Gadsby’s Tavern (Chamber Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Gadsby’s Tavern
Erected 1792. Popular resort and famous hostelry of the Eighteenth Century. Here was held in 1798 the first celebration of Washington's Birthday in which he participated, and from its steps Washington held his last military review and gave his last military order, November 1799.

Erected by Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.


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Gadsby’s Tavern:
The museum occupies the 1785 left hand building of the tavern complex and upstairs in the 1792 right hand building. Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant occupies the lower level of the 1792 building.

The two 18th-century taverns that make up Gadsby’s Tavern Museum capture the changing landscape of the early United States. Through tours, programs, and special events, learn about this complex time.

Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a ca. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel. In those seven short years, the young Republic began to take shape through the conversations and choices being made in these tavern spaces. The impact of these choices and how far to extend power—political, economic, and social—is still being felt today. Named for Englishman John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808, the tavern businesses were central to Alexandria’s port-based economy, offering spaces to dine, entertain, and spend the night. A large enslaved labor force made Gadsby’s renowned hospitality possible. Notable patrons that enjoyed this hospitality included George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the marquis de Lafayette.


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History of Gadsby's Tavern Museum
Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a ca. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel. In those seven short years, the young Republic began to take shape through the conversations and choices being made in these tavern spaces. The impact of these choices about how far to extend power—political, economic, and social—are still being felt today.

Named for Englishman John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808, the tavern businesses were central to Alexandria’s port-based economy, offering spaces to dine, entertain, and spend the night. A large, enslaved labor force made Gadsby’s renowned hospitality possible. Notable patrons that enjoyed this hospitality included George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. The most well-known event was the Birthnight Ball, when Washington celebrated his birthday in 1798 and 1799.

After serving as a tavern and hotel during the Civil War and into the late 19th century, the buildings were used for variety of commercial uses and soon fell into disrepair. In 1917, the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased the historic woodwork of the City Tavern Ballroom because of its Washington connection to include in their new American Wing. Twelve years later, American Legion Post 24 purchased the buildings, saving them from demolition, and undertook a community-wide restoration effort. In 1972, the buildings were donated to the City of Alexandria, restored again, and re-opened in 1976 for America’s Bicentennial Celebration.

Though the buildings were saved due to the taverns’ connections to famous guests, the Museum now tells the story of all people who interacted with the spaces as they negotiated daily life in the early United States.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

Gadsby's Tavern
Alexandria, Virginia
This colonial tavern played host to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other famous early Americans.

Built in 1785, Gadsby’s Tavern in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, just across the river from Washington, D.C., was one of the premier establishments in the area back when the United States was just a fledgling nation.

Counted among the Gadsby’s famous guests are several American Founding Fathers, as well as the French hero of the Revolutionary War, General Marquis de Lafayette. Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe are all known to have visited the tavern; Jefferson, a native Virginian, even held his inaugural ball here.

Yet despite being host to such prominent dignitaries, Gadsby’s Tavern was frequented by guests of more common means as well. In an era where the average white male earned between $1.00 and $1.50 per day, Gadsby’s charged 50 cents for a meal with beer or cider included. To spend the night at at the inn cost only 20 cents, though guests would have to squeeze together, with up to three people sharing each bed.

By the early 1900s, Gadsby’s had been renamed as the City Hotel and Tavern and was no longer seen as the fashionable destination it had once been. Over the subsequent decades, the tavern closed and fell into disrepair. The city began plans to demolish the structure, but it was saved by the local chapter of the American Legion, who repaired the building and used it as their lodge.

Today the building operates as both a museum preserving an approximation of what the building looked like in its colonial heyday, and as the Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant, which serves menu items inspired by what would have been served in the colonial era.

Know Before You Go
Check the website for hours, as they are seasonal.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Jaybird's Jottings" blog in 2010 as written by Jay Roberts:

Old Town Alexandria Commemorative Plaques:
Gadsby’s Tavern
138 N. Royal

In a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with a docent, the subject of Old Town’s “most historically rich” spots came up. We both agreed Gadsby’s Tavern was one such place, and perhaps the number one place. The six plaques (four on front, one by the underground ice well, and one inside) there testify to that belief.

In colonial days, Gadsby’s five star establishment, hotel and tavern, was the center of social, business and political activity, a bustling place that eclipsed anything the young city of Washington could offer. In the tavern’s grand ballroom, Gadsby entertained Washington and the next four Presidents. Washington’s Birth Night Ball was held here in 1798 and 1799 and famous guests such as Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette graced the corner spot.

In 1928 the American Legion purchased the house and with the help of other organizations in the city, they restored it. In the mid 60s, this corner sport was one of the few on this block that survived the wrecking ball that made way for Urban Renewal.

Guided tours are available. Even if you don’t go on one, be sure and walk down the spiraling stairs at the corner, which takes you down to the ice well.

And, if you want to impress your out of town guests, take them to dinner here when the sun is setting. The early-American food is not very good when we last went, but the place goes 18th Century authentic when the sun goes down, a reminder of what life was like all those years ago.