Grace Abounding

This spring I had the privilege of participating in the 2010 Alexandria Citizen’s Academy. In it, civic leaders give twenty residents a behind-the-scenes look for eight weeks at city trends (economic, social, political), let them interact with city council and city government officials, and inform them of volunteer needs in Alexandria. The Citizens Academy gave Grace Church of Alexandria a clearer picture of how we can act on our heart to promote the good of our community.

The Famous & Infamous History of Alexandria
In the next few blog posts, I’ll share slices of what I learned, starting with Alexandria’s famous and infamous history, then a look at city services, and finally how Alexandrians can help fellow Alexandrians.

City hall, Alexandria, Virginia

George Washington’s Hometown
George Washington was a trustee of our city, which was founded 27 years before the United States. He went to church in town, and the stunning grounds of his Mount Vernon home are located nearby. Though many think Alexandria gained its named from the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt, it is probabl that it was named for the Alexander family which helped found our city.

Inspiration For the U.S. Constitution
The Constitutional Convention that framed the U.S. Constitution had its origins in Alexandria. In 1785, Virginia & Maryland sent delegates to our city to resolve differences between the states. The success of this mission led to a meeting in Annapolis of additional states to increase cooperation among the states. This led, in turn to the calling of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 which gave us the U.S. Constitution.

Injustice & Oppression
On a darker note, the most successful slave trading business in America, Franklin & Armfield, operated from 1828 to 1836 on Duke Street in Alexandria, the same street on which I live. Over 1,000 slaves a year were bought, held in slave pens here, then sold. This site of untold horrors has been turned into a free museum (pictured below) exposing the horrors of slavery, Freedom House Museum, so we never forget.

Franklin & Armfield, slave traders

The First Casualties of the Civil War
The first two deaths of the Civil War occured at the Marshall House, on the corner of King and South Pitt Streets (now the location of Hotel Monaco). The day after Virginia seceded from the Union, Federal troops poured into the city. A hotel owner, James Jackson, incensed that Colonel Elmer Ellsworth had taken down his Confederate flag, shot and killed the Union officer and was bayoneted by a solider for his deed.

Alexandria, the site of the first two Civil War deaths

The Inspiration For Our Church’s Meeting Place
Our church meets on Sunday for worship at the Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria’s Cameron Station. Samuel Tucker was a 26-year-old lawyer grieved that African-Americans were prohibited from using public facilities, including the city library. He organized several African-Americans to conduct one of the country’s first sit-ins to attack this unjust barrier, then successfully defended them in court, the beginning of the end of segregation in the city. We’re proud to meet in the elementary school that bears the name of this true-to-life servant of the oppressed.

Grace Church of Alexandria’s Meeting Place

Stay tuned for further glimpses of our city’s story. You can subscribe to our blog via the RSS feed.