the river's edge. As best I can I will here relate my story of the city, subject to any corrections as to faults of my memory in the details by those who may care to undertake them. At that time many of the old landmarks had been swept away; great changes had come over the site of the town. The plan of the city approved by Washington, whose great name it was to bear, had been chiefly laid out and the city proper lay within the limits of boundary line (now Florida Avenue), Rock Creek, the Potomac and its Eastern Branch. As we all know the Capitol Building was to be the point of reckoning from which the four quarters of the city should be distinguished and the streets crossing each other at right angles were already named--those running east and west by the letters of the alphabet, those running north and south by the ordinal numbers. In this place also were centers from which the avenues named for the several states should radiate, crossing the streets at angles of various degrees and so defining the parks, squares, circl...