Timeline of Alexandria, Virginia

Last updated May 20, 2024

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Alexandria, Virginia, USA.

18th and 19th centuries

1749 – Alexandria founded.^[1]
1752 – Carlyle House (residence) built.^[2]
1754 – Fairfax County Courthouse built.^[2]
1773 – Christ Church consecrated.^[2]
1779 – Town of Alexandria incorporated.^[1]
1783 – Masonic lodge No. 39 (now Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22) established.^[3]
1784 – Virginia Journal and Alexandria Advertiser begins publication.^[4]
1789 – A portion of Fairfax County, including Alexandria, is ceded to the federal government.^[1]
1790
- Presbyterian Meeting House built.^[2]
- Population: 2,748.^[5]
1792
- Bank of Alexandria established.^[2]
- Stabler Apothecary in business.^[2]
1794
- Gadsby's Tavern in business.^[2]
- Alexandria Library founded.^[6]
1801 – Alexandria organized as a county of the District of Columbia.^[1]
1817 – Market House built.^[2]
1818 – St. Paul's Episcopal Church consecrated.
1823 – Virginia Theological Seminary founded.
1825 – Hallowell School opens.^[2]
1828 – Franklin and Armfield slave traders in business.^[7]
1830 – Population: 8,241.^[5]
1833 – St. John's Academy established.^[8]
1834 – Alexandria Gazette newspaper in publication.^[4]
1839
- Lyceum built.^[2]
- Episcopal High School founded.^[9]
1840 – Population: 8,459.^[5]
1843 – Alexandria Canal to Georgetown opens.
1847 – Alexandria retroceded to Virginia.^[1]
1852 – City of Alexandria incorporated.^[1]
1860 – Population: 12,652.^[5]
1863 – August: Alexandria becomes seat of Restored Government of Virginia.^[2]
1865 – Convention of the Colored People of Virginia held in city.^[10]
1870 – City becomes independent of Alexandria County.
1873 – Alexandria City Hall rebuilt.^[2]
1897 – The lynching of Joseph H. McCoy.^[11]
1899 – The lynching of Benjamin Thomas.^[11]

20th century

1906 – Union Station built.^[12]
1923 – Cornerstone of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial laid.^[3]
1930 – Potomac becomes part of city.^[13]
1937 – Alexandria Free Public Library opens.^[14]
1940 – Robinson Library^[15] and Vernon Theatre^[16] open.
1945 – Centre Theatre built.^[16]
1946 – Old Town Alexandria historic district established.^[15]
1952 - Part of Fairfax County annexed to city.^[12]
1954 – Historic Alexandria Foundation chartered.^[8]
1960 – Population: 91,023.^[17]
1961
- Woodrow Wilson Bridge opens.^[12]
- Frank E. Mann becomes mayor.
1967 – Charles E. Beatley becomes mayor.
1974 – Torpedo Factory Art Center opens.^[15]
1975
- Alexandria Packet newspaper begins publication.^[4]
- City archaeological commission formed.^[15]
1976 – Gadsby's Tavern museum opens.
1983
- Washington Metro King Street–Old Town station,^[12] Braddock Road station, and Eisenhower Avenue station open.
- Gifts in Kind International headquartered in Alexandria.^{[ citation needed ]}
1985
- Vola Lawson becomes city manager, the first woman to hold the position.
- Jim Moran becomes mayor.
1990 – Population: 111,182.^[17]
1991
- Van Dorn Street station opens.
- Patsy Ticer becomes mayor.
1996
- City website online.^[18]
- Kerry J. Donley becomes mayor.

21st century

2003 – William D. Euille becomes mayor.
2005 – United States Patent and Trademark Office headquartered in city.
2010 – Population: 139,966.^[19]
2015 – Don Beyer becomes U.S. representative for Virginia's 8th congressional district.^[20]
2016 – Allison Silberberg becomes mayor.
2017
- Congressional baseball shooting occurs on June 14.
- The National Science Foundation relocates their headquarters to the Eisenhower Valley neighborhood from Arlington.
2019
- Justin Wilson becomes mayor.
- Construction begins on Potomac Yard station, slated to be the fifth Washington Metro station in the city,
2020 – Population reaches 159,467.^[21]
2022 – Landmark Mall is demolished as work begins on its redevelopment.

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The history of Alexandria, Virginia, begins with the first European settlement in 1695. Over the next century, the town became a significant port. In 1801, much of Alexandria was swept into the new District of Columbia; it was damaged along with much of the rest of the capital during the War of 1812. In 1846, Alexandria was returned to Virginia, along with the rest of the District's territory on the western side of the Potomac River. After Virginia seceded in 1861, Alexandria was swiftly captured by Union forces and held for the remainder of the American Civil War. In the late 20th century, Alexandria became a key part of the rapidly growing Northern Virginia region.

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The following is a timeline of the history of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cities of Virginia: Alexandria". Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Federal Writers' Project 1941.
1 2 "AW22 History – Lodge Charters (1783-Present)". Alexandria, Virginia: Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, AF&AM. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
1 2 3 "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
1 2 3 4 Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
↑ Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
↑ Virginia Department of Historic Resources. "Historic Registers: City of Alexandria (Northern Region)". Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on 2015-03-21.
1 2 "Selected Finding Aids to the Archive and Manuscript Collections". Special Collections Indexes & Guides. Virginia: Alexandria Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
↑ Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei, ed. (9 May 2013). "Alexandria, Virginia". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica . Retrieved May 21, 2015.
↑ "Conventions by Year". Colored Conventions. P. Gabrielle Foreman, director. University of Delaware, Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
1 2 Theismann, Jeanne (2022-09-29). "'This Soil Cries Out'" . Retrieved 2023-04-24.
1 2 3 4 "Timeline of Alexandria History". Alexandria in the 20th Century. City of Alexandria, VA. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
↑ Pulliam 2011.
↑ "Alexandria Library Timeline: 1794-Present". Virginia: Alexandria Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
1 2 3 4 Alexandria Historic Timeline, Virginia: Visit Alexandria, retrieved May 21, 2015
1 2 "Movie Theaters in Alexandria, VA". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Counts, Virginia: 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
↑ "City of Alexandria, Virginia Government Homepage (Official)". Archived from the original on 1997-04-13 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Alexandria city, Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
↑ Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack . Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
↑ "Alexandria city, Alexandria city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau . Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.

Bibliography

F.H. Richardson (1905). "Alexandria, Va.". Richardson's Southern Guide. Chicago: Monarch Book Company – via Internet Archive.
Federal Writers' Project (1941), "Alexandria", Virginia: a Guide to the Old Dominion, American Guide Series, Oxford University Press, OL 24223083M
Diane Riker (2008), Timeline of Alexandria's Waterfront (PDF), Virginia: City of Alexandria
Ted Pulliam; City of Alexandria (2011). Historic Alexandria: An Illustrated History. Historical Publishing Network. ISBN 978-1-935377-41-2.

External links

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[encyclopediavirginia-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cities of Virginia: Alexandria". Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[FOOTNOTEFederal_Writers'_Project1941-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Federal Writers' Project 1941.

[aw22-3] 1 2 "AW22 History – Lodge Charters (1783-Present)". Alexandria, Virginia: Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, AF&AM. Retrieved May 19, 2024.

[LOC-4] 1 2 3 "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[census1998-5] 1 2 3 4 Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998

[davies-6] Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[7] Virginia Department of Historic Resources. "Historic Registers: City of Alexandria (Northern Region)". Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on 2015-03-21.

[AL-FindingAids-8] 1 2 "Selected Finding Aids to the Archive and Manuscript Collections". Special Collections Indexes & Guides. Virginia: Alexandria Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[NonprofitExplorer-9] Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei, ed. (9 May 2013). "Alexandria, Virginia". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica . Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[10] "Conventions by Year". Colored Conventions. P. Gabrielle Foreman, director. University of Delaware, Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[soil-11] 1 2 Theismann, Jeanne (2022-09-29). "'This Soil Cries Out'" . Retrieved 2023-04-24.

[20th-Timeline-12] 1 2 3 4 "Timeline of Alexandria History". Alexandria in the 20th Century. City of Alexandria, VA. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[FOOTNOTEPulliam2011-13] Pulliam 2011.

[14] "Alexandria Library Timeline: 1794-Present". Virginia: Alexandria Library. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[visitalexandriava-15] 1 2 3 4 Alexandria Historic Timeline, Virginia: Visit Alexandria, retrieved May 21, 2015

[cinema-16] 1 2 "Movie Theaters in Alexandria, VA". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[census2000-17] 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Counts, Virginia: 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2023.

[18] "City of Alexandria, Virginia Government Homepage (Official)". Archived from the original on 1997-04-13 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.

[quickfacts2010-19] "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Alexandria city, Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 24, 2023.

[GovTrack-20] Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack . Washington, D.C. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

[21] "Alexandria city, Alexandria city, Virginia". United States Census Bureau . Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.

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v t e Alexandria, Virginia
Areas	Neighborhoods Old Town Potomac Yard
Landmarks	Alexandria City Hall John Carlyle House Christ Church Fort Ward Gadsby's Tavern Jones Point Jones Point Light Lee–Fendall House Little Theatre of Alexandria Torpedo Factory Art Center George Washington Masonic National Memorial
Government	Alexandria Fire Department Alexandria Police Department Alexandria City Jail
Education	Alexandria City Public Schools Francis C. Hammond MS George Washington MS Alexandria City HS Episcopal HS St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School Virginia Theological Seminary Alexandria Library
This list is incomplete. See also: Template:South Alexandria (for areas of Fairfax County south of the Alexandria city limits with Alexandria postal addresses)