History

Lost Washington: Carbery House

by Kent Boese   •   August 7, 2009 2:00 pm

The Carbery House was built in 1818 at the northwest corner of 17th and C Streets, opposite the Ellipse. It was the residence of Thomas Carbery, mayor of Washington and a noted member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Carbery became active in the public affairs of Washington in 1819 when he was elected to the city council. He remained active until his death in 1863.

While the house was no stranger to tragedy -- his wife and four children died there within a short time in the 1830s -- it was more famously known as "Miracle House" due to the widely publicized recovery of Thomas' gravely ill sister, Mrs. Ann Carbery Mattingly. She had been ill since 1817 and, being widowed, was invited to live in the house upon its completion. She grew increasingly worse prompting the family to consent to a priest writing Prince Hohenlohe of Hamburg, Germany. Hohenlohe was a known healer, and agreed to pray for Ann's recovery.On the date and time that Hohenlohe stated he'd pray for recovery, Ann rose from her bed being completely healed.

The house itself was built in the Federal style, though the entrance was atypically located on the side rather than the front. The cast-iron porch was an 1840 addition. Carbery House was eventually razed in 1903.

Kent Boese posts items of historic interest primarily within the District. He's worked in libraries since 1994, both federal and law, and currently works on K Street. He lives in the Park View neighborhood, and is the force behind the blog Washington Kaleidoscope.