Explore Carlyle House Historic Park Near Reynolds Prospect

Carlyle House Historic Park is home to an eighteenth-century historic house museum in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. This elegant stone mansion was completed by John Carlyle, a wealthy merchant and a founder of Alexandria in 1753. Carlyle House is one of the nation’s finest examples of Georgian residential architecture.

John Carlyle completed this house for his bride, Sarah Fairfax of Belvoir, a member of one of the most prestigious families in colonial Virginia. Their dwelling quickly became a center of social and political life in Alexandria and gained a foothold in history when British General Braddock made the mansion his headquarters in 1755. Braddock summoned five colonial governors to meet there to plan the early campaigns of the French and Indian War.

Daily tours, youth programs, special events, exhibits, and lectures offer visitors a chance to experience eighteenth-century life through the eyes of one man and his family as he made the journey from English citizen to the American patriot. The story of Carlyle House parallels the early history of Alexandria, colonial Virginia, and America and is brought to life through costumed interpreters, guides, and fun family programs.