BENEATH BRADLEE CENTER by Dave Cavanaugh

BENEATH BRADLEE CENTER
by Dave Cavanaugh

There is renewed interest in the history of the Seminary Hill area, including the settlement of African Americans after the Civil War at the Fort (Fort Ward) and near what is now the Oakland Baptist Church. At the conclusion of the war, the Fairfax Seminary Hospital on the grounds of the Episcopal Seminary and the nearby forts were closed down. Recovery was slow, but freedmen and returning professors and property owners found ways to adjust to new economic hardships. Cassius Lee and his family witnessed the transition of the Seminary Hill area; in future, their story should become an integral part of the historic interpretation of the Seminary Hill area.

Menokin, the home of Cassius F. Lee and his wife AnnEliza, once stood on 125 acres now occupied by the Bradlee Shopping Center, Lee Braddock Apartments, Minnie Howard School, and Fairlington Towne.

Menokin was built in 1854 to accommodate the large and growing Lee family. Originally a summer home, it became a popular place for family gatherings and social calls with professors and friends associated with the nearby Episcopal Theological Seminary. The gate off Braddock Road opened to a tree-lined drive, which led to the two-story house with a large front porch. From the back of the home, visitors had a distant view of Washington, D.C.
Robert E. Lee was Cassius Lee’s first cousin. They grew up together and remained close lifelong friends. Cassius, unlike his cousin, did not leave the Alexandria area to join the Confederacy.

The day before Virginia secession took effect, Cassius dispatched a short letter to Robert E. Lee expressing his hope that civil war could be averted and that “God make you instrumental in saving our land from the dreadful strife.” Although Cassius was a slave owner, he opposed secession. However, over time he came to resent Union control, restrictions on his civil liberties, and the determination of Union forces to put down the insurrection.

With the beginning of the Civil War, Union troops marched into Virginia and fanned out, occupying the ridge lines overlooking Washington. Menokin faced the hastily constructed Fort Ward a short distance away, and white Union tents could be seen in every direction. In 1863, under fear of being arrested and jailed, Cassius and his family left Menokin. They went to New York and Massachusetts, visiting Ann’s relatives, and finally sought refuge in Canada. During their absence the house was used by Union officers and soldiers and was left in poor condition. Returning after the war in mid-1865 with little money, the family began the difficult task of repairing and restoring the property.

In October 1865, shortly after they returned, worried that Cassius might have to sell Menokin, Ann used her inheritance to pay Cassius for his interest in the property. In July 1870, Robert E. Lee stayed at Menokin. Ann died at Menokin in 1885 and Cassius later in 1890. Both are buried at the Christ Church Cemetery in Alexandria. Menokin was sold in 1908.

Source: Alexandria Archaeology Volunteer News -- Spring 2009