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Mansion House Hospital

Mansion House Hospital was the largest of the confiscated buildings used as a military hospital in Alexandria. The old, vacant hotel was torn down in the 1970s to restore the historic Carlyle House as a museum and park.
Page updated on January 10, 2022 at 1:40 PM

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History of the Mansion House Hospital

121 N. Fairfax Street

Mansion House Hospital
 Mansion House Hotel, Alexandria's largest Civil War era hotel, became its largest Union hospital. (Library of Congress)

Mansion House Hotel, operated by James Green, was considered one of the premier establishments on the East Coast (also known as Green’s Hotel). In early November 1861, Green received a letter that stated he had three days to vacate the premises. Opened December 1, 1861, as a General Hospital, Mansion House Hospital was subsequently used as the First Division General Hospital, beginning Sept. 20, 1862. It was the largest of the confiscated buildings used as a military hospital in Alexandria, with 500 beds.

Built directly in front of (and obscuring the view of) the 18th century John Carlyle House, Mansion House Hotel (sometimes known as the Braddock House hotel) was vacant and deteriorating when a large portion of it was torn down in the 1970s to restore the house and establish Carlyle House Historic Park. The historic Bank of Alexandria on the corner of Cameron Street, once a part of the hotel and hospital, was also preserved.

  • "Nurses, Spies, and Soldiers: The Civil War at Carlyle House," Sarah Coster. Carlyle House Docent Dispatch, March 2011. 
  • An occupied city and the misfortunes of war. Out of the Attic, February 18, 2016.
  • How a bank building became a hotel and Civil War hospital. Out of the Attic, September 12, 2013.
  • An obstruction for some, a gem for others. Out of the Attic, November 23, 2010.

First Person Accounts

First Person Accounts from the Union Hospitals

  • Mary Phinney von Olnhausen, Nurse 
  • Judson, Patient/Soldier 
  • J.B. Porter, Surgeon
  • Fragment of letter from a patient, found during restoration of the Carlyle House 
  • Official card for patient S.D. Newcomb, found during restoration of the Carlyle House  

Historic Image

  • Title: Mansion House Hospital, Alexandria, Va.  
  • Photographer: Andrew J. Russell
  • Image Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division   
  • Image Date: photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889 
  • Medium: 1 photographic print on card mount : albumen. 
  • Library of Congress Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-33628 (digital file from original item) LC-B8184-1290 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-B8184-10070 (b&w film copy neg.)   
  • Library of Congress Call Number: LOT 4180, no. 31 [P&P] 
  • Library of Congress Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. 

Quartermaster Map

The Mansion House Hospital is shown in the lower left corner of the Quartermaster's map 

Mansion House Hospital, Quartermaster map.
Mansion House Hospital, in the lower left corner of the Quartermaster's map.

Location and the Site Today

Carlyle House Old and Historic District
The Carlyle House Museum.

Mansion House Hospital was located at 121 Fairfax Street. Today, the Carlyle House Historic Park is open to the public, and owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Park Authority. The Bank of Alexandria building on the corner of Cameron Street was also part of the hospital complex. The larger Mansion House hotel buildings were torn down.

  • Google Maps. See the location today
  • Civil War Hospital Map. See location of hospital in relation to others
  • Union Hospitals in Alexandria. Return to main page
  • Alexandria Civil War Hospitals. interactive Story Map
  • Alexandria Civil War Hospitals. Walking Tour Brochure

 

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