Taylor Run in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mills and Molassas
Alexandria Heritage Trail
In the early part of the 20th century, the Chinquapin Park area was a wooded place with abundant water. People living along King Street walked to the spring near here to obtain water for use in their homes. Sugar was also grown and processed here. Elizabeth Henry Douglas, who grew up on the other side of King Street, remembered John McGinnis' garden, spring and sugar mill. She saw the sugar cane grow five or six feet tall. "Then we would go down there, and he'd give us sugar cane ... the horse would go around and around, and this presser would press the sugar out of the cane.
The process of making sugar was tedious. After the sugar cane was cut, liquid was pressed out of the cane. Horse, oxen and wind power were most commonly used to power pressing machines. The juice pressed from the cane was boiled until sugar crystals formed. After the crystallized mass cooled, it was placed in a barrel with holes. The thick syrup remaining in the crystallized sugar then drained through the holes in the bottom of the barrel. Two products resulted from this procedure, white crystallized sugar and the thick syrup, molasses.
Erected by City of Alexandria, Virginia.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture
this page online
Location. 38° 49.264′ N, 77° 4.818′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Taylor Run. It can be reached from Chinquapin Drive 0.3 miles south of King Street (Virginia Route 7), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3100 King St, Alexandria VA 22302, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Life of a Creek (within shouting distance of this marker); Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Southwest 3 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chinquapin Trek (about 500 feet away); A Chinquapin House (about 500 feet away); Fun in the Forest (about 600 feet away); Listen for Chipmunks (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Chinquapin Trek (approx. Ό mile away); A Native American Village (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.
More about this marker. [Captions:]
John McGinnis probably processed sugar cane
Library of Congress
Tasting the juice in freshly cut sugar cane was enjoyable for children throughout the South, circa 1901.
Library of Congress
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 1, 2025
3. Mills and Molassas Marker
The marker has been damaged.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 325 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on October 2, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
