Category: History

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.

Memory Lane: 1200 Block of 4th Street NW- 2007

I looked on Google Street View to see what the difference a decade and a half, plus a lot of development and reinvestment makes.

Taken around December 2007. 1223 4th St NW.
1221 4th St NW, Washington, DC circa 2007.
1221 4th St NW. Taken around December 2007.
1221 4th St NW. Taken around December 2007.
1200 block of 4th St NW.
1200 block of 4th St NW. Taken around December 2007.

Memory Lane: Somewhere in Mt. Vernon Sq.

I don’t know where this is. But it feels like Mt. Vernon Sq. and this is circa 2007.

Taken on December 20, 2007

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 1551 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 1551 3rd St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1551 3rd St NW to John D. and Susie M. Scott.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Scotts borrowed $4,250 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1551 3rd St NW to Mary Annette Brewer and J. Bernard Strawder.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Brewer and Strawder borrowed $4,250 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • March 1958 Brewer and Strawder lost their half to foreclosure. The Colonial Investment Co. partners regained ownership via an auction.
  • May 1961 the Scotts sold their half of 1551 3rd St from Evans, Taube and Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • November 1961 the Colonial Investor Co. parties sold 1551 3rd St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • May 1978 George Basiliko sold the property to Ohal, Isaac & Associates, Inc.

So this fit the usual and unfortunate pattern of foreclosure (the Scotts managed to avoid that) then the property being sold to Basiliko.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 1545 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 1545 3rd St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1545 3rd NW to Carrie B. and Robert L. Andrews.
  • January 1951 the Andrews borrowed $3,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1545 3rd St NW to Jimmie Batts and Queen E. Coles.
  • Jan 1951 Batts and Coles borrowed $3,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • October 1952 the Andrews lost their half to foreclosure. Through an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • October 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the foreclosed half to Mrs. Elizabeth W. Banks.
  • October 1952 Mrs. Banks borrowed $4,164.38 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • September 1954 Batts and Coles lost their half to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube got the property back via an auction.
  • October 1955 Banks lost her half to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube got the property back via an auction.
  • November 1961, the Colonial Investment Co. parties, as part of a larger property package, sold 1545 3rd St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • July 1970, as part of a larger property package (document 1970011877) , George Basiko sold 1545 3rd St NW to the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).

So the sad story and pattern apply here. The next set of documents after the RLA got their hands on it were from 2004 with BSA Limited Partnership. BSA- I will assume are the Bates Street Associates, which were a problematic organization.

Memory Lane: There’s a house there now- 1541 4th St NW

1500 block of 4th St NW or Islamic Way NW. Taken December 15, 2007.

See the photo above. There was a space between the taller yellow house and the shorter white house. That space is 1541 4th St NW. What is there now is a house worth around a million dollars according to Redfin. Infill I think is the word I should use.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 1541 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 1541 3rd St NW:

  •  January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1541 3rd St NW to Essie G. and James W. Balthrop.
  • January 1951 the Balthrops borrowed $3,375 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1541 3rd St NW to Mrs. Floretta L. Williams and Mrs. Mary M. Woody.
  • Jan 1951 Williams and Woody borrowed $3,375 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • April 1960, Williams and Woody lost their half of 1541 3rd to foreclosure. Through an auction the property returned to Colonial Investments Co owners, Taube, Evans and Harry A. Badt.
  • April 1960, as part of a larger property package, Badt and his wife transferred their interest in the property to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
  • March 1961, the Balthrops owned their half free and clear.
  • November 1961, as part of  larger property package, Levin’s survivors and the owners of the Colonial Investment Company sold their half of 1541 to George Basiliko.
  • September 1967, widow Essie Balthrop borrowed $1,287.60 from trustees Ralph O. Weed and A. J. Mascetta.

Despite the half of the property being sold to Basiliko it did not wind up in the hands of the city.

Who were the Balthrops? I have no idea where the G. came from but Emma Jane Royal married James Westly Balthrop in 1908 in Richmond, VA. When their first son, William was one years old in 1910, Emma worked as a servant and James a butler. By 1920 the family was in Washington, DC with two more sons. In 1930, they had 6 sons and housed a nephew. According to the census they owned 631 Gresham Pl NW, which has less than 1000 sq. ft.

Looking into 631 Gresham Place NW (Sq. 3056, lot 57) I found one of those weird real estate things. This is not in my area of interest, but when you see weird stuff, you write about it. So you know about racially restricted covenants, how about reverse UNO card covenants?

See close up here- 3056-57

It appears the Balthrops and their neighbors signed an agreement to be able to sell their properties to African Americans. Okay moving on.

In 1940 the family, sans James, was renting a house at 611 Morton St. NW. At that point, Essie was the head and she had 5 sons, 1 daughter and one renter living in the home.

When James W. Balthrope died October 8, 1962, he died at home on Third Street. He was survived by many relatives. He had 14 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. His funeral was at the Vermont Baptist Church.

Memory Lane: 403 R St NW

I’m going through old photos, walking down memory lane I spot this bunch of 403 R St NW.

Taken December 23, 2007. 400 block of R St NW.

I’ve researched the history with Black Home Owner- Lewis Griffin. And I’ve looked at it as a long vacant house on the 400 block of R Street with cinder block windows.

Those permits in the window seemed just for show. Nothing happened to this house for years and years.

Fast forward to today, and Redfin claims the renovated house is worth well over a million dollars. The key word here is “renovated”.

I’m going to resist going on a tangent about the worth of housing. I’m very sorry that housing has gotten so ‘flippin’ expensive. But that’s the cost of all the things we want out of housing. The cheapest housing in the world is a tent or a crappy hut with some random materials thrown together on land you can’t claim. We want walls that are strong and will keep out the bad weather. We want A/C and heat. We want to keep out rodents (good luck). We want plumbing and electrical systems that work. And we want the local municipality to approve it. All this adds costs. It doesn’t explain all of the costs.

Anyway, this went from being an abandoned vacant house to a home.

1920 to 1930- White to Black- 1727 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.

So let’s look at the residents of 1727 New Jersey from 1920 to 1930.photo of property

The White Renters

In the 1920 census there was one family occupying 1727 New Jersey Ave NW. It was headed by a 59 year old “widow” Mary A. Moore. She was a Massachusetts born Irish American. She lived in the house with her adult children and 45 year old roomer. Her son John J. Moore was a 30 year old self-employed artist with is own studio. Her 26 year old daughter Margarite worked as a clerk for War Risk in the Treasury Department.

The 1930 census shows that Mary wasn’t widowed. Her husband Richard F. Moore was alive and well and living with his family at 913 Jackson St NE. Son John J. was a commercial artist and owner of the home. Daughter Marguerite was 38 year old lawyer for the Federal government. The children were still single.

Moving forward to the 1950 census, Marguerite C. Moore was an attorney for the VA. She lived with her brother, who also did not marry, still worked as a commercial artist making about $30K which was very good money in 1950.

The Black Owners

The DC Recorder of Deeds records aren’t helpful. The buyer Addie E. Webb purchased the home February 1921, and paid off the loan in February of 1924. And that’s the last that is heard from Webb. In 1935 there is a judgement where William Dodson had to relinquish 1727 NJ Ave NW to Mamie Smith. The judgement doesn’t say why.

Addie E. Webb was an African American hairdresser. In 1920 she was 50 years old and lived at 1514 S St NW. It appears she shared an apartment or something with a 40 year old woman named Ida Smith who was also a hairdresser that census year. Ida (nee Roane) had been Addie’s landlady back in the 1900 census, when Addie lived with Arthur S. Smith, Ida and Ida’s mother and brother, and Arthur’s cousin James Watkins.

I’ll take a guess Addie did not make it to the 1930 census.

I have no idea who William Dodson was and how he came into possession of the property. In the 1910 census Addie lived with Ida Smith and Addie’s daughter, public school teacher Helen (Ellen?) F. Webb. She doesn’t show up in the long list of people who signed off in selling the property in 1939 along with Mamie Smith. Could Mamie Smith be related to Ida Smith? A C. William Webb is mentioned in the legal notice about the 1936 judgement. In an 1935 article in the Afro-American, it appears C. William Webb, son of Addie, disappeared and had been missing for 30 years. Mamie Smith was one of his heirs. One of many. So they went to court to get a hold of the property to sell it and split the estate.

The Black Renters

So if Addie Webb did not make it to the 1930 census, then who was there in 1930? Wade Shields a 31 year old barber who was renting the property with five female lodgers. In 1928, he was living or operating out of 17 Fenton NE. In 1922 Wade married Gladys Rodgers. They were not living together in this census.

As for the lodgers with Mr. Shields, one was a woman, and the remaining females were minor children. Rose Johnson was the adult, a 28 year old hair dresser. The eldest child was Thelma Pryor a 16 year old who worked in a laundry. Pryor’s mother was Lucille Johnson and it appears Rose and Thelma were related, as they share a headstone. I don’t see any relationship with Mr. Shields or his missing wife, except for the profession of working with Black hair. This is something they shared with the previous owner Addie Webb. The other girls were 11, 10 and three years old and listed as lodgers. I wonder if they were foster children?