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Morning Notes

Published August 27, 2020 at 9:00AM

Beyer Calls for Investigation Into Alleged Hatch Act Violations at Republican National Convention — “For those asking about next steps, Hatch Act violations are investigated and enforced by the Office of Special Counsel. @CongressmanRaja and I just requested such an investigation into potential violations at the Republican National Convention.” [Twitter]

King Street Development Projects Set to Break Ground — “The King Street Project, by Galena Capital Partners, is teed up for approval by the Alexandria City Council. The King Street Project includes plans for two developments in Old Town that would replace current parking lots.” [Alexandria Living]

News

Four Alexandria History Sites Featured In Encyclopedia Virginia’s Virtual Tours List

By Vernon Miles

Published August 26, 2020 at 4:50PM

Carlyle House in Alexandria (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The ambitious Encyclopedia Virginia, a project that aims to catalog and document the state’s history in a way that’s accessible to the general public, has featured four local sites on its catalog of historic spots with virtual tours.

Each of the locations have interior views with 360 degree views and the ability to move around as one would on Google Maps.

News

Alexandria Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote

By James Cullum

Published August 19, 2020 at 10:45AM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson (on left), Councilwoman Del Pepper and Councilwoman Amy Jackson honor the passage of the 19th Amendment with an event at the Barrett Library on August 18, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment on Tuesday with a socially distant ceremony outside the Kate Waller Barrett Library.

Mayor Justin Wilson read a city proclamation that recounted the dozens of suffragists who were imprisoned, tortured and ultimately released from the Occoquan Workhouse after their case was thrown out in the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

News

Friends and Neighbors Seek to Name Alley After Retired Judge Nolan Dawkins

By Vernon Miles

Published August 5, 2020 at 10:30AM

An unnamed alleyway through a Braddock neighborhood could soon be named after recently-retired Alexandria Judge Nolan Dawkins, the first Black judge in the city’s history.

The alley runs between the 400 blocks of N. West and N. Peyton streets, where Dawkins grew up. Kimberly Dawkins, Judge Nolan Dawkins’ daughter, said the renaming was originally intended to be a surprise (sorry) celebration for the retired judge.

News

Gadsby’s Tavern in Old Town Reopening This Weekend With Some Precautions

By Vernon Miles

Published August 4, 2020 at 3:15PM

Old Town historical site Gadsby’s Tavern (134 N. Royal Street) is the latest local institution scheduled to reopen, with tours starting again this Friday.

According to the city website, the museum will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays from 1-4 p.m.

News

All Aboard! The Tall Ship Providence is Now Touring the Potomac River

By James Cullum

Published July 30, 2020 at 2:15PM | Updated July 31, 2020 at 12:25AM

Ever wonder what it feels like to sail around the Potomac River in a sloop of war? The Tall Ship Providence, which is a replica of the first naval warship commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1775, is open to the public for tours and cruises.

Tall Ship officially opened to the public over the July 4 weekend, and it was a fitting opening date for the 110-foot, 12 gun sloop of war. The replica, which was unveiled in time for the 1976 Bicentennial, is almost exactly like the original Providence, with the exception of an engine, electricity and some air conditioning in the Captain’s quarters.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 30, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated July 30, 2020 at 5:14PM

Exercising along the Mount Vernon Trail in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

COVID-19 Cases increase by 10 — “Positive tests up 10 to 2,759 in the City 7-day Positivity Rate down to 5.6% 0 new hospitalizations Still safer at home, wash hands, wear masks and support our essential workers.” [Twitter]

Beyer Votes for Republican Colleague by Proxy — “Beyer is a popular proxy choice for House Democrats, since he represents a Northern Virginia district that is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.” [Roll Call]

News

Historic Old Town Home and Museum Reopens With Renewed Focus on Racial Injustice

By Vernon Miles

Published July 23, 2020 at 4:45PM

After months closed during the pandemic, the Lee-Fendall House and Garden (614 Oronoco Street) in Alexandria has reopened with new tours planned to focus on women and minorities throughout the home’s history.

The house, built in 1785, is a museum dedicated to covering the history of the families that owned the home and the slaves and servants that worked there over the years. In recent years, that has meant a renewed focus on learning more about the slaves that were forced to work at the house for the Lee family.

News

Lyceum to Host Revolutionary War Zoom Lecture Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2020 at 11:45AM

If quarantine has you pining for the days of attending history lectures in Old Town, or if the new filmed version of Hamilton has put you in a revolutionary war mood, the recently reopened Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) has a digital alternative planned tomorrow.

From 7-8:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday), the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is planning to history lecture with local author John Maass about the Battle of Guilford Court House. The lecture will be hosted on Zoom. Tickets are $6 with a code to the chat sent on purchase.

News

Statue of Earl Lloyd to be Erected in Alexandria’s African American Hall of Fame

By James Cullum

Published July 8, 2020 at 11:55AM | Updated July 9, 2020 at 2:00PM

The original sculpture of Earl Lloyd at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Photo via City of Alexandria)

This fall, a statue of Alexandria’s Earl Lloyd, the first Black man to play basketball in the National Basketball Association, will be unveiled in the African American Hall of Fame inside Charles Houston Recreation Center.

The City Council approved the gift from Lloyd’s wife, Charlita Lloyd, at its meeting on Tuesday night. The statue, which is three feet wide, nine feet long and six feet tall, is exactly like the statue of Lloyd dedicated at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

News

Poll: Should T.C. Williams High School be Renamed?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 25, 2020 at 11:30AM

The School Board will be taking up the question of renaming T.C. Williams High School this fall, but whether the school should be renamed is still undecided.

The school was built on land taken by eminent domain from a nearby black community and then was named in honor of Superintendent Thomas Chambliss Williams. Williams was an ardent segregationist who fought not only to keep the black and white students divided, but fired a school employee who tried to get her children sent to an integrated school.