Alexandria’s Great Fire, the Green Family & Civil War Ties

On the morning of January 18, 1827, panic spread through the streets of Alexandria, Virginia. A fire had broken out in a warehouse on Royal Street—part of the Green Furniture Factory—just as workers returned from breakfast. What began as a workplace accident quickly became a citywide catastrophe, known ever since as Alexandria’s Great Fire.

1860s drawing of the Green Furniture Factory at 200 South Fairfax Street in Alexandria, site of the 1827 fire and later a Civil War prison; image courtesy of Catherine Weinraub — Historic drawing of the **Green Furniture Factory**, circa 1860s, located at **200 South Fairfax Street** in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded by English immigrants William and James Green, the factory became one of the city’s largest industrial sites in the early 19th century. The **Great Fire of 1827** began in its Royal Street warehouse, causing widespread destruction. During the Civil War, the building was seized by Union forces and used as a military prison. Image courtesy of **Catherine Weinraub**, local historian and expert on Alexandria’s fire history.

The blaze destroyed 53 buildings, including homes, warehouses, and much of the 100 block of Prince Street’s storied Captain’s Row. Flames consumed residences belonging to the Wise, Green, and Stabler families on Fairfax Street and devastated the properties of the Vowell, Fitzhugh, Fowle, and Smoot families on Prince. The loss was staggering—valued at more than $107,000 at the time—and left hundreds displaced.

Recent research confirms that among the buildings destroyed on Prince Street were 100, 101, 103, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 123, 127, 128, and 130 Prince Street, with 104, 110, and 125 Prince likely damaged. These addresses, many now part of the city’s most photographed block, reflect how deeply the fire scarred Alexandria’s historic landscape.

View of Captain’s Row, 100 block of Prince Street in Alexandria, showing cobblestone street and brick rowhouses rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1827 — View of **Captain’s Row**, the 100 block of Prince Street in Old Town Alexandria, looking west from the foot of Union Street. This picturesque cobblestone street—one of only two remaining in the city—is said by some to have been laid by **Hessian prisoners of war** following their capture at the Battle of Trenton in 1776, though this claim may be more legend than fact. Many of the brick homes seen here were constructed after the **Great Fire of 1827**, which devastated this block and much of Alexandria’s historic waterfront. Today, Captain’s Row remains one of the city’s most iconic and photographed streets, reflecting both colonial charm and post-fire resilience.

A City Responds

Contents hide

1 A City Responds

2 James Green: Builder of a Legacy

3 Emma Green and Mercy Street

4 The Spy Who Married Emma

5 Echoes of Fire and War

6 Explore Further

7 Sources of Information

Despite the best efforts of Alexandria’s fire companies, the scale of the disaster overwhelmed local resources. Over 300 Navy Yard workers, including enslaved men like Michael Shiner, were dispatched from Washington to help combat the blaze. Their efforts were critical in containing further destruction. In the aftermath, Congress allocated $20,000 in relief funds, and donations poured in from across the region.

1833 oil painting by George Cooke showing the City of Washington from beyond the Navy Yard, with early 19th-century buildings, smokestacks, and the Capitol dome in the distance — “City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard” (1833) by George Cooke (1793–1849). This oil painting captures a sweeping view of early 19th-century Washington, D.C., as seen from the eastern side of the Navy Yard—an industrial and military hub where hundreds of workers, including enslaved laborers like Michael Shiner, responded to emergencies such as Alexandria’s Great Fire of 1827.

The fire marked a pivotal moment in Alexandria’s development—but it was also a turning point in the life of one man whose family would leave an indelible mark on the city.

James Green: Builder of a Legacy

The warehouse where the fire began belonged to James Green (1801–1880), an English cabinetmaker who had immigrated to America with his father in 1817. Though the fire could have ended his career, Green rebuilt—and thrived.

By 1848, he had purchased the Old Bank of Alexandria at the corner of Fairfax and Cameron Streets and transformed it into the Mansion House Hotel, the largest in the city. During the Civil War, the Union Army seized the building and turned it into a military hospital. Green’s former furniture factory—rebuilt after the fire—was likewise repurposed as a prison.

Historic image of the Mansion House Hotel in Alexandria, formerly the Old Bank of Alexandria, later seized by Union forces and used as a major military hospital during the Civil War — Originally the Old Bank of Alexandria, this corner building at Fairfax and Cameron Streets was transformed by James Green into the Mansion House Hotel—the largest hotel in the city by the mid-19th century. During the Civil War, the Union Army seized the property and converted it into Alexandria’s largest military hospital. (Library of Congress)

Though Green never took the Oath of Allegiance to the Union, he managed to maintain cordial relationships with Union officers and navigate the occupation years with his business intact. He died in 1880 and is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria.

Gravestone of James and Jane Muir Green in Ivy Hill Cemetery, featuring an arched design with a cross and inscription: "United in life and in their death they were not divided" — The final resting place of James Green is located in Section A, Lot 5, Site 3 of Ivy Hill Cemetery. Beside him lies his wife, Jane Muir Green (1803–1880). Their gravestone features a distinctive arch with a cross, inscribed with the words, ‘United in life and in their death they were not divided.’ Jane Muir Green’s parents are buried in Alexandria’s Presbyterian Cemetery within the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex

Emma Green and Mercy Street

James Green’s daughter, Emma Green, became the inspiration for a fictionalized version of the family’s wartime experiences. She was featured as a central character in the PBS drama Mercy Street (2016–2017 ), which was loosely based on the Green family and the Mansion House Hospital during the Civil War.

While the series dramatized many elements, the real Emma Green’s life was no less compelling—especially when viewed through her relationship with a man who became one of the Confederacy’s most legendary spies.

The Spy Who Married Emma

Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Stringfellow was slight in stature—just 5’8” and 94 pounds—but what he lacked in size he made up for in daring. A graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Stringfellow was initially turned away by several Confederate units due to his build. Eventually, he joined the 4th Virginia Cavalry and became a personal scout to General J.E.B. Stuart, conducting dangerous espionage missions deep inside Union territory.

One of the most memorable wartime stories tied to Stuart’s image involves a plume for his iconic hat—lost during a brief Union incursion at Verdiersville in 1862. That replacement plume may have come from Caroline Matilde Johnson, a devoted Alexandria Confederate supporter who smuggled medical supplies and other goods through enemy lines. Her act of bold defiance, hidden beneath the folds of a petticoat, became part of the personal mythology surrounding Stuart and those who supported him.

Photograph of J.E.B. Stuart’s plumed hat captured by Union forces in August 1862 during a surprise raid at Verdiersville; image courtesy of CivilWarTalk.com — This is the hat of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, captured by Union forces during a surprise raid at Verdiersville, Virginia, in August 1862. The loss of his plumed hat, cloak, and haversack was a source of deep personal embarrassment for Stuart—but also sparked one of the most memorable exchanges of the war. He later responded by capturing General John Pope’s coat and famously proposing a “fair exchange of prisoners.” Image courtesy of CivilWarTalk.com. View source

Read more about Caroline Matilde Johnson and the story behind the plume → “A Devoted Confederate Supporter with a Family Legacy of Military Service”

Young Frank Stringfellow in militia uniform, Confederate scout and husband of Emma Green, image courtesy of Ivy Hill Cemetery — Frank Stringfellow in militia uniform as a young man. He would later become a legendary Confederate scout and marry Emma Green, daughter of James Green. Image courtesy of Ivy Hill Cemetery.

His exploits were so feared that the Union placed a $10,000 bounty on his head. Stringfellow operated undercover in Alexandria and Washington, D.C.—once posing as a dental assistant—and later earned a dental license to continue his intelligence work. Contrary to his portrayal in Mercy Street, he was never involved in any plot against President Lincoln.

After the war, Stringfellow fled to Canada rather than take the loyalty oath. He returned in 1867, enrolled at Virginia Theological Seminary, and became an Episcopal priest. He and Emma Green were married shortly after his return. Frank went on to serve congregations across Virginia and rejoined the military briefly as a chaplain during the Spanish-American War.

Frank Stringfellow died of a heart attack in 1913 and was buried beside Emma at Ivy Hill Cemetery, bringing their shared story full circle.

Echoes of Fire and War

The Great Fire of 1827 began in the heart of Alexandria’s industrial corridor, but its legacy reached far beyond property damage. It set in motion the rise of the Green family, whose personal and public lives would be shaped by fire, war, loyalty, and resilience. Their story—spanning multiple generations, a Civil War hospital, a spy ring, and national television—continues to echo through Alexandria’s cemeteries and streets.

And it all began with a spark on Royal Street.

Explore Further

Visit the Green family graves at Ivy Hill Cemetery
Pay your respects to James and Emma Green, and Confederate scout Frank Stringfellow, all buried at one of Alexandria’s most historic cemeteries.
Learn more about Mercy Street and its ties to Alexandria
Discover how the PBS drama was inspired by the real-life Green family and the transformation of the Mansion House Hotel during the Civil War.
Join a guided walking tour of Alexandria’s Civil War history
Offered regularly by the Lee-Fendall House Museum, these tours bring to life the people, places, and events that shaped occupied Alexandria.

Sources of Information

Ivy Hill Cemetery. (n.d.). Welcome to Ivy Hill Cemetery. Retrieved from https://ivyhillcemetery.net

Matthews, P. K. (1988, July 29). The Great Fire of 1827: The account of the Alexandria Gazette, 23 January 1827[Annotated manuscript with addresses and map].

Weinraub, C. (n.d.). The Great Fire of 1827. Unpublished manuscript.

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