Alexandria had a large freed black population prior to 1865. Many of those freed blacks had their own businesses that provided valuable services to the Black community. Also after 1865, newly freed blacks entered the market of entrepreneurship and became part of the business world. This site will discuss black businesses that existed in the black community.
George L. Seaton – 1821 – 1881
George L. Seaton – A builder, carpenter, real estate, politician, civil leader and a grocer. In 1868, an advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette listed his grocery store at 179 King Street.
John A. Seaton – 1837 – 1898
John A. Seaton – A carpenter, City Alderman, Civil War Union Soldier, security guard for the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Capitol, and a large landowner.
Washington (Wash or W) N Jackson – 1856 – 1939
Wash N Jackson – 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, a private financial lender to African Americans and a Republican.
Colonel John McKee – 1819 – 1902
John was a native of Alexandria, Virginia. At the age of 21, he migrated to Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia, he married his employer’s daughter. He started buying real estate. At the time of his death, he was worth $1.5 million to $4 million.
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