Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
— City of Alexandria Est. 1749 —

The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum traces one of America's oldest continuously-run family businesses that combined manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing. Founded in 1792, and operated just across Fairfax Street until 1933, the pharmacy was established by Edward Stabler, a devout Quaker and avid abolitionist. Stabler sold a wide variety of products to both city and country residents — from Martha Washington to Robert E. Lee, from the local doctor to the local farmer. Typical products sold included medicine, farm and garden equipment, surgical instruments, dental equipment, soap, perfume, mineral water, cigars, window glass, paint and varnish, artists' supplies, combs and brushes. Much of the medicine sold was created on-site using plant-based materials.

The apothecary remained open during the Civil War after Mary Leadbeater, John's widow, signed the official "Oath of Allegiance" to the United States government. During the Union occupation of Alexandria, the business catered to the large military population, and the Apothecary's books reported that many soldiers stood in line to buy "Hot Drops," a cough expectorant containing paprika and alcohol. The drops sold for a penny each, and over $1,000 were sold in a single day!

Open to the public, the museum displays a remarkable collection of herbal botanicals, label-under glass display bottles, and pharmaceutical equipment from the 19th- and 20th-centuries.

Erected by City of Alexandria.


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Here follows an excerpt from the City of Alexandria website:

The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum was a family business founded in 1792 and operated in this location from 1805 until 1933. It represents one of Alexandria's oldest continuously run businesses that combined retailing, wholesaling, and manufacturing.

The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum boasts a vast collection of herbal botanicals, hand-blown glass, and medical equipment. It also has a spectacular collection of archival materials, including journals, prescription and formula books, ledgers, orders and invoices. The museum is a National Historic Landmark.

History of the Apothecary Museum
An apothecary is like a drugstore or pharmacy. The word apothecary refers to both the business itself and the person trained to make medicines. In addition to medicine, the apothecary sold a variety of chemical products, including cleaning supplies, dyes, and bug exterminators. Until the 1930s, a doctor’s prescription was not required for any drugs. Patients often skipped the doctor and described symptoms directly to the apothecary, who determined treatment.

The Stablers
Edward Stabler came to Alexandria after apprenticing in the apothecary business with his brother in Leesburg, Virginia. A devout Quaker and savvy businessman, he rented space in 1792 near the corner of S. Fairfax and Prince Streets to start his business. In 1805, Stabler purchased the land at 107 S. Fairfax Street and built the present day 3 story brick building for his thriving apothecary business. By 1829, he had purchased 105 S. Fairfax and incorporated the building into his operation.

The typical products Stabler sold included medicine, farm and garden equipment, surgical instruments, dental equipment, soap, perfume, Congress mineral water, window glass, paint and varnish, artists’ supplies, combs, and brushes.

By 1806, Stabler began traveling extensively to Quaker church meetings throughout the region, often leaving his apprentices and oldest son William to run the business in his absence. After his father’s death in 1831, the business passed to William. Keeping with the family-run tradition, William brought several of his brothers and also his brother-in-law, John Leadbeater, into the business. After William’s death in 1852, John Leadbeater, a trained apothecary and dentist, purchased the business from William’s widow, as the couple had no children, and changed the name of the business from William Stabler and Brother to John Leadbeater.

The Leadbeaters
In 1865, the business was operated by John’s son Edward and soon supplied to nearly 500 pharmacies throughout the Washington, DC, area. At its peak, the Leadbeaters employed 12 salesmen throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina to promote their wholesale and mail order businesses. The company operated in 7 buildings in Alexandria, including the two main buildings on Fairfax Street, offices on King Street, warehouses on Lee and Prince Streets, and an office in Washington, DC.

The financial strain of new regulations and competition from chain drug stores caused the business to seek bankruptcy protection in 1916. Despite reorganizing, the shop again declared bankruptcy in May 1933. The business closed amid the financial collapse of the Great Depression and the death of its final owner, Edward Stabler Leadbeater, Jr.

The Museum
Spurred into action to save the historic collection for future generations, a plan was crafted by concerned Alexandria citizens and the American Pharmaceutical Association to purchase the collection and archives with private buyers. The majority of the contents and archives were purchased at auction on July 19, 1933, by L. Manuel Hendler, a Baltimore ice cream merchant with an affinity for the history of pharmacy. The following year, the newly formed Landmarks Society of Alexandria purchased the buildings at auction. Hendler then donated the contents and archives to the Landmarks Society.

With the buildings and collection secured, the structures were conjecturally returned to their 18thcentury appearance by noted restoration architect, Thomas Tileston Waterman. The museum was officially reopened in 1939, free of charge thanks to the financial support of the American Pharmaceutical Association. After an extensive renovation adding a fire suppression system, and restabilizing the structure, the Landmarks Society donated the museum and its contents to the City of Alexandria in November of 2006.

Collections
The Museum Collection of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum includes 20,0000 objects from hand-blown glass bottles to herbal botanicals. Each tells the story of this unique family business through the centuries. The Archival Collection is comprised of letters, invoices, account books, and ledgers of the apothecary and pharmacy business owned by the Stabler and Leadbeater families from 1792-1933. The names of famous customers appear in these documents, including Martha Washington and Nelly Custis.


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

Old Town Alexandria Historical Plaques: Apothecary Museum
Today in Old Town, if you need medicine or sundry items, you head for CVS. In the 19th Century, the sick and ill knew one place, the Apothecary on South Fairfax. Edward Stabler founded this pharmacy in 1792. The family run shop and store served Alexandria, Washington and the region from 1796 to 1893, making it one of the city’s oldest continuously run business.

The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum “offers a look at this unique family enterprise and the life of the Apothecary’s employees and customers.”

Tours of the Museum are available.