The Carlyle House and the 18th-Century Site

The Carlyle House and the 18th-Century Site (HM94)

Location: Alexandria, VA 22314
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 48.316', W 77° 2.534'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 852 views
Inscription
The Carlyle House, completed in 1753, was the residence of one of the 18th-century Alexandria's leading citizens—John Carlyle—a prosperous merchant and landowner.

1. Although the earliest known engraving of the Carlyle House appeared in Harper's New Monthly in 1890, it showed the house at an earlier time. The simplicity of the landscaping in front is in keeping with the style of the mid-18th century. The large pointed trees are either Lombardy Poplars or Cedars planted on a lawn reserved for functional activities. The lack of shrubbery, especially as foundation plantings, is also typical of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The flanking outbuilding on the right was Carlyle's kitchen. In the southern colonies, kitchens were in a separate building to keep the smoke, heat, and odors of cooking away from the main house and to lessen the danger of fire. The kitchen stood approximately where the Law Building is today.

The left outbuilding was Carlyle's office and counting room for his extensive mercantile operations. Attached to the left of the office were a store and a warehouse along Fairfax Street approximately where the 1807 Bank of Alexandria now stands.

—Carlyle House. Harper's New Monthly, February 1880. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

2. Toward the rear of the Bank of Alexandria was the site of other Carlyle outbuildings such as the stable, coach house, necessary, smokehouse, dairy, and storage sheds. This plan, drawn from a 1796 insurance policy, shows the relative locations of the outbuildings.

—Assurance policies of William Herbert, March 1796, Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia. Courtesy of The University of Virginia, Alderman Library. Composite drawn by Donald Stumpf.

The front plantings and interpretive signs are gifts from The Garden Club of Virginia —R. J. Favretti, Landscape Architect.
Details
HM NumberHM94
Series This marker is part of the Virginia: Old Town Alexandria series
Tags
Year Placed1991
Placed ByGarden Club of Virginia
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 7:03pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 322667 N 4297148
Decimal Degrees38.80526667, -77.04223333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 48.316', W 77° 2.534'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 48' 18.96" N, 77° 2' 32.04" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202, 703, 571
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 121 N Fairfax St, Alexandria VA 22314, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?