USA > Washington DC > The chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751-1878 > Part 15
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pied the presidency until September 30th, 1806, hav- ing meanwhile, in 1800, been made coadjutor to the Bishop of Baltimore. These appointments were all made by Bishop John Carroll, the founder of the col- lege. In 1806, the Society of Jesus was re-organized and the college committed to its care. Rev. Robert Molyneux, the first Superior of the Jesuits, became president of the college, October 1st, 1806, and died in office, December 9th, 1808. He was succeeded by Rev. William Matthews, a former student of the col- lege, who held office until June 10th, 1810. Rev. Francis Neale had been appointed vice-president of the college, January 1st, 1800; and December 11th, 1810, became president, and remained to September 30th, 1812. Rev. John A. Grassi, S. J., under whom the college developed into a university, succeeded. He was, during the same period, Superior of the Mary- land Jesuits. Rev. Benedict J. Fenwick, S. J., a for- mer student, became president on the retirement of Father Grassi, July 31st, 1817. On October 31st, 1818, he was succeeded by Rev. Anthony Kohlman, S. J. (Superior of the Jesuits, 1817 to 1821), until Sep- tember 15th, 1820. Rev. Enoch Fenwick, S. J., also a former student, filled up the interval until the return of his brother, Benedict, September 15th, 1822, who served until his appointment to the Bishopric of Bos- ton in 1825. Rev. Stephen L. Dubuisson, S. J., fol- lowed him, September 9th, 1825, to July 7th, 1826; when Rev. William Feiner, S. J., became president, and gave place March 30th, 1829 (a few weeks before his death), to Rev. John Beschter, S. J. Father Besch-
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ter held office only until September 13th, of the same year, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S. J., a former student, until December 23d, 1837, when he became Provincial of Maryland. Father Mulledy's predecessor as provincial, Rev. William McSherry, S. J., another student of Georgetown Col- lege, was his successor as president, and died in office December 18th, 1839. Rev. Joseph A. Lopez, S. J., filled up the interval to April 30th, 1840, and died six months after. Rev. James Ryder, S. J., then held the presidency to January 3d, 1845, and was succeeded by Rev. Samuel F. Mulledy, S. J., who gave place to his brother Thomas, for a second term, from Septem- ber 6th, 1845, to August 7th, 1848. Father Ryder then returned to the presidency until August 1st, 1851. Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J., an alumnus of the college, was then president until August 15th, 1852. when he was made Provincial of Maryland. Fathers Maguire and Early then alternately held office, each two terms, until 1873, nearly nineteen years. We trust that their successor, Father Healy, an alumnus of Holy Cross, the prosperous daughter of George- town, may still preside at Georgetown when her een- tennial is reached."
The faculty of the college, ever keeping time with the advancement of education, and training the youth- ful mind to become men in the future, and to do their part in the affairs of life, are not unmindful that a spacious building is necessary to accommodate the in- creasing number of students coming to the college from all parts of the country. A building is now being
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erected, which, for magnificent proportions and dura- bility, will be a credit to the college and an ornament to the town. The length of the building is three hund- red and seven feet, and occupies the whole front of the college grounds between the north and south wings. The altitude is seventy feet nine and one- half inches ; depth is ninety feet at the north end, sixty- three feet and eight inches at the south end, and forty- nine feet in the middle. The building, when com- pleted with the two wings, will form the three sides of a square. The number of windows are two hund- red and ninety-two, five feet by ten. The number of doors in the interior, nine. Number of rooms in the whole building, eighty-two Some of them will be oc- cupied by the library ; others will be used by the fac- ulty of the college as parlors and class rooms, and various rooms for the professors in different branches of learning. The number of brick to be used in the construction of the building is estimated at two mil- lions. The quantity of stone called blue gneiss, which is quarried from the banks of the Potomac River, will be five thousand cubic yards used in the construction of the front and sides of the college.
MONASTERY AND ACADEMY OF THE VISITATION.
Our chronicles would be imperfect if we omitted a sketch of a very important institution in our town called the " Monastery," where ladies live in single blessedness. About the year 1792, some sisters belong- to the order of " Pon Clares," driven from France by the horrors of the French Revolution, sought refuge
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in Maryland. The names of the sisters were Maria de La Marche, Abbess of the order of St. Clare, Ce- leste la Blonde, de La Rochefoncault, and - de St. Luc. They took up their abode in Georgetown. In 1801 they purchased a lot of ground on Fayette Street, in said town, of John Threlkeld. They en- deavored to support themselves by opening a school, but they had to struggle constantly with poverty ; and on the death of the Abbess, in 1805, Madame de La Rochefoncault, who succeeded her, sold the convent to Bishop Neale, by deed of June 29, 1805, and re- turned to Europe with her companion. These poor "Clares " had been aided in their labors by Miss Alice Lalor, from Philadelphia (but originally from Ireland), and one or two other pious ladies from the same city. They had, for a time, occupied a small frame house, the site of which is enclosed in the present convent grounds. Bishop Neale, immediately after purchas- ing the Clarist convent in 1805, installed there these " pious ladies," as they were then called, and by deed of June 9, 1808, confirmed June 9, 1812, transferred the property to Alice Lalor, Maria MeDermott, and Mary Neale.
Such was the origin of the Visitation Nuns in the United States. This institution had its trials. In 1824 its financial embarrassments were so great, and the poverty of the community was so extreme, that they came to the resolution of dispersing. But at this juncture relief came. A wealthy Spanish mer- chant of New York, the late John B, Lasaler, sent two daughters to the convent, paving several years
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board in advance. This timely aid enabled them to continue their school ; and other assistance came after- wards. It was not until 1816 that the institution was regularly established as a Visitation Convent.
Connected with the monastery is a ladies' academy, which ranks among the first educational institutions in the country. The buildings are extensive ; front- ing three hundred feet on the west side of Fayette Street, also the same distance on Third and Fourth Streets, occupying nearly a square of ground. They have also added to their possessions the tract of land formerly owned by the late John Threlkeld, one of the original founders of the town, where are cultivated all the vegetables and fruits used in the institution ; and the grounds are laid out in serpentine walks, around which the ladies promenade for exercise. Thus, from a small beginning, this institution has be- come one of the wealthiest of our town, without call- ing upon the Woman's Rights Convention for any as- sistance or aid whatever.
The chronicler had the pleasure, many years past, to witness at the Monastery the taking of the vail by four young ladies (whose names he will not mention, as it might be a breach of politeness to place the names of ladies in print without their consent). It was on the 4th day of July, 1840, at six o'clock in the morning, when the chapel of the monastery was opened, and from that hour the congregation began to assemble. The small and beautifully ornamented chapel, which the sisters had decorated, with evidence of accomplishment and taste, with its dim light burn-
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ing before the altar, the solemnity rendered more im- pressive by the number of silent worshipers who were present, and by the voices of the unseen choir whose chant filled the air, had an effect to prepare the mind for this interesting ceremony. Soon the chapel filled. One of the sisters threw back the curtain which shaded the grating that separated the chapel from the con- vent, when every eye was turned in that direction. All the nuns were seen to enter in a long procession, and to kneel down the whole length of the aisles, with their heads bent towards the ground in an attitude of humility. Presently, the ladies who were to take the vail were led towards the grating ; the chanting ceased, and the organ, touched by a master hand, filled the air with its music. The ladies who were the all- absorbing interest of the ceremony were young, beautiful, and tastefully arrayed in white. The an- them ceased; when the Archbishop, in his canonicals, advanced to the front of the altar, and eloquently ad- dressed the congregation and the novices who were about to enter as members of the Sisters of the Visita- tion. When the discourse was finished, the Arch- bishop gave a blessing : after which the novices one by one answered the questions which prepared them to renounce the world ; then coming forward for the last time, their baptismal names were renounced and they received their new titles. Thus they passed away from the gaze of their relatives and friends, and the sight of the world, of which their beauty and accom- plishments would have rendered them the admiration and the ornament. The whole sisterhood received
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them; when the peals of the organ again filled the church, and the dark folds of the falling curtain shut them, forever perhaps, from the public sight. They abandoned the cares and vexations of this life, of which they were too young, to have felt any of its vi- cissitudes, to look forward to another world beyond the grave. .
GEORGETOWN COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE.
Georgetown Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies, Miss Lucy Stephenson, principal, was first opened for the reception of pupils September 9th, 1872.
This institute has been in successful operation for more than six years. During that time it has been steadily increasing in favor with the public. Since its foundation, fourteen young ladies have graduated, having completed the required course of studies. At the present time there are seventy-three scholars in the institute. In addition to the principal, there are eight teachers assisting her in imparting instruction in the several branches of study taught.
The location of the institute is very desirable, sit- uated at the southwest corner of Congress and Gay Streets.
PEABODY LIBRARY AND LINTHICUM INSTITUTE.
Peabody Library and Linthicum Institute, which was lately established in our town, owe their origin to the liberality of George Peabody and E. M. Linthi- cum, now deceased.
As the letters and correspondence show the origin
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of these institutions, the chronicler avails himself, for the benefit of his readers, of copying from the report of J. Ormond Wilson, Esq., a history of the above in- stitutions, in which can be seen the fertile pen of our fellow-citizen, Josiah Dent, Esq., now one of the Com- missioners of the District of Columbia :
" In 1872, when the trustees of the public schools of Georgetown were considering the proposition to erect in a central locality a school building in which they could place their more advanced schools and furnish the city with enlarged and improved school facilities, it was suggested that two philanthropic gentlemen had each given to the city, for educational uses, a consid- erable fund which had not been applied, and that all of these interests might be united with great mutual advantage. The suggestion was favorably received, and has since been carried out.
" It is deemed proper to give some account of the transactions in the report ; and I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. A. IIyde, one of the trustees of the Peabody Library Association, and of Mr. Josiah Dent, president of the Linthicum Institute, for the following brief histories :
PEABODY LIBRARY.
"This library had its origin in the munificence of Mr. George Peabody, and his intentions are fully set forth in the following letter:
" 91 LAFAYETTE STREET, SALEM, 20th April, 1867. "To W. W. CORCORAN, GEORGE W. RIGGS,
A. HYDE, HENRY D. COOKE, and WILLIAM L. DUNLOP, Esqs .. of the District of Columbia.
" GENTLEMEN : As most of you are aware, I am, and
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have been for some time, desirous of making some gift which would be productive of benefit to the citizens of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, where I com- menced business for myself in early youth. I am per- suaded that I cannot better do so than by endeavoring to assist them in their own endeavors to cultivate a healthful, moral, and intellectual progress; and I therefore give to you gentlemen the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, to be, by you and your successors, held in trust as a fund for a public library, to be established in the city of Georgetown. This sum I direct to be invested and accumulated until it shall be sufficient, in connection with the amount of accrued interest, and including any donations from other sources, should such be made, to erect a suitable build- ing in the city of Georgetown for a public library, to which the inhabitants of Georgetown shall have free access, under such restrictions and regulations as may, by you and your successors, be deemed necessary and proper. Should you think it best to keep the funds as they are until they shall be sufficient, by accumula- tion, as before stated, to erect a building which shall not only be suitable for such a library as I have speci- fied, but which shall also contain a lecture-room or hall for lectures for popular instructions, I give you leave to do so. I give you the power to organize, to choose a treasurer, and, if necessary, to obtain an act of incorporation ; and I direct that an annual report of the condition of the fund and amount of income be prepared and published by yourselves and your suc- cessors. I direct that your board be always composed
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of five persons, and in case of a vacancy or vacancies occurring in your number, I direct that the same be filled, by vote of the remainder, as soon thereafter as conveniently can be.
" Please to receive inclosed my check on James Tin- ker, Esq., New York, for fifteen thousand dollars, to be appropriated as directed in this letter.
With great respect, I am your humble servant, GEORGE PEABODY.
" The gentlemen named in the foregoing letter met in the private office of Mr. Corcoran, May 1, 1867, and organized as a board of trustees by electing Mr. W. W. Corcoran, president, and Mr. A. Hyde, secre- tary. The funds given by Mr. Peabody was ordered to be invested in United States securities, and was so invested at first, but was subsequently changed to ten per cent. mortgages, secured by real estate in Wash- ington City.
" The following reply to Mr. Peabody's letter was made :
" WASHINGTON, May 1st, 1867.
"To GEORGE PEABODY, Esq., LONDON, ENGLAND.
" DEAR SIR: On the 26th April, Mr. Corcoran had the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your es- teemed favor of the 20th April, addressed to himself and others therein named.
" In pursuance of the directions contained in this letter, the trustees met at twelve o'clock this day, at Mr. Corcoran's private office, all being present, and they organized by the appointment of Mr. Corcoran as chairman, Mr. Hyde as secretary, and Mr. Riggs as
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treasurer ; and, after a full interchange of views, and to meet your wishes as understood from your letter, it was
"Ordered, That the amount to be invested in United States five-twenty Treasury notes, registered in the name of the trustees; the accruing interest to be in- vested in the same securities until further order of the trustees.
"It was also determined to obtain an act of incor- poration, as soon as practicable, under the name of ' The Peabody Library Association of Georgetown,' which, we trust, will meet your approbation; and it will be the pleasure of the trustees, whom you have honored with the custody and direction of this liberal gift to the people of Georgetown, to give full effect to your wishes in this behalf, as already expressed, or that you may hereafter intimate.
" On behalf of the people of Georgetown, we ten- der you, dear sir, our grateful acknowledgments for this benificence, and most sincerely wish that you may long be spared to witness the benefits of your enlarged liberality to the people of these and other lands, and to receive and enjoy the admiration and gratitude of those who will be the direct recipients of your bounty, as well as of those who can appreciate the inestimable benefits that will flow to thousands by your most lib eral and enlightened munificence.
" We are, dear sir, your obedient servants,
W. W. CORCORAN, GEORGE W. RIGGS, A. HYDE, HENRY D. COOKE, WILLIAM L. DUNLOP.
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PEABODY LIBRARY.
" The fund was allowed to accumulate, and an an- nual statement of its condition was made at regular meetings of the board, and published, in conformity with the gift. In November, 1872, the following let- ter was received from the board of trustees of public schools of Georgetown :
"To W. W. CORCORAN. ANTHONY HYDE,
HENRY D. COOKE, W. L. DUNLOP, AND GEORGE W. RIGGS,
Trustees of the Peabody Library Fund.
" GENTLEMEN : I am directed by the board of school trustees of the city of Georgetown, to submit for your consideration the following :
" The authorities of the District of Columbia are about to erect a school-house on Second Street, oppo- site St. John's Church, in Georgetown, of large dimen- sions, to be of as imposing an exterior as is consistent with a proper economy. The objects sought to be at- tained by the outlay are the advancement of the cause of education in the town, the elevation of the public school system, and the establishment of better educa- tional facilities for the youth of both sexes, and for the general benefit and prosperity of the community.
" To aid in the accomplishment of their purposes, and at the same time to open up the only way which seems practicable for carrying out, at an early dav, the designs of Mr. Peabody for the establishment of a library in Georgetown, the board of trustees of the public schools propose to set apart a room of sufficient dimensions on the ground floor, fronting on Second Street, for the purpose of the Peabody Fund, where a library may be established, free of rent, under the ab-
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solute control of your honorable body in every respect, with the privilege of withdrawal whenever such action is desired. It is also designed to provide accommoda- tion for the Linthicum Institute on the same terms, to enable the trustees of that fund to carry out the ob- jects of their trusts. They have already informerly expressed their concurrence in the design, and their desire to accept such a proposition.
" Connected with the building will be a commodious lecture hall, for general lecture purposes; and the managers of the Linthicum Institute contemplate mak- ing provision for popular lectures in connection with their other plans.
"It is, in the judgment of the school authorities, safe to predict that the three interests thus combined, while they will remain under separate and independent control, will be, by this combination, of great and last- ing benefit to the town, and open an admirable and speedy way for the consummation of the liberal and enlightened intentions of the generous doners of the respective funds referred to.
"As it will have a bearing on the plans of the build- ing, it is desirable to know, at your earliest conven- ience, whether it will be the pleasure of your honora- ble body to accept the proposition herein embraced, and the board of school trustees would, therefore, ask early consideration of the same.
" I am, gentlemen, very respectfully, " Your obedient servant,
W. W. CURTIS, Secretary.
" By order of the board of school trustees of Georgetown.
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" The proposition contained in the foregoing letter was very carefully considered, and in due time ac- cepted. In the latter part of 1875, a committee, con- sisting of Messrs. Hyde, and Dunlop, was appointed, with authority to have the rooms properly fitted up and furnished, to purchase the books, and to make all necessary arrangements for opening the library to the public. The committee consulted with Mr. A. B. Spof- ford, Librarian of Congress, and are greatly indebted for the valuable advice and aid cheerfully given by him. The furniture and appointments are all in the most approved style, and the book shelves will readily hold six thousand volumes. About twelve hundred volumes were purchased, and the library was opened in March, 1875, under rules and regulations govern- ing the Peabody Library Association.
" Mr. Frank Hyde Barbarin was appointed first li- brarian ; but shortly after his appointment was trans- ferred to the banking house of Riggs & Co., and Mr. Frank D. Johns was appointed in his stead. Although so short a time has elapsed since the library was first opened, it is already in successful operation, and a large number of persons are availing themselves of its benefits. The average daily attendance has not been less than twenty, and the number is steadily in- creasing. The fund now amounts to twenty-five thou- sand dollars; and the treasurer, after paying all ex- penses to date, has about two thousand dollars now in hand.
" The following is the present list of officers of the . Peabody Library Association : Trustees-W. W. Cor- 31
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coran, president; George W. Riggs, treasurer; An- thony Hyde, secretary ; William L. Dunlop, Henry D. Cooke, Sr. Committee on the Library-A. Hyde, W. L. Dunlop; Committee on Accounts and Expen- ditures-A. Hyde ; Frank D. Johns, librarian; G. B. Wibert, janitor.
A. HYDE. Secretary.
" By order of the association, July 30, 1876.
LINTHICUM INSTITUTE.
" Edward Magruder Linthicum, to whose liberality this institute owes its existence, was born in Montgom- ery County, Maryland, on the 16th of July, 1797. With no other advantages of education than those furnished by a country school of the times, he em- barked, when quite a youth, in mercantile pursuits in Georgetown, District of Columbia, under the auspices of his uncle, Doctor Ninian Magruder, a prominent citizen of the town. At this period Georgetown was a port of considerable commerce. A career of fifty years devoted to active business, and distinguished for integrity, energy, and prudent sagacity, was crowned with abundant success ; and the last five years of his life were spent in tranquil retirement. He died at his residence on Georgetown heights, on the 30th of Oc- tober, 1869, universally respected for his virtues by the community who had been the daily witnesses of his life from youth to old age. That in his last years, free from the cares of business, he was not unmindful of duty and of the highest interests of those among whom his useful and exemplary life had been spent, is attested by the following extract from his last will :
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"'Convinced that knowledge and piety constitute the only assurance of happiness and healthful prog- ress to the human race, devoutly recognizing the sol- emn duties to society which devolve on all its mem- bers, and entertaining more especially a sincere desire to contribute in some measure to the permanent wel- fare of the community among whom my life has been spent, I give to my friends, Doctor Joshua Riley, Jo- siah Dent, William Laird, Jr., William L. Dunlop, and William A. Gordon, Jr., and to their survivors and successors forever, the sum of fifty thousand dol- lars in trust, to found, establish, and maintain, in Georgetown, under such conditions and regulations as they may from time to time prescribe and ordain, a free school for the education and instruction of indi- gent white boys and youths of said Georgetown in use- ful learning, and in the spirit and practice of Christian virtue ; and I advise and direct that said school fund, with all its additions and accretions, except what may be required to provide necessary accommodations for said school, shall, as favorable opportunity may offer, be invested and kept invested in unincumbered real estate, situated in said Georgetown, yielding good rents, and free from all doubt or dispute as to the title thereof on the security of such real estate; and that, in no case of investment on such security, shall the sum invested exceed in amount two-thirds of the estimated cash value of the property by which it is se- cured. And I further request and enjoin my said trustees that, whenever from any cause a vacancy may exist in their body, the remaining trustees shall, with-
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