Originally printed in the February 2026 issue of Greet Del Ray

Charles Wood began selling lots in Del Ray and St. Elmo in 1894, and the first sale of those lots in Del Ray was to George Mundell and his sister Martha. They purchased lot 289 in Del Ray in May 1894, and built a small house at 208 E. Howell Avenue. They had grown up in Washington, D.C. and were both nurses. Martha was 48 years old by then, and George was 34 years old. They moved to Del Ray in 1895 with their older sister Ellen, but by 1901, they moved back to Washington. At that time, they purchased lot 288 as well and added an addition to the right side and rear of the original house. Once the addition was complete, they rented out their little house. They returned to it for a couple years in 1907-1908. They returned to Washington in 1908 and sold the house to Annie M. Berry. The house was mainly a rental property over the years, and was broken up into a variety of units by the 21st Century. The current owner tore the house down in December 2025 to make way for new construction.

Jefferson D. Ashford built the first house in St. Elmo at the corner of Clifford and Turner Avenues. He was a postal clerk for the railroad, and he married Edna Lee Cockrell in 1891. With two sons born in 1892 and 1893, it was time to move to a house in the suburbs. He purchased lots 255 & 256 in July 1894, and proceeded to build his home there at 301 Clifford Avenue. He lived there for about 14 years before moving back to Washington in 1909. However, he kept the house as a rental property until 1922, when he sold it to Walter Newlon. The house changed hands numerous times over the next 90 years until the current owners purchased it in 2013. With severe termite damage, they elected to tear down the house and construct a new house in 2015.

These houses, and many others that have been torn down, were all contributing structures to the Town of Potomac Historic District. For this reason, our historic district was added to the list of Most Endangered Historic Sites in Virginia in 2023.