1822 Washington DC Directory - Businesses & Organizations
Notes from the Transcriber, Susan Salus:
- This was the first general directory of the City of Washington to be published. It included residents, businesses, and some government offices. Women were included only if they were engaged in a business or widowed and head of household.
- Abbreviations: The editor used a system of contraction to indicate place of residence. F Street north is expressed by Fn; 12th street west, by 12w. Using the quadrant designations of today, the address Fn & 12w would be 12th & F Sts, NW. Other abbreviations include DW for dwelling; btw for between; flr for floor; and av for avenue. The side of the street is sometimes indicated by the appropriate compass indicator s side An indicates the south side of A street in one of the northern quadrants.
- References: Union Street ran from M to O Streets between 4-1/2 and 6th, SW, Greenleaf s Point. References to Branch Bank probably refer to the Washington, DC, branch of the United States Bank, the headquarters of which was in Philadelphia, Pa. The term mansion house sometimes appears. This may refer to the Mansion Hotel which opened in March 1818 under the operation of Joshua Tennison. By early June, Strother had joined Tennison to operate the Mansion, but that partnership was dissolved on June 24, 1818, and Strother alone operated the Mansion Hotel, described as located in Tayloe s Row adjacent to the Washington Hotel.
- Occupations: Occupations don't always carry the same meaning as those in use today. To provide clarification, a list of occupations of old Washington is at the end of this page. Some of these occupation descriptions were unique to DC.
Business or Organization | Notes |
---|---|
African Church at Navy Yard | (Mr. Smith's), 4e btw Virginia av & Gs |
Allen, S. & M. & Co. | lottery and exchange brokers, n side Penn av, a few doors west of Brown's Hotel |
Anderson & Meehan | publishers, Columbian Star n e corner En & 10w; DW a few doors east |
Bank of the Metropolis | corner Fn and 15w, opposite the Treasury Dept |
Bank of Washington | e side New Jersey av btw B & Cs, Capitol Hill |
Baptist Church at Navy Yard | (Mr. Barton's) |
Bostock & Cooper | millwrights, n side Penn av btw 17 and 18w |
Botanic Garden | opposite west front of the Capitol |
Branch of the U.S. Bank | n e corner Fn & 13w |
Brown, Robert & Archibald | e side 12w btw F and Gn |
Camalier & Obear | carpenters, cor Virginia av & 7e, Navy Yard |
Cana's Wharf | termination of 7w |
Carusi's Washington Assembly Rooms | e side 11w btw Penn av and the Tiber |
Catholic Burying Ground | near the north end of 3w outside the city limits |
Catholic Seminary | n side Fn btw 9 & 10w adjoining Catholic Church |
Cemetery ' Catholic Burying Ground | near the north end of 3w outside the city limits |
Cemetery ' Eastern Burying Ground | square 1026, btw H and In (Eye north) and 12 & 14e |
Cemetery ' Episcopalian (new) Burying Ground | square 276, btw 12 & 13 w and R and Sn |
Cemetery ' Episcopalian Burying Ground | near the Eastern Branch, upper bridge |
Cemetery ' Western Burying Ground | square 109, btw S & Tn and 19 and 20w |
Charles, William B. & Richard | 4e near Eastern Branch |
Christ Church | (Mr. McCormick's) square 877, Navy Yard |
City Hotel (Rumpff's Hotel) | Penn av opposite Brown's Hotel |
City Post Office | east end of general post office |
Clerk of Circuit Court's office | corner An (A north) & 1e Capitol Hill |
Clerk of Supreme Court's office | n wing Capitol, 1st flr |
Colston & Loockerman Dry & Fancy Goods | store, Varnum's Row, n side Penn av btw 9 & 10w |
Columbian College | near the north end of 14w |
Columbian Tavern | 7 st, near the Centre Market |
Coomb's Wharf | near the Navy Yard, Eastern Branch |
Coote, Thomas & Clement T. | brewers, w side New Jersey av near Eastern Branch |
Coote's Brewery | s end of New Jersey av near Eastern Branch |
Council Chambers | w side 13w btw E and Fn |
County Jail | En back of and near the City Hall |
Croft & Norr | bakers, n side Fn btw 11 & 12w |
Davidson's Wharf | western termination of Gn |
Davis & Force | printers, booksellers, and stationers, next door west of Brown's Hotel, Penn av |
Dyer's Steam Mill | near the Navy Yard, Eastern Branch |
Eastern Burying Ground | square 1026, btw H and In (Eye north) and 12 & 14e |
Eastern Public School | corner Ds and 3e |
Education Society of the District of Columbia | (est. 1818 for education of young men for the Protestant Episcopal ministry), Rev. William H. Wilmer, D.D. (of Alexandria), Pres |
Episcopalian Burying Ground (new) | square 276, btw 12 & 13 w and R and Sn |
Episcopalian Burying Ground | near the Eastern Branch, upper bridge |
Fales & Stowers | grocers, n e corner Penn av & 10w |
Female Cent Society | (est. 1820 as an auxiliary to the Education Society of the District of Columbia; fees 52 cents/year), Mrs. Hawley, President |
First Baptist Church | (Mr. Brown's) corner In (Eye north) and 19w |
First Presbyterian Church | (Mr. Post's) South Capitol street near the capitol |
Foy's Seed Store | (John Foy, prop.), Penn av near the Capitol, opposite the Botanic ground |
Franklin Insurance Office | n side Penn av btw 9 & 10w |
Friend's Meetinghouse | n side In (Eye north) btw 18 and 19w |
Gales & Seaton | proprietors, The National Intelligencer, n w corner 7w & Dn |
Gardiner & Ennals | dry goods store, n side Penn av btw 9 & 10w |
General Post Office | btw E and Fn and 7 & 8w |
Glass House | on the Potomac near the southern termination of 20w |
Guegan's Foreign Book Store | (Henry Guegan, prop.), Penn av btw Strother's and Sanford's Hotels |
Hamburgh's Wharf | near the Glass House, south end of 20w |
Handy, S. W. & Co | haters, n side Penn av near Brown's Hotel; DW s side Fn btw 10 & 11w |
Hines, C & M | grocers, s w corner Penn av & 20w |
Holmead, Anthony & John | dry goods store, s side Penn av near Centre Market; DW w side 7w btw D & En |
Hyatt, Seth & Co. | grocers, Penn av opposite Brown's Hotel |
Ingle & Lindsley | hardware merchants, Penn av opposite Brown's Hotel; DWs Capitol Hill near Bank of Washington |
King & Langley | lumber merchants, 12th st wharf |
Lenox's Wharf | end of 13-1/2 w near Washington Bridge |
Mansion Hotel (Strother's Hotel) | n w corner Penn av & 14w.March, Peter, plasterer, 4e btw D & Es |
Marine Barracks | square 927, btw G and Is (Eye south) and 8 & 9e |
Marshal's Office | corner An (A north) & 1e Capitol Hill |
Masonic Hall | 11w opposite Washington Assembly Rooms (Carusi's) |
Masonic Hall | Virginia av btw 4 and 5e, Navy Yard |
Matlock & Varden | merchant tailors, e side New Jersey av btw B & Cs, Capitol Hill |
McDuell & Gorman | painters, n e corner Penn av & 11w |
McGrath, Daniel & John | coach makers, Penn av btw 4-1/2 & 6w |
McKean & Gully | blacksmiths, Penn av btw 17 & 18w |
Methodist Church at Navy Yard | (Mr. Peyton's) |
Methodist Foundry Chapel | (Mr. Bear's) corner of Gn & 14w |
Military & General War Accounts Settlement & Claims Agency | (Joseph Watson), Penn Av near the Patriotic Bank, btw 9 & 10 sts |
Navy Department | west of the President's House |
Navy Hospital | corner 10 e & Penn av |
Navy Magazine on Marine hospital reservation | Eastern Branch |
Nicholls H. & Co. | hat store, opposite Brown's Hotel (Penn av) |
O'Neale's Hotel | Penn av |
Orphan Asylum | (females only; founded 1815), w side 7w btw H and In (Eye north) |
Orphan's Court | w side 13w btw E and Fn |
Passet & Fadeuilhe | upholsterers and paper hangers, s w corner Penn av & 10w |
Patent Office | 2d flr, general post office |
Patriotic Bank | n side Penn av btw 9 and 10w |
Peck's Hotel | Georgetown |
Pishey Thompson Booksellers & Stationers | Penn av, bet 11 & 12 sts |
Pope & Thompson | chairmakers, s e corner Penn av & 13w |
Presbyterian Church | (Dr. Laurie's) s side Fn btw 14 and 15w |
Printing Office | (William Duncan), 12w btw E & Fn |
Queen's Hotel | Nicholas L. Queen, proprietor, Capitol Hill |
Rapley & Avery | grocers, 7w, opposite Centre Market |
Register of Wills | w side 13w btw E and Fn |
Rumpff's Hotel (City Hotel) | Penn av, opposite Brown's Hotel |
Sanford's Hotel | Penn av |
Sealer of Weights and Measures | s side Penn av btw 12 & 13w |
Second Presbyterian Church | (Mr. Baker's) New York av btw 13 & 14w |
Seven Buildings | Penn av btw 19 & 20w |
Smallwood's Wharf | near the Navy Yard, Eastern Branch |
St. John's Church | (Mr. Hawley's) corner Hn & 16w, opposite President's House |
St. Patrick's Church | (Mr. Matthew's) n side Fn btw 9 and 10w |
St. Peter's Church | (Mr. Lucas') 2e btw C and Ds |
State Department | east of the President's House near the Treasury Dept |
Stewart, Solomon & David | coach makers, Penn av west of & near the Capitol |
Strother's Hotel (Mansion Hotel) | 2d ward, Penn av |
Tobacco Inspection Warehouse | 3e btw M & N near the Eastern Branch |
Treasury Department | east of the President's House near the State Dept |
Unitarian Church | (Mr. Little's) n e corner Dn & 6w |
United States Bank | (Washington, DC, branch), n e corner Fn & 13w |
Van Ness's Wharf | termination of 17w |
War Department | west of the President's House |
Washington Assembly Rooms | (Carusi's), e side 11w btw Penn av and the Tiber |
Washington Asylum | square 448, 7w btw M and Nn |
Washington Library | east end of general post office, btw E and Fn and 7 & 8w |
Way & Gideon | printers & stationers, n side Penn av btw 9 & 10w |
Webb's Apothecary Store | Penn av near Brown's Hotel |
Western Academy | corner In (Eye north) & 17w |
Western Burying Ground | square 109, btw S & Tn and 19 and 20w |
Western Public School | s e corner Gn and 14w |
Williams, John & James | cabinet makers, n side Penn av btw 17 & 18w |
Occupations of Old Washington, DC:
- Carter: A person who moved, or carted, items from one place to another. The term also sometimes applied to persons employed by grave diggers to move dirt.
- Chimney Sweep: A person appointed by the mayor to clean the chimneys of every house once a month. Sweeps had to post a bond of $500, returnable for faithful execution of work. They were required to keep a book of the houses swept, the names of persons who refused to permit the sweeping, and the number of flues of each house. A copy was given to the City Register the first Monday of each month. In 1822, sweeps were paid 10 cents per story for each flue swept.
- City Register: A person appointed by the mayor to oversee the transaction of public business. This included the collection of taxes, the preparation and reporting of estimates of public expenses, maintaining a list of property owners, maintaining the city seal, and keeping records of board meetings and persons appointed by the mayor. In July, 1820, the register s salary was fixed at $1,600 annually, to be paid quarterly. He worked every day (excluding the 4th of July, Christmas day, and Sundays) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Clerks of the Markets: Persons appointed by the mayor (one person for each market) to attend the assigned market during operating hours, inspect all articles offered for sale, settle disputes between buyers and sellers, seize articles offered for sale where the weight was deficient or misstated, and see that each market was swept at the end of each market day. He was paid 75 cents for each market day he attended.
- Currier: A person who tanned leather; also a person employed at a livery stable or inn to brush, water, and feed horses.
- Gauger: a person appointed annually by the mayor to measure all liquor brought to the city by land or water for purposes of sale. They were paid not by the city but by the liquor owner for each barrel, hogshead, pipe, or tierce gauged.
- Hackman: A person who operated a hackney carriage for hire. Hackmen operated under rigid DC rules. Fare rates were set by the city and had to be posted within each carriage along with an abstract of the city regulations. Hackmen were allowed to receive voluntarily-offered tips, but only after informing the passenger of the fare limits set by the city. When not engaged, hackmen had to remain in the carriage seat or stand nearby with reins in hand. He could not make loud or unnecessary noise or crack his whip to annoy, frighten or pester people or horses. Once engaged, Hackmen could not pick up additional passengers without the permission of the passengers then in the hack. Fines were imposed for any inappropriate behavior, including excessive whipping of the horses, with half of the fine given to the person reporting the behavior.
- Managers of the City lotteries: Persons appointed by the mayor to develop a lottery scheme and manage its execution. Lotteries were initially used to raise funds for building and establishing two public schools, a penitentiary, and city hall. Managers were required to give bond of $10,000, for the faithful performance of the work. They were paid $3 each for every day employed, provided the whole expense of drawing any one lottery scheme did not exceed an average of $1,000.
- Plumber: A person who used sheet lead in his trade, especially for roofing, windows, or stained glass work.
- Scavenger: A person appointed by the mayor to remove nuisances and offensive substances. They were also required to clean out all privies every two months from April to October, and every third month from October to April. Privies had to be cleaned with 24 hours after requested by the occupier of the premises. Fines of from $1 to $10 were imposed for failure to respond within the time limits. Scavengers were paid by the box, bucket, or receptacle cleaned based on its size. In addition to their fees, they could receive an annual pay of $50, at the discretion of the mayor.
- Tobacco Inspector: A person appointed by the Mayor to inspect each hogshead of tobacco brought to the city for sale. Each hogshead was to be uncased and broken in three different places. The inspector marked each hogshead with the owner's initials, the weight, and the quality. He made annual reports to the City Register of the number of hogsheads inspected. He was paid $100 annually and $1 for each hogshead inspected.
- Turner: A person who turned wood on a lathe to make chair or decorative spindles. The term was also used to describe those who made spindles out of metal.
- Waiter: A customs official or other person hired to receive and/or inspect items at a wharf or port. The term came about because he waited on the tide.