George Washington's Alexandria the early days of Old Town (1749-1799)
Washington surveys Alexandria, 1749.
When tobacco planters in northern Virginia petition the crown of England to create a new port city on the Potomac in 1749, several wealthy families moved to an area that had previously been known as Belhaven. 17-year-old George Washington helped survey the land for his half-brother Lawrence Washington, who was one of the founding trustees of Alexandria. For the next 50 years, Washington had an intimate relationship with Alexandria. This site explores George Washington's Alexandria during its formative years, which began at its inception (1749) and end at the general's death (1799). Cameroon Street was the Park Avenue of Old Town. Its townhouses represented a home-away-from-home for the elite members of society: Lord Fairfax, George Washington and Light Horse Henry Lee. It was adjacent to the public square, and offered convenient entrance to the City Hotel, Duvall's Tavern and Wise's Tavern.
Duke Street housed the exclusive residents who had left Mount Vernon in favor of city living: Bushrod Washington and George Augustine Washington, both of whom had served as managers of Washington's plantation.
Fairfax Street was the nucleus of Alexandria's business community. John Carlyle, the Scottish second son of a second son, built his in-town mansion in the 1750s. From this location, he operated his own port, where he shipped tobacco to his agent in London. His marriage into the Fairfax family allowed him to invest in the city's future. His son-in-law, William Herbert, was president of the Bank of Alexandria, which stood at the corner of Fairfax Street and Cameron Street. The south side of the street offered a learned medical community, including the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, Dr. Craik and Dr. Dick.
King Street is the public face of Old Town, Here is where storehouses and warehouses offered good for local consumption and foreign shipping. Many merchants lived in rooms above their street-level stores. The Market Square between Fairfax Street and Royal Street offered every amusement and good imaginable.
Oronoco Street, named for a kind of tobacco native to Virginia, was home to the town's muster field. It became home to Alexndria's military elite: the Lee family.
Prince Street was home to the Fairfax family, who provided all the money that generated progress in Alexandria's early days. Its hostess, Sarah Fairfax, sparked the flame of unrequited passion in the breast of General Washington, who was a frequent visitor.
Princess Street was also near the muster field, and was home to Revolutionary War hero Charles Lee.
Royal Street faced the town square and hosed its travelers at Gadsby's Tavern.
Water Street provided access to the Potomac River, which was a major commercial artery of the 18th century. Old Town's first generation was collectively involved in a business pursuit known as the Potomac Company, a public private partnership that sought to develop a river-improvement plan opening the resources of the Ohio Country to international trade markets.
