By ©Kathy Weiser-Alexander Although Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is the most popular personification of the United States, many Americans have little or no concept of his origins. If pressed, the average American might point to the early 20th century and Sam’s frequent appearance on army recruitment posters. In reality, however, the figure of Uncle Sam dates back much further. Portraying the tradition of representative male icons in America, which can be traced well back into colonial times, the actual figure of Uncle Sam, dates from the War of 1812. At that point, most American icons had been geographically specific, centering most often on the New England area. However, the War of 1812 sparked a renewed interest in national identity which had faded since the American Revolution. The term Uncle Sam is said to have been derived from a man named Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied rations for the soldiers during the War of 1812. Samuel Wilson, who served in the American Revolution at the age of 15, was born in Massachusetts. After the war, he settled in the town of Troy, New York, where he and his brother, Ebenezer, began the firm of E. & S. Wilson, a meat packing facility. Samuel was a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty, who was devoted to his country. Well liked, local residents began to refer to him as “Uncle Sam.” During the War of 1812, the demand for meat supply for the troops was badly needed. Secretary of War, William Eustis, made a contract with Elbert Anderson, Jr. of New York City to supply and issue all rations necessary for the United States forces in New York and New Jersey for one year. Anderson ran an advertisement on October 6, 1813 looking to fill the…
By Lani Gering I had the pleasure of sitting down with the OTC’s longtime friend Charlotte Hall for a few minutes on one of the unseasonably warm afternoons in late February. Most people that know Charlotte know that she is a very self-deprecating individual and it is hard to get her to talk about herself. She would rather talk about all of the characters she has met in her tenure in Alexandria than about what she has accomplished. Having been in the area myself for 31 years, she and I know quite a few of the same people and there are many – several who have been profiled in this space at one point in time. In my attempt to keep this column “personal”…One of my favorite things about Charlotte is the nicknames she has acquired along the way and the stories behind them. A few of them are highlighted below. The last time we really had a chance to talk about things was in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 when the 100 Block of King Street was first closed off and sidewalk/street dining was allowed. She was instrumental in making the closure of this block – and later the “0” block aka the space between Union Street and King down to the water – to vehicle traffic a permanent fixture allowing for a pedestrian mall feel. It has been a huge success. Just take a trek down to those blocks on any nice day/evening and you will see what I mean. During this discussion Bob Tagert, OTC Publisher, dubbed her the “Queen of King Street” and it caught on. Charlotte has been an integral part of the Old Town Alexandria community for over 30 years going back to her days with Potomac River Boat Company – now…
The mention of Cupid typically conjures up images of a cherubic infant wielding a bow and arrow, but this wasn’t always the case. Long before the Romans adopted and renamed him—and way before his association with Valentine’s Day—Cupid was known to the Greeks as Eros, the handsome god of love. Cupid and Greek Mythology One of the first authors to mention Eros (circa 700 B.C.) was Hesiod, who described him in “Theogony” as one of the primeval cosmogonic deities born of the world egg. But later accounts of the lineage of Eros vary, describing him as the son of Nyx and Erebus; or Aphrodite and Ares; or Iris and Zephyrus; or even Aphrodite and Zeus—who would have been both his father and grandfather. Armed with a bow and a quiver filled with both golden arrows to arouse desire and leaden arrows to ignite aversion, Eros struck at the hearts of gods and mortals and played with their emotions. In one story from ancient Greek mythology, which was later retold by Roman authors, Cupid (Eros) shot a golden arrow at Apollo, who fell madly in love with the nymph Daphne, but then launched a leaden arrow at Daphne so she would be repulsed by him. Cupid and Psyche In another allegory, Cupid’s mother, Venus (Aphrodite), became so jealous of the beautiful mortal Psyche that she told her son to induce Psyche to fall in love with a monster. Instead, Cupid became so enamored with Psyche that he married her—with the condition that she could never see his face. Eventually, Psyche’s curiosity got the better of her and she stole a glance, causing Cupid to flee in anger. After roaming the known world in search of her lover, Psyche was eventually reunited with Cupid and granted the gift of immortality. In the poetry of…
By Lani Gering There is something about a 4 legged dromedary that has graced the grounds of Historic Mount Vernon during the holidays for the past 14 or so years that captured our hearts vicariously about 5 years ago. While visiting the Inn at Mount Vernon during the Christmas holidays, we met a few of the members of the team that take care of the livestock at Mount Vernon. During our conversation we found out that there was a camel named Aladdin in residence during the holiday season. My first thought was, “how fun is that”? And…as it turns out, Aladdin is quite the character. I thought it only fitting that we revisit him this year. I met with Livestock Supervisor and camel handler extraordinaire Lisa Pregent at the farm on Mount Vernon the day after Aladdin arrived for the 2022 holiday season. The special enclosure that is home to Aladdin through January 7th had just been erected a few days before my visit. It was interesting to me that they do this every year as opposed to just leaving the shelter in place year round. This is a labor intensive project in that it also has to be deconstructed each year. The intricacies of running the animal side of the operation at Mount Vernon would probably astound most of you. I was surprised to find that the sheep and pigs that reside here are descendants of the same rare heritage breeds that were residents on the farm when George Washington was manning it and they adhere as closely as possible to the same practices of animal husbandry that they did in the 18th Century. Lisa is a local gal who has been working at the farm since she was 17 years old. Having had an extensive background with horses…
By Lani Gering In the 30 years that I have been living in Alexandria and the almost 28 years that I have been associated with the Old Town Crier, I have met literally hundreds of people who have peaked my interest in one way or another enough to think others in my realm should know about them. Sherrie Beckstead is one of those people. Like many others we have profiled, I met her at an informal social engagement. We exchanged pleasantries as all civil people do but this polite gesture turned into a very interesting conversation that ranged from soup to nuts. We just clicked. And….we are two totally different personalities. She is very professional and reserved and me…not so much. She is a very humble person and we didn’t really talk about what she did for a living or the social circles that she travels in. When we decided that Sherrie would make a great personality profile, we met again, and I did my due diligence and discovered the depth and scope of her work and a few of her passions. In addition to her role as a partner in one of areas premier jewelry companies, there isn’t enough room in this column to print the many philanthropic boards she now serves on and has served on in the past. And…she has been profiled in pretty much every high profile magazine in the DMV and we are very happy that she agreed to being profiled in this space. Sherrie keeps her personal life very close to her vest but I do know that she misses her late husband, Sid Beckstead, very much and she occupies much of her time carrying on causes I believe they supported together. Her new position on the Board of Directors and work the Cloverleaf…
By: Meg Mullery Admit it. Spotting a celebrity is fun. A “meh” day turns exciting when you realize the familiar dude ordering a latte played Owen Wilson’s buddy in that movie about crashing weddings. Not so in the village of Middleburg in rural Virginia where the sport of celebrity sightings is as common as the sport of polo. This tony enclave for the horsey set boasts a plethora of restaurants, boutiques, antique shops, wineries and upscale hotels, all serving as a magnet for the rich and famous for decades. Jackie Kennedy could be spotted attending church in Middleburg and on horseback galloping through fields following a pack of hounds. Elizabeth Taylor shopped at the local Safeway when married to Virginia’s beloved Senator John Warner. Last year, the Boss himself cheered on his daughter, Jessica Springsteen, an equestrian show jumping champion and Olympic medal winner, at a prestigious horse show. One exception exists. While generally adopting a blasé attitude toward celebrities, catching a glimpse of long-time resident Robert Duvall provides the jolt that enhances your day and makes you want to call a friend and say, “Guess who I just saw.” Mr. Duvall, fondly remembered for his award-winning portrayal of Texas Ranger Gus McCrae in Lonesome Dove, is much like Gus. Gracious. Feisty. Funny. Genuine. Mr. Duvall’s unique status notwithstanding, recently Middleburg’s typical insouciance toward celebrities has been subsumed by the excitement and anticipation of a sighting of another sort. Meet Little Yellow Sofa. Named “Sofia”, at first glance she looks like just another pretty couch. But scratch her upholstery and discover a Little Yellow Sofa imbued with a certain je ne sais quoi combined with an aura of gravitas and, yes, even mysticism. Little Yellow Sofa, silently, mysteriously and randomly, manifests herself in absurd settings. She makes cameos at the…
By Bob Tagert We started the Old Town Crier in January 1988 and almost every month since we have written a personality profile about someone who makes Alexandria click. During that time period we have brought to life somewhere around 408 individuals. Just when we think we have run out of folks to write about, someone pops up. That is the case of longtime friend Rick Boyd. Writing about Rick is more of a cruise back down memory lane over the past 34 years. Ride with us as we listen to one of the guys who helped make it all happen. Rick Boyd is one of those guys who likes to get things done. Since I first came to Old Town in 1977 I frequented the relatively new restaurants along King and Union Streets. It was during this time that I began to run into Rick working at the different establishments. I asked Rick how he got started in bartending and then managing. “Well, he began, it all started with my dad when I was a kid. My dad was a martini drinker, so he taught me. I got to the point where I would chill the glass, pour about an ounce of vermouth in the glass and swirl it around, pour it out, then pour the chilled gin into the already seasoned glass, and two olives. I guess after that bartending just came natural to me…I would be making drinks, seven and sevens (Seagrams Seven whiskey and 7Up) and such, for the crowd. When I went to Virginia Tech, my roommate was a bartender in town and when I went to see him he told me to get behind the bar and help…and the rest is history.” When Rick graduated from Tech with an accounting degree he realized that…
By Lani Gering Many of you loyal readers will recognize this guy. His photos and writings have been appearing on the pages of the Old Town Crier every month for the past few years. This month we took the time to interview our resident travel columnist, Scott Dicken, author of Take Photos, Leave Footprints. I met Scott several years ago when he was a single guy reporting to one of my BFF’s after transferring to DC from London. She was working in the DC office of the UK-based Crown Agents at the time. We have since become friends as well. Being a Brit, he has that charming accent and wry sense of humor that most English people possess. He is definitely a good guy to invite to a party! As I have gotten to know him and his beautiful wife Ashton on a social level, I find their adventures quite entertaining and I thought you all might like a bit of insight to his love of travel and what inspired him to establish his travel blog, TakePhotosLeaveFootprints.com. OTC: Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired your love of travel. SD: I grew up outside of London. My summers typically incorporated the family’s annual vacation, and throughout the year, my friends and I organized weekends away whenever low-cost European airfares and hostels afforded us the opportunity. It wasn’t until a month-long expedition circumnavigating Iceland when I was 17 that the travel bug truly bit hard. This led to month-long trips to South Africa and Chile in between university semesters. I wanted my career to include travel opportunities, and that decision resulted in me moving to Washington, DC (which explains my predominantly English writing style, but occasionally Americanized spelling and grammar). Now with an American wife in tow, my job…
By Lani Gering Arriving in the United States from the village of Ballinhassig in County Cork, Ireland on August 22, 2002 and landing in sunny California with her former husband – a Navy Captain – this Irish beauty decided to make Alexandria her home after living the “military wife life” traversing the nation. She tells me that when they arrived in Alexandria and she took a drive down King Street with her two very young sons she literally had the kind of “Aha!” moment that you hear about people having when everything just seems to click. She says that Old Town is the closest place she’s found that reminds her of home. She loves the history we are surrounded with as well as the diversity of the people who live in this area and the energy created by being so close to the Nation’s Capital. Speaking of energy…Niamh is full of it. Between her gig as the General Manager of O’Connell’s Restaurant & Bar (OC) in Old Town, two very active teenage sons (Conor and Brody) and her three rescue pups (Billy, Daisy and Lady Piper) she is constantly on the go. I met Niamh before she took the helm as General Manager at O’Connell’s while watching Ireland play in the popular Six Nations Tournament that was being aired in real time at the restaurant. That particular morning she was selling raffle tickets benefitting the newly formed Alexandria Youth Rugby league. I will venture to say that there probably wasn’t a single person who didn’t buy a few from her. She’s a very convincing sales person to say the least. With her wild curly brunette hair, Irish lilt and larger than life personality she stands out in a crowd. Niamh grew up in a family business, the Laurel Wood…
By Meg Mullery Middleburg author Vicky Moon spent more than a decade researching and writing about a pioneering African American woman’s career training horses. Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses chronicles the grit and determination of the first African American woman in the U.S. to make it in the white male dominated world of elite horse trainers. Born in 1920 in Charles Town, West Virginia, Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop discovered her love of horses and ultimate talent as a trainer by hanging around the Charles Town Race Track from a very young age. Vicky Moon is no stranger to the equine and race track worlds and the political workings of Washington, D.C. As a child growing up in Florida, her mother owned race horses. Vicky herself competed in horse events on the show jumping circuit in Florida and beyond before moving to Washington, D.C., to cover equine sporting events for the Washington Post. Her passion for all things equine brought her to Middleburg, where she was again living, surrounded by her beloved horses, and continuing her writing career. Vicky Moon’s unique knowledge and dedication to research provide a story of a fascinating African American female horse trainer put in the historical context of gender discrimination and the civil rights movement. Vicky Moon has a way with horses. And words. MM: When and how did you discover Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop? VAM: I love to chat people up, and will talk to anyone. One day about 15 plus years ago I was standing in line for a coffee at a gas station/McDonalds in Marshall, Virginia and struck up a conversation while waiting my turn. Somehow the man in front of me told me about his “Aunt” who was a race horse trainer in Charles Town. I could tell he was a horse person. I already…
View More