The source of this information is St. Mary's 200 Years for Christ. Copyright 1995, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Alexandria, Virginia and the archdiocese of Arlington, Virginia. All rights
reserved.

St. Mary's Catholic Church is located at 310 South Royal Street. The book, published as part of the parish's bicentennial celebration in 1995, traces the history of the church from its beginnings in 1795. Separate sections cover education, religious life, and the contributions of parishioners to the church community. Some of the church's oldest records are presented as well, including a listing of the original parishioners, the first baptisms and the names of the priests who have served the parish faithfully over the course of 200 years.

Details include the construction and reconstruction of the St. Mary's Church. The intent of inclusion of information about the St. Mary's is to reflect this important element within the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project Area.

Looking north from south of the Beltway, Royal Street is on the right hand side of the photograph.
The current St. Mary's School is in the center of the photograph.

The St. Mary's parish is the oldest parish in Virginia; founded in 1795.St. Mary's Cemetery is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Virginia. The cemetery is bounded by a wrought iron and brick fence with a gate at the north end at Washington Street indicating a "1795" date. Today, the cemetery occupies an oblong plot between Royal and Washington Streets bounded on the north by St. Mary's School and on the south by the busy Interstate I-95 approach to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Early colonists were religious people, although practice within the Roman Catholic Church was prohibited in Virginia until American Independence. Freedom of religion was proclaimed in 1776 when Catholicism could be practiced openly. Historic notes indicate that the Town was not incorporated until 1779. A chaplain serving in Rochambeau's French Army celebrated first known public Roman Catholic Mass in Alexandria in 1781. Five Jesuits from Georgetown College were in charge of St. Mary's from 1795 to 1818. Jesuits continued to serve the parish until 1891.

Thornton Alexander, an heir to John Alexander, agreed to donate an acre of land at the corner of Washington and Church Streets, where St. Mary's cemetery is located. Through the years, additional land was acquired as it became available.

Mr. Cavan Boa is cited as the first known burial at the cemetery (died August 20, 1798). The Carroll family has a long history in Alexandria. There are many members of this black family buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. The Alexandria Carroll's may have been slaves of the prominent Maryland Carroll family.

It is noted in church records (1826) that a coffin was found containing remains of a man in the Revolutionary War uniform. A local post of the American Legion placed a temporary marker (1926), which was so widely publicized by press and radio that the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution promptly offered to provide a monument that can still be seen. It was dedicated at a ceremony attended by John Phillip Sousa.

The cemetery contains sites of blacks, whites, slaves and free Americans.

Father Kroes built St. Joseph Chapel, which is now the Church's sacristy. The tabernacle is still in use today. The first St. Mary's Chapel's construction, in the vicinity of the cemetery, was never finished, but used until 1810. On July 19, 1826, a cornerstone was laid for the St. Mary's Church located further in town on Royal Street. In 1858 Father Kroes tripled the size of the cemetery at Washington and Church Streets, equipped it with blind drains and landscaped it.

Sundays in pre-WW II Alexandria were days of rest. Visiting cemeteries was a regular Sunday afternoon activity. Most homes in Old Town had gardens and most parishioners had parents or relatives to which they would pay homage by visiting and bringing flowers to the gravesites.

The cemetery was further improved in the 1930's. For years the priests wanted to improve the site of the first church and resting place of the many parishioners who had built St. Mary's. New roads were laid out and paved and the grounds were regraded and enlarged. Internments continue today although there are limitations on availability.

Reference: "St. Mary's 200 Years for Christ, 1995, St. Mary's Catholic Church,"
Alexandria, Virginia and the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia