On July 13, 1749, the town of Alexandria was officially established by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly. Its location along the Potomac River, near a tobacco inspection warehouse at Hunting Creek, made it ideal for a deep-water port. The town’s creation was backed by Scottish merchants and Virginia elites—including Lawrence Washington and George Fairfax—who recognized its commercial promise.
Its streets were laid out on a 60-acre grid, and among those assisting with the land survey was a 17-year-old George Washington, likely helping to mark out plots with rope or chain. Founding trustees included William Ramsay and John Carlyle, veterans of the nearby village of Cameron, which had served as an early trade center.
Alexandria’s birth reflected the power of transatlantic commerce, the authority of the Church of England, and the growing system of enslaved labor that fueled Virginia’s economy.
