Gadsby's Tavern facts for kids
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Gadsby's Tavern
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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 | 138 N. Royal St., Alexandria, Virginia |
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| Built | 1752 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000913 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 4, 1963 |
Gadsby's Tavern is a group of old buildings in Alexandria, Virginia. It includes a tavern built around 1785 and a hotel from 1792. These places were very important for social life, business, and politics in Alexandria long ago.
Today, Gadsby's Tavern is home to a restaurant and the Gadsby's Tavern Museum. The museum shows what life was like in early America. The restaurant serves food in the original 1792 dining room.
This historic spot was named a National Historic Landmark in 1963. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Contents
A Look Back at Gadsby's Tavern
Gadsby's Tavern is actually two main buildings. One is the tavern, built around 1785. The other is the City Hotel, built in 1792. A man named John Gadsby ran both places from 1796 to 1808. That's how the tavern got its famous name!
How the Tavern Started
Before Gadsby's Tavern, other taverns existed on this land. After the American Revolution, the economy grew. A man named John Wise bought the land in 1782. He built the main tavern around 1785 and the larger City Tavern in 1792.
John Gadsby, who was from England, leased the City Tavern in 1796. It was the most important tavern in Alexandria at the time. In 1802, he also leased the smaller 1785 tavern. He ran both until 1808, when he moved away.
After John Wise passed away in 1815, the buildings had many different owners. They were used as a hotel, offices for lawyers, and even places for auctions. It stayed a hotel during the American Civil War.
The Mystery of the Female Stranger
In 1816, a young woman became very sick at the City Tavern. She had traveled to Alexandria with her husband. Before she died, she made everyone around her promise not to tell anyone who she was. They kept their promise!
Her grave in St. Paul's Cemetery is marked "Female Stranger". People say her ghost still haunts the cemetery and Room 8 of Gadsby's Tavern, where she died. This mysterious story has been a local legend for a long time.
Changes in the 1900s
By the early 1900s, Gadsby's Tavern was no longer a fancy hotel. It had become old and run-down. The beautiful rooms where important events happened were used for small shops and apartments.
In 1917, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City bought some parts of the tavern. They bought the ballroom's wooden walls, special decorations, and door frames. They also bought two fireplaces and the outside doorway. This helped save these important pieces of history.
On November 11, 1924, the museum opened a special exhibit. It featured the recreated Gadsby's Tavern Ballroom, using the original woodwork. It's now called the "Alexandria Ballroom" in New York.
Famous Visitors to the Tavern
Many important people visited Gadsby's Tavern. George Washington came often and attended his birthday parties there. Other famous guests included presidents like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe.
Thomas Jefferson had a big dinner in the ballroom in 1801. The Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero, also visited the City Tavern in 1824 during his tour of the United States.
Saving and Restoring the Tavern
In the early 1900s, there was a plan to tear down the buildings. But people like F. Clinton Knight and the American Legion, Post 24, worked hard to save them. Clint Knight even used his own home as a loan to help buy the Tavern.
After a lot of work, the buildings reopened in 1976. The City of Alexandria turned them into a museum. The museum teaches people about the history and culture of Alexandria. The renovators even rebuilt the ballroom's woodwork on the second floor, just like the original that went to New York.
Gadsby's Tavern was officially named a National Historic Landmark in 1963.
Gadsby's Tavern Today
Today, the City of Alexandria continues to protect and share the history of Gadsby's Tavern. They run the Gadsby's Tavern Museum. They also lease the restaurant space in the 1792 hotel building to a private owner. You can still see the original ballroom woodwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The museum offers tours where you can explore on your own or with a guide. Group tours can be set up by appointment. It costs $5 for self-guided tours and $8 for guided tours. People who live or work in Alexandria, and active military members or veterans, can visit for free.
Gadsby's Tavern Museum is also part of the American Whiskey Trail. This trail helps people learn about the history of drinks like whiskey in American society.
See also
