East side
of Columbus Street and with the North side of Prince Street and
running Eastwardly with Prince Street 123 feet 5 inches, thence
Northerly and parallel with Columbus Street one hundred and seventy
six feet seven inches, thence Westerly and parallel with Prince
Street 123 feet 5 inches thence Southerly with Columbus Street to the
point of beginning.[179]

This was subject forever to a ground rent of L30 in good and lawful
money of Virginia. On this lot James Patton erected a type of house well
known locally as a "flounder," because of its narrow width. Such a
building was usually set back from the street, anticipating fuller
architectural development when the flounder became the ell of the larger
house. Patton's home, though diminutive, was comfortable and it had
convenient gardens and pleasant surroundings. Here he lived until
overtaken by that ogre of all Alexandria shipping merchants--compound
interest.

He became indebted to the firm of Marsteller & Young to the amount of
ten thousand dollars and sundry notes discounted for his use at the Bank
of Alexandria to the amount of nine thousand dollars. To afford full
indemnity, he sold in November 1809, to Robert I. Taylor, twenty-five
shares of Potomac Bank stock, six shares of Little River Turnpike stock,
ten shares of Great Hunting Creek bridge stock, a house and lot on
Fairfax Street, and two squares of ground under the charter of
Alexandria, adjoining Spring Gardens, bought of Jesse Sims, and the brig
_John_ of Alexandria. Also relinquished to Taylor in the settlement of
his debts was the half-acre on Prince and Columbus Streets "with the
buildings and improvements thereupon erected."[180]

A year later William Fowle with "the consent and concurrance of all
parties," purchased the said lot of ground and improvements from James
Patton at the price of $6,550.

William Fowle had come to Alexandria in 1800 from Boston to enter, as a
partner, the important shipping firm which became Lawrason & Fowle. He
married Miss Esther Taylor, daughter of George Taylor of Broomalaw and
they are purported to have had eighteen children, eight of whom they
reared to maturity. Fowle's father-in-law is remembered as the last
gentleman in Alexandria to hold to the fashion of knee breeches and silk
stockings. As he lived well into the nineteenth century, his figure clad
in "short clothes" and leaning upon a high cane (similar to those
associated with the Court