A New Resting Place in Response to Epidemic and Edict
The devastating yellow fever epidemic of 1803 overwhelmed Alexandria’s existing burial grounds, prompting the town council in 1804 to halt the sale of new gravesites within city limits. By 1809, burials were outright banned inside the town. In response, the Presbyterian Meeting House secured land at Spring Garden Farm, then part of Fairfax County and within the District of Columbia.
On June 22, 1809, church members reached an agreement with Philip and Christina Marsteller, descendants of Revolutionary War officer Lt. Col. Philip Marsteller, for burial rights on the land. Though the cemetery was not formally purchased until 1813 for $450, early burials—including some from 1803—suggest it was already in use.
Now a central part of the 82-acre Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, the Presbyterian Cemetery remains one of Alexandria’s oldest active burial grounds, preserving over two centuries of stories.