Editing Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) (section)

===18th century===
In approximately 1745, [[George Gordon (merchant)|George Gordon]] constructed a tobacco inspection house along the [[Potomac River]] on a site that was already a tobacco trading post when the inspection house was built. Warehouses, wharves, and other buildings were then constructed around the inspection house, and it quickly became a small community. Georgetown grew as thriving port, facilitating trade and shipments of goods to and from the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial-era]] [[Province of Maryland]].{{sfn|Lesko|1991|p=1}}

In 1751, the legislature of the Province of Maryland authorized the purchase of {{convert|60|acre|m2}} of land from Gordon and [[George Beall]] for £280.{{sfn|Ecker|1933|pp=1-6}} A survey of the town was completed in February 1752.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Richard Plummer |title=The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751-1878 |publisher=R. O. Polkinhorn |year=1878 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_VFUUAAAAYAAJ/page/n16 3]–4 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_VFUUAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> 

Georgetown was founded during the reign of [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]], and some speculate that the town was named after him. A second theory is that the town was named after its founders, George Gordon and George Beall.<ref>{{cite book |title=Establishment and Government of the District of Columbia |date=1 January 1901 |publisher=U.S. Senate reports of 1900, Congressional Edition, Volume 4043, US Gov't GPO |page=175 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lhlHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA183 |access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref> The [[Maryland General Assembly|Maryland Legislature]] issued a charter and incorporated the town in 1789.{{sfn|Lesko|1991|pp=1-2}} Although Georgetown was never officially made a city, it was later referred to as the "City of Georgetown" in several 19th-century [[Act of Congress|Acts of Congress]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tindall |first=William |title=The Establishment and Government of the District of Columbia |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=1901 |pages=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lhlHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA171}}</ref>) [[Robert Peter]], an early area merchant in the tobacco trade, became the town's first mayor in 1790.{{sfn|Ecker|1933|p=8}}

John Beatty established the first church in Georgetown, a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church on High Street. [[Stephen Bloomer Balch]] established a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] church in 1784. A [[Catholic Church]], Trinity Catholic Church, was built in 1795, along with a parish school-house. Construction of [[St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown|St. John's Episcopal Church]] began in 1797 but paused for financial reasons until 1803, and the church was finally consecrated in 1809. Banks in Georgetown included the [[Farmers and Mechanics Bank (Georgetown)|Farmers and Mechanics Bank]], which was established in 1814. Other banks included the Bank of Washington, Patriotic Bank, Bank of the Metropolis, and the Union and Central Banks of Georgetown.<ref name="The Washington Post">{{cite news |title=An Old City's History: The Simple Annals of Our Venerable Suburb |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 24, 1878}}</ref>

Newspapers in Georgetown included the ''Republican Weekly Ledger'', which was the first paper, started in 1790. ''The Sentinel'' was first published in 1796 by Green, English & Co.  Charles C. Fulton began publishing the ''Potomac Advocate'', which was started by Thomas Turner. Other newspapers in Georgetown included the ''Georgetown Courier'' and the ''Federal Republican''.  William B. Magruder, the first postmaster, was appointed on February 16, 1790, and in 1795, a custom house was established on Water Street. General James M. Lingan served as the first collector of the port.<ref name="The Washington Post" />

In the 1790s, City Tavern, the Union Tavern, and the Columbian Inn opened and were popular throughout the 19th century.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Holmes, Oliver W. |title=The City Tavern: A Century of Georgetown History, 1797-1898 |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |volume=50 |pages=1–35}}</ref> Among these taverns, only the City Tavern remains today, serving as a private social club and known as [[City Tavern Club]], located near the corner of [[Wisconsin Avenue]] and [[M Street (Washington, D.C.)|M Street]].{{citation needed|date = May 2023}}

[[George Washington]] frequented Georgetown, including [[Suter's Tavern]], where he negotiated many deals to acquire land for the new national capital.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Holmes, Oliver W. |title=Suter's Tavern: Birthplace of the Federal City |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |volume=73-74 |pages=1–34}}</ref> A key figure in the land deals was a local merchant named [[Benjamin Stoddert]], who arrived in Georgetown in 1783. He had previously served as Secretary to the Board of War under the [[Articles of Confederation]]. Stoddert partnered with General [[Uriah Forrest]] to become an original proprietor of the [[Potomac Company]].{{sfn|Ecker|1933|p=12}}

Stoddert and other Potomac landowners agreed to a land transfer deal to the federal government at a dinner at Forrest's home in Georgetown on March 28, 1791. Stoddert bought land within the boundaries of the federal district, some of it at the request of Washington for the government, and some on speculation. He also purchased stock in the federal government under Hamilton's assumption-of-debt plan. The speculative purchases were not, however, profitable and caused Stoddert much difficulty before his appointment as [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] by [[John Adams]], the nation's second [[President of the United States|president]]. Stoddert was rescued from his debts with the help of [[William Marbury]], a Georgetown resident who later was a plaintiff in the landmark case ''[[Marbury v. Madison]]''. Stoddert ultimately purchased [[Halcyon House]] at the corner of 34th and Prospect Streets.{{sfn|Ecker|1933|p=12}} The [[Forrest-Marbury House]] on [[M Street (Washington, D.C.)|M Street]] is currently the embassy of Ukraine.