Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Potts-Fitzhugh-Lee House

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 23, 2021

1. Potts-Fitzhugh-Lee House Marker

Inscription. This Federal-style townhouse and its adjoining twin were built ca. 1793. Original owner John Potts, Jr., secretary of the Potomac Company, deeded the house in 1799 to William Fitzhugh of Chatham, member of Virginia's Revolutionary Conventions and the Continental Congress. George Washington visited his friends and business associates Potts and Fitzhugh here. Maj. Gen. Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, Revolutionary War officer, governor of Virginia, and member of the U.S. Congress, moved here in 1811. His son Confederate General Robert E. Lee grew up here and studied at Benjamin Hallowell's school next door. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and playwright Archibald MacLeish lived here in the 1940s.

Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-91.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Government & Politics • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1793.

Location. 38° 48.575′ N, 77° 2.721′ W.

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Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Old Town. It is on Oronoco Street just east of North Washington Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 609 Oronoco St, Alexandria VA 22314, 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,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 marker: Washington-Rochambeau Route (within shouting distance of this marker); Lee-Fendall House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Lee-Fendall House (within shouting distance of this marker);

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 23, 2021

2. Potts-Fitzhugh-Lee House Marker

From Factory to Housing (within shouting distance of this marker); Home of Edmund Jennings Lee (within shouting distance of this marker); Grosvenor Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); City Jail: A Site of Racial Terror in Alexandria (about 500 feet away); Historic Street (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Lee’s Boyhood Home (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 927 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.