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All the United States Virginia Alexandria First Lot Sold At Auction Marker
AO Edited

First Lot Sold At Auction Marker

This small pedestal marks the spot of the first lot of land sold in Alexandria, Virginia in 1749.

Alexandria, Virginia

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Ian Hall
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First Lot Sold At Auction Marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
First Lot Sold At Auction Marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
First lot   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
First Lot Sold At Auction Marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
First Lot Sold At Auction Marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
First lot   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
Historic Alexandria   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Near the wall   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
First Lot Sold At Auction Marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Marker   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Prior to the founding of Alexandria, there were two primary landowners in the area—Dame Margaret Brent who had obtained a patent in 1654 for a 700-acre plot, and English ship captain Robert Howson, who had received an overlapping grant from Virginia Governor William Berkeley in 1669. Within a month, Howson sold his land to Scottish merchant John Alexander.

By the 1700s, tobacco plantations had started popping up along the Potomac. Hugh West constructed a tobacco warehouse at what is now the foot of Oronoco Street and with the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1732, West's warehouse became the local inspection point. 

In 1748, Scottish and English merchants petitioned the Virginia General Assembly to establish a town at the site of West's tobacco warehouse, and in 1749, Alexandria was founded, taking its name from the family of Scotsman John Alexander.

On July 13, 1749, the first lot of land among 60 acres that were divvied up by Fairfax County surveyor John West (assisted by a 17-year old George Washington) was auctioned off, and thus, the town of Alexandria was on its way to becoming a thriving port community.

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The marker reads as follows:

"Erected by the Bicentennial Commission to mark the site of the first lot sold at Auction July 13th, 1749."

Community Contributors

Added By

blimpcaptain

Edited By

biodieselbarry, Jason Michael Walker, IronQueen

  • biodieselbarry
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • IronQueen

Published

June 28, 2021

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  • https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=51210
First Lot Sold At Auction Marker
201-299 Cameron St
Alexandria, Virginia, 22314
United States
38.805617, -77.041717
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Carlyle House Historic Park

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

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Alexandria, Virginia

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Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Alexandria, Virginia

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alexandria

Alexandria

Virginia

Places 34

Nearby Places

Carlyle House Historic Park

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Gadsby's Tavern

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Alexandria, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alexandria

Alexandria

Virginia

Places 34

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