Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-10-13
"OLD ALEXANDRIA"


trip to this quaint old "burg," resting as.
sured that he will be amply repaid for bis
trouble The expense is very small, and
means o. decentralization by rail and ferry are
expeditions and pleasant. Taking the ferry
boat after ride of six miles on the pic
turesque Potomac, Alexandria will be reach
ed in about half an hour. The first thing
that strikes the eye of the visitor is the
deserted appearance of the wharves and
warehouses, the latter, with their quaint
gables, reminding one strongly of similar
structures on Fell's Point, Baltimore. The
river is here mile wide and averages 40
feet in depth, forming beautiful barhor,
which gave the town its first name-Belle
Haven
This name was afterward changed to
Alexandria in honor of tho Alexanders,
large land owners in the vicinity. These
wharves were once crowded with shipping
FROM all parts of the world, and the ware
houses were filed with the products of all
climes, but now, alas the glory of the port
has departed, most likely forever, and all
that Alexandrians can do is to cherish the
memories of the past and devote their en-
ergies to tie building up of manufactures
and making their city attractive as place
of residence for Washingtonians.
Alexandria is the victim of misplaced con.
idence. The oldest inhabitants will proud
ly tell you of the time when the streets were
made lively with the merry jingling OF the
bell teams which hauled the products Of the
soil from as far west as Ohio, and returned
heavily laden with goods purchased from
the mel chants of the city. Up to this time
the town was rival to Baltimore, but when
Baltimore projected its great railroad to the
West, Alexandria's doom was sealed and its
trade and commerce steadily departed and
became things of the past. When too late
the people saw their error and tried to rec
tify it by subscribing literally to the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, the Orange and Alex
aadria, the Manassas Gap, and the Loudoun
and Hampshire railroads, and the people
now groan under debt of nearly 81 100000
incurred in this way. For time things
we're better, the canal brought thousands
of tons of coal to the wharves, and the
railroads cotton, tobacco, grain and other
produce.
The canal commerce rs now almost entire.
Is gone, and, owing to through and discri.
minating rates, railroad freghts are rushed
through the city and hurried nortnward to
Baltimore and other markets. Away from
the wharves, however, the streets and houses
present more business like aspect, and the
spirit ofimprovement Of is everywhere mani
fest Small dwellings are in great demand,
and are rented as soon as erected, mostly by
people doing business in Washington, who
are attracted by cheap rents, cheap railroad
fare and the health of the city.
Among its citizens are many OF those VINO
bear the proudest names to be found among
the F. F. VS. and the Washingtons, the
Lees, the Dulanys, the Powells, the Stuarts,
the Herberts, the Dangerfelds, the Ashbys,
the Fairfaxes, the Fitzhughs, can all trace
their lineage back to- long line of dstin-
guished ancestors.
Alexandria girls, like those of Baltimore,
are famed for their beauty, and General
Fitzhugh Lee showed his appreciation of
this, and at the same time his good taste,
when he led to the altar the beautiful Miss
Nellie Fowle, daughter of the late George
Fowle, one OF Alexandria's great merchants
in the "halcyon days of befo' the wah, sab" !"
Although so far North the people OF the
town were remarkable for their devotion to
the cause of the South, and with the frigate
Pawnee lying off the wharves with her guns
shotted and run out, gave S44 majority for
the ordinance of secession, the stars and
bars the while floating from the top of jack
prietor of which with COL Ellsworth met
their deaths simultaneously on the Oath of
May, 1861.
Jackson was brave but rash man, and
his fellow citizens often warned him of the
danger which he incurred. Had he not
been asleep at the time of the entry of the
Union troops the bloodshed would have
been much greater, as he had in the hallway
of the hotel small cannon loaded to the
muzzle with all kind of missiles.
The Marshall House, the scene OF the
tragedy, after having been purified by q bap-
tism of fire, has been remodeled and con.
verted into handsome stores. It is an OBJ.
iect of great interest to visitors from the
North and South alike.
Perhaps the most interesting edi6ce in the
CITY is Old Christ Church, which was built
in the early part of the 18th century out Of
bricks imported from England. 1t is q
SQUARE structure, surmounted by bell tow
er and o quaint looking hipped roof. The
exterior Of the building is just the same as
when first erected, and is in a remarkable
state of preservation. The interior is but
little altered, the only changes being the
removal of the lofty, old fashioned pulpit
and sounding board and the lowering of the
high backed pews. 1t was here where
Washington, and later on Lee, worshiped
and the pew, a double one, is exhibited by
an attentive sexton to the interested visitor
The Lees fell heir to the Washington pew
by their family relationship. Neat marble
mural tablets on either side of the chancel
will next catch the visitors eye and upon s
closer inspection one will be found to con