THIS WEEK IN ALEXANDRIA HISTORY: WOODROW WILSON AND SHIP RIVET

Mary Wadland May 25, 2018

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On May 30, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson drove the first rivet into the keel of the first ship under construction at the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation yard at Jones Point. That ship, the Gunston Hall, was launched the following February with a second ship, the Betsy Bell. Decades later, the Wilson bridge spanning the Potomac River, connecting Maryland with Alexandria, was unveiled at almost the exact location where Wilson drove the rivet. (Source: Office of Historic Alexandria)

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Mary Wadland May 25, 2018

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Mary Wadland

Mary Wadland is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Zebra Press, the award-winning Alexandria news publication she founded in 2010 with a mission of celebrating community, culture, and all the good news happening across the city. A longtime community advocate and storyteller, Mary was selected for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce inaugural 40 Under 40 class and has served as President of Living Legends of Alexandria since 2022. Known for her deep local roots, sharp editorial instincts, and passion for connecting people through journalism, she has spent decades chronicling the personalities, businesses, events, and civic life that make Alexandria unique. Originally from Delray Beach, Florida, Mary is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and has been part of Alexandria’s publishing and media community since 1987.