Evening star., 1953-01-18
Old Alexandra Academy to Close
By Mary Lou Werner

Inc 1o0-yedf-OlQ AleXdIluIla
Academy is about to be retired
from school service.
Built with the financial help
of George Washington in 1785,
it is the oldest free school build
ing in Northern Virginia and
possibly the oldest still in use
in the entire United States.
The Alexandria School Board
is moving the one remaining
class from the old academy on
February /. Completion of the
modern 1862 500 Robert E. Lee
Elementary School of 80 class
rooms makes it unnecessary to
hold classes in the academy any
longer.
Has a Primary Class.
Use of the building in recent
years has been confined to a
primary classroom on the first
floor. 1t has a second classroom
on the second floor and third
on the top floor. but fire regu-
iationS have prevented their full
time use. The second floor class
room has served temporarily for
art classes.
The Academy is located at the
corner of Washington and Wolfe
streets, next to the old Wash
ington School-built in 1882.
Most classes are being moved
from the Washington School
also. Only the first three grades
will remain.
Structurally, the old Academy
still is sound. The handsome,
English Bond brick walls are
straight and uncracked. The
carefully cut dentils in the wood
work show little sign of wear.
School Superintendent T. c.
Williams said the school board
has no plans for the historic
buildings future, but hoped
something could be done to pre-
serve it. He doubts that it ever
will be needed for school use
again, unless there is another
unforeseen population increase.
About 20 years ago, the Wash
ington Society of Alexandria
suggested turning the old build
ing into museum. However, it
became necessary to use the
Academy for classroomS again.
Early History Was Uncertain.
For years, the true history of
the Academy was forgotten in
Alexandria. 1t was believed
and still is so recorded in some
history books-that the original
Academy building was torn down
and the Washington School
erected in it's place. The existing
Academy building was thought
to have been the home of q
Col. Philip Marsteller.
The late William C. NEGRO
arty. former president of the
Washington Society of AleXan-
ciria. probably did most to estab-
lish that the existing academy
building is the original one. He
found an old newspaper adver-
tisement of 1912, describing the
academy as a three-story build
ing. The same advertisement
mentioned the then new Lam
casterian School, which was a
one-story building for younger
students. 1t was the Lancas-
terian School which the city
tore down to build the Wash
ington School. Mr. McGroarty
found. The corner stone of the
Lancasterian School was put in
the foundation of the Washing
ton School.
Land Titles Studied.
Mr.. McGroarty and an Alex
andria artist. L. Sigsby Gillian,
further established authenticity
of the existing academy build
ing by independent land title
searches. They discovered that
the land where the academy is
situated never was owned by
Col. Philip Marsteller. A son
or grandson, Samuel Marsteller,
of Prince William County. held
trust on the academy for a
number of years but apparently
never made his home there.
Even more conclusive evidence
was discovery of the original cor
nerstone. 1t was unearthed Sep
tember 20, 1929 about 6 feet
beneath the basement floor of
the academy. Originally, the
building had no basement, and
the cornerstone apparently was
diSlodged when a basement was
dug under the building in the
late 1800'S, and heating was in
stalled.
These circumstances and other
historical data were enough to
convince the Department of the
Interior. In 1887, it recognized
the academy as the original
building erected in 1885. The In
terror Department said it prob
ably was the oldest free school
in the country still in use.
Occasion for the Interior De-
partments comment was the un-
yelling of a memorial plaque at
the school on December 4, 1882.