Show ab are b U ea of V 7 4 V IX let fit 1 IVY it I 1 A be A qt ay iy pa 7 4 4 4 alexandria out for foi sea trade ancient town on an potomac planning to reenter re enter foreign commerce washington alexandria Alexand lia on the potomac river is planning to reenter international commerce the revival has begun with shipments of newsprint cargoes of paper from canada previously shipped by boat to baltimore and trucked to washington D C now are unloaded at the virginia port southern threshold of the national capital alexandria came into being as the site of a tobacco warehouse provided for in virginias tobacco inspection spec tion act of 1730 says the national geographic society the original settlers were accordingly tobacco buyers largely representing tobacco houses of glasgow scotland belhaven was the name conferred upon the community by the scots in honor of lord belhaven an outspoken patriot opposed to the union of scotland and england and a director of the scottish trading company once new yorks rival hival the warehouse completed in 1732 was on a tract of acres originally owned by capt john alexander ex ander he bought it in 1670 for pounds of tobacco the alexander family thus owned most of the early town site and opposed the incorporation of the community changing the name from belhaven to alexandria largely compromised this opposition and the town was incorporated in 1749 A 1749 map of the new town shows it was laid out by the young surveyor george washington the town seal shows a ship in full sail accessible to all transatlantic sail alexandria was once a competitor with new york and boston tor for ocean trade ships sailed for european ports or the west indies returning with hardware dry goods rum molasses and other products or they came to the port with ballast of cobble stones and brick for ballast sidewalks arched gateways and the two and three story closely built homes of the wealthy alexandrian merchants were of brick frame houses were often wood sur faced brick streets were later paved pave d with the same material ma teriah many fine old homes of georgian and early federal architecture have been preserved in alexandria veiling the town in a colonial atmosphere that delights thousands of tourists annually alexandria was the town to which george washington sent the produce of his mount vernon estate for shipment or sale it was there he attended christ church and the masonic lodge at alexandria he voted and maintained his town house the house was razed in 1857 but many old mansions survive particularly in the old part of the town near the waterfront including the abodes of the carlyles the fair F air i faxes george mason and many others here also is the boyhood home of robert E lee old homes flornes restored He stored the alexandria ot of washington day had a population of about 2800 the 1930 census gave it originally within the 10 mile square squar e 0 of f the district of columbia ia alexan alexandria d r ia now is a popular residence town for washingtonians Washington ians who have restored many of the cites old homes the port of alexandria now scheduled for further development profited by a federal appropriation of a quarter of a million dollars in 1910 for improvements and maintenance A depth of 24 feet at low tide lide was provided for a distance of more than a mile along the alexandrian bank of the mile wide potomac river there are 16 regular shipping wharves the town is five niles below washington and miles from the mouth of the river at chesapeake bay the wharves have been used in recent years largely for handling sand and gravel phosphate rock pulpwood pulp woud petroleum products and fertilizer materials the leading item in coastwise shipment was coal there is an extensive freight classification yard six trunk line railways connect with the north south and west |