The Kickham house on 2nd St (later O St), Georgetown
William Kickham
lived
on 2nd St (later O St),
Georgetown,
Washington, D.C.
He is listed there in at least 1862 to 1890.
His son-in-law
Rudolph Ullmer
lived beside him for a short time, in at least 1878 to 1881.
There is confusion because there appear to have been two houses on the Kickham plot,
and also the numbering and street names both changed.
Kickham
Under the old street names,
William Kickham
is listed on
2nd St
(between Frederick St and Market St), Georgetown.
In 1862 he is listed at 54 2nd St.
In 1863 he is listed at 56 2nd St.
This is where
Edward Francis Cashel
would have stayed with him in 1864.
Edward wrote a
letter in 1864
from Georgetown.
D.C. HistoryQuest says the building now numbered 3327 O St at this site
(the 2 storey building, see below)
is old, and was built in 1864.
Owner/Developer: "William Kickham."
Permit notes:
"William Kickham, gardener, assessed for 2-story frame building in 1864-69 assessments.
1865 City Directories list Kickham at property."
However it is unclear that 1864 is actually date of construction.
We can see Kickham at this location before 1864.
In 1865 William is listed at 66 2nd St.
In 1867 he is at 54 2nd St.
William wrote a
letter in 1869
from Georgetown.
In 1871-80 William is at 52 2nd St.
Rudolph Ullmer
is not on 2nd St in 1873.
He married
William's adopted daughter Mary Kickham in 1874.
The family seems to have two houses on 2nd St (O St).
In 1878-80 William is at 52 2nd St,
and Mary and Rudolph Ullmer are beside him at 54 2nd St.
The 1887 map below shows two houses on the same plot.
Re-numbering
There was a massive
Georgetown street re-naming
and building re-numbering.
From street directories we can see that (at least on this street)
this re-numbering was in 1880-1881.
After the re-numbering,
William Kickham is listed on
O St NW (former 2nd St),
between 34th St (former Frederick St)
and 33rd St (former Market St), Georgetown.
This is actually the same place.
In 1881 Kickham is at 3325 O St
and Ullmer is at 3327 O St.
It seems clear that
the Kickham house no.52 is the new no.3325
and the Ullmer house no.54 is the new no.3327.
However, confusing the issue, in 1882, Ullmer is gone from O St
and Kickham is at 3327 O St.
William Kickham is listed in
1882-86 at 3327 O St.
In 1889-90 he is at 3325 O St again.
The solution to all of this seems to be that there were two houses on the Kickham plot. See 1887 map below.
No.3327 to the W side of the plot and no.3325 to the E side of the plot.
So Kickham can be found listed at either.
Kickham is gone from O St by 1892.
Maps
2nd St between
Frederick St and Market St on late 18th century map.
See
full size.
From
here.
O St (2nd St)
between 34th St (Frederick St)
and 33rd St (Market St).
From Plate 39
of Hopkins' map of Washington D.C., 1887.
It has been heavily re-developed since.
The Ullmer and Kickham houses would be the two houses in plot 139.
The W one still exists and is 3327.
The E one is gone and replaced with a new building (3325).
O St (former 2nd St)
between 34th St (former Frederick St)
and 33rd St (former Market St).
From modern map.
Note no.3327 and 3325.
The properties on
D.C. HistoryQuest.
Colour coded by date.
3327 is older.
3325 is part of a newer block of 6.
After Kickham
D.C. HistoryQuest says the modern 3325 (3 storey building)
was built in 1891.
It is the W one of a new block of 6 buildings in a row,
all built by the same developer in 1891.
So this would have replaced Kickham's old house in the E part of his plot.
Kickham and Ullmer are both gone from O St by 1892.
William McVeigh
(in the following)
confirms
that the Kickham and Ullmer houses/sites are
the modern 3325 O St (3 storey) and 3327 O St (2 storey).
The numbering has not changed.
William McVeigh
is son of
Ruth Ullmer
(born 1892),
daughter of
Rudolph Ullmer and
Mary Kickham (born Mary McCarthy, adopted by Kickham).
- William McVeigh
recalled his mother
pointing out the house:
"one day while we were driving in Georgetown she showed me the house
she (my mother) was raised in, on 35th st. I believe,
and then she told me to drive a couple blocks further and pointed out a house
she said her mother was raised in.
... the house Mary McCarthy was raised in was about two blocks west of Wisconsin Ave.
and it was on P St. or one block north or south of P St."
This is spot on.
-
I showed a modern street view to
William McVeigh and he said
that the modern 3327 was the house his mother pointed out.
In the street view it had a yellow door (since repainted).
Notably it is smaller than the surrounding buildings.
William McVeigh said:
"It is definitely the 2 story house no. 3327 with the yellow door.
It's smaller than all the other houses on that block and I mentioned that to my mother as we passed by it.
Even the horizontal boards are the same".
3327 O St
3327 is the surviving one of the two Kickham houses.
Built in 1864 or earlier.
Since 2003,
3327 is under the supervision of the
L'Enfant Trust
conservation organisation.
It was sold in
2012
for $1.8 m.
It was sold in
2025
for $3.6 m.
3327 O St (2 storey, green door).
3325 is beside it to the right.
Photo 2025.
See
larger
and
full size.
See
other angle
and
closer shot.
3327 O St.
For sale in 2025.
Front door of 3327 O St.
Photo 2025.
See larger
and full size.
See other shot.
Street view showing
3327 (yellow door)
and
3325 (red door)
and 3323 (blue door).
Click to rotate.
From here.
3325 O St
3325 is a new house, built in 1891 as the W one of a row of 6 new houses.
It replaced one of the Kickham houses.
3325 O St (3 storey, narrow, red door).
Photo 2025.
See
larger
and
full size.
See
other angle
and
closer shot.
Front door of 3325 O St.
Photo 2025.
See larger
and full size.
Street view showing
3325 (red door)
and 3323 (blue door).
Click to rotate.
From here.
The two houses,
3327 and 3325 O St.
Photo 2025.
See larger
and full size.
Sources yet to be consulted
- File on 3327 O St. Peabody Room,
Georgetown Library.
- Building of the 6 new buildings on O St
(3315, 3317, 3319,
3321, 3323, 3325).
DC Building Permits.
Permit no. 0669.
Curtin & Manogue builders.
22 Sept 1891.
