A Guide to Historic Alexandria

by William Seale

A Guide to Historic Alexandria explores the city's past through documentary photographs, striking modern photography, historical narrative, and special tour maps. The Guide opens the doors to Revolutionary and Civil War period houses, shops, markets, forts, and walled gardens that have prevailed through many generations in one of the nation's most appealing early towns.

Genres: Travel, Reference

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

William Seale was an American historian and author whose work focused on historical writing and the restoration of historic American buildings, notably state capitols. He attended Southwestern University in Texas and completed his Ph.D. at Duke University in North Carolina. An independent author since 1965, he wrote extensively on the White House and participated in the restoration of many state capitols. He was the founding editor of White House History Quarterly, the award-winning quarterly journal of the White House Historical Association, and author of The Imperial Season; The Tasteful Interlude: American Interiors Through the Camera’s Eye; Recreating the Historic House Interior; The Virginia Governor’s Mansion; Temples of Democracy; The State Capitols of the USA, and many others. With the Association, he provided commentary for At Home in the President’s Neighborhood: A Photographic Tour and authored numerous books including: The President’s House: A History; The White House Garden; The White House: The History of an American Idea; An Artist Visits the White House Past; The Night They Burned the White House: The Story of Tom Freeman’s Painting, the 23rd edition of The White House: An Historic Guide; Blair House: The President’s Guest House; A White House of Stone: Building America’s First Ideal in Architecture; and the forthcoming title Life on Lafayette Park.

Reviews

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who are interested in the history of Alexandria, VA.

[Roberta Decenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a beginning knowledge of the area around Alexandria, this book is great and extremely informative. I bought it at the visitor center on my first trip to Alexandria and read it for my second trip. By the end of the second trip I was using the book to guide my husband around to seeing various historic sites, book in hand, guiding us to various blocks and neighborhoods around Old Town. As a historian, it can be hard sometimes to pinpoint the exact location of a historic site you wish to see when your only directive is “corner between x street and y street” because there is often two corners, at least, on that intersection. But this book provides a very useful map, photos, and even street numbers that helps one find all the sites one wishes to see without all the guess work. I can’t wait to go back to Alexandria and see more of the sites mentioned in the book!

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having visited Alexandria multiple times I enjoyed reading about the rich history of the city. I wish the book contained more photos, especially of the numbered structures (homes, churches, etc.) that are described in the narrative and included on the maps. New building photos could replace the photos that are nonsignificant.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as interesting as I had hoped. A very sparse history to Alexandria followed by a boring, somewhat oddly ordered "tour" of various houses and key buildings. I found that the history part wasn't detailed or engaging enough. And the house descriptions were too repetitive and lacking in depth. I also think there should have been more photos of the houses/buildings described so that I could understand what was being discussed without being literally at the address listed in the text.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I guess. It's a good guidebook to every place G-Dub the First slept in ALX, but a bit shy on what lies outside of Old Town. Also, the author needs to watch his "the slaves had it good" and "yay Confederates/white men" language, because he verges a little close for modern comfort.

So, yeah. Nice pictures though.