1. Corner of South Union and Wolfe Streets
2. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House Cemetery
3. The Independent Meeting House
4. Trinity United Methodist Church Site
5. Quaker Meeting House Site
6. First Baptist Church Meeting House Site
7. 500 Block of King Street
8. 100 Block of South Royal Street
9. 106-112 North Royal Street
10. 120 North Royal Street
11. Christ Church Cemetery
12. On Columbus street, in front of Christ Church
13. On Columbus street, adjoining Cameron
14. On Columbus street, near Cameron
15. On the north Side of Christ Church
16. Quaker Burying Ground
17. Old House on Queen Street
18. 208-210 North Lee Street
19. Southwest Corner of Queen and North Union Street

More Cemeteries

• Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
• Other Old Town Cemetery Sites
• Beyond Old Town

Back to Introduction

• The Value of Historic Cemeteries
• Defining Old Town Alexandria
• Countering the Threats to Cemeteries
• Alexandria Archaeology's role in Locating and Protecting Gravesites

1. Corner of South Union and Wolfe Streets

A skeleton of an infant was found “concealed between the garret floor and the ceiling” of a house at this intersection in May, 1823. This is one of three instances in Old Town where the remains that have been found do not signify a traditional burial.

2. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House Cemetery
300 block of South Fairfax Street

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“It is probable that very few of the persons buried here were unknown to Washington, and certainly many were his personal friends.” (William McGroarty) Contains the grave of Dr James Craik, longtime friend and comrade of George Washington and Chief Physician and Surgeon of the Continental Army. John Carlyle’s grave is also located here.

As is true with numerous burying grounds in Alexandria and elsewhere, the number of existing stones is not indicative of the number of graves. In Colonial times, there was no concept of orderly lots with one burial per lot.

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Of particular interest is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War. The remains are of a man in the Continental Army whose coffin was uncovered during excavations for the foundations of nearby St. Mary’s Catholic Church in 1826. The remains were reburied. In 1925, a movement began to refurbish the church because of its many historical connections. A table stone with an iron fence was erected as a memorial as part of the process.

3. The Independent Meeting House
216-200 South Fairfax Street

Three congregations used the original church at this site, erected about 1804-5, and were gone from the site by 1840, the year a newspaper advertisement noted the presence of graves at the site. An 1810 deed contained an agreement not to build over or disturb the interments. No tombstones are present and no account of remains being moved have come to light.

4. Trinity United Methodist Church Site
West side of Chapel Alley, off Duke street near St. Mary’s Rectory

First site of Trinity United Methodist Church (constructed about 1791), and now part of St. Mary’s property. Predates 1804 Alexandria ordinance closing the city to new cemeteries; burials may have occurred here.

5. Quaker Meeting House Site
West side of 300 block of St. St. Asaph Street

Site of the first meeting house of the Alexandria Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. The existence of graves around the meeting house are remote because the Society purchased land for their cemetery on Queen Street a year earlier.

6. First Baptist Church Meeting House Site
East side of the 200 block of South Washington Street, now occupied by the Downtown Baptist Church.

Burials may have occurred here, since the original congregation’s (1803-1805) presence predated the 1804 ordinance. Church records do not mention a cemetery here and no burials have come to light.

7. 500 Block of King Street
Present site of the Alexandria Courthouse.

While archaeologists were excavating a privy/well, they discovered 36 bones of an infant. They have surmised this burial dated from 1820 to 1835. This is the second of three cases in Old Town involving remains not from a normal burial. Circumstances suggest that the infant’s body was disposed of secretly.

8. “An Ancient Burial Ground,” 100 Block of South Royal Street
West side of the middle of the block.

Here is the site of “an ancient burying ground,” mentioned in 1863 news accounts of a fire in the buildings on the property. “Some of the old tombstones are there yet, covered over.” (Alexandria Gazette)

9. 106-112 North Royal Street

“Many skeletons were unearthed,” here to make way for the foundations of new houses about 1841, according to the childhood memories of an Alexandria Gazette letter writer. A commercial building now occupies this corner.

10. 120 North Royal Street
Further north on the same block as #9.

Site of at least one other grave, indicated by the discovery of a box containing a human skull and some bones. This site and the previous one may both be from the same early, yet unidentified cemetery.

11. Christ Church Cemetery
bounded by Columbus, Cameron and Washington Streets

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The cemetery and church are among Alexandria’s most historic landmarks. This was George Washington’s church and his family pew is preserved inside. The present building dates from 1771-1773, although vestry records show burials here as early as 1766.

Parts of the churchyard were excavated by Alexandria Archaeology in 1985 and 1986. A number of graves were located and excavated, some with only a few teeth or stains remaining. The remains were reinterred in the churchyard. Excavations also reveals that some parts of the churchyard had been filled in and other parts leveled off. Construction of a parish house, brick walkways and raised flower beds have also changed the churchyard. As with the Presbyterian Meeting House, there are many more graves than headstones. At least 396 unmarked graves date from 1787 to 1796, with 174 of them for children. An estimated 540 additional unmarked graves are attributed to years for which burial records are missing. Archaeologists found that none of the graves they uncovered aligned with an existing headstone and none of the extant headstones in the construction area had an associated grave. Graves were not dug in straight rows as in later cemeteries.

12. “On Columbus street, in front of Christ Church”

In 1853, a coffin and remains of a body were found while gas lines were being laid, as noted in the Alexandria Gazette.

13. “On Columbus street, adjoining Cameron”

In 1871, the Alexandria Gazette reports that the remains of at least 30 people were discovered during excavations for houses at this location.

14. “On Columbus street, near Cameron”

Once again, the Alexandria Gazette reports that in 1886, several more old graves were unearthed while construction crews were excavating for houses to be build at this location.

15. “On the north Side of Christ Church”

In 1908, workmen digging a trench for a waterline discovered a part of a human skull and some bones.

16. Quaker Burying Ground
701 Queen Street, Site of the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library

the Alexandria Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends bought a half acre here in 1784 and used it as a cemetery until the 1890s. Alexandria Archaeology excavated part of this cemetery in 1993 prior to an expansion of the library. Some of the original headstones have been preserved in storage. On front of the library is a metal plaque commemorating Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, who was buried in this cemetery. Dr. Dick was one of the physicians who attended George Washington at his deathbed.

17. “Old House on Queen Street”

The Alexandria Gazette reports a tombstone under a garden gate here. Placement here is approximate.

18. 208-210 North Lee Street

A skull and two leg bones were found here in 1897 during excavation behind a bakery.

19. Southwest Corner of Queen and North Union Street

An underground brick vault containing “portions of what are supposed to be human bones” was found at this corner in 1872.