Beschreibung:

Washington, George (1732-1799). President of the United States (1789-1797). DS, 1 p., 4.5 x 9 in. Washington, December 5, 1794. Receipt confirming that while president, Washington bought a plot of land, Lotts [sic] Nos 5, 12, 13 & 14 in Square No 667 in the city of Washington" for four hundred and five dollars and twenty five cents. Signed by William Deakins, Jr. (1742–1798) as treasurer of the commission of Washington, DC.The map of Square No. 667 in the Library of Congress indicates that Lot 5 is at the intersection of South V Street and 1st Street West, while 12 - 14 are facing Water Street, two lots from South W Street. In more recent times, this is part of the Buzzard Point power plant, which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia ("Eastern Branch" on early maps) Rivers. Washington envisioned this as a manufacturing and mercantile center, with its access to the rivers, but the land proved too swampy for people and the rivers too shallow for good harbors. Reportedly ships coming in avoided the Point as they continued on to the Navy Yard. It was not until James Creek was straightened and canalized with stone walls that created 20 acres of firm land and reduced the illnesses related to the marsh. Unfortunately, by then, the area was not a prime neighborhood, and a later observer speculated that the area never saw a real estate boom. By the mid-19th century, the only legal businesses were a "drinking house" and a brick yard. The rest of the local activity was composed of events such as illegal fights, gambling, illegal hunting and fishing (poaching), etc. The canal and James Creek never contributed to the development of the area, as L'Enfant had envisioned nearly a century before. It remained primarily rural until nearly the second quarter of the twentieth century. Washington's land speculation would probably not have paid off. Condition: Very good