"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Sarah Becker ©2018 Hemp’s Hectic History “History doesn’t drive economies anymore…,” George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller told the Washingtonian in May. He may be right. The Alexandria Convention and Visitors Bureau’s slogan, Still Making History gave way to the ACVA’s Funside of the Potomac years ago. How does Alexandria describe today’s customer groups, […]
The Entrepreneurial Woman by Sarah Becker ©2018 Alexandria’s good ‘ole boys rarely admit it, but much of the property upon which Alexandria was established—property north of Hunting Creek to a line approximating present-day Queen Street—was first owned by a female. Margaret Brent, an attorney and femme sole, took ownership of the land in 1654. […]
by Sarah Becker ©2018 The South Secedes! More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than in any other state. The majority of the clashes occurred between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, an interesting fact given Virginia’s initial reluctance to secede. “In spite of all excitement, rash conduct, and reckless language indulged in […]
Read America! By Parker A. Poodle™ Hello, Alexandria! I, Parker A. Poodle, am reporting from the backseat of my mistress’ car. We have just crossed the 14th Street Bridge en route to The White House. Massachusetts-er John Adams—slaveless property owner, husband of Abigail, father of three and dog owner of two—was the first President to […]
by Sarah Becker ©2017 George Washington’s Death and Holiday “Remembering that all must die…I hope you will bear the misfortune with that fortitude and complacency of mind, that become a man and a Christian,” General George Washington wrote in 1777. Washington died at home on December 14, 1799, at age 67. His death surprised the […]
By Sarah Becker ©2018 Robert E. Lee, the Marble Model West Point classmates called Virginia-born Robert E. Lee the Marble Model, the Marble Man. He was nicknamed such probably for reason of heritage; his statuesque quality, dignity and bravura. Lee entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1825, mostly because it […]
©2017 Sarah Becker The Content of Character “It is your character, and your character alone, that will make your life happy or unhappy,” John McCain wrote with Alexandrian Mark Salter in Character is Destiny. “That is all that really passes for destiny. And you choose it.” McCain, a former Navy flier […]
By Sarah Becker War & Remembrance Conflict is often remembered by the men and women who cared: for the home front during war; for comrades and soldiers including burials, for the disabled and others. During the Revolutionary War Martha Washington successfully served as the public face of a women’s fund-raising campaign, a national campaign to […]
History of Veterans Day World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, […]
by Sarah Becker ©2017 George Washington Masonic National Memorial What do George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette; Benjamin Franklin and Amadeus Mozart; W.E.B. Du Bois, Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman have in common? All are Freemasons. Washington became a Freemason in 1752 at age 20 in Fredericksburg; then Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge […]
