Taylor Run in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Bloxham Cemetery: Portal to the Past
Alexandria Heritage Trail
— City of Alexandria, est. 1749 —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023
The Bloxham Cemetery is the last visible sign of 3,000 years of human occupation in this area near Cameron Run. Flintknappers, farmers, and fruit growers all left their imprints beneath the surface of the ground here. Small groups of American Indians used this location near a stream with cobblestones for making tools as early as 3000 B.C. The archaeological evidence is sparse: a fire hearth, pottery fragments and flakes of stone. The Bloxhom family farmed here for more than a century after the American Revolution They buried their dead in this small 1/4-acre cemetery.
Although buried for a decade the Bloxham Cemetery has survived many episodes of land-altering development. During construction in the 1920s, graves were discovered. Eight graves, including those of five children, were moved to Bethel Cemetery. The remaining graves were buried under deep fill soil. Archaeological investigations in the 1990s rediscovered both the cemetery and an American Indian site. In 2004, archaeologists working with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Improvement Project completed investigations to find all the remaining graves before the City of Alexandria planned the recreational complex.
Expansion of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad line after the Civil War heralded a transformation to large enterprises like the Fruit Growers Express (FGX) Company, which purchased the Bloxham farm in 1926. FGX, which manufactured refrigerated rail cars to transport fresh produce throughout the eastern United States, continued in business on this site until the 1980s.
This space honors the Bloxham family members still buried in the cemetery and all those who occupied this space for 3,000 years.
[Captions:]
Rail sidings and machine shops for making refrigerated rail cars covered most of this recreational area from the 1920s until the 1980s. At its peak, Fruit Growers Express Company covered 30 acres and employed about 500 men.
About 3000 years ago, American Indians camped by a stream which now runs underground near here, to make stone tools. This quartz spear point was left behind. It is the oldest datable artifact discovered in two archeological investigations.
American Indians made tools by striking flakes from a cobble core with a hammerstone, a process called "flintknapping." The stone flakes recovered from archaeological excavations here demonstrated that people made tools at this site.
Erected by City of Alexandria, Virginia.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Anthropology & Archaeology
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023
Location. 38° 48.345′ N, 77° 4.528′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Taylor Run. Marker is on Business Center Drive east of Witter Drive, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2644 Duke St, Alexandria VA 22314, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Bloxham Family Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); Fort Ellsworth (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hubert N. ("Dutch") Hoffman, Jr. (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Ellsworth (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cameron Valley (approx. 0.4 miles away); George Washington Masonic National Memorial (approx. half a mile away); President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. Residence (approx. 0.6 miles away); Panoramic View of Alexandria (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 78 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 20, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.