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City Tour of Alexandria VA
Alexandria's History
Alexandria is located on the west bank of the Potomac River, six miles
below Washington, D.C. and nine miles north of Mount Vernon.
Much of present-day Alexandria was included in a 6,000-acre land grant
from Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, which was awarded to
Robert Howsing, an English ship captain, on October 21, 1669. This land
overlapped a 700-acre patent that had previously been issued to Dame Margaret
Brent in 1654. The Howsing tract extended along the Potomac River from
Hunting Creek on the south to the Little Falls on the north. The grant
was made by authority of King Charles II in recognition of Captain Howsing's
bringing 120 people to live in Virginia. Less than a month later, Howsing
sold the land for 6,000 pounds of tobacco to John Alexander.
By 1732, Hugh West had established tobacco warehouses two miles south
of Hunting Creek. The adjacent land has been cleared and farmed as early
as the 1720s by John Summers and Gabriel Adams. To facilitate shipping,
Scottish and English merchants who owned real estate at Cameron, a small
hamlet four miles west, petitioned the Virginia General Assembly in the
fall of 1748 to establish a town at West's Hunting Creek Warehouse. In
the spring of 1749, this site was selected and the new town was named
Alexandria in honor of its original owner, Scotsman John Alexander, who
in 1669, purchased the land that included the future site of Alexandria
for "Six thousand pounds of Tobacco and Cask". John West, Fairfax
County surveyor, laid off 60 acres (by tradition, assisted by 17-year-old
George Washington), and lots were auctioned off July 13 and 14, 1749.
Incorporated in 1779, Alexandria became a port of entry for foreign vessels
and a major export center for flour and hemp. Its bustling harbor teemed
with brigs, schooners, and ships of the line, which traversed the high
seas and engaged in international and coastwide trade. The streets were
lined with substantial brick houses and the "sound of the hammer
and trowel were at work everywhere." In 1796, a visitor, the Duc
de La Rochfoucauld Liancourt, commented that: "Alexandria is beyond
all comparison the handsomest town in Virginia--indeed is among the finest
in the United States." (Quotes by Fairfax Harrison: See Page 417
of Landmarks of Old Prince William County, 1964, Chesapeake Book Company,
Berryville, Virginia)
Water (now Lee), Fairfax, and Royal Streets were laid out in a north/south
orientation. Fairfax was named for Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax and Baron
of Cameron, proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia. Duke, Prince,
King, Cameron (also named for Lord Fairfax), Queen, Princess, and Oronoco
Streets run east and west. Oronoco, a variety of tobacco, was transported
to the area's first warehouses at the foot of this street, giving it its
name. Pitt Street was named for a British prime minister, and St. Asaph
for a Welsh bishop who sympathized with the colonies. Wolfe Street was
named for the general who captured Quebec, Wilkes Street for an Englishman
who worked for liberty, and Gibbon Street for a writer of history. Columbus*
and Alfred* were named after members of the Alexander family. Patrick
and Henry Streets honor the Virginia patriot who said, "Give me liberty
or give me death." Fayette was named for General Lafayette. Washington
and Lee streets were named later to honor these famous Virginians.
In 1789, Alexandria and a portion of Fairfax County were ceded by the
State of Virginia to become a part of the newly created 10-mile-square
District of Columbia. Formally accepted by Congress in 1801, Alexandria
remained under the aegis of the new federal government until it was retroceded
to Virginia in 1847. In 1852, it acquired city status and gained a new
charter.
At the time of the Revolution, Alexandria was one of the principal colonial
trading centers and ports. Alexandria's political, social, and commercial
interests were of great importance to many local residents, especially
to neighboring George Washington in Mount Vernon. Washington maintained
a town house here and served as a Trustee of Alexandria. Washington also
purchased a pew in Christ Church, and served as Worshipful Master of Alexandria
Masonic Lodge No. 22.** Records reveal that Washington had numerous social
and business connections to the town.
From their earliest days, Alexandrians have known war. George Washington
drilled militia troops at Market Square in 1754, and the town served as
a supply and hospital center during the Revolutionary conflict. English
General Braddock made his headquarters in Alexandria and occupied the
Carlyle House while planning his campaign against the French in 1755.
Captured and held for ransom by the British during the War of 1812, Alexandria's
warehouses were plundered by the enemy.
"Light Horse Harry" Lee, a Revolutionary War general, and the
father of Robert E. Lee, brought his family to Alexandria in 1810. Robert
lived here until his departure for West Point in June. 1825. In the years
prior to the Civil War, industry grew and flourished and shipping through
the Alexandria Canal was prosperous.
During the Civil War, the City was immediately occupied by the Union
military forces on May 24, 1861, and became a logistical supply center
for the federal army. Troops and supplies were transported to Alexandria
via the port and the railroad and then dispersed where needed at the front.
Wounded soldiers, brought back on the trains, crowded the available hospitals
and temporary medical facilities in and around the town. It was during
this era that several forts were constructed in Alexandria as a part of
the defenses of the City of Washington. Fort Ward Park contains one of
these restored forts. From 1863 to 1865, the City was the capital of the
Restored Government of Virginia, which represented the seven Virginia
counties remaining under federal control during the Civil War.
Although Alexandria was a slave sale and trading location prior to the
Civil War, it also had a history of several free Black communities. African-American
life flourished with the establishment of churches, social and fraternal
organizations, and businesses. Many early Alexandria African-Americans
were skilled artisans.
Alexandria, which is almost 50 years older than the City of Washington,
is one of America's most historic communities. It has many authentic eighteenth-century
buildings, and the charm of the "Old and Historic District"
is carefully preserved by strict architectural and demolition control.
Alexandria began its historic preservation and urban renewal projects
in the 1960s, achieved through the cooperation of citizen activists and
local government. The Civil War centennial restoration of the northwest
bastion of Fort Ward was the beginning of Alexandria's official protection
of historic sites and landmarks.
The Torpedo Factory was built during World War I and was again used in
World War II as a United States munitions factory. Before its renovation
in the late 1970s and early 1980s, its ten heavy industrial buildings
dominated Alexandria's waterfront. Today, it is an award winning example
of adaptive reuse and the centerpiece of a lively waterfront with a marina,
shops, public parks and walkways, restaurants, residences, and offices.
Since 1988, Alexandria has experienced unprecedented commercial development.
Today the Old Town historic district is known for its array of museums,
architecture, special events, fine restaurants and hotels, and other attractions
that draw more than 1.5 million international and domestic visitors to
it each year. More than two million square feet of new office complexes
have been constructed. With this development, the City has become a mecca
for divisional, regional, national, and multinational headquarters for
operations ranging from research and development to high technology, associations,
and professional services.
A cross section of headquarters operations that have expanded or relocated
to Alexandria includes the Public Broadcasting Service, the American Diabetes
Association, TRW, AT&T, Technology Applications, Capitol Publications,
Fokker Aircraft USA, Softec, and the American Society for Training and
Development.
Alexandria Links
City of Alexandria
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
Alexandria City Public Schools
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