A Ready Made Bungalow

This Sears kit bungalow on the corner of Cathedral and Carolina was built in 1922, the same year that Sears opened a model home store on 10th Street NW. Kit homes started popping all over Potomac Heights.  

The house first belonged to Albert J and Susie Kegal. Albert was born in Holland in 1873. He came to the US when he was eight years old with his parents Martin and Johanna. They settled in Milwaukee, and in 1896, Albert married a Wisconsin girl, Susie Kampe.

Suzie Kampe

Albert worked as a pressman all of his life, and Suzie was a homemaker. In 1900, the couple adopted a baby boy and named him Earle Martin. When Earle was about 20, the family moved to Washington, DC. Albert got a job at the printing office and rented a place until he could afford the new house on Cathedral Avenue in 1922.  That same year in June, Earle married Gladys Steel. Both families lived together in the Cathedral house for about 20 years during which time Earle remarried. 

In the 1930 census Earle and Gladys have a one year old son named Martin. Earle was working as a car salesman. Albert was still employed as a pressman, and Suzie was very active in the Potomac Heights Community Church which often had fun and crazy fundraisers like this one - an all woman, cross-dressing wedding.

Suzie front row, second from right 

By the late 1930s. Earle had married a neighbor, Mary Hill, who was living on Hawthorne Place. I'm not sure what happened to Gladys, but Earle, Mary, young Martin and a new baby, Mary Elizabeth, all were living with Albert and Suzie according to the 1940 census. 

That same year, on an extra cold day in January, eleven year old Martin made the papers when he and his friend Don Custard fell through the ice into the canal while trying to walk under Chain Bridge. Martin could swim and was able to get out and run for help, stopping traffic on Canal Road. James Cox, one of the firemen who came to the scene, also fell through the ice, on his first attempt, but eventually was able to get Don out by throwing him a rope. 

 Don, who lived across the street from Martin, survived without ill effects even though he was in the freezing water for a half hour. Later in life, Don joined the Marines and died on active duty in Korea in 1951. Martin came out unscathed, but their hero, James Cox was hit by a car the next day on Canal Rd while discussing the rescue. Both of his legs were broken.

Earl and Mary moved to 5618 Conduit Rd by 1942 according to his draft registration, but Susie and Albert stayed in the house until the end of their lives.  Susie died in 1948 and Albert died a few years later in 1952. The house was left to Earl, and he sold it soon after his father died.

Albert and Suzie in the yard of 5423