WSIC- Related- 116 Q 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.

Yet some nearby houses like 116 Q St NW looked like they might have been WSIC. Looking at the land records, this house is not.photo of property

The records for lot 814 go back to 1941, but the recorder of deeds go back to the 1920s. One of the owners name on the 1941 document is Jams I. Medley. Using that name, records from 1927 to 1939 were located for lot 26.

1919 Baist Map. Portion of Sq. 552
  • January 1927 William Adams sold lot 26 to James I. Medley.
  • February 1927 Dewey Washington sold lot 26 to James I. Medley.
  • March 1927 James and Mildred F. Medley borrowed $4,500 from trustees C. Frances Owens and Eugene A. Smith.

In 1927 James Medley purchased several lot 26 portions, particularly from the Nash family. They also took out a loan but none I can attach particularly to 116 Q St NW.

  • March 1941 the Medleys sold lots 813 & 814 to Hubbert R. Quinter and sister in law Mary B. Zetelle.
  • January 1946 Hubbert and Gladys Z. Quinter and Mary Zetelle transferred several properties, including 814 to Nannie D. Carr. Carr transferred it back to the Quinters.
  • January 1961 the Quinters sold lots 813 & 814 to Mercedes B. and Norman F. Manders.
  • January 1961 the Manders borrowed $7,000 from trustees Williams S. Green and Arthur J. Sherwin.
  • October 1964 the Manders sold lots 813 and 814 to the Diamond Housing Corporation. The Diamond Housing Corp. borrowed $8,500 from the Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Association.
  • March 1965 the Manders were released from their January 1961 loan.

I’m deciding to end it there.

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