Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of Alexandria, Virginia, and is located just minutes from Washington, D.C.[1] Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River. Old Town is laid out on a grid plan of substantially square blocks.
Old Town is filled with popular restaurants, shops, and other cultural attractions.
Row houses lining the streets of Old Town.
A portion of Prince Street is lined with cobblestone.
The town was originally called Belhaven, believed to be in honor of a Scottish patriot, John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton, but that name was not accepted with the time, the city was formally named Alexandria in 1779, it was named after Captain Philip Alexander II (1704–1753) and Captain John Alexander (1711–1763), since they donated the land to assist in the development of the area.
History
The historic Gadsby's Tavern is located at the corner of North Royal Street and Cameron Street.
An aerial view of Old Town and its waterfront.
It was originally laid out in 1749, making it the oldest section of the city, and is a historic district.[2] On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River, 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,[3] and the port city of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749.[4] 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.[5] The Virginia General Assembly 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.
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.[1]
Some of the historic landmarks in Old Town include:
The Washington MetroKing 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 community.
Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Alexandria Archaeology Museum is an institution dedicated to preserve and study Alexandria, Virginia's archaeological heritage and foster within residents and visitors a connection between the past and present, inspiring a sense of stewardship 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.
Commerce
King Street is the major commercial street that runs through the center of Old Town.
Market Square in Old Town is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating marketplaces in the United States (since 1753),[6] and, during colonial times, was the site of a slave market.[7] 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 Potomac River, 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 MetroKing Street station connects Alexandria with other cities in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. At the station are located bay stations for all the buses that operate in the city.
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.
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 TV channel called Z-TV.[8][9]
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which was built to honor the first president of the United States and former resident of Alexandria, George Washington, was completed in 1932. The memorial is located on the northern edge of Old Town. Much of Alexandria and parts of Washington, D.C. are viewable from the memorial.
Appomattox is a statue cast by M. Casper Buberl in 1889.[10] It is a statue of a lone Confederate soldier that marked the spot at which Confederate States of America (CSA) units from Alexandria left to join the Confederate Army at the beginning of the American Civil War. The statue stood in the center of the intersection of Washington and Prince streets for 131 years, until June 2, 2020.[10][11] 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.[11]
Events
The Torpedo Factory Art Center (background) and the surrounding waterfront. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is a former torpedo factory that now serves as an art center filled with independent art studios and exhibits.
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
These parades and other official events are typically led by Alexandria's town crier, who, often dressed in elaborately, by a tradition dating to the 18th century, in a red coat, breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat, welcomes participants.[14]
Scottish Christmas Walk
A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk, which was established in 1969.[15] 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.[16] It serves as a fundraiser for social services in Alexandria.[15]
^ abSullivan, Patricia (June 2, 2020). . Virginia Politics. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020. The Confederate statue "Appomattox," which depicts a southern-facing Civil War soldier and has stood in an Alexandria intersection for 131 years, was removed Tuesday morning, a month earlier than planned. Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson (D) said the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the statue, opted to remove the memorial a month ahead of schedule because of demonstrations nationwide in which segregation-era statues have been vandalized..
^Cooper, Rachel. "2015 Alexandria Virginia Saint Patrick's Day Parade". About.com Travel. from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
^"George Washington Birthday Celebration – Alexandria, VA". Visitalexandriava.com. from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
^ ab"Scottish Christmas Walk – St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C." Saintandrewsociety.org. from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
^"Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend". Campagnacenter.org. from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
March 03, 2023
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Citation bot documentation September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of Alexandria Virginia and is located just minutes from Washington D C 1 Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River Old Town is laid out on a grid plan of substantially square blocks Old Town is filled with popular restaurants shops and other cultural attractions Row houses lining the streets of Old Town A portion of Prince Street is lined with cobblestone Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Alexandria Archaeology Museum 3 Commerce 4 Transportation 5 Media 6 Monuments 7 Events 7 1 Scottish Christmas Walk 8 See also 9 ReferencesEtymology EditThe town was originally called Belhaven believed to be in honor of a Scottish patriot John Hamilton 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton but that name was not accepted with the time the city was formally named Alexandria in 1779 it was named after Captain Philip Alexander II 1704 1753 and Captain John Alexander 1711 1763 since they donated the land to assist in the development of the area History Edit The historic Gadsby s Tavern is located at the corner of North Royal Street and Cameron Street An aerial view of Old Town and its waterfront It was originally laid out in 1749 making it the oldest section of the city and is a historic district 2 On July 9 1790 Congress passed the Residence Act which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River 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 3 and the port city of Alexandria Virginia founded in 1749 4 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 5 The Virginia General Assembly 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 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 1 Some of the historic landmarks in Old Town include Carlyle House Christ Church Robert E Lee s houses His boyhood home and the Lee Fendall House Gadsby s Tavern Stabler Leadbeater Apothecary Shop Hollensbury Spite House Shiloh Baptish ChurchOther historic buildings are Vowell Smith House The Torpedo Factory art studio complex A replica of George Washington s townhouseThe Washington Metro 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 community Alexandria Archaeology Museum Edit Alexandria Archaeology Museum is an institution dedicated to preserve and study Alexandria Virginia s archaeological heritage and foster within residents and visitors a connection between the past and present inspiring a sense of stewardship 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 Commerce Edit King Street is the major commercial street that runs through the center of Old Town Market Square in Old Town is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating marketplaces in the United States since 1753 6 and during colonial times was the site of a slave market 7 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 Potomac River 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 EditThe Washington Metro King Street station connects Alexandria with other cities in Virginia Maryland and Washington D C At the station are located bay stations for all the buses that operate in the city 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 Media EditThe 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 TV channel called Z TV 8 9 Monuments Edit The 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 George Washington was completed in 1932 The memorial is located on the northern edge of Old Town Much of Alexandria and parts of Washington D C are viewable from the memorial Appomattox is a statue cast by M Casper Buberl in 1889 10 It is a statue of a lone Confederate soldier that marked the spot at which Confederate States of America CSA units from Alexandria left to join the Confederate Army at the beginning of the American Civil War The statue stood in the center of the intersection of Washington and Prince streets for 131 years until June 2 2020 10 11 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 11 Events Edit The Torpedo Factory Art Center background and the surrounding waterfront The Torpedo Factory Art Center is a former torpedo factory that now serves as an art center filled with independent art studios and exhibits In Old Town are celebrated the following events Saint Patrick s Day 12 George Washington s Birthday 13 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 EveThese parades and other official events are typically led by Alexandria s town crier who often dressed in elaborately by a tradition dating to the 18th century in a red coat breeches black boots and a tricorne hat welcomes participants 14 Scottish Christmas Walk Edit A popular Christmas time attraction in Alexandria is the Scottish Christmas Walk which was established in 1969 15 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 16 It serves as a fundraiser for social services in Alexandria 15 See also EditNeighborhoods of Alexandria VirginiaReferences Edit a b Old Town Alexandria Visit Alexandria Retrieved June 30 2018 National Historic Landmarks Program Archived from the original on 2008 01 01 Georgetown Historic District National Park Service Archived from the original on July 2 2008 Retrieved July 5 2008 Alexandria s History Alexandria Historical Society Archived from the original on April 4 2009 Retrieved April 4 2009 Greeley Horace 1864 The American Conflict A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States Chicago G amp C W Sherwood pp 142 144 Farmers Markets City of Alexandria Market Square Historical Marker www hmdb org Retrieved 2022 03 12 https thezebra org Z TV a b The Confederate Statue Marker Hmdb org Retrieved 2012 01 29 a b Sullivan Patricia June 2 2020 131 year old Confederate statue removed from Alexandria intersection Virginia Politics The Washington Post Archived from the original on September 22 2020 Retrieved September 26 2020 The Confederate statue Appomattox which depicts a southern facing Civil War soldier and has stood in an Alexandria intersection for 131 years was removed Tuesday morning a month earlier than planned Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson D said the United Daughters of the Confederacy which owns the statue opted to remove the memorial a month ahead of schedule because of demonstrations nationwide in which segregation era statues have been vandalized Cooper Rachel 2015 Alexandria Virginia Saint Patrick s Day Parade About com Travel Archived from the original on April 6 2015 Retrieved May 6 2015 George Washington Birthday Celebration Alexandria VA Visitalexandriava com Archived from the original on May 6 2015 Retrieved May 6 2015 1 dead link a b Scottish Christmas Walk St Andrew s Society of Washington D C Saintandrewsociety org Archived from the original on June 20 2015 Retrieved May 6 2015 Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend Campagnacenter org Archived from the original on May 14 2015 Retrieved May 6 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Old Town Alexandria amp oldid 1137349575, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
