Truxton Is In Shaw – The InShaw Blog

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 1517 3rd Street NW

The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.

Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 1517 3rd St NW:

February 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1517 3rd NW to Louis W. and Lucille H. Williams.
February 1951 the Williams borrowed $3,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1517 3rd St NW to Mrs. Ethel W. Stanley.
Feb 1951 Stanley borrowed $3,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
May 1962 Stanley paid off her mortgage.
May 1962 Mr. and Mrs. Williams paid off their mortgage.

Another good ending. No foreclosure and mortgages paid off in 11 years.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off-1515 3rd Street NW

It’s been a while but, I’m back with the goal of getting every WSIC house.

photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 1515 3rd St NW:

December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1515 3rd St NW to Edna B. and William N. Dean.
December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Deans borrowed $3,375 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
April 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1515 3rd St NW to Harvey L. and Sadie B. Christian.
April 1951 the Christians borrowed $3,425 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
November 1952 the Christians were thrown to the lions and lost their half of the property to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
February 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube turned around and sold the foreclosed half to Ederson R. and Tiney Willis.
February 1953 the Willis’ borrowed $4,211.05 from Levin and Weightman.
February 1962 the Deans paid off their mortgage.
September 1967 Tiney Willis and her son Ederson paid off their mortgage.

And that’s the end. Only one foreclosure and the property did not wind up in the hands of a slum lord or the city government.

Eloyce Gist Powerpoint

I am back from the ASALH conference. I have been very spoiled by the DC History conferences of past. DC you are awesome. I love you.

I had to keep constantly cutting down my presentation to get it below 15 minutes. I cut it so much I don’t think I really did the history justice.

Knowing this I attempted to put the longer presentation on YouTube. I need a new computer and I don’t get YT. But here it is.

Memory Lane: Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church

The Former Israel Metropolitan CME. Taken 12/20/2007

This church building gives me Lutheran church vibes. This church sits in the Mount Vernon Sq part of Truxton Circle. It also housed the Israel Metropolitan CME Church during the 1957 Church Survey.

Comparative White DC Home Owner- Georgetown- George Thomas- 1505 33rd St NW

It’s been a while since I have written up one of these comparative histories.

Although the African American home owners of Truxton Circle are my focus, I am looking at a few other blocks in Washington, DC to compare them to. So I looked at the census for blocks in the city that were in the F1 or red-lined category, but happened to be 90%-100% white. I included Georgetown, and this is the story of one household.

George W. Thomas was born in DC on November 15, 1870. His father was a carpenter and also named George W. and in 1880 the family lived in Georgetown. He was one of 10 children. In 1893 he married Elizabeth Schlosser. In 1900 he shows up twice in the census. He’s at 3042 P St NW with his wife and a family of boarders (Enumeration Dist 25 page 8). And he’s at his father’s on S or T St NW (Enumeration Dist 19 page 17) in Georgetown, with his siblings minus his wife.

Prior to the George W. and his wife Elizabeth moving to 1505 33rd St NW, they lived about a block over, renting 3042 P St NW in the 1900-1910 census. In the 1920 census they rented space in Dupont Circle at 2150 P St NW. George had been a carpenter, like his father, but then moved into cement mixing. It appears they had no children.

Looking at the land records the first few documents for the Thomas household are from 1923 and the lot numbers are (0163-0164) where Irene and William Ballenger sold the two lots to Nellie G. Stees. In the next numbered document, on that same day, sold it to Elizabeth and George W. Thomas. In the following document the Thomas borrowed $2000 at 7% from the trustees of the Northwest Savings Bank and $1000 for a 2nd mortgage from trustees R.E.L. Yellott and Raymond Read. A month later the Thomas’ were named in the release of the Ballenger’s 1920 mortgage. December 1923 George & Elizabeth took out a $3000 mortgage with the Home Building Association of the District of Columbia. It appears they used the money to pay off the Northwest Savings Bank.

In 1935 George and Elizabeth sold the home to Joseph A. Jr. and Edith Corinne Gargiulo.

So in the 1940 census they had moved out to the Palisades living at 5517 Carolina Place NW. At that point he was 69 years old and still in the concrete business. According to the social security office he died in 1952.

The difference I see between this White household and the Black households of Truxton Circle is the Northwest Savings Bank. I haven’t seen that bank operating in the TC.

Memory Lane: 1227 First Street NW

When I posted this back in 2007 it was a vacant house. It has been renovated and brought back to the land of the living.

Looking at the land records there was a lot of…. it looks very confusing and it appears to be an issue with the title in 2009. So from 5 minutes of poking around it appears in 2003 the city condemned the property and the owner did something to cancel that. From 2007-2009 there was a lien on the property, for back taxes. In 2008 Maryland B. Jackson sold her interest in the property to Read Investment Corp. for $160K. I am guessing Read Investment renovated the property because in 2009 they sold the property to Mark Beavers for $409K. And looking at Google Street view from 2008 and 2009 there is a change from a shell of a house to a house with the permits in the window.

It was last sold in 2015. Redfin says that the house is now worth $843,948.

Vacant house next to occupied homes. — 1223-1227 1st Street NW. Taken around December 20, 2007.

2007 post below

Okay, once again because all the cool kids are doing it, another vacant house. This also has been bought this year, so the pitiful state that it is in *might* not the new owner, Ms. M. B. Jackson’s fault. Ms. Jackson of McClean, VA acquired the house in May 2007 for an unknown amount. The unknown makes me wonder if it was a transfer, tax sale foreclosure, or something else. According to the DC.Gov tax assessment site, the place is assessed at $248,570, for 2007, and will go up to $296,570. The $570.00 at the end of both prices make me wonder if the assessor just decided, “OK, add $48K, viola!” Anywho, there is an interesting “Special Assessment” dated 7/30/2004 and 12/13/2007 for $62,213.03. I wonder what that’s all about.
It was built sometime during the turn of the century, as the DC government lists it as being built in 1900, which means they have no clue. My census of 1900 notes aren’t revealing any residents of the 1200 block of 1st, and my maps (which I admit neglects the Hanover/MVSQ crossover area of the TC) don’t show anything, so I have no clue either.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 19 Bates Street NW

Okay, let’s get back to some depressing local history.

Why depressing? The WSIC properties tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold by business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). And doing this over and over again, is depressing.

photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 19 Bates St NW:

December 1950 (recorded Feb 14, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 19 Bates St NW to Miss Elsie M. Mitchell.
December 1950 (recorded Feb 14, 1951) Mitchell borrowed $1,900 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 19 Bates St NW to Theodora and Thomas Ferguson.
Jan 1951 Fergusons borrowed $1,900 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
March 9, 1953 Thomas Ferguson borrowed $965.83 from trustees Roland Brown Jr and Jacob Sandler in order to pay for work done by Consolidated Eng. & Dist. Co. Inc.
September 1954 Thomas Ferguson borrowed $575.65 from the Irving Trust Company.
April 1958 the Fergusons lost their half of 19 Bates St NW to foreclosure.
July 1958, as part of larger property package, new Colonial partner Harry A. Badt transferred their interest in the foreclosed half to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
June 1959 the Colonial Investment Co partners and the Levin survivors, in a larger property package, sold their interest in the property to Sophia and George Basiliko.
January 1962 Mitchell was released from her mortgage, thus owning her half free and clear.
December 1969 Elsie Mitchell Traylor and her husband Melvyn H. Traylor sold their half to notorious landlord George Basiliko.
November 1981 Sophia and George Basiliko sold 19 Bates St NW, along with two other WSIC properties to the Bates Street Ventures, Gerald Diaz and Edward A. Kassoff.

There was a foreclosure. But on the other hand the other buyer, Elsie Mitchell, was able to pay off her mortgage, thus one success. But she and the Colonial Investment Co wound up selling their halves of the house to George Basiliko. Despite owning it prior to 1970 Basiliko did not sell the property to the DC RLA. I’m not sure if Bates Street Ventures is pretty much the same as Bates Street Associates (BSA) and all that mess.

Memory Lane: 1555 4th St NW

1555 4th St NW. Photo taken December 15, 2007.

What do I want to say about this house?

Well for most of my tenure living on the 1600 block of 4th St, it was a rental home. In the last handful of years I was on the street, the tenants were well meaning nice people with jobs. They unfortunately had a front view of the rear of the commercial block that was the 1500 block of New Jersey Ave NW. If it weren’t the screamy teenagers hanging out behind the commercial block, it was the old guys who sold heroin hanging out. The nice thing about the old guys who sold heroin was that they tended to call it a night most nights….. well that was until they had members who hung out who decided every other day was bring your kid to work day.

It couldn’t have been easy there.

1920 to 1930- White to Black- 1725 New Jersey Avenue

1700 Block NJ Ave NW, 1930. Brown= AfAm residents; White= No data

In this series of looking at the odd numbered side of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW from 1920 to 1930, I decided to look at the other end of the block. The change from 1920 to 1930 for most of the block was from white renters to black home owners. My post The sell off of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW pretty much explains the why.

1920 White Renters

There were two households living at 1725 NJ Ave NW in 1920. The first was Thomas Errington (spelled Ewrington in the 1920 census), a Michigan born laborer and his family. The second, was Ernest L. McDowell, a Printer who worked at the Government Printing Office.

The Errington household consisted of 42 year old Thomas, his 51 year old wife Ida (previously Crutchfield) and their 5 year old adopted daughter, Mary Callahan. In the previous 1910 census, the couple lived at 505 Q St NW. He was a house porter and she worked as a dressmaker. Ida died after they moved from New Jersey Ave in 1921. In the 1930 census, Thomas had a new wife and family with stepdaughter and step-granddaughter in Baltimore. I could not locate Mary.

The McDowells consisted of 29 year old Ernest Linwood McDowell, his wife 24 year old Eunice (formerly Eunice Ruth Townsend) and 1 year old daughter Dorothy. Ernest was a printer at the GPO and had just married Eunice Ruth Townsend in 1917 in their hometown of Richmond, VA.

After they left New Jersey Ave NW they lived at 2207 Otis St NE and owned the home. By 1930, Ernest moved up to Proofreader at the GPO and he and Eunice had another daughter. They lived on Otis through to the 1950 census. Ernest died in 1963.

1930s Black Owners

According to the land records the owner in 1926 were Alice and George B. Oliver where in a deed they transfer the property to Henning C. Nelms who in the next document transferred it to Alice. A few months later the mortgage with W. Wallace Chiswell and Harry A. Kite was paid off or released. Alice owned the house until her death and the house was sold by her heirs in 1976.

Unfortunately, I could not find out much about the brother and sister George Bruce James Oliver and Alice Oliver prior to their time. They were both Black and born in Virginia. I was able to find George’s draft card to discover he was born in Danville, VA in 1898 and get his two middle names. That lead to finding his 1947 funeral notice where it mentions his wife Ruth, who does not show up in the 1940 census.

Speaking of the census. in 1930 George is listed as Alice’s brother. In 1940 he is listed as a lodger.

Eloyce & James Gist and the Hellbound Train

So in September I am presenting at the ASALH Conference and talking about Truxton Circle resident and filmmaker Eloyce Gist. The IMDb has credited her with the feature length Hell-bound Train (1930). The Library of Congress has the film on their website and if you want to download about 5 gigs of a QuickTime file, you can see it.

I’ve made notes about Hell-bound Train, I’m just going to throw them here because I know they won’t fit in the presentation:

“the hell-bound train is always on duty, and the devil is engineer.”
-No Round Trip Tickets. One Way Only. Satan Lucifer. Manager. Eng.
– Free admission to all. Just Give Your life and soul. Your Best Friend, Satan.
“Well, we’ll take a chance.” (1:30)
“How my heart does rejoice” (1:58)
“DANCING IS THE FIRST COACH” (2:07)
“Because the dance of today is indecent” (2:15)
“There’s room in hell for BOOTLEGGERS and their followers” (3:07)
“Bootleggers are the honored guests. Women must learn to drink” (3:34)
“Girls are mislead by the whispers of a man.” (4:06)
“Many a girl followed the dance until —-“ (4:18) scene of woman with baby in bed.
“Women deceive their husbands at the dance.” (4:33)
“The dance dismisses with drunkness, jealousy and evil”
“The Devil Rejoices” (5:34)
“This happens at the dance.” (5:40)
“Again the devil rejoices.” (5:54)
“POLICE! POLICE!” (6:09)
“And this makes the Devil rejoice.” (6:49)
“SECOND COACH DRUNKENESS Wife and children of a drunken man must suffer.” (7:03)
“Papa, please wake up – Mamma’s crying about something.” (7:26)
-Madame, Your Rent is due tomorrow or out you go. A.J. Gaudy, Landlord (7:33)
“Drunkards are robbed by their best friends.” (7:54)
“Women and girls are mistreated while drunk” (8:30)
“She’s drunk, please take her home” (8:59)
“Some mother’s daughter she is – “ (9:19)
“One Hour Later” (9:32)
“Thousands have been poisioned by intoxicating liquors” (9:46)
“THIRD COACH IS JAZZ MUSIC. It started to fame in Cabarette life.” Scene featuring a White passing woman gambling in a room with other Black women.
“It destroys the mind of little children.” (10:23)
“It may bring happiness to you through life” (10:31)
“But at the point of death.” (10:39)
“Mary, Emma, Come quick, stop those blues, BRING HYMN BOOK.” (10:48)
-Rock of Ages (out of focus most of the time) (11:00)
“Too late then.” (11:07)
“And now it has weaved its way into CHRISTIAN homes.” (11:27)
-[picture by artist Leo-Augustin Lhermitte] Christ Among the Lowly 1930 Home and Church (11:32)
“How my heart does rejoice – “ (11:59) Devil engineering train scene
“NEXT THIEVES, CROOKS AND GRAFTERS. Many women will steal from their friends –“ (12:07)”
“Pick Pockets” (13:07)
“This coach also carries cheating business men.” (13:38)
“The POOL ROOM is such an UNGODLY PLACE that detectives go there to round up criminals and crooks.” (14:31)
15:40 White man (Jewish?) in room with hat and glasses to be the robbery victim.
“Often its the latest joiner who gets caught.” (15:52)
“Stick ‘em up! Big Boy!” (16:09)
“Don’t move or we’ll knock your heart out –“ (16:42)
“The fate of Thieves, Bootleggers, and law-breakers.” (17:23)
17:33 White cop with rifle pacing/guarding. As striped uniformed prisoners shovel coal in snowy train yard.
“How my heart does rejoice – “ (17:42) Devil dancing in train yard
“Thou shall not steal.” (17:50)
18:01 White grocer comes out of store after young men steal apples from outside barrel
“Yes, they ran that way –“ (18:08)
“That’s them, they are always stealing” (18:20)
“I’ll put ‘em, where they can’t steal.” (18:24)
“Here’s two more to add to your crew.” (18:38)
18:43 White cop from 17:33 and the two join the striped guys
“The Devil Rejoices.” (19:08)
“Next Coach MURDERERS AND GAMBLERS A low-browed and dishonest game.” (19:20)
“Trim every guy you can – We need the money – “ (20:02)
“Good work, Bo Jack. Keep it up. Don’t let anybody win” (21:28)
21:48 – Suited white man exits building. Also 24:43;
“Working men, why be such fools?” (22:24)
“They’ve robbed me of my week’s pay – What about my wife and children?” (22:39)
“Here’s three dollars, get out of here – “ (22:47)
“I’m going to win enough to pay my bills.” (23:07) Man loses and trades in clothes for money.
“Put them old overalls on in there.” (23:41)
“Many will rob a working man and mislead his daughter” (24:27)
“Now, go home to the wife, Sam. Don’t waste your money.” (24:54)
“How can I help but be crazy about you?” (25:39)
– 25:50 White rental agent appears
“No money to-day, until my husband gets home.” (25:58)
“The collector just left – and the grocery bill is due today.” (26:16)
“Can’t help that, I ain’t got no money. Get away.”(26:25)
“Many a crooked father drives his daughter to this – “ (26:43)
“The same bootlegger who broke the father.” (26:54)
“My father came home without any money.” (27:05)
“Follow me. I’ll give you some money.” (27:14)
“And how this makes the Devil rejoice.” (27:21)
“Girls shouldn’t be impudent to mother,” (27:36)
“I’m old enough to know and I am going where I please.” (27:53)
“For as months pass, you may be brought to sorrow.” (28:35)
“Disobedient children are on the road to downfall” (29:15)
“I’ve told you all not to play in the street” (29:34)
“A few days later” (29:45)
“Boys who mistreat dumb animals” (30:06) boys later tie string & tin can to dog’s tail.
“A Coach represents IMMORALITY Women and men with no care and respect.” (30:44)
“Women don’t care what happens before children.” (31:12)
“Children practice just what they see.” (32:30)
“Old men flirting after young girls.” (33:17)
“She has taken medicine to avoid becoming a mother. SHE’D better get right with GOD, for it’s murder in COLD BLOOD” (33:31)
“Critical condition. She’ll hardly make it.” (34:10)
“Oh, Is he your husband.” (34:39) White passing woman
“Oh no, just one of my boarders. STAR BOARDERS.” (34:45)
“But yet they live as man and wife –“ (35:18) The White passing woman and Black man sit down for breakfast/lunch/coffee.
“The Devil loves a man who lets another woman get his money, while his wife suffers.” (35:32)
“I want some money, sweetie, got to get a dress – “ (36:25)
“Look out Baby, got to have something for the wife.” (36:36)
“Here, two dollars is enough for her.” (36:46)
“The wife works hard to make home comfortable.” (36:58)
“After working a whole week. – Oh what a man.” (37:12)
“Be careful wives, how you treat your husbands “ (37:36)
“Her sweetheart” (37:43)
“No wonder this guy never works – “ (38:13)
“Dinner time at both ends.” (38:31)
“This is what I call life, Baby. I’m getting sleepy.” (38:50)
“Not much work today, comes home earlier –“ (39:07)
“The wages of sin is death Rom. 6:23.” (39:31)
“I knew I’d catch you sooner or later.” (39:36)
“The last coach is reserved for BACKSLIDERS, HYPOCRITES, and USED TO BE CHURCH MEMBERS, “ (40:06)
““Oh, It’s too hot to sit up in a church on a day like this”.” (40:32)
“As Sunday speeds away – – “(40:45)
“Some people serve GOD when in trouble” (41:39)
“And as soon as they are on their feet they go back to the DEVIL” (41:54)
“And the Goodhearted Sinners who treat friends right but mistreat GOD above” (42:09)
“I don’t drink, gamble or steal, I treat everybody right, I pay my debts, even if I haven’t repented been baptized, or joined Church.” (42:23)
“I am as good as some of those in the Church.” (42:39)
“Poor Boy, you’ll regret it some day.” (42:46)
“The Devil Rejoices.”(43:24)
“COACH NO. SEVEN IS OVERCROWDED WITH LIARS.” (43:48)

“False preachers join on plots against one another.” (44:17)
“”If we get rid of him we’ll be all right.”” (44:34)
“FALSE PREACHERS will get with the officers and steal the Church’s money.” (44:44)
“Often they walk hand in hand with the Devil.” (44:53)
“While righteous Preacher strives to carry the program of JESUS CHRIST” (45:01)
“While some serve God on the Sabbath Others worship Automobiles” (45:37)
“THE GOOD TIME MIDNIGHT LIFE CROWD will be lost in HELL. “Therefore come out from among them and be ye separate. 2 COR 6:17”” (46:16)
“SABBATH BREAKERS To Church in morning, With the Devil the rest of the day.” (46:38)
“As people continue to trample the word of God.” (47:04)
“The fast sinful life of the HELL-BOUND TRAIN MOVES ON until it’s too late.” (47:31)
“Death receives message – That sin is rushing too fast -” (47:51)
Sign waving cloaked figure “ENTRANCE TO HELL WELCOME ALL” (48:23)
“Flags the train down at –”(48:19)
[SIGN] ENTRANCE TO HELL WELCOME ALL (48:25)
view of poster THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL RUNNING WITH NO HEADLIGHT It’s a Hell-bound Excursion Train… Is the man James Gist?

Next time I should do the shorts.