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Places of Scottish Interest - Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria

Tobacco to Tourism: Celebrating Alexandria's Scottish Heritage is an interesting Scottish history of Alexandria, VA, complete with photographs and illustrations.  Alexandria, Virginia, was founded in the middle of the 18th century by a group that included several Scottish traders.  From its earliest days, Scots played important roles in the town's development and growth, from a simple tobacco port to a major regional transportation center.  Like most American cities, Alexandria has become home to a diverse population, and continues to welcome people from around the world as it has since the 18th century.  Today, Alexandria is also a very unique community - the oldest town in the Washington metropolitan area, one that goes to great lengths to preserve and use its history, and with a population that continues to cherish and celebrate the city's Scottish heritage.  The site also has information about the following topics:  Dundee, Scotland, Alexandria's Sister City;  the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk; and,  the Virginia Scottish Games in Alexandria.

Take the Alexandria Photo Tour and the Alexandria Walking Tour.

Read the Timeline of Alexandria History starting with 1654.  The original Scottish founders.  In the 1740s Scottish merchants, including John Carlyle, John Dalton and William Ramsay, settle in what is now Alexandria, calling it Belhaven in 1749..

Sister City - Dundee

The Sister Cities Committee develops, encourages, and promotes educational and cultural exchanges between the Cities of Dundee, Scotland; Helsingborg, Sweden; Caen, France; Gyumri, Armenia and the City of Alexandria, and coordinates activities within the City relating to these exchanges.

George Washington Masonic Memorial

The George Washington Masonic Memorial:  Freemasonry was already old when a young George Washington became a member in 1752 of the Fredericksburg, Virginia Lodge. He remained a proud member and patron of 'The Craft' - as Freemasonry is also called - his entire life.  The Memorial's mission is to educate and promote the virtues, character and vision of George Washington, the Man, the Mason and Father for Our Country.  The Memorial also preserves American Masonic History and informs the public about Masonic affiliated and auxiliary organizations and charities.

The Old Presbyterian Meeting House

The Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 316 S. Royal Street, Old Town, Alexandria, VA   -   In the churchyard is the final resting place of William Hunter, an early resident of the City of Alexandria and founder of the St. Andrew's Society of Washington, DC. The Society conducts a wreath laying ceremony on the morning of the first Saturday in December each year prior to the start of the annual Christmas Walk.

According to the church's welcome flyer: "Established in 1772 as a result of the Virginia Act of Religious Toleration, the original Presbyterian Meeting House was built in 1774. The interior visible today was rebuilt following a fire in 1835. As noted on the marble tablet above the entrance, the church was first called the First Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, D.C. In the apse behind the pulpit is a pipe organ built by Henry Erben of New York City in 1849. To the west of the churchyard is the Flounder House, built in 1787 as the manse of the Meeting House, and the Education Building, built in 1957. A victim of the War Between the States, by 1889 only a remnant 16 members remained in the Church and the congregation disbanded. The church building stood dormant until a new congregation, 'The Old Presbyterian Meeting House', was organized in 1949."

See a more detailed history of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House.

The Ramsay House

The Ramsay House, 221 King Street, Old Town, Alexandria, VA-  Originally built circa 1724 by William Ramsay, a Scottish merchant and city founder, the house is believed to have been built down river and barged to its present site after Alexandria was established in 1749.  The house now serves as a visitor center for the City of Alexandria.  "In the heart of historic Alexandria's Old Town, the Ramsay House is named for one of Alexandria's most distinguished founders, William Ramsay, a Scottish merchant and esteemed friend of George Washington.

Sangster Depot

According to Location of Stations on the O & A, 1850-1873, the Sangster depot (See map from web site) was located on the northeast side of the intersection of old track-bed and old Colchester road.  The site is now a private driveway. The Station was named for landholder Edward Sangster, Sheriff for Fairfax County.  None of the wartime buildings stand today. [a reader stated that his great-great-grandfather Edward Sangster was sheriff of Alexandria in the 1850s. His grandfather, Thomas Sangster, came to Virginia from Aberdeen via Nova Scotia about 1765.]

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