There’s a charming little National Park Service site at 3051 M Street in Georgetown, known as the Old Stone House. It may be the oldest surviving structure at its original location in the District of Columbia, dating to 1765, when a certain Christopher Layman built it as a carpenter’s shop and living quarters. Solidly built in the “Pennsylvanian” vernacular style, the little building looks hopelessly out of place on bustling modern-day M Street. Why, then, has it been preserved when all else was lost, and why has it been taken over by the Park Service? What momentous historical personage or event is connected with it? The answer: nothing. Not a blessed thing of any historical significance ever, as far as we know, happened in this house. It’s just a really old and fascinating little house. That’s the only reason it’s a national historic site.
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Georgetown's Old Stone House: Washington…
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There’s a charming little National Park Service site at 3051 M Street in Georgetown, known as the Old Stone House. It may be the oldest surviving structure at its original location in the District of Columbia, dating to 1765, when a certain Christopher Layman built it as a carpenter’s shop and living quarters. Solidly built in the “Pennsylvanian” vernacular style, the little building looks hopelessly out of place on bustling modern-day M Street. Why, then, has it been preserved when all else was lost, and why has it been taken over by the Park Service? What momentous historical personage or event is connected with it? The answer: nothing. Not a blessed thing of any historical significance ever, as far as we know, happened in this house. It’s just a really old and fascinating little house. That’s the only reason it’s a national historic site.