1921 Map of an Undeveloped Del Ray
Check out this old map of Del Ray north of Alexandria from back in 1921. It’s amazing to see how undeveloped the area was. The yellow structures are wood frame buildings and the pink ones are brick. Here’s a map...
Fascinating World War II U.S. Army Documentary About Alexandria
Now this is an interesting old film we found on YouTube. It’s a bit long, but if you’re from Alexandria, you’ll find it entertaining and recognize quite a few of the old buildings. What do you think? Did you recognize...
1865 Photo of Alexandria Slave Pen
This is a powerful Civil War-era photograph. It shows Price, Birch & Co., which was a slave dealing business. Source: Shorpy
Alexandria As It Looked in 1940
Here is a series of cool old photos from Alexandria taken on September 23rd, 1940. Source: Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection
Potomac Water is a Health Hazard (1973)
Remember how nasty the Potomac River was? Yes, it’s still not the greatest, but it’s swimmable in some parts (as long as you don’t have open wounds). Back in the 1970s, it was absolutely polluted. Check out this sign from...
Hollin Hall in 1938
Here’s a cool ad for Hollin Hall, the plantation on Little Hunting Creek (read about it here). Hollin Hall was a plantation deeded to Thomson Mason, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, by his father George Mason.
Hollin Hall Advertisement (1948)
I was grabbing a beer with a buddy this evening and we were talking about Hollin Hall, the mid-century modern neighborhood near Alexandria. Here’s a cool old post-war advertisement for that new housing development being built south of Old Town....
Never Built: CIA Headquarters in Alexandria
We had no idea, but the alternate, and strongly pushed location for the Central Intelligence Agency‘s new headquarters was the Winkler Tract in Alexandria, just off of Shirley Highway. Here’s an article that we dug up in the Washington Post from October...
For Sale: 219 North Saint Asaph St. in 1900
Source: Library of Congress Interestingly, we came across this ad for a home being sold on January 2nd, 1900. The home at 219 North Saint Asaph Street in Alexandria also happens to just have gone under contract in the Google...
Omnibus Advertisement from 1854
Now this is a cool old (really old) advertisement from the Daily Evening Star, printed on July 5th, 1854. It’s an advertisement for omnibus or coach service to Alexandria. Source: Library of Congress
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