A Fine House In the Woods
Tour of Duty
| | Barracks Row Heritage Trail | |
Since 1936 Friendship House, across the street, has operated an array of social service programs from this grand Federal style house, also known as "The Maples." Friendship House is the city's oldest such agency. It was founded in 1904 by Adelaide Rochefort and Ida Green in rented rooms at Tenth and M Streets, SE.
The Maples was built in 1795 to showcase Captain William Mayne Duncanson, a wealthy trader who invested heavily in Washington real estate and entertained lavishly. When he built this house, stables, and slave quarters, the area was undeveloped. After a visit, George Washington wrote of the Maples as a "fine house in the woods."
By 1800, however, Duncanson's high life had ended with the failure of his businesses, and he was forced to move. The property stood vacant until 1814, when the U.S. Army made it a hospital during the Battle of Bladensburg. In 1815 Francis Scott Key, author of The Star Spangled Banner, purchased and restored the property.
Later owners included Major Augustus A. Nicholson, quartermaster general of the Marines, who purchased the Maples in 1838 and made it an unofficial Marine headquarters and social center until 1846. In 1872 Emily Edson Briggs, a pioneering woman journalist, purchased the Maples. Briggs wrote a gossipy Washington column signed "Olivia" and was the first woman to receive White House press credentials. In 1936, Briggs's heirs sold the Maples to an anonymous buyer who donated it to Friendship House.
Erected 2004
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Communications • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Barracks Row Heritage Trail, the Former U.S. Presidents: #01 George Washington, and the George Washington Slept Here series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 38° 53.004′ N, 76° 59.855′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Capitol Hill. It is on South Carolina Avenue Southeast just east of 6th Street Southeast, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 627 South Carolina Ave SE, Washington DC 20003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 698 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
