A Portrait of Old George Town Part 5

Another well-known merchant said his new line of spring clothing had just arrived. And John Dabney "had received and had for sale at his cabinet and chair factory a large quant.i.ty of Windsor chairs." West along Bridge Street, before 1790, William Eaton had "mahogany ware, chairs and tables, beds, etc., finished and unfinished." Another cabinet-maker was Mr. Schultz. James Welsh, cabinet-maker from London, opened a shop in 1790 and advertised for an apprentice. And there was a well-known silversmith, for S. Kirk and Sons, of Baltimore, have identified a tea service as having been made by Charles C. Burnett, who worked as early as 1793. Another silversmith who had a shop on Bridge (M) Street in 1833 was R. H. L. Villard.

Gla.s.s Store. The subscribers have opened and have for sale at their house next door to Captain Richard Johns a complete a.s.sortment of Window and Hollow Gla.s.s Ware, manufactured in this State and equal in quality and cheaper than that imported from Europe.

Charles Frierer and Co., 1790

Thomas Beatty and Company called their store "The Sign of the Golden Fan."

Manufactory of Tobacco. Henry Brand & Co. Respectfully inform the Public that they have removed from New York to this Town.

George Town Academy. Madame de la Marche has for sale waters for sore eyes and various salves.

There were public pumps here and there for common use, but many householders had springs or cisterns.

In 1803 the first fire engine was purchased. Every house owner was obliged to have as many leather fire buckets kept in the house as there were stories to his home, to contain not less than two and a half gallons of water each. The little oval metal placques one sees now and then affixed to houses in Georgetown were, in those days, put only on the houses of the members of the volunteer companies to denote that "here lives a fireman." Later, in 1817, _The Vigilant_, a new fire engine, was bought. Its house is still on High Street, just below Bridge. Set in the wall down near the pavement is a stone with this inscription:

BUSH THE OLD FIRE DOG DIED OF POISON JULY 5TH, 1869 R. I. P.

Someone who remembers him tells me that he was a collie, and that he went to every fire along with the engine. I think the men whose companion he was, and who evidently loved him when they inscribed the "R. I. P.," must have believed, as I do, that like the Jim in the poem of that name by Nancy Byrd Turner, he would meet them joyously "on the other side."

Of course, the fire engines in those days--1817, I mean--were drawn by hand, and the old bucket-pa.s.sing system was in vogue.

Farther uptown, on the corner of Gay and Market Streets, was the home of The Potomac Fire Engine Company. There was great jealousy between the two. While the fire was raging, both worked together beautifully, but as soon as it was over, there was usually a fight.

South of the ca.n.a.l on High Street stood the Debtors' Prison. This was the only prison in the lower part of Montgomery County, although the county court was held at Rockville, and there the cases were tried. At one time the town clerk of George Town got tangled up in his money matters and was placed in this prison where he languished until his friends made good his debts. A report was made to the Town Council that he could not perform his duties because he was in jail! Nothing now remains but a part of the old stone wall.

Here is a description of some of the houses offered for sale:

Together or separate, 2 handsome dwelling houses, situated in George Town on Potomack, they contain 5 rooms with fire place, four bed chambers, two closets, and have two handsome piazzas. A kitchen near the house, a bake house, two rooms for domestics, a stable, coach house, a beautiful (falling) garden, ornamented with terraces, well gra.s.sed, a large fish pond, a well and a spring of water, 150 young fruit trees, the whole finished and done in the neatest manner under a handsome and excellent enclosure containing three lots and a half, extending 170 ft. on Fayette Street and 192 on Third Street. Apply to John Threlkeld.

Here is one of the business places advertised:

The warehouse and wharf on Water Street, lately occupied by the Naval Agent (this was in 1802). There are four floors in this house, with a room on the second and third with a fire place in each, one intended for a compting room and the other for a lodging room.

W. S. Chandler.

Evidently a clerk had to sleep on the premises as guard.

There were architects and builders to put up these fine and commodious houses, for these advertis.e.m.e.nts appear:

William Lovering, Architect and General Builder--Begs leave to inform his friends and the public, that he has removed from the City of Was.h.i.+ngton to Gay Street, the next street above the Union Tavern in George Town, where he palns to estimate all manner of buildings, either with materials and labor, or labor only. Specimens of buildings suitable for the obtuse or acute angles of the streets in the City of Was.h.i.+ngton may be seen at his home. May 1, 1800.

Henry Carlile, Architect, Carpenter and Joiner. Respectfully informs his friends and the Public in general, that he proposes to undertake all kinds of buildings, as formerly he hath done in Europe and this country; on the lowest terms, with or without material, as he has learned the theory under the first architects in Europe, also practice in first buildings there, and hath finished elegant buildings in Europe, with and without materials, and in this country hath always had the good fortune of having the patronage and friends.h.i.+p of his employees, and hopes by attention to please and to execute, that he will meet with the encouragement of a generous public. He also begs leave to return his sincere thanks to his worthy employers in this Town and Country, for the encouragement he hath met with since coming to this Town, and a.s.sures them nothing shall be wanting on his part to merit a continuance of their favors.

George Town, September 8, 1790.

Wm. Pancost--Architect and Carpenter, can by the asistance of David Willers, pump maker, late from Philadelphia, serve the public by supplying them with pumps, cove logs or girders, for any purpose on the shortest notice.

George Town, near the Lower Ware Houses, Jan. 29, 1799.

Then in 1800, James Hoban, who was the architect and builder of the President's House, put this in a paper:

$2.00 per day will be given for good carpenters and joiners, at the President's House and in proportion for those less skilful, to be paid daily or weekly, as may be required.

Imagine! Now when the White House is being rebuilt hiring "good carpenters and joiners for $2.00 per day!"

Chapter IV

_The Streets of George Town and Some of the Happenings_

The houses had no numbers, but the streets had descriptive names. Along the river, Wapping, changing to The Keys and East to West Landing where all the busy loading and unloading of vessels took place. Just above there running west off Water Street for a short distance was Cherry Lane (now Grace Street). What a pretty name! Once a fas.h.i.+onable neighborhood, later on a slum.

Running north and south there was first Fis.h.i.+ng Lane which became East Lane and finally settled down to Congress Street and is now Twenty-first.

Then the Main Street up from the ferry, called Water Street until it got to Bridge running east and west where was the Square, also called the Center of the Town. Then Water Street became High and Bridge continued on its way as the Falls Street--both names typical, as one was climbing a hill and the other was the road to The Little Falls. Duck Lane became Market (33rd) Street; Bridge (M) Street; Frederick (34th) Street, for it was the road out to Frederick Town, forty miles away; Potomac Street, for the river; Fayette Street, certainly named in honor of the Marquis, but in that age of young democracy, de la was dropped from de la Fayette. Then there was Montgomery (28th) Street, Greene (29th) Street, and Was.h.i.+ngton (30th) Street, all named for Generals of the Revolution.

Running the other way were Gay, Dunbarton, Beall, West, Stoddert, this, for a long time was known as Back Street. West of High Street (Wisconsin Avenue) the streets became First, Second, Third, etc. Twenty-seventh Street, after being New Street for one block and Mill Street for another, finally was named for President Monroe. Madison had a street named for him too, but it was so far out, about 9th, in the far western corner, that it never amounted to much.

But the street that intrigues me most is Gay. There were two of them for a while, the one that is now N, and another, way up near the college, which was renamed in honor of General Lingan, after his tragic death.

Who was Gay Street named for? It wasn't a local celebrity, for Baltimore also had a Gay Street, still has, way down in its old section. There was somebody the people of that generation admired and wished to commemorate.

Could it possibly have been the English poet, John Gay, (1685-1732) whose best known piece "The Beggar's Opera" was said to have made "The Rich gay and Gay rich"? He was buried in Westminster Abbey. His epitaph was by Alexander Pope, followed by Gay's own mocking couplet, "Life is a jest, and all things show it. I thought so once and now I know it."

The Beggar's Opera for a time drove Italian Opera off the English stage (1728) by its caricature of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of George II. These people were British subjects, you know, when these streets were named.

Somewhere in these quaint little streets in the early days before 1800, in one of these little brick houses, two stories with dormer windows, which the architects nowadays call the George Town Type, lived a couple named McDonald who had marital difficulties, for in an old newspaper is this advertis.e.m.e.nt:

Whereas my wife, Mary McDonald, has left me without any just cause or impediment. She is about fifty years of age, lame in her right leg and snivels a little. It is supposed she went off with one Robert Joiner, an ill-looking fellow. If she returns to the arms of her disconsolate husband, she shall be received and no questions asked.

There was another advertis.e.m.e.nt:

Alexander McDonald, taylor, removed from Bridge Street to High Street, two or three gentlemen can be accomodated with board and lodging.

I wonder if Robert Joiner, with whom Mary eloped, was one of those two or three gentlemen, and what fascination she had that was strong enough to overcome all those physical disabilities her "disconsolate husband"

enumerated!

A man in Boston wanted a wife, and had his advertis.e.m.e.nt copied from _The Boston Sentinel_ into a George Town newspaper:

Wanted--A wife: Enquire of the Printer. April 23, 1801. Be pleased to inform applicants, that the advertiser wishes the lady to be neither too old nor too young. Taking 25 for a central point, she must not be more than 7 years distant either way. If of a sulky or fretful disposition; if s.l.u.ttish, lazy, proud, ostentatious or deceitful, or of an ill state of health, she must have a pretty large share of property to recommend her. If on the contrary, she be of a cheerful, contented temper; of affable manners and benevolent to the poor; if in the habit of being attentive to her household when business commands attention, and gay and careless when pleasure is the pursuit; and of sound health and good const.i.tution (for such only can produce strong and vigorous children), she need not possess a cent. If well-read, so much the better, provided she is not too fond of her book to neglect overseeing her affairs and suffering the hole in her stocking to go unmended. She must not be a pedant or a scold but must know enough of books to distinguish between a volume of history and a novel; and have sufficient spirit to prevent being imposed upon. Communication addressed to A. B. and left at the composing room, if originating in honorable intentions will be attended to with secrecy, honor and punctuality, and should the interview succeed, the advertiser will faithfully describe his situation and prospects.

Was this paragon discovered in old George Town and taken to Boston for keeps? No one knows.

But this might easily have been so, as witness these advertis.e.m.e.nts of the plays being shown in George Town in 1790, for on July 21 this appears: "The Theatre of this Town was opened by Mr. McGrath's Company of Comedians, with the celebrated comedy The Miser. This Company is by far the best that ever visited this town." Then on August 12 there was "The Beggars Opera and A Comedy of two acts, Barnaby Brittle or a Wife at her Wits End. Also in August Mr. McGrath's Company of Comedians gave The Tragedy of Douglas and Garrick's Comedy of Two Acts called The Lying Valet."

The curtain will rise at 7 o'clock Tickets at three quarters of a dollar each to be had at Mr. Suter's and Mrs. White's Taverns and at this Printing Office.

Another evening will be presented the "Tragedy of Jane Sh.o.r.e. Between the play and the farce a humorous dissertation of Jealousy to be delivered by Mr. McGrath to which will be added a farce called Cross Purposes, or Which is the Man. The doors to be opened at half past five and the curtain to rise at half past six."