Old Town, Virginia
This historic town in northern Virginia, just a few miles from Washington D.C., was once a frequent social destination for America’s founders. George Washington, whose primary Mount Vernon residence is located roughly a 20 minute drive south of Old Town, owned a townhouse here and was a depositor at a local bank. Old Town was also once a major slave trading hub.
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Gadsby's Tavern.
Gadsby's Tavern
Steps at Gadsby's Tavern.
Acquired by John Gadsby in the late 18th century, this tavern was frequented by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, James Monroe, and Marquis de Lafayette.
George Washington danced at birthday balls held here in 1798 and 1799 to celebrate his birthday.
And Thomas Jefferson had his inaugural banquet here in 1801 after being sworn in as the third President of the United States.
Carlyle House.
Carlyle House
Completed in 1753, this Georgian manor was home to John Carlyle, a wealthy British merchant, friend of George Washington, and a founder of the city of Alexandria, Virginia.
Enslaved Africans also moved about the dwelling as they completed tasks imposed upon them by the Carlyle family.
In the midst of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the House hosted a meeting of General Edward Braddock - the Commander-in-Chief of British King George II's forces in North America - and five Colonial Governors from April 14-16, 1755.
One of the results of this meeting was a proposal, which was not ultimately enacted, by Braddock to fund the British campaign against France by levying taxes on the American colonies.
The colonists' opposition to this levy, proposed 10 years before the infamous Stamp Act of 1765, would become a contributing factor to the American Revolution.
Another outcome of the meeting was a decision over how to proceed militarily against the French. The plan conceived here would lead to General Braddock's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Monongahela, though the British would still go on to win the war.
During the Civil War (1861-1865), the Union Army used the mansion to house doctors and high-ranking military officers.
Bank of Alexandria.
Bank of Alexandria
In 1792, the Bank of Alexandria was authorized by the General Assembly of Virginia, the legislative body of the commonwealth of Virginia, making it the first financial institution authorized by the state.
George Washington, a frequent visitor to Old Town, was a depositor and stockholder of the bank.
Wise's Tavern.
Wise's Tavern
On February 4, 1789, George Washington was unanimously selected president of the United States, receiving all 69 electoral votes.
Congress counted the votes and confirmed his victory on April 6th, 1789.
And on the morning of April 16, 1789, Washington began the journey from his Mount Vernon home to New York City, then America's capital city.
By around noon on April 16, 1789, Washington arrived in Old Town where he sat down for a (very) early dinner with the town's citizens at Wise's Tavern before continuing on his journey to New York where he would be sworn in at Federal Hall.
Replica of Washington's Town House.
Washington's Townhouse
A replica of the original constructed in 1769, this house is located a short walk to Christ Church, where George Washington worshipped.
Washington used this home when he was in Old Town for business or social reasons and could not make it back to Mount Vernon.
Franklin and Armfield Slave Office.
Franklin and Armfield Slave Office.
Following Franklin's retirement in 1836, Armfield sold the building to George Kephart, another slave trader.
Kephart eventually sold it to slave trading firm Price, Birch, and Company, who occupied the building until 1861.
Price, Birch, and Company partner James Birch once paid men to kidnap Solomon Northup, whom he would then sell into slavery. Northup's 1853 memoir about this experience was adapted into the film 12 Years A Slave.
At the start of the Civil War (1861-1865) in 1861, Union troops seized the office and found a lone elderly black man shackled in the basement.
Today a small museum known as the Freedom House Museum is located in the basement of the building where slaves were once imprisoned.
You can find out about the cost of admission and opening times here.
Franklin and Armfield Slave Office
This building once housed the offices of Franklin & Armfield Co., America's largest slave trading firm from 1828 to 1836.
Isaac Franklin and John Armfield used this building as a holding pen for enslaved Africans being shipped from Northern Virginia to a life of brutal subjagation in New Orleans, Louisiana or Natchez, Mississippi.
Franklin & Armfield trafficked humans like today's traders arbitrage financial securities, buying enslaved Africans for low prices in Virginia and selling them for higher prices in the deep south.
Armfield resided in this building and imprisoned the purchased Africans in the basement while his partner Franklin managed sales in the south.
From this location, the slaves would be forcibly shipped by sea or made to march on foot all the way to Louisiana or Mississippi.
By the 1830's Franklin & Armfield Co. was selling between 1,000 and 2,000 people annually.
This vile business model was highly profitable for Franklin and Armfield: by the time of his death in 1846 Armfield had amassed an estimated net worth of $40 million in modern day terms.
Franklin and Armfield Slave Office.
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Written By: Aiden Singh Published: July 19, 2020