Evening star. [volume], May 13, 1934, Page 6, Image 86

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
ROW OF GEORGETOWN HOUSES HISTORIC
__ . i
Built by Col. John
Cox, IVho Was
Once Mayor of
That Section of
District—Old
Presbyterian Ceme
tery Is Now Public
Playground—Some
Early Graves in
Methodist Ceme
tery, 0 verl oo h i ng
Rock Creek, Near
Bridge.
BY JOHN CL.4GETT PROCTOR.
RECENTLY the writer dropped in to see
his friend, Mrs. W. A. McCain, the
wife of Lieut. Col. W. A. McCain,
U. S. A., who resides at 3337 N street,
in old Georgetown, and, of course, he
had to see the house from top to bot
tom, for the colonel's wife is a Georgetown
rooter from the heart, and is especially en
thusiastic over Cox's row, of which No. 3337
is the second house from the corner of Thirty
fourth street, a row of five 3-story brick
dweUings, dating back more than a century.
This row of houses was built by Col. John
Cox, who was one of Georgetown's foremost
citizens and mayor of that part of Washing
ton west of Rock Creek from 1822 to 1845, tak
ing the place of John Peter, who served from
1821 to 1822. and being succeeded by Henry Ad
dison. At an early age Col. Cox was left an
orphan, but fell into good hands when a wealthy
uncle, engaged in the banking business in
Baltimore, took him to rear.
He early came to Georgetown and there married
Matilda Smith, whose brother. Clement Smith,
vas for a number of years cashier of the
Wm
View of Oak Hill Cemetery and the Van Ness mausoleum from Mount Zion Cemetery.
«
Cox's row, on A street between Thirty-third ahd Thirty-fourth streets.
Farmers & Mechanics' Bank. After her death
he married Jane Threlkeld, by whom he had
seven children. John Threlkeld, father of Jane,
was mayor of Georgetown in 1793, and was
apparently a wealthy man, for he owned an
extensive tract of land, called "Alliance,” when
the District of Columbia became Federal ter
ritory, and in 1822 we find him conveying to
John Cox, in trust for the latter's wife Jane
for life, 11 and 1-10 acres, upon which his son
in-law, Cox. soon erected a magnificent home
which he called the Cedars, and which stood
on the site where is now the Western High
School. This adjoined the old Threlkeld home
stead. which was destroyed by fire.
Mayor Cox was both lucky and fortunate,
for when his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Threl
keld, died (John Threlkeld having predeceased
her) she left no will, and Mrs. Jane Cox
shared equally in the estate with her sisters.
Mary Grayson and Elizabeth Threlkeld. A part
of this estate is now known as Burleith, a
name which seems to appear first in connec
tion with this particular tract, in 1868. when
Richard S. Cox conveyed, in trust to Walter
S. Cox, a lot of ground lying west of Fayette,
now Thirty-fifth street, and south of Seventh,
now Reservoir street, containing 62 acres, more
or less. Prior to the Civil War there was only
farm land west of Fayette street and north ot
the Upper, or New Cut road. or. as it is now
called. Reservoir street, which was authorized
in 1833.
FEW people resided in this neighborhood at
that time, the entire population in George
town in 1860 being 8.733. and to the north
of Reservoir street, from Wisconsin avenue
west, lived but five families; or maybe they
cnly owned land there. But habitations are indi
cated on the map. and it is likely that W. Mur
dock, R. S. Cox, M. Stone. L Wetz and a tam
ily named Hodge resided on the land. A
drovers' rest was about where is now Terrace
Heights, a Colonial house on Ridge read at
Reservoir street, between Foxall Village and
Wesley Heights, where once was Battery Cam
eron. manned by the heavy Maine Artillery
during the Civil War, and close by were hos
pitals, to which wounded soldiers of the Pine
Tree State were taken after the battle of the
Wilderness and where was established head
quarters.
On an adjoining place, we are told, lived,
about this time, Marion and John Lightloot,
and the latter married Lucy Wepley of Maine,
who came there to visit the wounded soldiers
from her State. Later, it is said, the Lightfoots
bought this tract of land from the Government.
President Woodrow Wilson, according to re
ports. frequently visited Terrace Heights to en
joy the distant view down the river from its
wide porches, and at one time even contem
plated buying it and making it his home.
This reminds the writer of another house in
Georgetown where a President was a guest for
a brief while, and which only lately came into
the limelight as the Little Red House.
THIS Colonial-looking dwelling, numbered
3238 R street, was erected prior to the
Civil War, since it is shown on a map engraved
prior to that event. Gen. Henry W. Halleck,
when he was commander in chief of the Army,
from 1862 to 1864, resided here when R street
was known as North High road or Road street.
Gen. Grant and Gen. Halleck were warm
friends, and although the former succeeded the
latter in office when he was made lieutenant
general on March 2. 1864. yet this does not seem
to have altered their friendly relations in the
least, for President Grant not only visited him
here, but was his guest for a while. The city
directory shows that in 1878 "Joshua Dent,
lawyer.” resided there, and as this barrister
was likely a relative of Mrs. Grant, there is a
double reason why we should believe that Gen.
Grant stopped there upon several occasions at
least.
Col. John A. Joyce, the poet, who wrote for
The Star for many years, lived in this attractive
old residence, and here Mrs. Joyce died. When
Col. Joyce passed away, they took his remains a
little way down the street to Oak Hill Cemetery
and inscribed on his tombstone the familiar
lines;
"Laugh, and the World Laughs With You;
Weep, and You Weep Alone.”
A year ago this R street residence belonged
to the widow of Admiral H. H. Rousseau and
is probably still her property:
To return to Cox's row on N street. Col. Cox
did not build the five houses represented in
this row at the same time, and apparently built
them upon three separate occasions, as the sep
aration of the brickwork on the front walls
would indicate. The first house built was the
one on the northeast corner of N and Thirty
fourth streets, and here resided Col. Cox until
he moved to the Cedars. At a later date this
house became the home of Commodore Charles
Morris, U. S. N., whose remarkable acts of
bravery In the War with Tripoli are matters of
record. When Gen. Lafayette was being re
turned to France by thia Government aboard
the U. S. frigate Brandywine, it was Capt. Mor