State of Yarrow's lot in Georgetown

     The old house on Yarrow Mamout's lot in Georgetown may be torn down after being crushed by a tree in a storm last fall.  Here is how it looked in April 2012.  It probably isn't the house that Yarrow lived in. The former owner heard the house was moved there from a site on the Mall in Washington a century or more ago.  However, no one can be sure at the moment.  It has never been inspected by experts, who might be able to date it based on its construction.  The former owner said that the nails used in it are square rather than round. 
     There probably are even more important relics on the land.  According to his obituary, Yarrow himself was in 1823 interred in the corner of the lot where he went to pray, presumably the southeast corner, which would be on the left side of the backyard in this picture.  Moreover, the house sits on a brick cellar, and the bricks in that cellar appear older than the house itself. (photo below)  They have been dated to before 1850.  Yarrow was a brick-maker, among his other skills, so these bricks may be ones he made with his own hands. 

     Any work on the site raises concerns about whether all or part of the house dates from Yarrow's time and also what will happen to Yarrow's remains and the brick cellar.
     The property stayed in the name of "Yarrow's heirs" for a number of years after his death.  Eventually, it was sold to a speculator at a tax sale.  He then sold it to Francis Dodge of Georgetown, who probably rented it out.  Dodge was a prominent figure in Georgetown in the nineteenth century.  In the famous attempt by Washington slaves to escape to freedom on the Pearl, the pursuing posse used Dodge's steamship to go after the Pearl, capture her, and return her passengers to slavery.