Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Old Town Alexandria

Old Town Alexandria was indeed a treat. The historic buildings, the cobblestone street, the old churches, and the beautiful waterfront all made for a wonderful Sat. afternoon!





Alexandria was founded in the late 1600's, was a major port in the 1700's and a major rail center in the 1900's. Alexandria created the third historic district in the US to protect its historic homes and buildings.







Captain's Row: One of Alexandria's oldest and most picturesque blocks. Many of the Federal houses were built by sea captains or masters of ships at a time when Alexandria rivaled New York & Boston as a port of entry.



Gadsby's Tavern was a tavern frequented by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee & John Quincy Adams.




This house was owned by Henry "Lighthouse Harry" Lee, father of Robert E Lee, and the man who first said of George Washington "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".





Christ Church was built in 1773 and is a beautiful old church where the pews have doors on them! George Washington played a part in building the church and was an original pewholder. This mini-plaque marked Washington's pew.





Established in 1774, the Friendship Fire Company was the first volunteer fire company in Alexandria. The current firehouse was built in 1855 & now houses historic firefighting equipment & exhibits.







We ended the day stolling along the waterfront & then having a delicious pizza on King St. at O'Connell's Restaurant!

2 comments:

CallinaP said...

Great pictures! I would love to visit there someday :)

Kev&Rob said...

History means so much more to me as I age. I read all your captions and found myself thinking about the founders of our country and their faithbased perspectives and all the hope and energy they brought to this new land. I am grateful to them.