By Jack Krost

Visit Washington and See Decatur

WASHINGTON -- The next time you're in our nation's capital, be sure to visit the White House. You'll have to get up early to wait in line before 7:30 a.m. to get one of the few tickets available, before they run out. Then, you'll have to come back and wait in line again at the entry time stamped on your ticket.

As you enter the White House, you'll have to pass through metal detectors, and your bags will be searched. When you're finally in the building, you'll get to see the Green, Blue and Red rooms, which the president never uses and which only seem to matter to tourists. What could be better? It's the duty of every patriotic American to be herded around and searched, right? Well, there's an alternative. Why not visit the home of the naval hero our city is named after, Commodore Stephen Decatur?

The red brick, three-story house is located just across Lafayette Square from the White House. You won't have to wait in line. In fact, you may be the only visitor when you show up. Tell them you're from Decatur, and you'll get the royal treatment. And there's no charge. A $5 donation is suggested but not required. Of course, you'll want to contribute to the restoration of the home of the man who inspired a young country and gave a boost to the fledgling U.S. Navy with his exploits in the War of 1812 and battles against the Barbary pirates. (See a related article in the History section of Oakhurst's web site, http://www.oakhurstga.org/aboutoakhurst.)

The home is on H Street at the northwest corner of Lafayette Square, a short distance from the Farragut West or Farragut North stops on Washington's subway system, known as Metro. When the house was built in 1818, it sat on a large lot and commanded a great view. Now, it's part of a block of buildings on the square and is surrounded by a bustling city. Decatur bought the land and built the home with the hefty $10,000 reward the U.S. Navy granted him for capturing the British ship, Macedonian, early in the War of 1812. That was quite a feat against the vaunted British Navy of those days.

When he built the house, Decatur was settling in Washington for a new phase of his career, working on the Board of Navy Commissioners. He was an ambitious type and felt it wouldn't hurt to throw lavish parties a short distance from the White House. Decatur moved to Washington with his wife, Susan, in 1816 and commissioned renowned architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to build the house. It was constructed in the Federal style of its day, with neo-classical elements. Some sections inside resemble hallways of the U.S. Senate.

Unfortunately, in addition to being ambitious, Decatur also was an honorable fellow, and when challenged to a duel, he felt bound to accept. It was his undoing. The challenge was issued by James Barron, another commodore who was court martialed and expelled from the Navy in 1808 after he failed to prepare for battle against a British ship and was defeated. It had been Decatur's duty to sit on his trial. Decatur later rebuked Barron for failing to return to his country from overseas to defend it in the War of 1812, although Barron insisted he didn't have the money and couldn't afford to return. The fatal duel took place on March 22, 1820, in Bladensburg, Maryland. Both men were shot, but Decatur's wounds were more serious, and he died at his new home a few hours later.

The Decaturs had lived there for just 14 months. Thereafter, Susan Decatur found it hard to make ends meet, something that was quite a change from the days of fancy parties and high ambitions. She was forced to move to Georgetown and rent out the house to a series of Washington bigwigs. Over the years, it was rented by the ambassadors of France, Russia and Britain and U.S. secretaries of state Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren and Edward Livingston. Henry Clay, of course, later became an acclaimed senator, and Van Buren became president.

Three years after Stephen Decatur's death, the Georgia state legislature created DeKalb County and named the county seat, our city, after him. But despite being a landlord for the famous and widow of a hero, Susan Decatur could not keep the creditors from her door, and in 1836, the house was acquired by John Gadsby, a tavern owner in Alexandria, Virginia. (You can still visit Gadsby's Tavern today in Old Town, Alexandria).

Over the years, the house went through a number of owners, until Marie Beale bequeathed it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1956. The house is being painstakingly restored, mostly through private donations. The plaster from some parts of the house is undergoing microscopic analysis, so that the original interior colors can be determined. The restoration is expected to be completed in 2005. But there's plenty to see now, so don't hesitate to drop in. And if you could use some sustenance after your tourist travels, try visiting the top floor restaurant of the Hotel Washington, nearby at 515 15th Street, between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The 11th floor establishment, which is open from April to October, has a great view. You can see the White House, the Treasury Building, the Ellipse and the Washington Monument, where there'll be more lines of people waiting to get in. As you sip your drink, you can contemplate all the history you've taken in, and the crowds you've managed to escape.