Page 22 - AAA North Jersey – AAA Now! – May/June 2016

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King Street in Old Town Alexandria Continued from page 21
is on the west side of Alfred. Among the historic firefighting equipment inside are leather water buckets, antique fire engines and ceremonial regalia used for parades.
Continue south on Alfred Street, and at the corner turn left onto Prince Street. Walk two blocks to the corner of Prince and Washington streets. The bronze Confederate Statue stands within the intersection. The memorial, the base of which is inscribed with the names of 100 Confederate dead, marks the spot where more than 700 Alexandrians left the Union- occupied city to fight for the Confederacy.
Adjacent is the two-story, Greek Revival structure known as The Lyceum (lie-SEE-um), an interpretive center for the history of Alexandria. Lyceums were early 19th-century organizations that promoted public debates and lectures regarding an array of topics. Formed in 1834, the Alexandria Lyceum hosted its first programs at a local school. These programs were so popular that the organization was soon able to fund construction of a grand hall to serve as its headquarters and main venue, which is the building (completed in 1839) you see today. Eventually Alexandrians began applying the organization's name to the hall itself, and it remained the center of the city's intellectual life until the Civil War.
Cross Washington Street, continue east to Royal Street and turn right. The neat, well-maintained homes in this block of Royal are typical restored 18th-century houses, many marked with the oval Early Buildings Survey registry plaque.
Tourists taking a summer stroll
Across Duke Street on the east side of Royal is St. Mary's Catholic Church; beyond the church, turn left into what appears to be a small grassy play yard. You are actually approaching the Old Presbyterian Meeting House through its churchyard, which contains 18th-century grave markers and the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier.
Upon reaching the front of the meetinghouse, turn left and proceed two blocks, crossing Duke and Prince streets. The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum is at 105 S. Fairfax St. This former pharmacy operated in this location under the same family from 1796 until the Great Depression forced it to close in 1933. At that time the entire contents were bought at auction by a pharmaceutical association for a museum, which opened in 1939.
Return to Prince Street and make a left. Gentry Row, along the 200 block of Prince Street, boasts the Fairfax House, 207 Prince St., and other homes typical of those built by the city's wealthiest inhabitants during the late 1700s.
The 1850 Athenaeum (also known as the Old Dominion Bank Building), on the northwest corner of Prince and Lee streets, is an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture. Originally a banking house, the Athenaeum now houses contemporary art shows.
Continue east across Lee Street. You are now walking along Captains' Row, named for sea captain John Harper, who had many of the Federal-style houses built for his numerous children.
Artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center
Turn left on Union Street and cross King. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is on your right. This waterfront facility, constructed in 1918, produced torpedo casings through World War II. For years afterward it was used for storage until someone hit upon the idea for using it to house art studios.
More than 165 artists working in such media as sculpture, photography, painting, printmaking, jewelry, ceramics and glass are represented, and numerous examples of their work are on display. The center also houses the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, where you can view items recovered from excavations throughout Alexandria. Most of these are from the late 1600s to the early 1900s, but many prehistoric artifacts are on display as well.
From the Torpedo Factory, return to Ramsay House by making a right on King Street. If your feet are willing, a stroll along this main thoroughfare, which is lined with specialty shops, pubs and ethnic restaurants, can be an enjoyable way to conclude your tour.
Two points of interest on the periphery of the walking tour route are the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., which documents the history of African- Americans in Alexandria and Virginia from 1749 to the present, and the partially restored bastions of Fort Ward and its interpretive museum, at 4301 W. Braddock Rd.
For hotel reservations and more information on Old Town Alexandria contact your local AAA North Jersey Auto Travel Department or go to www.aaa.com
Wayne- 973-956-2216 Fair Lawn- 201-703-2003 Oradell- 201-261-7900 Secaucus- 201-902-1393
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Wayne (973) 956-2200 • Fair Lawn (201) 703-2000 • Oradell (201) 261-7900 • Secaucus (201) 902-1393
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Photo: Cameron Davidson for VTC
Photo: R. Kennedy for Visit Alexandria
Photo: Torpedo Factory Art Center