Gazette House (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Gazette House
This building dates to 1801. Between 1852-1911 the Alexandria Gazette newspaper was printed here. In 1862 while Alexandria was occupied by the North during the Civil War, Union soldiers burned this building because it was reported here that St. Paul Church's minister refused to say a prayer for President Lincoln during Sunday services. Restored 1865-67. Facade replaced in 1922.


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More about this marker.
The marker is located close to St. Paul's, at 228 S. Pitt Street.

Regarding Gazette House.
According to the website of St. Paul's Episcopal Church (http://www.stpaulsalexandria.com/about-st-pauls/our-history.html), "[o]n Feb. 9, 1862, the Rev. K.J. Stewart was arrested by Union officers after failing to offer a prayer for the President during the height of the Civil War. A melee occurred in the sanctuary as the congregation attempted to defend its minister. On that same day, a warning was issued to 'females and others,' threatening arrest for offensive remarks and demonstrations—prompted, no doubt, by the actions of several St. Paul's ladies, including one who is said to have dropped her Prayer Book down from the gallery onto the head of an offending officer."

As noted in Occupied City: Portrait of Civil War Alexandria, Virginia by Jeremy J. Harvey, on Feb. 10, 1862, The Local News , published by Alexandria Gazette editor Edgar Snowden, printed an editorial condemning the 8th Illinois Cavalry for its role in Rev. Stewart's arrest. That night, the Gazette offices caught fire under mysterious circumstances. The fire destroyed the press and two neighboring buildings. (The marker directly attributes the fire to Union troops.) In response to the disorder surrounding the "Battle of St. Paul's Church," the Military Governor of Alexandria had the 8th Illinois Cavalry transferred out of Alexandria.


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

Old Town Alexandria Historical Plaques:
Gazette House 310 Prince Street

The Alexandria Gazette newspaper was printed here from 1852 to 1911. In 1862, angry Union soldiers set fire to the building. You can still see the burn marks on the east side of the home.

Michael Lee Pope of the Alexandria-Gazette Packet wrote an excellent article on the paper’s first publisher ("Samuel Snowden and the early days of publishing in Alexandria," October 17, 2005). As he notes, the newspaper is “America's oldest continuously-published newspaper,” and “of the 55 newspapers that were founded between 1784 and 1935, the Alexandria Gazette Packet is the sole survivor.”