3 Cool And Unusual Landmarks In Alexandria

The city of Alexandria is rich with history, from the earliest settlers through the Civil War to the present day. Other than the area’s famous landmarks, some more unique and interesting attractions are off the beaten path. Here are three worth checking out.

The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary

Founded in 1792, this was a family business operated continuously until 1933, when competition from synthetic drug companies and the Great Depression led it to bankruptcy. The apothecary closed in 1933 and reopened as a museum in 1939. The museum displays the original collection of herbal botanicals, hand-blown glass, and medical instruments that were there when the store closed.

Hollensbury Spite House

Known as the narrowest house in America, this blue seven-feet wide residence was built by brickmaker and city councilor John Hollensbury in 1830. This tiny two-story residence was once an enclosed alleyway with two brick houses on either side. It is called a spite house because Hollensburry, who owned one of the houses, built it to keep wagons and loiterers from his alley. The house is now privately owned.

The Grave of the Female Stranger

Legend has it that in 1816, a young couple arrived in Alexandria and rented a room in Gadsby’s Tavern at 138 North Royal St. The woman was seriously ill and her husband hired a local doctor to treat her–on condition that the doctor doesn’t ask questions about their identities. The woman eventually died on October 14, 1816.

The husband borrowed money from a local businessman to bury her in town, repaying him with a cheque, which later turned out to be a forgery. The woman’s grave can still be found in the St. Pauls Episcopal Church section of the town’s cemetery.

A slab bears the inscription “To the memory of a Female Stranger whose mortal sufferings terminated on the 14th day of October 1816 Aged 23 years and 8 months….”