Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) -- Description and travel; Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) -- History
Mrs. Sevier told me of being at a spa in Germany one summer when she was
young, with Mr. Sevier. When they asked for the first floor apartment
instead of theirs on the second, they were told by the proprietor that
it was engaged for "some Englishman; he did not know whom." It turned
out to be the then Prince of Wales, Edward VII. The prince, on seeing
her, asked to be presented. She was very beautiful then, tall and fair.
She met him three times, in the garden or at the spring. When he was
leaving, he asked to say good-bye. She, unthinkingly, stood on the step
above him, (a terrible _faux pas_, she learned afterwards), gave him
some roses, and he presented her with a bouquet surrounded by lace
paper; it was the custom, always, on leaving a place.
When my father built his house in 1884 on the southwest corner of
Stoddert (Q) Street and Congress (31st) Street, it was in part of the
orchard of the old Bowie place. Some of the pear trees were still there.
Today there are six houses on the lot where his house stood with its big
gables and its many porches, surrounded by a fine lawn in which he took
great pride. This house caused a good deal of comment at the time of its
building from the fact that it had a bathroom on every floor, one being,
of course, a "powder room." But to have a bathroom in the basement for
the servants in those days was unheard of. It was just as good as the
others, a tin-lined tub, of course, would be horrible to the present
generation!
The house was always brimming over with people, young and old, for
occasions both grave and gay. One very grave one happened about two
years after we moved there, and another "first" in Georgetown was
there--the first trained nurse in Georgetown. Early in the month of May
diphtheria seized the eldest daughter, then about fifteen. Two days
later, another succumbed, a beautiful little girl of five. There was no
anti-toxin in those days. In four days little Eleanor Hope was dead. Two
days later a little cousin visiting there, was taken, and two days later
still, the three remaining well children were sent out one afternoon for
a drive with Grandpa in the Dayton-wagon, an old-time version of the
present-day station wagon. We thought it was kind of strange to go to
drive in the rain, but it wasn't really raining hard, so we stopped
where the Cathedral Close is now and picked bluets and violets. When we
got home we were told we had a new little brother! Wildly excited, we
rushed upstairs and assaulted the door of mother's room. It was opened
by old Aunt Catherine, the colored mid-wife, who had been told not to
admit anyone, but mother called us and in we went. An hour or so later I
was the fourth victim of diphtheria! I still have vivid memories of it
all, and of Miss Freese, the trained nurse.
[Illustration: _Courtesy Bolling-Fowler_.
THE GEORGE T. DUNLOP HOUSE]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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