Free previewStop 3 of Old Town Alexandria Walking Tour: Duke Street to the Waterfront
First in War, Written on Lee Corner
You're standing at the corner of North Washington and Oronoco Streets, a crossing Alexandrians once called Lee Corner. Face the house on the southeast corner, the one on its original half-acre lot. That's the Lee–Fendall House, built in 1785. Now turn and look across Oronoco Street at number 607. Keep both houses in view, because this story travels between them.
Philip Fendall built the house on your corner for his second wife, Elizabeth. Enslaved laborers did the building, and enslaved and free servants worked here for generations. Back then this was the edge of town, with uninterrupted views of Oronoco Bay and the ships docked there. George Washington dined here at least seven times in two years. In his diaries of 1785 and 1786, the Fendalls are mentioned more than anyone outside his own family.
The relative who mattered most was Henry Lee, called Light Horse Harry.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 3 of Old Town Alexandria Walking Tour: Duke Street to the Waterfront (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
