author

Gay Montague Moore

Best known for bringing Alexandria’s early history to life, this Virginia writer and preservationist helped spark lasting interest in the city’s historic past. Her work blends local storytelling with careful attention to the people, buildings, and public memory of Old Town.

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Seaport in Virginia

Seaport in Virginia

by Gay Montague Moore

About the author

Gay Montague Moore was an American writer, local historian, and preservationist closely associated with Alexandria, Virginia. She is best known for Seaport in Virginia: George Washington’s Alexandria, a historical work first published in 1949 that explores the city’s early life and its connections to George Washington.

Sources available here also describe her as a key figure in Alexandria’s preservation movement. She lived at the Fairfax-Moore House on Prince Street, restored the property, and is remembered for helping inspire broader efforts to protect the character of Old Town Alexandria.

Records found during this search identify her as Matilda Gay Montague Moore, born in 1891 and died in 1988. They also indicate that she was the daughter of Virginia governor Andrew Jackson Montague, linking her literary and civic work to a prominent Virginia family history.