Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, and is located about 8 miles from the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

. It lies across the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, of which it used to make up the far southern part. It was the oldest district of D.C. until it was ceded back to Virginia in 1846. Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River and is laid out on a

grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogon ...

of substantially square blocks. George Washington plans of Alexandria VA

Etymology

The area was originally called Belhaven, believed to be in honor of a Scottish patriot, John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton. The town was formally named Alexandria in 1779, after Captain Philip Alexander II (1704–1753) and Captain John Alexander (1711–1763), who donated the land to assist in the development of the area.

History

Much of the land on which Alexandria now sits on was part of a land grant from Sir William Berkeley who was the governor of Virginia. The land was awarded to the English ship captain Robert Howson. Shortly after the land was sold to John Alexander for 6,000 pounds of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

. By 1732, Philip and John Alexander farmed much of the surrounding area. Alexandria become a major trade hub and was incorporated in 1789. Alexandria was known as the "Port City" of the Potomac and was one of the largest ports in the country by 1790. Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington

Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington

The town was originally laid out in 1749, making it the oldest section of the city, and is a historic district. On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the

Residence Act The Residence Act of 1790, officially titled An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States (), is a United States federal statute adopted during the second session of the 1st United States Cong ...

, which approved the creation of a national capital on the

, formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory: the port of Georgetown, Maryland, founded in 1751, and the port city of

, founded in 1749.

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

conducted most of his business in Old Town, as it was a short trip from

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. He was a Town Trustee and owned a house in town that he would use when working late or for extended periods of time. When Washington was 14, he surveyed some of the streets in Old Town. Washington donated money to his church, Christ Church, and money to found the first

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Church in Virginia, Saint Mary's. Both churches still exist, but Saint Mary's was moved closer to a central area of the town. The former location of Saint Mary's is now a Catholic school and graveyard.

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

grew up in Old Town Alexandria after his father could no longer afford for them to stay at Stratford Hall. Lee also attended Christ Church and later moved to the nearby Arlington House after marrying into George Washington's family.

Market Square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

in Old Town is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating

marketplaces A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(since 1753), and, during colonial times, was the site of a slave market. Today it contains a large fountain, extensive landscaping, and a farmers' market each Saturday morning. Alexandria City Hall, including the mayor's office, is adjacent to Market Square. In the 1830s Alexandria's citizens petitioned Virginia to take back the land it had donated to form the district, through a process known as retrocession. The

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

voted in February 1846 to accept the return of Alexandria. On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all the territory that Virginia had ceded. A statue of a lone Confederate soldier that marked the spot at which

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

(CSA) units from Alexandria left to join the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

at the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

stood in the center of the intersection of Washington and Prince streets for 131 years until June 2, 2020. M. Casper Buberl cast the piece, entitled '' Appomattox'', in 1889. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the statue, had the monument removed because vandals had recently damaged other segregation-era statues during nationwide demonstrations. Old Town is chiefly known for its historic town houses, art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants as well as its unique cobblestone streets and red brick sidewalks. Some of the historic landmarks in Old Town include: * Carlyle House * Christ Church *

's houses: His boyhood home and the Lee-Fendall House. * Gadsby's Tavern, * Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, * Hollensbury Spite House, * Shiloh Baptish Church * Saint Mary's Basilica (the first Catholic church in Virginia) * Athenaeum * Lyceum * Vowell-Smith House * The Torpedo Factory art studio complex * A replica of George Washington's townhouse The Washington Metro’s King Street station opened in 1983. it led to a spurt of new hotel and office building developments in western Old Town, and gentrification of townhouse areas west of Washington Street which were previously an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

community.

Athenaeum

The Athenaeum is one of only two of Alexandria's surviving examples one Greek revival architecture. The building stands out because of its four large doric columns and pink paint. It was built in 1852 as a bank. Robert E. Lee was a patron of this bank when he was in Old Town.During the Civil War, it was a Union office. After the war it was an apothecary, factory, and church. In 1964 the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA) bought the building and repurposed it as the Athenaeum.

Alexandria Archaeology Museum

Alexandria Archaeology Museum is an institution dedicated to preserve and study

's archaeological heritage and foster within residents and visitors a connection between the past and present, inspiring a sense of

stewardship Stewardship is a practice committed to ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, places, property, information ...

and adventure. The museum and its laboratory are located on the third floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, at 105 N. Union Street in historic Old Town Alexandria,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Historic Alexandria Foundation

Founded in 1954, the Historic Alexandria Foundation is dedicated to reserving Old Town with preservation grants, restoration work, plaques, and recognition grants. HAF has been credited with saving hundreds of buildings in Old Town.

Commerce

Market Square in Old Town is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

s in the United States (since 1753), and, during colonial times, was the site of a slave market. Today it contains a large fountain, extensive landscaping, and a farmers' market each Saturday morning. Alexandria City Hall, including the mayor's office, is adjacent to Market Square. The King street corridor, which starts at the foot of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, and runs directly east until arriving at the west bank of the

, is where most of Old Town's commercial footprint lies. The street is lined on both sides with stores, restaurants, and bars, many of which are independent establishments.

Transportation

* The

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

’s King Street station connects Alexandria with other locations in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. At the station are located bay stations for all the buses that operate in the city. Parts of Old Town are walkable from the Metro’s Braddock Road station. * A free trolley bus with information of the historic places through speakers while the passengers ride on it. * River cruise boats and street entertainers frequent the large plaza at the foot of King Street; the Mount Vernon Trail also passes through. * Sailing and fishing is common on the Potomac.

Media

The main independent media company in Alexandria is The Zebra, an ‘all good news’ company that publishes a free monthly paper magazine with local news and events, a website and a

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

TV channel called Z-TV. The newspaper is called the Old Town Crier and was established in 1988.Their motto is "from the Bay to the Blue Ridge." The Crier began as a community paper that promoted the history and lifestyle of Old Town, but it has gradually become a regional source for general news.

Monuments

2021 George Washington Masonic National Memorial

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which was built to honor the first president of the United States and former resident of Alexandria,

, was completed in 1932. The memorial is located on the very northern edge of Old Town. Much of Alexandria and parts of

are viewable from the memorial. '' Appomattox'' is a statue cast by M. Casper Buberl in 1889. It is a statue of a lone Confederate soldier that marked the spot at which

(CSA) units from Alexandria left to join the

at the beginning of the

. The statue stood in the center of the intersection of Washington and Prince streets for 131 years, until June 2, 2020.. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the statue, had the monument removed because vandals had recently damaged other segregation-era statues during nationwide demonstrations.

Events

In Old Town, the following events are often celebrated: King Street restaurants

* Saint Patrick's Day Parade * George Washington's Birthday. * The Red Cross Waterfront Festival in June. * The city's birthday celebration with fireworks show in July, and various ethnic heritage days at Tavern Square * The Scottish Christmas Walk * The " First Night Alexandria" presents many family-friendly entertainments on New Year's Eve * Historic Homes and Garden Tour * Springtime Art Festival * Festival of Speed * Summer Festival * Old Town Fall Art Festival * Holiday Boat Parade of Lights These parades and other official events are typically led by Alexandria's town crier, who, often dressed elaborately, by a tradition dating to the 18th century, in a red coat,

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...

, black boots and a tricorne hat, welcomes participants.

Scottish Christmas Walk

A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk, which was established in 1969. The event, which involves a parade through the center of Old Town Alexandria, celebrates the city's Scottish heritage, and is the centerpiece of a yearly holiday festival. It serves as a fundraiser for social services in Alexandria.

Gallery

File:Alexandria - Carlyle House.jpg, Carlyle house File:Henry Lee House, 611 North Cameron Street, Alexandria.jpg, Henry Lee House File:Wales Alley at Union Street - Old Town Alexandria - panoramio (4).jpg, Wales Alley File:Prince St. cobblestones, Alexandria, VA.jpg,

Cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

portion of Prince Street File:Basilica of St. Mary - Alexandria, Virginia 01.jpg, Basilica of Saint Mary (the oldest Catholic Church in Virginia) File:The Shipbuilder (2004) by Michael Curtis, Waterfront Park, Old Town Alexandria.jpg, The Shipbuilder File:Robert E. Lee Boyhood Home.jpg, The Potts-Fitzhugh House,

's boyhood home File:Saint Mary's School Alexandria 2020a.jpg, Saint Mary's School File:Hollensbury Spite House.jpg, Spite House File:Washington's Town House site, 508 Cameron Street, Alexandria.jpg,

's Town House

References

{{coord missing, Virginia Neighborhoods of Alexandria, Virginia