The Vowell-Snowden House
[619 South Lee Street.]
Presently the residence of Mr. Justice and Mrs. Hugo L. Black, this
house has been known in Alexandria for about a hundred years as the
Snowden home; and so it was from 1842 to 1912 when it passed from the
hands of that family.
The Snowdens have long been prominent in the old town. Samuel Snowden
became sole owner and editor of the _Alexandria Gazette_ in 1800, a
paper that traces its ancestry back to 1784, and boasts of being the
oldest daily newspaper printed continuously, still in circulation in the
United States. Edgar Snowden succeeded his father as editor, at the age
of twenty-one years. Active in civic affairs, interested in politics, he
was the first representative of Alexandria to the Virginia Assembly
after the retrocession of Alexandria to Virginia in 1846. He ran for
Congress on the Whig ticket when Henry Clay was defeated for the
Presidency and went down with his party.
He was mayor of Alexandria in 1841, and Mrs. Powell states in her
_History of Old Alexandria_ that in a collection of silhouettes in
London is one of "Edgar Snowden, Mayor of Alexandria."
Snowden married Louisa Grymes of the prominent family of Grymesby,
Brandon, and Marmion on the Rappahannock. From this union there were
three sons, Edgar, Jr., Harold and Herbert, "each of whom in turn upheld
the traditions and honor of the old paper."[181]
[Illustration: The Vowell-Snowden House. The widow's walk is missing]
Edgar Snowden purchased the Lee and Franklin Streets property from
Lawrence B. Taylor, who had the house from Thomas Vowell Jr. In a deed
granted August 29, 1798, William Thornton Alexander and Lucy, his wife,
let this property with all houses, buildings, streets, lanes, alleys,
and so on, to Thomas Vowell Jr., for the yearly ground rent of $61.66.
The fact is cited that William Thornton Alexander had the property from
his father, John Alexander. In 1802 Thomas Vowell was released from this
obligation upon payment of L200.
In 1826, in a deed of trust, the house is referred to specifically as a
two-story brick dwelling, with other buildings and improvements. There
is doubt as to whether the present house was built by Alexander or by
Vowell. William Thornton Alexander mentions in the deed of 1798, "all
houses, buildings, streets, lanes, alleys, Etc." The front of the house
is a typical federal house, hardly earlier than 1790 to 1798, and
similar to the New City Hotel, built in 1792. The doorway is almost a
replica of the doorway taken from the tavern to the Metropolitan Museum
of Art and since restored. The transom above the entrance door, in a
deeply recessed arch, is interesting in design. The unusual cornice
excites attention.
Thomas Vowell, in partnership with his brother, John, operated for a
long while a successful mercantile business. The firm of John & Thomas
Vowell owned a large wharf on the east side of Union between Prince and
King Streets and sent out its own ships to the far corners of the earth,
advertising its wares upon their return. George Washington ran an
account with the Vowells and receipts preserved at Mount Vernon tell of
purchases made by James Anderson, his manager. One of Anderson's
dockets, dating from 1798, reaffirms in the inscription the age-old
system of barter, "For Lint seed Sold them & Salt in Exchange." Lean and
hard times were Thomas Vowell's lot. He overreached himself in
speculation--buying and selling property until "by reasons of losses and
misfortunates in trade" we find him mortgaging his warehouse and wharf,
even his house; finally he was forced to part with his home.
Thomas Vowell's first wife, Mary Harper, died in 1805, aged twenty-three
years, and was buried in the old Presbyterian meetinghouse graveyard.
She was the daughter of Captain John Harper; her sister, Margaret,
married Thomas Vowell's brother, John. The graves of the two sisters lie
near the north wall of the church, while their father's remains rest
within.
The Vowell-Snowden house, in splendid condition, stands flush with the
street, surrounded by a half-acre of garden, defying the elements as
well as the hand of time. Much of the fine woodwork has been removed or
destroyed, but the perfect proportion of the rooms is indestructible.
The hall arch and stairway remain untouched and convey some idea of the
former beauty of the woodwork and elegance of the house.
There are people still living in Alexandria who as children played on
the "Widow's" or "Captain's Walk" that formerly topped the old mansion.
A magnificent view up and down the Potomac River could be had from that
vantage spot, long since disappeared.
[Illustration]