history | ALXnow

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

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.

News

The Manumission Tour Company is Back in Business in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published June 22, 2020 at 2:00PM | Updated June 22, 2020 at 2:34PM

City Councilman John Taylor Chapman never learned Alexandria’s real African American history in school, and now he’s teaching everyone who will listen. After a coronavirus-related hiatus, his Manumission Tour Company is officially back on track with in-person tours of Alexandria’s Black historical sites.

“I did not feel that I knew some of the stories that I’m telling now when I was growing up,” Chapman told ALXnow.

News

A Statement from ALXnow Publisher Local News Now

By ALXnow.com

Published June 19, 2020 at 12:00PM

Local News Now is the company behind the site you’re reading. We aren’t usually very visible or vocal, preferring to let the reporting of our Northern Virginia local news brands — ARLnow, ALXnow, Tysons Reporter, Reston Now — speak for itself.

LNN does not endorse candidates nor publish editorials. But today we would like to make the following statement, the first of its kind in our company’s 10 year history.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 9, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated June 9, 2020 at 4:47PM

Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats at 200 Commerce Street in Old Town by the end of the summer. The busines is formally opening in August, and has a truck for customers on Saturdays. Read more in our story later today. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Governor Announces Moratorium on Rent Evictions — “The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia has granted my request for a temporary moratorium on all eviction proceedings in the Commonwealth through June 28–this action will help keep thousands of Virginia families in their homes amid the ongoing public health crisis.” [Facebook]

Alexandria’s Noah Lyles Reaching National Stardom — “Lyles, who turned 22 last week, might be on the cusp of his own full bloom, from track and field’s next big thing to the face of the sport in America.” [Washington Post]

News

Old Town Property Once Owned by George Washington For Sale at $4.1 Million

By Vernon Miles

Published June 8, 2020 at 2:10PM

A property once owned in part by George Washington, and recently turned into a shrine to the first president, is now on sale for $4.1 million.

The building’s history is more Washington-adjacent, with neighboring home 508 Cameron Street being Washington’s townhome (though the building there today is a reconstruction). The 5,132 square-foot home as 506 Cameron Street’s Washington claim comes from the kitchen, which was reportedly the site of an out-house kitchen at the original Washington property.

News

BREAKING: Old Town Confederate Statue Removed

By Vernon Miles

Published June 2, 2020 at 8:50AM | Updated June 2, 2020 at 10:40AM

(Updated 10:40 a.m.) This morning (Tuesday) a construction crane at the intersection of Prince and Washington Streets took down the Appomattox statue honoring Confederate soldiers that has been the object of criticism and controversy for decades.

The statue had been the object of criticism from those who said it represented a celebration of the city’s legacy of racism and slavery. For years, a state law prohibited the moving or removal of monuments to veterans, which grouped in specifically monuments honoring the Confederacy, but in April Gov. Ralph Northam signed new legislation authorizing localities to remove statues honoring the Confederacy.

News

Online Tours of Alexandria’s Civil War Hospitals for the History Buffs at Home

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2020 at 4:30PM | Updated May 11, 2020 at 4:52PM

St. Paul's Episcopal Church during the Civil War (photo via City of Alexandria)

The Office of Historic Alexandria is closed, as are many historic locations around Alexandria, but the office is nonetheless offering digital tours of those facilities for those stuck at home and looking to scratch that local history itch.

Two of the current focuses for the Office of Historic Alexandria are American Civil War hospitals and profiles related to the Lee-Fendall House. Both are offered through Vamonde, a travel website that offers a platform to post information about localities.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 7, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated May 7, 2020 at 1:35PM

Walking along the Potomac River at Founders Park in Old Town. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Fairlington UMC Warns Against Phishing Scam — “Remember the phrase ‘fishers of men?’ We have PHISHERS again. They are sending emails and TEXTS from ‘Janine Howard’ asking you to go out and buy ebay cards for them. Don’t do it. If you’d like to make charitable donations, call or go to our website.” [Facebook]

Burke & Herbert Bank Issues More Than 1,100 PPP Loans — “Today Burke & Herbert Bank, which has been serving the northern Virginia business community for more than 167 years, announced that nearly 1,100 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $136 million in aid for local businesses have been approved for the Bank’s customers. As a result, an estimated 10,000 individuals in the local community will remain employed or return to the businesses’ payroll.” [Zebra]

News

Second Wreath Placed for Alexandria Lynching Victim, First Wreath Stolen

By James Cullum

Published May 4, 2020 at 11:30AM

Last month, Alexandria residents and city leaders honored the legacy of Joseph McCoy by placing a wreath at the location of his lynching at the corner of Cameron and Lee Streets in Old Town. Within 36 hours, that wreath was stolen, and on Saturday a group of determined residents placed a new wreath at the site.

“Mr. McCoy was killed, murdered, by the act of hate,” MacArthur Myers told ALXnow. “We can’t bring him back, but we can be a voice for him from now on. God has given us two powerful words to express emotion — hate and love. Let the healing begin with love, which is so much more powerful.”

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published April 30, 2020 at 9:00AM

T.C. Senior Wins $40K Scholarship — “What does it feel like to get a SURPRISE ZOOM CALL from U.S. Senator Mark Warner, Lisa Collis, and daughters Gillian, Eliza & Madison…telling you that you are the first recipient of the Collis Warner Family Scholarship worth $40,000? Just ask T.C. Williams High School Senior Foziya Mohammed! Mohammed received the call this afternoon…’I am shocked and excited! I was nervous I thought this was a call about some kind of problem with my scholarship application. I’m not nervous anymore! Thank you so much. I would tell all of the younger students at T.C. that hard work pays off!'” [Facebook]

Police Respond to Domestic Violence Service Call — “The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a weapon violation in the 1400 block of South Highview Lane. A helicopter is assisting and expect police activity in the area.” [Twitter]