George Washington considered Alexandria his hometown after its founding in 1749, and it is here that he came to do business, learn the events of the world, pick up mail, and visit friends. His first association with the town was probably as a 17 . . . — — Map (db m115747) HM
A visit to George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, about nine miles to the south, has long been viewed as a patriotic duty of Americans. In the late 19th century, visitors often traveled there from Washington by boat, stopping first in Alexandria. . . . — — Map (db m115719) HM
On 9 May 1763 George Washington purchased the ½ acre lot then known as plat 112 located at the northwest corner of Pitt and Prince Streets as an investment for the sum of 38 pounds. In July 1797 the lot was divided into 9 parcels offered for rent at . . . — — Map (db m280296) HM
The area around Jones Point, which lies just south of the nation’s capital, was an obvious location for early defensive fortifications. During the Civil War (1861-1865), Battery Rodgers was built overlooking the cove to guard the river approach . . . — — Map (db m69911) HM
When Alexandria was founded in 1749, this corner was planned as the main intersection in the new town, with the streets named in honor of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, a major land-owner in Northern Virginia. From Cameron Street, . . . — — Map (db m167213) HM
In 1804, Francois-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture, a formerly enslaved Haitian Black military leader, led the only successful uprising of enslaved people in the Western Hemisphere. As a result of the rebellion, the Caribbean island of Haiti . . . — — Map (db m239747) HM
Alexandria was named for the family of John Alexander, a Virginia planter who in 1669 acquired the tract on which the town began. By 1732, the site was known as Hunting Creek Warehouse and in 1749 became Alexandria, thereafter a major 18th-century . . . — — Map (db m47) HM
In the 1790's many Alexandria streets were paved with cobblestones. According to legend, Hessian soldiers provided the labor to cobble Princess Street. These cobbles remained essentially untouched until 1979, when the street was restored using the . . . — — Map (db m197474) HM
[Top plaque]
Home of Charles Lee
First Collector of Customs, Alexandria
1789 - 1793
Designated an
Historic Customhouse
Vernon D. Acree
U.S. Commissioner of Customs
1976
[Bottom . . . — — Map (db m129176) HM
Close personal friend and family physician of Washington. Surgeon in Braddock's campaign, also with Washington throughout the Revolutionary War. Was at his bedside when he died and received his last messages. — — Map (db m167158) HM
Was consulting physician in Washington's last illness. At the moment of Washington's death he stopped the bedroom clock, which can be seen in Alexandria Washington Lodge, and conducted the Masonic Funeral service at his grave. — — Map (db m71751) HM
Home of
George Gilpin 1740-1813
Member, Fairfax Committee of Safety
Colonel, Virginia Regiment Fairfax Militia,
Served with General George Washington
in New Jersey campaign and Battle of Germantown
Surveyor of the Town of . . . — — Map (db m115764) HM
Famous Revolutionary Soldier, Father of Robert E. Lee. Was ardent supporter of Federalists. Defended Washington in political contests and delivered eulogy before Congress at Washington's Death in which he used the now famous phrase:
"First in . . . — — Map (db m72316) HM
All stories should end with accumulating snow.
Increasing depth racing the concluding plot
Erasing the physical details of the recent narrative
Leaving only softened shapes and relative positions
And as the end obliterating even . . . — — Map (db m143372) HM
Fellow townsmen, brother Masons, trusted friends, comrades in the cause of American Independence.
Col. Charles Simms
Col. Dennis Ramsay
Col. William Payne
Col. George Gilpin
Col. Philip Marsteller
Col. Charles Little
In . . . — — Map (db m129193) HM
During the 19th century, numerous entrepreneurs gradually improved the lots and expanded the warehouses and wharves associated with the 200 block of the Strand. Josiah Davis owned many properties along Alexandria's waterfront and bought property . . . — — Map (db m195640) HM
Farm house in Fairfax County, Virginia, located upon part of a seven hundred acre land patent granted to Margaret Brent in 1654. Owned and occupied by descendants of John Douglass Brown and Mary Goulding Gretter since 1816. — — Map (db m71738) HM
This building was the warehouse of John Fitzgerald, Alexandria merchant and officer of the third Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line.
Colonel Fitzgerald was a close friend of General George Washington and he was his secretary and aide-de-camp . . . — — Map (db m81247) HM
American Indians first frequented Jones Point to hunt and fish. The point is likely named for an early English settler. By the 1790's, military installations were established at Jones point due to its strategic location on the Potomac River. The . . . — — Map (db m79997) HM
■ a living public art sculpture encompassing the entire park ■ a combination of three garden types: a hanging garden, topiary garden and rain garden ■ the result of an international design competition an important example of . . . — — Map (db m243158) HM
The Farewell Tour
In 1824, the marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States at the invitation of President James Monroe. It was his first visit since returning to France after the American Revolution. By this time, Lafayette was the . . . — — Map (db m266163) HM
Robert E. Lee left this home that he loves so well to enter West Point. After Appomattox he returned and climbed the wall to see “if the snowballs were in bloom.” George Washington dined here when it was the home of William Fitzhugh, Lee’s kinsman . . . — — Map (db m8548) HM
Revolutionary War hero Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, purchased several lots on North Washington Street in Alexandria soon after the War for Independence. He lived with his family in a house on Cameron . . . — — Map (db m115721) HM
Discover the spirit of Alexandria that has been making history for well over two centuries
Founded in 1749, Alexandria was the center of commercial and political activity for early patriots such as George Washington as the seeds of the . . . — — Map (db m115776) HM
Here lies the body of
Major John Caryle
Son of
Dr. William and Rachael Murray Carlyle
Born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, 1720.
Died in Alexandria, Virginia, 1780.
One of the first trustees of Alexandria, 1749 appointed Commissary of . . . — — Map (db m266156) HM
Alexandria's Market Square was established only a few years after the town was founded in 1749. The site selected was centrally located in a prime block of the colonial settlement, immediately adjacent to the City Hall. At the time, Cameron and . . . — — Map (db m115757) HM
In the early morning hours of May 24, 1861, the day after a public referendum in Virginia supported secession from the United States, Alexandria was invaded by Union forces crossing the Potomac. Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, the young commander of the . . . — — Map (db m115753) HM
On September 6, 1654, this site was included in a patent of 700 acres granted by the Colony of Virginia to Mistress Margaret Brent (c1601–c1671). An extraordinary woman, she spent most of her adult life fighting discrimination of her sex, she was . . . — — Map (db m62020) HM
Moses Hepburn Home
has been listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Built circa 1850 — — Map (db m293034) HM
Theodore Roosevelt Island
This wooded island is a tribute to the vision of our 26th president. Explore, on foot, 2.5 miles of trails and the memorial plaza.
Lady Bird Johnson Park
Take time to visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson . . . — — Map (db m233790) HM
The concrete foundations you see here were part of a craneway servicing two shipways and launch sites -- elements of an enormous World War I-era shipyard. To speed delivery of cargo ships needed for the war effort, the Virginia Shipbuilding . . . — — Map (db m62323) HM
"Ready All…Row!"
Beginning in 1880
ODBC was founded in 1880 as a rowing, recreational, and athletic club in Alexandria.
The Club won its first rowing regatta in 1887 and continues to support rowing to this day.
The . . . — — Map (db m195593) HM
The Old Dominion Boat Club's objective is to promote charitable and community service, athletic and water-related activities, and fellowship among its members.
Alexandria's Sportsman's Club
1947 - Present
Founded on an idea by . . . — — Map (db m195633) HM
These church grounds contain the mortal remains of some 300 persons. Buried here are the Rev. William Thom and the Rev. Dr. James Muir, the congregation's first and third ministers; John Carlyle, founding trustee and first overseer of Alexandria; . . . — — Map (db m266157) HM
In this cemetery rest the earthly remains of Patriots in the Revolutionary War, many of whom were of Scottish ancestry. These Patriots, along with many Presbyterians from Alexandria, fought for the cause of Liberty and assisted the soldiers of . . . — — Map (db m266158) HM WM
In this church Yard rest the remains of many of the comrades in arms, intimate friends and fellow masons of George Washington. Among them sleeps an unknown soldier of the Revolutionary Army. To these, as a memorial, the wall around this sacred . . . — — Map (db m266159) HM WM
With gratitude and repentance
we honor the
enslaved people
whose skills and labor were unjustly
used to help build the
Old Presbyterian Meeting House sanctuary,
Flounder House, and Elliot House. — — Map (db m266154) HM
Living history
Discover the spirit of Alexandria that has been making history for centuries.
Alexandria has had a role in our nation's history since its founding in 1749. George Washington called Alexandria home in his . . . — — Map (db m236052) HM
Orange & Alexandria Railroad roundhouse, formerly located near Duke and South Henry Streets. Engine named after Brigadier General Herman Haupt, Chief of Transportation, U.S. Military Railroads during the Civil War. Mathew Brady photograph after . . . — — Map (db m72622) HM
Lieut. Col U.S.A., Revolutionary War
1st Battalion, Lancaster County
Pennsylvania Associators, 1777
Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General
Member of
The Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, July, 1776
Original stone removed . . . — — Map (db m195645) HM WM
[Marker is a series of photos:]
Washington, Alexandria and Mt. Vernon electric railway train at King and Pitt Streets, circa 1915.
Courtesy of Alexandria Library, Special Collections
North side of the 300 . . . — — Map (db m156844) HM
Pioneer Mill once stood at the end of Duke Street. The photograph shows the many wharves that occupied the blocks where buildings and parks now stand. Warehouses lined the Waterfront interspersed with processing plants for flour and . . . — — Map (db m182674) HM
On August 29, 1814, Alexandria surrendered to the British forces. These terms of surrender protected American homes but gave the enemy flour, cotton, tobacco, and other goods as well as military supplies and weapons. On September 3, the . . . — — Map (db m143268) HM
Historically, Alexandria's development moved from east to west, and three distinct areas of the city have unofficially been known as the "West End." The first West End ended at Shuter's Hill, the current site of the George Washington Masonic . . . — — Map (db m115709) HM
Originally constructed in 1883 as
The Columbia Firehouse
Restored as a restaurant under the
direction of James J. Matthews, Jr.
for Marilyn and Harry Lewis.
Completed November 1981
— — Map (db m156845) HM
George Washington lived in and traveled from this region, pursuing his dream of westward expansion—to connect the Atlantic Seaboard with the frontier West. His efforts to use the Potomac River as a commercial artery influenced industrialization . . . — — Map (db m127767) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m188751) HM
Jones Point was once a wooded wilderness, ringed by marshes and periodically cut off from the mainland during high tide. American Indians made use of both woodland and wetland for food, tools and supplies. By the 17th century, Europeans had . . . — — Map (db m62028) HM
In the early 1800s Alexandria was part of the District of Columbia and an important port with its own militia. In summer 1814, though, Alexandria’s militia had been sent to defend Maryland from the British invasion. So on August 28, four days . . . — — Map (db m81226) HM
Physician General and Director of Hospitals, Middle Department, Continental Army, Charter member, Society of the Cincinnati. Author of the first American Pharmacopoea. President of Board of Trustees of Alexandria Academy, at General Washington's . . . — — Map (db m71757) HM
After Virginia seceded in the spring of 1861, Unionists met in Wheeling and organized a state government loyal to the U.S. under Gov. Francis H. Pierpont. The Restored Government, which sent representatives to the U.S. Congress and raised federal . . . — — Map (db m191972) HM
The 500 block of King Street has long been associated with retail trade in Alexandria. In the late 18th century, Adam Lynn, Sr. owned the quarter-block at this corner of King and St. Asaph Streets, where he operated a small bake shop selling . . . — — Map (db m115746) HM
Alexandria, D.C.
In 1791, Alexandrians applauded their inclusion in the District of Columbia, believing that the town would benefit economically as part of the Federal district. These positive feelings toward inclusion in the District . . . — — Map (db m239716) HM
Potomac River ferry companies date back to as early as 1740, when Hugo West received permission to operate a ferry from the Hunting Creek warehouse in Prince William over the Potomac River to Fraziers Point in Maryland "...the price for a man 1 . . . — — Map (db m143267) HM
This was the site of Saint Mary's Parish School from 1869 to 1950. Originally St. Mary's Hall, the building was erected in 1858 under the pastorate of Reverend Peter Kroes, S. J. by the Young Catholics' Friend Society. The two-story brick . . . — — Map (db m266151) HM
Saint Mary's Catholic Church was established in 1795 and is the oldest Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Saint Mary's Cemetery is likewise the oldest public Catholic Cemetery in Virginia and the oldest active cemetery in . . . — — Map (db m313864) HM WM
Founded 1795
by
Very Rev. Francis Jonatus Neale, S.J.
of Georgetown College
and
Colonel John Fitzgerald, Aide de Camp to General George Washington and one time Mayor of Alexandria
Prior to 1785, the Catholic community of Alexandria . . . — — Map (db m72355) HM
An extensive amount of man-made land hides the original topographical feature that characterized the southernmost tip of Alexandria's crescent-shaped bay. This area was known from at least the 1760s as Point Lumley. As it does today, the town . . . — — Map (db m239746) HM
John Hunter established one of the first shipyards in the City at the foot of Wilkes Street as early at 1783. The first "Potomac River Longboat" was built here at Hunters Shipyard in 1815. Shipbuilding and repair continued on this site for well . . . — — Map (db m143370) HM
Early Uses
The West End was a rough and rowdy area just outside Alexandria's city limits. Stockyards, rail tracks, a tavern, and small shops catered to the farmers and drovers supplying the city's markets in the years before the Civil War. . . . — — Map (db m236050) HM
The northern half of this block of Cameron Street, bounded by North Columbus Street on the east and North Alfred Street on the west, was the original site of the Moore-McLean Sugar Refinery. Within this half-acre lot was a five-story structure . . . — — Map (db m67028) HM
Here was held March 22 1785 the first conference between representatives Alexander Henderson and George Mason of Virginia and Major Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Mr. Chase and Mr. Stone of Maryland. This conference resulted in the framing of the . . . — — Map (db m81249) HM
On this site stood Captain Joseph Pugmire and three lassies who conducted the first Salvation Army services in Alexandria. Later, the Salvation Army was located at 319 and 316 King Street from 1922 to 1965, when it moved to its present facility at . . . — — Map (db m143) HM
Founded in 1792, the Stabler Leadbeater pharmacy operated on this site for 141 years serving many early patriots. The shop is a unique reminder of the period when manufacturing, wholesaling, and dispensing of medicines were combined as a single . . . — — Map (db m875) HM
The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum traces one of America's oldest continuously-run family businesses that combined manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing. Founded in 1792, and operated just across Fairfax Street until 1933, the pharmacy . . . — — Map (db m115762) HM
Built circa 1818 by Josiah Hewes Davis (1783-1862), rope maker and ship chandler who operated a rope walk at Jones Point. Purchased in 1847 by William Stabler (1795-1852) as a home for John Leadbeater (1808-1860), his brother-in-law and business . . . — — Map (db m71772) HM
Gato Class WWII Fleet Submarine
Conducted nine war patrols in the Pacific.
Awarded four Battle Stars
Commissioned March 17, 1943
De-commissioned April 1, 1960 — — Map (db m115779) HM
The Alexandria Custom House stood here in 1917. Built in 1858, the third floor of the three-story granite building housed the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. On November 27, 1917, a hearing in that courtroom would play a . . . — — Map (db m182671) HM
Built in 1802 by Thomas Swann
Purchased in 1832 by
Henry Daingerfield and enlarged.
St. Mary's Academy 1889 - 1943
Restored in 1978 by
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh E. Witt
— — Map (db m134974) HM
A private residence listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. Registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources.
Thomas Swann House, 1802-1833. . . . — — Map (db m145963) HM
One of the last and most architecturally important buildings constructed on the waterfront was the Alexandria branch of the Ford Motor Company. Designed by architect Albert Kahn (1869–1942) and built on wood pilings over the Potomac River in . . . — — Map (db m299718) HM
One of the last and most architecturally important of the industrial facilities constructed on the waterfront was the Alexandria Branch of the Ford Motor Company. Designed by Albert Kahn (1896-1942) and built on wood pilings over the Potomac River . . . — — Map (db m69852) HM
Between 1820 and 1860, Alexandria had a thriving cabinet and furniture-making industry, primarily along King Street, between Royal and Alfred streets. Among the city's best-known furniture makers—and business rivals—were Charles Koones and James . . . — — Map (db m195643) HM
One block south is The Alexandria Lyceum, formed as a public education organization in 1834 by Quaker schoolmaster Benjamin Hallowell and other civic leaders. In 1839, the founders joined with the Alexandria Library Company to construct a . . . — — Map (db m115718) HM
The Alexandria Marine Railway Company was founded in 1849 at the site of the former Keith's Wharf. Until the Depression of 1857, the firm refitted and repaired the sailing craft that plied the harbors of Alexandria, Georgetown and Washington. The . . . — — Map (db m127769) HM
Home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, the Athenaeum is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, with a long and colorful history of occupation. The building was constructed between 1851 and 1852 as the Bank of the Old Dominion, . . . — — Map (db m115768) HM
Here Union Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont established the “Restored Government of Virginia” and used the building as the official Governor's Residence
1863-65
This property is protected by a preservation easement held by The Virginia . . . — — Map (db m71611) HM
From March 26 through April 20, 1755, the town of Alexandria served as the center of operations for Major General Edward Braddock, commander-in-chief for British forces in North America. He chose the finest house in town, John Carlyle's, as his . . . — — Map (db m156495) HM
The Carlyle House, completed in 1753, was the residence of one of the 18th-century Alexandria's leading citizens—John Carlyle—a prosperous merchant and landowner.
1. Although the earliest known engraving of the Carlyle House appeared . . . — — Map (db m129174) HM
With the outbreak of war in the spring in 1861, Alexandria was immediately occupied by Federal troops as a bulwark in the defenses of the national capital, and the city became a central distribution center for men and material for the Army of the . . . — — Map (db m299710) HM
With the outbreak of war in the spring of 1861, Alexandria was immediately occupied by Federal troops as a bulwark in the defenses of the national capital, and the city became a central distribution center for men and material for the Army of the . . . — — Map (db m70411) HM WM
In 1860, Alexandria was a vibrant southern city boasting a population of 12,652 and 96 firms which produced everything from bark to tin-ware. During the U.S. Presidential campaign in the fall of 1860, business-minded Alexandrians were decidedly . . . — — Map (db m307635) HM
The unarmed Confederate soldier standing in the intersection of Washington and Prince Streets marks the location where units from Alexandria left to join the Confederate Army on May 24, 1861. The soldier is facing the battlefields to the South where . . . — — Map (db m8605) HM
On January 1, 1808, the earliest date allowed by Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution, the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves went into effect and stated, "It shall not be lawful to import or bring into the United . . . — — Map (db m188750) HM
After 10,000 B.C., as glacial ice retreated, small bands of Paleo-Indians moved into the vicinity of what would become Alexandria. Moving frequently within wide areas, these bands hunted game and collected the plant resources of the spruce/pine . . . — — Map (db m127773) HM
After 10,000 BC, as glacial ice retreated, small bands of Paleo-Indians moved into the vicinity of what would become Alexandria. Moving frequently within wide areas, these bands hunted game and collected the plant resources of the spruce/pine . . . — — Map (db m299716) HM
The West End in the 19th century centered on Duke Street and Diagonal Road. Large undeveloped, the area was devoted to stockyards, agricultural shipment, and "a" notorious business: the slave trade. The house at 1707 Duke Street (left) was part . . . — — Map (db m151028) HM
From the late 1700s into the 1800s, the pastoral calm of the Point was interrupted repeatedly—by soldiers manning cannon emplacements, by surveyors laying out the boundaries of the nation's capital, by workers at a ropewalk and the lighthouse, . . . — — Map (db m62029) HM
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