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Colonel John McKee

Article — Partial listing - Baltimore Afro-American - April 12, 1902

John Mckee was one of Alexandria, Virginia most successful African Americans. At the time of his death, he was known as the wealthiest African American in the country.

He was born in Alexandria, Virginia around 1819. In 1838, he registered as a freed person of color in Alexandria. The registration stated, “John McKee is a bright mulatto boy, about 19 years old, 5 feet 4½ inches tall, who is straight built with light colored eyes. He was born free, as appears by oaths of Betsey Beckley and Fanny Beckley.”

When he was in his teens, Mr. McKee was indentured as a brick maker. He later ran away to Baltimore, Maryland; but was brought back to Alexandria by his Uncle to finish his time of indenture.

John was 21-years old when he migrated to Philadelphia and worked in the livery stable. Later he started working for James Prosser, a well- known restaurant owner on Market Street in Philadelphia. He married his employer’s daughter.

When the civil war started, John organized and became the Colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania (N.G.P.) in the Fifth Brigade under General Louis Wagner. Later, John became the Colonel of the Eighth New Jersey colored regiment.

From that time on, John was known as Colonel John Mckee. He became wealthy in real estate. At the time of his death, he owned 300 to 400 houses. He was the founder and owner of McKee City on the West Jersey Railroad in New Jersey a tract of 4,000 acres divided into twenty-one farms. He also owned about 300,000 acres of coal and oil land in Kentucky and Logan County, West Virginia, and a tract of twenty-one acres at Fifty Street and Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia. He owned over 23,000 acres of land in two-counties in New York, and sixty acres of land on the Delaware River as well as many other properties in other States.

Colonel John McKee died April 6, 1902 at his home at 1030 Lombard Street in Philadelphia. His funeral was at Central Presbyterian Church and his internment was at Olivet Cemetery. John had one living daughter at the time of his death, Mrs. A.P. Syphax. He also had six grandsons and two of his grandsons lived in Washington, DC.

John’s accomplishments were outstanding for a black man that was born in the early 1800s. His total asset at the end of his life was between $1.5 million to $2 million. Others at the time of his death said it was $4 million. John left a quarter of a million dollars to family members and friends. The bulk of his money and property went to the Catholic Church to establish a school for fatherless children of both races. Even today, there are scholarships for fatherless children in his name.

John will be remembered as one of Alexandria most successful African Americans.

Wash (W N) Jackson

Washington (Wash or W) N Jackson was remembered as “Hotel Jackson.” He was one of the first large black hotel owners in Alexandria, Virginia, and it was located on King and Peyton Streets.

It was noted in a 1927 article that “for more than 30-years occupied as a hotel for colored.” W N Jackson ran his establishment as a hotel and a civic meeting place for the African American community. The 40^th celebration of Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation celebration was held at “Hotel Jackson”. Also in 1905, the local branch of the National Negro Men’s Business League used Hotel Jackson as their venue.

Not only was W N a hotel owner, but he also owned a Grocery Store at 200 N Payne Street. He acquired large real estate holdings and was associated with three churches in his lifetime. The first Church he belonged to in the 1870s was Shiloh Baptist Church, and he was one of the trustees. Because of a strained relationship with the Church members, Wash left Shiloh Baptist Church. With two of his associates, Moses Stevens and John A. Wilson, Wash founded and became a trustee of Mt. Jezreel Baptist Church in 1890. By 1915, Wash and several other trustees were having problems. He left Mt. Jezreel and became a member and trustee of Third Baptist Church, and remained at that church until his death in 1939.

Washington Jackson was born in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1856. He was on the 1870 census in Alexandria, Virginia. Wash married Elizabeth Lucas in 1885, and after her death in 1933, he married Mildred.

He married twice, became a Merchant, Grocer, hotel owner, real estate owner, trustees of three churches, civic organizer, member of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP), member of the National Building Association of Baltimore City, MD and a private financial lender to African Americans. He also owned stock in several associations.

When Shiloh Baptist Church hosted the colored Republicans congressional district of Virginia conference, W N Jackson presided over the conference and William A. Carter was the secretary. Wash announced his organization’s endorsement of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt for President.

W N Jackson died on February 19, 1939 at his residence at 429 North West Street in Alexandria, Virginia. In his last will and testament, he made his last generous gift. Outside of Wash’s relatives, he gave his shares of stock that he owned in the Colored Fair Association of Fairfax, Virginia to the trustees of Third Baptist Church of Alexandria. He was also very generous to the Taylor family. He gave Catherine Taylor, Charles Taylor, Finley Taylor, Ellen Taylor and others $25 each in 1939.

The descendants of the Taylor family still leave in Alexandria, Virginia. They are the children of Mrs. Dorothy Napper Taylor. This family is also the descendants of people who were buried at a Civil War Cemetery called the “Alexandria Freedmen Cemetery” on Washington and Church Streets.

For all his achievements, Wash was remembered in Alexandria, Virginia as “Hotel Jackson.”

1900 Entrepreneurs

There were many African Americans businesses in Alexandria, Virginia. African Americans were in occupations as barbers, blacksmiths and Wheelwrights, a Boarding House, Boot and Shoemakers Repairs, Coal and Wood, Confectioners, Dressmakers, Eating Houses, Grocers, Gun and Locksmith, a Junk Dealer, a Livery Stable and a Physician.

Some African American businesses never made it to the Business section of the City Directory for whatever reason. Listed are the people and their occupations and locations for the year 1900 that were in the Alexandria City Directory.

Barbers

William Diggs – 312 N Fairfax Street

Dulany & Son – 504 King Street

Ernest G. Grady – 207 King Street

Albert Green – 419 Oronok(c)o Street

Hammond & Jones – 619 King Street

Benjamin F. Lucas – 206 N Fayette Street

Ross & Thompson – 1025 King Street

Larkin Smith – 104 S Royal Street

Herbert P Tancil – 305 King Street

Julia F Triplett – 116 N Royal Street

John Triplett – 211 S Fayette Street

Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights

William Davis – 100 Strand Street

Jackson Garrett – 319 N Royal Street

Oliver Norris – Franklin corn S Patrick Street

Boarding House

Champ Carter – 111 S Union Street

Boot and Shoe Makers and Repairers

Beverly Butler – 318 N Pitt Street

Edmond Fry – 420 S Royal Street

Charles Gray – 521 S Columbus Street

Weston Green – 417 N St. Asaph Street

Charles Jackson – 220 N Fayette Street

Gustavus A Lumpkins – 810 Queen Street

George W Martin, 634 S St. Asaph Street

Gilson Spence – 1210 Cameron Street

John H Webb – 227 Commerce Street

Strother Webb – 428 N Patrick Street

Coal and Wood

Harry B Boteler – 716 N Henry Street

Ernest J Frazier – 622 S Washington Street

Sidney D Lane – 417 N Henry Street

Charles Medley – 235 Commerce Street

Confectioners

Edward W Dudley – 934 N Columbus Street

Henry E Green – 212 N Payne Street

Charles Keys – 204 N Fayette Street

William H Rich – 135 Peyton Street

Dressmakers

Agnes C Proctor – 408 N Patrick Street

Sarah Taylor – 822 N Columbus Street

Eating Houses

Frank B Baltimore – 204 N Fayette Street

Richard Morgan – 601 S Columbus Street

Anna Shackelford – front of Oronok(c)o Street

Charles Williams – 112 King Street

John A Wilson – 223 Commerce Street

Grocers

William Burr – 429 First Street

William S Dogan – 601 S Asaph Street

Edmund Hill – 1012 Wythe Street

W N Jackson – 200 N Payne Street

William R Lee – 903 Princess Street

William H Whiting – 517 Gibbon Street

Gun and Locksmith

John Jones – 528 N Columbus Street

Junk Dealer

Thomas E Arrington – 528 Gibbon Street

Livery Stable

Moses Stevens – 1325 Cameron Street

Physician

Albert Johnson – 814 Duke Street

Hallowell School – 1893 Teachers’ Census

Hallowell Public Black School for Girls

George L. Seaton built another School in the City of Alexandria for black girls. The Freedmen Bureau funded the Hallowell School in 1867. The basic design of the school was similar to the Snowden School. The school was located on North Alfred Street, between Princess and Oronoco Streets.

Prior to Sarah A. Gray becoming the principal of Hallowell School, Mrs. Matilda A. Madden was the principal and her assistant teachers were Mrs. Jane A. Crouch and Miss Harriett Douglas.

Hallowell was sometime called “Lee School, just like Snowden School was known by another name. It is unknown why Hallowell was referred to as the Lee School. When the City of Alexandria took over the Black Girls School, the School was named Hallowell after a white educator in Alexandria.

Alexandria Black Girls School — 1893 Hallowell School Teacher Census

Every school year, the State of Virginia required all counties to provide a school census of their teachers. The 1893 School year for the City of Alexandria School listed the following teachers for Hallowell School:

Mrs. Louisa R. Cabainss – 1906 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC

Mrs. Rosetta L. Holland – 315 South Royal Street, Alexandria, VA

Miss Margaret E. Darnell – 117 South West Street, Alexandria, VA

Miss Bessie K. Spriggs – 602 South Washington Street, Alexandria, VA

Miss Sarah J. Derrick – 610 Gibbon Street, Alexandria, VA

Miss Sarah A. Gray – Pleasant View, Alexandria County

Mrs. Harriet E. Thornton, Substitute – 323 North Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA

Miss Maggie A. White – 1016 Queen Street, Alexandria, VA

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