Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) -- Description and travel; Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) -- History
Just across from Mr. Templeman's house on the northeast corner is one of
the loveliest houses left in Georgetown. It stood for many years
unchanged and unoccupied until a few years ago, when it was bought by
Sir Wilmott Lewis, the representative in Washington for a long time of
the _London Times_.
It was built by John Thomson Mason, (not General John Mason, whose home
was on Bridge Street). It was acquired in 1810 by Dr. Charles
Worthington, who came to George Town in 1783 from Sumner Hill in Anne
Arundel County. He previously owned a house on the southwest corner of
Bridge (M) and Market (33rd) Streets, and, later on, bought this house.
He called his home "Quality Hill." His family lived there for many years
until about 1856, when they moved up to the Heights and bought a house
on Road Street. The family of James Kearney lived there then, until
about twenty years ago. Dr. Worthington was one of the original members
of Saint John's Church and first president of the District of Columbia
Medical Society.
Dr. Charles Worthington was an austere man, very dignified and serious.
To his latest day, he dressed in the old style; his hair in queue, knee
breeches, long stockings, and buckles on his shoes. He drove a
coach-and-four when going to his country place out on the Seventh Street
Road near Brightwood. He was a man of great ability and zeal. He lived
to be 76 years old, having practiced medicine 55 years. His son,
Nicholas, followed in his profession.
Another block westward on this street stood Prospect Cottage, a charming
little home where Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth lived in the sixties and
wrote her many novels--one for every year of her life. This house was
for a time the home of the League of American Pen Women.
Just about a block northward stands Holy Trinity Catholic Church,
referred to sometimes in old newspapers as The Roman Church. The present
large edifice, facing on Lingan (36th) Street, was first built in 1849,
but the original church is the small building at the back of it, high up
from First (N) Street. The earliest marriage recorded there is April 6,
1795; the first baptism, May 14, 1795, signed by Reverend Francis Neale,
S. J., who was the first pastor. But the lot had been purchased some
years before by Bishop Carroll.
The building was erected by Alexander Doyle, putting in his own means in
addition to contributions from others. This church was virtually owned
by the college and was used for the college commencements until 1832.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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