Washington spoke of "my
House in Town," but this earliest reference[168] is believed to have
related to Lawrence Washington's estate, for which he was one of the
executors. Its subsequent story has not been unwound, but all facts
point to the house at South Lee Street as having been built by Lawrence.

General Washington acquired the deed to lot No. 112 in 1765 and mention
was made of it in his will and in the accompanying inventory of his
property. At the time of his death the lot had been subdivided for
building and let on ground rent, for purposes of revenue. The two small
frame houses standing today at 123 Pitt and 501 Prince Streets
unquestionably date from this period.

Time did not deal gently with these little houses and a few years ago
they were condemned by the city council as unfit for habitation and
ordered to be destroyed as they created a fire menace. Former owners
succeeded in allaying the ultimatum of the council, reclaiming them from
oblivion. Unaware that the story of Washington's ownership was true, the
wing of one was demolished, the other is a new addition and replaces a
smaller one too dilapidated to restore. The floors, mantels, much of the
trim, some hardware and two chimneys are original. The uprights were
found to be mortised together and numbered in Roman numerals. Handmade
nails and split wood laths formed part of the original construction.
Preservation of the structure was the urgent concern.

In her _History of Old Alexandria_ Mrs. Powell tells an interesting
anecdote relating to the construction of these houses. The mention of
"Mr. La Fayette" identifiable as the son of the Marquis, fixes the
period at 1797. It seems that the coach had been sent to Alexandria from
Mount Vernon for repairs and stood in the courtyard of the coachmaker's
waiting to be called for. Two little children, Hannah Taylor and Joe
Peters, were playing hide-and-seek in the courtyard. The little girl
opened the door and hid in the coach. Joe failed to find her, and she
fell asleep. The carriage was called for, the horses hitched and driven
to Mount Vernon, without awakening the child. Only when the coach came
to a standstill in the stable yard did she awake, much frightened and in
tears. She was carried at once to the house, soothed and petted. The
General dispatched a servant on horseback to tell Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
that the little girl was safe and would be returned in the morning. She
dined with the family, sat ne