Carlyle House Historic Park (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

Carlyle House Historic Park
This unique building, constructed of stone and set back from the street, was built by John Carlyle, a British merchant and one of the original founders of Alexandria. Witness to both domestic life and war, today the house stands as a museum dedicated to telling the story of Carlyle's journey from British citizen to American patriot.

Who Was John Carlyle?
John Carlyle first came to America as a merchant's "factor" or agent. While in Virginia, he met and married Sarah Fairfax, a member of the wealthy Fairfax family. As a second son, John Carlyle would have had difficulty becoming prosperous in England, but in the New World, he was quickly able to become a prominent landowner, merchant and town leader. Between 1751 and 1753, John Carlyle built this home using Aquia sandstone. Although this outer layer of stone was replaced, you can see the original material on the cornice, just below the roofline.

What Happened Here?
Only two years after moving in, the Carlyles received an historic visit. General Edward Braddock, sent by the King in England, made the home his headquarters in 1755. On April 13th, five Royal Colonial Governors arrived at the house for what John Carlyle called "the Grandest Congress...ever known on this Continent." Here, Braddock and the Governors discussed their strategy for the French and Indian War, including how they would fund it. It was agreed that Parliament would need to "compel" the colonists to pay by levying taxes, a decision that would one day contribute to the American Revolution.

Erected by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
Additional plaque on the brick wall internal to the yard

[portrait photo caption]
Portrait of John Carlyle, by John Hesselius, 1765.

Carlyle House: National Register of Historic Places inventory, Nomination Form. "Alexandria’s celebrated colonial mansion was completed in 1753 as the home of John Carlyle, a Scottish merchant who was a founding trustee of the city. Influenced by the compact early Georgian manor houses of Scotland, the Carlyle House is built of stone and employs a somewhat austere classicism. In Carlyle’s handsome paneled parlor, Gen. Edward Braddock met with the governors of five colonies in April 1755, to plan the early campaigns against the French and the Indians. Though located in the heart of the Alexandria Historic District, the house was long hidden by a hotel built across its front. Demolition of the hotel and restoration of the house as a museum were undertaken as a bicentennial project by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority."

Carlyle House Historic Park. "Discover Carlyle House Historic Park, home to an eighteenth-century historic house museum in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. John Carlyle, a wealthy merchant and a founder of Alexandria, completed his elegant stone mansion in 1753. Today, Carlyle House is one of the nation’s finest examples of Georgian residential architecture."