Alexandria, VA – The house near the corner of Water (now Lee) and Wilkes Streets, as described in the 1870 census, was the residence of Nicholas Trist. The name may not be familiar to many, but he had a major impact on the size of the United States.
In 1847 Trist was sent by President Polk to Mexico to negotiate a treaty to end the war with our neighbor to the South. As negotiations dragged on for months, the president became frustrated with Trist’s efforts and he recalled his emissary. Much to the anger of President Polk, Nicholas Trist had other ideas about returning to Washington and stayed South of the Border to successfully negotiate the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
While the president was disappointed the treaty didn’t allow the United States to acquire Baja California, it did allow us to acquire land that would later become known as the states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, California, and parts of Arizona and Colorado. The Rio Grande became our border with Mexico, as part of the treaty. While Congress officially approved the treaty, Trist was banished to Philadelphia to a job as a lowly clerk for a railroad. This was a man who had studied law at the direction of Thomas Jefferson and in 1824 had married his granddaughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph.
Because of Trist’s insubordination, he lost all of his political capital, as well as his personal wealth while paying for his own expenses in Mexico. It wasn’t until years later that he returned with his family to Alexandria and become it’s postmaster. He lived in the white clapboard house with the handsome Mansard roof, pictured here, until he died in 1874. The house was owned by John Woolfolk Burke, co-founder of Burke & Herbert Bank, who had married Trist’s daughter Martha Jefferson Trist. Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria is the eternal resting place of Nicholas Trist and Martha Jefferson Trist.
Have you noticed this around town? Where is it? What do you know about it?
To see more quirky photos and close-up angles of secret and not-so-secret spots in Old Town, Alexandria, and jump in with guesses, and comments, follow the discussion, and submit your own photos for consideration, join the Unseen Old Town Facebook group!
As for the photo above, we will reveal what it is and where it is in our next issue, along with a new one for you to ponder.
