author
Gay Montague Moore
Best known for bringing old Alexandria vividly to life, this Virginia historian and preservationist wrote with a deep affection for place. Her work on George Washington’s Alexandria blends local color, careful research, and a strong sense of the city’s past.
1 Audiobook
Seaport in Virginia George Washington's Alexandria
by Gay Montague Moore
About the author
Born Matilda Gay Montague Wellford Moore in 1891, she was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Montague, who served as governor of Virginia and later in Congress. She became closely associated with Alexandria, Virginia, where she devoted much of her life to studying and preserving the city’s early history.
Moore is best remembered for Seaport in Virginia: George Washington's Alexandria (1949), a lively historical account of Alexandria’s growth and its ties to George Washington. The book reflects her gift for turning local history into an engaging story, drawing readers into the streets, houses, and waterfront life of early Virginia.
She was also an important preservationist. Sources on the Fairfax-Moore House credit her restoration of the Prince Street property in 1929 as an early spark for Alexandria’s preservation movement, and she lived there until her death in 1988.