An Alexandria Merchant’s Mansion - Carlyle House

House Museum

Jul 8

Just off Old Alexandria’s bustling King Street, is Carlyle House, built by merchant John Carlyle between 1751 and 1753 in the Georgian-style. The house is architecturally unique as the only stone 18th century residence in Alexandria. When the house was constructed, the double lot at #41 and #42 was waterfront property on the Potomac River. Through John’s growing business and social ties, he emerged as a leading political figure in northern Virginia. As a town founder and civic leader, John’s story captures the entrepreneurial spirit of early America.

Suzanne was the docent at the house the day I visited. She is a long-time town resident and extremely informative of both the house and the area.

Here is what caught my eye, I hope you enjoy!

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The front facade of the house with a cannon on the lawn.

The arch-shaped front door

An outbuilding on the property

A garden gazebo

The rear garden

This is the main bedroom in the house and belonged to John and Sarah

Ghosts of Alexandria (Haunted America)

By Pope, Michael Lee

Carlyle's house illustrated catalogue, chronology and descriptive notes

By Carlyle's House Memorial Trust, London

Buy on Amazon

Historic Alexandria, Virginia, street by street: A survey of existing early buildings

By Cox, Ethelyn

Buy on Amazon

A picture of the elaborate bed in John and Sarah’s bedroom on the first floor

The fabric and decoupage-ish detail of the bed

The fireplace in the main bedroom, with a portrait of John’s mother, Rachel Murray Carlyle, hanging above.

This room contains a painted floor cloth with a geometric pattern

Additional chairs could always be moved from room to room where needed

The entrance hall with staircase and another painted floor cloth

Another view of the main staircase

The bright green wallpaper Music Room

The bent side spinet piano in the Music Room

The dining room fireplace with a portrait of William Carlyle (John’s father) hanging above.

Another view of the dining room

In the dining room

This is daughters Sarah and Anne’s room on the second floor.

An example of the female dress of the day

This room on the second floor contains pictures of the house and the wall show the house construction.

This is in the son George Willam’s bedroom on the second floor

Another view of the front of the house

Looking through the front gate at the house

Things you should know:

There are guided tours of the house and self-guided tours of the garden.
You can buy an Alexandria “Key to the City” attraction pass for $20 at the Visitors Center, and it will include admission to some of the historic sites including the Carlyle House.
The house garden can be toured with no admission charge.
Check website for days and hours of operation.
You could spend between 1 and 1 1/2 hours here, depending on the tour length.

Location: 121 N. Fairfax Street

For more information: Carlyle House