Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1930, Page 74

here D.C. High BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. "HEN we look back and recall the people we have known, many of whom were even younger than _ . ourselves, and who are no longer with us, we sometimes wonder if there are.many others who can, with us, recall events around 50 and 60 years ago, and yet, when we-for but a moment refleet, we know that there must be ever so many whq can. and that we, who regard ourselves as. ven- erable, are but mere children to a whole lot of people still living. Take, for instance, the large number of sur- vivors of the Civil War, one of the youngest of whom, Maj. Gen. John L. Clem, now in his eighticth year, can no doubt even recall events prezeding that cenflict, while Maj. Willard S. Saxton, in his one-hundred-and-recond year, can quite likely remeniber events almost a-cen- tury ago, amd, incidentally, the birthdays of both Gen. Clem and Maj. Saxton occurred on the same date—Auguyst 13. Sixty years ago, Gen. Clem could have been # father, while the Major could have gone .hlm one better and have been a grandfather; and so some of the things we speak of or refer to as old might, to these men and others approach- ing their ages, be but objects or events of re- cent years. A What prompted this thought. was the ques- ticn that occurred to the writer as to how many people could remember when the Seaton Public School Building on I street, bstween Second and Third streets, was dedicated on that balmy Saturday afternoon, September 30, 1871, and, upon reflection, he naturally concluded that there must be ever so many. He also con- cluded that there were many still living, young and old, who retained fcnd recollections of this old school building, which has continued in service all these years. IFTY-NINE years make a decided difference even in the life of the centenarian, and we could not expect that it has not made at least some difference in the old Seaton Schoal, yet, as the writer gazed upon it the other day, i* seemed to him to have Icst little if any of its appearance when he first saw it many years ago, when it was practically a new building. He saw the little children coming and going— still entering its grounds and its portals, just as they did in the days of yore. Soon—as we now look upon years—they will be in our class and looking back upon 1930 just as we do upon 1880 and earlier; and thus time grinds out its generations, one after another. Hcw wonderful we think this world would be if we could but put our old heads upon the shoulders of these care-free, vigorous youths—maybe; perhaps! * 'The history of this old building, one of Wash- jngton’s first modern schools, is worth repeat- ing. It stands on historic ground, for here, during the Civil War days, when no one knew with certainty what the outccme of that con- flict would be, hospital buildings were erected and first opened in December, 1862, and called Stanton Hospital. They included the entire block from H and I and Second to Third street, and remained in commission until October 19, 1865. Just across the street to the north was Douglas Hcepital, named for Stephen A. Douglas, who, in 1851, purchased both the blocks to thé north and to the south of I street, between Second and Third streets. By 1857 Judge Douglas had erected what is now 201 I street, for on April 23 of that year we find in The Star this item: “The improvements in the neighborhocd of Judge Douglas’ are being commenced in earnest, The contracts for building the houses (two) of the Hon. H. M. Rice and Hon. J. C. Breckin- ridge have been conditionally awarded to Messrs, Baldwin & Brother at $15,000 each. ‘They are to be 38 feet front, 50 feet deep, with rear wings, and four stcries high, with attic and basement stories.” After Judge Douglas married, for his second wife, Adele, the granddaughter of the sister of Dolly Madison, on November 20, 1856, he moved into this corner house, and it was here that he was notified of his nomination for the Presi- dency by the Democratic convention which met in Baltimore in 1860. The second house, 203 I street, was built and occupied for a while by Henry Mower Rice, first United States Senator from Minnescta, serving from 1858 to 1863, and from this fact the three houses became familiarly known as “Minnesota Row.” Senator Rice was a man of capacity and distinction, as one might judge by the remarks made by Vice President Mar- shill at the unveiling of a statue to him, when Mr. Marshall said: “In blazing paths for others to follow he made the first survey of the Sault Ste. Marie; he aided the forming of the friendly alliance with the Indians; with Stephen A. Douglas he drew up the act author- izing Minnesota to form a State constitution, preparatory to admission to the Union, and fixed the boundaries of the new State. His services as a Senator were painstaking and patriotic, and without desertion of his - party, he remained a defender of the Union of the States. THE next house, No. 205, which once included a part of 207, was first occupied by Gen. John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, during a part of the time he served as Vice President with James Buchanan as President. At the beginning of the Civil War Breckin- ridge went South and became Secretary of War, for which he was expelled from the United States Senate. He joined the Con- federate forces and became a major general, and was with Gen. Early when that general made his celebrated raid on Washington in July, 1864. Strange to say, two Democratic candidates for the Presidency, in the campaign of 1860, lived in this row—Douglas and Breck- inridge. Douglas received 12 electoral votes, Breckinridge 72 and Lincoln 180. John Bell of Tennessee, another candidate, received 39 votes. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER: 28, 1930. chools Old Seaton Building Was Dedicated in 1871. Civil War Hospitals Once Occupied Its Site and Surrounding A rea —Tzvo Men Who Ran Against Lincoln for Presidency Lived Nearby. A Col. William Winston Seaton, 17831866. He was one of the editors of the National Intelligencer and mayor of Washington from 1840 te 1849. The Seaton School was named for him. After the war the Breckinridge house was occupied for a short while by a relative of Gen. Grant and was soon afterward purchased by an admirer of the latter, who gave it to him as a present, and here he lived for a briet while after he was inaugurated President in 1869. It was then purchased and given to Gen. Sherman, who remodeled the house into two dwellings. The corner one—207—became the residence of Mayor Emery, and his only living daughter, who married William M. Han- nay, resides there now with her husband. Maj. Richard Wallach once lived in house No. 201, and much other history could be written of this row. . Speaking of these houses at the time they were taken over for hospital purposes, on No- vember 5, 1861, The Star says: “The Federal Government, it was announced today, his engaged the whole of Minnesota rew—the splendid mansions of the late Senator Douglas, Senator Rice, Senator John C. Breck- inridge and Mr, Corbin—for military hospital purposes. “Their cost of erection was about $130,000, exclusive of the value of the square on which they stand—said to be worth about $30,000 additional. The rent paid by the Government is at the rate of about $7,000 a year for the entire row of houses. “All of these fine homes are bountifully sup- plied ‘with heating apparatus, bathing rooms, aqueduct wateg and other modern conveniences. They are decl*red to be the best buildings for the purpose to be found anywhere in the Dis- trict of Columbia.” No doubt the Seaton Building, too, in its way has made history. How interesting it would be if we but had a record of each boy and girl who attended this school; just what became of him—his success or failure in life. This would, indeed, be good reading. WH!N the school was dedicated, cf course, they had to have a poem, and for this purpose T. Seaton Donoho wrote for the occa- sion what he entitled a “Dedicatory Poem,™ and it was read by Master Joseph Brown of the Male Grammar School then located in the Berret Building, Sixth street and New York Reproduction from a Brady Photograph. avenue. Master Brown, the writer is informed, later became J. Stanley-Brown, one of the secretaries to President Garfield, and later mar- ried his daughter Mollie. The name of John Sullivan Browne was not unknown to the writer, for, although he did not know the man personally, yet he did know the rest of the family and still knows those of his children who are living. Mr. Browne was one of the pioneer patent attorneys of this city. He was a member of the Board of Trustees as far back as 1863, and naturally always took a keen interest in local school matters. He was one of the early settlers of Moun$ Pleasant— or Clarksville, as it was sometimes unofficially called—when it was more difficult to reach from the heart of the city than is Baltimore today. A native of New Hampshire, he came to Washington in 1850 and soon began the pursuit of his profession of solicitor of patents, occa- sionally contributing an item to the New Haven Palladium. In February, 1870, he ccntributed a series of articles to the columns of The Star on “Where Should Be the Capital?” EFORE moving to Mount Pleasant, on De- cember 7, 1867, where Mr. Browne had two years before purchased lots four and five, front- ing on Park road—then known as Park street, and which was the old Linnean Hill road—Mr. Brcwne had resided at 373 Thirteenth street northwest (old numbering), which was on the east side of the street between L and M streets. Mr. Browne's suburban home was not com- pleted when he moved into it, but it was suffi- ciently advanced to house the family until the following Spring when the finishing touches were added. “Mr. and Mrs. Browne died many years ago, leaving several children: Arthur S., patent ex- pert; Walter A., chief engineer of the Govern- ment Printing Office, and Edith, who Became Mrs. Pehniman Speers. Miss Agnes Browne, eldest daughter, became the wife of Maurice L. Croxall and she and her husband are now de- ceased. The Browne homestead remained standing until a few years ago, when it was removed and an apartment house erected in its place. ad Beginning It may be that the architect today would class the Seaton School as a shack, and say other unkind” things about it, that might from his professional viewpoint be true. Indeed, the writer confesses that he, himself, is guilty of almost going into ecstasy over the Paul Junior High School every time he attends there a meet- ing of the Brightwood Citizens’ Association; for it is really about the best th'ng the archi- tect has to offer in the nature of an ideal school * building, and yet, a half a ceniury from now, it may be as much out of date as we might assume the Seaton Building to be. But to the boy and the girl who went there to school, it can rever be other than the grandest school- house on earth. AT the time the Seaton School was dedicated, Gen. William ‘T. Sherman lived on I street, just oppcsite. He"® attended the ceremonies in 1871, and his remarks upon that occasion were indeed interesting. He said: “Ladies and gentlemen: I wish I could say boys and girls, as I have been lcoking for them all day. When I entered this beautiful temple I had not the remotest intention of opening my mouth, having come on invitation to wit< ness and hear but not to take part in these ceremonies. Well, I am glad I came. I am the opposite neighbor of ycur school, and when last Fall I was called upon to join in a gen- eral remonstrance against its erection I re- fused. “The school was not welcome on its present site. It was looked upon by. property holders as "a damage to property, and it is to me a loss of $10,000. Now, to be frank, I can see about me better sites for buildings, and I cannot see why the present one was selected, but the schcol house has been built, .and, of course, I abide by it. “I have watched its progress; it is beautiful and commodious—10 large school rooms and this beautiful hall, which speaks for itself, Why, it is a thousand times better than the room in which I was educated, The little school in Ohio which I attended has given to the Nation Senators and to our Army generals, but when compared to this edifice it sinks into insignificance; it is like comparing a hovel to a palace. All this is right, and if it were ten times handsomer I would say amen. “I liked the remarks of Gen. Walker when he said that it was important to have what is beautiful before the eye at all times—beautiful objects are attractive, ugly ones repulsive. 'No girl is going to take a husband that is a dirty fellow, and sbe is right. Hence I like beautiful school houses. “I am sure Congress will in the end be fair, for they are not going to let the people of the District pay the national debt, and this is a part -of it. They will do something for your educational interests in good time. o “Keep on building and improving your school houses> Why, in 25 years, with the spirit of pregress which animates us, this will be con- sidered a second-rate school house, and people will wonder why we didn’t build bigger and better ones. This school is not too large, not’ too good; the neighborhood is perhaps a little better than it ought to be, but for one I am willing to give my time and money if our boys and girls will only grow up to be worthy of the country that claims them as her own.” PARTIAL description of the school given at the time, which probably holds substane tially good today, follows: “This building occupies a most commanding position, on the healthy and elevated ground on I street betwen Second and Third sfyeets northwest. The ground slopes down at all points of the compass from this site, so hap- pily chosen. The lot is 90 feet front by 150 feet in depth, and contains 13,500 squaire feet. The building stands in the center of front, is 68 feet frcnt by 94 feet in depth, has a base- ment 10 feet in height, two stories of 14 feef and a third story, part of whi~h is occupied by a publig hall of 18 feet in he'ght. all meas= ured in the clear floor and ceiling. It was dee signed exclusively for male sthools. The build- ing is approached by doors from the four sides, opening outward, so as to facilitate egress in case of alarm. The arched, wide front door is set back from face of wall in a deep recess, for convenience and relief of the plain exterior architecture. “The basement is appropriated to play- grounds and wash room and the necessary rooms for janitor. There is also a vault 60 feet in length and 16 feet in width under the sidewalk. This contains boiler room and coal cellars. The first story, the window sills of which are elevated 9 feet above grcund for obvious reasons, contains four school rooms, with adjoining well fitted-up cloak rooms and airy passages; the second story has the same accommodaticns, and besides it has a library room above the entrance, and the third story contains a public hall, occupying 3,175 square feet in size, and is large enough to contain all the pupils of the house when assémbled. The finish and proportions of the rocm are planned with due regard to the laws of acoustics and a thorough ventilation. The floor of this hall rises amphitheatrically from the foot of the platform. “Two school rooms, with their dependencies, are located in the rear of the hall, with store rooms in the loft above them. “There are in all 10 school rooms, four of which are 27 by 40 feet and six of which are 251% by 34 feet in size. Two flights of wide stairs, having two courses, with intermediate landings for each story, lead up from base- ment to roof, on the east and west sides of the building.” ON! of the things the early e;iucabon of g old Second School Division are proud of is that the Washington. High Schoold had their beginning in the Seaton Building, for it was here; in 1876, that Miss Georgia Lane was permitied to form an advanced grammar school for girls, which was followed ome year later by g similar class for boys in the old i 4