John Fitzgerald (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

John Fitzgerald
1776-1976

This building was the warehouse of John Fitzgerald, Alexandria merchant and officer of the third Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line.

Colonel Fitzgerald was a close friend of General George Washington and he was his secretary and aide-de-camp during the American Revolution after the war. Colonel Fitzgerald served as mayor of the City of Alexandria (1787) and collector of the port (1798). He was a founder of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic church.

Erected 1976 by American Irish Bicentennial Committe, The Colonel John Fitzgerald Division of the Ancient Order of the Hiberians, The George Washington Chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.


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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:
Seaport Inn
6 King Street

Several years ago when Alexandria announced Starbucks was replacing the Seaport Inn at the corner of King and Union, predictable groans were heard about the big time corporate bully pushing out the mom and pops. Those complaints have subsided and part of the reason is the fabulous character of this corner building. It certainly doesn’t look like a suburban Starbucks, and inside it doesn’t feel like one.

Colonel John Fitzgerald, friend of George, built the waterside stone building in 1780 as a warehouse. In 1946, the Seaport Inn moved in for a sixty years or so stay.

The Alexandria Archeological Museum has a nice write up about this leaning building that occasionally floods, indicating it is one of the few surviving 18th Century warehouses in Old Town.

In addition to the outside marker, there's one inside, and some photos hang on the walls in the back reading room.

Check it out and say hello to the regulars…