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. You can find them at 134 and 138 North Royal Street. This spot was once a very important part of city life. People gathered here for social events, business, and even learning.
Today, Gadsby's Tavern is home to a restaurant and a museum. The restaurant serves food in the original dining room. The museum shows what life was like in early America. This historic place was named a National Historic Landmark in 1963. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Contents
The History of Gadsby's Tavern
Gadsby's Tavern is made up of two main buildings. One is a 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 name!
Early Beginnings of the Tavern
Gadsby's Tavern wasn't the first tavern on this land. As early as 1749, Charles and Anne Mason had a tavern called Mason's Ordinary. Later, in the 1770s, Mary Hawkins opened a tavern nearby.
After the American Revolution, the area grew quickly. In 1782, John Wise bought the land. He built the first tavern in 1785. Then, in 1792, he built the larger City Tavern. This became the most important tavern in Alexandria.
John Gadsby started leasing the City Tavern in 1796. He later leased the smaller 1785 tavern too. He ran both until 1808, when he moved away. After Wise died in 1815, the buildings were used for many things. They were a hotel, offices for lawyers, and even places for auctions. It stayed a hotel during the American Civil War.
The Mysterious Female Stranger
In 1816, a young woman became very sick at the City Tavern. She was traveling with her husband. Before she died, she made everyone promise not to tell her name. They kept their promise. Her grave in St. Paul's Cemetery is marked "Female Stranger". People say her ghost haunts the cemetery and Room 8 of Gadsby's Tavern. That was the room where she died. This strange story has been a local mystery for a long time.
Changes in the 19th and 20th Centuries
In the late 1800s, Frederick Schwab ran a saloon in the older part of Gadsby's Tavern. By the early 1900s, the building was no longer a hotel. It had fallen into disrepair. The beautiful rooms that once hosted big parties were now just shops and apartments.
In 1917, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City bought parts of the ballroom. They bought the unique musicians' gallery, fancy trim, and door frames. They also bought mantelpieces from the dining rooms and the outside doorway. This helped save these original pieces of history. The museum later recreated the ballroom in New York. It opened to the public in 1924.
Famous Visitors to the Tavern
Many important people visited Gadsby's Tavern. George Washington came often. He even attended his annual Birthnight Ball there twice. Other famous guests included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson had a special dinner in the ballroom in 1801. The Marquis de Lafayette also attended parties there in 1824.
Saving and Restoring the Tavern Museum
In the early 1900s, the buildings were almost torn down. But groups like the American Legion, Post 24, worked hard to save them. Clint Knight, a former city councilman, even mortgaged his home 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 Alexandria's history. The renovators even rebuilt the ballroom woodwork on the second floor. They copied the original design that the Metropolitan Museum of Art had bought. In 1963, the tavern was officially named a National Historic Landmark.
Gadsby's Tavern Museum Today
Today, the City of Alexandria continues to protect 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 every day for families and individuals. You can also book group tours. There is a fee to enter. The museum is also part of the American Whiskey Trail. This trail helps people learn about the history of drinks in American society.
See also
