population had left the neighborhood. They were replaced by Greeks and Italians immigrants and some African-Americans. The neighborhood gained a reputation for being a lawless shantytown, where crime, prostitution, drunkenness were rife during and after the Civil War. At the core of the district was Jackson Alley located next to the Government Printing Office Building (between G and H) and crossing North Capitol. It was a considered a virtual no-go area for the police and new recruits were often sent there for their training. The problem was more with the younger generation than the older folks. Gangs of young men known as "poodles" were the main cause of concern. But it was also a place to find work for its inhabitants. For a very long time, Jackson Alley was inhabited by "tinkers" or "tinners" because they were tinworkers. The area was known for overcrowding and outbreaks of malaria, typhoid and dysentery. But Swampoodle was a thriving community, whose Irish construction workers helped build Washington, DC. As Swampoodle was then on the edge of the city, many of the residents kept goats and cows, sometimes in livestock pens among the alleys dividing their modest houses. Until the 1880s, the north side of K Street was not built and the only things there were swamps, pasters and the railway track. This almost rural lifestyle continued until about 1907, when Union Station was built. In the 1870s, Tiber Creek was channeled underground along North Capitol Street. From Florida Ave to M Street, the sewer was 20 feet in diameter and grew to 30 feet for the section below M Street. Due to the elevation of the ground level, many found themselves with one level under the level of the street. Swampoodle Grounds with a capacity of 6000, which was the home of the Washington Statesmen baseball club from 1886 to 1889. It was located on a block bounded by North Capitol Street NE and tracks (west); F Street NE (south); Delaware Avenue NE (east); and G Street NE (north). The McDowell and Sons plant, seen in the background of the ballpark photo behind right field, was listed in city directories as the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street. The end of Swampoodle The demise of Swampoodle as a community and neighborhood began with the construction of Union Station in 1907. The plan involved the demolition of over 10 blocks of residential