Carlyle House facts for kids
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Carlyle House
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(2021)
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 Location in Alexandria Historical District
Location in Alexandria
Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 121 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, Virginia |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1752 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000333 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 12, 1969 |
The Carlyle House is a very old and important house in Alexandria, Virginia. A Scottish merchant named John Carlyle built it between 1751 and 1752. It was designed in the Georgian style, which was popular back then.
You can find it in the historic Old Town area at 121 North Fairfax Street. It's close to other famous places like Gadsby's Tavern, Christ Church, and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop. The Torpedo Factory Art Center and Alexandria Archaeology Museum are also nearby.
This house is special because it's the only stone home from the 1700s in Alexandria built in the Palladian Revival style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and was carefully fixed up in 1976.
Contents
Building the Carlyle House
John Carlyle started building his house in 1751. He used the help of both indentured servants and enslaved people. The house has two sets of stairs. The main stairs are wide and in the middle of the house. They connect the first and second floors. There are also narrow servant stairs on the right side of the house. These stairs connect all three floors.
The house has two stone chimneys. They helped keep the house warm. Heat came from burning charcoal and wood in the fireplaces. The smoke went up the chimneys, and fresh air came in.
The doors were about 6 feet 2 inches tall. This helped keep more heat inside during winter. The nails used to build the house were all made by hand by a blacksmith.
The house had different areas for parties, family time, and servants. It has three closets. Two are in the main bedroom, possibly for keeping dishes safe. A third closet is in the music room. John Carlyle also built other small buildings for his home and business.
People believe that a cat's body was sealed inside the house's foundation for good luck. This was a common tradition in the British Isles and northern Europe back then.
House Style and Design
The Carlyle House was built from stone in a mid-Georgian style. This means it has certain features:
- It looks balanced and the same on both sides. The halls are in the middle of each floor. The left and right sides are mirror images of each other.
- Each side has two windows and a chimney.
- The house has simple but strong details around the building and doors.
- The front door has a rounded shape with bold trim.
- It has decorative stone blocks called quoins on the corners.
- The roof is a hipped roof, which slopes down on all sides.
Inside the House
The Carlyle House has a ground floor and two main floors above it. The main halls are in the center of the first and second floors.
Ground Floor Areas
The kitchen, servant stairs, and storage areas are on the right side of the ground floor. The spinning room is on the left side. This floor also has a back door that leads to the gardens.
First Floor Areas
The first floor has the main front door. This door opens into the main hall in the center of the house. The main stairs are at the back of this hall. There's also a back door that leads to the magnolia terrace, backyard, and garden.
The left side of this floor was for guests. Here you would find the music room and the dining room. The right side was more private. It had John Carlyle's bedroom (the main chamber) and his studio. The servant stairs are also on this side.
When visitors arrived, a servant would greet them in the main hall. During parties, the hall was used for dancing. Today, it shows a copy of the Fry-Jefferson map. This map was made by Peter Jefferson (who was Thomas Jefferson's father) and Joshua Fry.
The music room is next to the main entrance. Here, Sarah Carlyle Fairfax (John's daughter, also called Sally) practiced playing the spinet. She and her mother learned music at Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's home. A painting of John's brother, George Carlyle, is in this room. The wallpaper is green, and there is a fireplace.
The dining room is next to the music room. It looks much like it did in the 1750s. The wallpaper is blue. The wood details were made by hand. The room was designed to impress guests. It also has a fireplace. A painting of William Carlyle, John Carlyle's father, is in this room.
The main bedroom was on the right side of the house, near the front door. This was John Carlyle's and his wife Sarah Fairfax's room. The two windows in the room faced the street. A painting of John's mother, Rachel Murray Carlyle, was above the fireplace. A copy of Sarah Carlyle's wedding dress is also on display. The wooden floor in front of the fireplace has burn marks. These marks came from small explosions of air trapped in the wood and charcoal. This happened before fire screens were invented. The two closets in the bedroom might have been used to store clothes or dishes.
John Carlyle's studio is across from his bedroom. It has his desk and a divan. There's also a copy of John Carlyle's portrait. In the painting, his hand is inside his waistcoat. This was a popular painting style from the 1750s called hand-in-waistcoat. It showed leadership in a calm way and was easier to paint. This room was also used for family dinners to save the main dining room. The floor was made of silk with rhomboid patterns. From the studio windows, you could see ships arriving at the dock. This room also has a fireplace.
Second Floor Areas
The bedrooms for John Carlyle's children were on the second floor. The second-floor hall is in the middle of the house, right above the main hall. You can reach it by both the main stairs and the servant stairs.
Many books are displayed in the hall. These include old gardening books by Philip Miller and poetry books by John Bell.
George William Carlyle's room was on the left side of this floor.
Sarah Carlyle Fairfax and Anne Carlyle's room was across from their brother's room. A copy of Sarah Carlyle Fairfax's wedding dress is on display here. It's likely that Penelope (Penny), an enslaved person, took care of Sally and Anne. She might have slept with them in winter to share body heat or nearby.
On the right side of the second floor, there is a room that shows how the house was first built. It also has a fireplace. The servant stairs and another room are in front of it.
Front and Back Yards
At the time, rules said houses shouldn't have front yards to save space. To get around this, Carlyle bought two lots of land. This made his house the only one with a large front yard in the area. Carlyle was also on the board that made rules about land use in the city.
In the 1700s, the backyard of the house was right by the river. But over the years, the land was expanded by filling it with old boats and other materials. Today, the backyard is two blocks from the Potomac River.
History of Carlyle House
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George Washington, who grew up in Virginia, helped map out what would become Alexandria. In July 1749, when land lots for the new town were sold, John Carlyle bought two lots. They were perfect for his merchant business, located between the Potomac River and the town's market.
Congress of Alexandria Meeting
In 1755, King George II sent General Edward Braddock and 2,500 British soldiers to America. They came to fight in the French and Indian War, which had started in 1754. In April 1755, General Braddock made the Carlyle House his main headquarters in Virginia.
On April 15, 1755, an important meeting called the Congress of Alexandria happened in the dining room of the house. General Braddock met with five colonial governors: Horatio Sharpe (Maryland), Robert Dinwiddie (Virginia), James De Lancey (New York), William Shirley (Massachusetts), and Robert Hunter Morris (Pennsylvania).
At this meeting, Braddock suggested new taxes on the colonists to help pay for the war. They also decided to send an expedition to Fort Duquesne. George Washington, who was a major in the local army, told Braddock not to go on this expedition. Washington even volunteered to help Braddock. But Braddock went anyway. The expedition was a disaster, and many soldiers, including Braddock himself, were killed or hurt.
Slavery at Carlyle House
Many British colonists used enslaved people, and this practice grew with the Atlantic slave trade. John Carlyle owned enslaved people. Most of them likely spoke English and could understand instructions. Carlyle might have inherited them, bought them in Europe, or purchased them from markets or plantations in America.
Many of John Carlyle's enslaved people lived and worked at the Carlyle House, in a foundry on the same land, and on his three plantations.
When John Carlyle died in 1780, nine enslaved people lived at Carlyle House: Moses, Nanny, Jerry, Joe, Cate, Sibreia, Cook, Charles, and Penny. In the colonial period, as many as twenty-five enslaved people might have lived and worked there. They did many jobs, such as:
- A blacksmith (possibly Joe, who was valued at 35 pounds)
- A cook, who probably worked and slept in the kitchen
- A nanny to care for the children (likely Penny)
- People to do laundry
- People to serve at tables
- People to carry water from the well to the rooms
- People to carry water up and downstairs (possibly Kate)
- A person to help John Carlyle with his needs (Moses)
Enslaved people in Alexandria could learn new skills and jobs. They also lived in a community with free African Americans. This sometimes helped them escape slavery and find freedom in nearby towns.
American Revolution and Beyond
The American Revolution began in 1765. It was caused by new taxes from the British Parliament. Americans felt this was unfair because they had no say in the British government. This led to the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The American Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1783.
John Carlyle died in 1780, during the Revolutionary War. His son, George William Carlyle, inherited the house in 1780. But he died in battle a year later at the Battle of Eutaw Springs.
John Carlyle Herbert, John Carlyle's grandson, inherited the house in 1781. The house left the family in 1827 when Sarah Carlyle died. John Carlyle Herbert sold it to pay off a gambling debt.
A rich merchant named John Lloyd bought the house in 1827. He tried to sell it but couldn't. He even offered it as a place for a new courthouse in 1838, but that idea was rejected. Lloyd then rented out the house until 1848.
Civil War Era
In 1848, James Green bought the Carlyle House. He owned a furniture factory. By 1860, Green had made many changes to the Carlyle House. He also built a large hotel in front of it called the Mansion House Hotel. This hotel was one of the best on the East Coast. Because of the hotel, the Carlyle House could no longer be seen from the street.
When the American Civil War started, Union soldiers took over Alexandria. In November 1860, Green was told to leave the Mansion Hotel. The soldiers turned it into a hospital for Union soldiers after the First Battle of Bull Run. It could treat over 700 wounded soldiers. Most of the nurses were women, but there were not many female doctors at that time.
During the Civil War, Alexandria and the Carlyle House became important places in the fight against slavery. They played a key role in ending slavery in the United States.
Later Years and Restoration
During World War I, the Carlyle House became a museum. It was near the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, Alexandria. By the mid-1900s, the building was in bad shape because it hadn't been properly cared for.
Carlyle House Owners
In 1749, John Carlyle bought two half-acre lots in Alexandria, Virginia. He finished building the house in 1753. He owned it until 1780, when he died during the American Revolution.
John Carlyle's son, George William Carlyle, owned the house from 1780. But he died the next year in the Battle of Eutaw Springs during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1781, John Carlyle Herbert, John Carlyle's grandson, inherited the house. His mother, Sarah Carlyle Fairfax, was a woman, and women were not allowed to own land in the United States at that time. She died in 1827. John Carlyle Herbert sold the house to John Lloyd in 1827 to pay off a gambling debt.
John Lloyd rented out the house until 1848. Then, James Green bought it. Part of the land became the Green Hotel. During the Civil War in the United States, the Union army took over the hotel for a year and used it as a hospital. In 1865, it was returned to James Green. In the early 1900s, it became an apartment building.
After Green died in 1880, the hotel and Carlyle House were sold many times. In 1906, Earnest Wagar bought the buildings and started to fix up the house as a historic site.
NOVA Parks bought the house and apartments in 1970. They fully restored the house in 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
Carlyle House Historic Park
The Carlyle House was renamed the Carlyle House Historic Park. It is owned and protected by the NOVA Parks Agency.
To create the park, two-thirds of the old Mansion House Hospital were torn down. This made the Carlyle House visible from North Fairfax Street again. The original Bank of Alexandria building, built in 1807, is still there at 133 North Fairfax Street.
Restoring the Carlyle House
In 1969, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority decided to buy and restore the property. They wanted to make it a public historic site. They bought the Carlyle Apartments in 1970 for $305,000. The house itself was bought in 1971 for $193,000. The rest of the land was bought in 1972 for $210,000. A lot of restoration work was done in the early and mid-1970s.
Instead of tearing down and rebuilding the house, they chose a method to support the building. This helped save all the original details. During the restoration in the 1970s, the remains of the cat sealed in the foundation were found. They were put back in their original spot in the basement.
The restoration of the house and gardens was led by Beth R. Sundquist. The project involved tearing down the apartments (also called the Braddock Hotel). This made Carlyle House visible from North Fairfax Street again. The goal was to turn the mansion into an 18th-century museum. This meant fixing the building to look as it did originally. They also found and bought original furniture and items from that time. About a dozen pieces believed to have been in the house when the Carlyle family lived there were found. The house opened to the public on January 23, 1976.
The park, which opened in January 1976, includes the 18th-century Carlyle House mansion and its gardens. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Events at Carlyle House
The "Grandest Congress" is an event that happens every year on April 15. It's a reenactment that celebrates General Braddock's time at the house.
"Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace" offers Yoga Classes on the Magnolia Terrace. These classes are held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6 P.M. They start in April and end in October each year.
Images for kids
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Plan of second floor and attic
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Gardens of the Carlyle House and a view of the back door of the ground floor and the Magnolia Terrace on the main floor
See also
